Everyone’s moving. Fire ablaze on the stovetop, salt flying in the air, a frenzy of white aprons. The clinking of glasses and the dull thud of pots hitting the counter mix with the laughter and lively voices from the dining area. The thick, earthy smell of roasting meat funnels through the door as it opens. Leaning nonchalantly against the corner booth by the kitchen, junior Misha Smith is relaxed even among the hurried state of her mom’s restaurant, the Red Door Grill.
Misha has been in the kitchen since even before she could hobble on two legs, sometimes being plopped on top of cutting boards in the evening rush of her parents’ restaurant. Before she could even talk, Misha knew the sound of pasta boiling on the stove and frantic chopping on cutting boards. Her parents owned a restaurant together when she was still a newborn, called 40 Sardines. However, 40 Sardines closed in 2007 due to the tough economy; the restaurant wasn’t able to keep up. Around the time 40 Sardines closed, Misha’s parents, Michael and Debbie Smith, got a divorce. Though her parents were getting a divorce, and the restaurant she was practically raised in was closing, the influences of her parents’ cooking never ceased.
Michael took her around everywhere, even if it meant sitting her down at the banquet in the kitchen while he worked long, busy hours at 40 Sardines. Being raised in the kitchen, Misha knows the hustle and bustle of a restaurant like the back of her hand. She knows cooking, and she knows that without her parents by the stove and yelling commands at frantic cooks, her life couldn’t be emptier.
“My life would be so weird without my parents being chefs,” Misha said. “It would be extremely different. I don’t think it would be as fun unless they were, like, movie stars.”
The liveliness of her parents’ profession has changed Misha’s life in more ways than one. The kitchen is where Misha’s best memories come from; sneaking handfuls of butter and shoving it in her mouth as quick as she could before her dad noticed. She even had a private room in the back of 40 Sardines where she would laugh and talk with her sister, and doing some cooking of her own frying chips for customers all day long.
“The kitchen has its own language,” Misha said. “It’s exciting.”
Not only has the atmosphere in general changed her life, but her parents would be complete strangers to her if they didn’t cook. Michael wouldn’t have his own distinct style, and his yearn to be portrayed as a spunky, nuance chef. He wouldn’t have a ponytail, and he wouldn’t wear flip-flops year long. He wouldn’t wear shorts constantly, or have an octopus tattoo. They wouldn’t have cured pork hanging from white string in the ceiling of their basement.
“What kid has a dad that wears [flip-flops] to work everyday?” Misha said. “What dad wears an earring? I don’t know…but I like him that way.”
Misha has learned to appreciate her dad’s unique style of cooking spanning from Mexican, Asian to Mediterranean food. Tasting things instead of just eating them has become an important virtue to Misha.
“Lots of people see what my kids are eating, and they’re like, ‘oh we don’t eat that’,” Michael said. “But it’s because their parents told them that they wouldn’t like it. They need to experience things first before they decide they don’t like it.”
Michael was one of those people who wanted to experiment with different types of food. He decided that he wanted to experience foreign things, not just stuff out of a can that needed salt. Growing up, he worked in the kitchen cooking things that the people around him had never seen before. His inspiration began with his crave for culinary knowledge, not just because he had a knack for this particular skill.
“Sustaining excellence is a lot harder than getting there,” Michael said. “Once I got started and knew what I was going to do with my life, everything turned out right.” 
Michael was named best chef in the state of Missouri two years in a row. During the peak of his culinary career, he began hosting annual James Beard Foundation fundraising dinners, special events that featured celebrity chefs from all over the country. Michael and his recipes have also been displayed in publications including “Gourmet”, “Bon Appetit”, “Wine Spectator” and “Robb Report.” He also was crowned the James Beard “Best Chef In The Midwest.” And to top it all off, he even wrote the menu and developed the recipes for Spin: Neapolitan Pizza, becoming a top advisor in the newly thriving business.
Michael now owns two restaurants: Michael Smith and Extra Virgin, which have both been awarded numerous awards. Not only has Michael been highly acclaimed, but Debbie has also been highly successful in her culinary pursuits. Also winning James Beard awards, Debbie recently opened her new restaurant, The Red Door Grill, in Leawood over the past summer.
Both Debbie’s and Michael’s work hours can be extremely long. Michael can even spends up to 50 hours a week in the kitchen, most of the time not being home on the weekend to cook dinner. Being separated from her parents for long periods of time has made Misha realize that the life of a cook isn’t what she wants to pursue in her future.
“Growing up, becoming a chef [was] all I wanted to do,” Misha said. “But the hours, and all the work, and the effort made me realize that cooking just wasn’t something I wanted to do. I really admire the work my parents have done, but it just isn’t something I would do.”
Without having accomplished chefs as parents, Misha wouldn’t have a dad with crazy tattoos who hangs pork from basement ceilings. Her parents have helped her to identify herself. She doesn’t know what she will do with her future; perhaps she will help children with disabilities, become an architect. She isn’t sure, but whatever she decides, she knows she can always come back home to the kitchen, where it all started.
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