James Beard Award winner
Megan Garrelts
- Discipline
- James Beard Award winner
i. Biography
Co-owner of Bluestem since 2004, Megan Garrelts has built a practice where pastry sits inside restaurant identity, not beside it. In Kansas City, Missouri, that means desserts are treated as the last plate with a point of view: composed, deliberate, and meant to leave a trace after the meal ends.
Coming Up
Today, Megan Garrelts is co-owner and pastry chef of Bluestem (since 2004) and co-owner and pastry chef of Rye (since 2012). That pairing of kitchen work and ownership puts her in a position many pastry chefs never reach: responsible both for the final pass and for the conditions that make it possible. The work has been about building, adjusting, and sustaining restaurants where pastry is part of the restaurant’s structure, not a side channel.
Where They Are Now
She is co-owner of Bluestem in Kansas City, Missouri, and pastry chef and co-owner at Rye. The restaurants reflect the Midwestern sensibility Megan Garrelts and her husband set out to honor—comfort-led, regionally grounded, and readable without being narrow. That balance between the plate and the business gives her role a practical range: the same person finishing dessert is also helping shape what the room stands for.
Career - co-owner and pastry chef — Bluestem, Kansas City, Missouri (2004–present) - co-owner and pastry chef — Rye, Leawood, Kansas (2012–present)
Signature
Megan's signature dishes include crispy fried chicken and lemon meringue pie. The pairing shows a useful span in the kitchen: savory and sweet, crisp and soft, richness and lift. It points to a cook working with contrast and control, with enough range to make both a plated entrée and a classic dessert feel equally considered.
In Their Words “My husband and I both grew up in the Midwest, me from Illinois and him from Kansas, we wanted our restaurants to share our love of the Midwest.” That line reads less like branding than positioning. For Garrelts, Bluestem and Rye are built from a shared regional reference point, with the Midwest serving as the frame for flavor, mood, and menu direction. “The advancement of woman and more female lead restaurants, kitchens, and business owners is a great growth for the industry.” Here, Garrelts speaks to access and authority in the trade. The point is practical: more women leading kitchens and businesses changes who gets to make decisions, set standards, and define what restaurant leadership looks like.
FAQ What is Megan Garrelts's current role? She is co-owner of Bluestem in Kansas City, Missouri, and pastry chef and co-owner at Rye. What awards has Megan Garrelts received? No awards were listed.
