KC Flavor Champion: Andy Seiple

Andy Seiple

Andy Seiple discovered his professional calling as a teenager on a trip to Peru, where he fell hard for the culinary arts, thanks to the owner of a local cooking school. “He and his family all had such a passion for it. For the execution of the meal and the chase of perfection each day. I was mesmerized,” he recounts. “I realized, this is what I was born to do.”

Today, Seiple, corporate executive chef, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, says he’s still addicted to that chase—and acknowledges that there are much easier ways to make a living. “But I love the thrill of what we do.”

That thrill is amplified by independent recognition, something Seiple earned from Kitchen Collaborative sponsor SupHerb Farms. In a blind judging process, his Chimichurri Steak Frites Flatbread rose to the top in the annual recipe ideation competition from Flavor & The Menu and Summit F&B.

Seiple’s vision was to create a bar menu shareable—one that would bring the grill into play in several ways. The build for his dish begins by wood-grilling flatbread (from sponsor Damascus Bakeries) that has been spread first with a fire-roasted garlic butter and then with Chimichurri SRP from SupHerb Farms.

“Then that’s topped with wood-grilled, chile-rubbed, thinly sliced pieces of grilled steak. Garlic Parmesan fries are julienned and added to the build, which also features house-pickled red onions and shaved Parmesan,” says Seiple. The flatbread gets a quick caramelization in a hot oven and is garnished with chopped arugula, olive oil and a drizzle of more chimichurri paste. “The flavors, the textures and the colors are perfect!”

I wanted to make something good and craveable—and a little different. Who would put french fries on flatbread?

—Andy Seiple

While steak frites may be most closely associated with French bistros, Seiple says many variations of this dish appear across cultures. This is where global ingredients like chimichurri add distinction and help transform a longstanding favorite, leveraging its popularity as “one of the hottest items on menus,” he asserts.

Rather than savoring one or two flavor notes per forkful—say, the steak and chimichurri or the seasoned fries by themselves—guests enjoy all the flavors together in a single bite of Seiple’s flatbread. “You get that char from the steak and bread, which is crunchy while remaining soft in the center and absorbing all the layers of flavor. The chimichurri paste provides a burst of fresh herbs, garlic and the perfect amount of spice. Then there’s the acid from the onions and the fluffy interior of the fries. It all comes together.”

WHY THIS PLATE PREVAILED

In assessing the merits of the different Kitchen Collaborative menu concepts featuring SupHerb Farms products, corporate chef Scott Adair looked for creativity, execution potential, menu relevance and, of course, how effectively the SupHerb Farm ingredient was featured and contributed to the overall guest experience. “The Chimichurri Steak Frites Flatbread excelled in all of these areas,” he says.

“The concept felt both familiar and innovative, taking the classic steak frites experience and reimagining it in a shareable format,” he notes. From an operations standpoint, Adair found it inventive without being overly complicated, realistic for a high-volume restaurant environment. “And highly craveable from a consumer perspective.”

But what impressed him the most? “It was how the chef used the Chimichurri SRP as more than a finishing sauce,” Adair says. “Rather than treating it as a simple condiment, he made it an integral flavor component that tied the entire dish together. I was pleasantly surprised by how naturally the chimichurri fit within the flatbread format. It demonstrated the versatility of the product and showed that the chimichurri can successfully elevate menu categories beyond traditional steak presentations.”

It was clear to Adair that the chimichurri was not included merely because it was a sponsored product. “It genuinely enhanced the dish and helped define its identity,” he continues. “The result was a well-crafted concept that showcased both culinary creativity and practical menu application—making it a deserving winner.”

REAL WORLD GAINS

Although work obligations mean Seiple will have to forgo the culinary expedition to Mendoza, Argentina, that is provided to the Kitchen Collaborative winners later this fall, he’s excited to be named a winner in his first time as a chef participant. “It really feels like a ‘needle in a haystack’ kind of deal,” he says.

And as a long-time partner with SupHerb Farms, he’s especially pleased that his win comes for a concept featuring a product and vendor that he values. In fact, Seiple already uses the Chimichurri SRP sauce in a few current menu items at Firebirds. He’s become a fan of speed-scratch preparation when the product offers quality, consistency and shelf life—this checks those boxes, he affirms.

