Reach Our Support Team
Meet Our Team
Connect with the passionate individuals driving our mission forward. Our dedicated team brings diverse expertise and unwavering commitment to every thing we do.
Shanita McAfee-Bryant
Founder & Executive Director (she,her)
Chef Shanita is a Kansas City native and a civic-minded chef eager to transform the lives of those suffering from food apartheid in Eastside neighborhoods by creating food-based solutions addressing food insecurity, nutrition education and culinary job training. She fell in love with cooking as a teen and went on to receive her professional culinary training at Johnson County Community College. She created and owned a restaurant and competed on The Food Network’s “Cutthroat Kitchen.”
In 2019, Chef Shanita founded The Prospect KC, a social enterprise designed to address food apartheid, a racist and oppressive system that creates inequitable food systems by addressing food insecurity, nutrition education and culinary job training.
Chef Shanita is a board member for Harvesters, Kansas City’s food bank, serving 26 counties and more than 800 agencies, and a board member of the Greater KC Food Policy Coalition, NourishKC and Lazarus Ministries KC.
She was selected to attend the James Beard Foundation’s Chef Bootcamp for Policy and Change, a unique opportunity for civically and politically minded chefs to mobilize the support for policy decisions that impact our food system. In October 2022, Chef Shanita attended the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, the first such gathering in more than half a century, at the invitation of U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver.
Additionally, she was selected for the new Launch KC Social Venture Studio, which offers professional support, grant awards, and network connections designed to strengthen individual business concepts.
Director of Operations (she/her)
Contact: operations@theprospectkc.org
Astin McAfee
Astin believes that bringing people together over a meal can create a sense of belonging and connection, and she is committed to using her skills to help make a positive impact on the community by helping to transform lives. Astin attended Pittsburg State University to study communications. She is proud to have successfully organized and managed The Prospect KC’s 2022 Inaugural Gumbo Fest, a community event held in the historic 18th & Vine Jazz District. “Born to parents who are chefs, Astin was helping mom run her first restaurant at the ripe old age of 16!” Chef Shanita recalls. “Few people know this, but Astin is also the creator of my signature red velvet waffle.”
Julie Caruthers
Catering and Special Events Manager (she,her)
Contact: events@theprospectkc.org
Julie earned an MBA from the University of Central Oklahoma and has over 20 years of restaurant management experience. After college, she followed her twin sister to Wichita, Kan., where she met her husband. After working for many full-service corporate restaurants in Kansas, such as Houlihan’s, Outback Steakhouse, and Granite City, Julie and her husband recently returned to Kansas City to work in non-profit kitchens. Julie oversees on and off-site catering for The Prospect KC. She also has plans to create a more robust grab-and-go program for The Spot, The Prospect KC’s coffeeshop, café, and fresh market. Julie also helps The Prospect’s culinary students, known as Prospects, sharpen their hospitality and customer service skills and, using her experience and contacts in the industry, plans to work with them on job placement after graduation. When she’s not at work, Julie enjoys exploring Kansas City’s cultural offerings, cheering for the Chiefs, hanging out with her three dogs, and teaching herself to grow houseplants and landscape her home with flowers. **In their own words:** “I’ve just always loved the atmosphere in Kansas City. The people are friendly, and there’s a large sense of community. I’m so happy to be a part of The Prospect, to really help get it going,” she says.
Gabrielle “Gabby” Lowe
Resource Coordinator (she/her)
Contact: resources@theprospectkc.org
Gabby is a Kansas City native who has a passion for proactive social support and spreading kindness. After earning a Master of Social Work, Gabby spent 11 years in the field gaining a wealth of experience in various social service systems across the metro area. Her roles included child abuse/neglect investigator, adult mental health therapist, nursing home director of social services, elementary school special education group facilitator, and oncology care social worker in both inpatient discharge planning and outpatient clinic resource coordination. “When I’m not at work, I can be found exploring Kansas City, and enjoying sunny days and good music on my patio,” she says.
Kitchen Manager (he/his)
Contact: thekitchen@theprospectkc.org
Curtis Hale
Curtis lived in Illinois before moving to Kansas City. He majored in restaurant management and earned a degree from Longview Community College. "I enjoy people, but things that rub me the wrong way are people with entitlement issues, people who take kindness for weakness, and lying just to kick it,” he says. “I will literally give the shirt off my back and will help anyone if asked,” and he has a soft heart: “I cry when I am passionate.” His first love? Baseball – specifically the Chicago Cubs.
Pat Flucas
Kitchen Program Manager (she,her)
Contact: thekitchen@theprospectkc.org
Culinary students who train at The Spot are affectionately known as “Prospects.” As part of their training, they work with a former field operator for the U.S. Marine Corps, affectionately referred to as “Ms. Pat.” Her favorite post during her tour in the military was Okinawa, Japan, but when her tour was over, Pat returned to Kansas City to be near family, which includes her adult daughter. She worked at Quik Trip and KC Daiquiri Shop before landing at The Prospect KC. Pat learned baking from her great-grandmother, and the hobby has always been her go-to when she’s in need of relaxation. The Spot’s bakeshop includes a wide variety of cookies, breads, and pastries, but Pat especially enjoys teaching Prospects to bake cookies because “a good chocolate chip cookie can instantly take you back to childhood.” (Never mind, peanut butter cookies are her personal favorite!) Pat has always had a “big love” for giving back to her community. She is on the Transitions for Life Foundation board, an organization assisting veterans, unhoused, and adults reentering the workforce. She is a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. Pat is an avid follower of the British Royal family and relaxes by reading biographies and autobiographies of impactful historical figures ranging from Queen Victoria to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. because, as Winston Churchill said, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” **In their own words:** “I do love to travel when I can carve out the time, but I’m also an avid reader. If you want to escape, just pick up a good book…I love to learn about other people and what makes them tick.”
Make a Donation
The Prospect KC is a ground-breaking social enterprise founded in 2019 by award-winning professional chef, Kansas City native and community activist Shanita McAfee-Bryant. Modeled as a high-impact solution to hunger, homelessness, and poverty, the non-profit serves Kansas City's Eastside, a neighborhood struggling with food apartheid, a racist and oppressive system that creates inequitable food systems.
The Prospect KC's mission is to create lasting change through programs designed to address food access, nutrition education and culinary job training. The Prospect KC also provides comprehensive support services through a robust network of social service partnerships offering food assistance, housing, childcare, transportation, and job training.
Join Our Coffee For A Cause Community
Introducing the "Coffee for a Cause Community" ☕ – where every sip makes a difference! Embrace the warmth of purpose with us at The Prospect KC and be a part of something extraordinary. Let's brew change together!
Benefits:
Exclusive Updates: Monthly newsletters with impact stories, program updates, and success tales.
Recognition: Your name on the website, in annual reports, or a spot on our "Wall of Gratitude."
Special Access: VIP invites to our annual event, behind-the-scenes tours, and exclusive webinars with our organizational leaders.
Contact Us
2010 Vine St, Kansas City, MO 64108
(816)-271-9704
Hours
Sunday: Closed
Monday-Friday: 6:30 am-7:00 pm, 11:00 pm-3:59 am
Saturday: 6:30 am-7:00 pm, 11:00 pm-3:59 am