The impact on KC of Starker's Restaurant owner John McClure wasn't just his food. But the rising young chef, who took his own life late last year, would have loved the meal that his fellow cooks are preparing in his honor at the
Big Country Benefit from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Boulevard Brewing Co. (2501 Southwest Boulevard, 816-474-7095). "Colby [Garrelts] and I are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend," says Megan Garrelts of Bluestem. "We are working together with others in the restaurant community to raise awareness for suicide prevention. Many are affected daily by depression. They must know they aren't alone." The Garrelts' smoked oxtail and cinnamon panna cotta are featured alongside Michael Smith's guajillo-glazed pork belly and Howard Hanna's country ham biscuit and quail egg – part of a lineup of more than a dozen chefs and sommeliers. Tickets cost $125. For details, see
bigcountrybenefit.eventbrite.com.
— Jonathan Bender
816-474-7095
