Rising Stars: Meet Mitchell Fagan of Westside

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mitchell Fagan.

Hi Mitchell, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been in love with cooking since I was around ten, when my “specialty” was mixing two canned sauces—one red, one white—and pouring them over boxed bow tie noodles. As basic as that was, I realized how a simple meal can still feel comforting and special. That curiosity pushed me to explore: in my teens, I used a hand-crank pasta machine for the first time, and later in college, I was baking bread, fermenting vegetables, and experimenting with sous vide and braising techniques. But I always came back to pasta—it felt like an endlessly creative medium, built on the most basic elements of flour, eggs, water, and salt.

When I traveled to Italy, it felt like an entirely new chapter: their approach was about letting a few honest, fresh ingredients shine. It wasn’t about loading up on dozens of items; it was about focusing on quality—real, local produce and grains, often grown in the backyard or sourced directly from a small farm. That philosophy excited me, and I knew that if we paid serious attention to where our ingredients come from, we could do something special in our own kitchen back in Kansas City.

Over time, we began dreaming about doing more than retail pasta. We wanted a space where we could serve that pasta exactly the way we envisioned it. Now that dream has become reality: we have opened up for dinner service Thursday-Saturday! Of course, we’re still open for retail pasta for you to cook at home, and we’ll keep showing up at the farmers markets, but now we can also invite you to dine in, share a meal, and experience our pasta.

I believe that every meal is an invitation to reconnect with nature. By creating everything from scratch—hand-rolled pasta, scratch-made sauces, fresh-baked bread—and pairing it all with an Old World wine list and thoughtful cocktails, we’re hoping to show how special even the simplest ingredients can be. It’s been a journey from canned sauces in my childhood kitchen to working directly with local farmers and launching a full restaurant. Every step along the way has reaffirmed that good food is about community, tradition, and a serious reverence for what comes out of the ground.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s definitely been an adventure balancing my life as an ER doctor with running Zero Zero alongside my partner, Leah. Most days, I finish a hospital shift and jump right into finalizing menus or coordinating with local farmers, and it can be exhausting. But none of this would be possible without our incredible team. They handle the day-to-day challenges, keep things running smoothly, and share in the vision that great food can bring people together. Knowing that we’re all working toward the same goal makes every hectic moment feel worthwhile, especially when guests light up after tasting our handmade pasta.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m the owner (and head pasta fanatic) of Zero Zero, where we specialize in handmade pastas crafted from locally sourced, stone-milled flour. Everything we do—whether it’s the pasta you cook at home or the dishes we serve in our restaurant—stays true to the simple, timeless techniques that first inspired me in Italy. My goal is to honor the traditions of regional dishes from places like Bologna and Piedmont, but utilize Kansas City ingredients.

I take particular pride in the relationships we have cultivated with our local farmers and producers. We do not simply “buy local”; rather, we collaborate with people who genuinely share our values and commitment to quality. Their careful, conscientious approach to raising ingredients is unmistakable in every dish we present.

What truly distinguishes Zero Zero is our dedication to freshly extruded pasta, which delivers a texture and flavor profile that cannot be matched by standard dried pasta. Our dining area is intentionally small and intimate, evoking the ambiance of a hidden wine bar in New York City rather than a typical Kansas City eatery. My background as an ER doctor also informs our ethos of care and community; whether I am treating patients or welcoming guests into the restaurant, my primary aim is to nurture and support those around me. This commitment to genuine hospitality and craftsmanship is reflected in every aspect of our work, from the local ingredients we source to the dishes we serve.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Do not limit yourself to mentors strictly within your own field; often, the most valuable insights come from unexpected sources. Seek out individuals who share your core values or have navigated similar challenges, and be open about the issues you are facing. Approach these potential mentors with genuine curiosity, and offer them the same support you hope to receive. Ultimately, networking flourishes when it is viewed as a two-way street, built on honesty, respect, and a willingness to lend a hand.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.zerozeropastakc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zerozeropastakc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zerozeropastakc/
• Other: https://www.exploretock.com/zero-zero-handmade-pasta-kansas-city/