Scroll down below to read about upcoming events at the "castle."
Food & Entertaining
Catered to at the Castle
Historic Shawnee building may be the site for your future event or an evening of wine tasting.

You don’t have to be a king or queen to dine at Renee Kelly’s at Caenan Castle, just a planner. The historic structure built in 1907 was booked every day in December for various corporate and family events. Once a month, though, chef and owner Ann Neighbors hosts her own events that are open to the public. She can seat about 28 guests at two tables downstairs in the cellar for wine tastings, but up to about 100 guests on the upper levels.

Why I’m deviating from our usual restaurant-type dining establishment is because I just simply could not drive by this amazing and architecturally significant building and not want to go inside and see what’s there.

The “castle” is one of only two buildings on the historic register in Shawnee, Neighbors says. It was built by Remigius Achille Caenan, a Belgian immigrant, with the help of a neighbor in their spare time. It took them two years to quarry and dress the stones for the house, which is styled after a castle in Chavaniac, France. Remi and his family (not including wife Mary Ann VanHercke, who died suddenly in 1901) occupied the home for 11 years followed by the families of two of his grown children before it became something other than a family home. The “big house,” as it was known as, has had many lives since: a residence, a rest home, a restaurant, a night club and a haunted house.

Caenen Castle interior
The charming Old World retreat feels exclusive, almost like a secret society, but the service is warm and welcoming.
When Neighbors bought it, the place hadn’t been tended to in four years. She actually hadn’t been expecting to settle in Kansas City, instead planning a move to Sedona, Ariz., but even in the building’s neglected state, she knew it could be something special. “I took three steps inside and I said, ‘This is it,’” she recalls. So with the help of her father, who is in the construction business, she gutted the inside, leaving nothing but the stone walls. The exterior she kept true to its original form, based on an old photograph, but because no photos of the inside exist, she had free reign.

The charming Old World retreat feels exclusive, almost like a secret society, but the service is warm and welcoming, especially from Neighbors herself, who mingles among the guests sharing stories of her travels and her food. Equally as pleasant is Neighbors’ partner in the wine tasting events, Cindy Reynolds, owner of Somerset Ridge, a local winery in Paola.

Neighbors and Reynolds paired six complementary wines and hors d’oeuvres for the fall wine tasting event in November. While we waited for all the guests to arrive, they poured a glass of Chardonnel and brought out a tray of goat cheese-stuffed chevré grapes topped with pistachios. The Chardonnel is one part Seyval Blanc, the other part Chardonnay, and makes for a crisp, dry and light taste that offsets the heaviness of the cheese.

Once everyone was accounted for, the staff led us down to the wine cellar where two tables set for 14 and comfortable-looking leather tallback chairs awaited us. Delicious spiced nuts on the table kept us snacking during the space between tastings.

The second round comprised a glass of Oktoberfest, made from the Traminette grape, which is a Gewurztraminer hybrid that grows beautifully in the Midwest, and a plate with a lovely round Lady Apple filled with celeriac slaw and a slice of orange-honey glazed ham on a white cheddar sage biscuit. A group discussion among formerly un-introduced guests ensued regarding the ingredients of the dish, and just like that, we felt we had made new friends. As we snacked on the newly arrived twisted breadsticks and filled up on conversation, any hesitation on my part that I would leave this place and need a sandwich afterward vanished.

By the third round, the volume increased, that is until the porcini-stuffed mushroom with camembert arrived, then we promptly stuffed our mouths. The Ruby Red wine accompanying it was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Chancellor.

We next tried a lighter red Pinot Noir, this one being a Schug Sonoma Coast, rather than a Somerset Ridge. The hint of strawberry complemented some totally not-fat-free, truffle-whipped, twice-baked potatoes, which were divine, of course.

There were no chocolate truffles or pastry for dessert because Neighbors says attaining the result tests her patience, so she prepared baked brie with prosciutto-wrapped apples, pears and dried figs. We varied our homage to the grape here, returning to the products of Somerset Ridge, with a late harvest dessert wine called Ambrosia (made from the same grape as the Oktoberfest), and a Ruby Port, a sweet, fortified wine with high alcohol content.

We stayed long after 9 p.m., when the tasting was officially over, chatting, hopefully not in the way of the cleanup. The shared experience left everyone feeling satisfied with both the food and wine intake and the special connection just created. I’d love to go back and do it again — if only I could get reservations in time! Can the peasants petition Queen Annie for regular dining hours?!

Renee Kelly’s at Caenen Castle is located at 12401 Johnson Drive in Shawnee, Kan. All events are open to the public by reservation. Limited seating is available and prepayment is required. Call 913/631-4100 for reservations or visit reneekellys.com for more information.