James Kent

James Kent
Crown Shy & SAGA

Cooking at:
Gala Dinner

A Greenwich Village native, James Kent started his culinary career as a summer apprentice at Bouley when he was fifteen years old. After taking classes at Le Cordon Bleu in London and Paris then graduating from Johnson and Wales, James moved back to New York where he spent time in the kitchens of Babbo, Jean-Georges, and Gordon Ramsey. In the spring of 2007, James joined the team at Eleven Madison Park as a line cook and was quickly promoted to sous chef. In 2010, James placed first in the Bocuse d’Or USA Competition; he then represented the United States at the international finals of the Bocuse D’Or in Lyon, France the following year where he placed 10th in the world. When he returned to New York, James was named chef de cuisine of Eleven Madison Park. Under his leadership, EMP received nearly every accolade bestowed on a restaurant including four stars from the New York Times, three Michelin stars, and a coveted spot on the San Pellegrino list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. James was promoted to executive chef of the NoMad in the fall of 2013, the same year that it received one Michelin star. He left The NoMad in 2017 to pursue his first solo project, an ambitious pair of restaurants in the landmark Art Deco building at 70 Pine Street in New York’s Financial District.