From Tokyo to Ten Seats
Chef Daniel Gendron’s Journey to Creating Rhinebeck’s Most Intimate Dining Experience

By Christopher Stella
Photos by Sabrina Eberhard

When you walk out the door, you have to have a good feeling,” says Daniel Gendron, chef and owner of The Tasting Room. “That’s what I want to provide here.” At his ten-seat restaurant, that feel-good sensation doesn’t emerge when you leave, it starts when you arrive. The Tasting Room offers exceptional food, elegant presentation, and preparation by a chef who has spent years honing his craft.

Born in New York City, Gendron was raised in Tokyo, where his mother was a famed jazz singer. His first kitchen job came at just 15, dishwashing at a country-style restaurant, an experience that cultivated an appreciation for precision and quality. It led to another position doing prep work at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan, inspiring Gendron to enroll in the Culinary Institute of America. After graduating, he worked his way through many of New York City’s iconic institutions, including Windows on the World and Tavern on the Green. Gendron later moved to the Hudson Valley, ultimately launching Gendron Catering in 1998. In 2013, he founded The Tasting Room, choosing to work at a more intimate scale than the catering business demanded. Gendron is a one-man operation, handling everything from sourcing ingredients to preparing each dish to selecting the wines. The menu changes weekly but is consistent in format: four options each for appetizers, entrees, and desserts, all based on what high-quality ingredients are available from regional and international purveyors. He sources in small quantities and cooks everything fresh. On Tuesday through Thursday evenings from January through early spring, Gendron offers ramen, a nostalgic nod to his Tokyo upbringing. “I grew up eating it on street corners at yatais,” says Gendron, referring to Japan’s small food carts. The tradition also inspired an appreciation for presentation. “There’s a Japanese film where an old man teaches a kid about ramen. He tells him that the first thing you should do when you receive a bowl is look at it.”

The ramen at The Tasting Room is indeed beautiful: pink prawns, verdant broccoli, dark shiitake mushrooms, and a fresh Wellfleet oyster served atop fine noodles in a dark dashi. The accompanying steamed buns are pillowy and filled with crunchy, savory burdock root simmered with pickled ginger, soy sauce, mirin, dashi, and agave. The dishes offer a complementary textural contrast while remaining rooted in rich umami flavor, subtle spice, and an uncanny ability to excite the palate.

Looking ahead, Gendron wants to create space for live music. He is a multi-instrumentalist from a lineage of performers, and his grandfather’s trumpet hangs on a wall in the restaurant. “Music and food are about feeling,” he reflects. “But notes and words can only convey so much. Food is a full multisensory experience.” This confluence of influences has cultivated devoted regulars. “People call and say, ‘Danny, what am I eating tonight?'” Gendron muses. “It keeps people excited, guessing, but they always have a good time. That feeling is everything.”

The Tasting Room
3767 Route 9G, Rhinebeck—mytastingroom.com