- Kent Rathbun
Infobox Chef
name = Kent Rathbun
caption =
birthdate = Birth date and age|1961|04|17
birthplace =Kansas City, Missouri
deathdate =
deathplace =
style =
education =
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restaurants = Abacus, Jasper's
prevrests =The Mansion on Turtle Creek
television =
awards =
website =Kent Rathbun (born William Kent Rathbun on
April 17 1961 , in Kansas City,Missouri "William Kent Rathbun," "The Dallas Morning News" (article sidebar), December 22, 1996, High Profile section, page 4E.] ) is a Beard Award-nominatedDotty Griffith. "Chefs Rathbun and Hage nominated for Beard award," "The Dallas Morning News", March 19, 2004, Guide section, page 9.] Americanchef andrestaurateur . His restaurants include Abacus, in Dallas,Texas , an upscale restaurant chosen as most popular in Dallas by the 2007 edition of theZagat Survey ;Kitty Crider. "Jasper's chef cool in large kitchen, made from scratch," "Austin American-Statesman", April 18, 2007, page E1.] and Jasper's, in the Texas cities of Plano, The Woodlands, and Austin.In February 2008 he and his brother, fellow chef Kevin Rathbun, appeared as contestants on "
Iron Chef America ".Brooke Hatchett. "Woodlands chef showcases skills on television - Jasper's owner Kent Rathbun competes on Food Network program Feb. 24," "Houston Chronicle ", February 21, 2008, This Week section, page 2.]Career
Rathbun entered the food industry at age 14, washing dishes at a local
Sambo's , a job for which he had lied about his age, claiming to be one year older.Helen Bryant. "Kent Rathbun: Cooking and catering for Dallas' upper crust," "The Dallas Morning News", December 22, 1996, High Profile section, page 1E.] By the end of his first day as a dishwasher, he had asked to help the night cook, who within three weeks recommended that Rathbun be promoted to the cooking station. At age 17, he was working as anapprentice in the 5-star dining room of Kansas City's La Bonne Auberge restaurant, where his mother worked as amaitre d' . Thefine dining experience changed his culinary tastes, causing him to come home determined to educate the experienced cooks in his household: "When I started learning how to work with fresh vegetables and snails and foie gras, that's when my taste just exploded. I told my mother, `I can't believe it. All those things you and Grandma have been cooking all these years - you've been overcookin' 'em.'"After running a
catering service for theDallas Museum of Art and serving assous chef in Dallas'The Mansion on Turtle Creek , Rathbun decided in 1999 to open his own restaurant. Abacus opened shortly thereafter, followed in 2005 by Jasper's in Plano. Both establishments were opened as smoke-free restaurants prior to Dallas' enacting a ban on public smoking, and Rathbun has been active in efforts to ban smoking statewide.Terrence Stutz. "Poll fuels fight for smoking ban: Legislature: Sponsor of statewide measure says public support strong", "The Dallas Morning News", February 1, 2007, page 3A.]Personal life
Rathbun is currently married to fellow restaurateur Tracy Rathbun, co-owner of Dallas' Shinsei restaurant with Lynne Fearing, who is married to chef
Dean Fearing .Dotty Griffith. "Sensational Shinsei - Lynae Fearing and Tracy Rathbun star in their own show at this hip new spot" (review), "The Dallas Morning News", September 1, 2006, Guide section, page 8.] The close ties among the four restaurateurs were highlighted in media coverage when chefsTre Wilcox of Abacus andCasey Thompson of Shinsei were selected as contestants in the third season of thereality television program "Top Chef".Alan Peppard. "'Top Chef ' is all in the family," "The Dallas Morning News", May 14, 2007, GuideLive section, page 3E.] Bill Addison. "Making every detail count - At Abacus, they all add up to a five-star experience," "The Dallas Morning News", September 14, 2007, Guide section, page 8.] Robert Wilonsky. [http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2007/05/abacus_and_shinsei_sending_the.php "Abacus and Shinsei Sending their Top Chefs to Bravo's Top Chef in June,"] UnFair Park: The "Dallas Observer " Blog, May 08, 2007. Retrieved2008-02-27 .]Notes
External links
* [http://www.bacchusbites.com/ Kent Rathbun of Abacus]
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