Richland crepe king’s TV debut and his new restaurant coming to Kennewick

Kagen Cox, the Richland crepe king, did a thing.

He competed on “Food Stars,” a Fox reality TV show for a $250,000 investment by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay to take his restaurant to the next level.

Spoiler alert: He didn’t win.

No matter, because now the owner of Kagen Coffee & Crepes is doing a different thing.

Cox and his wife, Jennifer, are taking their business the next level on their own. They will open a second crepe shop, in downtown Kennewick, possibly as soon as August.

Cox was the first of the 15 chefs competing to be dismissed when “Food Stars” aired on May 24. He is grateful to have been selected for the challenge but has no regrets about his quick exit.

With his stint as a celebrity chef happily behind him, Cox is working to transform the former Foodies Brick & Mortar location, 308 W. Kennewick Ave., into a new coffee-themed crepe restaurant.

“Coming soon” signs go up this week, he said.

The Coxes signed a lease and are working through the city of Kennewick’s permitting process. That includes securing an occupancy permit for the building, which was heavily damaged by smoke and water when the neighboring Cascade building burned a little over a year ago.

The fire forced Foodies to close. Owner Joanna Wilson opted to reopen at a new spot on the Kennewick waterfront in Columbia Park.

The move left a beloved restaurant space empty. When a local food truck considered, then rejected, the space, the Kagen team jumped.

For the Coxes, who had been looking to establish a second location, downtown Kennewick is a great fit that echoes the vibe of the Uptown Shopping Center, where the original Kagen Coffee & Crepes opened in October 2016.

Cox said he loves the community focus in downtown Kennewick and looks forward to being part of a neighborhood that includes Layered Cake Artistry, Rockabilly Roasting Co., Hot Mess burgers and others.

“I love the idea of areas that have a lot of community interaction,” he told the Herald.

New location, same menu

The Kennewick Kagen restaurant will mirror the original, which was the first crepe restaurant in the Tri-Cities. Its menu features recipes created by the Coxes.

There are sweet crepes starring lemon, chocolate, peanut butter, mixed berry and a version featuring Nutella.

The savory lineup includes eggs, chicken, turkey bacon, the All American, a “montecristo,” black bean and one called the “Breakfast in Bed,”

The restaurant was a hit from the outset, though it opened on a wing and a prayer.

The day before the opening, Cox sold his beloved Suzuki Samurai to buy food. He was shocked when lines of customers willingly waiting for hours to be served.

Food he’d expected to last for days ran out within hours. He remembers sobbing from the stress when he raced to the grocery store to restock.

The restaurant survived its chaotic start and added a second location at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. But the north Richland outpost closed during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns, which also threatened the main restaurant as well.

Surviving the shutdowns

The Coxes received a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan but it wasn’t enough.

They sold their home, using the cash to stay open, pay employees and open an outlet with a drive-thru in Spokane.

The drive-thru was a success when in-person dining was prohibited. but faltered when restrictions lifted. They sold it last year.

Today, their Richland restaurant is about to celebrate its 7th anniversary and employs 10.

Kennewick is opening as the couple looks to grow beyond Richland. Pasco is in their sites, though not in the immediate future.

Several years ago, they committed to opening at Osprey Pointe Marketplace, the planned mixed-use development that is about to break ground in east Pasco.

Development delays prompted them to reconsider. Cox said the Kennewick restaurant will serve the area, and he’s now more interested in west Pasco for a future site.

Gordon Ramsay Food Stars’

Cox first heard about “Food Stars,” the Fox reality competition hosted by Gordon Ramsay, from his sister. He didn’t give it much thought, but she compiled a video about the crepe business and sent it to the producers.

A month later, Cox said, “Hollywood” flashed across his phone while he was visiting his sister in Montana. He ignored it, assuming it was spam. He told his sister, “Hollywood is calling.”

She urged him to take the call. The show’s producers wanted to bring him to the studios in California.

Some 200 food business owners were considered. He was one of the 15 chosen to compete.

He’s grateful for the opportunity, but doesn’t regret being the first person dismissed. He called the experience “exhausting.”

The show began filming in early 2022. Cox’s participation lasted for three weeks, during which he was quarantined in a hotel room.

Producers confiscated devices to keep the contestants offline. When they weren’t on set, they were largely confined to their hotel rooms, partly because of COVID concerns.

Cox missed his wife, their two children and worried about the crepe shop in his absence.

When he was dismissed in the first episode after a bungled attempt to make sliders, he announced he was happy to be going home. He wasn’t joking, he said.

‘I did a thing’

Bound by secrecy, he couldn’t explain to any friends or relatives his three-week absence from the Tri-Cities.

It was a relief to finally be able to speak about part of it. On April 6, he posted a message, “I did a thing,” to his Facebook page along with a promotional image for “Food Stars.”

Looking back, he said the experience hasn’t affected his daily life or business.

Had it gone differently and he’d emerged the winner, he’s not sure how he would have proceeded.

Gordon Ramsay will invest $250,000 of personal money to help the winner’s business to the “next level.”

Cox said he probably would have turned down the investment and, instead, ask Ramsay to become a partner. Even that outcome would have had its challenges, he admits.

“I don’t know if I would want to give up that control,” he said.

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