About us
My goal isn't to recreate the past. It's to carry the knowledge forward.
Wadulisi's is a contemporary Indigenous culinary business serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. We cook community meals, teach, and work with institutions and organizations, all rooted in Cherokee, Quapaw, and Seneca-Cayuga foodways.
Melissa Garrett, Founder
Melissa is the founder and culinary leader of Wadulisi's. She trained in Culinary Arts & Operations at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts and is continuing her education in entrepreneurship and in wellness and nutrition.
Her cooking starts with the foods she grew up with and the foodways she is connected to. Research, testing, and reconnection are an ongoing part of that work.
Room at the table
Melissa is the person building the table, but the table is not only hers. There is no single Indigenous cuisine, and Wadulisi's is meant to make room for other Indigenous cooks, growers, and teachers to share their own foodways in their own voices.
Rooted in our foodways. Created for today. Made to be shared.
Meet Our Family at Wadulisi's LLC
Wadulisi's is family run and family operated. Melissa is head chef and her husband is second in command in the kitchen. Their three daughters are part of it too: one works alongside them as sous chef, the youngest helps when she can, and all three are part of the family behind the food.
When you book a community meal or sit down to something we cooked, this is who made it. We cook the way we eat at home: together, with care, and with room for one more at the table.
Where We Serve
Kansas City Metropolitan Area
Travel outside the Kansas City metro may be available with additional travel costs. Start with a consultation.