Jean-Robert was born in Roubaix, France. After completing his apprenticeship at Le Feguide restaurant in Lille, he was chosen to work under Master Chef Joe Rostang at La Bonne Auberge, a Michelin three-star restaurant in Antibes, France. Chef Rostang later sent Jean-Robert to New York City, where at 26 years old, he became the Executive Chef of Le Régence restaurant at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée. Le Régence was soon given three stars by the New York Times and referred to as "one of the best French restaurants in the city."

After eight years in New York, he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1993 to take the helm as Chef de Cuisine at the Maisonette, the longest-running Mobil five-star restaurant in the country. Jean-Robert extended Maisonette’s string of excellence, earning the restaurant eight more five-star ratings, before leaving in 2001 to pursue his dream of opening his own restaurant.

In 2001, after working in the culinary business for 25 years, Jean-Robert de Cavel’s dream of owning and operating his own restaurant came to fruition. The creative development and meticulous planning of Jean-Robert, his wife Annette, and their partners Martin and Marilyn Wade brought forth their first and flagship restaurant Jean-Robert at Pigall’s.Within just a few years, and after great successes within the restaurant, community and outreach programs, the Jean-Robert French Restaurant Group is proud to show their great strides in the Cincinnati restaurant and cultural scene with four great restaurants – Jean-Robert at Pigall’s, Bistro JeanRo, Greenup Café, and Chalk.

He has been featured in Wine Spectator, Food Arts, Bon Appétit, Gourmet and Esquire magazines and many others. Jean-Robert was nominated for the 2006 James Beard Foundation Award Best Chef Midwest as chef of Jean-Robert at Pigall’s (following nominations in 2000 and 2001 as chef of Maisonette). In 2003, Jean-Robert at Pigall's was listed as one of the Top 75 New Restaurants in the world by Condé Nast Traveler.