6 Innovators Shaping Kansas City's Culinary Scene
These industry innovators are expanding what’s possible in food and drink in the Midwest, from groundbreaking chefs to progressive brewery owners and hospitality pros.
Carlos Mortera, The Bite and Poi-õ
When people ask Carlos Mortera what kind of food he serves at The Bite in River Market, he never knows quite how to answer. At the end of the day, he says, it’s a sandwich shop. Yet anyone who’s grabbed lunch at The Bite knows there’s so much more to it than that. Born in Mexico, Mortera blends traditional Latin American flavors – think chicken carnitas and Chihuahua cheese – with Korean and Asian ingredients. The El MoMo, for example, plates roasted pork, pickled onions, cilantro, cucumber and a habanero-hoisin sauce on fresh bread. Mortera believes that sandwiches are the ideal way to introduce people to new flavors, and that’s what he – along with his brother and sous chef, Julio – aim to do. Five years after opening The Bite, business is booming, and Mortera is thinking beyond sandwiches. He's considering a second location of The Bite in south Kansas City, and in November, he opened POI-Ō in the Westside neighborhood, featuring a menu packed with Mexican-Asian flavors. (Photo courtesy of The Bite)
The Bite, 23 E. Third St., River Market, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.503.6059, facebook.com/thebitekc
Poi-õ, 1000 W. 25th St. Westside, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.809.1900, poiokc.com
John C. Smith, EJ’s Urban Eatery
In 2017, chef John C. Smith brought the Southern meat-and-three tradition to Kansas City with his lunch and brunch joint, EJ’s Urban Eatery. Although EJ’s is casual, the food reflects Smith’s classically trained background as a chef; he’s worked in fine-dining restaurants including Tom Colicchio’s Craft. At EJ’s, you pick a meat (espresso-rubbed smoked brisket, ribs with hollandaise or blackened catfish) and three sides (think braised collard greens and dirty rice). There’s nothing Smith won’t try smoking – beyond ribs, he’s done shrimp, salmon and even carrots. In the future, he hopes to expand EJ’s catering business, maybe open for dinner and bottle his signature white barbecue sauce. (Photo courtesy of EJ’s Urban Eatery)
EJ’s Urban Eatery, 1414 W. Ninth St., West Bottoms, Kansas City, Misssouri, 816.491.8262, ejsurbaneatery.com
Linda Duerr, The Restaurant at 1900
Linda Duerr has been in the kitchen for almost 40 years. Lidia Bastianich first brought her to Kansas City to open Lidia’s Kansas City, and she later worked at Frondizi and JJ’s. She's spent the past seven years at The River Club, where only a privileged few were able to enjoy her food. That changed last year with The Restaurant at 1900, though, where her modern American menu avoids fads in favor of simple ingredients to great effect. She adds roasted pheasant sausage to her minestrone, for example, along with herbs, sweet potato, red kale, canary beans and ditalini pasta. She’s serving the best food of her very impressive career – you won’t want to miss it. (Photo courtesy of The Restaurant at 1900)
The Restaurant at 1900, 1900 Shawnee Mission Pkwy, Mission Woods, Kansas, 913.730.1900, therestaurantat1900.com
Ryan Brazeal & Jessica Armstrong, Novel
By any measure, the original location and iteration of Ryan Brazeal and Jessica Armstrong’s restaurant, Novel, was a success. Yet what Brazeal and Armstrong truly wanted was a space of their own, with a larger dining room and a kitchen designed to Brazeal’s meticulous specifications. Realizing this dream took far longer to complete than the couple anticipated, but the result was well worth it: The new Novel features more approachable yet still elegant dishes on the dinner and dessert menus. On the savory side, try Brazeal’s beef cheek and bone marrow ravioli made with nettles in the pasta dough. For a sweet last bite, Armstrong’s talents shine in dishes like Missouri Concord grape cheesecake with peanut butter butterscotch. (Photo by Zach Bauman)
Novel, 1927 McGee St., Crossroads Arts District, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.221.0785, novelkc.com
Vaughn Good, Fox and Pearl
Vaughn Good and his wife and business partner, Kristine Hull, aren’t afraid to take risks. In 2018, they shuttered their beloved Lawrence, Kansas, restaurant, Hank Charcuterie, to open Fox and Pearl in Kansas City. When completed, Fox and Pearl will feature an expansive patio, open hearth in the dining room and a wood-fired cooking station. As the buildout is being completed at 2143 Summit St., Good and Hull are operating out of the former Novel space at 815 W. 17th St. As he did at Hank, Good butchers all of the meat served in-house and sources as much product locally as possible. Start a meal with house charcuterie like foie gras boudin blanc before moving on to entrées like rabbit pot pie. (Photo by William Hess)
Fox and Pearl, 2143 Summit St., Westside, Kansas City, Missouri, foxandpearlkc.com
April Fleming
April is a Kansas Citian by way of New Mexico, worker bee, freelance writer and photographer, food, music, animal and travel lover.
Natalie Torres Gallagher
Natalie Torres Gallagher is a writer. She’s never met a carb she didn’t like.
Nancy Stiles
Nancy Stiles is a freelance writer based in St. Louis.