Minneapolis, MN, August 28, 2012 —Gather by D’Amico continues its unique chef-driven sampler series by featuring three exciting local chefs this fall: Seth Bixby Daugherty, former chef at D’Amico Cucina and Cosmos; Charlie Schwandt, executive chef at Pat’s Tap in South Minneapolis; and Jack Riebel, executive chef at Butcher and the Boar in Minneapolis.
Bixby Daugherty, Schwandt and Riebel will each add two new “small plate” items to Gather’s menu for the month they host. Guests can sample complimentary menu items on the first Thursday evening of each month and each chef’s two featured items will be available on the menu on subsequent Thursday evenings throughout the month. Also, on the first Thursday of each month, each guest chef will be onsite to serve complimentary samples, answer questions and meet guests. Gather features $5 happy hour small plates, featured specialty cocktails, and wine and beer specials from 5–7pm menu every Thursday evening.
September Chef-in-Residence: Seth Bixby Daugherty
Thursday, September 6, 5–9 pm
Gather by D’Amico
Returning from speaking on Capitol Hill about hunger issues plaguing the country earlier this month, Bixby Daugherty looks forward to coming back to his roots in the kitchen, a stint that earned him acclaim as one of the Best New Chefs from Food and Wine Magazine in 2005.
He has been a lifelong student of food. Raised in upstate New York, Bixby Daugherty’s mother was a pastry chef and frequently sold baked products to local restaurants. Not surprisingly, he pursued a culinary degree after high school, taking cooking classes at Cobleskill Technical College and subsequently enrolling in the Culinary Institute of America (CIA).
While attending CIA, Bixby Daugherty enhanced his education with an internship at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington D.C. After graduation, he returned to the Four Seasons to complete a three-year apprenticeship with Chef William Douglas McNeill. His relationship with the Four Seasons earned him a position in New York City as an opening sous chef for the Four Seasons Hotel. During his time in New York, Bixby Daugherty also had the opportunity to work at Le] Bernardin, gaining experience in every station of the kitchen, including pastry.
After leaving New York, he moved to Colorado to open Paul’s Creekside Grill in the Hotel at The Inn at Silvercreek and then to Minneapolis where he worked as the executive chef at D’Amico Cucina for three years. Bixby Daugherty was the executive chef at Cosmos where his culinary influence was seen in the restaurant’s Asian-inspired fare. Daugherty had, according to the Star Tribune, “set a new local standard for gastronomic extravagance.”
In 2007, Daugherty left Cosmos to pursue work with Real Food Initiatives, a partnership with local health experts to teach kids about food, wellness, and nutrition, hoping to improve K-12 school food programs.
October Chef-in-Residence: Charlie Schwandt
Thursday, October 4, 5–9 pm
Gather by D’Amico
Chef Charlie Schwandt, a native of the Twin Cities, started his cooking career in Austin, TX under the close supervision of Chef Parind Vora. After two years of this “old-fashioned apprentice-style” education and tours through many of Austin’s finest kitchens, Schwandt returned to his hometown to cook at Kim Bartmann’s Barbette. He then went on to work under local James Beard Award winner chef Isaac Becker, first at 112 Eatery, then at Bar La Grassa, then again at 112 as sous chef. He has recently returned to the Bartmann family of restaurants as executive chef at Pat’s Tap in South Minneapolis.
November Chef-in-Residence: Jack Riebel
Thursday, November 1, 5–9 pm
Gather by D’Amico
Jack Riebel is executive chef/owner of Butcher and the Boar American restaurant and bourbon bar. Riebel was previously charged with changing the culinary program and face of the nationally renowned Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant after its move from St. Paul into Target Headquarters in Minneapolis eight years ago. His tenure also includes being the chef at La Belle Vie in its Stillwater location and executive sous chef at Goodfellow’s – An American Restaurant, formerly in the historic Forum Cafeteria space in downtown Minneapolis.
With an ever‐growing list of accolades throughout his career of over 25 years, Riebel most recently received the top honors at Minnesota Monthly’s Food and Wine Experience by winning the Local Chef Challenge in 2010 as well as The American Cheese Society Chef Cook Off, and several other local competitions. Chef Jack, as he is known, can be found regularly on television cooking shows, teaching cooking classes and mentoring young chefs. Passionately seasonal and dedicated to inspirational cuisine with a local influence, Riebel has earned the respect and praise of local chefs and the community alike, truly a commander of his craft.
He has also been involved in several charity events and fundraisers throughout his career, participating in such notables as the Mikhail Gorbachev Dinner at the Minnesota Governor’s Mansion, multiple visits to the James Beard House in New York and the National Taste of the NFL Super Bowl event for Share Our Strength. Born and raised in St. Paul, he studied culinary arts at St. Paul Technical College. His love of travel and cuisine from many cultures has found him exploring kitchens around the world. His personal claim to success, however, is the hours he spends each day working the line alongside his crew making each dish collaboratively.
Created and operated by D’Amico + Partners, Gather serves lunch six days a week (Tuesday–Sunday, 11:30 am–2:30 pm) and a small plates menu on Thursday evenings (5 pm–9 pm), in conjunction with the Walker’s Target Free Thursday Nights.