Gator Guilbeau talks acting in Yellowstone, the new cookbook
Almost nobody there Yellowstone You could describe it as “relaxed,” but that’s the perfect word to describe the chef Gabriel “Gator” Guilbeauwho plays himself on the Paramount Network drama — while also working as the show’s head of craft services.
Guilbeau worked on it behind the scenes Yellowstone since the series debuted in 2018, and he made his on-camera debut this year as the Dutton family’s private chef. The truth is Yellowstone His introduction to acting came spontaneously.
“I just knew [Yellowstone cocreator] Taylor [Sheridan] maybe a month at this point. Not very long at all,” Guilbeau said exclusively Us weekly while promoting his new one Yellowstone Cookbook. “I remember him telling me he was going to put me on the show, and then I remember him yelling at some builders and saying, ‘Hey, I need you to build this cooking station.’ And he designed it in his head on the spot in about two minutes. That’s how his brain works.”
Sheridan told the crew they had six hours to build an outdoor oven for a scene that Guilbeau describes as “tiny.” They were finished in five and a half hours and Guilbeau got to work.
“The concrete was still wet on this thing,” he recalled with a laugh. “Taylor threw me in front of the camera and said, ‘Okay, go.’ And I said, ‘OK, let’s go?!’ He goes, ‘Yeah, just do, you know, Gator stuff.’ we can just film it.’”
Guilbeau’s understated approach was apparently exactly what Sheridan had in mind, and in the second season he returned again as a supporting character – this time with lines. “After that, it just made sense,” he explained. “And it didn’t hurt that I’m the only actor who’s always on set, because I’m already there and I’m always in costume. It’s a win for everyone.”
It also helped that a veteran likes it Kevin Costner was willing to give Guilbeau some pointers. “I remember him telling me not to change the script so much as to make it my own,” Guilbeau said. “Make the lines your own, have fun with them – don’t just read the lines and spit them out. …He’s such a wise old man, it’s very easy to trust him. And he’s very funny. He was always nothing but nice to me.”
While the fans wait for the second half YellowstoneIn the fifth and final season, they can try 55 original recipes from Guilbeau’s new book. Yellowstone: The Official Dutton Ranch Family Cookbook. These include dishes from scenes from the show — Beth’s “two scoops of ice cream, three shots of vodka” smoothie and John and Tate’s fried walleye — as well as recipes inspired by his Louisiana heritage.
“I’ve just never been a recipe guy,” Guilbeau said Us. “I just knew how to make all these things. That’s how I learned to cook. I was able to fit a lot of my main dishes in here, and then there are some recipes in there that I inherited from my grandmother. She used to have this tin of index cards or folded items and just collected recipes for many years. I was able to inherit this tin of recipes.”
Guilbeau’s favorite dishes include lots of “comfort food,” which he says is always a hot hit with the show’s cast. “Kevin likes pot roast and meatloaf and apple pie and Cole [Hauser] likes ribeyes and any other meat,” he said Us. “They’re all pretty simple. Kelly [Reilly], she comes in and eats with me, but she likes it light. They are really good. They’re not picky eaters.”
Guilbeau also noted that when preparing dinner for John Dutton (Costner) and the family, someone – if not the cast – usually eats the food they cook on camera. “Especially when you see me cooking outside,” he explained. “I can’t tell you how many of these cookies I made – and we were still running out of cookies in the cookie scene. … I have all these cookies for the scene, and then I look around and everyone is eating a cookie. I’m thinking, ‘We’re going to run out of cookies, guys.’ You need to slow down.’”
Yellowstone: The Official Dutton Ranch Family Cookbook is now available wherever books are sold. For more on Guilbeau – and his blueberry cobbler recipe – check out the new issue of Us weeklyat the stands Wednesday, September 13th.
