KC American Bistro

Welcome to KC American Bistro; A fine dining experience in Southwest Florida. Here, you can expect to be served the freshest ingredients with an extremely dynamic menu; All created by the impressive Chef, Keith Casey.

Be ready to fall in love with the refined taste and beautiful display of his Regional American cuisine, every time you step foot in either of their establishments.

Background:

Chef Keith always knew he wanted to pursue this career and started formally training in his early 20’s. At age 27, he took his passion to the next level and headed to the Culinary Institute of America.

When he became a bit older, he was working as a consultant, living out in California. As he was growing in this career, he and his wife decided it was time for a change and to chase their passion. They moved down to Naples soon after his parents retired here and wanted to build something that could be theirs. Chef Keith said, “I always enjoyed visiting Naples. I thought it was a great place to raise kids and you can’t beat the weather. It is a melting pot down here and I love that people come from all over.”

They came to Naples with the intention of starting a restaurant, despite a struggling economy in 2009. Although things took a little longer than expected, they stayed persistent to make their dream become a reality. Fast forward to 2012; KC American Bistro was up and running.

Expanding:

Business was booming and they were watching their vision unfold. They began their first expansion by purchasing the building next door; knocking down the wall and officially grew their establishment. Eventually, they expanded to Estero where they are currently thriving at University Village.

I asked Chef Keith about his strategy when opening the second location and if he planned to make any changes and he explained, “We have kept it identical. We believe that we have a similar demographic. When we moved to this location, we found that a lot of our clientele (approx. 30%) had actually been commuting to our Naples location. It was great seeing a lot of our regulars that could now come in more often.”

“Southwest Florida’s best Secret”:

So, what can you expect when you walk into KC American Bistro?

*Wine pairing* is a big factor in their success. “We have a wide array in selection. We can match a variety of wine with different types of cuisines. We don’t restrict ourselves by regionality when it comes to wine. We have a global selection!”

Chef Keith says, “The most important thing they should have when walking into a Keith Casey Restaurant, is a seamless dining experience. They should not be overwhelmed by people hovering. It is an escape away from what goes on outside these walls; For them to just take a break from distractions in the world and at the same time, create a space that they can communicate together as friends and family.”

You may have seen KC American Bistro if you were a part of Foodie Camp. Foodie Camp is a charity driven week, where Chef Keith and his staff teach people how to cook. They have done this with the Naples originals since inception (with the exception of a few years.) People pay to cook and talk about the wine pairing process.

They also participate in restaurant week. Chef Keith said he loves this event because he gets to concert with those he really respects among the restaurant community that are also trying to make their community great.

How was your experience working with TCG?

 “Doug knows every project that is happening. He can recite pretty much everything that is on the market. He actually helped put me in the original restaurant and was there when we decided we wanted to expand and open another location. Doug knows the expansion process and about our restaurant. He thought we would fit well here in University Village and the response has been absolutely amazing. People really want us to stick around and we are confident with the move to this area.”

TCG truly enjoyed working with KC American Bistro and it is great to see this restaurant thriving and growing! If you are looking for a night out to have a true fine dining experience, this is a must try. Chef Keith is one of a kind and an expert in his craft. For more information on their locations, menus, wine pairing, or overall restaurant questions, check out their website today. https://www.kcamericanbistro.com/