Chef Patrick Ryan
Port Fonda
As owner/chef of Port Fonda, Patrick Ryan is redefining "movable feast" for Kansas City's food enthusiasts. Since he began serving innovative, not-your-ordinary street food from a fully restored Airstream trailer at the end of March, his fan base has been growing steadily. Sample Patrick's complex regional Mexican cuisine and street food, and you'll quickly understand why he is one of the area's favorite chefs.
After earning a degree in hotel management in 1998, Patrick's passion for food took him to Le Cordon Bleu in Portland, Oregon, where he discovered Nuevo Latino cuisine.
His education continued at Chicago's Frontera Grill, owned by celebrity chef Rick Bayless. Patrick learned that in the kitchen, simplicity works when the right ingredients are in place. Five years at Frontera Grill and Topolobampo gave Patrick invaluable insights into how to balance ingredients and manage a kitchen.
In 2005, Patrick moved to the Catskills to help open a new restaurant. Two years later, he decided to move his family back home to Kansas Cityso he could open his own restaurant.
Patrick looked into traditional brick-and-mortar venues, but the timing wasn't quite right. That didn't stop the dream, however; in fact, working at Room 39 and The River Club enabled him to keep cooking while he worked on the concept.
Port Fonda is the culmination of that dream, and there's nothing traditional about it. No chicken or beef tacos here; instead, guests dine on complex regional Mexican dishes and extraordinary street food.
Bio courtesy of Patrick Ryan, chef and owner of Port Fonda
Photo of Chef Ryan at CCVI, Random Photography/Denny Medley
