Gregory Gourdet is a celebrated chef, James Beard Award winning author, and television personality. He is best known for his award-winning cuisine, bevy of TV appearances, and trendsetting role in the culinary boom of Portland.

A native of Queens, NY, Gregory attended the Culinary Institute of America, becoming the school’s first student to land an internship with celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. For nearly 7 years, Gregory honed his culinary skills at three of Jean-Georges’ trailblazing restaurants, climbing the kitchen ranks to become one of his chef de cuisines. Gregory ran the kitchen at Portland’s Departure Restaurant + Lounge for 10 years, leaving in 2019 to focus on opening kann. 

An avid traveler and lifelong student of food and culture, Gregory has made a name for himself by infusing methods and ingredients from all over the world, balanced together with his own Haitian heritage, and creating signature flavors adored for their seasonality, boldness, complexity, and spice. 

He was named “Chef of the Year” by both Eater Portland and the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and is a James Beard Award nominee and two-time Bravo Top Chef finalist.

In 2021, Gregory released his first cookbook, Everyone’s Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health, the ultimate guide to cooking globally-inspired dishes free of gluten, dairy, soy, legumes, and grains. The book is a national bestseller and won the James Beard Award for Best General Cookbook in 2022.

Gregory sees food as nourishment and is committed to moving the restaurant industry forward in a sustainable and equitable way.

Varanya Geyoonsawat is a native of Thailand, who immigrated to Portland, Oregon in 2013. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, Varanya began her culinary partnership with Gregory at Departure, where she worked alongside Gregory during his helm as executive chef. Praised for her palate, synergy, and work ethic, Varanya was tapped by Gregory to assist in recipe development for his first cookbook. The two have worked closely together at national events from coast to coast, and Varanya was brought on as sous-chef for both of kann’s pop-ups before being asked to lead the kitchen in the concept’s first brick-and-mortar restaurant.

As chef de cuisine at kann, Varanya brings a passion for cooking as an art form, stemming from memories of her grandmother’s kitchen in Thailand, and married to cross-cultural techniques honed alongside Chef Gregory.

When not cooking, Varanya enjoys life with her husband and keeps active with running, hiking, kayaking, and snowboarding.

Gabby Borlabi is a native of Des Moines, Iowa, and a descendent, through her father, of Ghana in West Africa. A graduate of patisserie and baking at Le Cordon Bleu, Gabby's flair and penchant for pastry has earned her a place in the kitchen since she was a teenager. For most of her early career, Gabby deepened her dessert skills by immersing herself in fine-dining establishments across the US and South of France.

In 2016, Gabby first decided to make Portland, Oregon, her home after feeling love at first sight for the city's greenery, rain, and food scene. After leaving temporarily, Gabby is excited, as pastry chef of Kann, to be back in her favorite city, exploring her West African heritage through dishes and flavors that leave people feeling delighted after an amazing meal, and doing with dessert the thing that makes her most happy- making others happy.

When not baking or cooking pastries, Gabby enjoys yoga, cycling, and reading sci-fi and mysteries.

Erica Namare has spent the majority of her life in Oregon and has been managing and bartending in Portland for twenty years. She has always appreciated the art of dining and the opportunity in hospitality to be creative with food and drink in a way that brings people together.

Inspired by Chef Gregory's vision, Erica Namare is drawn to being part of a dynamic team dedicated to innovation, culture, community, and sustainability.

In her spare time, Erica Namare enjoys dairy-free baking, riding motorcycles, exploring nature, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Larissa hails from the Midwest but moved to Portland, OR in 2017 spurred by access to the ocean and mountains. A foundational culinary experience for Larissa was preparing a multi-course dinner on her own at age nine for her family— this, and the many communal gatherings over meals to follow, set her on a hospitality path from an early age. Larissa has spent the last 13 years in and out of the industry, with jaunts in fashion design and yoga. Now Assistant General Manager of Kann, she’s delighted to be in a place that’s setting a tone within the service industry that breeds inclusion, wellness, creativity, and support. She values her connections with people from different backgrounds and the ability to hold a space for others to get the absolute most out of their Kann experience. Outside of Kann, Larissa enjoys time spent on her yoga mat, sewing one of many projects, and binging anime.