Three-year-old Opal points to her legwarmers and excitedly says, “I’m ready to help with morning chores!” And help, she does. Her parents, Brian Strecker and Kristin Werner, own and operate Burning Barrel, a beautiful event space in the Lecompton countryside where you’re greeted by farm dogs and a little girl with curiosity and pigtails.

Partners in business and in parenting, Brian and Kristin work seamlessly and quietly through their morning chores of feeding their goats, chickens, turkeys, ducks and pigs on their farm-to-table slice of heaven. The couple has a calm aura about them — they let Opal explore to her leisure while she helps distribute feed among different buckets for the goats. Her mom smiles as Opal smells the wild sunflowers growing on their grounds.

Igniting the flame

Brian, who is originally from Hoxie, began his journey of food preparation at the Culinary Institute of Arizona in Scottsdale. He got his degree in 2000 and has been working in the field since.

“I’ve worked in a couple of different restaurants, but my biggest influence was at Pachamama’s in Lawrence,” Brian says. “I developed menus and ran the kitchen there for a little more than 12 years.”

Brian’s experience at Pachamama’s instilled a preference for sourcing food from local farms.

“The farmers market was right next door to the restaurant, so we did most of our sourcing from there,” he says.

Not only did Brian source local food while at Pachamama’s, but he also sourced a life partner. Kristin, who is from the Kansas City area, worked with Brian at Pachamama’s.

Stoking the fire

In 2015, Brian bought the property where the Burning Barrel is now located, and Kristin joined the farm life in 2018.

“It’s been kind of a renovation build process and learning how to raise livestock and keeping up with the rest of the things life throws at you,” Brian says. “It was a long process to get to where we opened the restaurant, but the ultimate goal was to support ourselves and local farms.”

The restaurant, which has been open for three years, focuses on cuisine raised on the farm. The couple operates a commercial kitchen where they process their pigs with oversight from the Kansas Department of Agriculture and conjure up farm-fresh menus for their guests in their separate kitchen they call their “fire kitchen.”

“People come out here because of the environment and the setting,” Kristin says. “Then they enjoy everything we provide. When businesses have a meeting here, they know they’re getting something special with our three-course lunch.”

Creating a fiery menu

With Brian’s culinary experience, he's comfortable with a lot of different cuisines. But his focus shifted when their restaurant dream became a reality.

“While I’m trained in classical French cuisine, my cooking style now focuses on single components,” he says. “I’m not technically doing French-style cuisine or Indian-style cuisine, for instance, it’s more about taking things we’ve raised and focusing on that single ingredient. I want to manipulate things as little as possible so we don’t take away the natural essence of the dish.”

The couple honors the ingredients they raise in the dishes they prepare. The work they put into the ingredients shines through when the dish ultimately reaches the consumer.

“I want to take the product that I’ve been working on for so long and present it in a way that our customers can taste that work,” Brian says. “I’m not trying to mask it with a bunch of other flavors – I want our guests to taste the care, respect and hard work we put into raising our livestock and produce, and ultimately, our dishes. That’s what it really comes down to.”

That integrity is an important core value for the couple and the work they produce and offer on their farm.

“One of the most important parts of what we do is that we have high integrity,” Kristin says. “I learned when I was younger that what you do when nobody is looking speaks to your integrity. And I have learned a lot about that from Brian and working with him in his kitchen, and I’ve learned a lot about that being with my daughter. It’s little details that people don’t know you’re doing but can feel when they’re here. They leave here changed after eating this food and being in this space because it just feels right.”

Throughout the past three years, Brian and Kristin have offered three-course dinners every weekend from May through December. Because the season of harvest is May through October, weather requires the owners to take a break during the winter. On the last weekend of each month, the event features a five-course meal.

“Although we close during the winter, we’ve had events here as late as mid-December,” Kristin says. “We recently installed glass panels and sliding cedar doors so that our unpredictable Kansas weather isn’t so much of a concern.”

The menu changes each weekend and focuses on different protein or vegetarian options. Tickets are $75 for the three-course meal offerings and $115 for the five-course meal offered the last weekend of each month. Their beverage selection also features from-the-farm elements like flowers, roots and herbs. Burning Barrel is a licensed winery and distillery, allowing them to feature special drinks paired with the meals. The menu is posted online two to three days prior to the date to whet the appetites of those with reservations.

Burning and churning

Brian and Kristin not only care about the livestock they raise and the menu they present to their guests but also about the relationships they foster. The couple helps the community by providing food and experiences in various ways.

“We love to give back to our community,” Kristin says. “We’ve done events with the library, for the Humane Society, for Habitat for Humanity and several other philanthropic ventures. Relationships are so important to us.”

The relationships built for goodwill and community matter, but so does their relationship with the land and animals.

“Those relationships matter too, because really, that’s all you have,” she says. “That’s the foundation for everything.”

Feed your flame

Guests interested in a one-of-a-kind dining experience at Burning Barrel are encouraged to visit www.burningbarrelkansas.com to reserve their seat. The restaurant only has 30 seats available for each dinner event, so reservations are required. The location also offers private event bookings.

“We host any kind of private events, corporate retreats, professional gatherings,” Kristin says. “We book weddings out here as well.”

Visit Burning Barrel in Lecompton for gorgeous views, delicious food and the honor of being in Opal’s presence.

Wildfire Event

Burning Barrel will host a special Wildfire Event Sept. 7 in Lecompton. Live bands, local food and beer tents will be on-site. Plus, enjoy craft vendors and prairie games. Bring your picnic blankets, lawn chairs and umbrellas for a farm-side festival. Doors open at noon, and tickets are $35 at burningbarrelkansas.com.

Event Highlights

• Live Entertainment: Enjoy performances by The Local Honeys, The Roseline and more from 2 to 11 p.m.
• Food and Drink: Indulge in seasonal delights by Fox & Pearl and Public at The Brickyard, and sip on craft beers by Central Standard Brewing. Don't miss out on Burning Barrel’s own wine and spirits. Food available from noon to 9 p.m.; drinks from noon to 11 p.m.
• Local Art Market: Discover unique creations by talented artisans from noon to 8 p.m.
• Family Fun: Kids ages 5 and under enter free. Explore the prairie paths, participate in games and set up your picnic blankets and lawn chairs for a memorable day out.

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