Michelin Star Chef to Open New Restaurant at Current Landing
NWSL Kansas City Current

Michelin Star Chef to Open New Restaurant at Current Landing

Published on February 6, 2026 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Kansas City Current News Release


KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Today, Current Landing announces Chef Nicholas Stefanelli - best known for his Michelin-starred Masseria - will open a casually chic and warm-hearted Italian restaurant at Current Landing.

This will be Stefanelli's first announced project outside of his native Washington, D.C.-area, and to Kansas City, he brings 20-plus years of studying and cooking Italian cuisine. Masseria, his flagship fine-dining restaurant in Washington, D.C., earned and maintained a Michelin star every year since opening in 2015 and has been consistently named a Top 50 Italian Restaurant in the world (outside of Italy), annually by 50 Top Italy.

Stefanelli has long staked his career on pioneering new neighborhoods. Masseria was the first full-service, fine-dining restaurant in the newly revitalized Union Market area, which is now the epicenter of the dining scene in the nation's capital. His second restaurant, the more casual, yet refined Officina, was among the first of a slate of restaurants to debut alongside D.C.'s rebirth of its waterfront, The Wharf.

"Joining the efforts to build along the water and being an integral part of creating a brand-new center for food, drink, lifestyle - and sports - is an exciting opportunity, and I'm honored to be a part of it," says Stefanelli. "Kansas City has a rich culinary landscape that I look forward to embracing, and Current Landing builds on that tradition. I'm grateful to Angie and Chris Long for bringing me into this project," says Stefanelli, of the Kansas City Current co-founders and co-owners.

The planned restaurant will bring Stefanelli's signature style of glamour and comfort, pulling from Southern Italy's pantry with both classics and modern interpretations: hand rolled orecchiette with broccolini; maccheroni, made inhouse, with eggplant nduja and tomato; a bone-in veal chop; and of course, a Kansas City strip served with olive oil-crushed potatoes and salsa verde.

Stefanelli, who has traveled to Italy at least once a year, every year, for the past 20 years, befriending farmers and artisans along the way, was a natural fit to bring the food of his heritage to Current Landing.

"We are honored to work with Chef Stefanelli, a chef and business owner who is eager to get to know our city and become a part of our community," says Angie and Chris Long. "Our partnership with Chef Stefanelli highlights the appeal of Kansas City's waterfront and our commitment to making Current Landing our city's culinary epicenter. We are creating a neighborhood that has never-before-seen amenities for our region - a vibrant waterfront anchored by CPKC Stadium; best-in-class residences; and the best local and national culinary minds."

With Stefanelli's experience and knowledge of what it takes to build new restaurant-centered communities, his voice in developing this restaurant is a boon to the Kansas City waterfront.

"Our ability to attract a talent that is the caliber of Chef Stefanelli is a testament to the power of being on the water and the authentic nature of how we are blending sports and mixed-use waterfront development into the city's newest neighborhood," says Josh Goldman, managing director at Palmer Square Real Estate.

First announced in December 2025, Current Landing is expected to complete its first phases of construction ahead of the 2026 World Cup. No one will have better access to Kansas City and Stefanelli's restaurant than the residents at River's Edge and Conïfluence; Current Landing properties which recently opened for pre-leasing.

Additional chef, restaurant and bars will be announced ahead of the development's grand opening in Spring 2026.

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