These chefs built Wichita’s dining scene through the ’80s and ’90s. Where are they now?

Wichita’s young crop of chefs are taking Wichita dining in a new direction. But local foodies still fondly remember meals prepared by many of their predecessors.

Here’s a rundown of where some of Wichita’s most popular chefs from the past 30 years are today.

Randa and Joumana Toubia: The sisters of Latour founder Antoine Toubia have cooked all over town for decades at places like The Olive Tree, Cafe Chantilly and more. Recently, they closed their Two Olives restaurant in Comotara Center and are moving it and their catering business to 1540 S. Webb Road.

Peter Moretti: One of Wichita’s longest-tenured chefs, Moretti is still the executive chef at the Wichita Marriott, where he’s worked for more than 25 years.

Damian Lehman: He worked at Wichita’s Harvey Hotel in the mid-1990s, was chef at the Airport Hilton in the early 2000s and spent years as the executive chef at the Wichita Country Club. He’s still cooking today and works as executive chef at The Country Club at Loch Lloyd Country Club in Kansas City.

Youssef Youssef: Some of Wichita’s most popular 1990s restaurants, including Le Monde, Marbella and Mediterranean Grill, were founded by this chef, who moved back to Lebanon for a time then returned last year and opened his Sesame Mediterranean Kitchen at 2755 N. Maize Road.

Larry Walker: He’s worked all over town, and his resume includes stints at Airport Hilton, Wichita State University and AVI Seabar & Chophouse. For the past six months, Walker has been the executive chef at Reflection Ridge Retirement Community.

Nabil Bacha: He ran the kitchen at Antoine Toubia’s Cafe Chantilly for years before opening his own restaurant in 1998: the still beloved Cafe Bel Ami at 229 E. William.

Rick Jeffrey: For years, he was the chef for popular Cajun restaurant Red Beans Bayou Grill, and he came up with that restaurant’s recipes. It closed in 2014. Last year, though, Jeffrey — who also developed recipes for Carlos O’Kelly’s — returned with a business called Red Beans to Go. He makes the old recipes and stocks them at The Coop, 104 N. Baltimore in Derby.

James Butler: A Texas native, Butler worked in Wichita kitchens for years, and his resume includes stints at Harry’s Uptown Bar & Grill, The Grape, YaYa’s Eurobistro, Tommy’s, Uptown Bistro and Lotus Leaf Cafe & Creperie. He left Wichita in 2018 and is now in the Colorado Rockies working as executive sous chef at Tabernash Tavern near the Winter Park Resort.

Jeremy Wade: Wade, whose started cooking in Wichita in the late 1990s and headed up kitchens at Cibola, Uptown Bistro, YaYa’s Eurobistro and Siena Tuscan Steakhouse, to name a few, opened his own restaurant — Napoli Italian Eatery at 7718 E. 37th St. N. — a year ago.

George Youssef: He worked as chef at Olive Tree and N&J Cafe in the 1990s, then was owner of Uptown Bistro, which operated in Old Town Square in the early 2000s, and Nouvelle Cafe in the mid-2000s. Today, he’s the owner of the popular Georges French Bistro, which he opened at 4618 E. Central in 2015, and of Chester’s Chophouse, which he purchased in 2019.

Adam Courtney: He led kitchens all over Wichita in the early 2000s, including at AVI Seabar & Chophouse, Oeno and The Candle Club. Now, Courtney is the chef at Coneburg Grill and Pub in Peabody.

Paul Guerrero: He’s cooked in restaurants all over Wichita, from YaYa’s Eurobistro to Firebirds Wood Fired Grill. For the past five years, he’s cooked for Reflection Ridge Golf Club but recently left and is about to start a new job at the Candle Club, where he’ll take on a management role.

Roni Attari: He developed a following in the early 2000s with ventures like Soleil, Yucca Bistro and The Hopping Pita food truck. Attari worked as a chef for a retirement center for the past seven years and is now on the lookout for his next food venture.

Matteo Taha: A onetime head chef at Wichita’s Olive Tree, Taha founded Bella Luna Cafe in 2002. He now owns two Bella Luna Cafes in Wichita.

Hassan Ballout: He was in the kitchen at Bella Luna Cafe for 10 years before opening his own restaurant, Albero Cafe, 4811 E. Central, in 2014. Earlier this year, he added Albero Bistro at 2884 N. Greenwich.

Owen “O.J.” Moore: His first stint at YaYa’s Eurobistro was in 2012. Then Moore left and took a job working for Vail Resorts in Colorado as the executive chef for Crested Butte Mountain Resort. Recently, though, Moore returned to Wichita and to the role of executive chef at YaYa’s.

Jason Febres: He was born in Wichita but grew up in Venezuela, returning in the mid-2000s to work in restaurants like Bella Luna Cafe and Uptown Bistro. He was hired as head chef at Sabor Latin Bistro in 2007 and after that owned his own place, Taste & See, which operated in Old Town Square until 2017. Febres, who’s had many stints on nationally televised cooking shows over the years, now has his own catering business called Rent the Chef.

Jeremiah Harvey: He’s cooked all over town at places like The Anchor, Petroleum Club and The Candle Club and has inspired many of today’s young chefs. Today, Harvey is the chef for La Vela, which is the catering business and venue associated with The Candle Club.

Paul Freimuth: The longtime chef at the Hyatt in Wichita — and an active chef on the charity scene — Freimuth left Wichita in 2017 to take over at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, where he still works.

This story was originally published October 31, 2021 at 5:10 AM.

Denise Neil

The Wichita Eagle

316-268-6327

Denise Neil has covered restaurants and entertainment since 1997. Her Dining with Denise Facebook page is the go-to place for diners to get information about local restaurants. She’s a regular judge at local food competitions and speaks to groups all over Wichita about dining.