Red Kitten, Salina, Ks.

I'm the Cheif Cook and sometimes Bottlewasher at the Red Kitten, Salina, Kansas. (If you're curious, I can show you my official Chief Cook Apron and Hat.) I have my wife's permission to say so too. Laurie's the gal you see behind the bar, on the phone to the band, and generally having a great time every weekend. She lets me bartend some, and she stays out of my kitchen (sometimes). I'm the guy you see darting about behind the bar, cooking that stuff you think smells so great and the provender of Real Man's Pretzels with Secret Sauce. Copyright pending on the Secret Sauce. We are fortunate to have a business where there's a party every weekend, and a lot of our friends show up to celebrate. We even hire a band, they're really exceptional, and if you're very good, you may even get to smell breakfast just before its served. That varies, of course, just like our bands. The only thing we really insist on is that you come to have fun, enjoy the music, and say hi while you're here. We'll be the first to say hi, because, after all, if you're not our friend, we hope you will be. During the spring and summer, Laurie and I raise vegetables and preserve them so we can cook all year round. We also have a lot of fruit trees, so preserving sweet things is on the menu too. During the winter we like sitting by the fire at home, and, of course, working until almost dawn the next day after the bar closes, and the band has finished breakfast. Then, we turn around, and do it all again. All that on the weekends, and I still keep my day job. It's fun, but its work sometimes too. If you want to see a bunch of nice people doing nice things and having a party too, stop by and say hi. We'll pull up a chair and set a spell, just like you've seen on TV...