Fresh pour at former Ça Va space: Popular chef takes over Westport hotspot with crisp new Champagne concept
September 21, 2024 | Joyce Smith
Westport Champagne bar and bistro Ça Va closed in March for a quick rebrand. Six months later, a new name, owner and concept are bubbling in the space — with plans to reopen by the holidays.
Chef Amante Domingo — perhaps best known for his Midtown restaurant The Russell — is taking over the spot at 4149 Pennsylvania Ave., on the southern edge of the entertainment district.
The new owner’s vision for “Le Champion” once it pops its cork: a full-service coffee shop in the morning through the afternoon, Wednesdays through Sundays. Domingo’s former business partner, Heather White (of Tailleur, Cheval and Enchante The Bakery in Midtown, will make the pastries, quiche and other savory items for dine-in, or grab-and-go.
Then at 5 p.m. laptops will shut down, music will go up and the lounge menu will roll out — charcuterie, Champagne, wine and cocktails. The space will have a Ralph Lauren/heritage sports decor, Domingo said, noting some nights it will be closed for private events such as birthday and holidays parties.
“I love everyone who is part of Ça Va and I didn’t want to see it go,” Domingo said. “I just wanted it to have more offerings, a coffee shop to make it an all-day place. I just want to continue on with the legacy.”
The founders of Ça Va couldn’t be reached for comment this week. However, the Colorado-based landlord confirmed Le Champion’s lease, and painters were working on the space Friday.
Amante Domingo, The Russell; photo by Bobby Burch, AltCap
Domingo owns The Russell Restaurant & Catering Co. at 3141 Main St., with an open kitchen, custom wood-fired hearth, and an Argentinian fire table for such dishes as steak chimichurri. (Domingo and White opened The Russell in 2017 and later debuted Tailleur in 2021.)
He also has Noka, a Japanese farmhouse-style restaurant at 334 E. 31st St., on Martini Corner in Midtown. Its menu includes sushi, and entrees such as miso cod and dry-aged salmon.
RELATED: Before restaurant’s debut, this KC founder’s expansion was threatened by predatory loans
He grew up on his father’s 150-acre organic farm near St. Joseph, Missouri, and worked at the family’s vegetarian restaurant in the city’s downtown district. The family also sold their produce at the City Market in Kansas City.
The Ça Va space at 4149 Pennsylvania Ave. in Westport; photo by Joyce Smith
Ça Va — led by the team of chef Howard Hanna, Justin Norcross and Jim Coley — opened in the 750-square-foot space in 2014, specializing in Champagne, boutique wines, and a small plate menu of French-inspired fare — pomme frites, deviled eggs with caviar, cheese boards, duck fat kettle corn and more.
Ça Va (pronounced sah-vah) is an informal greeting, the founders said, akin to “Hello” or “What’s up?”
In a late February Instagram post, the Ça Va’s owners said they had some bittersweet news to share: “We are coming up on our tenth anniversary, which is cause for celebration! However, on the flip side, we’ve reached a decision with this milestone and will be temporarily closing Ça Va for an update of our brand.”
They blamed challenges since the pandemic, and said they wanted to “broaden the scope of our reach by still offering bubbly, but extending into a more international menu from both a food and beverage perspective.”
In other Champagne updates, Blanc Champagne Bar is scheduled to open in October at 3835 Main St., in The Netherland apartment building.
Startland News contributor Joyce Smith covered local restaurants and retail for nearly 40 years with The Kansas City Star. Click here to follower on X (formerly Twitter), here for Facebook, here for Instagram, and by following #joyceinkc on Threads.
Featured Business
2024 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Focused on KC, the Lean Lab welcomes five new ed tech startups
The Lean Lab, a Kansas City-based education tech accelerator, is returning for its fourth year with a new approach that aims to be more community focused and sophisticated. During a Tuesday event, the Lean Lab announced the five new startups in its 2017 cohort at a breakfast at the recently renovated Corrigan Station. Katie Boody,…
Innovation coach Diana Kander: Failure is an option
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Yes, you could fail, and it would be embarrassing. People would talk about it. People you know. But let’s be honest, they’re only trying to reassure themselves about the risk-averse choices they’ve made. Yes, you could fail, and it could get you fired. I’m…
Smart City update: Living Lab set to launch, TV show may highlight KC innovation
Bob Bennett, chief innovation officer at the City of Kansas City, Mo., said Kansas City has championed itself as a leader in big data and smart city tech for years now. But now the city is reaching an inflection point to leverage the data at a significant scale, he said. “The bottom line is that…
From homelessness to national TV, Fishing Caddy founder to appear on ABC
The Fishing Caddy has reeled in a big opportunity with a national television show that will feature its device making anglers’ pursuits a bit easier. On July 16, Fishing Caddy founder Joe Pippins will hop on Steve Harvey’s Funderdome, an ABC show in which inventors compete for cash to help accelerate their businesses. The Fishing Caddy…