Kevin Rathbun is an American chef active in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

though originally from

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...

Restaurants

His signature restaurant, Rathbun's is housed in a 19th-century warehouse space, Stoveworks, formerly a potbelly stove factory near the

Old Fourth Ward The Old Fourth Ward, often abbreviated O4W, is an intown neighborhood on the eastside of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The neighborhood is best known as the location of the Martin Luther King Jr. historic site. Geography The Old Fourth Wa ...

in Atlanta. Other Rathbun restaurants include Kevin Rathbun Steak a few blocks from Rathbun's with a patio on the

BeltLine The Atlanta BeltLine (also Beltline or Belt Line) is a open and planned loop of multi-use trail and light rail transit system on a former railway corridor around the core of Atlanta, Georgia. The Atlanta BeltLine is designed to reconnect nei ...

, Krog Bar (Mediterranean tapas bar) also in Stoveworks, and KR Steakbar opened in 2012 in

Peachtree Hills Peachtree Hills is a neighborhood within the Buckhead district of Atlanta, Georgia. It primarily contains residential buildings, however, commercial buildings are scattered throughout the neighborhood. Peachtree Battle Shopping Center is located w ...

area of

Buckhead Buckhead is the uptown commercial and residential district of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, comprising approximately the northernmost fifth of the city. Buckhead is the third largest business district within the Atlanta city limits, behind Downto ...

Notoriety and awards

Rathbun's was noted as one of '' Travel and Leisures best new American restaurants of 2004. His three Atlanta restaurants were noted in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. Other awards include: *“Best New Restaurant 2004”, ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'' Magazine *“Best New Restaurant” and "Restaurant of the Year", ''

'' magazine *“Best New Restaurant” by ''

Creative Loafing Creative Loafing is an Atlanta-based publisher of a monthly arts and culture newspaper/magazine. The company publishes a 60,000 circulation monthly publication which is distributed to in-town locations and neighborhoods on the first Thursday of ...

'' *''

USA TODAY ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'', “New Gourmet Selection of Restaurants” * '' Bon Appetit'' Magazine: “Where to Eat Now” *''

Every Day with Rachael Ray Rachael Domenica Ray (born August 25, 1968) is an American cook, television personality, businesswoman, and author. She hosts the syndicated daily talk and lifestyle program ''Rachael Ray'', and the Food Network series '' 30 Minute Meals''. ...

'': 2009 top eight U.S. steakhouses

Biography

Rathbun is from Kansas City and attended Johnson County Community College. He began working in restaurants as a dishwasher at

Sambo's Sambo's was an American restaurant chain, started in 1957 by Sam Battistone Sr. and Newell Bohnett in Santa Barbara, California. Though the name was taken from portions of the names of its founders, the chain soon found itself associated with ' ...

."Biography", Kevin Rathbun website
/ref> Over his lifetime, Rathbun worked with well-known chefs such as Bradley Ogden,

Emeril Lagasse Emeril John Lagassé III ( ; born October 15, 1959) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, cookbook author, and National Best Recipe award winner for his "Turkey and Hot Sausage Chili" recipe in 2003. He is a regi ...

, and

Stephen Pyles Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

. He was nominated for the

James Beard James Andrews Beard (May 5, 1903 – January 23, 1985) was an American chef, cookbook author, teacher and television personality. He pioneered television cooking shows, taught at The James Beard Cooking School in New York City and Seaside, ...

“Rising Star Chef” of 1994. He brought Southwestern cuisine to Atlanta with the restaurant NAVA. Later he introduced fusion cuisine to the city in his position as the opening Executive Chef of Bluepointe. From 1999 until 2003, Rathbun was the Corporate Executive Chef for Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, overseeing a number of the group's restaurants. In February

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

he and his brother, fellow chef

Kent Rathbun Kent Rathbun (born William Kent Rathbun on April 17, 1961, in Kansas City, Missouri"William Kent Rathbun," ''The Dallas Morning News'' (article sidebar), December 22, 1996, High Profile section, page 4E.) is a Four-time Beard Award-nominatedDotty ...

, appeared as contestants on ''

Iron Chef America ''Iron Chef America'' is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's ''Iron Chef'', and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed ''Iron Chef USA'' that aired in 2001. The show is produced by Food Network, w ...

''.Brooke Hatchett. "Woodlands chef showcases skills on television - Jasper's owner Kent Rathbun competes on Food Network program Feb. 24," ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

'', February 21, 2008, This Week section, page 2.

References

External links

Biography on Rathbun's restaurant site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rathbun, Kevin American chefs American male chefs People from Atlanta Living people People from Kansas City, Missouri Johnson County Community College people Year of birth missing (living people)