Why one restaurant chef still cooks his grandma’s recipes

By CNN Newsource

Published March 15, 2026 9:00 AM

By Karla Walsh, CNN

(CNN) — On his culinary quest that has included two James Beard Awards and countless “best of” restaurant mentions, chef Gavin Kaysen has amassed an impressive list of mentors: Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Paul Bocuse — and Grandma Dorothy.

“Dorothy, my father’s mom, was my biggest influence growing up. A home cook in the truest form, she taught me how to cook,” said Kaysen, who’s based in Minneapolis. “She loved taking care of us, cooking for us and showing me how.”

His parents both had demanding jobs, so Kaysen took on dinner duty to take one thing off their plates, tapping into what he learned from his grandma and bringing his family around the dinner table at the end of a long day.

One cold winter day decades ago, the future chef whipped up one of the first recipes his grandmother Dorothy Kaysen taught him. It was her signature Sunday recipe: chicken and dumplings.

“Everyone came in from outside to warm up together over this meal,” he recalled. “I had already known that this meal felt like a hug in a bowl. But at that moment, it clicked that cooking can be the basis of connection.”

To this day, “I can feel her energy every time I cook and eat that dish.”

Kaysen didn’t realize it at the time, but his grandmother was giving him a master class in key techniques that would serve him well in his culinary career. Chicken and dumplings displays how to make chicken stock, how to cut different shapes of vegetables, how to make a roux, and more, Kaysen said.

Sure, he can whip up dishes such as huckleberry sauce-drizzled dry-aged duck breast with black truffle and homemade spaghetti with octopus, mussels and prawns — and does at his restaurants Spoon and Stable and Demi in Minneapolis.

Still, Kaysen finds himself reliably returning to Grandma’s dishes, both on his menus at home and at his hot spots, which also include Bellecour bistro in Edina, Minnesota, Mediterranean-inspired Mara inside the Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis, and his Naples, Florida-based brasserie, The Merchant Room.

“There are a lot of similarities between how I cook in all areas of my life. At the end of the day, it’s all about nurturing people. Whether that’s in the kitchen in my house or at restaurants, that’s the goal. The only difference would be my kids are very quick to tell me if they do not like something,” Kaysen said, laughing.

Among the 100-plus recipes in his 2022 cookbook, “At Home,” you’ll find his grandmother’s pot roast (which is currently on the Spoon and Stable menu), those beloved chicken and dumplings, and the family-friendly recipes Kaysen believes he might be known for one day.

“When my kids look back on their childhood, I think they’ll say spatchcock chicken or paella was my signature dish. Both of these are included in the book, are in regular rotation in my house,” Kaysen said, adding these dishes never get negative reviews from his crew.

As for chicken and dumplings, those in Minnesota can score a ready-to-bake, single-serving chicken pot pie at Bellecour that’s essentially the same recipe, just stuffed inside a pastry crust instead of studded with dumplings. And anyone can try their hand at home with the recipe below, which Kaysen is happy to share.

“I think it’s extremely important to chronicle and carry on family recipes. We are only as great as those who came before us, and I carry on my grandma’s memory through her recipes,” Kaysen said. “Everything I learn is on the shoulders of someone who came before me, and this is a way I can honor that.”

Dorothy’s Chicken and Dumplings

Makes 4 servings

Total cooking time: About 1 hour

If you don’t have the time or energy to make your own chicken stock, Kaysen said swapping in store-bought works just fine.

Ingredients

For the dumpling batter:

● 1 cup all-purpose flour

● 1 teaspoon baking powder

● 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

● 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

● ¾ cup buttermilk

For the stew:

● ¼ cup avocado oil (or canola oil)

● 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

● Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

● 1 cup white pearl onions, peeled and halved

● 1 small carrot, peeled and diced

● 1 small rutabaga, peeled and diced

● 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

● ¼ cup all-purpose flour

● 1 quart chicken stock

● ¼ cup sour cream

● ¼ cup finely chopped parsley

Instructions

1. Make the dumpling batter: In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Make a well in the dry mixture. Slowly drizzle in the buttermilk and stir gently with a fork; the batter should stick together but remain a bit wet. Use your hands to gather the batter together into a dough. Cover with a wet towel and set aside.

2. Make the stew: In a 4-quart Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, sear the chicken on all sides until browned but chicken is not cooked through, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the onions, carrot and rutabaga to the pot and season with salt. Cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes.

4. Reduce the heat and add the butter and flour. Cook until the flour is lightly browned and has a nutty fragrance, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and chicken and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 10 minutes. Bring the heat up to a gentle boil, add the sour cream and whisk to combine.

5. Scoop a dollop of the dumpling batter into the pot so it rests atop the liquid. Repeat until all the dumplings have been scooped and added. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Flip each dumpling, replace the lid, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes longer. (The dumplings will turn a shade whiter when finished.) Season the soup to taste with salt.

6. Divide the soup among bowls, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

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