We’re thrilled to share the sixth edition of The Synergy Series, presented by Bell Bank. A signature dining experience by Chef Gavin Kaysen at Spoon and Stable, we’ll welcome guest chefs four times this year to the heart of our house, collaborating to bring their cuisine to life.
Our guest chefs of 2023 are:
CHEF NANCY SILVERTON
APRIL 13 & 14
Nancy Silverton is the co-owner of Michelin-starred Osteria Mozza, as well as Pizzeria Mozza, Mozza2Go, chi SPACCA, Pizzette and The Barish in Los Angeles. In 2014, she received the highest honor given by the James Beard Foundation for “Outstanding Chef.” That year, she was listed as one of the Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink by both Fortune and Food and Wine magazines. In 2017, Nancy was profiled in an episode of Netflix’s award-winning docu-series Chef’s Table.
Nancy is the author of nine cookbooks including Desserts (1986), Breads from the La Brea Bakery (1996), Pastries from the La Brea Bakery (2000), Nancy Silverton’s Sandwich Book (2005), Twist of the Wrist (2007), The Mozza Cookbook (2011), Mozza at Home (2016) and chi SPACCA (2020). Nancy’s next pastry cookbook will be released this year.
Nancy is active in fundraising for numerous charities including No Kid Hungry and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation in Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
CHEF KRISTEN KISH
JULY 27 & 28
Kristen Kish was born in South Korea and adopted into a family in Kentwood, MI. She showed an affinity for cooking at a young age. Her mother suggested she go to culinary school and since attending Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago, Kish has never looked back.
After moving to Boston, Kish worked in many high-profile restaurants including Michelin-star Chef Guy Martin’s Sensing and Barbara Lynch’s Stir as Chef de Cuisine. Kish competed on Bravo’s Top Chef Season 10 where she won the coveted title. She went on to become Chef de Cuisine of Menton, Chef Barbara Lynch’s fine dining restaurant. She left this position in 2014 to travel the world and write a cookbook.
Kish was co-host of “36 Hours,” a Travel Channel show that partnered with The New York Times to bring the hit newspaper column to television. In October 2017, Kish launched her first cookbook – Kristen Kish Cooking.
Kish partnered with LINE Hotels in 2018 to launch her first restaurant, Arlo Grey. The restaurant reflects Kristen’s playful yet refined cuisine pulling inspiration from a French and Italian cooking background paired with a nostalgia of dishes from her upbringing to her love of travel that helped her gain an outlook on how people cook to tell their story.
CHEF DANIEL HUMM
SEPTEMBER 14 & 15
Daniel Humm is the Chef and Owner of Make It Nice, a New York-based hospitality group behind Eleven Madison Park and Eleven Madison Home.
A native of Switzerland, he was exposed to food at a very young age, and began working in kitchens at the age of 14. From there he spent time in some of the finest Swiss hotels and restaurants before earning his first Michelin star at the age of 24. In 2003, Daniel moved to the United States to become the Executive Chef at Campton Place in San Francisco, where he received four stars from the San Francisco Chronicle. Three years later, he moved to New York to become the Executive Chef at Eleven Madison Park.
Over the course of Daniel’s tenure, he and Eleven Madison Park have received numerous accolades, including four stars from The New York Times, seven James Beard Foundation Awards (including Outstanding Chef and Outstanding Restaurant in America), three Michelin Stars, and the #1 spot on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2017.
In 2011, Daniel purchased Eleven Madison Park from Union Square Hospitality Group, alongside his former business partner and Dining Room Manager, Will Guidara, and began the hospitality company Make It Nice. The following year, Make It Nice opened the NoMad, a total re-imagination of the grand era of hotel restaurants, which eventually expanded to Los Angeles and Las Vegas in 2018. 2017 saw the opening of Made Nice in the NoMad neighborhood, a counter-service restaurant built on the belief that quality food and everyday food can and should be one and the same. In 2019, Daniel returned for the first time to Europe, to open the acclaimed Davies and Brook at the legendary Claridge’s hotel in London.
He is the author of Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook, I Love New York: Ingredients and Recipes, The NoMad Cookbook, and Eleven Madison Park: The Next Chapter.
CHEF JOHN SHIELDS
DECEMBER 7 & 8
John B. Shields began his culinary training in the St. Louis area, where he attended school and worked in local restaurants. Shields soon moved to Chicago where he served as sous chef for two years at world-renowned Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago. In 2005, he left Trotter’s to help open the then unknown restaurant, Alinea, under the direction of Chef Grant Achatz. During his two years as sous chef, Alinea grew from an exciting upstart to one of the best restaurants in the world.
After leaving Alinea in 2008, John and his soon-to-be wife Karen Urie took a bold chance on an opportunity to open a little-known restaurant in the countryside of Southwestern Virginia. The chefs were given carte blanche to re-imagine the then-unknown Town House restaurant. There, John and Karen rebuilt the concept as a modern exploration of imaginative flavor and visual compositions that utilized the wide array of seasonal, locally grown and foraged ingredients. In June of 2009, The New York Times published a glowing article about Town House, which was instrumental in vaulting the couple to the top tier of chefs and restaurants in the United States. The growing public interest in the food at Town House led to Chef John being named a 2010 “Best New Chef” by Food & Wine magazine as well as a James Beard Award Semi-Finalist in 2011.
