The last time I spoke with talented chef Linda Duerr, she
had just been laid off from J.J.'s Restaurant on the Country Club Plaza (yes, the beloved bistro across the street from the unfinished and seemingly doomed Moshe Safdie building called The West Edge). Duerr, who moved to Kansas City to head the kitchen at Lidia's, had been the executive chef at Frondizi's, the other Jimmy Frantze restaurant, before
Frantze closed it down and moved Duerr over to J.J.'s. Ironically, Cafe Trio will soon open in the old Frondizi's space with Duerr's husband, Leon Bahlmann, as head chef.
But I digress. Here's the good news: Duerr is now working as the executive chef at Zest, the Joe DiGiovanni and Mike Schreiber restaurant in Leawood's Mission Farms development. It's a beautiful venue and I liked it when I reviewed it last February, although I felt some of the dishes didn't quite hit the mark. Duerr will be putting her imprint on the menu starting in June, when Zest rolls out a new seasonal menu. I can't wait!.
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