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Chef’s Kiss Ristorante, a new family-owned Italian restaurant, is opening in Topeka.The restaurant, led by head chef Kelli Page, offers classic Italian dishes and rotating specials.A soft opening was held Aug. 9, with a grand opening scheduled for Aug. 16.
A new family-owned, Italian restaurant has opened its doors to the Topeka community.
Chef’s Kiss Ristorante, 1618 SW Washburn Ave., is owned by Jesse Page and Dustin Pfamatter, with head chef Kelli Page leading the kitchen.
The team is offering freshly made Italian dishes into their space, designed to be small and offer an intimate, romantic atmosphere. Kelli Page said she’s ready to share her love of cooking with the rest of the city.
“My grandma, she ran a restaurant, owned a restaurant also,” she said. “I grew up in it, in the kitchen. So she taught me how to cook from a really young age.
“I had another grandma that watched me during the summer that was a good cook but did not like to cook. So instead, I got to cook. Which I loved and I never complained, but the other grandkids, they’d get mad.”
In addition to working alongside her family, Page has spent time working at various restaurants around town. That journey inspired her dream of running her own kitchen one day.
Chef’s Kiss offering classic Italian and specials
The Chef’s Kiss Ristorante menu will feature such traditional Italian favorites as lasagna, manicotti, Alfredo and marinara, as well as rotating specials.
“The specials are going to be my choice and I think that’s why we called it Chef’s Kiss,” Page said. “We wanted to be able to do more than just traditional Italian. Sometimes, it might not be Italian. Sometimes it might be during Mardi Gras, I run soul days and gumbo another day, that kind of thing.
“So yeah, I think that gives everybody something a little different to look forward to.”
Page said as the restaurant gets established, they’d like to incorporate live entertainment within the restaurant. Though she’s eager to share her meals with everyone, she said she is slightly nervous because of the high expectations locals may have on the restaurant in comparison to other local establishments.
“I feel like a really high bar has been set and I’m hoping that we can move up to it,” she said.
Pfamatter said they’ve been preparing the restaurant for quite some time and he’s ready to share it with the community.
“A lot of hype has been pushed up for us, so we want to live up to the hype,” said Pfamatter. “I want it to feel like it’s home. Kelli and I are very mellow people and we’re both big on hosting, so this is just an extension of that. This is going to be our home, so we want other people to feel like that.”
When will Chef’s Kiss Ristorante open its doors?
A soft opening was held for the restaurant Aug. 9.
A grand opening will be 5 to 9 p.m., Aug 16. Reservations are being accepted via phone call at 785-329-5522 along, with a raffle that invites a seat at the chef’s table with three guests for a special five-course meal.
The restaurant will be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.
Dining and Cooking