Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ryan Brazeal. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ryan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What can you share with us about the story behind how you found your key vendors?

We set out with the mission to create a unique food culture associated with the Midwest. That meant playful variations of dishes that we ate growing up in Kansas City and ideas that illicit fond food memories. It also meant that we would work hand in hand with local farmers and producers to use the freshest ingredients at the height of the season. I started contacting local producers by frequenting the farmers markets before work on the weekends and tasting to see who had the most delicious, carefully raised items. I consolidated the group of core farmers that we work with by the ones that actually work their own land (spoiler: a lot of “local” farmers just buy their produce at large auctions) and the ones that went out of their way to communicate with us what made their products so special. Now we routinely make trips out to visit the farms and even host some farmers at family gatherings!

Ryan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

We are one of the premier fine dining restaurants in Kansas City, Missouri. Our focus on hospitality is complemented by our thoughtfully considered menu and our attention to small details to enhance our guests experience. I started cooking as a way to find harmony in my life. Being in the kitchen provides a unique opportunity to be creative and overcome challenges as well as a form of discipline to push myself to always be better at work and in life. The experience of owning a restaurant with my amazing wife, Jessica Armstrong, has made me a better person and father to my three daughters.
I cultivated my own unique brand of cooking by honing my skills at top restaurants in New York City and then constantly researching and trying new things. There have been a lot of setbacks, such as when a dish doesn’t work out as anticipated, and therefore doesn’t make it on the menu. It is all worth it though when something you try exceeds your expectations and you get to experience the instant gratification from the guests response. I think of sending food out into the dining room as thousands of little plates of art created over and over again. Always searching for perfection and always another chance to improve.
We have established our reputation over the last ten years in business as a celebratory location where you will receive top notch food and service.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The restaurant business is constantly evolving. Trends come and go. There was a time when people were banned from taking photos of the food because the chefs wanted people to have to visit the restaurant to know what contemporary chefs were doing. Now we design our lighting to be conducive to posting pictures of your experience on social media. We try to constantly reevaluate our points of service and ask ourselves why we do things. If the only answer is because we’ve always done them that way, it is a golden opportunity to rethink our standard practices. We try to put ourselves in the guests shoes and ask if we were in their position, how would we like the experience to be. There is no rule book to operating a fine dining restaurant so we question our points of service and operational standards every day to ensure that we stay relevant and enhance our customers experience. Through trial and error and not being afraid to put ourselves out there we improve everyday. Everyone in the building has a voice and a commitment to constantly growing and improving.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I have always approached Novel Restaurant as a long term goal. If you don’t live in a place with a heavy tourist economy you have to make sure that the customers that you have come back time and time again. We can’t afford to let anyone leave with a bad taste in their mouth. We have built our reputation by executing at a high level night after night and being appreciative of each and every guest that walks through the door. We realize that everyone has a choice as to where they dine and celebrate their special occasions and we have built a solid reputation by consistently meeting and exceeding those standards. We meet every day to talk about how we can improve and make things better for our co-workers and guests. Whether it is a handwritten, personalized card to commemorate the evening, or staff training on the wine list to wow someone with a beverage they wouldn’t normally try, our goal is to go above and beyond every night for every guest.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.novelkc.com
• Instagram: novel_kc
• Facebook: Novel Restaurant
• Twitter: @novelkc
• Yelp: Novel Restaurant

Image Credits
Wheat Photography