The New York chef of Saga and Crown Shy was 45

James Kent, a renowned New York chef and owner of the restaurants Crown Shy, Overstory and Saga, has died. He was 45 years old.

Kent’s death was confirmed to PEOPLE by his representative on Saturday, June 15. He leaves behind his wife Kelly, son Gavin, 15, and daughter Avery, 13. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

The chef’s death was first announced in a joint post by his Saga Hospitality Group and restaurants on Instagram. “We are deeply saddened to announce that James Kent passed away unexpectedly today,” a statement said.

“The Saga Hospitality Group family is focused on supporting each other and especially Kelly, Gavin and Avery as we mourn the loss of James,” the statement continued, adding that Kent’s restaurants will be closed on June 16, Father’s Day.

“Celebrate Father’s Day with your loved ones,” the post concluded.

Kent was born and raised in Lower Manhattan and ran a series of successful restaurants in New York’s Financial District under his restaurant group, which he founded in partnership with investment firm SC Holdings, according to the Robb Report.

His death comes as he was preparing to open another NYC restaurant at 360 Park Avenue South with Bravo’s Top chef star Danny Garcia in a few months. He also had plans for five more restaurants in partnership with Parisian luxury department store Printemps on Wall Street, Eater New York reported.

Earlier in his career, Kent worked in the restaurants of top chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, David Bouley and Jean-Georges. He later became head chef at Eleven Madison Par and was head chef at Nomad from 2013 to 2017.

Kent opened his restaurant Crown Shy in 2019. It received a Michelin star for its à la carte menu.

In 2021, Kent opened the skybar Overstory, ranked among the 50 best bars in the world, before opening the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Saga a few floors up in the same building.

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In one of his final interviews, Kent spoke to Robb Report about his career and his legacy in his hometown: “I just want to do iconic shit. When I walked into 70 Pine seven years ago, I was a single person. It’s not like I’m Daniel Boulud with a huge team and I built all the systems – everything – that we needed to operate at this level.”

“If we want to be one of the best restaurants in the world,” he continued, “we have to be the best company in the world. There’s no other way to do the things we want to do… I’m in it to see how far we can take it.”