James Rigato is the chef/owner of Mabel Gray in Hazel Park. A Michigan native and Schoolcraft College graduate, his philosophy on cooking stems from a lifelong love of food and an appreciation for the diverse agricultural area in which he was raised. Chef Rigato's contemporary American cuisine with a Michigan focus has garnered regional and national attention, including The Detroit Free Press 2012 Restaurant of the Year award, 2012 Food & Wine The People's Best New Chef: Great Lakes nomination, 2015 Food & Wine The People's Best New Chef: Great Lakes Award and appearances on Cooking Channel, Food Network, Uncharted with Gordon Ramsay on NatGeo and was a cheftestant on Top Chef Season 12. He was nominated Best Chef: Great Lakes by the James Beard Foundation in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022. In 2025, Mabel Gray was awarded USA Today Restaurant of the Year and Hour Detroit Restaurant of the Year. He recently began documenting his international travels in the mabelgraytravelguide.com and when he's not cooking or traveling, you can find him working in his yard or up north in the Keweenaw with his partner Samantha and their beloved dogs, Lady Mae & Chandler.
James Rigato is the chef/owner of Mabel Gray in Hazel Park. A Michigan native and Schoolcraft College graduate, his philosophy on cooking stems from a lifelong love of food and an appreciation for the diverse agricultural area in which he was raised. Chef Rigato's contemporary American cuisine with a Michigan focus has garnered regional and national attention, including The Detroit Free Press 2012 Restaurant of the Year award, 2012 Food & Wine The People's Best New Chef: Great Lakes nomination, 2015 Food & Wine The People's Best New Chef: Great Lakes Award and appearances on Cooking Channel, Food Network, Uncharted with Gordon Ramsay on NatGeo and was a cheftestant on Top Chef Season 12. He was nominated Best Chef: Great Lakes by the James Beard Foundation in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022. In 2025, Mabel Gray was awarded USA Today Restaurant of the Year and Hour Detroit Restaurant of the Year. He recently began documenting his international travels in the mabelgraytravelguide.com and when he's not cooking or traveling, you can find him working in his yard or up north in the Keweenaw with his partner Samantha and their beloved dogs, Lady Mae & Chandler.
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