Gavin Kaysen—At 27, a culinary whipper-snapper if there ever was one—is having a good year. His California-influenced French cuisine at El Bizcocho has made the Rancho Bernardo Inn a SoCal foodie destination; he represented the United States at the 2007 world finals of the 2007 Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, France; and Food & Wine just crowned him as one of the country’s best new chefs—the youngest to be so honored. And yet Kaysen is humbly taking it all in stride. “It has been a crazy year but we are having fun, and we are just very blessed with everything going on,” he says. “It is a challenge keeping it all in place.” But the chef de cuisine is not one to shirk a challenge. After graduating from the New England Culinary Academy in Montpelier, Vt., he immediately went to work under a number of renowned chefs including Robert Curry at Domaine Chandon; Jacky Vuillet at Auberge de Lavaux; and Marco Pierre White at London’s Michelin-starred L’Escargot—not for the faint of heart at any age.

So CITY thought we’d put him to the test and offer a new twist on the classic Proustian query of with which famous person from history, alive or dead, would someone most like to eat a meal. Our challenge: For which notable figure would he most like to cook a meal—and what’s on the menu?

“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” Kaysen says after careful consideration. “I studied him a lot when I was in school and I admire the amount of passion the man had. I live by that everyday. I live by the fact that once you have your heart set on something and you have the passion and the drive, there will be no stopping you. He lived that, and changed the way we have thought ever since. I find that to be an amazing attribute, and I would love to sit down and speak with him about it.” And what’s for dinner? Grilled day boat sea scallops with wilted baby arugula, raisin and caper chutney, and bacon pan jus. “It’s something that I do here at the restaurant to show off our fanatically seasonal French fare; it showcases local products and how they have influenced our industry.”

—CAROLE DIXON

RECIPE

Grilled Day Boat Sea Scallops with Wilted Baby Arugula, Raisin and Caper Chutney, Bacon Pan Jus | Serves 4 to 6

15 each U-10 sea scallops (U-10 means that there are 10 each per pound)
1 lb. baby arugula
1 c. golden raisins
2 tbs. capers
2 red bell peppers
1 tbs. sugar
1 tsp. sherry vinegar
4 slices bacon, small dice
2 shallots, minced
1 cup veal broth (store bought)
1 tbs. butter
1 lemon

Place the two red bell peppers on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and cook at 400º for 12 to 15 minuets. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic until they are cool. Once they are cool, peel off the skin, clean them, making sure there are no seeds, and cut into a small dice. 

Place the sugar and the sherry vinegar in a saucepot and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Add the diced red peppers, raisins, and capers, cook for two minutes and set aside for final presentation. In another sauce pot, begin to render the bacon, once it looks crispy, add the shallots, then the veal broth, reduce until it is a sauce like consistency. Finish by adding one tablespoon of butter.

In a hot sauté pan, add a touch of olive oil and the arugula, cook for about two minutes, until it is wilted but not looking dead.

Season the scallops with salt and pepper, place on the grill and cook for 2 minutes on one side and 1 minute on the other side. Set aside, squeeze a lemon on top. In a bowl, place the arugula on the bottom, then the scallops on top of that. Place a small amount of the chutney on top of each scallop. Pour the broth over the entire mixture and serve.