When earlier this year, viewers knew the Boulder native as a humble guy with tousled good looks, a compassionate heart and serious culinary talent — he won the most gold stars ever on that show.
But few had tasted his food.
Now, in Denver, fans will get that chance.
He’s part of the Denver Food & Wine festival this year, where he’ll be cooking at two of the events and will be attending all events, soaking up the scene.
He’s also taking time to do some other events while in town with his friend Kelly Whitaker, co-owner of Cart-Driver.
“I’ve been doing a lot of fun projects on healthy eating and a lot of traveling,” Kennedy, 24, said in a phone interview from his home in Brooklyn, talking about his life since he won “The Taste.”
“I’m just continuing the path of learning that’s essential at this point in my career, because I still am really young.”
So far, he has served as a visiting executive chef for Bon Appetit magazine and made food videos for Tasting Table.
He’s working on a cookbook, fundraising to start his own restaurant, and is busy with lots of pop-up events, like his farm-fresh dinners at and in Pennsylvania.
He’s also teamed up with the Irish relief organization Concern Worldwide, becoming at a — with one pot, no running water and a stove lit by a match — he taught a basic cooking skills class, and then enjoyed some traditional Haitian rice dishes they made for him.
And in the village of Sant d’Eau, he visited a market with a local family — they buy sweet potatos, spinach, watercress, some limes, sour oranges and bell peppers for less then $9 — and at their home, he demonstrated how to make a traditional coconut chicken curry for the 15 guests arriving that evening’s meal.
“I find meaning in everything I do,” he said, “because I weave in my message and my belief system.”
His mission is to use food as a catalyst for positive change in the world, and he views food as a way of healing through nourishment. Both his parents were healers — his mom is an acupuncturist, his dad is a chiropractor — and he’s applying the family tradition to his own passion.
When busy Americans, juggling jobs and family, say there’s no time for home cooking, he tries to provide a new perspective.
“You can look at cooking as a practice,” he said.
Taking the time to nourish yourself, and those you love, can be a daily regimen like doing yoga or working out at the gym.
“Cooking is my meditation,” he said. “I do it every day.”
That’s why he loves cooking demonstrations, like the one he’ll do on Sept. 12 at Denver Food & Wine’s Grand Tasting, onstage with
“What really excites me is inspiring people to cook for themselves, providing them with the tools and framework to explore and experiment with letting food change their lives in a positive way,” he said.
Also at Denver Food & Wine, on Sept. 9, he’ll be cooking at with such top chefs as Frank Bonanno, founder of such restaurants as Mizuna and Bones; Hosea Rosenberg of Blackbelly Restaurant; and Elise Wiggins of Panzano.
And while he’s in town, he’s making time to cook with chef-owner Kelly Whitaker, chef-owner of Basta in Boulder and Cart-Driver in RiNo.
“This has been a tremendous opportunity to share my voice,” he said, looking back over the past seven months. “It’s been amazing and inspiring, and through the process, everything is helping me crystalize what I believe in, and what my purpose is. It’s a cool journey to be on.”
Colleen O’Connor: 303-954-1083, coconnor@denverpost.com or twitter.com/coconnordp
Denver food & wine
For information on all events and Gabe Kennedy appearances Sept. 9 and 12, go to .