After four successful years at Town House and Riverstead Inn, the couple returned to Chicago with their two daughters to open Smyth and The Loyalist. The West Loop dual-concept restaurant—Smyth features innovative, seasonally driven multi-course menus, while The Loyalist downstairs is an innovative lounge with one of the city’s best burgers—quickly received widespread acclaim, including 4 stars from the Chicago Tribune and a ‘Best New Restaurant’ nod from Chicago magazine. After only opening for a few months, Smyth received its first Michelin star, and in 2017, Smyth was elevated to two Michelin stars.
DINING EXPERIENCES
SEASON PASS
Purchasing a Season Pass grants you access to a table in the dining room on one evening of every Synergy Series event this year, as well as the corresponding number of tickets to our Dialogue Series. You’ll also receive a gift, including a signed copy of the visiting chef’s cookbook. A limited number of Season Passes will be released February 22.
SINGLE DINNER RESERVATIONS
Join us for individual Synergy Series experiences. Each booking includes a multi-course dinner with beverage pairings, inclusive of tax and hospitality charge. Reservations will be released on our Tock on the following dates:
March 1, 12 pm CT: Nancy Silverton
June 1, 12 pm CT: Kristen Kish
August 1, 12 pm CT: Daniel Humm
November 1, 12 pm CT: John Shields
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THE BAR & LOUNGE
Join us in our bar and lounge where an abbreviated tasting menu with beverage pairings will be offered, with tickets released closer to each experience’s date. A small number of seats will be available for walk-in guests to order a full tasting menu or an a la carte experience. Inspired by the visiting chefs, a menu of original cocktails will also be available.
Tickets for bar and lounge seating will be released on the below dates:
March 29, 12 pm CT: Nancy Silverton
July 12, 12 pm CT: Kristen Kish
August 30, 12 pm CT: Daniel Humm
November 15, 12 pm CT: John Shields
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PRESENTED BY
S.PELLEGRINO
THE SYNERGY SERIES:
DIALOGUE
Each Synergy Chef will take the stage for an intimate conversation that highlights lesser-known parts of their personal and professional stories, followed by audience Q&A and book signing, if applicable. This experience, falling on the Friday of their visit, adds an opportunity for members of our restaurant community and fans of each chef to get to know them in a relaxed setting.
Each Dialogue takes place on the second floor of Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis.
Chef Nancy Silverton
Friday, April 14 from 12pm – 1pm
Chef Kristen Kish
Friday, July 28 from 12pm – 1pm
Chef Daniel Humm
Friday, September 15 from 12pm – 1pm
Chef John Shields
Friday, December 8 from 12pm – 1pm
Tickets to this event are $10. 100% of the ticket price will be donated to Jeremiah Program, thanks to the generosity of our partners at S.Pellegrino and Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis.
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Jeremiah Program (JP) is a national nonprofit organization helping single mothers invest in their children‘s success and their own so they can thrive and pursue economic mobility. JP achieves this by supporting their access to higher education, affordable childcare, housing, leadership training, and career development. Jeremiah Program believes that no mother should have to make the untenable choice between investing in herself or supporting her children. Their holistic approach invites single mothers into the leadership tent and encourages families to bring all of their identities to bear in achieving their goals—two generations at a time.
Bell is the largest family-and employee-owned bank in the upper Midwest, and one of the largest in the nation, thanks to their many loyal customers, whose confidence has led to growth and opportunity.
When Bell Bank opened its doors in 1966 with a single location in a north Fargo shopping center, their founders couldn’t have dreamed of the growth the company would have. For decades, having happy employees and happy customers has been at the heart of their organization. Their values – being a family, treating customers well and making their community a better place – are at the core of all they do.
S.Pellegrino is the finest natural mineral water from the Italian Alps. S.Pellegrino travels the world to reach the best tables in 150 countries where its unmistakable taste and perfect pairing properties are appreciated by fine dining lovers everywhere. For the last 120 years, S. Pellegrino has been inspiring people to savour life and tasteful moments around the table, promoting fine dining culture. This global success story could not have been achieved without the crucial contribution of the chef community.
Steelite International is a world leading manufacturer and supplier of award winning tabletop and buffet solutions for the hospitality industry. Listening to our customers has allowed us to offer innovative solutions in china, metal, glass, wood and melamine. Servicing over 140 countries, we are committed to offering the best in functionality and design, while minimizing the effect on our environment.
Violife is a range of award-winning vegan products made from coconut oil. All Violife products are free from dairy, preservatives, casein, lactose, gluten, nuts and soya. Violife comes from the Greek word “Vios”, which means “life”. So it’s actually life squared – live life to the full! Violife brings people together by making food for everyone. Violife is 100% vegan and 100% delicious – you don’t have to be a vegan to enjoy it.
Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis is located at the top of the pedestrian Nicollet Mall in the heart of downtown, just steps from the Mississippi River and with easy access to major league sports venues and the city’s best places to shop, dine, enjoy live performances and explore. Just 20 minutes from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Four Seasons is also a gateway to limitless recreational opportunities in the state, with 11,000+ lakes, 4,000+ miles of bike trails, 400+ golf courses, and 66 state parks.