Lucie Krisman  - Leawood

Leawood Rye owners named official chef partners for new KC Current soccer stadium

Leawood Rye owners

Owners of Leawood restaurant Rye have been announced as chef partners for the Kansas City Current's incoming Berkley Riverfront Park stadium, which will break ground this week. Above, Rye owners Megan and Colby Garrelts. Image courtesy of Kansas City Current.

Colby and Megan Garrelts, the chefs and owners of the popular Leawood restaurant Rye, have been named the new “chef partners” of the Kansas City Current’s new downtown soccer stadium.

Details: As chef partners, Colby and Megan Garrelts will consult on food and beverage for the professional women’s soccer team’s new stadium, which is planned to be built at Berkley Riverfront Park in Kansas City, Mo.

  • This week marks the beginning of construction on the new stadium, with an official groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday.
  • The stadium is expected to open in time for the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League season.

Who they are: Colby and Megan Garrelts opened Rye’s flagship location at the Mission Farms shopping center in Leawood in 2012.

  • They later opened a second location at Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza in 2017.
  • The Garrelts also operated Bluestem in Kansas City’s Westport area before closed in 2020 after 17 years in business.
Leawood Rye owners
Rye owners Colby and Megan Garrelts. Image via Rye website.

Other achievements: Colby and Megan Garrelts have also written a cookbook and have received various awards and recognitions for their work in the food industry.

  • This includes being featured in the Wall Street Journal, in addition to Bon Appétit, Food & Wine and Saveur magazines.
  • Rye has also established itself as a favorite among Post readers by making some of the Post’s “5 to Try” lists — made up from our readers’ recommendations — including best brunch and best pies in Johnson County.

Key quote: ““We are beyond thrilled to work with Megan and Colby,” said KC Current co-owner Angie Long in a press release Tuesday. “The food story is such an important part of our stadium and in addition to the incredible soccer matches and events, we want the food and beverage experience to be a reason people come to our stadium. Colby and Megan represent everything we want in a partner: commitment to excellence, forward-thinking, and rooted in the Midwest.”

Hi! I'm Lucie Krisman, and I cover the city of Leawood and the Blue Valley School District for the Post.

My work reporting on local government and the local business community is made possible by the support of our subscribers. To more than 7,000 of you who already subscribe: 🙏 THANK YOU! If you aren't a subscriber yet, please support our work by trying one today — your first month is just $1

A bit about me and my background:

I'm a native of Tulsa, Okla., but have been living in Kansas since I moved here to attend KU, where I earned my degree in journalism. Prior to joining the Post, I did work for The Pitch, the Eudora Times, the North Dakota Newspaper Association and KTUL in Tulsa.