Update: Monday memorial gathering for chef John McClure at the RecordBar

• Allie Mason
• John McClure, at age 35, was one of Kansas City’s best-loved chef-owners.

Update: A memorial for the late restaurateur John McClure will be held at RecordBar, 1020 Westport Road, on Monday night. The Facebook page created for this event reports that the gathering in McClure’s honor will begin at 7 p.m. and end on the following Tuesday morning — October 25 — at 1 a.m. McClure was not only a respected member of Kansas City’s restaurant community but also an engaging and vital young man with many friends who loved him dearly.

Fat City has learned that one of Kansas City’s most gifted young restaurateurs, chef John McClure of Starker’s Restaurant, was found dead in his home this morning. When McClure missed a morning meeting and failed to answer his cell phone, Starker’s manager Dean Smith went to McClure’s home and found the body of the 35-year-old chef. According to Starker’s employee George Huber, McClure’s body was taken to an area hospital. No cause of death has yet been reported.

The Kansas City restaurant community has been tweeting the news today. Huber says he, like all of the restaurant’s employees, are in shock.

In addition to operating Starker’s Restaurant on the Country Club Plaza, McClure was preparing to open a taqueria called Barrio in Westport. Fat City’s Jonathan Bender profiled chef McClure in a series of interviews in February. We will report more details on this story as we learn them.