If you know me, you also know who my all time favorite chef is: Gavin Kaysen, the nicest man in whites.
Years ago, I met Gavin and his wife Linda as they were planning their wedding in Minneapolis. Throughout the process, Gavin’s mother-—Nancy-—and I became dear friends, which has since extended to her husband, David, and obviously, the happy couple.
Well, Gavin’s a bit of a
wunderkind. Actually, he’s one of the most celebrated chefs under thirty years old in the country (possibly on the planet). His current stint is as executive chef at Cafe Boulud in New York, and lemme tell ya, he’s kickin’ it there, big time. Since Wednesday night was the one time Linda and I could get our calendars to match, we decided to meet there for dinner.
And what a dinner it was.
Gavin treated us to a chef’s tasting menu, several courses long, with paired wines for each. The food was divine (as in
“If I die now, I’ll die happy”), the service stellar, and the company lovely. At the end of service, the three of us sat around, catching up on the latest buzz from New York and from home, reflecting on how extraordinary their lives are right now.
If there are two people more deserving of all this adulation—and more humble about getting it—I’d like to know who they are. Nancy and David raised a cool son who found a cool wife and they’re living a cool life.
Now that’s a God thing if ever there was one.
Three guesses who was honored with the James Beard Foundation’s Rising Star Award this week?
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