Maker City KC
Maker City KC newsletter: Chefs at Home- Four stories of chefs transitioning from their restaurant kitchen to their home kitchen
This is a stressful time for everyone, but especially for those who’ve been laid off. That includes most of the people in the restaurant business. Servers, bartenders, dishwashers, cooks, chefs, and owners all find themselves in the same boat, at home waiting for their restaurant(s) to reopen and their industry to rebound. Going a little stir crazy myself after just a week of the shelter at home order, I wondered what some of my chef friends were up to? What were they cooking for their families during this time when they can’t cook for customers?
Chef Bryant Wigger was laid off from Tavernonna at The Hotel Phillips on March 17. It’s a St. Patrick’s Day he’ll never forget. In the week since, Wigger, a father of two young children, says he’s trying to stay busy. “Right now, it feels like a vacation. We live at Weatherby Lake, so we have a big yard. I’m working on that, on a boat, on a bathroom. My wife has a lot of projects for the kids and me,” Wigger noted. As for kitchen duties, Wigger says there’s plenty of time for that too. “I’m doing the 100 things you can do with a Costco rotisserie chicken,” Wigger joked. Seriously, Wigger says he feels badly for folks cooped up in apartments and he’s eager to get back to his job at the restaurant. For now, he’s taking it one day, and one project, at a time.
Laura Comer is also spending a lot more time at home these days. The Executive Chef of The Dining Experience at The Kauffman Center had the rug pulled out from under her professionally as the restaurant closed when all performances at The Kauffman Center were cancelled through May 10. Like Wigger, Comer also has two children, though older. Regardless, she says cooking for the kids every day, multiple times a day, has its challenges, but she was prepared. “We’re making three meals at home every day. I’m trying my best to plan. We’re shopping once a week and I’m cooking everything from scratch,” Comer told me. “They’ll ask for carryout every now and then, but I just tell them to let me know what they want, and I can cook it for them.” Comer says she’s getting the kids involved. “They’re baking with me. I’m going to be doing a lot of bread coming up, so they can help with that. I guess you’d say it’s a learning experience,” Comer stated.
Another chef who finds himself unexpectedly in the home kitchen is Shaun Brady. Brady, who oversees Brady’s Public House on Troost in Kansas City, MO along with the menus at the three Conroy’s Public House restaurants in Johnson County, says he’s getting a kick out of cooking with his kids. “I’m having fun with the kids right now. I give them a choice of what they’d like to eat, then bring one of them into the kitchen to help me make their meal choice,” Brady said. Like many of us, Brady is going through items he’s found in his freezer and pantry along with things he brought home from the restaurants. “I had a ten-pound bag of mushrooms, so I made mushroom soup. We had bags and bags of apples, so I baked an apple pie. I’m pretty much just rolling with the punches and getting back to essentials,” Brady told me. While he’s having a good time now, Brady admits he’s feeling the stress and says it’s only going to get worse. “The scary thing about it is this is just the tip of the iceberg. I think in three weeks we’re all going to be ready to kill each other, Brady laughed.
I don’t have children at home, but even for my wife and I, the pressure of coming up with a couple meals a day can start to weigh on you. Luckily, I got some help from two chefs who are encouraging others to try some of their restaurant’s favorite recipes. Leonice and Edson Ludwig are the owners of the Brazilian steakhouse, Porto do Sul, at 119th and Metcalf in Overland Park. Edson Ludwig prepares large amounts of meat for customers every day. Ludwig says he’s cooking the same things these days, just in smaller portions, and he’s hoping others will try his recipes in their home kitchens “I terribly miss our guests and cooking Brazilian barbecue for them but there are ways to enjoy some of our recipes at home. I have a Cognac- and Beer-Marinated Chicken Drumstick recipe that’s is a favorite at Porto Do Sul and a go-to for me when I’m not at the restaurant,” Edson Ludwig said.
Lenoice Ludwig also does plenty of cooking at Porto do Sul. She’s responsible for Porto’s incredible desserts and its Harvest Table, which she prepares fresh daily. She says staying at home and not cooking for customers is difficult, but she’s getting through with lots of her Brazilian cheese bread. “It’s called pão de queijo. It’s an easy recipe to make at home and pairs well with a happy hour cocktail, soup, or grilled meat,” Leonice Ludwig shared.
Here are the Ludwig’s Brazilian Cognac and beer marinated chicken drumsticks and Brazilian cheese bread recipes and here’s to all of us getting through this and coming out the other side!
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