Patrick Ryan lives to innovate. “I’ve never been good at the grind, having one task and doing it everyday. I like to constantly keep inventing and creating.” A Kansas City native, Patrick’s creative spark found a home in the kitchen. He began working in kitchens at an early age, at cozy mom-and-pop joints helmed by Mexican cooks. It’s here where he first began to learn about Mexican culture and cuisine, a love affair that inspired him to get his culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu in Portland, Oregon, and an apprenticeship with legendary chef Rick Bayless at Frontera Grill and Topolobampo in Chicago.
Patrick returned home in 2010 to open the first iteration of Port Fonda, a small restaurant housed inside an Airstream trailer that specialized in serving up regional Mexican fare with a Midwestern twist. In other words, not your standard burrito. Port Fonda became a brick and mortar in 2012, ushering in a culinary renaissance that’s earned him a James Beard nomination for Best Chef Midwest for the past three years running! Food & Wine has nominated Patrick not once, but twice, as its People’s Choice for Best New Chef.
“Good cooks are naturally givers. It makes you feel good to entertain, to share, to give. And running a restaurant is amazing because you get to do it all of the time.”
“The first thing I’ll do when I travel is hit up a street vendor. If you don’t know anything else, find a place that has line. And just get something little to eat, maybe something little to drink.”
