James Kent, one of the most influential and accomplished chefs in New York City, has died. He helmed a trio of restaurants in a historic building in the Financial District, the two-Michelin-starred Saga, sky-high bar Overstory, and ground-floor Crown Shy; along with a growing collection of restaurants in his hospitality group. Before that, he led kitchens for then-partners Daniel Humm and Will Guidara as executive chef of the Nomad. He was also the chef de cuisine and a sous chef at the three-Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park. He died in New York on Saturday, June 15. He was 45 years old.
Kent’s death was announced on Saga’s Instagram Saturday evening. “We are heartbroken to share that James Kent passed away unexpectedly earlier today,” it reads. “The Saga Hospitality Group is focused on supporting each other and, most importantly, Kelly [his wife], Gavin and Avery [his children] as we grieve James’ loss.”
Eater has reached out to confirm the cause of death.
Kent’s hospitality group is preparing for a series of big openings, including one at 360 Park Avenue South, inspired by his grandmother and the houseboat where he spent summers. Danny Garcia will be the chef: He is currently on Bravo’s Top Chef and was his executive sous chef back when they worked together at Nomad. Renata Ameni is slated to run the pastry program. That restaurant, a few blocks way from where he went to junior high school, is on track to debut within the next couple of months.
Further out, his group is planning to open five restaurants in partnership with Paris luxury department store, Printemps, at 1 Wall Street, ranging from a fine dining restaurant to a casual cafe, led by culinary director, Gregory Gourdet.
His current business success story is the trio of restaurants in the Art Deco building at 70 Pine Street. The first to open was Crown Shy in 2019, with then-partner Jeff Katz, serving an a la carte seasonal menu; it has a Michelin star. co*cktail bar Overstory opened in 2021 on the 64th floor, and is ranked among the top 20 of the World’s 50 Best Bars. Saga opened in tandem a floor down, with multiple terraces and similarly breathtaking views. It holds two Michelin stars. Its tasting menu is rooted in European technique, drawing inspiration from the diversity of New York City, Kent’s hometown. A recent visit incorporated nods to his Moroccan heritage, from the harissa in a duck course to a Moroccan-style tea service.
During the pandemic, Kent and Katz distributed funds from an investor to out-of-work staff, he told Eater this past week. And the restaurant fed those in need, as well as residents of 70 Pine Street. In partnership with American Express, the restaurants also erected yurts – Shy Village – to serve diners outside through the winter. Kent, who was a graffiti artist starting in his teens, had his work displayed in some of them.
Before he opened the trio of restaurants, Kent was executive chef of the Michelin-starred Nomad under Daniel Humm and Will Guidara from 2013 to 2017. Prior to that, he was a sous chef, then chef de cuisine, at Eleven Madison Park, from 2007 to 2013. “I walked in a young cook,” he recently told Eater of his time there, “and I walked out a chef and father.”
Kent was married and had two children. “My kid’s first restaurant visit was to Eleven Madison Park,” he told Eater. Right after his first born’s first checkup, “I went in to prove that I really had a kid,” he joked.
A few months after that interview, Kent told Eater this past week about his more recent emphasis on prioritizing work-life balance. This change came about following a series of what he later learned were panic attacks on his way to work at Eleven Madison Park, when he checked himself into the ER, he said. Past that experience, he began running — with his wife, Kelly, and with his staff — eventually forming the Crown Shy Running Club. He had become an outspoken advocate for prioritizing mental health in the hospitality industry.
Early in his career, Kent was a winner of the prestigious culinary competition, the 2010 Bocuse d’Or USA, along with his commis, Tom Allan; they placed 10th at the Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, France, in 2011. He graduated from Johnson & Wales in Providence, Rhode Island. He also worked at Babbo, Jean-Georges, and for Gordon Ramsay. As a teen, Kent apprenticed at David Bouley’s namesake restaurant.
“Crown Shy, Saga, and Overstory will be closed tomorrow: Sunday, June 16,” reads the Instagram post. “Celebrate Father’s Day with your loved ones.”
