Kelly Manning started Tavern in the Village in 2011 after a long restaurant career with Morton's steakhouse and Houstons restaurants. His past experience taught him the value of excellent service and a high quality product. It was always his dream to own his own restaurant before he turned 40 and that dream came true for him when he opened Tavern in the Village in 2011, 1 day before his 40th birthday. He credits his amazing family and friends for their continued support and his strong roots in Kansas City for much of his success. Kelly grew up 5 minutes away from the current location and attended Pembroke Hill and then the University of Kansas.

His dream of owning a family friendly, upscale casual restaurant with exceptional service and high quality food came true with Tavern in the Village. A year and a half later he opened his second location, Tavern at Mission Farms in Leawood. Stay tuned for his next restaurant venture, coming soon.

Shelby grew up in the Kansas City area and attended Shawnee Mission North and Johnson County Community College before starting a family. She raised three kids that all attended Shawnee Mission East and now attend KU and Ole Miss. She has run several businesses in the Kansas City area and is the newest addition to our management team.

“I’ve always loved the Tavern and felt that it was a warm and inviting place to be and now I feel so fortunate to officially be a part of this amazing team and community.”

Mari is a native Kansas Citian and started working at Tavern at Mission Farms at the age of 19. She has since moved to Tavern in the Village and we feel very lucky to have had her with us for the past 7 years.

“I’ve grown up and learned so much with my years at the Taverns and I love being a part of this amazing Tavern family and community.”

Chef Carolina has worked at several restaurants in the KC area but says she is most happy to be the Chef for this “amazing restaurant” Tavern in the Village."

Carolina grew up in Mexico where she learned to cook from her Mother and Grandmother and she says she comes from a long line of strong women who heavily influenced her cooking. She moved to the United states many years ago but her heritage is evident in many of her dishes. She always uses the freshest ingredients and says she enjoys creating dishes that bring back memories from her childhood. Before coming to the Tavern, Carolina worked at Rye in Leawood.

Carolina lives in Kansas City with her husband Gustavo who also works as her partner in the kitchen at the Tavern.

Molly is a longtime restauranteur and we are very lucky to have her experience and professionalism at the Tavern. Molly graduated from KU and then moved to Chicago for a corporate job but the the restaurant business kept calling and she moved back to Kansas City and joined the team at The Classic Cup on the Plaza where she worked for 18 years. She worked her way up from server to General Manager and then partner. 

She and her husband then moved to Crested Butte Colorado where together they opened a steakhouse in the mountains. They enjoyed their time in Colorado but eventually moved back to Kansas City.

Before coming to the Tavern, Molly worked as the Food and Beverage Director at Milburn Country Club for 5 years. We were lucky enough to have her come back to Prairie Village in June when she joined the Tavern team as a Manager. 

"I love Prairie Village and the neighborhood feel of the Tavern, it's the perfect spot for me!"

Nicole grew up in Kansas City Mo and attended the Kansas City Art Institute where she earned a Bachelors degree in Fine Arts. She has spent several years working in the restaurant industry and enjoys the fact that working in the restaurant business allows her to continue creating art which is her true passion. Nicole really enjoys working with people and especially working with the Tavern team