(NewsWorthy.news) – A Manhattan chef whose expansive business ventures were backed by the investments of NBA star LeBron James died suddenly last week. He was 45 years old.
James Kent was a chef and restaurateur in New York, working for the Saga Hospitality Group, which owned his two restaurants—Crown Shy and Saga and Overstory. Both restaurants are located in the Manhattan Financial District. The news of the chef’s sudden passing was first revealed on Saturday June 15 in an Instagram post from Saga Hospitality Group.
In its message, the company said it is “heartbroken to share” the news that their top chef died “unexpectedly earlier today.” The statement added that the business is now “focused” on providing support to one another and Kent’s family. Out of respect for the late chef, his two restaurants were closed on Sunday June 16, the day after his death, which was also Father’s Day.
Kent’s death leaves behind his wife, Kelly, as well as two children. His son, Gavin, is 15 years old and his daughter, Avery, is 13 years old. Although Saga Hospitality Group did not provide a cause of death in its original statement, Kent’s wife revealed the following Monday that he died of a heart attack.
The chef passed away while in Brooklyn, completing graffiti art for a restaurant there. He had kept up this creative hobby since his childhood. Kent’s cooking journey began when he was 14 years old, raised in Greenwich Village. In 1993, even though he already worked at a restaurant, his mother had him introduce himself to their new neighbor, David Bouley.
Young Kent asked the celebrity chef if he could learn under him, in his kitchen, and Bouley agreed to let the boy work in his restaurant for the summer. Decades later, Kent had made a name for himself in the Big Apple, under Saga Hospitality Group. In April, the company and the chef reportedly made plans to build a “casual all-day restaurant” in Brooklyn and a large restaurant on Park Avenue.
Simultaneously, Kent was preparing to open a fried chicken restaurant. His many ventures led investors to view Kent as the next top American restaurateur. The expansion of Saga Hospitality Group was being supported by LRMR Ventures, the private investment firm run by LeBron James and Maverick Carter.
Copyright 2024, NewsWorthy.news
