Chef AF Rating | Gerard Craft
Chef AF Rating | Gerard Craft
Chef / Partner Niche Food Group
Facebook: @BrasseriebyNiche
Instagram: @gerardfcraft
Most chefs don’t make the leap to owning their own space until they’ve established themselves working in a series of kitchens, and it usually takes until their thirties to do so. Not so with Gerard Craft. Gerard opened his first restaurant Niche at the age of 25, and it was such a successful effort that he has since opened six other restaurants, all before most chefs would open their first space. More impressive, Gerard did this after a career switch.
Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Gerard originally worked as a snowboard photographer, and it was on assignment in Salt Lake City that he discovered his true calling as a chef. Jumping headfirst into the culinary world, Gerard first worked at Bistro Toujours in Park City, Utah, then at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. In addition to catapulting him towards his own space before his 25th birthday, Gerard’s work also earned him numerous accolades, including “Best New Chef” from Food & Wine magazine, Inc. magazine’s “Star Entrepreneurs Under 30” award, and a coveted James Beard Foundation award for “Best Chef: Midwest.” Gerard’s restaurants are now popular St. Louis staples, and if his fast start is any indication, we’re sure to see him pop up on lists like this one for a long time.
