2026 GUEST CHEF SERIES
Kansas City BBQ Spotlight
October 28th, 2026
Reservations Open Wednesday, September 30th
Where smoke meets skill, our BBQ mentors team up with Broadmoor Bistro students to launch our 2026 Guest Chef Mentor Series.
Join us at Broadmoor Bistro for a one-night Guest Chef Dinner celebrating the Kansas City barbecue pitmasters who mentored our students to a National Championship.
The evening will feature Todd Johns of Plowboys BBQ, Brad and Bre of Smoke ’N Magic, Chef Mike and Becca of Meat Mitch BBQ, and Pam Liberda of Buck Tui BBQ. Each guest chef brings menu items with their unique approach to barbecue.
Tickets are available until sold out.
Julian Silvera from Vicinity in California
November 11th, 2026
Reservations Open Wednesday, October 14th
Update: Chef Julian can no longer be here for the guest chef series, please look out for updates here and on our socials. We are currently reaching out to other options.
Chef Julian was raised on the Lower East Side of New York City. At fourteen years old, he began pursuing a culinary career by knocking on local restaurants’ doors and asking to work in their kitchens. His formal culinary training began at Malt & Mash, where met Chef Nahid Ahmed, who would become his primary mentor.
In California, his work centers on capturing a distinct sense of time and place through ingredient-driven cooking. He collaborates with approximately local farms, including several focused on native species and regenerative agriculture. His sourcing model emphasizes proximity, seasonality, and environmental stewardship.
Julian’s cooking reflects the technical rigor of his New York training, the mentorship of Chefs Nahid Ahmed, Wylie Dufresne, and Jon Bignelli. At Vicinity, he applies these combined influences to create tasting menus rooted in Northern California’s landscape, while maintaining the precision and discipline developed in fine dining kitchens throughout his career.
Tommy Plato from Ends Restaurant in Arizona
January 27th, 2027
Reservations Open Wednesday, December 27
Chef and The Ends owner, Tommy Plato started his journey with the culinary arts and hospitality at 19 as a Gelato Chef in Italy. After coming back to Arizona, he opened multiple locations of the Gelato Spot. He found himself interested in restaurants after a culinary competition. So, in his 30s he opened a up-scale eatery with a chef-driven menu and speakeasy energy called, Second Story Liquor Store above the Gelato Spot.
After COVID, he didn’t know if restaurants would survive, so The Ends reflects the acceptance he felt that it might be his last restaurant.
Instead of opening multiple locations, he took a positive from the pandemic and is placing the importance of work-life balance have a 4 day workweek followed by 4 days off for his staff.
The Ends stands for “The Energy Never Dies”.
Mitch Fetterling from Scratch in Prairie Village
February 24th, 2027
Reservations Open Wednesday, January 27
Mitchell Fetterling joined Wildcat Hospitality in October 2025. With 14+ years of culinary leadership, he has built a reputation for elevating guest experiences, strengthening operations, and guiding high-performing teams.
Mitchell previously served as Culinary Director for Exit Strategy, shaping the menus for Monarch Bar, Mercury Room, Verdigris, and launching Bar Medici. His career includes work in acclaimed kitchens such as Saison (Two Michelin Stars), Bluestem, and Copenhagen’s Restaurant 108 under chef Kristian Baumann. His cooking centers on seasonality, craftsmanship, and creating meaningful dining experiences.
Guroux Khalifah from District Biskuits
March 24th, 2027
Reservations Open Wednesday, February 24th
Guroux, a chef from the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, discovered his calling for the culinary arts at a young age. After earning his credentials at Le Cordon Bleu in Atlanta, Georgia, his passion for Kansas City’s rich food culture inspired him to create District Biskuits—a fast-casual brunch and breakfast restaurant dedicated to serving scratch-made biscuits, hearty breakfast sandwiches, and flavorful brunch plates.
Guruox began perfecting District Biskuit in 2017 as a Pop Up sensation. District Biskuits grew from a pop-up at Lufti's to a permanent location, but like many others, COVID left him to start fresh.
Passionate to deliver his craft to his city, Guroux continued to grind ato look for the right location throughout the pandemic. His team discovered a former Subway shop located on 504 Armour rd North KC that is now the official Brick and Mortar of District Biskuits!
Swetha Newcomb from Of Course
April 28th, 2027
Reservations Open Wednesday, March 31st
Two years into operating her South JoCo restaurant Of Course, Newcomb is more confident than ever in her Midwestern-influenced Indian fusion menu.
The secret to her success? Leaning in.
Newcomb developed her own sort of worldly cooking style during her years as a private chef. Not wanting customers to put her cuisine in a box, she was initially hesitant to label Of Course an Indian restaurant, though the menu was certainly inspired by her Indian roots.
As Newcomb continued to gravitate toward Indian flavors and cooking styles, she decided to have her mom, Geetha Gondi, who is from Hyderabad, India, come in and teach the staff some of her recipes and how to handle certain spices.
Newcomb says an Indian version of mirepoix, which includes ginger and garlic paste, creates the base of many of her restaurant’s dishes. And spices like mustard seed, cumin seed and chili powder are used liberally throughout the menu. Any of these aromatics can be found in Of Course’s more familiar Midwestern comfort meals like Caesar salads and grilled ribeyes.