Photo by Neidy Gutierrez / SOC Images.
Cedric Gayon. You may know him as the chef from Michelin-star restaurant Restaurant Guy Savoy in Las Vegas or the chef from Michelin-star restaurant Eleven Madison Park in New York.
But before all that, Gayon comes from an age old story—a kid who loved being in the kitchen with his mother and cherished shared meals with his loved ones. Today, he has scaled to offer those experiences to a community; Gayon is one of the members of the six-person team behind Five Tastes, a forward-moving and upscale dining experience just for Jersey City.
“Five Tastes was birthed out of me wanting to express myself in my creativity with no limitations and just putting it directly to the people of Jersey City specifically [and] primarily,” Gayon told Slice of Culture.
“… I want it to be something that shines a light on the talent in Jersey City.”
Five Tastes → One Plate
Gayon’s culinary journey began in the west coast, where he’s originally from.
After culinary school, Gayon landed in some of the U.S’s top fine-dining restaurants including: Sage, a local farm-to-table establishment in Las Vegas, but has now closed after 10 years as of 2020; Restaurant Guy Savoy, known for its French gastronomy and contemporary flair, also in Las Vegas; Eleven Madison Park, a plant-based fine-dining experience in New York; and B&B Ristorante, a gourmet Italian spot in Las Vegas, to name a few.
Gayon moved to the east coast to work for Eleven Madison Park, which he recalled was a “massive” move for him. He moved to Jersey City to just commute in and out of, but eventually, he noticed there was something more to the Hudson County area.
“I ended up falling in love with Jersey City, honestly, there’s so much culture here, there’s so many cool things to do, everything’s so walkable and it’s like the buzz that you need without the chaos that New York has,” he said. “… I definitely realized that there wasn’t anybody in Jersey City specifically that was bringing elevated dining experiences like that.
“… New York is amazing, it always will be, but I want people to know that there’s a lot going on [that’s] special here [in Jersey City] too.”
According to Gayon, Five Tastes was born out of resilience.
Gayon had previously helped open a restaurant in Jersey City, but there was a disconnect between himself and the owner. It was after that point that Gayon said he got tired of working for others, and instead wanted to serve people his food with his own love and expression.
“I was ready to start working for myself and start expressing myself just purely without anyone else’s filter,” he added. “… You don’t realize that cool stories like that happen, but it kind of happens out of failures or it happens out of things that didn’t work out, but then it ends up setting you up for the better thing next.”
And Five Tastes was just that.
Five Tastes represents the human palette: saltiness, acidity (sourness), sweetness, bitterness and umami. Gayon said he found this fascinating because no matter where someone comes from or where someone goes, they will always only be able to pick up on those five tastes.
Building on this, Gayon used it for the logo.
“I was like, okay, so five tastes, right? .. Well, what about five circles? And I was like, how about five circles that are all different sizes fitting perfectly in itself to kind of be the five tastes on a plate?” he explained.
“… I wanted it to be something impacting, something simple, but something meaningful and intentional. So that’s a big part of what I do… It’s five different circles to signify the five tastes all fitting perfectly in itself—in a way, imagine the perfect bite.”
At this point, Gayon had the concept, name and logo. All he needed now was help bringing it to life.
‘Do You Want To Give This A Shot?’
With one question, Gayon was able to assemble a team who has chemistry both inside and outside of the kitchen; and, not to mention, a few members who have matching tattoos.
Chef Juan Vizueta was the first one to join the squad, and Chef Kleber Gomez, a former medical professional, was the second to follow; both are close friends of Gayon.
Their photographer, Jonathan Guerrero, was originally in sports and real estate photography, but after meeting Gayon at the bar of a restaurant he worked at, Guerrero became part of the roster. Later on, their beverage director Eric Maldonado and sommelier Kara Wilson became part of the family.
“[The] crew has become my family like [my] chosen family. A lot of us have had our tough spots in our lives, but I feel like that’s, in a way, something that drew us together, [and it’s] the fact that when we’re together that bond is something that is really special,” Gayon said.
“… That’s what I feel. To us, the logo signifies that it’s the bond, it’s not the brand.”
Five Tastes had their first official pop-up on June 27, 2023 at Skinner’s Loft on Newark Avenue in Downtown Jersey City. Since then, more than half of their events have sold out.
Each event has the same all inclusive format where one ticket will get you six courses with six drink pairings. They create themes for each course like sea, land and dessert, but the dishes, no matter the event, are never the same, yet they are still able to complement each other.
And that sentiment also arguably reflects on their team: Gayon is Filipino, Vizueta and Gomez are Ecuadorian, Guerrero is Dominican, Maldonado is Puerto Rican and Wilson is Australian (with no accent, as their website describes)—different people who come together for the same passion.
Jersey City Became Home
But their passion can only go so far—it helps when you have others who believe in you too.
Gayon shared immense gratitude to Will, the owner of Skinner’s Loft, who gave Five Tastes a chance. Skinner’s Loft, located at 146 Newark Avenue, has been serving the downtown community since 2007; the family-run upscale, yet casual restaurant has established itself as a staple in the local restaurant scene.
“[Will] had no idea who I was, but he gave me a shot,” he added. “I’m really grateful for him because we definitely would not be here if he didn’t give us our opportunity.”
On the same beat, Gayon also thanked Jersey City Restaurant Fest Week, which is part of the Jersey City Restaurant Owners Coalition, for allowing Five Tastes to be a part of the seasonal event, which focuses on amplifying the hard work of local businesses and aims to help them gain more exposure. Their next week-long event will take place from March 1 to March 15, 2025.
“We have had people travel from New York, from Brooklyn, from Queens to come all the way out to experience a Five Tastes’ dinner. And that’s in a way, exactly what we’re trying to do. You have all the places in New York, but you travel to Jersey, let me show you what we’re working with,” Gayon said.
The Five Tastes team has now settled in at the District Lounge at District Kitchen, a food hall located at the Harborside Financial Center in Downtown Jersey City.
After work hours, the newly-renovated lounge can get packed. Chatter fills the once-empty space and clinking of glasses can be heard at the bar. In the kitchen at the back—where you’d expect chaos—you’ll find Gayon, Vizueta, Gomez and the rest of the team making food, playing music and, overall, look like they’re having fun.
The District Lounge regularly offers plates like potato croquettes and crispy pork bricks, but Gayon said the lounge will now be home for the Five Tastes Chef Dinners. Their upcoming one is for Tuesday, Oct. 29 and it will be Halloween themed. You can buy tickets here.
In about a year, Gayon hopes to open a fine dining restaurant along the water.
“Everything that has happened [and] every opportunity [that] has been given is humbling because we’re just a bunch of kids just doing food that we just love or trying to do cool sh-t, but people love it,” he added.
“To just be a part of [and] to be recognized as a legitimate part of the Jersey City dining community [is] super special for us.”
