Kansas City magazine December 2023

Where to Eat

Where does the human spirit live? In best-friend group chats? In secrets shared? In things remembered? Maybe there’s no simple calculation. Because, as you show us every day, the human spirit has no limit. AdventHealth’s whole-person care is designed to support you in body, mind — and yes, in spirit — for every memory to come. AdventHealthKC.com

CIALOMA

Discover Your Dream Home This Holiday Season

Savor and save with multi-course menus at hundreds of the region’s hottest restaurants –all with a portion of proceeds benefitting Kanbe’s Markets.

voting LeBlanc in Kansas City

OUR MISSION

We love Kansas City like family. We know what makes it great, we know how it struggles, and we know its secrets. Through great storytelling, photography and design, we help our readers celebrate our city’s triumphs, tend to its faults and revel in the things that make it unique.

PUBLISHER Kathy Boos k athy@ kansascitymag.com

MANAGING EDITOR Dawnya Bartsch dawnya@ kansascitymag.com

ART DIRECTOR Kevin Goodbar kevin@ kansascitymag.com

ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR Molly Higgins m olly@ kansascitymag.com

FOOD EDITOR Tyler Shane tyler@ kansascitymag.com

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Dominique Parsow dominique@kansascitymag.com

EDITORIAL INTERNS

Rachel Layton and Ryan Reed

COPY EDITOR Kelsie Schrader

WEB COORDINATOR Madison Russell SALES

Angie Henshaw angie@kansascitymag.com

WRITERS

Nina Cherry, Martin Cizmar, Liz Cook, Molly Higgins, Rachel Layton, John Martellaro, Reece Parker, Ryan Reed, Tyler Shane and Susie Whitfield

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Zach Bauman, Caleb Condit, Jeremey Theron Kirby, Aaron Leimkuehler, Samantha Levi, Laura Morsman, Rebecca Norden, Anna Petrow, Kelly Powell, Karen Swope and Brandon Waldrop

SUBSCRIPTIONS

kansascitymag.com/subscribe or call 913-469-6700

Kansas City magazine is published monthly by 435 South, LLC. No part of this publication can be reprinted or reproduced without the publisher’s permission. Kansas City magazine assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Kansas City magazine adheres to American Society of Magazine Editors guidelines, which requires a clear distinction between editorial content and paid advertising or marketing messages.

INQUIRIES

Kansas City P.O. Box 26823

Overland Park, KS 66225-6823 (913) 469-6700

kansascitymag.com @kansascitymag @kansascitymagazine

A Gated Paradise Where Luxury Living is Redefined.

The Village of Loch Lloyd

A private, gated resort-style community in Cass and Johnson County that o ers a semi-rural lifestyle minutes from shopping, dining, and entertainment. Whether you’re looking for luxurious estates overlooking our championship golf course, a waterfront oasis on our serene lake, or a secluded nest tucked into our natural surroundings, we have a home or homesite perfect for you.

STONEHAVEN | BLUE VALLEY

In This Issue

Not Business as Usual

William

Grounded Boots

Clunky boots are all the rage, and one local maker has embraced the trend.

Spa Day

Cutting-edge, non-invasive spa technologies are replacing plastic surgery.

Courageous Curls

Cancer survivor Crissi Curly uses art to empower women of color to celebrate their natural hair.

Haute History

Local designer Kelee Katillac draws inspiration from the past to reimagine historic spaces for the present and future.

Pop Culture

A shop in Parkville is the place to go for the most outrageous popcorn flavors.

Cocoa Cuties

Stocking stuffer season is here, and these locally made cocoa bombs make the perfect sweet treat.

Perfect Day

Will Berndt of Marion Milling wants you to bake local this holiday season.

Newsfeed

The latest in KC food news

Dawnya Bartsch MANAGING EDITOR

DAWNYA@KANSASCITYMAG.COM

IT WAS A rainy late afternoon when I first stepped into Vintage ’78. The bright white interior felt somehow urban, cozy and refreshing all at the same time.

It was perfect. The Overland Park wine bar, one of our picks for this year’s Best New Restaurants, definitely made a good first impression. It’s timeless yet contemporary. For me, the neutral canvas of white paneled walls punctuated with seating and art in bright blue and yellow hues was a nice contrast to the gray skies outside. And then the food came.

Who doesn’t like amazing wine, cheese and charcuterie? Vintage ’78 prides itself on a highly curated selection of all of the above, which makes it a standout.

Although they do have more substantial food on the menu, my dinner companion— the publisher of this magazine—and I opted for flights of cheese, wine and charcuterie. It was a delicious learning experience. We unabashedly asked lots of questions: What should we try? What should we drink? How should we pair it all? We did not tell them who we were or that they were in contention for our best new restaurants list, and it didn’t matter. The staff laughed right along with us as we asked our questions, some

sophisticated, some not so much. And that’s really what made it a great experience—the pleasant, accommodating and knowledgeable staff. You can read about Vintage ’78 and our other favorite new spots in our Best New Restaurants feature, which includes this year’s standout Of Course Kitchen & Company.

Food is a common theme throughout this issue. Writer Susie Whitfield sat down with local chef, restaurateur and radio host Jasper Mirabile, who comes from a long line of KC chefs. Reading all about his culinary adventures was fun.

Then there are also editorial interns Rachel Layton’s and Ryan Reed’s holiday cocoa bomb and popcorn picks, respectively.

This is one of the best seasons to eat your way through. I think that’s what I’m going to do. Bon appetit!

CONTRIBUTORS

Ryan Reed

EDITORIAL INTERN

This month’s story on a brain disease infecting deer was written by Ryan Reed, a UMKC graduate student who enjoys weird art and public libraries.

Rachel Layton EDITORIAL INTERN

Fall editorial intern Rachel Layton, a UMKC graduate student who also writes for Feast Magazine, wrote about KC Craft Ramen, one of KC’s best new restaurants. The Memphis native won Memphis Magazine’s Very Short Story Contest in 2020.

Several restaurants in this issue’s Best New Restaurants package were shot by photographer Zach Bauman, a KC-based editorial and commercial photographer.

Enjoy the scenery and arrive at the Visitor Information Center at Amtrak

Taste and tour at Missouri’s most historic wineries

Savor tasty German food and sweet treats at holiday bake sales

Tour museums highlighting 19th century life, architecture, and Christmas traditions

Stroll the downtown shops and German Christmas markets for unique gifts

NUMBERS FROM THIS ISSUE

971

Documented cases of chronic wasting disease in wild free-ranging deer in Kansas since 2001.

PAGE 30

$1,437

The average monthly rent in Kansas City, according to Zillow.

PAGE 78

Drove past there; looks pretty exciting!

– Pamela Tribitt

It would be really cool if it wasn’t at the bottom of a hill with no real view.

– Kristy Dailey

70,000

KC residents, give or take a few, served by the Worlds of Fun water tank.

PAGE 112

I’m concerned that those driving past the revolving attraction will cause accidents by not paying attention to the road!

– Susan March

I volunteer for various organizations that help the homeless. The city actually moved the homeless out of their area so that they could make room for the ferris wheel.

I’m sorry, I’m very active in the community and the people I work with don’t need a ferris wheel. They are human beings that need shelter/food.

– Marilyn Turner

WHEEL OF FORTUNE OR MISFORTUNE?

A story about the 150-foot ferris wheel at KC’s new entertainment district, Pennway Point, elicited lots of comments—mostly excited ones. However, many are questioning the location. Situated next to the I-35 freeway, the ferris wheel soars above the thoroughfare. With its 36 fully enclosed, climatecontrolled gondolas, it’s not your typical carney ride. “It’s more than just a ride; it’s an experience,” says Curtis Parks, owner and operator of the massive ferris wheel.

For the past few years, developers have been working to create a new vision for the forgotten space between the freeway and the Pennway bridges in the form of the new entertainment area. The district will have restaurants, bars, shops and activities such as this ferris wheel and mini golf.

Have fun rolling through downtown when it comes off.

– Darell Lynch

I loved this idea until I saw where it was built. The views from the bottom of a hill next to a crappy looking highway. Must’ve gotten a good deal on the real estate.

– Burt Means

You will be able to see 15 miles from the top. I live in the area and can see all the way to Legends and this will be higher than my building.

– Danny Mason.

No way. I’m afraid of heights!

– Beth Evelyn.

I’ll ride this, but I do wish it was on the riverfront.

– Joni Sout

BEHIND THE SCENES

SHOUT OUT

Freelance writer John Martellaro really showed his professional chops this issue by turning in his copy three days before deadline! Unheard of.

Corrections In the November Power List feature, Lisa Ginter and John Thomson’s names were misspelled.

CONTACT US

Kansas City

P.O. Box 26823

Overland Park, KS 66225-6823

(913) 469-6700

EMAIL: editor@kansascitymag.com

“In a way, opening this restaurant is a way to make up for all the years I missed out on being Indian. This is me cheersing to my heritage.”

– Swetha Newcomb, Of Course’s chef and owner.

BE PART OF POLYCYTHEMIA VERA (PV) RESEARCH

You may be able to help researchers learn more about an investigational study drug for people with PV. Find out if you qualify for the global VERIFY Phase 3 clinical research study.

Polycythemia vera (PV) is a rare blood disorder that causes the body to make too many red blood cells. The high red blood cell count can make the blood thicker, which can lead to strokes, heart attacks, organ, and tissue damage. The established goal of therapy is to maintain red blood cell levels, as measured by hematocrit, below 45%.

Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. is developing rusfertide, an investigational drug designed to control the amount of iron available to make red blood cells. Rusfertide therapy is being studied in the VERIFY Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate its safety and ability to control the production of red blood cells in the blood, potentially reducing the need for phlebotomy treatment and improving patients’ quality of life.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO JOIN THE STUDY?

• At least 18 years old (or meets countryspecific age of consent).

• Diagnosed with polycythemia vera.

• Frequent blood draws to control hematocrit levels (e.g., at least 5 in the past year).

• Other requirements will apply.

THOSE WHO QUALIFY TO BE STUDY PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE AT NO COST:

• Access to the study investigational drug.

• Study support and monitoring by a healthcare team.

• Education about PV.

• The opportunity to help advance PV research.

FOR MORE INFORMATION*:

• US-Toll Free: 1-888-899-1543

• ptgxclintrials@ptgx-inc.com

• polycythemiavera-clinicaltrial.com

*More details about the study will be provided by the study team.

OVERLAND PARK

LEADING THE CONVERSATION

IN KANSAS CITY

FOCUS

Idea Hub

LIBERTY’S WILLIAM JEWELL COLLEGE CREATES A BUSINESS INCUBATOR WHERE STUDENTS, ENTREPRENEURS AND INVESTORS ALL MINGLE.

BY REECE PARKER

More than just a business idea incubator, the new Mathes Innovation Center at Liberty’s William Jewell College aims to graduate students with not just a job but a company they founded and own.

“Our goal with this Innovation Center is to not only teach business to our students but to create an environment where collaboration and innovation allow our students to live business as they learn,” says Mark Mathes. Mark, along with his wife Karen Mathes and son and daughter-in-law Jared and Mary Mathes, all William Jewell College alumni, donated much of the money to create the center and programming. Continued on next page

Continued from page 25

“There are many great ideas that never come to fruition due to the lack of infrastructure and assistance provided to the entrepreneur,” Jared says.

The Mathes Innovation Center is meant to serve as a one-stop-shop for entrepreneurs, innovators, students and community members alike. Individuals can find the tools they need for all things businessrelated. Programming will include events for both students and the community, offering coaching and networking opportunities. The center will also have rentable co-working spaces, event spaces and longterm options for local business owners to house their enterprises. The full-service center aims to offer support to entrepreneurs through all stages of the investment process in order to foster success.

“We believe this approach will make us unique among the innovation centers throughout higher education nationwide,” Mark says.

For students, the Mathes Innovation Center will be more than just another classroom. It’s “an opportunity

“It’s an opportunity for students and business founders to test ideas and present them to all investor classes.”

for students and business founders to test ideas and present them to all investor classes, pivoting from the more traditional investment style,” Jared says.

Conner Hazelrigg, assistant vice president of strategic innovation for the university, says, “As students have ideas, instead of just going through the traditional lines of education in terms of how to start a business, we are actually going to assist the student in doing that.”

Although the Mathes Innovation Center is newly opened, students and community business owners have already taken advantage of the amenities offered through the program. Freshman and entrepreneur Daniel Lynn actually chose to attend William Jewell College because of the Innovation Center. Lynn started his pressure washing business, KC Splash, when he was 15 years old, and it has grown into one of the largest pressure washing companies in the area.

Lynn, who learned of the new center when he was doing a pressure washing job in high school for Mark, says, “It’s a good place to bounce ideas off and find ways I can actually grow my business.”

