Chef Jamal “James” Kent, who oversaw a flourishing restaurant empire in New York City and recently unveiled a new culinary vision for the Santa Monica Pier, died Saturday. The lauded chef's passing was first announced on social media through his restaurant company, Saga Hospitality Group. A representative of the group confirmed that the cause of death was a heart attack. He was 45 years old.
“Someone who seemed to be on a path to even greater greatness just disappeared overnight,” said Hedley & Bennett founder Ellen Marie Bennett, who knew Kent for about a decade. “I think everyone was blown away by this.”
Trained at Le Cordon Bleu and Johnson & Wales, Kent began his career at age 15 as an apprentice at chef David Bouley's flagship French restaurant, Bouley, before working at Jean-Georges, Babbo and Gordon Ramsey. In 2007, the New York native joined the kitchen at restaurant stalwart Eleven Madison Park, and later NoMad. He represented the United States in the Bocuse d'Or world competition, a major culinary honor that led him to train for six months. A colleague at Eleven Madison Park describes Kent as having “layers and layers and layers to his cooking knowledge.”
After leaving Eleven Madison Park and NoMad to pursue his own businesses, Kent opened and operated three restaurants in New York City under Saga Hospitality (Crown Shy, Saga and Overstory) with three more planned for the city. While Kent's background focused on fine dining, with multiple restaurants earning Michelin stars during his tenure in their kitchens, earlier this month his career landed in Los Angeles with gourmet twists on more casual fare amid the beloved Santa Monica Pier roller coaster, the Ferris wheel. and intermediate games.
On June 7, Kent opened five new food stands on the Pacific Park boardwalk. Her Snackville contains hamburger stands, funnel cakes, stuffed churros, a variety of French fries, and an ice cream parlor. The partnership with Kent was potentially just the beginning of the chef's foray into Los Angeles; A Pacific Park representative said the iconic pier project was “looking[ing] “We look forward to implementing the new culinary concepts developed for ‘Snackville’ and other projects.”
James Kent opened a series of restaurants called Snackville in Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier earlier this month.
(Pacific Park)
After news of Kent's death was posted online, condolences and memories flooded social media around the world.
“He talked a lot about him, like, 'James will be the king of New York, he will be the next Daniel Boulud, the next Jean-Georges,'” Hansei chef Chris Ono told The Times. They cooked together at Eleven Madison Park for four years and reconnected in Los Angeles last week.
“He really admired and respected those culinary giants,” Ono continued, “and they respected him. They looked at him as the next one, the next great one. “I think that's why it hurts so much and why people are so shocked by this.”
“He was an unstoppable force,” said Bennett, founder of the Los Angeles-based apron company Hedley & Bennett, who met Kent as a young cook about a decade ago. “He just made you feel so seen and important, and he was always, always, always so kind. …He was one in a billion, he really was very special. “He dedicated time to everything that was important to him and people were important to him.”
Kent, Bennett told The Times, could often be found in crisp white chef clothes but also colorful designer sneakers. Outside of the kitchen she had a penchant for street art and graffiti.
Although they only saw each other once or twice a year during Bennett's trips to New York City, it was never like they were missing a step, he said; he would fill her in on her latest plans and restaurant aspirations, gushing “like a big kid” about them and especially about her family.
Multiple shared memories of Kent cite his warm, gigantic bear hugs; His food, Bennett said, always felt like an extension of those hugs.
“He was a Michelin-starred chef, the most you could get in terms of technique, but when he cooked for you what you got was warmth, deliciousness, enthusiasm and emotion, rather than posturing,” Bennett said. “He was delicious, not just beautiful. “He was brilliant, but he never made you feel less than him.”
For many, Kent served as a mentor both in and out of the kitchen.
“He was like an older brother to me; I really looked up to him,” said Call Again Hospitality chef Chris Flint, who cooked with Kent at Eleven Madison Park. “He led with love. We all get nervous, especially in that environment at that level, but he was able to stay calm. He really built the people around him, he didn't destroy them.”
“It's like a constant reflection,” Flint said, aspiring to cook, lead and manage like Kent would. Last week, he said, in the kitchen he asked himself, “What would James do?” and he thought, “James wouldn't have done it like that.”
On Sunday, the Saga team shared that they would reopen all three of Kent's New York City restaurants for service that evening and plan a memorial service for the chef.
“We have no doubt that James would want us to continue eating our fill and laughing out loud,” the statement said. “James was obsessed with the idea of breaking bread: dropping large plates of food in the middle of the table, which people broke and shared with their hands. In that spirit, and in honor of him, Crown Shy, Saga and Overstory will reopen their doors tonight. “Together we will find a new normal committed to building his legacy.”
Kent is survived by his wife, Kelly, and children, Avery and Gavin.
