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By: Dominique Crenn

Cooking and dining at home is one of my favorite things to do. It isn’t necessary to have the skills of a chef or the eye of a designer to enjoy a beautiful and meaningful meal. There are only three things I consider when creating an evening at home.

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First, you must buy the best ingredients and this is a rule to live by everyday! The best quality ingredients are cared for and grown with love and care. They are organic, fresh, and seasonal and are often best at your local farmer’s market. Don’t hesitate to make friends with your local farmer: they dedicate their lives to growing delicious products and always have invaluable information to share. Learn from the grower where your produce comes from, when it’s at the peak of flavor, and when new and exciting products will be available. If you take time to use only produce and seafood when it is in season, your food will be full of flavor. If you start with beautiful ingredients, you will, in turn, make a beautiful meal.

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Then, you must have great wine. The 2010 Larkmead Vineyards Solari Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 is key.

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Last but certainly not least, fill your table with people you love. It’s not always about the food we eat together but the people we share a table with. Create for your guests a meal that is thoughtful and generous and you will create an unforgettable dining experience.

ABOUT DOMINIQUE CRENN

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Dominique Crenn is the co-owner and chef of the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, where artistry is at the forefront, cuisine is a craft, and the community is an inspiration. She can be credited with not only being the first female chef in the U.S. to receive two and three Michelin stars, in 2012 and 2018, respectively. Additional accolades among her many include the 2018 James Beard Award for Best Chef: West, and in 2019, Atelier Crenn came in at No. 35 on the list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. She is also the owner of Petit Crenn, also in San Francisco, Bar Crenn, a wine bar situated next door to Atelier Crenn, has written two best-selling cookbooks, Metamorphosis of Taste and Rebel Chef, and founded VitaBowl, a plant-based superfood meal delivery service from veggies grown on her own farm. er next venture is Boutique Crenn, set to open at the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco.