Sunlight blazed through a hole in the ceiling roughly the size of a Buick, and the surrounding lots were empty, save for overgrown grass. But when chef Dan Swinney stepped inside the Freight House building 15 years ago, he saw the potential for Lidia's (101 W. 22nd St.) — the flagship of what would become a thriving restaurant district.Â
"This was going to be more than just a restaurant. I thought it would be an important event in the culinary history of Kansas City, and I wanted to be a part of it," Swinney says.
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After a recent lunch service, Swinney sits at the bar with a pint glass of Diet Coke in front of him and points to the very spot in the now pristine ceiling that was once an unintentional skylight. It's his 13th year at Lidia's, a far cry from the dishes he made as a 13-year-old growing up in Kansas City.
"I learned to cook out of necessity," Swinney says. "I first learned how to heat things up out of a can, and then cooking started to get a lot more interesting to me."
His earliest mentor was Julia Child, who brought exotic techniques and ingredients to his television screen. It's not surprising that he first thought of his cooking skills as a great opportunity to meet girls.
But the music business came calling first. He worked at Kief's Music in Lawrence, and after graduating from high school, he began working with bands and at a local recording studio. Â
"It was a great way to spend my 20s," Swinney says. "But at some point, I realized I didn't want to starve."
There's always food in a kitchen, and Swinney snagged an apprenticeship at the Hyatt Regency, discovering that, just like the music world, the personalities defined his universe. He learned about Laotian, Vietnamese and French cuisine from expatriates on the line. His experience with banquets led him to be hired as the executive sous chef at the now-closed Woodlands racetrack in Kansas City, Kansas. When both the greyhounds and horses were running, he was helping manage 130 employees and a 2,000-seat dining room.
"That was interesting," Swinney says in an understated tone, which belies his sense of humor.Â
His culinary interests were as diverse as his mixtapes, so he sought out opportunities in smaller kitchens. Swinney headed the kitchen at the Classic Cup, Zola, and Harry's Bar and Tables.
"I felt like I used all those life experiences to be successful at this job. It's a mix of the large scale and the need for attention to detail," Swinney says.
It was close to 15 years ago when he learned that Bastianich was considering opening a restaurant in Kansas City. He'd been following her career closely because of his love for the simplicity of Italian food and her straightforward cooking style. So he volunteered his time in the hopes that he might earn a spot in the kitchen.Â
"You have to put yourself in front of somebody," Swinney says.
He was hired to help with the opening, and from the beginning, he tried to put himself in Bastianich's mind and focus on providing the same hospitality and cuisine that has made her an international brand.
"The words I used to dread the most were Dan, Lidia wants to see you at her table," Swinney says. "But over the course of a decade, we've developed the cuisine here together and have dishes with a following that can't go anywhere."
And now, he's looking to give the same opportunities to the young and hungry chefs in his kitchen.Â
"I hope to be able to teach chefs something early on in their careers, the same way I had a few chefs who were pretty serious mentors to me," Swinney says. "I Iike to describe this as a grown-up kitchen."
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great chef! wonderful person and so happy for dan and his beautiful family! he has worked hard. he is a inspiration to all cooks with passion to have it all!!!!!!!!!cheers to a great interview!
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