In Portland, a Haitian Chef Finds Prosperity in the Pacific Northwest

Gregory Gourdet’s list of culinary accomplishments is vast. From “Iron Chef” status to James Beard Foundation winner and North America’s 50 Best Restaurants entrant to best-selling cookbook author. In the past few years, since his acclaimed restaurant, Kann, opened, he has added another title: tourism ambassador.

Focused on uplifting Portland’s culinary scene and its supporting region of farmers and wineries, Gourdet, his business partner Tia Vanich, and their eager team have advanced the Pacific Northwest’s culinary reputation. They’ve done it largely through a restaurant that is proudly Haitian. That Caribbean island has large expat populations in Montreal, New York, and Miami, but few notable restaurants representing its culinary heritage. It’s a reason why Kann is both brave and respected. It is devoted to serving Haitian cuisine in a fine-dining setting that elevates the reputation of an island too often associated with its political and economic turmoil. In Gourdet’s cooking, Kann (whose name derives from the Haitian pronunciation for sugar cane) achieves a rare and much-desired feat: fine dining with the pleasures of comfort food.

You’ll get Caribbean heat in dishes like jerk cauliflower but also lovely restraint in others, such as the Hiramasa crudo with toasted coconut and apple compote, and a taro root fritter with a zesty remoulade. Gourdet skillfully uses the spices that are a foundation of the recipes from his childhood while improving those same recipes with carefully sourced ingredients and his culinary talents.

The result is as you would expect: A restaurant that is beloved by locals and sought after by foodies from near and far. Its success includes spin-offs like a downstairs cocktail bar, Sousol, and a roastery (Kann is the only restaurant in Portland that retails its own coffee). What it doesn’t create in its restaurant, it champions.

An Advocate for Oregon Wines

Notably, the wineries and farmers in the nearby Willamette Valley receive special praise from Gourdet’s team.

“To have someone thinking of food at that level, it lifts up our whole state’s culture. He’s in a larger conversation when it comes to culinary on the national and international scene. Having a lighthouse like Kann that spotlights everything here can’t help but bring attention to our state. There’s a real magnetism to what Greg and his people are doing,” says Dan Gibson, CEO of Visit McMinnville, the tourism board for one of the Willamette Valley’s most charming towns. “Truthfully, Kann could exist in a bubble and the fact they make a conscious effort to talk about what’s around them is really admirable.”

For a Caribbean restaurant, let alone a Haitian one, to make it part of its mission to drive awareness and tourism to places other than its own is novel. Usually, tourism stakeholders are trying to show off the pockets of diasporadic cultures in their destinations. Kann turns that approach on its head: Bringing more notoriety to an agricultural region that Gibson says is still searching for ways to sell itself.

“We have incredible wines here. A lot of people know that. But we don’t always do a good job telling our story or making it easy for our producers to get their products where they’re wanted,” Gibson says, adding that a recent trip to New York showed him the clear opportunities for the region. Restaurants such as legendary Eleven Madison Park expressed interest in wanting to increase their cache of Oregon wine. Part of Gibson’s mandate is to help them get it.

“When Eleven Madison Park says they want more Oregon wine, I’m like, ‘Can I load up the truck and drive it cross-country myself?’ It’s the kind if validation that can grow interest in a destination,” he notes.

It’s not only Pinot Noir that is getting attention now. Oregon’s Chardonnay and sparkling wine have caught interest. The cooler growing climate and the proximity to the ocean’s winds make for prime viticulture. There are giant corporate wineries with an international footprint, much smaller operations run by farmers, and a number of excellent mid-sized producers who primarily supply the local area restaurants and wine shops.

Among them is Momtazi Vineyards, owners of Maysara Winery. A family-run business launched by Iranian immigrants, the operation dates to 1998 when the Momtazis’ patriarch decided he wanted to put organic farming practices from his homeland to use in the New World. The family considered a move to Vancouver but ultimately chose to settle in McMinnville. The three Momtazi daughters now oversee all aspects of the winery business, with the eldest daughter, Tahmiene, working as the winemaker.

Thanks to those farming techniques from Iran, the winery is all biodynamic and specializes in elegant Pinot Noirs named for historic or mythological figures from Persian lore. Visitors can enjoy a tasting experience in a rustic room that includes Iranian decor and symbols.

For a panoramic view of Cascadia, head to Evening Land Winery Estate, where Mount Hood and other snow-covered peaks are in clear view beyond the undulating hills of grapes and thick forest of spruce and Douglas fir.

The first winemaker of Evening Land was Quebec’s Isabelle Meunier, who would go on to start the highly respected (but recently shuttered) Lavinea. Evening Land’s wine program is now under the direction of Jim Faulkner, who has a deep understanding of the area’s climate and what challenges and advantages it presents for winemakers. One of the favoured producers on the Kann wine list, Evening Land focuses on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The latter of which is a particularly good match for Gourdet’s cuisine, where the acidity, touch of sweetness, and surprising body in the white wine can bring out nuances in plates like the plantain bread and Haiti’s national dish, Griyo, which is succulent pork. At Kann, it’s twice cooked, rich with earthy flavour.

It’s a dish Gourdet has built a reputation around. Admired across the United States, he is in demand for collaboration dinners and speaking engagements. In April, he hosted one of the most talked about culinary collaborations of the year, partnering with chef Junghyun (JP) Park and his team from New York’s Atomix. It was a fully synergistic exercise that included Atomix’s associated businesses, Atoboy and NARO, working in Sousol and Kann’s private-dining program to deliver three floors of inspired cooking.  The activation that took over the entire 18,000-square-foot building where Kann and its related operations are located.

“You might not think Kann and Atomix have a lot in common, but actually we do, because our food is rooted in love of culture,” Gourdet says.

There’s also a deep appreciation for the community-building aspects that restaurants do so well, and at which Atomix has excelled in Manhattan’s Korea Town. In that sense, Kann and Atomix are natural leaders in a national conversation about food and the role it plays in driving unity, not division.

More About Visiting Portland

Where to Stay: The Woodlark Hotel, a Marriott Tribute Portfolio property located in the downtown Pearl District, is a short walk to landmarks such as Powell’s City of Books and Roseland Theater. The hotel features a quality ground-level cafe and plenty of seating, ideal for remote work. The rooms feature contemporary decor and very comfortable beds. The best part, though, is the location, which allows guests to easily walk to attractions and restaurants, or access public transit to venture to different neighbourhoods.

 

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What to See: The Portland Art Museum is an outstanding facility that leans toward modernism. An entire wing is devoted to the work of Mark Rothko, a special exhibition on David Hockney runs through July 26, and there is a significant and meaningful section on Black art. The PAM’s collection of works related to the “Black Lives Matter” movement of 2020 is particularly thought-provoking because it captures the tensions of the U.S. that have led to so much strife in the country in the past decade. The museum is a pleasure for both the aesthetics of its collection and the topical nature of its most recent curations.

Note: Vacay.ca occasionally features content from outside of Canada that our editors believe will be of interest to readers. In this article, Managing Editor Adrian Brijbassi visits Portland to experience its top-rated restaurant, Kann, and the Oregon wine country. The team at Kann, Travel Portland, and Visit McMinnville supported his trip. No organization reviewed the article before it was published.