KC Voices: Saltwell Farm Kitchen embraces community following devastating fire

Saltwell Farm Kitchen. // Photo by Steph Castor

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We’ve covered Saltwell Farm Kitchen many times in the past two years and received word that the farmhouse experienced a catastrophic fire following dinner service in the early hours of October 1, 2023.

Local restaurant owner Shantel Grace shares her thoughts on the incident, along with a link to a fire relief fundraiser organized to help rebuild the farm and support the staff.

Illustration by Jack Raybuck

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It was a little after one in the morning on Sunday when Mia Morrow, our brilliant sous chef and dear personal friend, began to pack up to leave after a long night of farm dinners. 

The morning before, a Johnson County police officer pulled her over due to a broken light near her license plate. To avoid a ticket, she replaced the bulb under the stars while our playful farm cats severely delayed her process. 

Everyone was asleep, even the chickens. Frogs croaked.

Fire damage at Saltwell Farm Kitchen. // Courtesy photo

One last look inside (because that’s the kind of chef she is), she noticed a thick smoky smell. When she checked the laundry room, she saw it was the laundry room dryer and immediately called 911. 

She quickly called again when it burst into flames, pleading with them to stay on the phone with her as she watched thick smoke consume the farmhouse like warm chocolate ganache on a cold buttery cake.

And what happened next—in the span of less than 15 minutes—saved our farm, our lives, our dreams, and the lives of seven new kittens who were born in our basement unknowingly during service that evening.

Dennis Snodgrass, Deputy Chief with Consolidated District 1 of Douglas County, showed up first. A longtime guardian angel of Saltwell, whose daughter also works with us, waited for the next responder to show up. Shortly after, our chef de cuisine, Ken, and the entire team of first responders in District 2 arrived and stormed the farmhouse to save our home, restaurant, and animals from complete annihilation. 

Everyone was safe. And that’s all that matters.

Saltwell’s road to recovery is going to be a long process, and writing this post is an emotional and difficult moment, but also filled with deep gratitude and a joyful spirit. The resilience of 20 passionate Saltwell family members is clear: We built this once-abandoned farm restaurant out of spit, grit, and bubble gum, and we will rebuild it again. 

Yesterday, Fire Chief Mike Baxter—who orchestrated the quick response to the fire Sunday morning—showed up to check on us as we walked through the ash and broken glass, heirloom dishes, and pictures. When I saw him, I burst into tears, and he gave me one of those “dad hugs” that even a 43-year-old mother of three needs once in a while. And then he said four words I’ll never forget: “This wasn’t your fault.”

I don’t know exactly how to express our gratitude to Chief Baxter and the team of firefighters who saved us Sunday morning. As I write this, tears pour down my face like thick lemon drops, and all I can say is that what you do and what you did is worthy of a lifetime of gratitude. We will never forget your swift response, your kindness, your ability to make us feel safe, or the fact that you cared enough to go back one more time to save a box of newborn kittens and their mother. We will never forget your faces and commitment. The first dinner we will serve, once we are rebuilt again, will be for your team and your families as an expression of our love and infinite appreciation.

To those who have stopped by and contacted us with so much emotional support, know that those acts of love mean more than anyone can imagine. It’s like losing a loved one—you never forget who stopped by to say, “I see you, and I love you, and I’m here while you’re hurting.”

The kittens are alright. // Photo by Ken Baker

To our staff of 20 incredible humans, make no mistake: We will be back soon, and in the meantime, we will do everything we can to make sure we all survive this and get back to work. You mean everything to us. And your support through this is as one-of-a-kind as all of you individually.

To our community of Overbrook, we are humbled by your love and support. We couldn’t be more proud to share this historic McKinzie farmstead with those who live and farm and work around us. Thank you for your neighborly love.

To the many guests who were looking forward to their upcoming reservations in October, we are so deeply sorry to announce that we will be closed in October while we rebuild. We would be so honored if you choose to allow us to reschedule you for another date.

To the couple whose wedding we had to cancel this past Sunday amongst the chaos, know that it was one of the hardest phone calls we’ve ever made, and your compassion and understanding meant so much more than you can imagine. Hopefully one day, we can make it up to you.

To the Master Gardeners of Douglas County, whose event we had to cancel this upcoming weekend, we cannot begin to tell you how sorry we are for the burden of canceling on you with such short notice. 

To the Willow, whose event in October raises so much vital money for those victims of domestic violence in our community, we are truly so sorry that we are unable to donate our time, food, and kitchen towards your efforts this year, and we truly look forward to helping you again soon once we are back on our feet.

And finally, to those who have reached out asking to support us through this struggle, our partner and dear friend, Kate, set up a GoFundMe last night, something that is personally very difficult for us to ask for and to even accept. But we’re quickly learning that being vulnerable and asking for help to get through life’s difficulties is a part of life, especially for small businesses like us, which exist not because of pockets of money but rather only because of hard work and gumption.

Should any of you wish to give, know that it will be used to help get our feet back on the ground so that we can employ our staff again as quickly as possible and re-open our dining spaces. And for any of you who wish to support in other ways, we would be so honored to have any of you purchase gift cards, plants, or merchandise or even share this post. It all matters.

We hope to have a better vision of re-opening in the coming weeks and will keep all our friends and guests notified as we approach November reservations and the holidays. We love each and every one of you, and we cannot wait to see you again soon.

All our love to you. 

Sincerely and with the deepest gratitude,

Shantel, Rozz, and all of Saltwell Farm Kitchen