After Gavin Kaysen opened Spoon and Stable in November 2014, forward-thinking diners immediately wondered: What would the Bloomington-raised, James Beard award-winning chef — who cooked in Switzerland and London before making a name for himself in San Diego and New York City — do for an encore?

The answer arrived in March, when Kaysen launched Bellecour in Wayzata. An ambitious homage to mentors Daniel Boulud and Paul Bocuse, the four-star restaurant celebrates French bistro fare in all of its tantalizing glory, with exacting, contemporary renditions of steak tartare, cassoulet, bouillabaise, coq au vin and other beloved classics.

That Kaysen recruits and collaborates with top talent — at Bellecour, it's chef de cuisine Nick Dugan, pastry chef Diane Yang, bartender Robb Jones, wine director Nico Giraud and general manager Jeanie Janas — further cements his role as an influential leader, career-maker and standard-setter.

Another impressive enterprise is his imaginative Synergy Series, which over the past two years has drawn eight top-flight chefs into the Spoon and Stable kitchen. While Twin Citians enjoy the talents of such luminaries as Grant Achatz, Sean Brock and April Bloomfield, Kaysen's crew receives tutorials from some of the nation's top culinary practitioners, priceless know-how that they channel back into their work. Dined at Spoon and Stable lately? It's better than ever.

Another plus: Kaysen has donated over $100,000 from the series' proceeds to six nonprofit organizations.

"It has been a gift to be able to give back in a way that has been meaningful," he said. "Not only for me, but also for my team."

Thanks, Chef Kaysen. We anxiously await your next venture.