COMPETITOR

Soirée New Orleans Bistro

HEAD COOK: Anita Moore

COMPETITION: World Chef Championship

From soulful, family Sunday dinners to serving A-list celebrities, Chef Anita Moore, brings people together with her flavorful culinary flare. The Kansas City native has crafted vibrant, savory dishes in KC’s finest five-star restaurants and is now embarking on a life-long dream to open her own restaurant in April 2017. Moore dove into the professional culinary world in 2006 by partnering with a local company to provide backstage catering to the stars. She has served celebrities including Bonny Rait, Guns N’ Roses, New Edition and El DeBarge. Following her passion, Moore began attending culinary school in 2013 and graduated from Kansas City’s LeCole Culinary School in 2016 at the top of her class. Quickly progressing, Moore made her way into the KC restaurant scene as the lead chef at The Westin Crown Center Hotel. From there, she became the Demi Chef at Journey Steak House at Argosy Casino and then assisted in the opening of Argosy’s 99 Hops House. Moore’s proudest accomplishment is stepping out on faith to open her own restaurant. Combining her love of Cajun and southern comfort food and her experience as a corporate chef, she dubbed her new establishment, Soiree, a New Orleans Bistro. In the kitchen is where Moore is most comfortable and the namesake of the restaurant, a French word, Soiree, meaning elegant evening gathering at someone's home, is Moore’s invitation for people to come into her “home” and experience her soulful dishes made with love. Soiree provides a down-home atmosphere reminiscent of bistros in New Orleans with live music, including jazz, rustic decor, handcrafted art and Moore's carefully developed menu rooted in genuine New Orleans culture. “It just feels like home,” Moore said. “The food is not just quickly put together. It is made with a lot of soul.” Moore’s signature cooking is a fusion of traditional flavors of the Deep South, spices, and staples from Cajun cuisine with a contemporary flair, yielding incredibly delicious results. Moore’s family inspires her fierce ambition. She’s a dedicated wife, mother of four and daughter. Learning from her grandmother and father, Moore began her culinary journey at a young age. Every Saturday she would spend the day cooking Sunday Dinner at her grandmother’s house. Roasted chicken smothered in gravy, Cajun links, cow tongue, okra, collard greens and cornbread — a few of the dishes that would fill the house with a mouth-watering aroma. Her mother, who has battled health issues her whole life, birthed a love of cooking for others in Moore. After years of researching healthy food options and weekly meal preparation for her parents, Moore started a weekly-food service, “Food on the Run”, providing healthy meals to Kansas City families. With the opening of Soiree, Moore is ready to make her mark in the restaurant industry. She hopes to build a strong foundation with Soiree and later open more restaurants. “My passion is for the people,” Moore says with a warm smile. “Just hearing forks and spoons clang up against the plates and seeing the satisfaction and smiles on people's face is why I do what I do.” Contact: ​Chefmoorenita@gmail.com