SEE YA REAL SOON

The KC nonprofit trying to restore Walt Disney’s first animation studio and the birthplace of Mickey Mouse is beginning to procure the funds needed to make their dream a reality.

BY REECE PARKER

MOST MISSOURIANS ARE aware that Walt Disney was born and raised in the Show Me State, but what many don’t know is that a dilapidated building on East 31st Street in KC is the birthplace of the world’s most beloved animated mouse.

It was here in this crumbling two-story building just a block east of Troost and a couple blocks west of the Paseo that Disney observed mice coming to eat crumbs, leading him to pen several cartoons that served as the foundation for future Disney star Mickey Mouse. Disney toiled away here, trying to make a go of it as a cartoonist in his fledgling business he called Laugh-OGram Studio. But an animation business proved difficult and Disney went bankrupt, so in 1923 he packed his bags and bought a one-way train ticket to Southern California, where he thought he could find more work.

Over the years, the building fell into disrepair. It was deemed structurally dangerous and scheduled for demolition—until a group of dedicated citizens decided to scrap together the funds to save it. Their nonprofit, called Thank You Walt Disney, aims not only

Disney toiled away here, trying to make a go of it as a cartoonist in his fledgling business he called Laugh-OGram Studio.

to save the building but also eventually create an education center there.

Restoring the LaughO-Gram Studio has been a labor of love for Thank You Walt Disney’s founder Butch Rigby and longtime member and current president Dan Viets. They have been on a mission for nearly 30 years to revitalize the historic building. As of now, the building is closed to the public and remains vacant, but this nonprofit’s story is one of patience and perseverance.

Raising funds for the restoration project has been and continues to be a long process. Viets estimates they need $6.8 million to bring their vision for the studio to life. Twenty years ago, the organization received some initial funding from the Walt Disney Family Foundation, allowing them to save and stabilize the building but not fully restore it.

But things are starting to look up. In February 2023, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver presented the organization with $2 million dollars in federal funding from the $40 million Cleaver secured for community projects for his district. “That’s the first big money we’ve seen in 20 years,” Viets says.

So far, Thank You Walt Disney has received $3 million from various organizations and donors, and momentum seems to be building.

A recent $5,000 grant from the Missouri Humanities Council to develop a short film chronicling the history and importance of the Laugh-O-Gram Studio and a matching grant by local arts enthusiast Richard E. Fagerberg has given the nonprofit $10,000 to move forward with the film project.

The short 25-minute film will eventually serve as an orientation video for people who visit the LaughO-Gram Studio, educating visitors about the building’s importance, how it came into being and a little history about the films made there. Viets also hopes sharing the film with local philanthropies and organizations will help them raise the last of the money needed to fully restore the building.

“The entire 20th century Hollywood animation industry grew out of the Laugh-O-Gram building in Kansas City,” says Viets. “It’s difficult to overstate the importance of what Walt accomplished.”

The first case of chronic wasting disesase in Kansas was documented in 2001. As of June 2023, CWD has been detected in 971 wild free-ranging deer.

HUNTERS BEWARE

A neurological disease affecting Kansas and Missouri deer populations is slowly spreading.

BY RYAN REED

DON’T CALL IT Zombie Deer Disease.

“These animals are not aggressive and are not coming for your brains,” says Dr. Krysten Schuler, a research professor who studies chronic wasting disease, a neurological condition that affects deer, elk and moose populations and is colloquially often referred to as zombie deer disease. This disease has been found in both the Missouri and Kansas deer populations and is slowly spreading, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Now that hunting season is upon us, gaming officials in both states are asking hunters to bring in their prey for free testing if they suspect they might have killed an infected deer. Schuler, who works at the Cornell Center for Wildlife Conservation, says there have been no recorded cases of CWD affecting humans, but it’s still not recommended to eat deer that have been infected. Traditional cooking temperatures are not sufficient to remove the disease from infected meat. Regardless, CWD is concerning, as it has the potential to decimate deer populations in the regions and reduce the potential for future generations of hunters.

“Infected deer can live up to two years after contracting CWD, but that usually isn’t the case,” Schuler says. The deer can suffer from aspiration pneumonia. Their erratic behavior and lack of awareness can drastically reduce their lifespan by limiting the ability to forage and making them more susceptible to car strikes.

The disease, which forms a plaque over the animal’s brain and leaves holes in the organ tissue, has been detected in 31 states since 1980, including Missouri and a majority of Kansas counties.

The first case of CWD in Kansas was documented in 2001. As of June 2023, CWD has been detected in 971 wild free-ranging deer.

How can Kansas and Missouri hunters help stop the spread of CWD? “In deer carcasses, the prions responsible for CWD are concentrated in the brain and spinal cord,” Schuler says. “Debone the carcass where it is killed to avoid transporting those to unaffected populations. Don’t transport dead deer, and don’t use natural deer urine.” Hunters are encouraged to have their kills tested for CWD to insure it is safe to eat as well as to help track the disease through deer populations.

Both the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and the Missouri Department of Conservation are offering free CWD testing. For more information about CWD testing as well as how to report erratic behavior in deer, go to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks website, ksoutdoors.com, or the Missouri Department of Conservation’s website, mdc.mo.gov.

WHERE YOU WANT TO BE IN DECEMBER

SCENE

High Note

This month, two of KC’s top youth choirs will perform at the Kauffman Center during the Kansas City Symphony’s Christmas Festival.

The festival started 24 years ago in Overland Park with just 30 youth singers. Now, the Allegro Choirs of Kansas City, currently headquartered in Bonner Springs, boasts more than 200 singers organized into five choirs, representing over 50 public and private schools from first grade through high school. Christy Elsner, creative director and founder, is proud of the work they do. “We are the only nonprofit youth arts organization in Wyandotte County,” Elsner says.

The choirs have sung at New York’s Carnegie Hall and St. Peter’s Basilica in Italy and for former President and First Lady Obama in the White House. This year, they will again be performing a number of shows in Washington D.C. and singing the National Anthem at local sporting events. Additionally, the choir’s artistic director, along with two singers, will be traveling to Kenya with other choral educators to help develop choir programs in the Nandi Hills.

This holiday season, the choirs will be not only performing at the Kauffman Center but also singing at the candlelit Winter Blessings concerts at Visitation Catholic Church. –RYAN REED

The Nutcracker

December 1–24.

Clara and the Nutcracker prince are once again taking center stage at the Kauffman Center in The Nutcracker. Watch snowflakes, sugar plum fairies and toy soldiers come to life this holiday season in this heartwarming ballet choreographed by Devon Carney, with Tchaikovsky’s legendary score played by the Kansas City Symphony. December 1–24. Times vary. Kauffman Center.

Dirty Dancing in Concert

December 1. 8 pm.

Revisit why “nobody puts Baby in a corner” in this new spin on the ’80s classic. In this live film-to-concert experience of Dirty Dancing, the digitally remastered film will be shown on a full-sized cinema screen while a live band and singers perform the film’s iconic soundtrack. Attendees can stay after the movie is over to continue singing along and dancing to the live band’s renditions of favorite songs from the film. December 1. 8 pm. Kansas City Music Hall.

The Phil Collins Experience

December 1. 8 pm.

Experience the legendary performances of Phil Collins in The

Phil Collins Experience, performed by Kansas City magazine’s 2020 Best Male Vocalist, Terry Adams Jr. Adams is a British-born drummer who has mastered the drums lefthanded—just like Collins—for a truly authentic concert experience. The Phil Collins Experience is a multimedia production featuring a full band with backup singers and a horns section to take audiences back in time to experience Phil Collins in his Genesis and solo-career prime. December 1. 8 pm. Uptown Theater.

Handel’s Messiah

December 1–3

With over 150 musicians and voices performing, this Baroque-era oratorio creates a triumphant twohour musical spectacle. Messiah, a once-elaborate opera production originally composed for Easter, is now a cherished Christmas classic and regarded as a choral masterpiece—

including the iconic “Hallelujah Chorus,” sure to inspire some holiday spirit. December 1 & 2, 7 pm; December 3, 2 pm. Helzberg Hall.

The Amen Corner

December 1–3 and 6–9. 7:30 pm. The second show in the new season at KC Melting Pot Theatre, a professional theater company based in KC, is James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner. KCMPT’s new season explores what author and activist W.E.B. Du Bois called the “problem of the color line” with social relations in America. “Our season will examine the ways in which race, gender, sexuality and class shape how we understand equality and our capacity to affirm those unalienable rights during such a fragile sociohistoric moment in time,” says Linda Williams, KCMPT’s general manager. Baldwin’s first work written for the stage in 1954 tells the story of a Black female pastor in Harlem who must grapple with the social, cultural and gender limitations of pastoring a church when she is confronted by the secular life that she left behind. December 1–3 and 6–9. 7:30 pm. Just Off Broadway Theatre.

Grupo Frontera

December 3. 7 pm.

Six-member Texas-based Mexican cumbia group Grupo Frontera was playing and recording locally in border towns in Texas only last year, but their collaboration with global superstar Bad Bunny earlier this summer landed them on the coveted Coachella stage, and the song landed them their first top five hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The band’s success is considered by many to be integral to the recent mainstream popularity of the regional Mexican genre. December 3. 7 pm. The Midland Theatre.

A Charlie Brown Christmas Featuring Lee Langston

December 5. 7 pm.

The timeless jazz music of Vince Guaraldi has become a staple in households for half a century thanks to the Charlie Brown cartoons. The classic arrangement of selections from A Charlie Brown Christmas will now be delivered live with a big band for the first time ever. The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra with guest vocalist Lee Langston create new spins on the beloved holiday songs. December 5. 7 pm. Helzberg Hall.

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical

December 5–10.

Fresh off Broadway, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical tells the inspiring story of rock ‘n’ roll legend Tina Turner set to some of her biggest hits, including “Proud Mary” and “What’s Love Got to Do with It.” Listen to the true story of this musical force of nature while enjoying electrifying dance numbers and powerful vocals. December 5–10. Times vary. Kansas City Music Hall.

Million Dollar Quartet Christmas

December 7. 7:30 pm.

Inspired by the hit musical Million Dollar Quartet, this holiday reimagining brings together soon-to-be legends Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley for a musical celebration featuring a nostalgic string of chart-topping favorites as they reflect on past and future Christmases at a historical moment in time when the fate and future of rock ‘n’ roll was yet to be determined. December 7. 7:30 pm. Yardley Hall.

It’s a Wonderful Life: Live Radio Play

December 7–10, 14–17, 20–23. The 1946 Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life has been viewed millions of times across the globe, so it was time to put a new spin on this beloved, feel-good holiday film. In this new telling, the film has been reimagined as a radio play. Instead of a traditional play, actors will stand in front of microphones and deliver the performance as if it were broadcast on the radio. With holiday music, live sound affects and an ensemble cast, this new twist on the holiday standard is sure to excite and inspire. December 7–10, 14–17, 20–23. Times vary. Music Theater Heritage.

What If Puppets: Animal Amigos

December 8–9

For over 30 years, What If Puppets has captivated young minds through puppets, which range

from glove puppets to marionettes to shadow puppetry, using humor and heart in stories that connect to the complex social-emotional experiences of young audiences. In Animal Amigos, the audience gathers around the Tree of Life for a bilingual retelling of two Mexican folktales: “Tío Conejo” and “Medio Pollito.” December 8, 6 pm; December 9, 10 am. Polsky Theatre.

The Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert

December 8–9

Revisit the beloved holiday classic in a new format as The Muppet Christmas Carol film is screened while the musical score is performed live. Join The Muppets gang for a lighthearted, familyfriendly rendition of this classic Charles Dickens holiday tale. Scrooge, played by Michael Caine, receives visits from spirits of three Christmases—past, present and future—to show him the error of his selfish ways, just in time for Christmas. December 8, 7 pm; December 9, 1 pm. Helzberg Hall.

Heartland Men’s Chorus Presents

A Very Merry Christmas Pageant

December 10. 3:30 pm.

Heartland Men’s Chorus brings audiences the most fabulous and competitive holiday extravaganza ever as they compete in a pageant that promises to be the event of the holiday season—complete with drama and laughter through vocal performances, high-energy dance numbers and tons of holiday spirit. December 10. 3:30 pm. Yardley Hall.

A Magical Cirque Christmas

December 12. 7:30 pm. Taking elements from Cirque du Soleil’s beloved acrobatic performances, this national tour is coming to KC for one night only. A Magical Cirque Christmas promises to be an unforgettable holiday variety show experience where entertainers will take audiences on an immersive

winter wonderland journey, dazzling with their incredible talents. December 12. 7:30 pm. Kansas City Music Hall.

