Kent Rathbun facts for kids

Kent Rathbun is a famous American chef and restaurateur. He was born William Kent Rathbun on April 17, 1961, in Kansas City, Missouri. He has been nominated four times for a special cooking award called the James Beard Award.

Chef Rathbun has owned several popular restaurants. These include Abacus in Dallas, Texas, which was once named the most popular restaurant in Dallas. He also owned Jasper's, with locations in different Texas cities like Dallas and The Woodlands. He even had a burger and BBQ place called Hickory. Besides his restaurants, Kent Rathbun also ran a catering business.

In 2008, Kent Rathbun and his brother, Kevin Rathbun, appeared on the TV show Iron Chef America. They won their cooking battle against another famous chef, Bobby Flay. Their challenge was to cook with elk meat. A moment where Chef Kent carried the elk was even shown on "Iron Chef's Greatest Moments."

Becoming a Chef

Kent Rathbun started working in kitchens when he was only 14 years old. He began by washing dishes at a local restaurant. He even told a small lie about his age to get the job! After just one day, he asked to help the night cook. Within three weeks, he was promoted to a cooking station.

When he was 17, Rathbun became an apprentice at a fancy restaurant called La Bonne Auberge. This restaurant had a "5-star" rating. His mother worked there too, as a maitre d'. This experience changed how he thought about food. He learned to cook with fresh vegetables and special ingredients. He realized that his family had been overcooking their food all along!

Opening Restaurants

After gaining more experience, Rathbun worked for the Dallas Museum of Art. He also became a sous chef at The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas. In 1999, he decided to open his very own restaurant, Abacus. A few years later, in 2003, he opened Jasper's.

Both Abacus and Jasper's were smoke-free restaurants from the start. This was even before Dallas made it a rule to ban smoking in public places. Abacus received very high ratings from the Zagat Survey. People called Chef Rathbun a "genius." Abacus also earned the Forbes Four-Star and AAA Four Diamonds awards for many years. Jasper's was recognized for having some of the best ribs in America by Bon Appetit magazine.

Family Life

Kent Rathbun is married to Tracy Rathbun, who is also a restaurateur. She owns restaurants in Dallas called Lovers Seafood and Shinsei. The Rathbuns are good friends with other chefs. For example, two chefs who worked at their restaurants appeared on the reality TV show Top Chef.