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Jonathan Justus is a Kansas City–area chef whose farm-to-table restaurant Justus Drugstore, opened in 2007 in his family’s former drugstore in Smithville, helped pioneer hyper-local, technique-driven cooking in the region. A repeat James Beard Award semifinalist, he works alongside his wife and business partner, Camille Eklof.
Biography
After cooking in San Francisco and France, Justus and Camille Eklof opened Justus Drugstore in downtown Smithville, Missouri, in 2007, converting his grandfather’s old drugstore into a destination restaurant.1 Its hyper-local focus — foraging, fermentation, and Missouri sourcing — and refined technique drew diners from across the region and national press.
Justus Drugstore was a James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Best New Restaurant,2 and Justus was a James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef: Midwest in 2011 and 2016.3 Justus Drugstore closed in 2018 after the owners received an offer for the building.2 Justus and Eklof then opened Black Dirt in Kansas City (2018, closed 2019), served as consulting chef at Gizmos Tavern back in Smithville (2024), and opened the seafood-centric restaurant The Parker Hollow in downtown Parkville (2025).1
Legacy
Justus is among the chefs who put the Kansas City area on the national fine-dining map, championing local sourcing and a sense of place years before “farm-to-table” became common — and continuing to shape Northland dining.
See also
Sources
Footnotes
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“After Justus Drugstore and Black Dirt, a KC chef returns with The Parker Hollow,” KCUR (2025-06-08) — Smithville 2007 (grandfather’s former drugstore); San Francisco + Paris background; Black Dirt; Gizmos consulting (2024); The Parker Hollow, Parkville (seafood-centric). ↩ ↩2
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“Chef Jonathan Justus and Camille Eklof to Close Black Dirt,” Feast Magazine — Justus Drugstore opened 2007, closed 2018; James Beard Best New Restaurant semifinalist. ↩ ↩2
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IN Kansas City Magazine / KC Star — James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef: Midwest, 2011 and 2016. ↩