Christmas Festival

December 14–17.

The KC Symphony and Symphony Chorus, in collaboration with the Allegro Choirs of Kansas City, present the Christmas Festival this winter season. Guest conductor Caleb Young and vocalist Blaine Krauss showcase their unique musical arrangements of cherished carols, seasonal songs and a family singalong, plus an early visit from Santa to get audiences in the holiday spirit. December 14–17. Times vary. Kauffman Center.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

December 14–17. 7 pm.

With Jason Seber as the guest

conductor, witness Tim Burton’s celebrated classic The Nightmare Before Christmas like never before. The KC Symphony plays the darkly charming score by Danny Elfman while the movie is projected, creating an unforgettable cinematic symphony. December 14–17. 7 pm. Kauffman Center.

This Is Important Podcast Live!

December 15. 8 pm.

Adam Devine, Anders Holm, Blake Anderson and Kyle Newacheck, co-creators and stars of Comedy Central’s uber-popular (with millennials) Workaholics, host their podcast live in front of an audience. The boys will dive deep into serious discussions surrounding hot-button topics like grown men fighting children, bowel movements and so much more. December 15. 8 pm. The Midland Theatre.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

December 16. 2:30 & 7:30 pm.

Ultimate winter rock band Trans-Siberian Orchestra has dominated the super-niche holiday-progressive metal genre for almost 30 years. With their unassuming instruments like guitar, drums and strings, the huge powerhouse group is an anomaly. TSO is the first major rock band to go straight to theaters and arenas—they have never played at a club, never had an opening act and never been an opening act. December 16. 2:30 & 7:30 pm. T-Mobile Center.

MANGIAMO!

Local food personality Jasper Mirabile dishes on his live cooking show while teaching cooking techniques and exploring new ones.

BY SUSIE WHITFIELD

CAN AN ORDINARY cook make an ordinary dessert taste extraordinary? Like to die for? In about a minute?

“Absolutely,” says Jasper Mirabile, Jr., award-winning chef and owner of Jasper’s Italian Restaurant on 103rd Street and State Line. “Next time you do brownies from a box, sub in red wine instead of water.”

Mirabile’s unconventional cooking tips are a regular feature of “Live from Jasper’s Kitchen,” a hugely popular radio cooking show that he broadcasts live on KCMO Talk Radio 95.7 FM and 710 AM every Saturday from 11 am to noon.

Mirabile’s passion for food has inspired him to write cookbooks, lead cooking tours of Italy, give cooking classes and host his own radio cooking show.

The idea for the show began in 2007, Mirabile says, “when my friend David Ball and I were having lunch and he says, ‘I’m looking at this cookbook you just wrote (Jasper’s

Kitchen Cookbook), and you need a radio show.’” And the rest, as they say, is history. Ball, chairman and CEO of Balls Food Stores, sponsors the show.

Mirabile’s approach for getting guests on the show is simple. “I don’t have a secretary or anything like that,” Mirabile says. “I just call people up. Yeah, I’ve had Wolfgang Puck and Rachael Ray and Emeril Lagasse on the show. But I love the little guy, too. There’s this Noah Belcher, 19 years old. He’s going to be world famous. Our young Kansas City chefs can stand their ground with any chef in the country.”

Mirabile remembers being nervous when Bobby Flay, celebrity chef and restaurateur, agreed to be on the show.

“I really thought I was being set up for Bobby’s ‘Throwdown,’” Mirabile says, referring to Flay’s nineseason show on which he challenges award-winning cooks by preparing their specialty dish and having impartial judges decide which is better.

“I just call people up. Yeah, I’ve had Wolfgang Puck and Rachael Ray and Emeril Lagasse on the show. But I love the little guy, too.”

“I get to the station and there’s a crowd of people waiting—hundreds of cars and TV cameras,” Mirabile says. “I get on the elevator with this strange guy, and when we get off, everybody starts screaming. But it’s not for me. And it’s not for Bobby Flay.”

Mirabile grins. “It was David Cook, who rose to fame after winning the seventh season of American Idol in 2008. Bobby Flay and I just laughed about it. But I did tell him we should do a Throwdown someday, perhaps meatball or cannoli.”

Mirabile doesn’t do any prepping before air time. “I want it to be a conversation, but my producer John Taylor has brought the show to a new level by editing the music and creating the perfect backgrounds.

“I do the show from my kitchen because that’s where I work,” Mirabile continues. “I’m interested in food and where it comes from. I go to the grocery store at least three times a week to look at what’s just come in and create ways to incorporate it into the show. I go to Tippin’s and talk to the guy who makes pies. I go to Shatto’s Dairy and milk the cows and make the cheese.”

Mirabile’s passion for food and his collaboration with chefs worldwide result in a show that is rarely predictable but always overflowing with insider information. Another surprising tip from the show: “Fudge made with Velveeta,” Mirabile says. “Yeah.”

The show has featured Italian Christmas cookies, Arthur Bryant’s, Chef Dana Cree, Freshwater Fine Dining, the Sicilian Tenors, Gene Simmons, Manny’s and the Kauffman Stadium Kosher Cart. Mirabile says sometimes the most random occurrences can lead to fascinating interviews.

“The guy fixing my pool told me he was going to Florence, Kansas, for motorcycle racing,” Mirabile says. “So of course I ask him where he’s going to eat, and he says: ‘The Brandin’ Iron. It’s this cool place—an old opera house that’s been renovated and has great steaks.’ So I called the restaurant and had Sara Dawson, one of the owners, on the show.”

Mirabile grew up in the restaurant business. In 1954, his father founded the iconic Jasper’s Ristorante on 75th Street and Wornall. “Everybody knew my father Jasper,” Mirabile says. “People still remember the tuxedoed waiters and the white tablecloths and the fabulous veal parmigiana.

“My nonna and poppa helped him open the restaurant,” Mirabile continues. “Getting the Mobile 4 Stars, AAA 4 Diamond Award, Zagat’s list of best Italian restaurants, the DiRoNA Travel Holiday Award—this meant so much. And my dad wasn’t the only great cook in the family. Barilla has my grandmother’s recipe, Capelli d’Angelo alla Nanni. Everybody loved her food.”

Mirabile has always been passionate about food. “I attended the University of Las Vegas Restaurant and Hotel School, and I’d just returned from New York having watched Macy’s Cellar cooking classes,” says Mirabile of the once-popular cooking program. “So I’m 18 years old, and Linda Davis of Wolferman’s is asking me to give a cooking class. I was stunned.”

Mirabile, with his father hovering close by, made a Caesar salad and veal lemonato. His mother had sent along sixty of her famous cream puffs for dessert.

“In those days,” Mirabile says, “people taking a cooking class just got a tiny taste of everything you made. But my dad said, ‘You gotta feed these people!’ So everybody got a fabulous meal, and my career path was set.”

Mirabile remembers his father was “over the moon when I was invited to James Beard House in New York City to give a cooking class.”

“My dad said, ‘Everybody knows we’re from Kansas City, but you gotta hit these people with something other than steak and barbeque.’ So I did scampi alla livornese—by the way, I will never give out that recipe,” Mirabile says with a grin. “And I created my lobster cappuccino on the spot when the cappuccino machine wouldn’t do foam. I poured lobster bisque into all the cappuccino cups and popped a dollop of whipped cream on top. Sweet and savory!”

In 1997, the Mirabile family moved their restaurant to the Watts Mill Shopping Center, bringing the light fixtures, mirrors, fireplace mantle and artwork to the new location. Mirabile’s father died in 1998. However, Mirabile continues the tradition of preserving authentic Italian cuisine. He’s given over 2,000 cooking classes there since 1985. “You come, you watch me cook a four-course meal, and I provide the recipes. Once a month on Saturdays, we take over the whole dining room.”

Some of the inspiration for his radio show and his cooking classes comes from the trips he takes every year to Italy.

“I take 18 to 20 people with me and we explore parts of Italy that are pretty unknown,” Mirabile says. “We went to Certaldo, a city in Tuscany, and learned how to make onion soup with the famous Certaldo red onions. Most people think it’s French onion soup, not Italian, but that’s just because Catherine de’ Medici took her chefs and their recipes with her when she married the King of France.”

Occasionally, Mirabile likes to tweak the menu at Jasper’s after an inspiring meal in Italy. “I can never change the traditional menu here,” Mirabile says. “Paul Rudd wants his chicken parmesan. But I can add a new twist here and there.”

Mirabile loves the fact that the family restaurant tradition is continuing. “My brother Leo, my nephews and their sons are all part of the business,” he says. “Every day, one of us is in the restaurant. We like to say, ‘Mirabile in the house!’ We’re so lucky.

“You know what restaurant, or ‘ristorante,’ means in Italian?” Mirabile continues. “It means to restore. To restore people through the radio show, the restaurant, the cookbook and the cooking classes. That’s our job.”

FROM THE ARCHIVES

“White Christmas”

Charlie Parker

Alto saxophonist Charlie Parker graced the airwaves on Christmas Day in 1948 with a historic rendition of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” alongside his quintet. Broadcasted live from the Royal Roost—celebrated as the birthplace of bebop—in Manhattan’s Theater District, Bird’s bebop interpretation takes flight with a brisk tempo, a departure from the once-ballad, and his virtuosic solo interjects a brief but unmistakable quote from “Jingle Bells.”

Bird’s dynamic take on the holiday favorite remains a unique gem as the only known holiday recording in his discography.

“Jingle Bells” Count Basie Orchestra

The Count Basie Orchestra’s hard-swinging arrangement of “Jingle Bells’’ was first performed live amid the heat of an NYC summer in 1961. Arranger and saxophonist Ernie Wilkins arrived at the big band’s gig at Birdland—just down the street from the Royal Roost—clutching a freshly penned manuscript.

Following the live performance, the arrangement was formally recorded and released a year later in 1962 by Roulette Records. With Basie’s distinct touch at the piano and a joyous, exuberant brass section, the recording swiftly earned its status as a classic.

The recording also showcases the skills of two other significant KC musicians: Saxophonist Frank Wess and guitarist Freddie Green also appear on this holiday classic.

“Christmas Spirits”

Julia Lee

Pianist and singer Julia Lee’s original “Christmas Spirits” is equal parts festive and flirtatious, embodying the Kansas City style with Lee’s bluesy, laid-back swing sensibility. The song opens with a dissonant and almost jarring play on “Jingle Bells,” but the holiday blues quickly take an audacious turn, casting the song as a risqué love letter to none other than Santa Claus himself.

Like many of Lee’s songs, “Christmas Spirits” faced a challenge in terms of radio play due to its suggestive lyrics. Reliant on jukebox plays and record sales alone, the track reached No. 16 on the Billboard R&B chart in January 1949 and was one of Lee’s final hits with Capitol Records.

The track also features Kansas City drummer Sam “Baby” Lovett, a longtime collaborator of Lee’s.

HOLIDAY HITS

Swing in the holiday cheer with a jazz playlist from Kansas

City artists.

BY NINA CHERRY

ASIDE FROM SACRED carols, many beloved holiday classics were composed in the swing era, making Christmas music and jazz as smooth a pairing as eggnog and brandy. Kansas City jazz musicians have been recording their own expansive collection of songs, including hymns, contemporary staples and originals, to get you in the holiday spirit.

Swing in the good cheer with this homegrown holiday soundtrack.

TODAY’S PICKS

“Skating” Paula Saunders

Singer Paula Saunders shines in her a capella delivery of “Skating,” originally from Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack. Saunders’ warm vocals and skillful scatting blend seamlessly with Guaraldi’s rich harmonies in this lyricless cover. Released last month, “Skating” is part of the Soul of Santa Christmas Album, a compilation album released by the Soul of Santa “Do Good’’ Foundation (headquartered in the historic 18th and Vine Jazz District) and produced by Grammy-nominated producer Jo Blaq. Blaq boasts an impressive portfolio working with renowned artists including Diana Ross, Jill Scott and Rihanna. The album is set to serve as the soundtrack for the upcoming Christmas tree lighting ceremonies in the 18th and Vine Historic Jazz District and The Shops of Blue Parkway this year.

“Have a Very Merry Christmas” Andrea Lewis

Released during the pandemic in 2020, Andrea Lewis’ “Have a Very Merry Christmas” became an uplifting musical respite in a year filled with uncertainty. Her Christmas album’s title track, the song was composed by Andrea and artfully arranged for a big band by her husband, trombonist and composer Marcus Lewis. With a funky groove, an infectious melody and buttery horns, it’s an earworm you’ll find yourself humming along to this season.

TREND

Buckle Up

Kansas City’s cooler fall and winter temperatures make it the perfect backdrop for the buckle- and lace-up leather footwear that’s recently been seen clomping down the catwalk.

