Burger caprese, pasta, s’mores. New Kansas City area eatery will have seasonal menus

Two longtime Kansas City restaurant employees said they have put in their time at other establishments and now have the confidence to go out on their own.

Amanda Accurso and Brandon Sharp plan an April opening for their Roots Seasonal Cuisine, in the Streets of West Pryor, 940 N.W. Pryor Road, Suite M, Lee’s Summit.

Accurso’s family has been in the food distribution business, and her cousins have owned several area restaurants.

She earned a degree from Johnson County Community College’s Hospitality & Culinary Arts program and a business administration degree from Baker University.

She has worked at such Kansas City area food operations as Marina Grog & Galley, Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa, Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway, and Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que.

Sharp also attended the culinary program at Johnson County Community College and worked at the Marina Grog & Galley as executive chef before going to Joe’s Kansas City, where he was general manager.

“We were ready to make our move,” she said. “We’ve known each other two decades and we’ve been very supported by all the people we’ve worked with in the past.”

They will offer an “elevated scratch-kitchen, seasonal menu,” rotating it four times a year.

For the spring opening, that will include roasted beet and ricotta hummus, shrimp scampi with Cajun honey butter, and chicken Alfredo with sun-dried tomato, Parmesan crisp and toasted rosemary focaccia.

Its burger caprese will have fresh mozzarella, spinach, pesto aioli, tomato and basil on a brioche bun. Also on the spring menu, a 14-ounce hand-cut rib-eye, rack of lamb, seared scallops, orange cake with burnt orange caramel and cream cheese buttercream, and s’mores.

It also will have a Sunday brunch with such items as chicken and waffles, steak and egg biscuits, and a brunch burger made from a blend of house-ground steak and breakfast sausage, with bacon, hot honey butter, waffle, egg and maple syrup.

The owners will cut their own steaks in-house, make their own sausage and whip up cinnamon rolls from scratch.

“We care about what we are putting on the tables, not only to look pretty and taste good but to have quality ingredients from start to finish,” Sharp said.

Roots Seasonal Cuisine will have lunch and dinner Mondays through Saturdays, and brunch and dinner Sundays. It also will have happy hour specials Mondays through Fridays.

This story was originally published February 14, 2022 at 12:10 PM.