E27: Restaurateurs Chef Gavin Kaysen and Alison Arth get vulnerable and talk about majestic moments, kindness and how they've pivoted during Corona
Tune in today for one of the most insightful, inspirational and super interesting conversations that will leave you motivated to fill up someone else's bucket and sprinkle more acts of kindness in the world. We are honored to have restaurateurs Chef Gavin Kaysen and Alison Arth with us today where they open up and share how they love creating majestic moments for their guests and how filling up someone else's bucket makes your day as much as the receiver.
Award-winning chef Gavin Kaysen is the founder of Soigné Hospitality Group and helms three nationally recognized restaurants in the Minneapolis metropolitan area: Spoon and Stable, a 2015 James Beard Award Finalist for Best New Restaurant, Bellecour, a French-inspired bistro in and his newest concept Demi, an intimate 20-seat tasting menu experience also located in the North Loop.
Chef Kaysen refined his craft in contemporary American fine dining by dedicating time to some of the world’s best restaurants in New York City, Switzerland, and London. He is privileged to call two of the world’s most celebrated chefs, Daniel Boulud and Paul Bocuse, his mentors. Today, Chef Kaysen helps the next generation of young culinarians refine their skills in the kitchen as one of the founding mentors of the nonprofit ment’or BKB Foundation, for which he currently serves as President of Team USA. Chef Kaysen is the proud winner of two James Beard Awards – Rising Star Chef of the Year in 2008, and Best Chef: Midwest in 2018.
We are also fortunate to have Alison Arth, the Director of Development for Soigné with us today as well. After trying her hand in the kitchen and realizing quickly that cooking was destined to be a beloved hobby rather than a fruitful career, Alison earned her business degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.
Recruited by Daniel Booloo’s Dinex Group immediately after graduating, Alison served in an operations-heavy leadership role that was intensely focused on executing successful restaurant openings and managing large-scale creative projects. This is where her professional relationship and decade-long friendship with Gavin began.
Alison’s passion for leading like-minded hospitality businesses to sustainable success inspired her to found her consulting business, Salt & Roe, in 2014. In support of that mission, she authored her first book, “How to Open a Restaurant,” in partnership with OpenTable in 2016.
She was a key partner in the opening of Spoon and Stable and Bellecour and now focuses on strategic planning, leadership development, and creating a thoughtful plan for growth for Soigné Hospitality in conjunction with Gavin.
Alison serves on the Board of Directors for La Cocina, a non-profit organization in San Francisco that provides industry-specific technical assistance and access to market opportunities for low-income women looking to launch, formalize, and grow their own food businesses.
And if that isn't enough, Gavin has also partnered with Andrew Zimmern where they combined their knowledge of sports and food to create a unique catering company for professional athletes. At KZ ProVisioning they work alongside professional sports teams to create balanced, healthy and delicious meals throughout the entire season.
Both Gavin and Alison get vulnerable about how they've pivoted their businesses during these challenging times. They talk about how they are focused on the health and happiness of their employees, who provide a sense of home, comfort and belonging in each of their restaurants.
Gavin and Alison both share the ways that they take care of themselves, which is critical not only in this current environment but in general given the demands of their industry.
Gavin talks about KZ Provisioning, his partnership with Andrew Zimmern, which provides healthy, balanced food to fuel professional athletes and how it's positively changing their performance.
Regardless of where you live or if you've had the privilege of experiencing their restaurants first hand, we know you will be inspired by this conversation, which shines a light on the passion, commitment and dedication that Gavin and Alison instill in everything they do.
If you live in the Twin Cities we highly recommend ordering take-out from Spoon and Stable or Bellecour and create a majestic moment in your own home. Check out their newly created Heart of the House Foundation and how they are providing bridge support to team members and their families during these uncertain times.
Where you can find Gavin and Alison and all the Soigné Hospitality Group restaurants:
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