Iconic Savoy Grill will reopen this summer as The Savoy with a local chef

The redeveloper of the famed Savoy Hotel and Grill has hired Kansas City's Joe West as its executive chef.

Louisville-based 21c Museum Hotels said the hotel, at 219 W. Ninth St., is scheduled to reopen this summer as 21c Museum Hotel Kansas City.

The Savoy will be a contemporary restaurant that will honor the "building's storied past while bringing new life and energy to the space known for its famous patrons including Harry Truman," according to 21c Museum Hotels.

West has been in the restaurant industry for 16 years, including stints at Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colo. Locally he worked for the former 40 Sardines and Bluestem, but was most recently executive chef of Stock Hill Kansas City Steakhouse just south of the Country Club Plaza.

In a statement, West said the menu will be an "intentional throwback to American classic cuisine" but reinterpreted. So if customers have tried a dish many times in their lives, and written it off as too dated, he promises his version will be the "best, most soulful version you've ever had."

21c Museum Hotel Kansas City is taking hotel reservations for Aug. 5 and beyond. It will have 120 rooms and 17 suites, including the 21c Suite on the rooftop with an outdoor terrace and views of the Missouri River. Room rates will start at $255 a night.

The Savoy restaurant will open around the time the hotel opens.

This story was originally published March 15, 2018 at 2:28 PM with the headline "Iconic Savoy Grill will reopen this summer as The Savoy with a local chef."