Some 18 months ago, Seiple was promoted from director of culinary to the corporate chef position at Firebirds. In his new role, he feels a heightened responsibility to raise brand awareness, not just with customers, but in culinary circles. This was one factor that prompted his participation in Kitchen Collaborative 2026. “And it was important to me, too, to get myself out there, doing more networking and taking on recipe challenges to think outside of the box,” he says.

With this in mind, he very deliberately looked at each menu concept he submitted in the competition through the lens of how it might fit in the Firebirds menu mix. Indeed, Seiple and his team frequently use culinary competitions as a testing ground for the menu, both LTOs and core items. “As we move forward, it’s a huge part of our brand to use these platforms to challenge ourselves,” he notes.

Going into a planned menu evolution in the fall, Seiple expects the team will review 10-15 different concepts to try. While the Chimichurri Steak Frites Flatbread isn’t one of them, he thinks the dish might be worth a look for the spring/summer menu in 2027.

MORE INSPIRED TAKES

Seiple’s full-time gig was top of mind for his other Kitchen Collaborative entries, including these contributions to the dessert and bar snack menu categories.

Snickerdoodle Alfajores Ice Cream Cookies

A consumer favorite for more than 125 years, the ice cream sandwich is a perfect platform for flavor play. Alfajores are traditional Latin American sandwich pastries featuring cookies and dulce le leche caramel. In this dessert, Seiple uses the large Snickerdoodle Pizza Cookie from sponsor Otis Spunkmeyer to marry the two iconic treats.

“I’ve been seeing these ice cream sandwich flights made with cookies and sorbets,” he recounts. But it’s his deep affinity for Peru—he’s traveled there three times—and its cuisine that provided the direction for this dish.

Seiple began by breaking the large, pre-baked cookie into smaller portions to create the carriers for four mini sandwiches, aiming for “a shareable dessert that is approachable, unique, full of flavor and texture, but something the average diner can identify with,” he says. The cookies sandwich vanilla bean ice cream. Dialing up the indulgence factor, the sandwiches are placed on a bed of dulce de leche caramel that’s been given a touch of bourbon and cinnamon. The treats are finished with an ancho dark chocolate drizzle, spiced crushed candied pecans, vanilla whipped cream and fresh mint.

Wood-Grilled Lamb Kofta Skewers

With international flavors attracting attention across customer demographics, Seiple “wanted to create an interesting bar app using Middle Eastern and/or Indian flavors,” he says of his inspiration for this dish, which was rooted in the Ground Lamb and Teriyaki Baste & Blaze with Honey & Pineapple from sponsors Thomas Foods and Kikkoman Sales USA, Inc., respectively.

As he did with his other Kitchen Collaborative menu concepts, Seiple kept his own brand’s menu at the forefront. “The dish was intended for the wood grill to enhance the diverse ingredients,” he notes. The lamb was seasoned with cumin, cinnamon, mint and parsley, with the teriyaki sauce intended to boost the umami and add a touch of sweetness to balance the herbs. The skewered meat is served over a tomato-cucumber salad featuring fresh basil, roasted garlic and more mint. A traditional tzatziki sauce for dipping completes his vision.

“It’s great to have this opportunity to look outside of the box a bit with these ingredients and use them to create craveable flavors,” says Seiple. Awareness that ground meats, being more porous, soak up smoke flavor, made Seiple eager to explore opportunities with the lamb. “Lamb is one of those items that you need to make unique. Guests won’t come for a lamb burger,” he notes, adding that the teriyaki sauce and herbs were important in developing more flavor depth.

That said, Seiple is also mindful that many of his customers need some coaxing to leave the comfort zone. So, even if the dish makes it onto the Firebirds menu, “It’ll never be called a ‘kofta,’” he says. “Our guests might not know that term, and it needs to be approachable so they try it and discover how amazing the flavor is.”

Craveable sandwiches. Decadent desserts. Global influences from all around the world. Flavor & The Menu will continue to spotlight several other winning Kitchen Collaborative 2026 menu concepts before the year is out.

Project Management: Summit F&B
Chimichurri Steak Frites Flatbread photo Photography: otysonphoto.com // Food Styling: Peg Blackley