They worked years at KC area restaurants. Now they head their own: It’s ‘been a joy’

Joyce Smith
·2 min read

Amanda Accurso and Brandon Sharp said they feel like they have been working towards their new Lee’s Summit restaurant their entire careers.

She has more than two decades as a chef, and restaurant and hospitality manager, and he has 15 years experience in the same positions.

Now they’ve opened Roots Seasonal Cuisine together. It has an “elevated scratch-kitchen, seasonal menu,” with some items to change four times a year.

“We’ve worked together so long this is very rewarding. It’s so nice to have our dream come to fruition,” she said.

Charcuterie bites contain prosciutto, balsamic glaze, salmon, cucumber, mushroom and fried shallots at Roots Seasonal Cuisine.
Charcuterie bites contain prosciutto, balsamic glaze, salmon, cucumber, mushroom and fried shallots at Roots Seasonal Cuisine.

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Roots customers are opting for such dishes as crab-stuffed cheese bread (Parmesan-crusted sourdough with herbed cream cheese and shallots), chipotle pork tenderloin with chimichurri and creamy polenta, brined and house-breaded fried chicken with whipped potatoes and pan gravy, Chilean sea bass, sweet and spicy salmon (honey sambal glazed and grilled) and steaks from E3 Meat Co. in Fort Scott, Kansas,

They also have sandwiches such as the E3 steak and mushrooms on toasted artisan bread, and a grilled chicken Alfredo with sun-dried tomato, Alfredo sauce and Parmesan crisp on a toasted rosemary focaccia.

Roots offers a bananas Foster cheesecake with caramelized banana and rum sauce.
Roots offers a bananas Foster cheesecake with caramelized banana and rum sauce.

Desserts include orange cake and bananas Foster cheesecake. It also has seasonal craft cocktails with house-infused syrups.

At their previous jobs, they had to make what management wanted them to make and “do it with a smile.”

“So this has been fun,” Sharp said. “What I enjoy most about creating the menu is the freedom to not only have a beautiful presentation but to pair certain items to create a fun or unique dish, to watch their reaction when they receive it. It’s truly been a joy.”

Bartender Jessica Deister prepares cocktails for customers in the open bar area at Roots Seasonal Cuisine.
Bartender Jessica Deister prepares cocktails for customers in the open bar area at Roots Seasonal Cuisine.

They took a prime corner space at the entrance to the new Streets of West Pryor development, 940 N.W. Pryor Road, Suite M.

Brunch is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. It includes chicken and waffles, shrimp cocktails, biscuits and gravy, spinach and prosciutto omelets, Belgian waffles and a brunch burger — a house-ground steak and breakfast sausage burger, white cheddar sauce, egg and maple syrup on a hot honey buttered waffle.

Happy hour is from 3 to 6 p.m. daily and includes shrimp scampi, sliders, hummus, fried olives and potato skins with white cheddar, guacamole and bacon.

Patio entrance at Roots Seasonal Cuisine.
Patio entrance at Roots Seasonal Cuisine.

The dining room seats about 100 and the bar holds 30 people with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out to the patio. It also has a private dining room seating 20 to 25 people.

Other tenants at the Streets of West Pryor include First Watch, McKeever’s Market & Eatery, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill and Shake Shack with a drive-thru.

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