Jean-Robert de Cavel facts for kids
De Cavel at the 2015 Cincinnati Food + Wine Classic
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| Born | September 12, 1961 Roubaix, France |
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| Died | December 23, 2022 (aged 61) |
| Cooking style | French |
| Education | Le Feguide, Lille, France. |
| Spouse | Annette Pfund de Cavel |
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Current restaurant(s)
Jean-Robert's Table, French Crust Cafe, Le Bar a Boeuf, Eat at John-Bob's, Restaurant L, Frenchie Fresh
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Award(s) won
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Jean-Robert de Cavel (born September 12, 1961 – died December 23, 2022) was a famous French-American chef. He lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was known for his amazing cooking.
He worked as a top chef at famous restaurants like The Maisonette and Jean-Robert at Pigall's. Later, he opened his own popular places, including Jean-Robert's Table and French Crust Cafe. With his wife, Annette, he started the de Cavel Family SIDS Foundation. This group helps families who have lost babies suddenly. They organize a big cooking event called Eat.Play.Give, which is the largest fundraiser for SIDS in the country.
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About Jean-Robert de Cavel
Jean-Robert de Cavel was born in Roubaix, France, on September 12, 1961. He learned how to cook at Le Feguide culinary school in Lille, France. He and his wife, Annette Pfund de Cavel, lived in Newport, Kentucky. They had a daughter named Laeticia.
In 2018, Jean-Robert de Cavel became sick with a serious illness. He passed away on December 23, 2022, when he was 61 years old.
Helping Others: The SIDS Foundation
In 2003, Jean-Robert de Cavel and his wife Annette started the de Cavel Family SIDS Foundation. SIDS stands for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. This is when a baby dies suddenly and unexpectedly. They started the foundation after their first child, Tatiana, passed away.
Since then, the foundation has grown a lot. It now hosts the biggest fundraiser in the country for SIDS research and support.
Jean-Robert's Cooking Career
Before coming to Cincinnati in 1993, Jean-Robert de Cavel worked in many places. He cooked in Zermatt, Antibes, the British West Indies, and New York City.
When he moved to Cincinnati, he became the head chef at The Maisonette. This restaurant earned five stars from Mobil (now Forbes Travel Guide) while he was there. In 2002, he left to open his own restaurant, Jean-Robert at Pigall's. It became the only four-star Mobil restaurant in Ohio.
With his business partners, he opened several other restaurants. These included JeanRo Bistro, Pho Paris, Greenup Cafe, Twist, and Lavomatic Cafe. All of these were in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. In 2009, he decided to open more restaurants on his own. He started Jean-Robert's Table in 2010, French Crust in 2011, and Le Bar a Boeuf in 2014. He also opened Eat at Jean-Bob's in 2015, and Restaurant L and Frenchie Fresh in 2016. Many people called him "one of the region's most well-known chefs."
Sharing Cooking Skills
Since 2009, Jean-Robert de Cavel was a special chef-in-residence at the Midwest Culinary Institute. This means he taught and shared his cooking knowledge with students there.
Awards and Recognition
Jean-Robert de Cavel was nominated many times for the James Beard Best Chef award. This award is like the "Oscars" for chefs. He was a semifinalist four times for the Great Lakes Region (in 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2013). He was also nominated three times for Best Chef in the Midwest (in 2000, 2001, and 2006). He was even invited to cook at the James Beard Foundation's headquarters six times.
During his time, The Maisonette received five stars from Mobil. Jean-Robert at Pigall's earned four stars from Mobil and was recognized by Relais & Châteaux. In 2007, he was named a Master Chef by Maîtres Cuisiniers de France, a very special honor.
Jean-Robert's Restaurants
Jean-Robert de Cavel worked at many famous restaurants throughout his career. Some of these had Michelin stars, which are a very high honor in the food world. These included La Bonne Auberge in Antibes, France, and The Restaurant at Malliouhana in the British West Indies. In New York City, he worked at La Regence and La Gauloise.
In Cincinnati, he was connected to many popular places. These included the 5-star Mobil restaurant The Maisonette and the 4-star Mobil restaurant Jean-Robert at Pigall's. He also ran JeanRo Bistro, Pho Paris, Greenup Café, Twist, Lavomatic Café, Jean-Robert's Table, French Crust, Le Bar a Boeuf, Eat at Jean-Bob's, Restaurant L, and Frenchie Fresh.
