Gregory Gourdet
Chef and Founder - Kann and Sousòl
Author, Everyone’s Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health - 2022 James Beard Foundation Award Winner
2023 James Beard Foundation Award Winner for Best New Restaurant
2024 James Beard Foundation Award Winner for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific Region
Culinary Director Printemps - New York
Gregory Gourdet is a three-time James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef, best-selling author, and television personality. He is best known for his award-winning cuisine, bevy of TV appearances, and trendsetting role in the culinary boom of Portland, Oregon.
A native of Queens, NY, Gregory attended the Culinary Institute of America, becoming the school’s first student to land an internship with celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. For nearly seven years, Gregory honed his culinary skills at three of Jean-Georges’ trailblazing restaurants, climbing the kitchen ranks to become one of his chef de cuisines. Gregory ran the kitchen at Portland’s Departure Restaurant + Lounge for 10 years, leaving in 2019 to focus on opening Kann.
An avid traveler and lifelong student of food and culture, Gregory has made a name for himself by infusing methods and ingredients from all over the world, balanced together with his Haitian heritage, and creating signature flavors adored for their seasonality, boldness, complexity, and spice.
He was named “Chef of the Year” by both Eater Portland and the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and is a two-time Bravo Top Chef finalist.
In 2021, Gregory released his first cookbook, Everyone’s Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health, the ultimate guide to cooking globally-inspired dishes free of gluten, dairy, soy, legumes, and grains. The book is a national bestseller and a 2022 James Beard Award winner for Best General Cookbook.
August 2022 brought about the opening of Kann, a live-fire dinner house that showcases traditional Haitian flavors alongside dishes inspired by the cuisines of the African and Caribbean diaspora. Kann was quickly recognized by Eater, The New York Times, and Robb Report as a “Best New Restaurant”; Esquire named Kann the #1 “Best New Restaurant in America.” Portland Monthly and The Oregonian also named it restaurant of the year. Kann was named the James Beard Foundation Awards 2023 “Best New Restaurant.”
In September of 2022, Gregory opened Sousòl, Kann’s subterranean sibling cocktail bar. Sousòl draws inspiration from the greater Pan-Caribbean for its food and drink menu. It also features a full zero-proof menu for an inclusive experience for drinkers and non-drinkers alike. In 2023, Sousòl was named one of Esquire’s “Best Bars in America.”
In 2024, Gregory’s culinary career was recognized by the James Beard Foundation Awards, which named him “Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific.” The same year, Kann was featured on the inaugural “25 Best Restaurants in Portland, OR Right Now” list by The New York Times and was featured on La Liste’s 2025 list of the world’s best restaurants.
In his role as Culinary Director of Printemps New York, opening March 2025, Gourdet will oversee five concepts, ranging from fine dining to a casual cafe—each a celebration of artistry, unparalleled quality, innovation, culture, and creativity.
Gregory sees food as nourishment and is committed to moving the restaurant industry forward sustainably and equitably. He is a member of the US State Department’s American Culinary Corp. He is also an ambassador for the Marine Stewardship Council.
He spends his spare time trail-running in the woods for hours.
Gregory is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and openly gay. He is a member of Alcoholics Anonymous and Ben’s Friends, a national recovery group for the restaurant industry.
