With the closing of The Muse Cafe inside the Wichita Art Museum, a press release went out earlier this week to announce that the museum and Elderslie Farm are partnering on a new culinary concept that will launch in February 2023.
The Muse Cafe space will be renamed 1400 by Elderslie and will be led by Chef Katharine Elder, Culinary Creative Director and Owner of Elderslie Farm.
“We are thrilled to bring Chef Katharine Elder and the talented team at Elderslie Farm here to WAM,” said Anne Kraybill, the museum’s Director/CEO. “We share Katharine’s philosophy of intentionally curated menus inspired by the local fresh ingredients and believe that this will be a unique opportunity to also create a menu inspired by art. We’re excited to be collaborating with such a talented chef.”
Elderslie will oversee the museum’s 60-seat restaurant and event catering in what will be a newly renovated space on the building’s east side, which features floor-to-ceiling windows with a view overlooking the Art Garden and the Arkansas River. The inspiration for the name 1400 by Elderslie comes from the museum’s physical address, 1400 West Museum Boulevard.
“The opportunity to partner with the Wichita Art Museum allows Elderslie to grow our vision to build vibrant local culture,” said Katharine Elder, Culinary Creative Director and Owner of Elderslie Farm. “We have been considering a Wichita location at the request of our guests, and the opportunity to occupy a cultural center in our community resonates beautifully with our vision. We aim to develop and encourage culture through carefully curated food that is both responsibly and seasonally sourced, and can’t wait to do so among the stunning works of art that have been equally as carefully curated.”
I do have a funny story to share about Katharine Elder, well, more so myself. Years ago, I served as a sous-chef for Elder at a charity event. The ONLY thing I had to do was boil water. I vividly remember her asking me to boil a pot of water. So, I filled a pot with water, put it on the stove and turned it on. Later, when I was asked about the water, I looked back and noticed I had turned on the wrong burner and there was no boiling water. I lasted one day as a sous-chef.
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