Chef Kent Rathbun

Known throughout the world of fine dining, Chef Kent Rathbun has cooked at the James Beard House in New York on several occasions and has been nominated four times for the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southwest. He has repeatedly appeared on a number of TV shows, including the Food Network's Chef du Jour, Cooking Live with Sara Moulton, and Ready, Set, Cook!; the CBS The Early Show; the Rosie O'Donnell Show; and twice on NBC's Today. Kent Rathbun's culinary achievements demonstrate how his creativity, dedication and range of delectable dishes have made him such a renowned and impressive chef. After developing a spectacular style of contemporary global cuisine, Kent established his own world-class restaurant in 1999, Abacus. Abacus received numerous accolades, including Mobil Travel Guide Four-Star Awards; AAA Four Diamond Awards; five stars from the Dallas Morning News; Best Chef by D Magazine; and One of the Top Meals Around the World by USA Today. In 2003, Rathbun opened a second restaurant called Jasper's, featuring a "modern outdoors" theme. It was named one of Esquire magazine's Top 20 Best New Restaurants in America and received four stars from the Dallas Morning News. This show of support for Jasper's helped kick-start Kent's idea of expanding the concept to additional locations in the near future