"For months before the event, speculation swirled online about which, if any, Portland restaurants would earn a place on the list. The most oft-predicted: Chef Gregory Gourdet's much lauded, James Beard Award-winning Haitian restaurant."
"Kann, the long-anticipated restaurant from Top Chef finalist Gregory Gourdet, is both a tender, thoughtful, and personal tribute to the culinary traditions of Haiti, and a well-executed and ultimately delicious argument for dairy- and gluten-free dining. "Every generation, one or two places comes along that change the conversation," our critic, Karen Brooks, wrote in her review. "Kann clearly joined the club the night it opened.""
"Without a Michelin presence, Oregon has few opportunities for international restaurant recognition. The state's top culinary prizes often come from the James Beard Awards each year, where it reliably performs quite well. In 2025, bakery Jinju Patisserie took home the medal for Outstanding Bakery, and Scotch Lodge and Coquine both made the short lists in national categories. But the James Beard Foundation focuses on the chefs and restaurants across the United States, as opposed to worldwide."
World's 50 Best Restaurants unveiled a North America-focused list at a Wynn Las Vegas event, and Portland's Kann captured the 27th position as Oregon's only representative. Kann, led by Top Chef finalist Gregory Gourdet, centers Haitian culinary traditions and emphasizes dairy- and gluten-free dining. Kann earned Restaurant of the Year in 2022, Best New Restaurant at the 2023 James Beard Awards, and Gourdet won Best Chef: NW and Pacific in 2024. Major national outlets included Kann on new-restaurant lists. Oregon's lack of Michelin coverage limits international recognition, leaving James Beard Awards as the state's primary national culinary honors.
Read at Portland Monthly
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