A star-studded lineup of visiting chefs is coming to Minneapolis this year for the Synergy Series, Spoon and Stable’s annual slate of collaborative dinners hosted by chef Gavin Kaysen. Among them: a “Top Chef” finalist turned TV personality, a San Diego-based “culinary anthropologist” of Mexican cuisine and a New Yorker with Italian roots and a Michelin star.
Bam! Emeril Lagasse and son will cook at Spoon and Stable’s Synergy Series.
Also joining the lineup of Gavin Kaysen’s collaborative dinners are a Michelin chef from New York and two “Top Chef” alums.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
February 5, 2025 at 4:30PM
The biggest star of them all? Emeril Lagasse, the New Orleans-based celebrity chef with the catchphrase heard round the world.
Lagasse will be joined by his son, EJ Lagasse, to cook with Kaysen this summer.
The complete lineup is:
April 10-11: Stefano Secchi of Rezdôra in New York City.
July 17-18: Emeril Lagasse and EJ Lagasse of Emeril’s in New Orleans.
Sept. 11-12: Gregory Gourdet of Kann in Portland, Ore.
Dec. 4-5: Claudette Zepeda of Chispa Hospitality, San Diego.
Secchi’s New York City Rezdôra garnered a Michelin star for its evocatively named pastas, such as “Grandma Walking Through Forest in Emilia.” Lagasse is well-known, of course, for his long-running Food Network shows, New Orleans and national restaurant empires, and a line of cooking products. Gourdet, a two-time “Top Chef” finalist and cookbook author, showcases African and Caribbean flavors at his live-fire restaurant Kann. Zepeda, also a “Top Chef” contestant, taps her experiences traveling throughout Mexico for all her concepts, including her latest lounge in San Diego, Leu Leu.
In addition to preparing, with Kaysen’s team, a full tasting dinner and a shorter bar menu, each chef will speak with leadership coach Alison Arth in a “Dialogue” at the American Swedish Institute.
Kaysen launched the Synergy Series in 2015 as both a collaborative event with other high-profile chefs and a fundraiser for charitable causes, raising more than $300,000 over the past decade. The 2025 events will raise money for Second Harvest Heartland.
Reservations for the full tastings are $495 and include beverage pairings, tax and gratuity. Bookings will become available on the first of the month ahead of each event. (Big spenders can buy a season pass starting at noon on Feb. 17 for $2,500 per person, which includes the full tasting menu, beverage pairings, tax, gratuity, a special gift at each dinner and tickets to each Dialogue.)
The bar and lounge seatings are $195 and can be reserved two weeks in advance, with some walk-in availability.
Dialogue tickets are released on the first of the month prior to the chef appearances and are $10.
Kaysen is also releasing a self-published book, “The Synergy Series,” that looks back at the past 10 years of the series. It will be available for purchase for $50 along with the reservations.
Reservations will be available on Tock.
Also joining the lineup of Gavin Kaysen’s collaborative dinners are a Michelin chef from New York and two “Top Chef” alums.
