Email Hen House Market - Jasper mirabile

Kansas City, Mo. - Jasper Mirabile, Jr., renowned chef at the popular Italian restaurant that bears his and his father's name, will host a weekly radio show on KCMO 710 AM radio.

JJ to his friends, Mirabile is an affable, outgoing chef who has an extreme passion for good food, fine wine and entertaining. His extensive knowledge of specialty foods and ingredients, unique and traditional food preparations, and the fine dining experience has been enriched by years of collaboration with other great chefs from around the world. JJ's frequent travels take him to interesting and famous locales where specialty cheeses, wines and other food products have been produced, in some cases for hundreds of years.

JJ wants the show to be about every aspect of food. How to select and prepare the ingredients for great dishes, what to serve with them, plus a little history and background on foods and ingredients that may be unfamiliar to some listeners. The show will feature a call-in segment to allow listeners to ask about food-related topics. Hen House Markets are the presenting sponsor for the show, which will be broadcast live from various Hen House stores and, on occasion, from other remote locations.

"We see this as a logical extension of our outreach to customers, said David Ball, president of Hen House Markets. We try to arrange and merchandise our stores for the convenience of every type of consumer, from the gourmet cook to those who prefer prepared meals they can take home to enjoy. Hen House is excited to have JJ leading this project."

An enthusiastic traveler, JJ has visited most of the regions of Italy, where he has many friends and family members. In October 2006, he led a group of Kansas City residents on a tour of Florence, Torino and Rome, with visits to many prominent wineries and restaurants. One excursion included a visit to a farm in Piedmont where the guests participated in a truffle hunt.

Jasper's Restaurant was founded in April 1954, by Jasper Mirabile, Sr. and his parents, at the corner of 75th & Wornall, a location that was considered, "too far out south" at the time. Each of his four sons joined him in the restaurant as they got old enough, including, in 1984, Jasper, Jr. In 1997, the brothers sold the building and property at 75th & Wornall and built the new Jasper's Italian restaurant and Marco Polo's, an Italian Deli & Trattoria, in The Watts Mill South Center on 103rd Street just east of State Line. JJ is the master chef, managing the kitchen, while his brother Leonard Mirabile runs the daily operations of the business.

* although we try to be as accurate as possible with all nutritional data, some of the ingredient data may be slightly higher or lower due to data availability.