After almost 8 years operating her award-winning Brookside restaurant, JULIAN, owner and chef, Celina Tio, will not be renewing her lease, and plans to close the restaurant, located at 6227 Brookside Plaza, after July 4.
“I’ve been very fortunate that JULIAN has been and remains successful and am super grateful for all the continued support of my guests over the years. But I feel like the time is right to move on and give another local restaurateur an opportunity to thrive in Brookside”, Tio said.
Tio opened JULIAN, her first restaurant in Brookside, in 2009 in the former Joe D’s Wine Bar location, after serving as the executive chef for The American Restaurant for 7 years, and winning a James Beard Award for Best Chef Midwest.
Specializing in what she termed “feel good food”, JULIAN’s menu featured comforting dishes inspired by a wide range of cultures from around the world, which at the time was considered a wide departure from her fine dining dishes at The American.
After she opened JULIAN, food television shows came calling, and Tio enjoyed appearances competing on Bravo TV’s Top Chef Masters as well as Food Network’s The Next Iron Chef and Iron Chef America.
Although Tio has had many culinary claims to fame at JULIAN, one of her biggest was a dish that truly is an American classic. As many in Kansas City would attest, there was simply nothing better than one of Tio’s delicious cheeseburgers served with an ice-cold beer on her delightful outdoor patio.
To thank all of her guests, Tio is planning to host a series of events at her Brookside restaurant over the next couple of months. She suggests checking Facebook for announcements of her upcoming special menus, wine dinners and pig roasts, among other things.
Once JULIAN is closed, Tio plans to concentrate on her other businesses, The Belfry downtown, as well as her consulting business. As the owner of the building where The Belfry is located, and with more free time on her hands, she has big plans for how she wants to utilize that space going forward.
The Belfry will expand its role to include more private and special events, as well as more one on one time with the chef, herself.
“If you miss the one on one interaction with me and my cooking, I'll be hosting intimate dinners at The Belfry where you'll be cooked for and served by me personally,” she says.
This top chef is going to have her hands full, as she makes the move to close one restaurant, and retool the second.
JULIAN, 6227 Brookside Plaza, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.214.8454, www.juliankc.com
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