About Us
Mara is a restorative Mediterranean-inspired restaurant featuring warm, sun-lit spaces and an open kitchen concept illuminated by floor-to-ceiling windows. Chef Gavin Kaysen, a James Beard award-winning Minnesota local, transports his guests to coastal destinations with the flavours and techniques of 22 countries. Each dining experience is personalized by a staff dedicated to nurturing both body and soul.
Join Our TeamOUR TEAM
GAVIN KAYSEN
CHEF AND RESTAURATEUR
Gavin Kaysen is a Minneapolis native and a James Beard Award-winning chef known for creating popular local experiences, including Spoon and Stable, Bellecour Bakery and Demi. His vision for a distinctive Mediterranean-inspired restaurant and street-front cafe opened June 1, 2022. This collaboration with Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis brings Chef Gavin full circle as he previously opened Café Boulud at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto with Chef Daniel Boulud.
THONY YANG
CHEF DE CUISINE
“You want to connect with the team that is prepping and serving your food. That type of hospitality is invaluable.”
When Thony Yang is asked to describe his life in one word, it comes to him easily: perseverance. The first member of his family to get a post-secondary education, he attended Schoolcraft College, then culinary school, where he graduated at the top of his class. After working with a renowned Chicago chef, Thony made his way back home to the Twin Cities to learn from Chef Gavin Kaysen at Spoon and Stable, Bellecour and Demi. He joined Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis in 2022 and currently serves as Chef de Cuisine at Mara.
KENZIE ROSS
SOUS CHEF
Kenzie’s culinary career began at a young age under the guidance of her grandmother, whose kitchen and expansive garden became her playground. Following culinary school in Minneapolis, she worked at Chef Gavin Kaysen’s Bellecour, Spoon and Stable and Demi and along the way met mentor and Chef Diane Moua and current colleague Thony Yang, Mara’s Chef de Cuisine. Kenzie joined Mara as Sous Chef in April of 2022, and enjoys the level of collaboration the chef team at Mara fosters.