Where The Chefs Go: Ryan Edwards

Favorite restaurant meal: Chef and co-owner of Sierra Grill and Sierra BBQ Ryan Edwards, with his wife Maricris, picked the Brat Trio at Affäre in the Crossroads. It comes with three different bratwursts, sauerkraut and red cabbage for $32.

Affäre’s co-owner and executive chef Martin Heuser said red cabbage and sauerkraut are very German dishes he has been making for 40 years, where some other chefs may have not been properly trained or have a good recipe.

First he shreds the red cabbage, marinates it with red wine and red wine vinegar, and then adds sugar, and salt and pepper. He squeezes it with his hands until the cabbage is soft and broken down, and then weighs it down overnight to continue to break it down, and open up the pores to take in the flavor – a two day process.

He sautes onion and caraway seeds with duck fat, adds the red cabbage and marinade, along with cranberry juice, and slow cooks it for an hour. Then he adds shredded apples, cooking on low for another 30 minutes. If it is too liquidy he adds potato starch. 

Customers also order it as a side with schnitzel, and they buy it by the pint to take home.

It is so popular, Heuser makes five gallons every two weeks.

Tips from Ryan Edwards kitchen:

  • Favorite kitchen ingredients: Fresh herbs, and housemade chicken and beef stock.
  • Essential kitchen tools: Sharp knives and a chinois (fine mesh strainer).
  • Never uses: SPAM (but Maricris loves it from her time living in Hawaii).
  • Favorite dish to make at home: Lasagna (his son, Landon, 14, eats a ton, he said). 
  • Favorite take-out order: Vietnamese pho.

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