Kansas City pizza chef went from pop-ups to a Hulu show to, now, her own pizza joint
Orange By: Devoured is Jhy Coulter’s first pizza shop. But Coulter and her pies are already familiar to plenty of Kansas Citians.
In 2020, after winning a Gozney pizza oven in an Instagram giveaway held by celebrity chef Matty Matheson, she started cooking pizzas in her backyard. Word spread. Soon, she was popping up inside Kansas City places like Cafe Cà Phê and Big Mood Natural Wines under the name Devoured.
In 2022, Coulter appeared on an episode of “Best in Dough,” a pizza-making competition show on Hulu. Her creations — one featured crumbled bacon, jalapeno bacon jam, black garlic ricotta, pecorino, parmesan and basil — earned her first place and a check for $10,000.
For the last few years, she’s been building off that momentum and fundraising to build out a brick-and-mortar space of her own at 325 E. 31st St. in midtown KC (it’s between Ludo’s Shuffleboard Bar and The Black Pantry). It all culminates Thursday, when Orange By: Devoured — Devoured is an umbrella for Coulter’s interests, Orange is the pizza concept — officially opens at 11 a.m.
“I’ve been calling it ‘neo-Neapolitan,’” Coulter said of her pizza Wednesday from behind the counter, a couple of Gozney Dome ovens visible over her shoulder. “It’s not the traditional, simple Neapolitan — it’s more intricate with our own takes on toppings and seasonal items. But the pies come out really crispy, with chewy dough and some leoparding (the charred spots found on properly made Neapolitan pizzas). I guess that’s how I’d describe a ‘Jhy pie.’”
The 11-inch pizzas run between $15 and $17. Options include the Herbie Birdie (white sauce, garlic and rosemary, feta, spinach, herb roasted chicken, butternut squash puree, pecorino and parmesan) the vegetarian Cheesy Bae (mozzarella, portobello spread, zucchini, tomatoes, roasted garlic and basil) and the Jam Bam, which Coulter calls “kind of a play on an uppity breakfast pizza.” It has white sauce, mozzarella, prosciutto, potatoes and blueberry ricotta.
Coulter has spent a lot of time in Spain over the years, which inspired her to add a tapas section featuring risotto bites, garlic shrimp and smoked salmon toast to the Orange By: Devoured menu.
“I just love the buzz of a tapas place,” she said. “Everything comes out quickly, you get to try a lot of different things. It encourages sharing. I’ve been trying to recreate that vibe here, where it’s kind of a small space, you find a little spot, drink your wine, eat with your friend, move along.”
The space seats about 22. The front room has bar seating along the counter (which is made from about 75 Spanish tiles Coulter brought back from abroad) and window seating facing 31st Street. A few more tables and chairs can be found in a narrow side room to the west, which connects through a door to Ludo’s.
“You’ll be able to go back and forth to Ludo’s when they’re open,” Coulter said.
The drinks menu includes a Spanish red wine, a California white wine, three beers from local brewery Casual Animal, and Mexican Coke, Mexican Sprite and Mexican Fanta.
Hours for now are Thursday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch, then reopening from 5:30 p.m. to midnight. Sundays are noon to 10 p.m. It’s closed Tuesday and Wednesday. It’s dine-in or pick-up only; no delivery.
