Gregory Gourdet

Gregory Gourdet (born (1975-07-25)July 25, 1975) is an American chef, writer, restaurateur, and former finalist on the twelfth and seventeenth seasons of Bravo's American reality television series, Top Chef.[1] He is of Haitian descent. He is the owner of the restaurant Kann and the former executive chef and culinary director of Departure at The Nines in Portland, Oregon.[2] His book, Everyone’s Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health, is a national bestseller.[3]

Gregory Gourdet
Born (1975-07-25) July 25, 1975
New York City
EducationNYU
University of Montana
Culinary Institute of America
OccupationChef
AwardsJames Beard Award
Websitegregorygourdet.com

Early life and education

Gourdet was born on (1975-07-25)July 25, 1975, in New York City to Haitian immigrant parents.[4][5][3] He was raised in Queens, and graduated high school from St. Andrew's (Delaware). He attended NYU for one year, where he studied pre-med. He then attended University of Montana (UM), where he studied wildlife biology before graduating with a degree in French.[4]

During his time at UM, Gourdet discovered his passion for cooking, and went on to enroll in The Culinary Institute of America.[6] From there, he earned an internship with chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and was mentored by him for almost seven years.[3][4][7][8]

Career
Exterior of Kann, 2022

After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America in 2000, Gourdet went to work full-time for chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, honing his craft at three of Vongerichten's restaurants before climbing the ranks to become one of his chef de cuisines.[3]

In 2010, Gourdet took the helm as Executive Chef of Departure Restaurant and Lounge in Portland, Oregon, where he created modern Asian cuisine by combining local ingredients of the Pacific Northwest with flavors and traditions of Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Korea.[3][4] In 2016, he was promoted to Culinary Director when the brand expanded to Denver, Colorado.[3]

In 2019, Gourdet ended his 10-year tenure with Departure to focus on opening his own restaurant, Kann, a wood-fired concept that strives to bring the cuisine of his Haitian heritage and the Caribbean diaspora to the American spotlight. In 2020, after COVID-19 pushed back plans to open the restaurant, Gourdet launched a Portland Kann pop-up in Portland.[9][10] Kann opened in Portland in August 2022.[9][8]

Book

In 2021, Gourdet published his first cookbook, Everyone's Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health,[11] a guide to cooking globally inspired dishes free of gluten, dairy, soy, legumes, and grains.[9] The book was written with J.J. Goode and published by Harper Wave Books on May 11, 2021.[12] The book is a national bestseller aiming to make healthy eating accessible. On June 11, 2022, Everyone's Table won the James Beard Award for Best Cookbook.[13]

Television appearances

Gourdet first achieved television fame in 2015 when he competed on Bravo's Top Chef Season 12 and finished runner-up. He went on to make numerous other TV appearances, including competing once more on Top Chef: All-Stars L.A., and finishing again as a finalist.[14]

Filmography
Television
Year Title Role
2011 Extreme Chef Contestant[4]
2014 Into the Underbelly Self
2014 Cutthroat Kitchen Contestant
2015 Top Chef (Season 12) Contestant
2015 Watch What Happens: Live Self
2016 Portlandia Gregory Gourdet
2018 Iron Chef Showdown Challenger
2020 Top Chef (Season 17) Contestant
2020 Race in America: A Movement Not A Moment (TV Special) Self
2020 DotGay Presents: The Library (TV Miniseries Documentary) Self
2020 Today Self
2021 Top Chef (Season 18) Guest Judge
2021 Top Chef Amateurs Guest Judge
2021 Top Chef Family Style Guest Judge
2022 Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend Challenger

Awards

Gourdet was named "Hottest Chef 2012" from Eater Portland.[4]

Gourdet was named "Chef of the Year" in 2013 by the Oregon Department of Agriculture.[4] In 2014, he was given the same honor by Eater Portland.[15]

In 2016, Gourdet was awarded the CODA's 2016 Advocacy Award.[16][6]

He is a three-time James Beard Award semifinalist, and, in 2020, received his first nomination as a finalist for the award in the category Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific.[8]

In 2022, Gourdet's book Everyone's Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health won a James Beard Media Award for Best General Cookbook.[8][17]

In 2023, his restaurant Kann was awarded James Beard "Best New Restaurant".[8][18][19]

Personal life

Gourdet is an avid long-distance runner. He is openly gay and lives in Portland.[2][4][20]

Gourdet used to battle with cocaine and alcohol, and has been sober since 2007.[4][16][3][6]

See also

References
  1. "Q&A with a Colorado Star Chef: Gregory Gourdet". Colorado Tourism Office. Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  2. Treon, Rebecca (July 2, 2020). "Chef Gregory Gourdet Knows Adversity And He Knows How To Move Forward". Huffpost. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  3. Anderson, Brett (February 23, 2021). "Under Fire, a Portland Chef Tries to Build a Fairer Workplace". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  4. Clarke, Kelly (March 22, 2013). "The Voracious Appetites of Chef Gregory Gourdet". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  5. Borden, Maggie (July 11, 2018). "Why This Chef Now Has Haiti on the Menu". James Beard Foundation. Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  6. Hayes, Elizabeth (April 13, 2016). "Portland 'Top Chef' Gregory Gourdet's tough journey to addiction recovery". Portland Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  7. "'Top Chef' Alum Gregory Gourdet to Release New Cookbook". EDGE Media Network. Archived from the original on 2022-08-20. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
  8. Wong, Janey (June 6, 2023). "Portland Wins Big at the 2023 James Beard Foundation Awards". Eater. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  9. Wallace, Hannah (September 15, 2022). "Top Chef's Gregory Gourdet on Sourcing, Sobriety, and Equity". Civil Eats. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  10. "Introducing: The Yurt Villages, a One-of-a-Kind Outdoor Dining Experience". Resy. 16 November 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-08-20. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  11. Gourdet, Gregory; Goode, J. J. Goode (2021). Everyone's Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health. New York: Harper Wave. ISBN 978-0062984517.
  12. "Everyone's Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health". Publishers Weekly. April 15, 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  13. "Food News: Gregory Gourdet's Cookbook, Everyone's Table, Wins a James Beard Award". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  14. Singh, Parul (June 13, 2022). "Who is Gregory Gourdet from Netflix's Iron Chef? Restaurateur was the runner-up on Top Chef Season 12". SK Pop. Archived from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  15. Centoni, Danielle (November 17, 2014). "Announcing the 2014 Eater Award Winners for Portland". Eater. Archived from the original on November 19, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  16. "Gregory Gourdet receives CODA's 2016 Advocacy Award". CODA. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  17. "The 2022 James Beard Media Award Winners". James Beard Foundation. June 11, 2022. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  18. Archie, Ayana (June 6, 2023). "These are the winners of this year's James Beards Awards, the biggest night in food". NPR. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  19. Harris, Emily; Eng, Monica; Kaufmann, Justin (June 7, 2023). "Portland's James Beard Award winners share their last meals". Axios Portland. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  20. "Openly Gay 'Top Chef' Alum Gregory Gourdet To Judge On New Season". Instinct Magazine. 2020-09-30. Archived from the original on 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
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