Vivilore

Vivilore is an independently owned American restaurant, art gallery, and three-floor antiques-and-home-decor shop housed in a historic brick building in the Englewood Arts District of Independence, Missouri. Founded in 2012 by Independence-native siblings Whit Ross and Cindy Foster, it built a regional reputation for elegant scratch-made lunches, courtyard dining, and its restaurant-meets-marketplace concept. It passed to new owner Jollene Hastings in January 2024.

| Corporate parent | None — independently, locally owned || | Notable features | Three floors of retail (local art, antiques, home decor, garden statuary); seasonal courtyard garden dining; The Mandarin event space (formerly Swan Dive); women’s-luncheon following ||

Description

Vivilore is a hybrid American restaurant, art gallery, and retail destination occupying a historic brick building in the Englewood Arts District of Independence, Missouri. The name derives from Latin — viva (“life”) and lore (“story”) — for “life story.” The concept pairs sit-down elegant dining with three floors of retail space above the restaurant, stocked with locally sourced art, antiques, home decor, garden statuary, and vintage estate-sale pieces alongside contemporary goods.

The kitchen serves modern American fare across lunch and dinner — described in coverage and on the menu as scratch-made, with signature items including the chicken salad sandwich, crab cakes, ribeye, and Wild Pacific salmon. The restaurant is particularly known for its seasonal courtyard garden (open Mother’s Day weekend through Halloween, first-come/first-served) and a loyal women’s-luncheon clientele. Current hours are Wednesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. (lunch) and 5–9 p.m. (dinner), closed Sunday–Tuesday.

An adjacent event space, The Mandarin at Vivilore (renamed in 2024 from “Swan Dive”), hosts weddings, anniversaries, and cultural programming for up to roughly 80 guests.

Ownership and history

Vivilore was founded by Whit Ross and Cindy Foster, a brother-and-sister team who grew up in Independence. Neither came from a restaurant background — Ross had worked in catering, and Foster had been a pilot for 23 years. They purchased the historic brick building in 2010, expecting roughly six months of renovation; because of the building’s historic status the work took two full years, and Vivilore opened in August 2012.¹²

The building has its own local heritage: it formerly housed the Sermon-Anderson interior-design/antique business, which is reported to have provided window treatments for Harry Truman’s Independence home before it closed.²

In January 2024, after nearly twelve years of sibling ownership, the restaurant was sold to Jollene Hastings, who relocated from California/New Jersey and lives in Lee’s Summit with her husband Mark and two children. Hastings first encountered Vivilore at a 2019 birthday celebration and pursued the purchase after reading about the sale listing in a Kansas City Star article. Under her ownership the restaurant name, hours, and retail components were retained and signature dishes kept; she renamed the event space to The Mandarin, expanded its cultural and wedding focus, retained chef Chadd Williams (who added weekly specials), and rehired gardeners for the courtyard.³

Links

• Website: https://www.vivilore.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vivilore/
• Phone: (816) 836-2222

See also

• independence-mo
• Registry

Menu

Last verified: 2026-08-13 · Source: Vivilore official Menus page (Spring/Summer lunch and dinner) · URL(s): https://www.vivilore.com/menus · Confidence: High (first-party item names, descriptions, and prices). The old /menu path 404s; AllMenus prices on this page were stale and have been replaced (chicken salad $14→$18; crab cakes $16→$24; 22 oz ribeye $40 is no longer the listed cut — official is 8 oz filet $48 / 16 oz ribeye $52).⁴

Scratch-made modern American lunch and dinner. The chicken salad sandwich and crab cakes remain the long-running signatures carried through the 2024 ownership change.⁴³ GF = gluten free; DF = dairy free; V = vegetarian; VG = vegan; W = available as a wrap. Handhelds include a choice of chips, fries, or fruit; gluten-free buns on request. Menu rotates with weekly chef specials (chef Chadd Williams).³

Lunch — Appetizers

• Smoked Salmon Bruschetta — pickled shallots, dill, herbed cream cheese, grilled crostini, cucumber ribbons — $21⁴
• Crab Cakes — housemade crab cakes, remoulade, arugula, shaved radishes, grilled lemon — $24⁴
• Coconut Shrimp — breaded and fried jumbo shrimp, sweet chili aioli, cabbage slaw, lime — $21⁴
• Wild Mushroom Cheesecake — warm mushroom cheese dip, grilled baguette, honey-drizzled blue cheese, candied walnuts, berries, grapes (V) — $20⁴
• Arancini — crispy risotto balls filled with mozzarella, smoked tomato sauce with fried basil and grated Parmesan (V) — $17⁴
• Steak Skewers — marinated and grilled tenderloin, halloumi, chimichurri, pickled red onions (GF) — $19⁴

Lunch — Soup & Salad

• Roasted Tomato Red Pepper Bisque / Soup of the Moment — $7 cup / $10 bowl⁴
• Vivilore House Salad — mixed greens, cherry tomato, cucumber, shaved radish, roasted shallot vinaigrette (GF/DF/V/VG) — $16⁴
• Roasted Beet — red and gold beets, arugula, whipped goat cheese, candied walnuts, white balsamic and herb vinaigrette (GF, V) — $18⁴
• Heirloom Tomato — grilled corn and peaches, arugula, toasted pistachios, burrata, basil vinaigrette (GF, V) — $18⁴
• Caesar Salad — romaine hearts, torn croutons, creamy Caesar dressing, shaved parmesan — $17⁴

Lunch — House-made Pastas

• Lobster Mac & Cheese — cheddar, smoked Gouda, gruyere, brown-butter lobster, bechamel, fusilli, toasted breadcrumbs — $32⁴
• Tagliatelle Bolognese — slow-braised beef and pork ragu with San Marzano tomatoes, whipped ricotta and parmesan, fresh herbs — $31⁴
• Pasta of the Moment — $25+⁴

Lunch — Handhelds

Includes choice of chips, fries, or fruit.

