PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland is known for its diverse selection of eateries, but there's one local chef that's pushing the food industry forward on a national scale.
Gregory Gourdet, award-winning founder and chef of Kann in Northeast Portland, is a native of Queens, New York. That's where he attended the Culinary Institue of America and became the school's first student to land an opportunity with celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
For seven years, Gourdet mastered his skills in Vongerichten's trailblazing kitchen and slowly climbed the ranks to become his "chef de cuisine," otherwise known as the head of kitchen.
Gourdet eventually made his way to Portland, where he became a director of culinary operations at Departure Restaurant and Lounge. He ran the kitchen for 10 years.
Along the way, Gourdet helped put Portland’s food scene on the map. He was a runner-up on Bravo's reality series, “Top Chef: Boston" and served as a guest host on “Top Chef: Portland.”
All the while, Gourdet always had the plan to open his very own restaurant. But his plans took a pause when the pandemic began in 2020.
As millions of people lost their jobs and businesses were forced to shut down, Gourdet decided to go the extra mile and use his skills and platform to help others.
Gourdet started online cooking classes called “Keep Calm.” His Instagram followers decided on the dish, and he would offer tips and a behind-the-scenes look on gourmet cooking, wine tasting and cocktail mixing. Viewers could donate money which would go towards helping local chefs who were unemployed.
During the pandemic, Gourdet hosted a TEDxPortland talk, giving people a glimpse into his life journey and highlighting the importance of supporting local restaurants and chefs during a challenging time.
To push that message forward, Gourdet opened a pop-up, COVID-safe outdoor restaurant where people could enjoy Haitian-inspired food in individual yurts.
In August 2022, the doors finally opened on Gourdet's own Haitian-inspired restaurant called Kann. It was an instant hit, and Gourdet took home one of the biggest awards in the industry.
Kann won the James Beard Award in the 2022 "Best New Restaurant" category. He also won another James Beard Award for his cookbook, “Everyone’s Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health.” It features paleo-friendly, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, legume free and refined-sugar free recipes.
"It's really a book that's designed for everyone at the table," Gourdet said. "So even if you're not any of those things, you can eat any of the recipes and you won't think something's missing."
Six weeks after its opening, Kann also landed the New York Times list of 2022’s top 50 restaurants in the country. It also ranked No. 1 on Esquire’s best new restaurants in America in 2022.
Gourdet has also made sure his impact reaches beyond the kitchen. He was a vocal supporter and advocate during the 2020 racial justice marches.
“It's extremely important that I do say something even if it makes me uncomfortable, or I don't know what to say," Gourdet said. "It's important for people to use their platform."
Gourdet has another cookbook coming in 2025 called “The Weekday Table: No Fuss Recipes for Modern Health.” He is also a semi-finalist for the 2024 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards.