Gavin Kaysen, Chef de Cuisine In the fall of 2005 Gavin Kaysen decided to take a few weeks off from his own kitchen to train elsewhere and broaden his perspective. His goal was to spend time in the kitchen of the best chef who would have him. As a result, he did a brief internship in the kitchen at DANIEL. Now,Ê just over two years later, that fortunate choice has led him to the Executive Chef position at Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud in New York. Back in 2005, after just a few days as a trainee in BouludÕs kitchen, Gavin was offered a full time job. While he was not in a position to accept at the time, he was certainly happy to have established the relationship. "Gavin has energy, talent and incredible motivation," says Daniel Boulud. "He is very well trained and eager to embrace classic French cooking." This makes him a superb choice for Café Boulud, known for its French-American cuisine. He also has drive and courage, demonstrated by his eagerness to take on the famously rigorous Bocuse d'Or competition, a veritable culinary Olympics held annually in Lyon. The competition experience brought Gavin and Daniel together, once again, as the young chef turned to Boulud as a mentor figure who would help him to navigate the French culinary world. Kaysen arrives in New York with more than a few accolades under his belt. During his tenure as chef de cuisine at El Bizcocho (Rancho Bernardo Inn, San Diego, CA) he made his first appearance as guest chef at the James Beard House (2005), was awarded Best Chef, Critic's Choice, by San Diego Magazine and took first place on the US National team competing for the Bocuse d'Or in Chicago (2006). He went on to represent the US team at the 2007 Bocuse d'Or in Lyon, France. Gavin was named one of Food & Wine Magazine's 10 Best New Chefs (2007) and competed in the Fall 2007 Next Iron Chef TV series. Most recently, Gavin was the winner of the James Beard Foundation's prestigious award for Rising Star Chef of 2008. Originally from Bloomington, MN, Gavin worked as Chef at San Diego's Rancho Bernardo Inn for over three years. Previously, he gained international experience at l'Auberge de Lavaux in Lausanne Switzerland and under Marco Pierre White at London's l'Escargot. He moved to New York in November 2007 and had Café Boulud's Executive Chef's baton passed to him officially at the end of that year.