• Vivilore Chicken Salad — roasted chicken breast, cranberries, pecans and apples with ginger-basil mayonnaise on toasted grains-galore bread (W) — $18⁴
• Corned Beef Reuben — sliced corned beef, housemade 1,000 island, swiss, sauerkraut, toasted marble rye — $18⁴
• French Dip — shaved prime rib, provolone, caramelized onions, horseradish aioli, toasted hoagie, au jus — $19⁴
• Roasted Turkey Melt — smoked turkey, aged cheddar, chili apricot jam, pickled red onion and arugula on toasted sourdough — $18⁴
• Fish Sandwich — crispy cod, tartar sauce, dill, cabbage slaw on pretzel bun — $21⁴
• Vivilore Burger — 8 oz patty, Swiss or cheddar, caramelized onions, roasted garlic aioli, lettuce, tomato, pretzel bun — $20⁴
• Portabella “Cheesesteak” — sauteed portabella, red and green bell peppers, provolone, garlic aioli, toasted hoagie (V) — $18⁴
• Candied BLT — maple-chili bacon, heirloom tomatoes, basil aioli, romaine, toasted sourdough — $19⁴

Dinner — Entrees

• Cherry Chipotle Double Bone-in Pork Chop — cherry chipotle glaze, roasted carrot and fennel slaw, smoky black bean and corn succotash, pepita seeds (GF) — $36⁴
• Roasted Salmon — crispy smashed new potatoes in lemon herb butter, shaved squash and zucchini, watercress, orange and grapefruit salad, chimichurri — $35⁴
• 8 oz Filet / 16 oz Ribeye — whipped potatoes, grilled asparagus, bordelaise (GF) — $48 / $52⁴
• Roasted Lamb Rack — harissa and date glaze, herbed pearl couscous, roasted carrot puree, quick-pickled cucumber and mint salad — $45⁴
• Chicken Roulade — chicken thigh filled with goat cheese, sauteed spinach and sundried tomatoes; whipped potatoes, crispy garlic broccolini, lemon beurre blanc (GF) — $33⁴
• Cauliflower Steak — marinated and grilled cauliflower, peanut tahini sauce, salsa matcha, fresh herb salad (GF, V) — $27⁴
• Vivilore Burger — 8 oz patty, aged cheddar or Swiss, caramelized onions, roasted garlic aioli, lettuce, heirloom tomato, toasted brioche bun⁴
• Catch of the Day — Thursday–Saturday only; ask the server⁴

Dinner — Appetizers

Same salmon bruschetta, crab cakes, mushroom cheesecake, arancini, and steak skewers as lunch. Coconut shrimp at dinner is plated with roasted pineapple chili chutney and cabbage slaw with ginger lime dressing — $21.⁴

• Bread Service — house-made herb and roasted garlic focaccia with whipped salted honey butter and tomato jam (V; vegan without butter) — $8⁴

Dinner — Soup, Salad & Pasta

Lunch soups and salads carry over. Dinner pastas:⁴

• Seared Scallop Risotto — pea and Parmesan puree, grilled asparagus tips, crispy prosciutto, salmon roe — $32⁴
• Tagliatelle Bolognese — $31⁴
• Lobster Agnolotti — ricotta and basil-filled pasta, sweet corn cream, charred corn, herbed bread crumb, chili oil, brown-butter poached lobster — $36⁴

Sources

• Status verified active 2026-06-23 via Yelp — Vivilore (Updated May 2026) (accessed 2026-06-23). Open at 10815 E Winner Rd, Independence, MO 64052; Wed–Sat lunch 11am–3pm + dinner 5–9pm, closed Sun–Tue; phone (816) 836-2222. Corroborated by City of Independence dining listing (https://www.independencemo.gov/visitors/places-eat/fine-dining/vivilore).

Footnotes

1. Vivilore — official site — accessed 2026-05-30 (concept, “viva/lore” name origin, modern American menu, three floors of retail, hours, courtyard, The Mandarin event space, August 2012 founding, address 10815 E Winner Rd, phone (816) 836-2222). ↩

2. rotisseriechickenqueen — “Vivilore in Independence, Missouri has it all” — accessed 2026-05-30 (founders Whit Ross & Cindy Foster as Independence-native siblings; catering / 23-year pilot backgrounds; 2010 building purchase; two-year historic renovation; former Sermon-Anderson antique business; Truman-home window-treatment detail). ↩ ↩²

3. Kansas City Star (via Yahoo News) — “Kansas City area hidden gem restaurant has a new owner. Here’s how it’s changing” — accessed 2026-05-30 (Jollene Hastings purchase January 2024; Lee’s Summit, husband Mark, two children; discovered 2019; chef Chadd Williams; Swan Dive → The Mandarin; signature chicken salad sandwich & crab cakes; Wed–Sun lunch/dinner hours). ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. Vivilore — official Menus page (Spring/Summer lunch and dinner) — accessed 2026-08-13. Asserts: item names, descriptions, and prices quoted above. The previous /menu URL now 404s. AllMenus (allmenus.com) retired as a price source — 2026-06-21 aggregator prices were stale (chicken salad $14 vs $18; crab cakes $16 vs $24; listed 22 oz ribeye $40 vs official 8 oz filet $48 / 16 oz ribeye $52). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶ ↩²⁷ ↩²⁸ ↩²⁹ ↩³⁰ ↩³¹ ↩³² ↩³³ ↩³⁴ ↩³⁵ ↩³⁶ ↩³⁷ ↩³⁸