Gabriel Kreuther
Born in Alsace, France, Gabriel Kreuther was raised on his family’s farm in Niederschaeffolsheim, a village north of Strasbourg. As a young child, Gabriel impressed his mother with his varied questions about the family’s daily meals that she, herself, taught him how to cook. During school vacations, Gabriel visited his uncle’s bustling hotel and restaurant in the nearby mountains. At 12 years of age, Gabriel’s boundless curiosity and desire to help led him to the kitchen. From 1984 to 1987, he attended culinary school at École Hôtelière in Strasbourg. In 1987, Gabriel won the prestigious “Concours National du Meilleur Apprenti Cuisenaire de France – Fernand Point,” a competitive national contest to determine the “Best Kitchen Apprentice in France” from among 170 nominees. As part of his award, Gabriel was given a gastronomical tour of North Africa.
Bitten by the travel bug while still in school, Gabriel embarked upon a work-exchange program for 18-months in Washington, D.C. as the Chef de Partie at Le Caprice. In 1990, he returned to France to fulfill his commitment to the armed services. In 1991, he accepted a one-year position in Germany as Sous Chef for renowned Chef Franz Keller, and then returned to France to work as Chef de Partie at the Michelin one-star restaurant Le Fer Rouge in Colmar. For the next 3 ½ years, Gabriel was the Executive Sous Chef at Switzerland’s L’Ermitage de Bernard Ravet, a Michelin two-star restaurant. During this period, Gabriel focused on artisanal French cooking, using native herbs, plants and other ingredients organically grown on the premises to bring out the inherent flavors of a dish. With this background, Gabriel arrived in New York City in 1997 for the role of Sous Chef at La Caravelle. In the fall of that same year, Gabriel moved to and remained in Restaurant Jean-Georges, as Chef de Cuisine until his appointment as Executive Chef at Atelier in The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park in January 2002. During Gabriel’s tenure as Chef de Cuisine, Restaurant Jean-Georges maintained The New York Times four-star, and received Exxonmobil’s Five-Star Award.
At Atelier, Gabriel received numerous accolades and was subsequently named one of Food & Wine magazine’s prestigious “America’s Best New Chefs” in 2003. Under Gabriel’s leadership, Atelier was nominated for “Best New Restaurant” by the James Beard Foundation, received a three-star rating from The New York Times in August of 2003, and The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences’ coveted “Five Star Diamond” award.
At The Modern, Gabriel garnered critical acclaim and generated awards and accolades for the restaurant. During his first year, The Modern was named “Best New Restaurant” by Esquire magazine, garnered a Michelin star, was ranked “Top-Rated Newcomer 2005” by Zagat Survey, and “Best New Restaurant” by Time Out New York. The Modern received three stars from The New York Times and won “Best New Restaurant” and “Outstanding Restaurant Design” at the 2006 James Beard Foundation Awards. Gabriel was nominated in 2006, 2007, and 2008 for the James Beard Foundation Award for “Best Chef: New York City” and won it in 2009. Gabriel is also a member of the coaching team for Bocuse d’Or USA and is part of the culinary counsel.
In 2015, Gabriel Kreuther Restaurant opened in the iconic WR Grace Building in the center of New York City, and immediately claimed its place as a very special addition to the New York City culinary scene. The restaurant was awarded two stars by Michelin (2018), Relais & Chateaux, three-stars from The New York Times, AAA 5 Diamond Award (2016 – 2019), “The Best Dish of 2015” by Eater New York, “Top New York Restaurant of 2015” by The New York Times. TripAdvisor named it the #1 restaurant in the United States, and #16 in the world. In 2020, Gabriel Kreuther Restaurant was inducted into coveted Les Grande Tables Du Monde.