Many of the 2023 couture cold-weather runway looks paid tribute to Vivienne Westwood, a legendary fashion designer who passed away last December. Westwood’s fashion design and aesthetics are largely credited with making modern punk and new wave fashion mainstream. While we admit the women’s punk leather boot came into vogue a decade ago, in the 2010s, this time around it’s more polished, contemporary with a masculine twist on the old fav. This new take brings a tougher, rougher edge to many feminine looks as well as a bit of an androgynous or gender-neutral twist.

One local maker bringing this aesthetic to the local KC scene is Thomas Benjamin, who makes shoes in the old-world cobbler style—completely handmade and made to order. Benjamin’s focus is on keeping with traditional craftsmanship while combining it with today’s fashion trends.

Benjamin’s studded combat boots paired with feminine floral maxi dresses give the classic look some edge while laced or distressed boots take inspiration from menswear. Fashionistas everywhere are pairing laced or buckled boots with contrasting looks, such as a faux fur coat or rich silk dress. —MOLLY HIGGINS

NO NEEDLES REQUIRED

More folks are turning to non-invasive technologies in lieu of plastic surgery.

BY MOLLY HIGGINS

WITH WINTER BREAKS, celebratory parties and holiday pictures around the corner, many people want to get photo-ready without the downtime or recovery period that comes with surgical procedures.

In recent years, as the technology used in medical spas has rapidly advanced, doctors and aestheticians have been able to accomplish liposuction- and facelift-like results without the hassle of—and possible negative or dangerous consequences of—surgery.

“Anything with less downtime is preferred, which is why things are turning more to the non-invasive treatments than surgical,” says Dawn Swartz, spa and front office manager at Mia Bella Donna MedSpa in Overland Park. “Everybody’s social schedules get so busy and they want something that gives them corrections without having the downtime—the sutures, the bruising and all of the follow-up appointments. There are a lot more laser-tightening

devices coming out for collagen elasticity. Everybody wants to create the mini facelift without actually having a mini facelift.”

Dr. Dan Margolin of Physician Aesthetic Specialists in Lenexa is one specialist leading the trend of non-invasive treatments.

Margolin practiced general surgery at Saint Luke’s for twenty years before creating his medical spa focused on patient education and holistic care.

Margolin thinks that tabloids with “plastic surgery gone wrong” headlines and popular shows like Botched have altered peoples’ perceptions of plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures in recent years.

Recent technology has gone from quick fixes to a more holistic approach that starts at the health of the skin. “I’m hearing more and more from people that want to still look like themselves, they don’t want drastic changes,” Margolin says. “It’s all about reversing skin age, and that starts with rebuilding collagen and elastin. If you have a facelift, regardless of how extreme or subtle it is, all they’ve done is cut and tighten, but it hasn’t done anything to reverse your skin age. It’s not restoring your youth. It’s just pulling things tight. There’s so much more to it than that—it’s about the health of the skin.”

Radiofrequency microneedling devices are a popular non-invasive method. For something like under eye bags, the devices make it so that patients no longer need to go under anesthesia and get incisions; instead, they can get a numbing injection and simply melt the fat away. Radiofrequency energy cannot only melt away unwanted fat, but also stimulates the local production of collagen and elastin. Patients will see some immediate results, but the results continue to improve over the next several months.

For fat loss, Margolin has ditched fads like “cool sculpting,” which used liquid nitrogen to try to freeze the fat cell, and turned to a device called the Emsculpt Neo, which uses radiofrequency energy.

“This uses radiofrequency energy to evenly disperse and destroy the fat by allowing the fatty acids to leak out of the cells,” Margolin says. “We see a 30 percent increase in muscle mass and 30 percent decrease in fat in the treated area. For example, in the abdomen area, we use electromagnetic stimulation to stimulate muscle contraction. Each 30-minute session is the equivalent of doing 20,000 crunches and this can be done on any body part.”

COURAGEOUS CURLS

Cancer survivor Crissi Curly uses art to empower women of color to celebrate their natural hair.

BY MOLLY HIGGINS

KC NATIVE AND artist Crissi Curly, née Christi Rice, started exploring her artistic abilities over seven years ago, when she found out that she had cancer while pregnant with her son.

Curly had never explored her artistic talents until she had a vision of a Black woman with hidden messages in her hair. Because Curly couldn’t be active after her post-cancer surgeries, she decided to use her time to make her vision a reality. She began creating empowering art focused on Black women using mixed mediums and everyday objects with various textures like plastic water bottles and yarn.

“Art is a story,” Curly says. “My art is going to live on when I am not here anymore. For me, being scared with the whole C-word of cancer, art has still been in the forefront— even in the traumatic last few years. Art has helped me stay focused on my mission, especially when you’re threatened that life may end.”

For Curly, an art therapist at Raytown High School, the mission is to help people express themselves. She also aims to empower people through her celebratory art and through KC Curly—an annual event that brings together girls and women of color to celebrate their natural hair.

Tell us about the beginning of your art career. I couldn’t walk for some time without having chronic pain [post-cancer], and I had to sit down. That’s when the art started to grow. Art helped me regain my confidence and realize I can create something from my head and put it out on paper. I started teaching other people those ideas through my mobile paint and sip [classes]. I have art classes for any age. Once you learn the basics of art, I believe that you can do anything. Eventually, my family and friends started coming with me [to showcases at First Fridays in the Crossroads]. I love curating art events and helping people of color to be represented in the Crossroads.

How does your social work background affect your art practices? I believe art therapy is a great way to open up people’s minds and help them express themselves when they don’t know what to say. Art helps people put their feelings on paper without actually writing it. When it comes to art, I can help our community understand or process some of their feelings before they react. I help them to recognize [their feelings] and how to cope.

What inspires your art? I want to show that natural hair is actually very beautiful. When I go to a museum, often it’s not a representation of Black women in a beautiful light. Instead, they’re in a cornfield or enslaved and their hair is covered. Growing up, I had very thick hair and to certain people it would be [considered] unmanageable. I grew up insecure, thinking that my hair needed to be straight, and a lot of us in the community have felt that same way.

Tell us about KC Curly. It started with the first art piece [a mixed media portrait of a Black woman]. Then I started wearing my afro and I didn’t feel like I was pretty. So I put a status on Facebook that I was going to have a photoshoot to uplift everybody that is transitioning to natural hair. Once I started talking to more women, they were feeling the same way I was feeling. Hearing their stories of them transitioning to natural hair and how their boss said it wasn’t professional—this is not just me, this is our whole community feeling like this. I love the fact that I can bring the community together because of something that society has made us feel as if we were not beautiful for—showing little girls that you are beautiful. I wish I had that when I was little. Follow @crissitheartist on Instagram for events or to book a

395 REALTY: TODAY’S SUCCESSFUL WAY TO SELL YOUR HOME

Owners Kevin Hopkins and Greg Shahan are focused on providing the highest level of service and cost savings to home sellers and buyers by using a hybrid commission plan of $695 plus .5%* of the sale price, while still offering the full service of a traditional real estate agency.

Changing the Model

The internet has changed the process of selling in the real estate market, allowing Kevin and Greg to offer this concept to homeowners. Most clients turn to the internet and the convenience of their desktop or phone to review homes in their desired area. Much of the work that years ago was completed by an agent is now done by the buyer. Also, in the past, a large portion of the cost of selling a home went to an advertising budget for newspaper ads, brochures and more. Kevin and Greg claim the broker’s biggest expense has been eliminated, but those savings were never delivered to the customer. That’s not the case at 395 Realty. The dollars are being passed on, but the services are not being shortchanged. When 395 Realty gets a listing, it’s placed in the

Measuring Experience

Multiple Listing Services and within hours it’s broadcast to thousands of websites.

“What are you getting for those thousands of dollars in real estate commissions you pay at another real estate agency?

On a $300,000 home, that’s $9,000 just on the listing side of the equation, but clients aren’t getting $9,000 dollars worth of services,” shared Kevin. “At 395 Realty, we’ve created a fee structure that’s fair and reasonable for both parties. It’s not a gimmick; it’s not intended to be some type of a discount service. It’s a full-service real estate company with fees and structure based on what is fair and reasonable for the consumer and our company.”

“In addition, it’s our experience and technical knowledge that set us apart from the competition,” noted Greg. “When a client–buyer or seller–is looking at the services of a real estate agent, it should be the number of transactions they’ve had over time. Experience comes from each and every one of them, which protects the seller’s or buyer’s best interest in that transaction.”

Together Kevin and Greg have more than 50 years of experience in real estate; that solid knowledge is the foundation of this successful company. Their business model is focused on selling hundreds of homes at a flat-fee rate, not a few houses sold at the typical six percent commission that other brokers use. Clients are delighted with the thousands of dollars that stay in their pockets.

If you’re contemplating selling your home, doesn’t it make sense to call Greg and Kevin at 395 Realty? Don’t pay for services that fit the market of a decade ago. Use their hybrid commission plan of $695 plus .5%* of the sale price and keep dollars in your pocket. *See 395Realty.com for details.

A FRESH TAKE

ON HISTORY

KANSAS CITY DESIGNER KELEE KATILLAC HONORS THE PAST WITH DESIGN FOR TODAY.

By Dawnya Bartsch. Photography by Aaron Leimkuehler & Karen Swope

DESIGNER

KELEE

KATILLAC

DOESN’T SEE HISTORIC PROPERTIES AS STODGY AND STUCK IN THE PAST. TO HER, THEY’RE PART OF AN EVER-EVOLVING STORY TO BE EMBRACED.

In her new bold, vibrant coffee table book Historic Style, Katillac documents her philosophy of acknowledging the past, even the not-so-nice parts, and honoring these elements while reimagining and renovating these places for contemporary living. To save historic homes, buildings and places, she writes, “we need to bring our personal story to the narrative. The human spirit cannot thrive within a time capsule. The future of preservation depends on honoring and including all who co-created our built environment.”

Katillac showcases her philosophy through an eclectic design sensibility that marries the old with the new using vibrant colors and art from all eras and disciplines, including fashion and music. Historic Style encapsulates Katillac’s aesthetic and documents how she goes about creating hipster havens, all within the parameters of government-mandated historic standards for registered structures.

Katillac draws inspiration from grand historic homes and properties around the

nation, using them as “case studies’’ for her renovation work. She often refers to places like George Washington’s Mount Vernon home or James Madison’s Montpelier estate, both in Virginia, but she has also drawn inspiration from not-quite-as-famous places right here in KC, such as Hotel Kansas City and La Villa, a home built in the Country Club Plaza neighborhood. She uses these buildings’ architectural and design elements along with their histories to formulate ideas for the historic renovations she’s working on. She also applies these ideas to her creative collaboration with historical wallpaper purveyor Adelphi Paper Hangings.

The book is a collaboration between Katillac and writer Jorge Arango. Through an extensive array of historic photos, current project shots and graphic elements that include Katillac’s reimagined historic wallpaper designs, an inspired book emerges, opening up a creative world for the reader and design enthusiast. The book’s pages are punctuated with Katillic’s playlists and excerpts from her design diaries.

Recoloring is a way to “make wallpapers our own by seeing throughthem a more modern lens.”

POS H GOTHIC

Before it became Hotel Kansas City, it was the Kansas City Club. Built between 1918 and 1922, the 14-story Gothic revival building housed a men’s social and networking club. The hotel’s grand, darkpaneled Gothic lobby and a meeting room’s stained-glass windows served as inspiration for Katillac’s reimagined Adelphi “Westwood Gothic” wallpaper. The original pattern is from an original 1840s American wallpaper piece that has been recolored in orange-red, blue

and citrine colors found in the stained-glass windows. Recoloring is a way to “make wallpapers our own by seeing them through a more modern lens,” Katillac says.

Katillac illustrates a “concept room” in her book, which she created using the retooled and modernized wallpaper along with other design elements from the hotel, conjuring up visions of a VIP rockstar suite.

The building looks to Seville with its Spanish colonial design aesthetic.

VIVA LA VILLA!

La Villa, originally a home but now an event venue built in KC’s exclusive Country Club neighborhood, is a perfect example of how Katillac uses historical design elements in a way that acknowledges the not-so-pleasant past of many historic structures. For example, Country Club developer J.C. Nichols specifically excluded people of color from living in his neighborhoods. Katillac argues that through design, these spaces can be made enjoyable by all by honoring the many people who made these places a reality, “possibly healing wounds,” Katillac says.

So much of the Country Club area’s buildings are rooted in the architecture of Seville, Spain, and La Villa is no different. The building looks to Seville with its Spanish colonial design aesthetic.

