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>> Kansas City Business Journal. Cadillac Style



- Michael, Nora and Nell at Peristyle Restaurant, New Orleans June 2005


Michael Lucas, chef and owner of Cadillac Catering, has spent nearly 30 years in the food service industry. Beginning as a busboy in his hometown of Bloomington, Ill., Lucas later moved to Chicago and worked his way up the "front-of-the-house" ranks in top-rated, legendary hotels and restaurants, including The Chicago Hilton & Towers and Michael Foley's Restaurant at The Grand Ohio, both three-star rated and internationally known establishments. Lucas worked as a waiter, captain, and maitre'd, developing a breadth of knowledge in classic table service, wines and cognacs, and sales.

Even early on, Lucas was interested in the texture, color and flavor of the food he served. It was in those early days as a waiter that he decided he wanted to become a chef. His opportunity came while working at Hotel 21 East Kempinski in the famed Gold Coast Area of Michigan Avenue. Lucas grabbed the chance to learn culinary skills from one of the world's best. He worked nights in the hotel's dining room and spent his days training and learning to cook for no pay in the kitchen of the revered master chef, Joachim Splichal, who was consulting for the hotel.

- photo Gary Rohman

Michael D. Lucas Owner of Cadillac Catering 2003 Splichal's cutting-edge menus made a lasting impression on the young cook. When Splichal then left for Los Angeles to open his famed restaurant, Patina, Lucas found his way down the street to the French bistro and celebrity hangout, Yvette. Working the door and managing the restaurant's waitstaff, Lucas greeted actors, sports stars, and local celebs including Harry Caray, Studs Terkil, Michael Jordan, and Richard Lewis. In his off-hours, Lucas cultivated his passion for cooking and further developed his skills and understanding of the food business by working for large-scale catering companies.

In 1992, Lucas moved to Kansas City and became executive chef at The New Theatre Restaurant. Opening the food operation of the new 600-seat dinner theatre, Lucas trained and managed a kitchen staff of 40, developed a new menu every other month, and fed fine-dining quality meals to 5,000 people a week. Overseeing all aspects of production, budgeting, staffing, logistics and scheduling in order to feed 600 people a day was the best catering experience he could have had.

In 1996, Lucas began Cadillac Catering. After renovating a 1918 brick building on the edge of downtown Kansas City into a private party facility and commercial kitchen, Lucas, through Cadillac Catering, began providing top-of-the-line service and food in a creative, urban atmosphere. Word-of-mouth satisfaction has grown the business over 500 percent since opening. Today, Cadillac Catering flourishes as the premiere catering choice in Kansas City.

- Michael and Nora, 2001