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We’re thrilled to share the seventh 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 2025 ARE:

STEFANO SECCHI

APRIL 10 & 11

Stefano Secchi is the chef and partner of Rezdôra and Massara, two celebrated regional Italian restaurants in New York City. Brought up in a home with a strong sense of Sardinian heritage, Stefano has dedicated his career to the craft of Italian cooking. He spent several years honing his skills in Modena at the famed Osteria Francescana and perfecting the art of handmade pasta at Hosteria Giusti and in Piemonte, working at All’Enoteca.

Rezdôra, which opened in 2019, showcases the rich culinary traditions of Emilia Romagna. Since Rezdôra’s opening, it has earned a 2021, 2022 and 2023 Michelin star and was named one of the 100 Best Restaurants in New York City by the New York Times.

Massara, Stefano’s second restaurant, opened in 2024 and celebrates the vibrant cuisine of Campania. Inspired by his childhood memories of visiting Southern Italy and the region’s rich abundance of farms and fisheries, the menu is centered around cooking with a wood-burning oven and grill.

EMERIL & E.J. LAGASSE

JULY 17 & 18

Emeril Lagasse is the chef/proprietor of 11 restaurants, including five in New Orleans (Emeril’s, Meril, 34 Restaurant & Bar, Emeril’s Brasserie at Harrah’s casino and Emeril’s Table at the MSY Airport); two in Las Vegas (Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House and Delmonico Steakhouse); one in Miramar Beach, Florida (Emeril’s Coastal); and his three restaurants at sea, Emeril’s Bistro 1396 on Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras ship, Emeril’s Bistro 1397 on Carnival Celebration and Emeril’s Bistro 717 on Carnival Jubilee.

As a national TV personality, Lagasse has hosted more than 2,000 shows on the Food Network. Lagasse is the bestselling author of 19 cookbooks, the latest titled  Essential Emeril: Favorite Recipes and Hard-Won Wisdom from My Life in the Kitchen. Throughout the years, Lagasse has received accolades and lifetime awards for his contributions to the American culinary industry including the “Humanitarian of the Year” by the James Beard Foundation for his dedicated efforts to further the culinary arts in America, as well as his philanthropic work.

As the son of Chef Emeril Lagasse, E.J. Lagasse fell in love with food at a very young age. He spent most of his early years in kitchens and at home where the family table was a central part of daily life. At 13, he started working in the kitchen at Meril Restaurant in New Orleans, and throughout high school he continued working for his father at Emeril’s Coastal in Florida.

He went on to spend nearly two years training at the celebrated Le Bernardin with Eric Ripert. After graduating from culinary school at Johnson & Wales, he spent time refining his skills in some of the world’s most renowned kitchens including Core by Clare Smyth in London and Frantzén in Stockholm.

In 2022, E.J. returned to New Orleans to take the helm as Chef and Co-Owner of Emeril’s where he leads the day-to-day restaurant operations. Following an extensive renovation in 2023, the flagship reopened with a refined menu that pays homage to the restaurant’s rich culinary heritage while incorporating new and innovative techniques and modern adaptations of Chef Emeril’s classics.

GREGORY GOURDET

SEPTEMBER 11 & 12

Gregory Gourdet is a three-time James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef, best-selling author, and two-time Bravo Top Chef finalist. He is best known for his award-winning cuisine and trendsetting role in the culinary boom of Portland, Oregon.

A native of Queens, NY, Gregory attended the Culinary Institute of America, becoming the school’s first student to land an internship with Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. For nearly seven years, Gregory honed his culinary skills at three of Jean-Georges’ trailblazing restaurants. Gregory ran the kitchen at Portland’s Departure Restaurant + Lounge for 10 years, leaving in 2019 to focus on opening Kann.

Kann, which opened in August 2022, is a live-fire dinner house that showcases traditional Haitian flavors alongside dishes inspired by the cuisines of the African and Caribbean diaspora. Kann was quickly recognized by Eater, The New York Times, and Robb Report as a “Best New Restaurant”; Esquire named Kann the #1 “Best New Restaurant in America.” Kann was named the James Beard Foundation Awards 2023 “Best New Restaurant.”

In 2024, Gregory’s culinary career was recognized by the James Beard Foundation Awards, which named him “Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific.” The same year, Kann was featured on the inaugural “25 Best Restaurants in Portland, OR Right Now” list by The New York Times and was featured on La Liste’s 2025 list of the world’s best restaurants.