When Katillac was tasked with reimagining Adelphi’s “Parson Smith Pillar and Arch” wallpaper circa 1760-1770, rather than viewing the pattern as a scene from an English country garden, she saw it as “Spanish Colonial ruins alive and yet crumbling.” To illustrate those thoughts, she took inspiration from La Villa’s design, turning the pattern into a purple neoclassical fantasy. It “became something completely different,” Katillac says. “I saw it as more decadent—hot, humid, like the magical realism of Latin literature,” hence the paper’s deep purple. By treating the paper differently, she hopes to pay homage to the labor and sacrifices made by Mexican workers who helped build these structures at the time and who often go unmentioned.

Saving Blosserthehome,

which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in the 1970s, was a yearslong process.

THE HENRY BLOSS ER HOUSE

In 2014, then-Missouri Governor Jay Nixon declared the 150-yearold Henry Blosser House and estate in Malta Bend to be the most endangered historic places in the state and in need of a guardian angel. Enter Dr. Arthur Elman and his wife, Carolyn Elman. They bought the property, and with Katillac’s guidance, it has become a master study on how to breathe new life into an old, crumbling homestead with an important history.

“Almost every architectural element—fireplaces, moldings, doors, newel posts—had been stolen, stripped and discarded or vandalized,” Katillac says of the Second Empire-style home.

Saving the Blosser home, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in the 1970s, was a yearslong process.

Katillac worked with the National Park Service to redesign and create a plan that met the historic preservation standards but also had a modern sensibility. She re-colored 12 different handblocked Adelphi wallpapers from the past 300 years specifically for the Blosser estate.

HOLIDAY Celebration

1. Cinder Block Brewery cinderblockbrewery.com

Ring in the new year at Cinder Block Brewery’s Reclamation Room. The event space will be decked out in a Roaring ‘20s theme, so dress in your best flapper dress or gangster themed costume. Enjoy Champagne Cider, New Year’s Eve cocktails, Cinder Block craft beer selections, food, jazzy tunes and a midnight toast. December 31 from 8:00 pm – 1:00 am.

2. Price Chopper mypricechopper.com

Gather around the holiday table with Price Chopper! They offer a festive assortment of delicious, homestyle meals featuring all of your favorites, all you have to do is heat and serve! Order now in store or online. Allow 48 hours notice for pick up.

3. Char Bar Smoked Meats & Amusements

charbarbbq.com

Family gatherings and Char Bar’s southerninspired, chef-driven barbecue is the perfect combination as you celebrate the season. Choose from appetizer menus to lunch and dinner buffets, or meat by the pound. They will do the cooking, and you can take the credit.

4. Church of the Resurrection ChristmasAtResurrection.org

Experience the joy of the season during Candlelight Christmas Eve service at one of six Resurrection locations in the Kansas City area. Share in the warmth of passing the candlelight as you sing carols and hear the Christmas story. The services are also being broadcast online and on TV.

5. Georgous Aesthetic Bar georgouskc.com

Feel your best this holiday season and schedule an appointment at Georgous Aesthetic Bar or give that special someone a gift card so they can get what they really want! With a range of services and treatments from the DiamondGlow Facial to Botox, there’s something for everyone on your list.

6. K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel k9resorts.com

When you book your pet’s holiday stay at K9 Resorts, your pup will be pampered and treated with a special holiday gift. All dogs boarding during the month of December receive a FREE doggie ice cream treat. Mention Kansas City Magazine when scheduling your pup’s stay.

7. Blind Box BBQ blindboxbbq.com

Stress less while enjoying this holiday season. With delectable catering from Blind Box BBQ – featuring whole smoked turkey, ham, salmon, prime rib, and delicious, classic sides and desserts– you can take the worry out of the holidays and focus on what matters most. Enjoy your celebration, Blind Box can handle the cooking.

8. Meat Mitch BBQ meatmitchbbq.com

From small get-togethers to large scale events, Meat Mitch’s award-winning barbecue is the perfect way to impress your guests during the holidays. They help you create your perfect menu, complete with mouthwatering smoked meats and classic sides. Catered menus are offered for in-home dining or in the restaurant, either way, it’s sure to be a smokin’ success!

MAKE

THE

SEASON BRIGHT

WITH A VARIETY OF WAYS TO CELEBRATE WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

10 GREAT RESTAURANTS

Where To Eat Now.

FROM A BOLD NEW ERA

HOW WE MADE THIS LIST

For this list, we looked at restaurants that have been open since December 2022. We paid our own way and did not announce ourselves. Advertisers were not favored. Restaurants of every type were considered. We picked restaurants that offer an exceptional dining experience and enrich the city’s cultural landscape.

OF KANSAS CITY FOOD.

WRITTEN BY Dawnya Bartsch, Martin Cizmar, Liz Cook, Rachel Layton, John Martellaro, and Tyler Shane

PHOTOGRAPHY BY Zach Bauman, Caleb Condit, Samantha Levi, Rebecca Norden, Anna Petrow, and Kelly Powell

Insider

Tip

Happy hour takes place on Tuesdays, with $4 off cocktails and mocktails.

Cheers!

Of Course

7753 W. 159th St., Overland Park, 913-261-9187

When we first broke the news about Swetha Newcomb’s restaurant Of Course opening in Overland Park this year, she was particular about not wanting it to be labeled as “Indian food”—because it’s not, exactly.

Newcomb, who was born in India but grew up in Kansas City, relies heavily on her heritage to create dishes born from both worlds. She describes her food as new American with Indian influence. Since opening, however, the chef has leaned proudly into her heritage, and we’re officially classifying Of Course as a fine dining Indian fusion restaurant. We’re also naming it our 2023 Restaurant of the Year.

During her years as a private chef, Newcomb developed a style of her own—a sort of worldly fusion cuisine that, while certainly influenced by her Indian roots, couldn’t be put in a box.

“I thought, ‘Why not combine everything that’s popular here in the Midwest with stuff that I grew up eating that I could not live without?’” Newcomb says.

She admits she “struggled for a bit” during her restaurant’s early days while trying to learn her customer base. Sometimes she would lean too traditional, other times too nouveau. Finding

an identity is a common difficulty in the fusion genre, but Newcomb has found her sweet spot. The 28-year-old chef has tethered her menu to two baseline characteristics: Midwestern familiarity coupled with elevated Indian flavor.

A stiff bourbon program and 22-ounce, 21-day-aged Akaushi wagyu ribeye (a menu staple) are how Newcomb has chosen to honor her location in deep south Johnson County. Of Course is tucked away in the newly developed Bluhawk shopping center, neighboring fastcasual chains like Five Guys and Jinya Ramen.

“In a way, opening this restaurant is a way to make up for all the years I missed out on being Indian. This is me cheersing to my heritage.”

“We didn’t know how it was going to go, but [Johnson County] is extremely excited,” Newcomb says. “They’ve never had anything like this, and there are no fine dining restaurants around until you get to Leawood. They feel like they’ve been heard and seen.”

As is common with Indian cuisine, there’s no shortage of fragrant spices. Newcomb’s mom, Geetha Gondi, who is from Hyderabad, India, came in before the restaurant’s grand opening to teach her daughter’s staff how to make masala gunpowder, a cocktail of spices used for a variety of dishes. The egg curry, with its sweet, saucy tomato base, is also Gondi’s recipe, but Newcomb gives it her own touch with bits of crispy sage and buttery, lightly toasted sourdough in place of traditional naan.

“She’s almost another food purveyor rep,” Newcomb says of her mom. “She’ll drop off different spices and ingredients that she thinks we should use.”

Floral cardamom lifts the sticky toffee pudding cake out of its rich sweetness. The signature dish of pav bhaji, Newcomb’s riff on the classic Indian street food, warms with dashes of mango powder, clove, coriander, star anise and more. Even the fries become poetic with a hefty shake of peri peri seasoning. Dishes you’ve seen before like Lamb ragu and scallops have been infused with masala, pistachio dukkah or curry leaf tadka.

The Drink You Can’t Miss The Can’t C Me cocktail, named after a Tupac song, is a refreshing concoction that finishes with a bite due to the absinthe and green bell pepperinfused mezcal. A two-day milk punch clarification rounds out the potent combo and makes this one an easy sipper.

“I don’t want us to be compared to other Indian restaurants,” Newcomb says.

There’s no mistaking it: Of Course is in its own lane. Fire-orange lobster tails and whole branzinos situated upright on a bed of rice with their gaping mouths staring straight at you are some of the menu’s more luxurious counterparts.

There’s also a greasy, double-ground angus brisket patty burger topped with a mountain of caramelized onions for those seeking something a little more midwestern. “There’s something about being in a fine dining restaurant and eating a fat burger that is really satisfying,” Newcomb says. But the rest of the menu is unapologetic in its devotion to Newcomb’s home country, featuring a pristine collection of shareable starters and entrees leveraged by the flavors of her childhood.

The dining room is a class act, filled with warm, modern earth tones for an intimate and cozy vibe. It’s a refreshing change of pace for this part of the burbs. The cocktail and wine menus were curated by some of KC’s top talent, such as Jay Sanders, owner of the James Beard-nominated cocktail bar Drastic Measures, and Eric Noblet from UnKCorked liquor store. Sam Johnston now runs the cocktail program, and chef de cuisine Adam AmickSorvaag plays a hand in helping execute Of Course’s eclectic menu.

Newcomb met her general manager Lauren Cruz while the two were working at The Capital Grille—Newcomb in the kitchen and Cruz in the dining room.

“We both had fiery personalities,” Newcomb says. “I’ve always dreamed of opening a woman-owned restaurant, and Lauren knows everything about the fine dining industry. We worked in a lot of toxic environments, so we learned what not to do when we opened this place up.”

Of Course feels like an homage to those who, like myself, grew up experiencing multiple cultures, those who had to navigate the complex dance of diversity. Newcomb’s ability to elevate the cuisine of her heritage while simultaneously keeping things cozy for those of us who may be experiencing it for the first time—and doing it all with style—makes Of Course our Best New Restaurant.

“My vision behind this is to give Indian food the credit it deserves,” Newcomb says. –TYLER SHANE

KATA NORI

404 E. 18th St., KCMO, 816-403-4969

You won’t find California rolls at Kata Nori. Instead, you’ll find the temaki variation of sushi where rice, fish and condiments are delicately wrapped in a cylindrical sheet of nori, an edible seaweed, and shaped like a small burrito. If you’re Midwest-bred like myself and questioning the practicality of the hand roll craze, I assure you Kata Nori is one of the most refreshing concepts to hit the KC restaurant scene in a while.

This temaki-style sushi bar is owned by a trio of KC natives: Kyung “KK” Kim, Nam Phan and their secret weapon, Anh “Bass” Pham. Bass brings with him unparalleled experience, having been the chef at the renowned sushi joint Uchi in Austin as well as opening sushi locations in both Dallas and Denver. Over the years, Bass has cultivated relationships with many of the best fish purveyors in the business, and as a result, Kata Nori has some of the best quality sushi to be found in the metro.

Bass and his fellow hand rollers prepare the sushi to order in the middle of a 24-seat U-shape bar for all to see and hand them off to patrons as they’re finished. There’s no waiting for your fellow companions to receive theirs. You’re advised to devour it on the spot.

That’s because the beauty of the hand roll lies in the nori used at the restaurant. The structure maintains the seaweed’s crispness, so you get a gentle crunch as you bite into each one. As to the type of nori used at this new hot spot? “We’re keeping that a secret,” Kim says.

Kata Nori can keep their secrets. I’ve eaten almost the entire menu and whether the fish is wrapped in nori or served as a crudo—meaning raw and topped with citrus, oil or a vinaigrette—it melts in your mouth. There’s no need to douse the sushi in soy sauce, but if you so desire, there’s a stunning aged tamarind sauce for dipping, also a top secret.

–TYLER SHANE

Insider

Tip

Real wasabi sets Kata Nori apart from the rest. From freshly grated to a pickled relish form, order a flight for a side by side wasabi comparison.

The Drink You Can’t Miss When in Rome, do as the Romans do. And by that, I mean order the sake. It’ll come with a small wooden box for you to drink out of. Notice how the sake changes as it comes down to room temperature and takes on a woody flavor.

KC Craft Ramen

6830 W. 119th St., Overland Park

For Kenichi Ota, ramen is not just his business. It’s his hobby and passion, and he wants others to experience ramen this way, too. Ota’s new restaurant, KC Craft Ramen, is his latest attempt at spreading his love for ramen, and it seems to be working.

Ota was born in Tokyo and has spent the last seven years working as a self-proclaimed “ramen consultant,” educating people across the country on traditional methods for ramen preparation. He also runs Ramen School USA, which offers courses about how to open successful ramen shops.

This year, after in-depth research, Ota decided Overland Park would be the perfect place to open an authentic Japanese ramen shop. He felt the community would be open to experiencing a

Insider Tip

bit of Japanese culture while enjoying fresh, house-made ramen.

