Gavin Kaysen

The Path

Technique in this profile starts with formal training: at the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont, Gavin Kaysen learned the basics before moving into a series of kitchens that widened the range of his work. The early posts read like a straight apprenticeship in repetition and adaptability — cook at Subway in Bloomington, Minnesota; cook at Pasta Time in Bloomington, Minnesota; cook at Domaine Chandon in Yountville, California; cook at Auberge de Lavaux in Lausanne, Switzerland; and cook at L'Escargot in London, England. Taken together, those stops show how line work, pastry-adjacent precision, French influence, and international service can shape a chef’s standard of control. Progression in the kitchen is marked here by title and scope: Gavin Kaysen moved up to head chef at El Bizcocho in San Diego, then to Executive Chef and director of culinary operations at Daniel Boulud / Café Boulud in New York City; Palm Beach; Toronto; New York City. His appearances on The Next Iron Chef (2007) and at Bocuse d'Or (2007), representing the USA, put that work under public scrutiny, where timing, composure, and repetition matter as much as flavor. A broader hospitality portfolio now sits behind the same methodical approach. Gavin is Executive Chef and owner of Spoon and Stable (since 2014), founder of Soigné Hospitality (since 2016), collaborator of KZ ProVisioning (since 2017), Executive Chef and owner of Demi (since 2019), Executive Chef and owner of Socca, Executive Chef and owner of Mara, and previously Executive Chef and owner at Bellecour Bakery in Minneapolis (2017–2020). The roles are varied, but the through-line is consistent: places built around clarity, pace, and a kitchen standard that stays exacting without becoming rigid.

The Work Today

A long-running menu item can tell you a lot about a kitchen’s operating logic. At Spoon and Stable, Pot Roast has been on the menu since day one, and Gavin Kaysen links it to his grandmother. He calls it warm, comforting, and technical. Those three words pull in different directions, but that is the point: the dish sits where memory, execution, and consistency meet, which is often where durable restaurant cooking lives. Across these restaurants, the work stays anchored in control rather than excess. French technique, Midwestern seasonality, and clarity of composition show up as a working framework, not a slogan. The result is food that relies on structure, texture, and restraint to do the job. Even as the names on the doors change, the logic behind the plates stays legible.

Signature

Gavin’s signature dishes include Pot Roast, Scallop crudo with green apple, Ramen with parmesan dashi and duck dumplings, and Smoked lamb shank tacos with spring garlic crema. Read as a set, they show a cook working between comfort and refinement: the depth of Pot Roast, the clean snap of Scallop crudo with green apple, the layered savor of Ramen with parmesan dashi and duck dumplings, and the richer spring register of Smoked lamb shank tacos with spring garlic crema.

In Their Words “Pot Roast. It’s a dish we have had on Spoon and Stable’s menu since day one and it’s inspired from my grandmother. It’s warm, comforting, and technical.”

Acclaim

Gavin’s honors include James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest (2018), James Beard Award Finalist for Best New Restaurant, James Beard Foundation Award for Rising Star Chef of the Year, Restaurant of the Year, Best New Restaurant, and Best New Chefs. The list fits a career that has moved from early notice to sustained recognition, with awards landing across different stages of the work rather than crowning a single moment.