Paul Gutiérrez is definitely a renaissance man. After growing up in West Texas—on Chicken Farm Road, no less—Gutiérrez landed in Kansas City to attend grad school at KU. Thirteen years later he’s firmly entrenched in the world of arts and philanthropy here in the metro. After a stint at the Mattie Rhodes Center, Gutiérrez is now the programs director at the soon-to-be new crown jewel, the Kansas City Museum. “I’m tasked with keeping the museum alive with public programs, collaborative partnerships, and events. Have you heard of the Derby Party? It’s quite the event,” he says. When Gutiérrez is not “out dancing with Barb Bloch at a gala, you can find me out exploring the ever-changing neighborhoods in Kansas City.” To that, we wanted to find out the who/what/when/where of Gutiérrez’s must-have essentials.
Paul’s essentials…
Shop Local: The Kansas City Museum will soon open a gift shop. It will have beautifully curated one-of-a-kind items from local designers and artisans.
Art Love: Locally? Claude Monet’s Boulevard des Capucines at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. By a local artist? Everything by Caleb Lee Bowman.
Guilty Pleasure: Watching rom-com films—especially if they’re set over the holidays! (P.S. No, my eyes are not watery!)
Fave Splurge: My new cowboy boots—but I still wear my 15-year-old pairs more!
Date Night: Shareable bites and cocktails at The Westside Local. Table #21, please. Must have the kale salad with salmon and an extra-dirty vodka martini; or in a short glass, soda with extra bitters, no ice.
Hidden Gem: El Pueblito on Southwest Boulevard for carne asada tacos and margaritas.
Why KC? I love its rich history—particularly the untold stories of different neighborhoods.
Sweet Treat: All of them—especially Trader Joe’s Sea Salt and Turbinado Sugar Dark Chocolate Almonds.