When Nick Kenner ’95 stood before the Stephen Gaynor School community at this year’s Spring Gala, he joked that his younger self would be confused by the path his life had taken. “As a third-grade Gaynor student,” he said with a smile, “I think I’d be pretty confused… Salad, really? I thought I was supposed to be a sports agent or something.” The laughter came easily. But beneath the joke was a deeper truth about the unexpected ways success can unfold, especially for students whose greatest strengths aren’t always reflected on a report card.
Today, Kenner is the co-founder and CEO of Just Salad, the New York City-based restaurant company he launched in 2006 with a simple but ambitious vision: healthy, affordable food that could also be better for the planet. Nearly twenty years later, that single Midtown location has grown into more than 125 restaurants across seven states and Washington, D.C., generating nearly $200 million in annual revenue while becoming an industry leader in sustainability, reusable packaging, and carbon labeling. Most recently, NBA champion and New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson became the company’s first athlete-investor, choosing to partner with the fast-growing brand because of its shared values and New York roots.
For Kenner, however, the foundation for everything that followed began decades earlier inside a Gaynor classroom. Growing up in Greenwich Village, Nick remembers preschool as carefree. Kindergarten was different. “I was overwhelmed,” he recalled. “I couldn’t learn to read. I couldn’t sit still, and I couldn’t focus on anything I didn’t want to focus on.” Testing revealed what his parents had begun to suspect. Nick was dyslexic and had ADHD. His father had lived with dyslexia his entire life but had never been diagnosed or received the support that was now available to his son.
That search for answers led his family to Stephen Gaynor School. Nick still remembers meeting co-founder Yvette Siegel-Herzog for the first time and the warmth she brought to the experience. Even more memorable was his first day in the classroom. “I walked in and immediately realized I was not alone,” he said. “Some of the kids were hyperactive and dyslexic like me. Some were on the spectrum. Some were carrying things that were harder to name. But I remember thinking two things: I’m not the only one, and I want to be better.”
It was the first time school felt like a place where he belonged. Nick credits many teachers by name, including Ms. Carabel, Ms. Kriegler, and Ms. Gordon Sachs, for helping shape his future. Their classrooms were warm and supportive, but they were also demanding. “They drilled the flashcards. Focus. Structure. High expectations.” The message, he says, was consistent. “You’re special, but you’ve got issues, and you can fix them if you work harder than other kids. You can fix anything if you work hard enough.”
That philosophy became far more valuable than reading instruction alone. Somewhere during those elementary school years, Nick says, something changed inside him. “I started to gain confidence. I started to believe I could be special and overcome anything.”
It wasn’t confidence built on grades or achievements. In fact, after leaving Gaynor, he describes himself as “a fine student at best,” earning mostly Bs and Cs. But Gaynor had planted something more important. “I always felt it was going to be my time to shine,” he said. “I was going to show everyone that grades in school don’t dictate who will be successful in real life.” Looking back, he describes it as “false confidence” because he hadn’t yet accomplished anything to justify it. “But it was there.”
After graduating from Colgate University and spending several years in finance, Nick knew traditional corporate life wasn’t where he would thrive. Instead, he leaned into the strengths he had spent years developing. “I knew what my superpowers were,” he said. “Endless energy. Problem solving. Love of people. Being highly organized. Thank you, Gaynor, for that.”
Those qualities became the foundation for launching Just Salad in 2006. What began as one neighborhood restaurant has grown into one of the country’s one of the country’s fastest-growing brands in fast-casual dining, expanding steadily while remaining profitable in an industry where many competitors continue to chase sustainable growth. Today, the company plans to open 30 new locations this year alone. Its momentum recently attracted another lifelong New Yorker.
Just weeks after leading the Knicks to their first NBA Championship in more than half a century, Finals MVP Jalen Brunson announced an investment and long-term partnership with Just Salad. Beyond financial backing, Brunson will collaborate with the company’s leadership on brand development, customer engagement, and future growth. For Nick, it was both a business milestone and a meaningful validation of the company’s mission. “Jalen embodies everything that Just Salad stands for: discipline, authenticity, and a relentless commitment to doing things the right way,” Kenner said when the partnership was announced.
Speaking directly to Gaynor parents during the Gala, Nick reminded them that many children may not yet appreciate the extraordinary gift they’re receiving. “The tools that your kids are building right now, the resilience, the grit, the ability to work harder than anyone else in the room… these aren’t consolation prizes. These are really superpowers.”
He believes those qualities matter now more than ever. “With AI advancing quickly, the value of knowledge is very quickly being replaced by creativity and quick, decisive action.” Near the end of his remarks, Nick reflected on the people who made his journey possible: his parents, his teachers, and a school that refused to define him by his learning differences.
“What you do here is really magic,” he told the Gaynor community. “I’m forever grateful to have been a product of that magic.”
For today’s students walking through Gaynor’s doors, his story serves as a powerful reminder that success rarely follows a straight line. Sometimes it begins with learning to read. Sometimes it begins with believing you belong. And sometimes, it grows into something far bigger than anyone could have imagined.
