Award-winning chef fights eviction from 2000 Vine space; attorney calls legal action ‘last resort’

Efforts to resolve a dispute over The Prospect KC’s cafe, grocery and culinary training space at 2000 Vine Street have been fruitless, said Chef Shanita McAfee-Bryant, noting she still hopes to “achieve an equitable and reasonable resolution.”

2000 Vine Street LLC and its owner Timothy Duggan have filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Jackson County against McAfee-Bryant and The Prospect KC. The lawsuit is seeking past due rent and other fees, along with immediate possession of the space.

Chef Shanita McAfee-Bryant, founder of The Prospect KC, announces the winning entry at the 2023 Gumbo Fest competition in the courtyard at 2000 Vine; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News

“We are deeply saddened by the 2000 Vine Street LLC lawsuit. We are working diligently to resolve this matter fairly and responsibly and have retained outside counsel to assist us,” said McAfee-Bryant in a statement. “Regrettably, our nonprofit organization is being forced to expend precious resources to defend ourselves from baseless attacks. Those resources would be better spent on serving our community, but this is the unfortunate situation in which we find ourselves through no fault of our own.”

Henry Service, an attorney for 2000 Vine and Duggan, said his client doesn’t want to be the bad guy in the situation, and is trying to be a good neighbor and community member.

“But he is a small business just like anyone else and needs to survive. People need to make good on their promises,” Service said. “And he has been a good neighbor and he would prefer to work this out amicably. He pursued litigation as a last resort.”

2000 Vine — the culmination of a massive redevelopment of the two oldest public works buildings in Kansas City — also is home to Vine Street Brewing, Benton, Lloyd & Chung LLP, Keno G Ink, Phronesis, and the Warren Harvey Art Gallery, according to its website.

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2000 Vine Street, July 2022

Rent for The Prospect KC’s space is $44,325 annually and common area fees are $4,432, according to Service. Duggan is seeking two months back-rent at double the rates per the lease, late common area charges, and attorney fees.

McAfee-Bryant’s attorney, Terry Mosteller, said she is disputing those amounts “vigorously and wholeheartedly.”

The chef — who gained national attention on the Food Network’s “Cutthroat Kitchen” reality TV competition — founded the nonprofit Prospect KC in 2019 with a mission to impact hunger, homelessness, and poverty on Kansas City’s East Side. She wants to make healthy meals more accessible, offer nutrition education, and culinary job training. Students are paid during a 16-week on-site program and two-year externship.

The Prospect KC moved to 2000 Vine in 2022, and a year ago McAfee-Bryant opened The Spot, a 1,200-square-foot café and coffee shop with groceries.

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In her statement, McAfee-Bryant said, “We are grateful for the continued support of our customers, employees, and the community at The Spot, our culinary job-training café at 2010 Vine St., and remain fiercely dedicated to our mission of Empowering Lives, Disrupting Poverty, Cultivating Community.”

The Downtown Council honored McAfee-Bryant as one of its Urban Heroes in 2023. The award recognizes businesses and people passionate about making downtown Kansas City “a more vibrant place to live, work and play.”