There’s Only One Chef On Call When the Dalai Lama Comes to Minneapolis

The Spoon and Stable staff cooked the meal of their lives this weekend when they had the opportunity to serve his holiness, the Dalai Lama. The spiritual leader of Tibet was in town on speaking engagements. A friend of Chef Gavin Kaysen’s reached out and asked if his team would be interested in making a special lunch service inside a private home.

“I have had the pleasure of high profile people,” said Kaysen, but this experience was entirely different. What struck Kaysen about the Dalai Lama is the quiet peacefulness that permeates the room. “Usually the security and others are stressed, [but] not his crew. It was a very humbling event.”

What people might not expect is that in the midst of all that peace, there was also a lot of laughter. “He has a great sense of humor,” Kaysen said.

The meal included a chilled carrot soup with puffed amaranth, herb-crusted halibut followed as the main course, with an abundance of vegetables and chicken broth on the side. Dessert was what has become pastry chef Diane Yang’s signature, a crepe cake with peaches and strawberries.

Robb Jones reports His Holiness enjoys hot water with some tea as a beverage.

The entire experience was succinctly summed up by Kaysen, “It was magical.”

• Minnesota star chef cooks for the Dalai Lama [STRIB]
• Spoon and Stable Crepe Cake [VIDEO]
• A Behind The Scenes Look at Grant Achatz and Gavin Kaysen’s Synergy Dinner [ETC]
• All Gavin Kaysen Coverage [ETC]