One of America’s most decorated chefs, with appearances on Iron Chef, Chef’s Table, and Time magazine’s 2024 list of the most influential people, is set to open a restaurant with a Hilton-owned luxury hotel and resort chain not in Austin, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, or San Antonio — but Fredericksburg.
Dominique Crenn, the French-born chef and owner of San Francisco’s Atelier Crenn (one of Eater’s recently crowned All-Time Eater 38 and the first restaurant in the United States led by a woman to earn three Michelin stars), will run an unnamed restaurant with Waldorf Astoria Hill Country Resort, scheduled to open in 2027.
Texas Monthly, who broke the story, reports that the restaurant will take a detour from Crenn’s usual focus on vegetarian and pescatarian food and feature an emphasis on game — like perhaps a quail terrine — and tasting menus, opting for à la carte dishes, at least its inception. “It’s important to make sure that it’s very inclusive to anyone who will walk in the door,” Crenn told the magazine, who rightfully points out that this isn’t exactly a total “o come, all ye faithful,” moment, the people walking through the Hill Country’s Waldorf Astoria doors are likely coming with a diversity of diets, not tax brackets.
The aim for the restaurant is to draw from Fredericksburg’s agriculture, sourcing local ingredients, but it won’t lean on the town’s deep German ties, although Crenn notes that cuisine from her native northern France shares some similarities and that her German grandmother’s cooking informs and inspires her cooking.
Among the planned features at the resort on 106 acres at Goehmann Lane, off of U.S. 290 are 60 guest rooms and suites, 37 multi-bedroom resort villas, 50 private residences, a total of five food and beverage options, an 11,000-square-foot spa and fitness center, and two resort-style pools.
Fredericksburg has seen exponential growth as of late. The once sleepy town known for its wineries, small-businesses, peaches, and wild bluebonnets has become somewhat of a destination for tourists. After some snags and delays, the Albert Hotel opened in January, 2025 with Olamaie’s Michael Fojtasek serving as executive chef. There are plans for a Kimpton Hotel, also poised for 2027 currently in development.