Chef Todd Schulte finds happiness on Gillis and Genessee

It takes awhile to realize that chef Todd Schulte is funny. When asked a question, he’ll sometimes turn his head slightly to the left and briefly look like he’s searching for the answer. But then he’ll swing his eyes back to you and, with an exceptionally dry delivery, tell you exactly why he’s not the guy who should be answering your questions.

“I thought for sure we were going to build this happy little

empire. Kansas City was on the map with Christopher Elbow. Oprah

would call us and talk to us about how we had given away our

fortune,” says Schulte about the start of his first business, the Happy Soup Eater. A long beat passes. “I was very disappointed when I found out she was canceling her

show.”

So, while he may not make it on Oprah, the success of the Happy Gillis Cafe & Hangout and the recently opened Genessee Royale Bistro (which he co-owns with his wife, Tracy Zinn) means that Schulte needs to be taken seriously as a budding restaurateur in Kansas City.