Spring 2026

Kitchen Magicians

Two chefs = two work surfaces in Colby and Megan Garrelts’ kitchen. Butcher block for prep and pasta-making (but no cutting); cool marble for pastries and dining.
Kitchen + Bath

Kansas City chefs share the tools, layouts, and rituals that shape the way they cook at home.

Chefs Megan and Colby Garrelts in their Leawood kitchen. The Garreltses are also cookbook authors and have their favorite books handy. Two chefs = two work surfaces in Colby and Megan Garrelts’ kitchen. Butcher block for prep and pasta-making (but no cutting); cool marble for pastries and dining.

Words
Sarah MacFarland

Photos
Amber Dawkins
@amberdawkinsphotography

T

hree Kansas City culinary professionals take their work home with them every day—in kitchens designed for the way they like to cook.

Megan and Colby Garrelts

Chefs Megan and Colby Garrelts spend part of their time in restaurant kitchens, from their late great Bluestem in Westport to the fan favorites Rye Plaza and Rye Leawood. Away from the heat, noise, and pressure of a commercial kitchen, the couple welcomes “the romantic, easy-going vibe at home,” says Megan.

“We wanted a very large workspace,” she says, that now includes a Wolf four-burner gas range with a French top (for simmering many pots and pans at once), a double oven, and a pot-filler. A large Boos butcher block table provides more prep and buffet space, but is never used as a cutting board.

“We like to prep cookie and pasta dough on the Boos. And then for pastry and desserts that require a cooler surface, we like the marble-topped table that also functions as our eating area,” she adds.

Cookbooks also take pride of place, including their Bluestem: The Cookbook and Made in America: A Modern Collection of Classic Recipes. Colorful Staub and Le Creuset pots add pops of color while being close at hand. Their son Colin, 15, is “getting into cooking,” says his proud mom, while daughter Madilyn can’t wait to leave college dorm food behind and come home for dinner prepared by Colin and dad Colby.

“We entertain a lot,” says Megan. “People love to gather in our kitchen. And it’s so great when they don’t want to leave.”

 

Rye

10551 Mission Road, Leawood, KS

4646 Mill Creek Parkway, Kansas City, MO

ryekc.com; @rye_kc

Mukharji buys many spices whole and grinds them for the best flavor. Cookbook author and cooking teacher Jyoti Mukharji is all about fresh ingredienats and spices in her Prairie Village kitchen. Fresh, homemade herbs and spices are hand-labeled and organized directly across from the stove. Mukharji uses different grinders for the task. Pots of herbs and non-edibles are displayed on the kitchen countertops, glimpsing a larger green explosion in the converted pool enclosure from the kitchen window. The Mukharjis remodeled the kitchen in the early 2000s, installing a skylight that floods the space with natural light and balancing the warm wood tones of the cabinets. This is where Mukharji holds classes for those who sign up to learn the art of American Indian cooking. The space also includes an adjacent dining room and sitting room in front of a hearth, where Mukharji spends most of her time. Not only does Mukharji grind her own flavorings, she grows some of them, too. She turned an enclosed pool into a greenhouse, where hundreds of plants flourish in the warmth. Top right: A Curry Leaf plant is an aromatic herb and a staple of Indian cuisine. Lower left: Winter oranges make especially nice marmalades. Bottom right: Potted plants overwinter in the greenhouse; in the summer, Mukharji brings them outside to bask on the patio by the house. Not only does Mukharji grind her own flavorings, she grows some of them, too. She turned an enclosed pool into a greenhouse, where hundreds of plants flourish in the warmth. Top right: A Curry Leaf plant is an aromatic herb and a staple of Indian cuisine. Lower left: Winter oranges make especially nice marmalades. Bottom right: Potted plants overwinter in the greenhouse; in the summer, Mukharji brings them outside to bask on the patio by the house. Not only does Mukharji grind her own flavorings, she grows some of them, too. She turned an enclosed pool into a greenhouse, where hundreds of plants flourish in the warmth. Top right: A Curry Leaf plant is an aromatic herb and a staple of Indian cuisine. Lower left: Winter oranges make especially nice marmalades. Bottom right: Potted plants overwinter in the greenhouse; in the summer, Mukharji brings them outside to bask on the patio by the house. Not only does Mukharji grind her own flavorings, she grows some of them, too. She turned an enclosed pool into a greenhouse, where hundreds of plants flourish in the warmth. Top right: A Curry Leaf plant is an aromatic herb and a staple of Indian cuisine. Lower left: Winter oranges make especially nice marmalades. Bottom right: Potted plants overwinter in the greenhouse; in the summer, Mukharji brings them outside to bask on the patio by the house.

