She was a private chef. Now she’s opening a fine-dining restaurant in Johnson County

“Of course!” is a phrase often chirped by restaurant staff in dining rooms — Swetha Newcomb knows this well.

As a private chef, she repeated those words to clients in the Kansas City area, some of whom have been Chiefs players, and she’s cooked dishes for hundreds of hungry patrons at The Capital Grille, Cafe Trio on the Country Club Plaza and Rivers Lodge and Hunt Club in Linn County, Kansas, south of Olathe.

The phrase is also the name of Newcomb’s upcoming South Asian-inspired restaurant in Overland Park, Of Course Kitchen & Company, which will open Aug. 3. She hopes her fine-dining restaurant will live up to its name.

“Our goal is to make sure customers leave happy and full,” Newcomb said.

The restaurant, at 7753 W. 159th St. in the new Bluhawk development, features a full bar and some of her favorite dishes she’s served to clients.

Of Course will serve several Indian dishes, like its masala duck ravioli — prepared with biryani spices, roasted rutabaga and coconut spinach broth — as well as a stuffed baked branzino fish marinated in garam masala and served with basmati rice and corn relish.

Several of the menu items derive from Newcomb’s childhood. Her mother spent every night in the kitchen to craft carefully seasoned dinners for her family. Her mother’s meals taught her to love food.

At 8 years old, Newcomb scribbled in her diary that one day she would own a restaurant and walk around seeing people smiling, laughing and eating food she’d made.

“I’ve always known that I was going to do this,” Newcomb said. “I was just scared.”

Newcomb studied communications and graduated from the University of Kansas in 2016. Her husband then encouraged her to pursue her ultimate passion, and she enrolled in Johnson County Community College’s culinary program, with a focus on French cuisine.

After working a couple of restaurant jobs, she decided to begin cooking for clients in 2019, preparing meals for busy families with little time to cook, delivering meals to their doorsteps throughout the pandemic.

But her childhood dream never quieted. Last year, while working in the kitchen at Rivers Lodge and Hunt Club, Newcomb thought: “‘Why don’t I just open up a place? I think I finally can.’”

“I was running the whole kitchen by myself back there,” she added.

Once she found her space, she asked a friend she’d met at The Capital Grille a few years before, Lauren Cruz, to be the general manager of Of Course. At the time, the swanky space with tiled floors and plush booths was concrete floors and open ceilings, but Cruz was confident in Newcomb’s vision and skills.

“I came out and saw it, and it was a given,” Cruz said. “I’ve seen this place come up from absolutely nothing.”

The two women got to work redesigning the space. Cruz joked that their attention to detail may have been over the top.

“There’s a lot of little things … and we want it to be perfect,” she said.

Newcomb believes her restaurant offers something different from what’s available in the Bluhawk neighborhood. Customers must make a reservation prior to their visit (on the restaurant’s website at ofcoursekc.com). And while patrons aren’t expected to wear a suit and tie, Of Course will seek to provide a sophisticated dining experience using locally sourced ingredients.

Inside, pottery from local artist Elaine Buss and bright paintings are sprinkled around the dining room.

Her bar features cocktails like Dark Side of the Moon — (an espresso martini with J. Rieger vodka, cafe amaro and chai-infused Kalani coconut liqueur) and the Wish You Were Here (a mix of Opihr gin, vanilla, Milkis soda, and lime). Dessert options include a mango and honeydew cheesecake and a peanut butter and cherry ice cream bar with homemade graham cracker.

Newcomb said she’s been heartened that days before opening. Several reservations have already been made, and she receives messages daily from customers eager to try her dishes.

“Everyone in Kansas City is so supportive of small businesses,” she said. “We’ve got people from all over the city who are excited to come try.”

Of Course will be open from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 4 to 10 p.m. Saturdays.