Kevin Gillespie (chef) facts for kids

Kevin Gillespie, born on September 30, 1982, is a famous American chef. He owns several restaurants and has written cookbooks. You might know him from the TV show Top Chef. Kevin Gillespie has also been nominated many times for the James Beard Award, which is a big honor for chefs. His company, Red Beard Restaurants Group, runs his restaurants in the Atlanta area. These include Gunshow, which opened in 2013, and Nadair, which opened in 2024. He lives in Georgia.

Kevin Gillespie on Top Chef

Kevin Gillespie became well-known after appearing on Top Chef, a cooking competition show on the Bravo TV network.

Competing on Top Chef

Gillespie was a finalist in the sixth season of Top Chef. Fans of the show voted him as their "Fan Favorite" contestant for that season. As a prize for winning one of the episodes, Gillespie was invited to compete in the Bocuse d'Or USA cooking competition. This competition could have led him to represent the U.S. in the international Bocuse d'Or in 2011. However, he decided not to compete because he did not have enough time to get ready.

Gillespie returned to TV to compete on Bravo's Top Chef Duels. He made it all the way to the final round of this high-stakes competition. In 2012, famous chef Wolfgang Puck even said that Gillespie was his favorite chef from Top Chef.

Top Chef: All-Stars L.A.

Gillespie also competed in the 2020 Top Chef All Stars LA season. He was eliminated during the "Restaurant Wars" episode. This happened after he was the team captain for the team that lost. Gillespie took responsibility for the loss and accepted leaving the competition.

After being eliminated, Gillespie worked hard to get back into the show through "Last Chance Kitchen." This is a special competition where eliminated chefs can win their way back. Gillespie won "Last Chance Kitchen" and returned to the Top Chef All Stars LA competition in episode 11.

Kevin Gillespie's Restaurants

Kevin Gillespie has opened and managed several popular restaurants.

Early Restaurants

He used to be a co-owner and head chef at Woodfire Grill in Atlanta. In 2013, he opened Gunshow, a restaurant in Atlanta. Then, in 2015, he opened Revival, a restaurant in Decatur, Georgia.

Red Beard Restaurants

Gillespie also started Red Beard Restaurants. This company helps him expand his own restaurants and offers advice to other new restaurants. Kevin Gillespie's Gamechanger opened in August 2017. It is located inside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Recent Openings and Closures

Gillespie closed Revival in February 2023. This was after the restaurant was damaged by a burglary and a storm earlier that year. In May 2024, Gillespie opened Nadair in Atlanta. The name "Nadair" means "the way of nature" in Gaelic. This restaurant shows off his Scottish background.

Awards and Recognition

Kevin Gillespie has received many awards and honors for his cooking and restaurants.

Restaurant Awards

On November 6, 2014, the Georgia Restaurant Association gave Gillespie the GRACE Innovator Award. He was nominated for Food & Wine magazine's "People's Best New Chef." He was also named one of Forbes' 30 Under 30 young leaders.

In 2014, Gunshow was named one of the "12 Most Outstanding Restaurants" by GQ magazine. It also made Esquire magazine's list of "Best New Restaurants of 2014." Eater, a food website, included Gunshow in its yearly "The National 38" list of top places to eat in America in both 2015 and 2016.

James Beard Awards

Gillespie reached the semi-final stage of the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year awards for four years in a row. In 2013, he was a finalist for a James Beard Foundation Award in the Cookbook: American Cooking category. This was for his first cookbook, Fire in my Belly. His next cookbook, "Pure Pork Awesomeness," came out in 2015 and focused on pork, which is one of Gillespie's favorite foods to cook.

Gillespie was a semi-finalist for the James Beard Award Best Chef: Southeast in 2015. He became a finalist in 2016 and a semi-finalist again in 2017. In 2022, Gillespie was named a James Beard Award finalist in the Outstanding Restaurateur category.

About Kevin Gillespie

Kevin Gillespie grew up in Georgia. When he was in high school, he was interested in becoming a nuclear engineer. In 1997–1998, he was accepted to Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a full scholarship. However, after high school, he decided to go to the Art Institute of Atlanta instead to study cooking.

Gillespie married Valerie Combs on September 4, 2011.

In May 2018, doctors found that Gillespie had a rare type of kidney cancer. This was discovered after a check-up for a back surgery he had in 2017. An MRI scan showed an unusual kidney. On May 24, 2018, one of his kidneys was removed.

Other Appearances

• Gillespie used his voice for himself in an episode called "Asbestos I Can" on the animated TV series Squidbillies.
• He also voiced a truck driver character in the animated series Archer.
• In 2012, Gillespie voiced a character named Crimson Tightwad in the Cartoon Network and Adult Swim series Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
• In June 2021, Gillespie joined the MeatEater hunting podcast and media group. He became a Culinary Contributor, sharing his cooking knowledge.