Local chef remembered in death for more than just good food

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Chef Stephen Dean Corbett filled the stomachs and hearts of thousands of people over the years.

If you knew him, affectionately known as "Chef Dean" or "Deano," you know the food he served was only part of his life and legacy. Corbett died of a heart attack Saturday morning at the age of 56.

The well-known chef and restaurateur found his passion and calling in the early 1980s.

"He and I met at a restaurant called 6th Avenue in 1983," said Steve Coomes, Corbett's friend.

Coomes is a restaurant veteran turned food writer and was there for the start. Coomes also co-hosted a radio show with Corbett.

"He was there for about a year and a half or two before he left to go buy Equus," Coomes said.

Corbett purchased the struggling restaurant in 1985.

"Dean's dad talked him into buying it and supported him financially to get in," Coomes said.

With his father's help, Corbett turned Equus into a four-star St. Matthews landmark and eventually opened Jack's Lounge next door. The lounge was named after Corbett's late father and former business partner.

"He was very proud that Jack Corbett, his dad, was involved in that," Coomes said.

In 2007, Corbett accomplished another dream when he opened his own namesake restaurant, Corbett's: An American Place in Brownsboro Crossings.

"Dean's capabilities as a chef (were) undeniable," said Jerry Zegart, a regular at Corbett's. "He really believed very strongly in what he was doing."

The two eventually became friends while working to raise millions of dollars for local charities.

"At every event he ever did, he was not shy about asking people to make a donation," Zegart said.

That includes an event that raised more than a $1 million for Norton Children's Hospital.

For eight years, Corbett hosted the annual Bourbon & Bowties Fundraiser, and he also got the city's top chefs to come together for the event.

"Last year was our ninth year," said Lynnie Meyer, Ed.D., CFRE Senior VP, Women's and Children's Community Partnerships Chief Development Officer. "We had more than 1,200 people in attendance and more than 40 chefs who have really railed around the work of Norton Children's Hospital."

Meyer worked closely with Corbett during Bourbon & Bowties and credits the Corbett's leadership and passion for a lot of the success of the event.

"It was all about the mission and the work of the hospital and all about the children," Meyer said.

Below is part of Corbett's obituary:

Feb 21, 1962 - Oct 13, 2018

Stephen D. Corbett (age 56), the acclaimed Golden Toque chef, owner of Corbett's: An American Place, Equus, and Jack's Lounge, and co-owner of Ward 426 restaurants, passed away suddenly of a heart attack Saturday, October 13. Known to his friends as "Deano", Chef Corbett was born in Portland, Oregon. He learned to cook after returning from college when, at the time, his mother Nancy was battling lung cancer. He began cooking to nourish her back to health. Completely self-taught, Chef Corbett began his culinary career in Dallas, Texas at the renowned Chandler's Landing Yacht Club and Ram's Head Restaurant. Arriving in Louisville in 1982, Chef Corbett rose through the ranks at Casa Grisanti and later assumed the sous chef position at Sixth Avenue. With Casa Grisanti, Chef Corbett participated in Taste of America, a celebration of the top 50 restaurants for President Reagan's inauguration in 1984.
Chef Corbett purchased Equus (Latin for horse) in 1985 which grew into a four-star landmark in St. Matthews and was featured in Food Arts, Southern Living and Wine Spectator. In 2000, Chef Corbett opened Jack's Lounge next door to Equus. Named after his late father and former business partner, Jack's was recognized for its award-winning cocktails and received a "Best of Louisville" award three years in a row. Chef Corbett merged Equus and Jack's in 2010 to create one of the city's best upscale bistros.
In 2007, Chef Corbett realized his dream when he opened his namesake restaurant, Corbett's: An American Place, in the former Von Allmen mansion in Brownsboro Crossings in East Louisville. A year later, Corbett's was named "Best New Restaurant" by Esquire Magazine and continued to gain national attention with Chef Corbett's appearances on MSNBC's Today Show and The Cooking Channel's Food(ography). Corbett's was awarded a AAA four-diamond rating in 2009 and held it until the restaurant closed in 2017. For ten years Corbett's was the finest of Louisville's fine dining restaurants. In 2014, Chef Corbett partnered with his longtime friend Chef Shawn Ward to open Ward 426 on Bardstown Road. Chef Corbett recently sold Equus and Jack's as he reduced his workload, but he continued to participate as chef emeritus.
In 2009, Chef Corbett was one of six chefs to be inducted into the Honorable Order of the Golden Torque, the highest honor a chef can receive in the United States and limited to 100 lifetime active members nationwide. He was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Kentucky Restaurant Association, received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the Catholic Education Foundation in 2010, and has cooked at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City four times. His cuisine was also featured at the Bourbon Bicentennial at the renowned Explorer's Club in New York City.
Chef Corbett was deeply committed to the Louisville community. He helped start several food-themed fundraisers, including Bourbon & Bowties which benefits Norton's Children's Hospital Foundation. He was often found serving up culinary delights at various charitable events around town. In 2013, he raised $1.6 million for Gilda's Club and $600,000 for children's cancer research. He was involved in countless other benefits supporting the American Heart Association, APRON, Inc., Dare to Care, Kosair Children's Hospital, March of Dimes, and charities fighting juvenile diabetes, juvenile autism and multiple sclerosis. He co-hosted his own television show, "Secrets of Louisville Chefs", and was the creator and co-host of the weekly "The ChefBoyArDean Show" on Talk Radio WKJK.
Deano was a pillar in the Louisville culinary community and will be missed by his many friends, longtime customers, and devoted family.
Chef Corbett was preceded in death by his parents, John Stephen ("Jack") Corbett and Nancy Blunt Corbett. He is survived by his two sisters, Cathy Blair and Julie Sauer (Mark), his loving wife of 15 years, Julie Eifler Corbett, three young sons, Jack, Max and Drew, and several nieces and nephews.
Chef Corbett's funeral mass will be Celebrated at 10:00 a.m., Wednesday at St. Albert the Great Church, 1395 Girard Avenue, with burial to follow at Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will be 3:00 - 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, at Pearson Funeral Home, 149 Breckinridge Lane.
Memorial gifts may be made to Corbett Childrens' Education Fund, c/o Republic Bank, Attn: Greg Bromley, 11330 Main Street, Middletown, KY 40243.