Gumbo for Life? Shanita McAfee-Bryant of Magnolia’s Launches Kickstarter Effort

Shanita McAfee-Bryant, the chef and owner of Magnolia’s restaurant, has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to get her new location ready for business.

chef-shanita-mcafee-bryantThe restaurant is moving into a new space at 99th Street and Holmes Road in Kansas City, and McAfee-Bryant is hoping to raise about $15,000. The money will help pay for finishes and make the space look as amazing as possible. The new location should open in late August or early September.

“So far, it’s been pretty smooth,” she said, “so we’re going to keep our fingers crossed and pray it goes that way.”

McAfee-Bryant has won over a huge number of fans with her contemporary Southern cuisine. She has even earned some national attention, too, when she won an episode of “Cutthroat Kitchen” on the Food Network last year.

McAfee-Bryant operated Magnolia’s at 29th and Cherry for three years, and it was just time to move to a larger location. The 99th and Holmes space will be twice as large as Magnolia’s old home, allowing McAfee-Bryant to expand her menu, serve more diners faster and offer other features.

“The whole entire old restaurant could fit into the new dining room,” she said.

Magnolia’s Kickstarter campaign will end on July 30. If it doesn’t reach its $15,000 goal, any money pledged will go back to donors.

To encourage people to give, McAfee-Bryant has cooked up a full slate of incentives, including in-home catered meals, private brunches and, for $1,500, gumbo for life.

“Who wouldn’t want gumbo for life?” she said.