Chef
James Rigato
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- Hazel Park, Michigan, United States
i. Biography
James Rigato is the chef and owner of Mabel Gray in Hazel Park, where Michigan sets the frame and practical kitchen experience sets the pace. The food is built from a line cook’s understanding of how service actually moves, with the menu marked by dishes like Chicken and Duck Wings and Orange-Habenero Jam and Shishitos, which give the restaurant a sharp, immediate profile.
Coming Up
Schoolcraft College is part of Rigato’s foundation, but so is the plain sequence of jobs that followed: dishwasher at a local 24-hour diner, pizza cook at a pizzeria, then cook at an Italian American restaurant. Chef at The Root in White Lake, Michigan, was the next step that pushed Rigato into a higher level of responsibility. In 2014, Top Chef Boston (Top Chef season 12) (2014) put James Rigato in front of a wider audience, while the Young Guns dinners in Metro Detroit kept the work tied to the local scene. Later, the chef role at Madcap in San Anselmo, California, extended that record beyond Michigan. Since 2015, Mabel Gray has been the place where James Rigato’s background, pace, and point of view have been most fully expressed.
Where They Are Now
At Mabel Gray in Hazel Park, the chef and owner title is matched by a cuisine that stays close to Michigan and resists fuss. The cooking reads as direct and controlled, with flavor combinations that are meant to land clearly rather than decorate the plate. Chicken and Duck Wings, along with Orange-Habenero Jam and Shishitos, show that range in plain terms: familiar ingredients, handled with enough precision to make the details count. Mabel Gray also shows what happens when a kitchen career runs from the most basic tasks to ownership. That progression is built into the restaurant’s confidence; the food does not announce the résumé, but the decisions carry it.
Career - chef — Mabel Gray, Hazel Park, Michigan (2015–present) - dishwasher — local 24-hour diner - pizza cook — a pizzeria - cook — Italian American restaurant - chef — The Root, White Lake, Michigan - contestant — Top Chef Boston (Top Chef season 12) (2014) - force behind Young Guns dinners — Young Guns dinners, Metro Detroit - chef — Madcap, San Anselmo, California Education: Schoolcraft College
Signature
James's signature dishes include Chicken and Duck Wings and Orange-Habenero Jam and Shishitos.
In Their Words “Once I saw the intensity and adrenaline of restaurant work and got paid for it, I was hooked.”
FAQ What is James Rigato's current role? As of 2026, James Rigato is Chef and Owner. Where did James Rigato train or study? James Rigato trained at Schoolcraft College. What recognition has James Rigato received? James Beard Award semifinalist, Best Chef: Great Lakes.
