7 minute read
Experience Aqua Penny’s
Chef Penny Mufuka offers a unique blend of flavors at her Park Place restaurant.
By Jill Dutton
Photos by Brooke Buck
When Penny Mufuka arrived in North America 29 years ago with just $800, she had little idea that one day she would own and operate a thriving restaurant empire. From her early days working in Thai kitchens to purchasing her first restaurant, Penny’s journey has been one of perseverance, passion, and innovation. Today, she continues to break new ground with Aqua Penny’s, a fusion of Thai, Cajun, and coastal cuisines, where fresh seafood and a dynamic, ever-evolving menu are at the heart of the dining experience. With plans to open a third restaurant, Penny and her husband, Doug, are seeing their influence on the culinary scene grow, making the couple a force to be reckoned with in the industry.
Journey to America
Penny arrived in the U.S. from Thailand on a tourist visa. Despite being unfamiliar with the language, she says she was trying to find an opportunity and a fresh start. She brought with her years of experience as a home cook.
“Thai women know how to cook, and I began cooking when I was 12 years old,” she says.
Fueled by raw courage, Penny flew from Baltimore into Kansas City with a layover in Chicago.
“I didn’t speak English, so I was unsure where to go at the airport. Then once I arrived, I had just a few hundred dollars left after purchasing my airline ticket. The only person I knew in Kansas City was my cousin. I came here to live with her but knew I needed to find a job fast.” to go. A couple of hours later, he found me still standing there, and he grabbed me by the wrist, abandoned the wheelchair, and ran with me to the gate, literally minutes before it closed. I was so thankful for his help.”
Penny says the layover in Chicago was particularly stressful.
Trying to find her connecting gate, she says, “I wanted to cry but had no tears left to come out. I didn’t know what to do, where to go, or how to get to my gate. I just stood there because I didn’t speak English so wasn’t able to ask for help. An airport wheelchair porter had seen me standing there by the screen he pointed out, but I couldn't figure out where to go. A couple of hours later, he found me still standing there, and he grabbed me by the wrist, abandoned the wheelchair, and ran with me to the gate, literally minutes before it closed. I was so thankful for his help.”
Penny says she stayed with her cousin for a couple months until she found her first job at Thai Place.
After years of working at various Thai restaurants—often several at the same time—she found herself ready for ownership when the previous owner of Thai House was preparing to retire. Although Penny and Doug’s first venture was Thai House, located on the south side of Kansas City, Missouri, they sold it to focus more on Bamboo Penny’s, which opened three years ago in Leawood.
Aqua Penny’s
Building on the success of Bamboo Penny’s, Penny launched Aqua Penny’s, with its unique blends of flavors. With a menu influenced by the vibrant culinary scenes of Miami and New Orleans, Aqua Penny's has become known for its fresh seafood and eclectic dishes.
“The food at Aqua Penny’s reflects a little bit of New Orleans Cajun. It’s eclectic, but I guess you could call it coastal. The main focus is on seafood with Thai influences,” Doug says.
“We first went to New Orleans on our anniversary; Penny immediately loved the food. She was just drawn to it. She said, ‘This is where Americans are keeping all the flavor.’”
Regarding the décor at Aqua Penny’s, which Penny designed, Doug says, “Miami’s influence shows up in Penny’s aesthetic when decorating as well.”
The couple wanted to differentiate Aqua Penny’s from other Thai restaurants, so they focused on seafood. Still, customers expect Penny’s signature dishes, so the couple created a section of the menu titled Penny’s Corner.
Doug says Penny’s take on Thai fusion is unique. There are New Orleans influences in her recipes, as well as French and Thai.
“One secret is that some of her sauces are made with butter. They don’t cook with butter in Thailand, but Penny incorporated French cooking into her Thai recipes for true fusion,” Doug says.
Fresh Seafood Daily
One of the cornerstones of Aqua Penny’s success is Penny’s commitment to sourcing fresh seafood daily. The restaurant’s menu changes frequently to reflect the availability of ingredients, ensuring that every meal is crafted with the freshest and highest-quality ingredients.
“Nothing is frozen,” Doug says, “and people enjoy that and can tell the difference in the taste.
“Because we’re flying it in fresh every day, we work with what’s in season. We look at what we received today, and that determines the menu. And once people taste the freshness, such as our raw oyster bar, they appreciate it.”
In the three months the restaurant has been open, Doug says they’ve featured three different fish in season and that blue crab will soon be available.
“You just have to go with what’s available now, which keeps the menu interesting,” he says. “We had soft shell crab season just end, so we took that off the menu. And with fish, we’ve had perch, walleye, and grouper in season. The grouper season is over, which you hate to say because it was really popular, but we want to keep offering that fresh catch. Otherwise, to keep it on the menu, we’d have to offer frozen fish as other places do. Instead, we just keep offering whatever’s running now.”
Themed Events
Aqua Penny’s is more than just a restaurant—it’s a culinary destination offering themed events and educational sessions. These experiences allow patrons to engage with the cuisine on a deeper level, adding another layer to the restaurant’s appeal.
The food at Aqua Penny’s reflects a little bit of New Orleans Cajun. It’s eclectic, but I guess you could call it coastal. The main focus is on seafood with Thai influences.
—DOUG MUFUKA
Doug says they try to hold a themed event each month. These educational tasting experiences were incorporated after viewing diners interacting with the staff at the raw bar.
“The raw bar attendants are very knowledgeable and versed in everything. Guests would ask questions, and they’ll start listing the varieties of oysters and what makes them different and why they taste the way they taste. It’s fun, so we decided to schedule some educational events,” Doug says.
Each month brings a different topic, and the couple tries to tie in holidays with the events. For October, Doug says they’re planning a spooky-themed tasting and food pairings served with “cool spooky drinks.”
Find a listing of events on the website at www.aquapennys.com
For More
Aqua Penny’s
11652 Ash St.
Park Place
Leawood, KS 66211
913-415-2400
www.aquapennys.com
Lunch
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday–Saturday
Brunch/Lunch
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday
Dinner
4 to 9 p.m. Sunday–Thursday
4 to 10 p.m. Friday–Saturday
Bar and Raw Bar
Open daily
11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday–Saturday
10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday
