Cafe Panache - Ramsey [NJ]

We had another excellent dinner at Cafe Panache. Details and pictures are in the main WFD thread below.

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Beautiful meal mr P. Love the look of the lobster dish

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Thanks Mr. Met! It tasted even better than it looked :slightly_smiling_face:

In a major shock and loss to the NJ culinary world, Kevin Kohler, iconic chef and owner of Cafe Panache passed away this morning :disappointed_relieved: He was only 63 and seemed in great health. There was no known cause of death. This was one of our favorite restaurants in NJ and has been around for an incredible 38 plus years. Chef Kohler was one of the first to embrace farm to table and still went to the local farms and picked his own vegetables until the end. Chef Kohler and Cafe Panache will be sorely missed. I can’t see how they can continue to remain open, especially in these Covid times, unless someone else buys the restaurant.
Below is the statement from his family found on Instagram and Facebook.


It is with the heaviest of hearts, that we announce the loss of our beloved father, Kevin Kohler. He passed away quietly this morning at the age of 63. Our dad touched the lives of so many with his charm, keen sense of humor and culinary prowess. He was a friend to everyone he met, and made a lasting impression on each of us, creating memories we will cherish always - The Kohler Family :broken_heart:

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Oh how awful.

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The Record has an article online where it claims that employees found him in the dining room (and not dying peacefully in his sleep as the family stated). Either way this is a huge shock and major loss.

All my deepest condolences to the family of the former Chef Kevin Kohler.

So saddening.

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We dined at Cafe Panache for the first time after the sudden tragic passing of beloved Chef owner Kevin Kohler. His sons and daughters decided to keep operating the restaurant in his memory. The original staff remained, and it was comforting to see familiar faces. Chef Gregory Stott, who previously worked with Chef Kevin, has taken over and the food has not skipped a beat. We started off with the iconic filet mignon ravioli, and it was just as good as we remembered it. We also enjoyed shrimp salad, a crispy black sea bass with crispy capers, short ribs braised in Guinness and molasses, and flourless chocolate cake with praline ice cream for dessert. Unfortunately they didn’t have our favorite coconut cake for dessert. It all went great with an excellent Amarone. We are just so grateful to be able to continue to dine at Cafe Panache, one of our favorite restaurants, and wish the family the best of luck.









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We enjoyed a relaxing non-rushed Valentine’s Day dinner at Cafe Panache. Food wise they haven’t seemed to skip a beat after the devastating loss of their Chef/owner. Details and pictures in the main WFD thread below.

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We enjoyed another excellent dinner at Cafe Panache. Details and pictures are in the main WFD link below.

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Divine ravioli and that slither of chocolate tart !

Wonderful !!!

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We enjoyed another outstanding dinner at Cafe Panache including our first soft shell crab of the season. Details and pictures are in the main WFD thread below.

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We enjoyed another excellent dinner at Cafe Panache. Below is a link to details and pictures in the main WFD forum. They just added an enclosed tent in the parking lot that adds an additional 5 tables.

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Beautiful looking meal. That agnolotti looks insanely good and those short ribs look right up my alley too.

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Thanks Mr. Met. Everything was outstanding.

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We returned to Cafe Panache after an over 3 month absence. They recently hired a new chef (Michael Matonti), who was a protege of Chef Kohler, and we thought we would give it one more try. We did not like the previous chef at all. He would rush the customers out the door, and would bully his staff. Everyone seemed so stressed and at unease. It was sad because this used to be one of our favorite restaurants. Well we enjoyed a much more relaxed meal and are happy to add this restaurant back into our regular rotation. Details and pictures are in the main WFD thread below.

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