Colby Garrelts (Rest.)

*****
2005 BEST NEW CHEF AWARD PROFILE

WHY Because he's almost single-handedly energizing the dining scene in Kansas City, bringing urbane food to the land of barbecue and creating excellent, extremely personal American dishes.
BORN Harrisonville, MO; 1974.
EXPERIENCE The American Restaurant in Kansas City, MO; Tru in Chicago; Röckenwagner in Santa Monica, CA.
CAREER TURNING POINT Dropping out of culinary school. "I went to cooking school at a community college, but I wasn't doing well. Then I got a job at a place called the Stolen Grill and I just dived right in. Thank goodness I dropped out of school."
MOST HUMBLING MOMENT His first night at Tru. "I'd never seen the attitude, the discipline before. I walked in from a kitchen with four guys to one with 20 pros. When people had a five-second break, they swept the floor. It didn't take me long to pick up a broom. But when you're sweeping, the cooks yell at you not to brush their feet."
BIGGEST MOTIVATOR His wife, Megan, the pastry chef at Bluestem. "When I get complacent, she'll start ripping up the storeroom."
HIS DREAM RESTAURANT "I want to have a place where everything is perfect—the service, the kitchen, the menu. I'd like to do the kind of fine dining that you see in big cities."
WON BEST NEW CHEF AT: Bluestem; Kansas City, MO

RESTAURANTS
Bluestem
900 Westport Rd. Kansas City, MO, United States
(816) 561-1101

http://www.foodandwine.com/best_new_chefs/colby-garrelts