Jyoti Mukharji

Jyoti Mukharji recently wrote and published Heartland Masala: An Indian Cookbook from an American Kitchen with her son Auyon.  “It was a long-standing dream,” she says. All the food preparation, recipe writing, and testing for the cookbook were done in her Prairie Village kitchen, which also functions as a venue for her popular cooking classes.

“We bought our house in 1995,” she recalls, “but did not redo the kitchen until 2003. I wanted a larger dining and seating area, a more social space.”

In 2010, Mukharji started giving classes in her home. Over the years, she and husband, Jhulan, a retired doctor and now an artist, added a six-burner Wolf commercial range and a powerful venting system so cooking aromas don’t spread all over the house. A large storage area with partitions holds 40 to 50 bottles of whole seeds and spices (such as cumin, cardamom, and cloves) as well as the electric spice grinder.

“I wanted them handy to the stove,” Mukharji says. “Freshly ground spices make all the difference.”

Adjacent to the kitchen is her greenhouse, where she harvests curry leaves from over 30 plants for South Indian dishes. She also grows mint, chile peppers, oranges, and Meyer lemons.

“My favorite part of the kitchen is the sitting area, where I read and write recipes while enjoying a cup of Darjeeling tea,” she says.


@heartlandmasala

Sign up for cooking lessons: [email protected]

Chef Jasper Mirabile gets a welcome assist from granddaughter Sutton Pearl. When meatballs are sizzling and sauce is simmering, Sunday dinner is not far behind. When meatballs are sizzling and sauce is simmering, Sunday dinner is not far behind. A perfect work triangle: refrigerator to stove to oven to hungry family seated at the island. The high-performance Bertazzoni range can heat water for pasta presto. Mirabile has collected treasured family recipes from Jasper’s in two cookbooks.

Jasper Mirabile

Chef Jasper Mirabile is the second-generation to welcome diners to Jasper’s Italian Restaurant and Marco Polo’s Italian Market in Kansas City. He also teaches cooking classes, develops recipes for Hen House, and hosts the weekly Live from Jasper’s Kitchen on KCMO radio. His cookbooks include Jasper’s Cookbook and Jasper’s Kitchen Cookbook.

These days, he is delighted to get an assist from grandchildren Sutton Pearl (6) and Jasper James (2), who are learning the finer points of making meatballs.

“When I was a kid, the youngest of four boys, I spent a lot of time at my Nonna’s,” he says. “She would prepare special pasta dishes for me and now I do the same for my grandchildren.”

Family and legacy are very important to Mirabile and his wife, Lisa, who adds a southern twist with her fried chicken and peach pies, soups, and stews.

Mirabile wants the power and precision of the restaurant kitchen at home, so he chose a five-burner Bertazzoni range, wall oven, and microwave, as well as a Sub-Zero refrigerator in their Leawood kitchen.

“I call myself a short-order cook,” he says with a laugh, “because at the restaurant, 95 percent of the dishes are to order, not including the sauces that we slow simmer. I want those 19,000 BTUs at home so we have fast-boiling water for pasta.”

The dark, rich cabinets remind him of his grandparents’ furniture. “Sunday dinner is our favorite time, when our family gathers and we make dishes that have been in the family for generations,” he says.

 

Jasper’s Italian Restaurant

1201 103rd Street, Kansas City, MO

jasperskc.com; @jasperskc

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