CLAUDETTE ZEPEDA

DECEMBER 4 & 5

Claudette Zepeda is an award-winning San Diego–based chef and culinary entrepreneur known for her fearless style and bold approach to regional Mexican cuisine. A celebrated culinary anthropologist, Zepeda draws upon 20+ years of experience working in restaurant kitchens, as well as her extensive travels around the world and throughout Mexico to inform her vast knowledge of indigenous ingredients and cross-cultural expressions of cuisine.

Zepeda’s multi-faceted expertise is showcased in her role overseeing the creative vision as Founder of Chispa Hospitality, including food concepts in San Diego, Nashville, Australia, Mexico. Her latest restaurant, Leu Leu in North County San Diego, authors a love letter to San Diego and the Beach Bungalow culture of the space.

In 2022-2023, she won the prize to be the first American chef to compete in London & Paris for the Taittinger Champagne Prix Culinaire, the first time ever the US participated in the 55 year competition history. Zepeda has also garnered national acclaim for her food, including receiving a glowing review from the New York Times, inclusion on Esquire’s 2018 & 2021 “Best New Restaurants”, and the Michelin Bib Gourmand list. Zepeda was also named both Eater San Diego’s and San Diego Union Tribune’s Chef of the Year in 2018, and was a James Beard Best Chef West semifinalist in 2019.

The Experience

SEASON PASS

Purchasing a Season Pass is your ticket to join us in the dining room for every Synergy Series event this year. The Season Pass includes beverage pairings, tax, gratuity, a ticket to each chef’s Dialogue event, and extra gifts, including a signed copy of the visiting chef’s cookbook.

A limited number of Season Passes will be released on Tock February 17 at 12 pm CT.

SINGLE DINNER RESERVATIONS

Join us for individual Synergy Series experiences in the dining room. Each single dinner is available to reserve on its own in our dining room, and includes beverage pairings, tax, and gratuity.

Reservations will be released on Tock on the following dates:

March 1, 12 pm CT: Stefano Secchi
June 1, 12 pm CT: Emeril & E.J. Lagasse
August 1, 12 pm CT: Gregory Gourdet
November 1, 12 pm CT: Claudette Zepeda

THE BAR & LOUNGE

Enjoy an abbreviated tasting menu from each chef in our bar and lounge with a reservation. A small number of seats will also be available for walk-in guests to order from their menu à la carte. Inspired by the visiting chefs, a menu of original cocktails will also be available. Each bar and lounge reservation includes beverage pairings, tax, and gratuity.

Tickets for bar and lounge seating will be released on Tock on the below dates:

March 26, 12 pm CT: Stefano Secchi
July 2, 12 pm CT: Emeril & E.J. Lagasse
August 27, 12 pm CT: Gregory Gourdet
November 19, 12 pm CT: Claudette Zepeda

The Dialogue

Each Synergy Chef will take the stage for an intimate conversation that highlights lesser-known parts of their personal and professional stories, moderated by life & leadership coach Alison Arth. 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.

Tickets to this event are $10 and will be available on Tock.

Chef Stefano Secchi
American Swedish Institute
Friday, April 11 from 12pm – 1pm

Chefs Emeril & E.J. Lagasse
American Swedish Institute
Friday, July 18 from 12pm – 1pm

Chef Gregory Gourdet
American Swedish Institute
Friday, September 12 from 12pm – 1pm

Chef Claudette Zepeda
Location TBD
Friday, December 5 from 12pm – 1pm

The Charity

Second Harvest Heartland is a leading hunger-relief organization. In partnership with more than 1,000 food shelves and hunger-relief programs in Minnesota and western Wisconsin, we provided nearly 128 million meals to neighbors last year. We also help families enroll in food assistance and provide prepared meals for people who need more than groceries. Second Harvest Heartland is a leader, convener and voice in hunger-related policy discussions.

The Sponsors

Headquartered in Fargo, N.D., and chartered in 1966, Bell Bank is one of the nation’s largest privately held banks, with full-service locations in Minnesota, North Dakota and Arizona. Bell’s strong community commitment is best demonstrated in its unique Pay It Forward initiative, which provides every Bell employee funds each year to give as they choose to individuals, families and organizations in need. To date, Pay It Forward has empowered more than $15 million in employee giving, impacting thousands of lives.

Tock offers an all-in-one solution for reservations and table management. For over a decade, Tock has been working to create solutions to the industry’s toughest problems. From reducing no-shows to controlling costs, Tock builds tools that help businesses adapt to hospitality’s ever-changing needs through greater creativity and control. Restaurants, wineries, hotels, and bars all around the world love Tock for its flexibility and world-class support. To learn more, visit exploretock.com/join.

Four Seasons

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.

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