Beloved local chef Jean-Robert de Cavel is turning 60 and the City of Cincinnati wasn't going to let the celebration pass without paying tribute to one of its favorite residents.
At 2:30 p.m. Oct. 21, Seventh Street — at the corner of Seventh and Vine, where de Cavel's recently shuttered restaurant Table was located — will officially become Jean-Robert de Cavel Way. Everyone is invited to attend the celebration.
"Chef de Cavel has held an iconic place in Cincinnati for nearly 30 years — as a civic servant, cultural advocate, and luminary. He continues to be a tremendous culinary influence and leader in Cincinnati," reads a release about the renaming.
Chef de Cavel moved to Cincinnati to take over the iconic Maisonette in 1993, replacing former Chef Georges Haidon and continuing the restaurant's 5-star rating and reputation.
After the Maisonette closed in 2005, de Cavel built his own empire, starting with Pigall's. Other restaurants he's launched that remain nostalgic touchpoints in Queen City dining history include Pho Paris, JeanRo Bistro, Greenup Café and Lavomatic Café, the latter of which helped launch the transformation of Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine into the city's premier, hip dining destination.
After the closure of Table (which he eventually hopes to reopen in a new location) and his upscale Restaurant L in 2020, de Cavel now helms Parisian bistro French Crust Cafe in Findlay Market and Le Bar a Boeuf in East Walnut Hills.
De Cavel and his team have recently revamped the former burger menu at Le Bar a Boeuf, bringing French-style favorites from Table to the table. (Read CityBeat's review of the new offerings at Le Bar a Boeuf.)
During a recent interview with CityBeat Dining Critic Pama Mitchell, de Cavel reflected on his restaurants, his upcoming 60th birthday and his continued treatment for a rare soft-tissue cancer, diagnosed in 2018. He spoke wistfully about this birthday, said Mitchell, noting that retirement or even slowing down doesn’t hold much appeal.
“I’m enjoying myself,” de Cavel said of his role at Le Bar a Boeuf. “We have a young, inexperienced crew and it’s fun to be with them, to try to teach them what I know.”
“I’m surrounded by people I love, it’s a treasure,” he said.
“A treasure,” he repeated with a sigh.
For more about Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel and his restaurants, visit jrcincy.com.
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