- Company
- Soigné Hospitality Group
- Role
- Chef & Owner
- Est. Net Worth
- $5 Million (Est.)
- Stage
- Emerging
- Industry
- Hospitality
Gavin Kaysen
Chef & Owner at Soigné Hospitality Group
About
Gavin Kaysen is the chef and owner of Spoon and Stable, Demi, and Socio in Minneapolis — restaurants that have collectively transformed the Twin Cities into a nationally recognized dining destination. A veteran of Daniel Boulud's New York kitchens who represented the United States at the Bocuse d'Or (the 'Olympics of cooking'), Kaysen chose to build his restaurant empire not in New York or San Francisco but in his native Minneapolis — a decision that reflected his conviction that great restaurants could thrive anywhere there was a community hungry for culinary excellence. Spoon and Stable, which opened in 2014 in a converted horse stable in the North Loop neighborhood, immediately earned national critical acclaim and became a catalyst for the neighborhood's transformation into one of the most vibrant dining districts in the Midwest. His fine-dining restaurant Demi earned two Michelin stars, making it one of the most acclaimed restaurants between the coasts.
Current Company
Soigné Hospitality Group — Chef & Owner
Bringing Fine Dining to the Heartland
Gavin Kaysen's decision to build his restaurant career in Minneapolis rather than New York or San Francisco was, by the standards of the culinary establishment, an act of professional heresy. Kaysen had trained in the world's most celebrated kitchens — working under Daniel Boulud at Café Boulud and earning widespread recognition as one of the most talented young chefs in America — and the conventional path would have been to open his own restaurant in a coastal city where food critics, wealthy diners, and media attention concentrated. Instead, he returned to his native Minnesota, betting that great restaurants could create their own gravity in any city willing to embrace culinary ambition.
Spoon and Stable, which opened in 2014 in a beautifully renovated horse stable in Minneapolis's North Loop neighborhood, validated that bet immediately. The restaurant earned a James Beard Award nomination in its first year and quickly became a gathering place for a Twin Cities dining community that had been hungry for a restaurant that combined technical excellence with warmth and accessibility. Kaysen's cooking — French technique applied to Midwestern ingredients, with a focus on seasonality and a genuine connection to the farms and producers of the upper Midwest — demonstrated that fine dining in flyover country could be just as sophisticated and just as soulful as anything served in Manhattan, without the pretension or the astronomical prices.
Demi, Bocuse d'Or, and Building a Culinary Culture
Kaysen's fine-dining restaurant Demi, which earned two Michelin stars when the guide expanded to Minneapolis, represents his most ambitious culinary statement — a 20-course tasting menu experience that pushes the boundaries of technique and presentation while remaining grounded in the flavors and ingredients of the Midwest. The restaurant, which seats only 20 guests per service, reflects Kaysen's conviction that the highest form of hospitality is intimacy: every dish is served directly by the chef, and every guest's experience is personally curated. Demi's success has helped establish Minneapolis as a genuine fine-dining destination, attracting food-focused travelers who might otherwise have bypassed the Twin Cities entirely.
Kaysen's impact extends beyond his own restaurants to his role as a leader of the American culinary community. As president of the Ment'or Foundation, he has led the effort to develop and support the American team for the Bocuse d'Or — the international cooking competition often called the Olympics of cuisine — having competed himself and now dedicating enormous time and resources to ensuring that the American team has the training, support, and resources to compete at the highest level. His mentorship of young chefs, his advocacy for the Twin Cities restaurant scene, and his willingness to invest his own reputation in proving that culinary excellence can thrive anywhere have made him one of the most respected figures in American hospitality.