James Beard Award-Winning Chef Gavin Kaysen Joins Gallant Tiger as Investor and Advisor

Minneapolis-based gourmet PB&J brand invites one of the country's most celebrated chefs to its table.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN, September 29, 2026 – Gallant Tiger, the chef-made gourmet PB&J company, today announced that acclaimed chef and restaurateur Gavin Kaysen has joined the company as an investor and strategic advisor. The partnership pairs Gallant Tiger's fast-growing premium sandwich brand with one of the most respected culinary voices in the country as the company seeks to expand from its Twin Cities roots into a national footprint.

Chef Kaysen will advise Gallant Tiger's founding team on culinary direction, product development and brand growth. His involvement builds on the momentum that's made Gallant Tiger one of the Twin Cities' most buzzed-about new brands.

"Gavin has spent his career proving that food made with real craft can reach a lot of people without losing what makes it special. That's exactly what we're building at Gallant Tiger," said Kamal Mohamed, co-founder and CEO of Gallant Tiger. "Having him at the table as an investor and advisor sharpens everything we do, from our jam recipes to how and where we show up."

"Gallant Tiger takes something everyone grew up with and makes it genuinely delicious, with the same attention to ingredients and technique you'd expect in a great kitchen," said Gavin Kaysen. "I'm excited to back a Minneapolis brand with this much ambition, and help get it into more hands."

Anyone can remove the crust. They obsessed over everything else.

Gallant Tiger's crustless gourmet PB&J sandwiches are made by working chefs with house-made jam, in flavors like Blueberry Lemon Thyme and Strawberry Cardamom - not your kid's PB&J. Whole fruit, real technique, and the same standards you'd expect from a kitchen, not a snack aisle. Each sandwich carries 10g of protein and 5g of fiber, and is 100% vegan and kosher certified.

Gallant Tiger's stripes were earned at Twin Cities coffee shops and have since expanded to gyms, golf courses, breweries, studios, flagship retail and pop-ups throughout the country. Each 2.8-ounce sandwich thaws in forty-five minutes and keeps for seven days refrigerated, easy to stock and easy to grab. The brand recently announced its first major grocery chains, Cub Foods, Coborn’s, and Kowalski’s, now stocking both flavors. That same commitment to ingredient quality has also landed Gallant Tiger placement and interest from community-rooted grocery stores around the country.

What's next

With Chef Kaysen now part of the team, Gallant Tiger is developing new seasonal and retailer-exclusive flavors. His experience building nutrition-focused products for professional athletes through KZ Provisioning is also shaping where the brand goes next. The team is also expanding wholesale relationships with independent shops, and building the production and cold-chain infrastructure to support growth into national retail and grocery.