Food & Drink

Owners behind Italian restaurant coming to Wichita share recipe from recent chef dinner

By Adriene Rathbun
Brothers Jason and Jordan Rickard, center, joined Odd Fellow Hall’s William Cody Lonergan, far left, and Jimmy Vo, far right, to lead Saturday’s Chef’s Collective Dinner at Odd Fellow Hall. The brothers are opening a new Italian restaurant this spring called FioRito Ristorante.
Brothers Jason and Jordan Rickard, center, joined Odd Fellow Hall’s William Cody Lonergan, far left, and Jimmy Vo, far right, to lead Saturday’s Chef’s Collective Dinner at Odd Fellow Hall. The brothers are opening a new Italian restaurant this spring called FioRito Ristorante. Tim Davis Courtesy

Every once in a while, you have one of those great weekends for no apparent reason, and this past weekend was one of them. Of course I’m speaking of enjoying great dinners out. That’s what makes for a great weekend.

Friday night we dined at First Mile Kitchen, the new restaurant in Bradley Fair. What an experience: Its beautiful interior and the vibe make you feel like you’re in a big city, and the food and cocktails are phenomenal. We haven’t been dining out much, so it was a real treat to try out this new spot for the first time. Make a reservation and go. I promise you’ll feel like you’ve had a mini vacation.

Saturday night we attended the Chef’s Collective Dinner at Odd Fellow Hall. We had tickets to the one in early November, but COVID kept us at home and missing out on the unique culinary experience. Saturday night, we were able to enjoy the eight-course menu paired with cocktails. The cuisine was prepared by brothers Jason and Jordan Rickard, the chefs and soon-to-be owners of the contemporary Italian restaurant FioRito Ristorante, set to open this spring at 3134 E. Douglas.

Each course was more delicious than the last, and it was a true pleasure to sit through the production, especially since we could see into the kitchen and watch the chefs prepare each course. It was a night we will not soon forget.

This week’s recipe is for the soup the Rickard brothers served as the second course: Butternut Squash Soup with Bagna Vert. On the menu, it was referred to as Pumpkin Soup, but the two squashes can be used interchangeably.

A Butternut Squash Soup with Bagna Vert was one of the eight courses served at a recent Chef’s Collective Dinner at Wichita’s Odd Fellow Hall.
A Butternut Squash Soup with Bagna Vert was one of the eight courses served at a recent Chef’s Collective Dinner at Wichita’s Odd Fellow Hall. Adriene Rathbun Eagle correspondent

I love a butternut squash soup, but this one has next-level flavor, perhaps because of the smoked paprika, ginger, and aromatic sage and rosemary. The Bagna Vert sauce has a salty, umami flavor, yet it’s bright and fresh. I highly recommend making the sauce to accompany this lovely soup, which will help you stay warm and cozy these cold wintry days.

— Jason & Jordan Rickard, chef owners of upcoming FioRito Ristorante





This story was originally published February 1, 2022 at 11:42 AM.

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