Dominique Isabel Pascale Crenn receives countless DMs on Instagram from people trying to get a table at her San Francisco restaurant, Atelier Crenn. She doesn’t usually respond.
But when Maria Elaina Bello sent her a DM in April 2018, the message resonated with her.
Lorraine Silvera, a friend of Ms. Bello’s and a fellow food lover, had seen Ms. Crenn on the Netflix documentary series “Chef’s Table.” Ms. Silvera and Ms. Bello were flying to San Francisco from Los Angeles for dinner at Atelier Crenn, but reservations were fully booked.
Ms. Bello, 57, sent a message to Ms. Crenn, 59, on Instagram: “My friend Lolo who started the first Italian restaurant in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, is coming to visit next week and wants nothing more than to eat your divine food. We will fly from L.A. Thursday if it’s possible to get into the restaurant.”
As it happened, Ms. Crenn had been to Haiti the year before with her friend Michelle Jean, who is Haitian, to help farmers who had been affected by Hurricane Matthew, which devastated the country in October 2016. Their efforts to rebuild infrastructure included planting trees for coffee and cacao farmers. Ms. Crenn felt compelled to respond to Ms. Bello, and she made space at the restaurant for her and her friend.
“It was the most amazing food I ever had,” Ms. Bello said. “She was so kind, we knew that night we’d be friends forever. But I wasn’t in a dating place. She wasn’t in a dating place.”
Ms. Crenn said she immediately felt safe around Ms. Bello, and that Ms. Bello gave her a hug that made her feel at peace. “Especially in my industry sometimes, so many people come to the restaurant and everybody wants to be your friend,” Ms. Crenn said.
