John McClure, the owner and executive chef at Starker's Restaurant on the Country Club Plaza, has died. McClure was 35.
By Laura Spencer
Kansas City, Mo. – John McClure, the owner and executive chef at Starker's Restaurant on the Country Club Plaza, has died. McClure was 35.
According to The Pitch's Fat City blog, McClure was found dead in his home Wednesday morning.
John McClure grew up on a cattle ranch in Tescott, Kan. After high school, he served several years as a Navy chef on an aircraft carrier stationed in Japan. He attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York, and learned Creole and Cajun cooking techniques while working at Brigtsen's Restaurant in New Orleans, La.
In Kansas City, McClure worked at the American Restaurant and the former 40 Sardines. The executive chef of Starker's Restaurant since 2004, McClure bought the restaurant in 2006, and stayed on as chef, keeping traditional menu items and incorporating a Southern style. McClure had also announced plans to open a taqueria in Westport called Barrio.
Read Pete Dulin's remembrance here.
You can also listen to a special remote broadcast of Up to Date with chef brothers Jamie and Bobby Dean and Starker's chef/owner John McClure here.
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