Shane and Anne Kirchner, Owners and Chefs
The Story of Amics
Since its humble beginnings as a gourmet catering business specializing in seasonal menus, Mediterranean dishes and personalized services, Amics has grown to include a Mediterranean Café serving lunch six days a week and a tapas bar serving dinner entrées as well as appetizers three nights a week. Chefs and owners Shane and Anne Kirchner chose the name Amics for their business because the word means friends in Catalan, the language of Barcelona, Spain.
“Without the support of family and friends,” the Kirchners say, “Amics would never have evolved.”
Owners and Chefs
Shane and Anne have extensive experience in the restaurant and catering business, having worked for and/or managed the McPherson Country Club, Sodexho Food Service at McPherson College; Castle Tea Room, Lawrence, Kan.; The Pier Restaurant and Lounge, Quincy, Ill.; and The Steamboat Co., Quincy, Ill. They have catered in the McPherson area since 1995, originally under the name Cordially Yours. The Kirchners began serving as Amics in 2005.
Cuisine
A key focus of Amics is menu planning, which includes incorporating dishes from the Mediterranean region. This approach is a result of the Kirchners’ repeat travel to Mediterranean countries and their appreciation for healthy diets and other cultures.
The Mediterranean diet is gaining in popularity as a tasty, heart-healthy alternative. The diet evolved from the Greek island of Crete where Cretans and other Greeks live longer than any other populations in the world. Variations of the Mediterranean diet have also traditionally existed in Italy, Spain, Portugal, southern France, North Africa, and parts of the Middle East.
Amics incorporates features from the traditional healthy Mediterranean diet pyramid, which includes an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. Olive oil is used as the principal fat, replacing other fats and oils, including margarine and butter. Consumption of cheese and yogurt is encouraged, as are moderate amounts of poultry and fish. Red meat is used on a limited basis.