Coming to Westport: Asian restaurant offering dumplings, ramen, Taiwanese street food

Chewology, currently in the Lenexa Public Market food hall, is coming to Westport.

It is taking the former Bluestem building, at 900 Westport Road. After remodeling the 2,750-square-foot space, it plans a mid-August opening.

The menu includes dumplings, bao, poke, ramen noodle dishes and salads. The Westport restaurant also will offer Taiwanese street food.

Chef and owner Katie Liu-Sung was born in Taiwan and raised in Los Angeles. She earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2007 and moved to Kansas City in 2010 after her husband finished his degree.

She also worked in Taiwan, marketing for her family’s cosmetic surgery clinic while traveling to research the cuisine for Chewology.

Liu-Sung originally planned a small Crossroads space in 2016, but decided to go a less costly route the next year by opening in the Johnson County food hall, where she could also start building a loyal following. Now she’s ready for her own brick-and-mortar spot.

“It is on the quieter side of Westport and a straight shot from the Plaza,” she said. “So it will allow us to do more takeout.”

She plans to continue to operate in the Lenexa Public Market until mid-June.

Bluestem closed in late 2020 after nearly 17 years in Westport.

This story was originally published March 12, 2021 at 4:27 PM.