Mara

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Minneapolis Native Looks South and East

Mara opened on June 1, 2022, inside Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis, and it carries a clear point of view: James Beard Award-winning chef and Minneapolis native Gavin Kaysen drawing on the flavors and techniques of 22 countries along the Mediterranean coastline. The room itself sets the tone — warm, sun-lit spaces, an open kitchen, and floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the dining room with natural light. It is a setting that feels genuinely restorative rather than performatively grand.

Kaysen's path to Mara has its own logic. He previously opened Café Boulud at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto alongside Chef Daniel Boulud, and his return to the Four Seasons banner in his hometown brings that arc full circle. His other Minneapolis projects — Spoon and Stable, Bellecour Bakery, and Demi — have shaped much of the team now working at Mara.

The People Behind the Plates

Chef de Cuisine Thony Yang describes his guiding principle in a single word: perseverance. After culinary school, where he graduated at the top of his class, Yang worked in Chicago before returning to the Twin Cities to cook under Kaysen. He joined Mara at opening and has been central to its identity since.

Pastry Chef Kenzie Ross traces her kitchen instincts to her grandmother's garden. She came up through Kaysen's other restaurants, joined Mara as Sous Chef in April 2022, and was promoted to Pastry Chef in July 2025. Her dessert work anchors the Sunday brunch buffet, where an artful display of mini desserts and cakes closes the meal.

Sous Chef Eric Lockard, who joined the opening team after retraining from a career in accounting, contributes to seasonal menu development with an ingredient-driven sensibility. His spring Pansotti — crafted with pine nuts and chard — reflects the kitchen's approach: rooted in Mediterranean tradition, shaped by what's in season.

The Wine Program and What It Signals

Sommelier Mary Kennedy holds credentials from the Court of Master Sommeliers, WSET, and the Society of Wine Educators, and she has built a list designed to work for everyone from the curious newcomer to the experienced collector. Mediterranean wines anchor the program, with classic bottles woven throughout. A key throughout the list flags biodynamic, organic, natural, and skin-contact producers. Wine Spectator recognized the program with its Best of Award of Excellence in 2025 — a distinction that reflects both the depth of the cellar and the care taken in presenting it.

The Cellar Series, running through 2026, extends that commitment further, pairing celebrated winemakers with Mara's culinary team for wine dinners and tastings built around terroir and technique.

Across the Day

Mara runs from early morning through late evening. Breakfast leans into Mediterranean touches — Turkish eggs with tehina labneh and Aleppo honey butter, or an egg white frittata with za'atar and feta — alongside house-baked viennoiserie and a rotating selection of fresh juices. A weekly prix-fixe lunch, available Monday through Friday at $32, is crafted for what the restaurant calls "midday inspiration." Dinner and a separate Bar Mara menu round out the day, with Saturday Afternoon Tea and a Sunday brunch buffet adding occasion-worthy options for weekends.

For private gatherings, Mara accommodates everything from corporate dinners to weddings, with dedicated private dining spaces and the same hospitality that defines the main room.