INFOCUS

SCRATCH GOURMET EXPRESS & CATERING

IS READY TO SERVE YOU!

WRITTEN BY JUDY GOPPERT / PHOTOS BY JAMI BOWMAN

Anew spring menu will delight everyone who tastes it, with flavors and unique dishes filling the menu. Executive chef Joshua Walters elevates familiar foods and presents them in appealing, mesmerizing detail.

Scratch Gourmet Express & Catering opened in August 2020 and made it through the pandemic by offering takeout and catering. This past April they opened for dine-in business once again and serve seasonal dishes from 11 am to 8 pm. They are located in The Shops of Prairie Village, inside the old Standees movie theatre location. Owners Tyler and Monica Morrison met in Dallas, Texas, and married in September 2019, then moved back to their hometown. “Monica was manager of a few store openings for Wing Stop Corporation and helped open 300 stores. I was in operations at Top Golf headquarters, so we both have operations and entertainment experience,” he explains. “We always wanted to start our own restaurant, so when we had our son Tex, who will be two in May, we took the plunge. We live only a mile away and love the community-driven feeling. We wanted to resonate with that and be a part of our community.” Their spring menu launched April 5, and reflects fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables and flavors created and inspired by executive chef Joshua Walters, who joined them a little over a year ago.

“Joshua is the backbone of our restaurant. We did a strenuous process of choosing a chef,” says Tyler. “He is from Kansas City and at age 26 is already leaving his mark. We actually did one of our wine dinners on March 25, where Chef Joshua prepared a dinner based on a five-course wine selection provided by Franks Family Vineyards from Napa Valley.

“The effect of gathering is lost in our world today. Our restaurant offers that intimate style of dining.”

Michael Sterling flew out and hosted the dinner and tasting for 20 guests,” Tyler continues. “We do a lot of private events, and build custom menus for birthday parties, anniversaries, and executive dinners.”

Walters began his career at age 19 at the Kansas City Club, then opened Modern Ozark Dining in Bentonville, Arkansas, at age 20. He began as sous chef, then after three years became executive chef. “This restaurant had an interesting concept, with a six-course style prefix,” Walters says. “One of the bigger challenges was coming up with a new menu and modern style. As chefs, we cooked whatever we wanted to serve! We focused on local food and Ozark cuisine. It was our interpretation of foods that are classical.”

Walters uses wasted vegetable products, such as onion skins and peels to make garnishes and sauces. Onion skins are made into a delicious onion caramel sauce with great onion flavor. He uses items that would be conventionally thrown away in most kitchens.

“On the wine dinner Tyler mentioned, we made a brown butter herb-infused candle. We infused glycerin flakes with butter and herbs and cast it into butter candles. When you sat down, you had a candle burning in front of you,” Walters explains. “The candle wax melted to become the butter for your bread. We want a consistent outcome, so we cook by weight. We manipulate products to make gels and sauces. For example, we use chorizo powder to make chorizo flavored chips.” The spring menu will focus on fresh vegetables, and the beautiful season of early harvest. The spring menu includes crudité plates, with hummus and roast red peppers. One of the appetizers is a fried smoked pickled mushroom, featuring smoked local oyster mushroom, that goes through a pickling process infused with rosemary and black garlic.

“We take that and tempura batter, transforming the humble mushroom to be a fried smoked pickle,” Walters smiles. “We will probably be doing some morels since that season is coming up.”

Walters’ foray into cooking began at age two, when his mother discovered him on top of the fridge holding a butcher knife and an apple. “I cut it into eight equal pieces!” he laughs. “My family was very food-oriented as I grew up, and we would gather every week to share a large meal created by my grandmother. This intimate setting brings a type of fellowship to your life. The effect of gathering is lost in our world today. Our restaurant offers that intimate style of dining.”

Above: Executive Chef Joshua Walters Photo by Jane Walters

Scratch Gourmet Express & Catering • 3939 W. 69th Terr., Prairie Village, KS • scratchgourmet.com • 913.766.6021 SIMPLYkc Special: FREE shareable or dessert for SIMPLYkc readers