Tag: San Francisco

French chef first woman to earn three Michelin stars in US


French chef Dominique Crenn on Thursday became the first woman in the United States to earn three Michelin stars for her modernist San Francisco restaurant Atelier Crenn.

“It’s an amazing recognition,” an elated Crenn told AFP after the announcement was made by the Michelin Guide. “Amazing for my team and all the work we have done over the years.”

Crenn said she had been celebrating, drinking rose wine all day, and planned to party further with guests and her team later in the evening.

“Who knew that one day Dominique Crenn will get three Michelin stars with her team,” she gushed.

Crenn said she hoped her success would inspire young women to push ahead with their dreams.

“I tell them today, ‘You can do anything you want to do’, it has nothing to do with gender,” she said. “Go out there and just do it.

“Never let someone stand in your way.”

Source FRANCE 24: French chef first woman to earn three Michelin stars in US – France 24

How a Gang of Thirsty Thieves Stole Over $500,000 Worth of Wine

ONE DECEMBER NIGHT IN 2014, a group of wine aficionados congregated in front of Thomas Keller’s famed French Laundry restaurant. They hadn’t called ahead to see if the Yountville, California, institution, which has an infamous, months-long waitlist, could accommodate them. Since it was Christmas night, the restaurant wasn’t even open.

Regardless, the crew got what they came for. They broke in and walked out with over $500,000 worth of wine, including some of the most coveted bottles in the world.

Nearly four years later, investigators have recovered all but a handful of the 110 missing bottles. Earlier this year, the Department of Justice released a statement confirming that two of the thieves—Alfred Georgis and Davis Kiryakoz—also conspired with others to steal and transport fine wines from Alexander’s Steakhouse in Cupertino, California (that theft clocked in at $32,000). Additionally, Kiryakoz admitted that he’d been part of a group that swiped $290,000 worth of wine in 2013, from San Francisco’s Fine Wines International, according to SF Gate. Both men have since been sentenced to time in prison.

 

That this band of thieves pulled off several large heists is remarkable. The bandits planned sophisticated, well-surveilled thefts—they robbed the French Laundry, for instance, the day after it closed for a months-long renovation. No one was on the premises, so they easily pried open the door, then stepped into the wine cellar. The French Laundry’s state-of-the-art alarm system—which had been deactivated, for once—didn’t stop them either. And not just any thief could have absconded with such valuable booty. Continue reading “How a Gang of Thirsty Thieves Stole Over $500,000 Worth of Wine” →