“I want to bring Japanese culture, not just a Japanese restaurant, [to KC],” Ota says. KC Craft Ramen is decorated with dozens of hanging plants and warm light fixtures. The aisle leading up to the counter is full of animation

The

Drink You Can’t Miss One of KC Craft Ramen’s standout offerings is a stone fruit kombucha. It’s imported from Japan and has the perfect balance of carbonation and fruitiness.

figurines for purchase as well as dozens of traditional Japanese sodas, juices, kombucha and teas.

“People love it when they come to our store [and] the first thing they see is a small shopping area that introduces Japanese culture,” Ota says.

The kitchen is open, so customers can watch as their ramen is made to order while sitting in a cozy wooden booth. Service is casual, but the atmosphere is well-designed, paying homage to Ota’s Japanese roots.

One menu staple is the KC Bun—decadent bao buns stuffed with a pork cutlet, crisp shredded cabbage and KC Craft Ramen’s original sauce, which strikes a delicate balance between sweet and heat. The KC Craft Red Ramen bowl, made with Ota’s fresh, house-made ramen noodles, is loaded with slices of tender pork, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, black mushrooms, corn, green onions and a softboiled egg finished with a spicy oil. The heat is mild, but you can increase the spice.

Sign up for KC Craft Ramen’s mailing list and you’ll be entered into a monthly lottery for a free meal.

Two winners are chosen each month.

“Everything we make is in-house, even the noodles,” Ota says. “It’s not done this way in any other ramen shop across the U.S.” We can definitely taste the difference. – RACHEL LAYTON

“Just the nature of private chef-ing and the way I like to eat, I cook the globe. I cook all different types of food.”

Owner and chef Ashely Bare

HEMMA HEMMA

7122 Wornall Road, KCMO, 816-214-6260

Ashely Bare’s Waldo joint may be the most unexpected restaurant to join Kansas City magazine’s roundup of this year’s top new restaurants, having only opened in September. The addition of Hemma Hemma could definitely be perceived as a gamble, but after a handful of visits, I’m calling it. Its cafeteriastyle dining and approachable, solid seasonal fare is a winning combination. It’s already showing serious potential, and it will be exciting to see how Bare continues to develop Hemma Hemma (meaning ‘at home’ in Swedish).

Bare started a meal delivery service in 2019, offering her homestyle-with-a-global-twist cuisine to clients who would stock their fridges for the week with her meals. Bare still operates a meal delivery service, and now, with her new shop’s market space, customers can also pick up her prepared meals. She is offering delicious grab-and-go options like miso meatballs, hand-breaded chicken tenders and spicy amatriciana pasta bakes.

Although her prepared food is not to be missed, you should really grab a tray and get in line at

The Drink You Can’t Miss

You can grab a cup of joe and some homemade baked goods at the bodega, but for something on the brighter side, head to the market and grab Sanzo or Poppi sparkling water, a Zen Donkey Farms coldpressed juice or kombucha.

the cafeteria, which is open for breakfast and lunch. Grab pickle-brined chicken with house-made ranch, tomato thai basil soup or a beef shawarma wrap. The breakfast quiche is wildly fluffy and filled with cherry tomatoes, dill, feta and quinoa. A plethora of cold salads mixed with all kinds of nutrient-dense veggies and grains await you near the end of the line.

Hemma Hemma is replacing District Pourhouse + Kitchen, and Bare has completely shaken its tavern feel with her chic vintage touch. Near the coffee bar sit multi-patterned lounge chairs against a plaid-wallpapered wall. Hovering above the dining room are retro pink lamps. –TYLER SHANE

Insider Tip

Cooking classes are available in Hemma Hemma’s instructional kitchen. Learn how to make pasta, dim sum, Mediterranean mezze, eggs benedict and more by heading to Hemma Hemma’s website, hemmahemma.com. Oh, there’s also an event space available to rent underneath the dining room.

The Year of the Private Chef

Private chefs are having a moment. Two of this year’s top new restaurants were started by former private chefs: Hemma Hemma’s Ashley Bare and Of Course’s Swetha Newcomb. They went from catering private dinners and constructing weekly meal preps to helming their own establishments. Harp Barbecue (which ranked sixth on our recent Best of KC Barbecue 2023 list) recently partnered with notable KC private chef Jayaun Smith to start Soul Food Sundays, a weekly collaboration that dishes up braised greens, fried fish and other soulful barbecue fare. Even Travis Kelce’s private chef Kumar Ferguson was recently featured in Vanity Fair and Startland News.

It’s a coveted gig, private chef-ing. It allows chefs to manage their own schedules and clients without the infamous chaos that’s de rigueur in a traditional restaurant kitchen. But as we’ve seen from this list, it’s also a profession that acts as a springboard for bigger business opportunities. Private chefs are making their mark despite being hidden away.

What is the transition from private chef to the restaurant world’s busy demands like?

When we asked Newcomb, she had one word: “Insane.” But it seems owning her own restaurant and having control of its kitchen is worth diving back into the chaos.

“Insane, but in the best way,” Newcomb says. “Being back here in this environment made me realize how much I missed it. We all work together as a family.”

–TYLER SHANE

Bacaro Primo

325 E. 55th St., KCMO, 816-381-6084

It all started with the oven. When the former Cafe Europa in Brookside’s Crestwood Shops closed, it left behind an enviable neighborhood restaurant space with a wood-burning oven. For restaurateurs Todd Schulte and Cory Dannehl, who were fresh off the runaway success of an oyster bar a few blocks away, a wood-fired oven was all the inspiration they needed to launch a new Italian restaurant with pizzas.

“We opened up Earl’s Premier, and we really had no intention of opening anything else quite so soon,” Schulte says. “But the space became available and it seemed like a no-brainer.”

The oven didn’t pan out—once they got into the space, Schulte and Dannehl discovered it was in bad shape, so they replaced it with an imported Italian electric oven—but the restaurant, Bacaro Primo, works anyway. The cozy Italian joint with a horseshoe bar and a Coliseum-sized salami selection is one of the most roundly pleasant new restaurants the city has seen in years.

It’s a place with satisfying pastas in rich sauces, Neopolotin-ish pizzas with lightly charred crusts, a lineup of spritzes and carefully selected meats and cheeses from all over Italy. Bacaro Primo is not reinventing the wheel, but it doesn’t need to. It’s a perfect neighborhood modern Italian spot.

One of Bacaro Primo’s best qualities is its

self-assured presentation of excellent imported foodstuffs. No, that thick and perfectly al dente pappardelle that’s umami-bombed with rich wild boar ragu and Parmigiano-Reggiano is not made in-house. Rather, it’s Pastificio Di Martino imported dry from Naples. And it’s perfect.

“We’ve certainly gone out of our way to source authentic Italian meats and cheeses,” Dannehl says. “For the most part, they are all imported. We actually use fresh mozzarella and burrata out of Connecticut—it’s a super high-end product. But everything else is from various regions in Italy.”

That includes the olives battered and fried Scotch-egg style, which has become a signature item. “People come in for just a drink and that,” Schulte says. –MARTIN CIZMAR

Insider tip

The Italian electric oven is an advanced piece of equipment that allows Bacaro to cook with different temperatures at the top and bottom of the oven, says co-owner Todd Schulte.

The Drink You Can’t Miss Primo Negroni, the classic Italian cocktail. Here, it’s made appropriately bracing with dry gin, Barolo Chinato and red aperitivo.

Insider

Tip

Another

reason to enjoy Urban Egg: their track record of charity and community support. They recently raised more than $40,000 to support Maui wildfire victims.

The Drink You Can’t Miss The medium-spicy house bloody mary pairs perfectly with any of Urban Egg’s southwestern/Tex-Mex dishes.

Top: Belgian waffles with the works: fresh strawberries and blueberries, homemade vanilla creme anglaise, whipped cream and maple syrup.

Bottom: Breakfast tacos piled with hashbrowns, scrambled eggs, peppers, onions, avocado crema and cotija cheese. Sub portobello mushrooms for bacon or chorizo to make it vegetarian.

URBAN EGG

4921 W. 119th St., Overland Park, 913-586-7500

Urban Egg brought a winning brunch format from Colorado to Kansas City, but it was also a homecoming of sorts for founder Randy Price, who graduated from Shawnee Mission South High School in 1983.

Price says the restaurant’s focus on quality ingredients and local suppliers and an “eachguest each-plate approach” are key to the appeal. “Our food is always fresh, never frozen, prepared in-house from scratch in an open display kitchen.”

Variety is another calling card. Diners can go light, combining a salad or granola parfait with a fresh-squeezed juice blend, or they can indulge in an espresso martini alongside a decadent stuffed French toast with crème anglaise, maple syrup and whipped cream. Gluten-free pancakes and muffins are available, and you can even mix and match pancake “flights” from among five choices.

Price says the most popular menu choices include the chicken and waffle eggs benedict with bacon jam and chili maple bacon butter; the buttermilk biscuit with sage sausage gravy, made with sausage sourced from Kansas City-based Scimeca’s; and the cinnamon swirl pancakes with royal icing. Other choices range from sandwiches to avocado toast to steak and eggs.

(Note: Your correspondent was particularly impressed with the carnitas bowl served with eggs, hash browns, green chili and avocado.)

The high-ceilinged space offers a tasteful contemporary design, with well-spaced tables and a glass-walled kitchen. Decor touches include giant close-up photos of fresh fruits and vegetables and a display of recovered aspen tree trunks. – JOHN

MARTELLARO

“When you have a love for Asian food, that never changes. You’re always looking for it. You always want it. I really felt like there was an opportunity to have an Asian small plate restaurant.”

The Drink You Can’t

Miss Bar manager

Audra Frost nails the cocktail and mocktail offerings, but the wines are particularly excellent.

Grab a glass of Breaking Bread’s zinfandel blend for a crisp, lighter bodied wine with notes of jasmine and persimmon.

Noka

334 E. 31st Street, KCMO, 816-766-4441

It should come as no surprise to see Martini Corner’s Asian fusion restaurant Noka on this list. In the midst of me writing a review for the November issue, chef and owner Amante Domingo overhauled his menu—a watershed act that took his dishes from confusing to stellar and completely altered my review. Domingo had hustled back to the heart of his ambitious vision, and it was a success.

“I’m a Midwest boy,” Domingo says. “I’m not a West Coast or East Coast chef that wants to bring new gastronomy to KC. I want to bring my take on it and not overcomplicate things.”

Despite Noka’s highly curated and contemporary Japanese farmhouse design, the restaurant isn’t pretentious, just cool. A dramatic wall of Japanese clay pots and the restaurant’s communal seating were inspired by one of the last conversations Domingo had with his father.

“He told me that he wanted to take me to a sushi bar he had seen in the Yucatan,” Domingo says. “So I built a restaurant that I thought visually a sushi bar in the Yucatan would feel like.”

Fusion means experimentation, and Domingo is having fun without the guardrails of tradition. From breaking a clay pot to get to your chicken to watching your creme brulee dramatically lit aflame tableside, Domingo is promising his patrons not only delicious food but an experience, and he is breathing new life into KC’s food scene.

A sophisticated drink menu accompanies Noka’s dishes, some of which maybe served on a slab of rock or butcher block.

Choosing DIY steak tartare lettuce wraps, gochujang mac and cheese and togarashi-spiced brownies for dessert would be an acceptable way to approach Noka’s menu. But I recommend going big : splurge for an entree, maybe the duck with plum sauce or the 32-ounce ribeye with kimchi butter. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

With Noka’s recent addition of a raw sushi bar, it’s clear Domingo plans to keep offering Kansas Citians something different while challenging himself along the way. – TYLER

SHANE

Insider Tip

Weekend happy hour includes half-off sushi and sake until 6:30 pm. Need we say more?

Is KC Having A Sushi Renaissance?

Unlike barbecue and steakhouses, KC’s sushi scene has always been lacking. But change is on the horizon. Chefs and restaurateurs are coming out of the woodwork and upping KC’s sushi game, especially with the recent additions of sushi bars at Noka, Kata Nori and the soon-to-beopen Crossroads omakase restaurant Sushi Kodawari. Kodawari chef Karson Thompson wants to prove there’s no reason why KC shouldn’t have the same quality sushi that can be found on the East or West coasts. With the right purveyors, quality fish is completely feasible, he says.

“When I was looking into coming back to the city, I was really kind of surprised to see that there was nobody in Kansas City really doing this concept,” Thompson says. “It looked like there was a gap to fill in the Kansas City market.”

Both Kata Nori’s and Sushi Kodawari’s owners have connections to Japanese fish markets, enabling them to select the best. This direct access means higher quality fish for their KC customers, but it also means KC sushi lovers might be paying more than they are used to. But from our dining experience at Kata Nori, we think it’s worth it.

