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CHEFS OF INTEREST
BY KERRY FIRTH
96
Chefs
Chefs
ANTHONY INSWASTY
Beloved restaurateur Kitty Wagner opens Kitty’s, a casual waterfront bistro, on
Royal Palm Pointe in Vero Beach.
One of Vero’s most beloved chefs is jumping back
into the restaurant business after a six-month
hiatus. Kitty Wagner seems to have the magic
touch or more realistically the culinary expertise and
business acumen to create dining experiences that are
instantly embraced and endeared. Her new venture,
Kitty’s, a casual neighborhood bistro, will open
on Royal Palm Pointe in Vero Beach early in 2022,
featuring a light French and Mediterranean inspired
cuisine with abundant fresh vegetables and fruits.
“Kitty’s is a smaller space than my previous restaurants
so it will be more intimate and friendly,” Wagner
explained. “I plan on having a chalkboard menu so I
can change the selections daily and an open kitchen so
my guests can see me cooking on a single stove. There
will be a little bar area with beer and wine and eventually
I’ll have an outdoor waterfront patio.”
While most restaurants on Royal Palm Pointe are
configured to have seating in front and the kitchen and
bathrooms in the back, they don’t utilize the waterfront
behind the building. Wagner has reversed her
floor plan so the diners can look out on the cove and
see the manatees and dolphins play while they eat.
“I’ve added windows everywhere possible to open
up the small space and now even I can see the water
while I’m cooking,” Wagner added excitedly.
Wagner has opened four successful restaurants in
the past two decades. Her first restaurant, opened
in Vero in 2003, was the popular Blue Starfish where
patrons enjoyed beachside fine dining. Then in 2006,
she opened Undertow in downtown Vero, an eclectic,
casual restaurant where patrons were known to sometimes
dance on the bar. In 2011, she returned beachside
and opened Blue Star Wine Bar that quickly became a
comfortable gathering place and, after losing that lease
in 2014, she returned downtown with fine dining at
the Blue Star Brasserie.
Wagner didn’t grow up wanting to be a chef. She
went to college to become a large animal veterinarian.
During her third year she started working at a French
restaurant as a busgirl and one day immigration came
in and cleared the kitchen of all the French employees
because they had overstayed their tourist visas. The
owner delegated the making of pastries to Wagner
and within three months she decided that’s what she
wanted to do for the rest of her life. Now she jokes that
because of immigration she not only became a chef
and instead of saving cows she now cooks them.
“I love building businesses and trying new things,”
Wagner exclaimed. “After the pandemic forced us to
close the Blue Star Brasserie, I took some time off and
went sailing. But once I got back on solid ground I
knew it was time to dive back into a new venture. I
can’t wait to open Kitty’s and I’m looking forward to a
great season.”
KITTY WAGNER
Restaurant: Kitty’s
Age: 55
Background/Training: Trained
under a German master chef
and did apprenticeship
programs through the American
Culinary Federation.
Most popular dish: Maine lobster
risotto served with a leek and
shiitake mushroom risotto
Why I love being a chef: “I get to drink all
these amazing wines and I get to buy all this
amazing food and put it all together. I love
talking to people, making them happy and
yes, I love to eat!”
Chefs
The BISTRO BUILDER