Sample Circuit: Meet the Chef: Kevin Kathman

Childhood memories of running around his back yard, playing in his family’s large garden and popping cherry tomatoes in his mouth straight off of the vine is where the colorful tale of Chef Kevin Kathman’s culinary journey begins. Born and raised in Cold Spring, Minn., Chef Kathman developed his taste for fresh “dirt to door” ingredients as a young kid, whether it was shucking sweet corn in the driveway or sitting down at the dinner table for his Mother’s Roasted Artichokes (braised slowly with fennel, onions and herbs grown right outside their door). “I could get in a lot of trouble growing up, but I had to be at the dinner table on time,” reflected Chef Kathman. He had the good fortune of two talented cooks for parents, sharing descriptions of his favorite comfort foods growing up, from Beef Bourguignon to Cassoulet, with such detail that I could almost taste the warm, rich flavors. In High School, Kevin was known as “the breakfast guy” in his family. “I went through a phase where I cooked everything in bacon fat – I mean everything!” His specialties included the normal Midwestern breakfast fare including eggs over-easy and corned beef hash. After High School, Chef Kathman took some time off from school, encouraged by his family to get a job, explore and find his passion before attending college. His first culinary job was as a dishwasher in Door County, Wisc., which quickly turned into an opportunity as a line cook. “I wasn’t fast enough to work the breakfast rush, so they stuck me on dinner.” Following friends, Chef Kathman moved to Steamboat Springs, Colo. He accepted a position under Chef Paul “Rocky” Lebrun (of Chanticleer Restaurant in Nantucket fame). Chef Lebrun turned out to be a tough chef, but Chef Kathman learned a lot in a very short amount of time, working each station and even baking. “I went from a kid dabbling, to being suddenly immersed in a world of French culinary techniques.” Accepted as an AP student at the New England Culinary Institute, Chef Kathman made the journey east. “I loved it [culinary school], I couldn’t get enough.” On the fast track he graduated just before he turned 20, but found himself without an internship. After searching for a time, a friend from culinary school informed him that he was going to have to give up his position in Napa Valley, Calif., for a medical reason. Eager to take advantage of the opportunity, Chef Kathman called the chef/owner, who happened to be world renowned Chef Thomas Keller. The restaurant was the famed French Laundry, then in its infancy, having only open for a few short months.

photo by Chris Bohnhoff Photography

It was there that his tenure at the French Laundry began. “I was there for a six month internship; it lasted for three years. I worked side-by-side on the line with Chef Keller for the first seven months and learned about his philosophy on food.”

“He taught me to preserve the integrity of the ingredients, the product [ingredients] does not work for us, we work for the product [ingredients].” Chef Kathman described the experience as one of the hardest things he ever did. “There were only five of us in the kitchen, so we did everything. I learned so much in that time and it shaped much of my own [food] philosophy.” Chef Kathman’s experience is impressive, including stints as sous chef of Napa’s Pinot Blanc and stagier at Gordon Ramsey in London (Three Michelin Stars), Arpege in Paris (Three Michelin Stars), and the hotel Veluous in Venlo Holland (One Michelin Star). Returning to the States he also cooked at Danielle and Gramercy Tavern, finally finding a home at Christopher’s, in Phoenix, as the Chef de cuisine. Two years later, wanderlust and opportunity brought him to the All Seasons Bistro and Wine Shop, in Napa, where he had the privilege of working beside a group of talented sommeliers. “It was there I gained an appreciation for the whole dining experience: food, wine and service. It was incredible working alongside a very talented team of service professionals.” Chef Kathman knew that the time for him to go out on his own had come. He developed a business plan with his then fiancé, Kori Jacobson to raise capital for their own restaurant by catering movie sets. In the fall of 2005 Chef Kathman and his wife opened Blend, in La Quinta, Calif., to critical acclaim on both a local and national level. “We never left the restaurant. I guess that is the price you pay for being successful. We were able to do it our way and Blend really became an amazing machine.” Tragically, Chef Kathman’s wife passed suddenly in the December 2007. Devastated, he returned home to the Twin Cities in the spring of 2008. But, his hiatus was brief and he joined the Morissey Hospitality team in January 2009. After several months of consulting on several properties, he arrived at his current home as head chef at Restaurant Max. “I am so happy to be in this kitchen, and blessed to have a good core of people.” He mentioned his sous chef, Nick O’Leary by name. “He is integral to this operation, we are lucky to have him.”

photo by Chris Bohnhoff Photography

Chef Kathman informed me that the new menu should launch before November, but Sample Circuit attendees on September 16th will get a sneak preview. The Twin Cities has a lot to look forward to from this chef. By traveling the globe and working with many international culinary talents he has developed his own food philosophy. “Food has the power to invoke thoughts and memories. I want to make food that makes guests smile when they try it, or makes their eyes light up because it reminds them of their childhood or a great vacation or any happy time. It needs to be true to the product. Dirt to Door.”