Beyond the fish, these new restaurants are also paying homage to sushi culture, which means intimate dining rooms and open kitchens where the chef prepares the food in front of their customers. –TYLER SHANE

The Drink You Can’t Miss Talk Dirty To Me. They’re talking soil. This flight of red wines gets its name from the various soils the wine grapes were grown in, with descriptors like “forest floor” to describe the varietals.

Insider Tip

Try the jamón ibérico de bellota. The rare ham comes from Spanish boars that are the direct descendants of wild Iberian peninsula boars. These freerange pigs almost exclusively eat acorns that have fallen from trees, creating a ham with a delicate, fatty, nutty flavor.

VINTAGE ’78 WINE BAR

7251 W. 80th St., Overland Park, 913-261-9483

Like fine wine, Overland Park’s Vintage ’78 Wine Bar keeps getting better with time. After opening in the spring with a deliciously limited menu—but one that paired nicely with the bistro’s extensive wine list—the chic yet comfortable restaurant is slowly expanding its food choices, too.

The focus remains on its libations, as it should, but a few more savory dish choices means there are that many more reasons to go. If you want to just nibble away at truffle popcorn paired with a nice pinot noir, or whatever suits your fancy, that can be done. But perhaps something more substantial is needed. In that case, Vintage ’78’s decadent lobster roll created by chef Kyle Ketchum, who spent much time in Boston perfecting his trademark sandwich, perfectly complements your glass of Champagne.

“It’s an opportunity to taste and experience things that you may or may not be familiar with,” says owner Michael Scherzberg, whether that’s Vintage ’78’s wines or its cheese and charcuterie choices, all of which can be explained by the educated and friendly staff.

Scherzberg and his partners Ketchum and Megan Downes, who serves as general manager, spent much time refining the elegantly cozy bistro’s concept. The trio, who have known each other for years through various hospitality industry gigs, wanted to offer world-class wines along with cheeses and charcuterie in an environment that felt like Cheers—a comfortable place where everybody knows your name. I’d say they succeeded. Vintage ’78—1978 was a good year for wine and is the owner’s birth year—is a new space, but it has a timeless quality. Crisp white paneled walls, bold contemporary paintings created by Scherzberg, a lush blue velvet banquet and French bistro marble-topped tables and chairs adorn the space. The back of the bar has clean open shelving lined with row after row of Riedel crystal glassware, ensuring you have the right glass for the right wine.

A large glass window lines the back wall, offering a view of the temperature- and humidity-controlled wine cellar, a fabulously dark and moody room. Vintage ’78 also has a wine club. “Drink well more often,” Downes says. “That’s our motto.” Cheers to that. –

DAWNYA BARTSCH

The

Drink You Can’t Miss

Have you heard of the french fry and ice cream combo? Well, the Southside Shake takes it to the next level with chocolate and vanilla ice cream topped with crispy fried potato bits and a dollop of whipped cream. For an extra $1.95, you can add booze to it.

District Biskuits

504 Armor Road, North Kansas City, 816-216-7210

Chef Guroux Khalifah is focused on the important stuff. When I interview him, it’s clear he’d rather be in the kitchen, but I need to know his secrets or, at the very least, gain some insight into why his fast-casual biscuit joint is so damn good. It’s tucked in between a Lucky Dragon Chinese restaurant and a brick-clad Farmers Insurance off Armour Road in KC’s Northtown. You’ll get your food quickly, as at any other fast food spot, but the fried chicken will be sous-vide and the buttermilk biscuits will be made from scratch. That’s Khalifah’s secret—he uses his classic French training to create a superior product but knows where to cut corners to deliver efficiency.

The menu is centered around daily homemade buttermilk biscuits, a recipe that uses a rough lamination technique—a layering method of butter between layers of dough—that Khalifah has perfected over the years. They’re structured but tender and rich with butter. A touch of sugar gives the outsides a soft crunch. They might sandwich a filet of gleaming hot Nashville chicken or be smothered with a house-made gravy.

If it’s your first time, order The Wonder, the breakfast biscuit sandwich that propelled Khalifah from a pop-up in his uncle’s fried fish establishment, Lutfi’s, to his current brickand-mortar. If you’re hungover, however, Khalifah has a remedy for that: The Cure, a biscuit sandwich stuffed with soft scrambled eggs slapped with American cheese, a smear of bacon jam, caramelized onions and chives. Go ahead and indulge in a side of mac and cheese. Maybe a milkshake and slice of red velvet cake, too.

“Our menu, our concept is crafted for the culture of Black people in Kansas City,” Khalifah says. “It’s crafted for the culture of Kansas City.”

As I sit down, listening to ’90s R&B playing overhead, I realize Khalifah has truly created something all his own—indulgent homestyle food with genuine KC roots. His operation has soul, something you don’t often see at a fast food spot. – TYLER SHANE

Insider Tip

Chef Khalifah has just expanded his menu to add dinner. Fried chicken, braised green beans, Southern-style baked mac and cheese, whipped mashed potatoes and gravy, cheesy grits, dressing, coleslaw and fries will all be available during District Biskuits’ evening weekend hours.

BARBACOA

5500 Troost Ave., KCMO, 816-809-9550

If you want something done fast, call Roman Raya and Madeline Buechter. In just a few years, the culinary team took their street-food concept Taco Tank from a pop-up cart to a stall in Crossroads’ food hall Parlor to a permanent spot in a shipping container in North Kansas City’s Iron District. This April, the pair opened their first brick-and-mortar restaurant, Barbacoa, in a sunny corner space on 55th and Troost.

Barbacoa’s mission is to marry Mexican flavors with Kansas City barbecue techniques. It’s a natural coupling—barbacoa is barbecue’s etymological (and literal) ancestor. But when I ask Raya if he considers Barbacoa to be part of the KC barbecue scene, he hesitates. “We honor the barbecue side of things, but really, the face we’re presenting is a Mexican restaurant,” he says.

And Barbacoa is a different kind of Mexican restaurant for the city, showcasing Raya’s elegantly plated dishes and Buechter’s creative, food-friendly cocktails. Menu highlights include a smoky, saucy plate of adobo wings with a cooling cilantro crema and campechano—here, not tacos, but a whole grilled ribeye served alongside chorizo and salsa macha. The goal, Raya says, is to offer guests the feel of a nice steak dinner without tugging the dish too far from its pragmatic street-food origins.

Those dishes are also signs of a new restaurant finding its footing. Early Barbacoa menus looked a little different, with traditional showpiece entrees and a la carte sides such as fideo seco. But Raya found that diners weren’t sure how to pair them or how much to order. “We adapted our menu to be a little more on the shareable side and just make each plate stand out as its own,” he says.

Barbacoa’s menu changes often; if you like a dish, there’s no guarantee it’ll stick around. But that’s part of what makes the restaurant so fun—there’s a playfulness to Raya and Buechter’s creations that never feels too irreverent.

“This menu is going to constantly evolve as we figure out new ways to incorporate traditional ingredients and to have fun but still honor the dishes as they are,” Raya says. – LIZ COOK

The Drink You Can’t Miss The Street Vendor, which tops a blended base of mezcal and tequila with corn milk, agave and lime. The menu describes it as “comically sippable.” We agree.

Insider Tip Wednesday walk-ins might find a table, but weekends (both brunch and dinner) tend to fill up. Reserve a couple of days in advance.

Three Restaurants We Said Goodbye to This Year

KC’s food scene saw tremendous growth this past year, but there were a few favorites that shuttered their doors and deserve a proper send-off.

Whether it was your first meet-up of the night or the final shot of the evening, the Drunken Worm was a classic stop for any great night out. Its absence— and its massive margs, expansive tequila list and large plates of authentic tacos—will surely be felt.

A Strawberry Hill staple, Mockingbird Lounge was considered one of the neighborhood’s best-kept secrets. Their craft cocktails and brunches were just a small part of what made Mockingbird Lounge a front runner in the revitalization of Strawberry Hill’s food scene. They announced their closure the same day as the Drunken Worm, and patrons took to Facebook to remember the restaurant’s drag shows and comedy nights.

From its black and red exterior to its neon ‘Poio’ sign, Poio Mexican BBQ added flair to every firecooked meal they served. The KCK establishment is remembered for its grilled chicken boxes, which were catered event staples. Poio went out with a bang, and patrons were able to celebrate the restaurant and their staff at Poio’s farewell party in April, where they served one final dinner. –RACHEL LAYTON

WHAT IS AN INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY?

Searching for the ideal community for your future involves becoming familiar with the various types of senior housing. People aged 55 and over who are still active and mobile usually investigate an independent living lifestyle first. This attractive option features a homestyle environment while relieving residents of chores like cooking, home maintenance and housekeeping. The styles vary widely and include everything from apartments to single-family detached homes.

LOCATION AND AMENITIES

Anthology of Olathe’s setting was handpicked for its convenient access to highways, shopping and restaurants in Johnson County. The senior living community has been thoughtfully designed to include modern amenities and conveniences built with aging adults in mind.

ANTHOLOGY OF OLATHE OFFERS:

- Diverse menu options and dining venues, including a bistro

- Top-of-the-line fitness facilities

- Salon and barbershop

- On-site entertainment

- Inspiring calendar of on-site activities

- Transportation to appointments and outings

LEVELS OF CARE

Not all independent living communities contain several levels of care. Anthology of Olathe offers independent living, assisted living and memory support all in one community, making care transitions easier should you ever need it.

Stunning New Homes For VIBRANT SENIOR LIVING.

Announcing Prairie View, the new residences coming soon to Tallgrass Creek,® Overland Park’s premier senior living community!

• Choose from a variety of stylish floor plans.

• Experience elegant finishes and fixtures.

• Enjoy easy access to campus amenities, including restaurants, the fitness center, bocce ball court, and more!

Company Town Why Kansas City schools are building housing for teachers

By Susie Whitfield

Alexandria Millet lovesbecauseteaching she loves learning.

As a young girl, Millet remembers the teachers that challenged her, expecting her to achieve.

More specifically, it was her Black teachers who had confidence in her, she says. She could see herself in them. Their faith in her abilities was life-altering, and it inspired Millet to become a teacher, too.

“They were invested in my success,” she says. “I am invested in my students’ success in just the same way. My students know they can achieve if they are given the proper tools. They also know in my classroom there are no ‘outs’. They say, ‘You get it, Miss Millet. You don’t let us get away with anything!’”

Millet, who is 24 years old, came to Kansas City from Milwaukee to be an AmeriCorps volunteer. Unlike many teachers who find the demands of the job not commensurate with the pay, Millet decided to stay. She now teaches 10th grade English and journalism at KC’s Central High School. A deciding factor in her choice was a Kansas City School District program that offers Black teachers low-rent housing.

“I make about $48,000 a year, so having affordable housing is extremely important,” Millet says. According to Zillow, the average monthly apartment rental in Kansas City is $1,437.

Millet lives in a duplex near her school with two other teachers and pays $400 a month in rent as part of a partnership between the Kansas City Public School District and the nonprofit organization Teachers Like Me. The nonprofit, founded by Dr. Trinity Davis, a former district teacher and administrator, was specifically created to help recruit and retain Black teachers like Millet by making it affordable and therefore possible for them to live in the district where they work.

According to researchers from Johns Hopkins University and American University, Black students who have at least one Black teacher between kindergarten and third grade are 13 percent more likely to graduate from high school and 19 percent more likely to enroll in college. Those who had two Black teachers were 32 percent more likely.

“The district and Teachers Like Me have made it possible for me to live close to my school in a home I can afford so I can stay in the profession I love,” Millet says.

“The district and Teachers Like Me have made it possible for me to live close to my school in a home I can afford so I can stay in the profession I love.”

The recruiting and retention of Black teachers specifically is a priority for both the district and Davis. Years ago, Davis began looking at data that indicated how few Black teachers there were in area schools, and she wanted to diversify her profession.

“The data indicated that only 2.8 percent of teachers in the whole metro were Black and that Black teachers were leaving at a higher rate than any other group,” Davis says.

Davis founded Teachers Like Me to create a support network for Black teachers, many of whom leave college with debt. “How can we help them stay in the classroom?” Davis asks. “If I didn’t have my parents’ backing, I would have left the profession.”

That schools with a majority of Black students had so few role models seriously concerned Davis. “A third of all metro area Kansas City schools from Olathe to Park Hill don’t even have one Black teacher on campus,” Davis says. “And there are no historically Black colleges and universities nearby for Black students to attend.”

When Davis was teaching first grade, at the beginning of each year she would hear students say, “We have a Black teacher!” as if they were shocked. “But they shouldn’t be,” she says. “This is Kansas City, Missouri.”

