"It seems like owning Fava was my destiny all along," said proud owner/chef Jeffrey Kaye.

Jeff grew up in a family where his father did most of the cooking. When he would come home from college his dad would prepare meals for him and then he'd sit and watch him eat. He used to say that watching Jeff eat gave him great pleasure.

"I guess I inherited that from my dad. I truly enjoy watching people eat what I cook them," Kaye said.

Kaye's professional culinary journey started in 1989 when his passion for cooking led him to change careers. After working in the printing industry, he followed his dream and landed his first job in 1990 as a line cook at Portland, Maine's popular Back Bay Grill.

The following year, Jeff's fortunes landed him in Cambridge, MA as a line cook for newly appointed chef Jody Adams at the critically acclaimed Michela's. The cutting edge Italian restaurant became a breeding ground for young chefs and for taking an unconventional approach to even the most familiar menu items.

In mid 1992, Jeff took a job as sous chef at the recently opened Tuscan Grill in Waltham, MA. Owned by nationally recognized chef, Jimmy Burke, it was here that Jeff honed his skills serving rustic Northern Italian cuisine with a bistro-style approach to both the food preparation and presentation. During his seven-year stint, the restaurant received positive coverage in Food & Wine, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe among others.

After brief stops at Margo Bistro in Boston and Arturo's in Westborough, MA, Kaye seized the opportunity to own his own restaurant, Fava where his New American menu features his interpretation of a vast array of dishes that stay true to their authentic multi-cultural influences, offering diners choices of both the familiar and the exotic.

What the Critics Say

"Old train depot offers ticket to delightful meal"
"Entrees were all winners"
"The only thing that can make a fine food experience better is fine service, and this, too, we found at Fava"

Boston Globe July 6, 2008

"Best Fine Dinning Restaurant in Needham"

The Tab, June 2008

Needhamites note it’s “easy to become a regular” at their New American “fava-rite”, a “dimly lit” former train station whose “real character” emerges from a “truly inspired” menu to which chef-owner “ Jeff Kaye makes continuous yet subtle changes” even as he “happily circulates” among the “crowded tables” his “capable servers”otherwise attend.
Rated 24 for food

Zagat 2007-2008

"Intimate neighborhood restaurant " "... with flavors this bold forkful after forkful of their Exciting New American Cuisine." "They do a lovely Lobster Shepard’s Pie," "The food, wait staff, and atmosphere are completely unpretentious." Phantom Gourmet Guide to Best Restaurants, Metro West Great Ate, The Greatest New American Menu 2006 "Best Fine Dinning Restaurant in Needham" The Tab, June 2006 What was once the “Needham Center train station” is now a New American “home sweet home” for suburbanites whom chef-owner Jeff Kaye and his “knowledgeable yet unfussy staff” “treat to unpretentious” but “luscious” creations Rated 24 for food ZagatSurvey 2006 ""Best Steak in Needham" Needham Times, June 2005

"There is only one-way to describe a meal at Fava: simply fava-lous." "Upon reading through the menu... struck by how many different, in-ventive foods were incorporated with the main courses..." "...Began with the cold smoked fish and shellfish plate with Caraway flat-bread, Cornichons and Dijon Creme ...flavorful and outstanding." "We chose the evening special: pan-roasted soft-shell crabs with arugula, capers, onions, extra virgin olive oil and basil aioli sauce, served in a semolina crust, with mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus... It was, indeed, special." The Boston Globe, June 2002 "I'm a fan of fried clams, and these may have been the best I've ever tasted. Big bellied and crisp from a very clean fry, these clams exhibited that nutty sweetness that makes local fried clams a national treasure." "The wine list is exceptional and very broad-based." The Newton Tab April 2002 "Eating at Fava, with its open kitchen and small dining room, has always felt like attending a dinner party thrown by a divinely inspired host." "A salad of field greens with a champagne vinaigrette and a blue cheese galette was intoxicating..." "Fava's signature entrée of molasses-cured rack of pork with applesauce and roasted root vegetables was a standout: wonderfully aromatic with teasing hints of sweetness." Boston Magazine, April, 2002 "Fava... a romantic and creative restaurant... Fava is a suburban fave that serves eclectic meals as lovely to look at as they are to feast upon. Who would have thought monkish would meld so deliciously with chorizo and white bans in a tomato-vermouth-sweet onion and leek broth?" The Boston Globe, April 2002