An Interview With Kitchen Table's Colin and Jessica
Local.
It's a movement that's happening all across America and Omaha is one of the best examples of this revolutionary trend.
A few weeks ago we featured four restaurants that were highlighted in a Food Network article about must-eat locations for Omaha newcomers. Kitchen Table, the Farnam St. favorite, was one of the places on the Food Network list.
So, this past week, we decided to send owners Colin and Jessica Duggan a few interview questions about the Omaha food scene and the story behind Kitchen Table. Bon apetit!
At which point did you guys decided to open Kitchen Table and what led you to make the decision?
Opening a restaurant was always kind of in the back of our heads. Colin's job as a chef gave us an awesome opportunity to go to San Francisco for 5 years, where we had the chance to eat and learn so much. Our love for local food grew and, as we came back to visit our family each year, we saw a mirrored love for supporting local food in Omaha.
Colin and I had opposite schedules and knew that we could do this together - make something great together (of course with our awesome crew). We came back to visit in Oct. 2012 and fell in love with the spot we're in now. We knew it was time. We opened our doors on June 4, 2013.
What, in your opinion is a better reflection of the character of a community: the dishes you serve or the ingredients you use to make the dishes?
Ingredients from all of the wonderful farmers & producers is where we start -- its how we plan our ever-changing, locally focused seasonal menu. The ingredients available to us dictate our menu and we have the opportunity to serve the best since it only comes from, say, 30 minutes away as opposed to 3,000 miles away. We fully support our local farmers and producers in every way possible and that's how all of these amazing relationships happen!
A photo posted by Colin And Jessica (@eatkitchentable) onAug 27, 2015 at 3:25pm PDT
What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking about opening a restaurant in Omaha?
There's a lot going on in the food industry in Omaha right now - Omaha has an amazing food scene that only continues to get better If you want to open a restaurant, you have to plan, plan, plan and plan again and then be ready to adjust.
A photo posted by Colin And Jessica (@eatkitchentable) onSep 8, 2015 at 8:55am PDT
The Omaha food scene has changed a lot over the past few years. What’s your favorite trend and what do you see happening in the future of the city’s culinary landscape?
1. Favorite trend: Supporting local farmers and producers to have the opportunity to know where your food comes from. Our appreciation of the love and care that these folks use is why we work with them. It reflects the love and care that we put into each menu item.
2. In the future: A greater support of local independent restaurants and less support of the major franchises
The Food Network recently featured your restaurant in a list of nine places where Omaha newcomers should eat. What was it like to get the praise and recommendation of such a well-known group?
Truly honored! Any awesome press for Omaha is always great. To be a part of it, sincerely, it means so much that all of the hard work is being enjoyed. We're very proud of our KT Crew.
For more information about Kitchen Table, check out their website, Facebook page and Instagram page. Photos for this story are credited to the KT Facebook page, the KT Instagram feed and Jerred Z photography.
