Thank you, Jean-Robert

By Betsy Ross

"People who love to eat are always the best people."

--Julia Child

When Jean-Robert de Cavel came to Cincinnati in 1993 to be Chef de cuisine at the famed Maisonette, he admitted that he planned to be here a few years, then move on to bigger cities and better-known restaurants. Understandable, since his French culinary training already had taken him to world-class restaurants in Antibes, the British West Indies and New York before he came to Ohio.  

Instead, he and his wife, Annette, are coming up on nearly 30 years in the greater Cincinnati area. Along the way he has served up fine cuisine downtown, from the Maisonette to Pigall’s, to a series of restaurants stretching from Over-the-Rhine to the suburbs.

Last month, a chapter of Jean-Robert’s story ended with the closing of Jean-Robert’s Table on Vine Street. For the first time in nearly 28 years, there will not be a downtown restaurant with Jean-Robert in the kitchen.

Oh, we can still grab brunch at French Crust or a burger at Frenchie Fresh, but there was always something special about going to a Jean-Robert restaurant downtown. Whether it was a special date night, a family celebration or a business dinner, a reservation at the Maisonette or Pigall’s or, more recently, JR’S Table or Restaurant L, meant you were in for a culinary treat.

But Jean-Robert isn’t just a celebrity chef—he’s OUR celebrity chef. He may have been born in France and still may carry his native land’s accent, but make no mistake, he’s part of our community—teaching the next generation of chefs as an instructor at the Midwest Culinary Institute, serving up gourmet bites for dozens of fundraisers around town and representing Cincinnati for years at the Taste of the NFL during Super Bowl week.

In 2003 after the tragic death of their daughter Tatiana of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, he and his wife founded the de Cavel Family SIDS Foundation. His “Eat, Play, Give” fundraising brunch has grown to one of the largest SIDS fundraisers in the country. Yes, we finally had the chance to give back to Jean-Robert as generously as he has given to us. 

Long-term, Jean-Robert says he’ll be looking for another central location to keep the de Cavel downtown tradition going. For now, though, we raise a glass to say “Thank You” to Jean-Robert and his years downtown—and here’s to many more.