The New York food world is in mourning this week after the unexpected loss of James Kent, the acclaimed NYC-born chef behind such high-profile restaurants as Crown Shy, the two-Michelin-starred Saga (one of our most anticipated restaurants of 2024) and Overstory. He died at age 45 this past Saturday, June 15, his restaurant and hospitality group announced in a statement.
“We are heartbroken to share that James Kent passed away unexpectedly earlier today,” wrote Saga Hospitality Group in an Instagram post announcing the chef’s passing. “The Saga Hospitality Group family is focused on supporting each other and most importantly Kelly, Gavin and Avery as we grieve James’ loss,” the post said, adding that the group’s restaurants would be closed in tribute the following day. “Celebrate Father’s Day with your loved ones,” the message ended.
Born and raised in New York City, Kent kicked off his cooking career as a summer apprentice at Bouley when he was fifteen years old. After training at Le Cordon Bleu in London and Paris, he spent time in big-name kitchens like Babbo, Jean-Georges, and Gordon Ramsay. He then oversaw the kitchen of The Nomad and Eleven Madison Park, leading the latter to three Michelin stars and a place on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List.
Kent was building one of the most exciting restaurant empires in the city. And local chefs have come out in mass to pay tribute to the late chef. Daniel Boulud praised Kent’s “evolution, talent, ambition, determination and accomplishments” and wrote that his “artistic creativity, energy and generosity was an inspiration to his team and to us all.”
Marcus Samuelsson posted on Instagram that the two toques had “just had dinner a few weeks ago,” where they had talked about their shared love for the arts and food. “We would talk for hours about my love for Basquiat and his love for graffiti (he was [an] artist himself).”
“There aren’t enough words to express how much you meant to me,” Kwame Onwuachi wrote in his own Instagram tribute. “Chef, father figure, mentor, and friend are some of them. You gave me one of my first jobs and taught me how to lead not through fear but through empathy and guidance.”
On his social media pages, Dan Kluger called Kent an “incredible soul” who would be missed. “Seeing everyone’s posts about you and your giant heart is proof your legacy will live on.”
