A special conversation with Dominique Crenn

The French chef on opening Golden Poppy, food activism, and her future in Paris

Dominique Crenn at La Fantaisie Hotel in Paris // Christophe Archambault/AFP

Spend a few hours with Dominique Crenn and a few truths emerge: she reveres Whitney Houston (in fact, she begins and ends her day with at least one of her songs); she cares deeply for the people who work with and for her; and she seems to have more energy than everyone else in the room— no matter the room or who’s in it with her.

I’ve had the opportunity to do just that— spend some time with her— in recent months, particularly in the run up to the opening of her first Parisian restaurant, Golden Poppy. I jumped at the chance to profile her for the September/October issue of Condé Nast Traveler (in print or available online) but as it happens with the best of conversations for magazines, so much ended up on the cutting room floor. Here are some of the discussions that were trimmed or didn’t make the final cut.

This conversation has been edited for clarity.