Yes, Chef! Join the Food Revolution

Written by

UPSIDE Foods

UPDATE: On July 1, 2023, UPSIDE Chicken launched at Bar Crenn as the very first cultivated meat sold to consumers in the U.S.

French-born, San Francisco-based chef Dominique Crenn is no stranger to making history. She is America’s first and only 3-Michelin-starred female chef and captains her San Francisco restaurants Atelier Crenn, Bar Crenn, and Petit Crenn as well as Golden Poppy in Paris. In 2016, she was crowned one of the world’s best chefs by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Appearances on shows like Top Chef, Iron Chef and Chef’s Table have cemented her status in the culinary zeitgeist.

Maybe the most important thing to know about Chef Crenn, however, is that she always puts her values first. In 2018, she broke completely from convention and took meat off her restaurants’ menus, due to her desire to drive “real environmental change.” She has spearheaded a number of initiatives in support of sustainable food systems — from championing regenerative agriculture to educating about food waste. And in 2021, she received 50 Best’s Icon Award for her contributions to the industry and for using her platform to effect positive change.

Now, she’s driving progress once again: As UPSIDE’s first culinary partner, she’s helping to spread the word about how delicious cultivated meat can be, and its power to drive progress through the way we eat. Here, she tells us how.