Chef
Nick Korbee
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- New York City, New York, United States
i. Biography
In Wichita, Kansas, the cooking at First Mile Kitchen works from proximity: locally grown ingredients, seasonal timing, and a service style that gives the product the first word. In Nick Korbee’s hands, plain materials — eggs, bread, bacon, cheese, jalapeno, tomato jam, limited space — read as a method rather than a list. The work favors compression, resourcefulness, and brightness, using constraint as a sharpening tool. The line from New York City, New York, to the Midwest keeps the same trade logic: direct food, tuned closely. Egg Shop required a tight format and fast readability; First Mile Kitchen gives that same discipline a wider seasonal field. Korbee’s cooking sits in the useful middle ground: polished without removing access, approachable without relaxing the details.
Coming Up
Formal technique came first through Le Cordon Bleu, before the New York dining scene gave the work a narrow, high-pressure format. As co-founder and chef/partner at Egg Shop in New York City, New York (from 2014), Nick Korbee worked in a register built around bright, craveable food with a defined point of view. The compact counter model did not leave room for loose parts; each element had to carry weight. Restaurant language moved onto the page with Egg Shop: The Cookbook (2017), where the same breakfast-and-lunch materials were translated into print. The craft question stayed consistent: how to treat everyday ingredients with enough focus that simplicity holds its shape. Ownership at First Mile Kitchen expands the frame without discarding the earlier discipline. As chef/owner, Nick Korbee works in a kitchen where place matters more visibly, and where the method shifts from a single sandwich format toward a broader restaurant language built around local seasonality.
Where They Are Now
Midwestern seasonality now sets the working conditions. At First Mile Kitchen in Wichita, Kansas, the focus is locally grown, seasonally driven, polished cuisine, with regional growing seasons shaping the menu rather than serving as decoration. The move gives Korbee room to work beyond the New York counter model while keeping the close attention to ingredients. The return is described in practical terms: "After visiting for holidays, birthdays and milestones for the last 15 years, it was the right time to come back to the Midwest and plant roots here." At First Mile Kitchen, the through-line is use what is near, work with what is available, and make the result feel intentional. The restaurant’s stance is active rather than abstract. Korbee has put it plainly: "I put my hand up because that’s what I’m all about and what this restaurant is going to be all about." In Wichita, that means polish measured by handling, sourcing, timing, and restraint — not by distance from familiar food.
Signature
The Egg Shop B.E.C. and egg white burrito show the compact architecture that has marked much of the work. In Nick Korbee’s versions, eggs, bread, bacon, cheese, jalapeno, and tomato jam function as structural pieces: fat, heat, acid, softness, chew, and familiarity arranged for immediate impact.
In Their Words “The trend of sandwiches, particularly egg sandwiches, means a lot to me. It’s a big part of what I do every day at Egg Shop. I can’t think of another one that I’d care to dance with.” “After visiting for holidays, birthdays and milestones for the last 15 years, it was the right time to come back to the Midwest and plant roots here.”
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Nick
What is Nick Korbee's current role?
As of 2026, Nick Korbee is Chef-owner.
Where did Nick Korbee train or study?
Nick Korbee trained at Le Cordon Bleu.
What is Nick Korbee known for?
He brings locally grown, seasonally driven, d cuisine to Wichita, Kansas.
