The Kennedy: Deco Delights

With every dish, The Kennedy tells a tasty tale of local ingredients and elevated flavors.

When The Kennedy opened in Spartanburg in early 2018, the restaurant aimed to be a streamlined venue hyper-focused on as many local ingredients as the staff could source. According to David Moore, director of operations for the Cribbs Hospitality Group, The Kennedy has always been a very unique offering in its market. “There’s nothing else that’s as intimate and thoughtful,” he says.

Opening chef Jamie Cribb, brother of owner William (also of popular Cribbs Kitchen), devoted himself to forging relationships with local and regional farmers and producers. Although Jamie left The Kennedy in 2021, these relationships have not only taken root, but have grown like a proverbial bean stalk.

Ties with farmers and makers that date from the restaurant’s opening, such as Colonial Mill and Nosh Farm and Bakery, both in Spartanburg County, are as important to the restaurant today as they were five years ago. “Things that have been . . . writing that narrative for us since the beginning are still intact, and we rely heavily on them,” shares Moore. “We want to tell that story to as many guests as we can.”

Under the restaurant’s new kitchen manager, Chef Anna Scott, The Kennedy’s staff is constantly searching for premium ingredients from around the globe to pair on the plate with those fresh, local products. “The idea of fusing a beautiful international product and tying it into, say, sweet potatoes from Bradford Family Farm [in Sumter, South Carolina], that’s the philosophy that backs up everything we do,” Moore says. “That’s what takes it to another level. That’s what makes it blast off.”

International notes abound, too, in creations like a lamb Bolognese with curry flavors, an Indian bread component, and a Filipino eggplant torta. Call it New American with a soupçon of fusion tossed in for good measure.

The restaurant has evolved, both in its menu and its hours, though the interior design—recalling the Streamline Moderne style of the 1930s—remains as chic as ever. Honoring customer requests, The Kennedy has added lunch and switched to an all-day menu. Now, shareables, small and large plates, and a category called Veg & Co. leave more room for experimentation and weekly specials. Scott says that may mean Szechuan broccolini with a crunchy garlic tataki sauce, or a fried-rice-style Anson Mills farro verde with a local sunny-side-up egg and kimchi made in-house from Bradford Farm collards.

According to Moore, creating lasting food memories for diners is The Kennedy’s goal. And they do this through respecting local ingredients and the farmers who produced them. Moore describes them as “elevated ingredients that have their own beautiful story, and we get to translate that story to our guests and create awesome connectivity.”

The Kennedy Spring Salad Recipe

From Chef Anna Scott

Yield: 4 servings

For the Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 2 cups charred green garbanzo beans (see instructions below; look for green garbanzo beans in the freezer section of the grocery store)
• 1 oz roasted garlic
• ¾ cup white balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups salad oil of your choice
• ½ Tbsp ground cumin
• Zest and juice of 2 lemons
• Salt and ground white pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Char garbanzo beans in a hot cast iron pan or with a torch, and cool completely before blending into vinaigrette.
2. In a blender, combine charred garbanzos, garlic, vinegar, cumin, lemon juice, and zest.
3. Blend on low to medium speed until smooth.
4. Slowly add in the oil until the mixture is fully emulsified.
5. Season with salt and pepper.

For the Granola Crunch

Ingredients

• ¾ cup pecans
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup raw sunflower seeds
• Zest from 1 lemon
• ¼ cup local honey
• 1 tsp vanilla-bean paste with seeds
• ¼ cup bee pollen

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix everything except bee pollen together in a bowl.
3. Pour mixture out onto a parchment-lined sheet tray or cookie pan.
4. Bake in oven for 20–25 minutes.
5. Cool completely at room temperature.
6. Drizzle with additional honey and sprinkle on the bee pollen.
7. Break into pieces (whatever size you desire).

For the Salad

Ingredients

• 3 heads mixed Tyger River Smart Farms lettuces
• 1 bunch local mustard greens
• 1 pint baby heirloom tomatoes
• 4 ears sweet corn, grilled
• 1½ cups green garbanzo beans, charred (follow same directions as vinaigrette instruction #1)
• Charred Green Garbanzo Vinaigrette
• Granola Crunch

To Assemble

1. Toss corn, tomatoes, and charred garbanzo beans with vinaigrette, leaving some vinaigrette to dress the plate.
2. Arrange an assortment of washed lettuces on a salad plate.
3. Arrange seasoned vegetables on top of the lettuce leaves.
4. Sprinkle with broken pieces of granola crunch, as desired.
5. Swipe additional vinaigrette around the plate and serve.