KANSAS CITY, Mo — The German duo behind Affäre, located in Kansas City’s Crossroads District, say metro residents have stopped by the restaurant in the days leading up to this week’s Chiefs game in Frankfurt, Germany.
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Katrin and Martin Heuser were born in Germany and met at a local bar.
They have worked alongside each other in restaurants ever since.
In their 30-year-marriage, they've lived and worked in three countries and a handful of cities.
They've called Kansas City, Missouri, home for the last 16 years.
“In Kanas City, we have beautiful friends, so it feels like home. It feels like home now,” Katrin said. “And Kansas City has a way of sucking you in. It really does.”
It wasn’t the sports teams that pulled the Heusers in, but they’ve found a way to embrace the now world famous Kansas City Chiefs.
“It was a new sport to learn, but a lot of our friends were into it so it’s contagious a little bit,” she said.
Martin and Katrin are experts in their respective fields.
Martin is a Master Chef who worked in Michelin Starred restaurants, while Katrin is a sommelier.
Aside from traditional dishes passed down through his family, Chef Martin has other modern German interpretations on the menu.
“They’re getting the traditional dishes, but also getting Chef Martin Heuser dishes, which I gained over the years being in Canada, Sweden and Germany. Different restaurant and hotels,” Heuser said.
Martin uses their rotating menu to experiment with an ode to his home country.
“That’s what I like on German culture. They really celebrate seasons of something,” he said. “Don’t have it all year available, you know, which makes it so special.”
If you are looking for a taste of tradition, the Heusers keep the classics all year round.
“When you eat [the brats] here and you have had one in Germany, you really taste it. It’s absolute the same,” Chef Martin said. “I am proud of that and have a lot of fun doing that.”
The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday.