Prior to founding Teachers Like Me, Davis studied data on what elements created high-performing schools and found that teachers need both financial support and professional development.

Financial support for housing comes from the program’s

partnership with the Manheim Community Land Trust, one of many organizations helping meet the challenges of creating affordable housing by partnering with nonprofits. MCLT’s directors Scott Johnson and Doug Shafer have acquired 16 vacant lots that are leased to Teachers Like Me for $50 a month each. The duplexes like the one Millet lives in house 12 teachers. Currently, fundraising is focused on building the next four duplexes.

“We also have Money Mondays for financial advice where we talk about credit scores and why they matter and about

proper banking procedures,” says Davis, whose program is currently helping 40 young teachers. “We emphasize how to save and budget and to achieve home ownership.”

The second essential element in retaining teachers is to provide professional development. “Because they have affordable housing, teachers don’t have to get a second job,” Davis says. “They can come in on Saturdays and review student data and plan lessons while being paid a stipend of $25 an hour.”

The dedication the teachers have to Teachers Like Me has inspired Davis to continue to expand the program. “We just sent a recruiter to Mississippi State to recruit nine teachers, all of whom are excited about not only the housing but also the professional support.”

Davis believes having Black teachers live in the community they serve is also essential to building a strong foundation for the education of Black students. “We want our teachers to vote on school issues, to see their students in the neighborhood,” Davis says. “We want to find Black students in high school who want to be teachers, work with them and send them to UMKC and other universities to get their degrees.”

Nicholas Papageorge, assistant professor of economics at Johns Hopkins University, emphasizes the importance of Black children having a Black teacher. “The role model effect seems to show that having one teacher of the same race is enough to give a student the ambition to achieve—for example, to take a college entrance exam.”

Millet already knows that her students view her as a role model, much like she viewed her teachers as role models. “They make the assumption that I care; they tell me the stories of their lives,” she says. “And I have heard some of them say, ‘I want to be a teacher like you.’”

Honest Conversations

Dr. Trinity Davis, founder of Teachers Like Me, recalls the negative reaction to the No Child Left Behind Act, a federal provision that supported standards-based education reform based on the premise that setting high standards and establishing measurable goals could improve individual outcomes.

“People hated it,” says Davis, a former administrator and educator in the Kansas City School District. “But it put a laser focus on the group that was not performing at grade level, and that was Black children. Even students who came to school speaking another language could reach grade level because of English language classes.”

However, as a Black teacher during the No Child Left Behind era, Davis says she “could have honest conversations with Black parents. I would tell them exactly what their children had to achieve, and I could send books home in baggies so that their parents could help them. Since the parents and I were about the same age, we connected, and they could totally understand what their children had to do. At the end of the year, all my students tested at grade level. And then I was accused of cheating because it was rare to have an entire classroom of Black students pass.”

When Davis told her kids that no one believed their test scores were accurate, they asked, “Because we’re Black?” Two weeks later they were tested again, and they actually did better than when Davis had tested them.

SELECTION PROCESS

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TOP 50 KANSAS CITY

AN ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF THE LAWYERS WHO RANKED TOP OF THE LIST IN THE 2023 MISSOURI & KANSAS SUPER LAWYERS NOMINATION, RESEARCH AND BLUE RIBBON REVIEW PROCESS.

Adams, Robert T.

Angles, Christopher J.

Bartimus, James R.

Bath, Jr., Thomas J.

Bautista, Jose M.

Bell, David

Bethune, Scott S.

Boulware, Brandon J.B.

Brady, Maureen

Cannezzaro, Nikki

Cartmell, Thomas P.

Crawford, William (Clay)

Davis, Grant L.

Dickson, Athena M.

Dollar, Tim

Emison, J. Kent

Fisher, Nicole M.

Foster, Shawn G.

Diverse list of the top attorneys nominated by their own peers

Evaluated by third-party research across 12 key categories

Reviewed by a highly credentialed Blue Ribbon Panel of attorneys 2.5% of attorneys selected to Rising Stars 5% of attorneys selected to Super Lawyers

Frickleton, James P.

Goza, Kirk J.

Griffin, James D.

Hershewe, Thomas

Hobbs, James R.

House, Aaron M.

Johnson, Todd

Ketchum, Amanda Pennington

LeRoy, Andrew S.

Mann, Scott M.

McFarland, Tiffany A.

Meyers, Martin M.

Morgan, Melanie S.

Morris, Jeffrey D.

Nail, Roger D.

Norman, Phyllis

Playter, Eric S.

Rader, Michael C.

Redfearn, III, Paul L.

Regan, Kevin E.J.

Robb, Gary C. Robertson, Susan Ford

Rose, Jared A. Rottinghaus, Thomas A.

Scharnhorst, Todd A.

Schultz, John G. Sternberg, Jonathan Stevens, Shea E.

Turner, John E. Votava, Brett T. Williams, Michael A.

Wullschleger, Stacey

Bankruptcy: Consumer....................................... S-4

Civil Litigation: Plaintiff ...................................... S-4

Civil Rights .......................................................... S-4

Class Action/Mass Torts .................................... S-4

Construction Litigation ...................................... S-4

Consumer Law.................................................... S-4 Criminal

THE ANNUAL LIST

BY PRIMARY AREA OF PRACTICE

The list was finalized as of May 10, 2023. Only attorneys who data verified with Super Lawyers for the current year are included on the list that follows. All current selections and any updates to the list (e.g., status changes or disqualifying events) will be reflected on superlawyers.com.

Names and page numbers in RED indicate a profile on for attorneys with paid Super Lawyers or Rising Stars print advertisements.

BANKRUPTCY: CONSUMER

SUPER LAWYERS

Robinson, Tracy L.

Planning & Probate ................................ S-8

Family Law.........................................................S-10

General Litigation.............................................. S-12

Immigration ....................................................... S-12

Personal Injury General: Plaintiff...................... S-13

Personal Injury Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff ........................................................... S-17

Personal Injury Products: Plaintiff .................... S-18

Real Estate ........................................................ S-18

Social Security Disability ................................... S-18

Workers’ Compensation .................................... S-18

CIVIL LITIGATION:

PLAINTIFF

SUPER LAWYERS

Robertson, III, Edward (Kip) D.

Wagstaff, Jr., Tom

RISING STARS

Anderson, Paul D.

Bene, Michael

Collins, Erica Mae

Garza, Trenton D.

Kurtz, Jacob

Peterson, Torrey M.

CIVIL RIGHTS

SUPER LAWYERS

Baker, David S.

Woody, Teresa A.

CLASS ACTION/MASS TORTS

SUPER LAWYERS

Barton, Eric D.

Bertram, J. Scott

Clevenger, Nicholas S. S-9

Dirks, Eric L.

Edgar, John F.

George, Tracey

Hodgson, Michael A.

Hudson, Ryan C.

Kronawitter, Joseph A.

Kuntz, Jeffrey M.

Lytle, Matthew W.

McInnes, Jack

Paul III, Richard M.

Perkins, Lindsay Todd

Peterson, David M. S-9

Schwarz, Ashlea

Sharp, Rex A.

West, Timothy R.

RISING STARS

Bradshaw, Sarah T.

Dickson, Melody R.

Fellows, Laura

French-Hodson, Ruth Anne

Matyszczyk, Blair

McClellan Paradise, Abby

Moore, J. Austin

Stout, Courtney

CONSTRUCTION LITIGATION

SUPER LAWYERS

Hughes, Michael L. S-20

CONSUMER

LAW

SUPER LAWYERS

Bell, Bryce B.

Leyh, Gregory

Waddell, A. Scott

Williamson, Chelsea S.

RISING STARS

Rapp, Michael

CRIMINAL DEFENSE

SUPER LAWYERS

Angles, Christopher J. S-8

Bath, Jr., Thomas J.

Bath, Tricia S-19

Bell, David

Benjamin, Kim

Brown, Christopher T.

Burton, Stephanie M.

Cornwell, Carl E.

Cramm, Paul D.

Davies, Brandan S-13

Dodge, Cynthia M.

Fann, Traci

Fowler, Robin D.

Foye, Sheena

Francis, Jane E.

Garretson, Tyler P.

Ginie, Ryan S.

Gyllenborg, Scott

Harrington, Megan L.

Harvell, John E.

Henderson, Courtney T.

Keller, Marilyn Brady

Lurie, David M.

Mogenson, Michael S.

Morgan, Melanie S. S-15

Nouri, Lisa G.

Peter, Joshuah

Pettlon, III, N. Trey

Picerno, John Anthony

Pilate, Cheryl A. S-15

Regan, Kevin E.J.

Solomon, Garrett M.

Spies, James L.

Stone, Gary D.

Talge, Andrew S.

Thomas, Zach S-13

Toth, W. Scott

Vernon, Eric E.

Watt, Greg

Woodman, Rebecca E.

RISING STARS

Bailey, Jonathan

Duma, Michael C. S-14

MICHAEL C. DUMA

www.dumalawoffices.com

Hartstack, Keoni

Hunter, Michael C.

Jones, Preston L.

Sloan, Taylor

Spradlin, Tracy

Watson, Jordan R.

CRIMINAL DEFENSE: DUI/DWI

SUPER LAWYERS

Carter, J. Denise

Eastman, Jeffrey

Guilfoil, J. Matthew

Kane, Brandon L.

Kirby, Denise

Leininger, Brian L.

Miller, Tony R.

Nigro, Ross C. S-20

Norton, Jay

Powell, Russell L.

Sakoulas, Steven G.

Stolte, Adam D.

RISING STARS

Gigstad, Robert C.

ELDER LAW

SUPER LAWYERS

Janssen, Stacey L.

Reaves, Craig C.

Shepherd, Samantha L.

EMPLOYMENT & LABOR

SUPER LAWYERS

Ardebili, Amir

Dickson, Athena M.

Holman, Kirk D.

Jess, Mark A.

Kingston, Kristi L.

Meyers, Martin M.

Schlozman, Heather J. S-21

Thoenen, Brad K.

Thornberry, Steve, Thornberry Brown,

RISING STARS

Jackson, Amy R.

Smith, Ryan D.

EMPLOYMENT LITIGATION: PLAINTIFF

SUPER LAWYERS

Atwell-Soler, Ashley

Baldwin, Kevin

Beaver, Chad C.

Bratcher, Lynne Jaben

Brown, Sarah A.

Corl, Brandon BRANDON

www.kdh-law.com

Crimmins, Virginia Stevens

Davis, Brett Doyle, Daniel Galloway, Lewis

Gockel, Marie L.

Graham, Gene

Hardinger, Heather

Lawrence, Erin

Mannion, Kathleen E.

KATHLEEN E. MANNION

www.kdh-law.com

& KANSAS KANSAS CITY CONSUMER 2023

McClelland, Ryan L.

Meeks, Rowdy B.

Myers, Katherine E.

Paulus, Ryan M.

Schiavone, Anne W.

Schumaker, Larry M.

Smith, Eric W.

Vernon, Erin N.

Williams, Michael A.

Ziegelmeyer, III, John

RISING STARS

Bruce, Robert

Dake, Raymond

Kinney, Kenneth D.

McDowell, Jessica M.

Montgomery, James R.

Wilson, EmmaLee

ESTATE & TRUST LITIGATION

SUPER LAWYERS

Kirkland, Aaron

Marshall, Hugh L.

Martin, Michael S.

Pond Hendrickson, Anne L.

RISING STARS

Kennedy, Tiffannie M.

ESTATE PLANNING & PROBATE

SUPER LAWYERS

Anderson, Christopher J.

Barks, Shannon K.

Blakesley, Scott E.

Counts, Heather

Ewan, James E.

Gaughan, Christopher M.

Hartmann, Kristi C.

Kirkland, Robert K.

Martinsen, Scott K.

Nail, Molly

Rome, Erik Smith, P. Glen

www.lifescapelaw.com

Sullivan, Emily

Vinton, Amy M. Ward, Melinda “Mindy”

- Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent® - Super Lawyers Top 50 Kansas City and Top 100 Missouri and Kansas Lists - 2011 to Present - Selected to Super Lawyers since 2009

1609 W. 92nd Street Kansas City MO 64114 www.angleslaw.com lawyers@angleslaw.com

Collected And Counting* Collected And Counting*

Woods, Richard D.

Zellmer, Kimberly S.

RISING STARS

Decker, Joshua A.

Esry, Joseph

Falk, Rochelle B.

Kleyh, Stephanie R.

Long, Benjamin E.

Moore, Curtis

Morgan, Kerry S-5, S-20

Nazir, Samara

FAMILY LAW

SUPER LAWYERS

Allen, Mark E.

Anderson, Maggie

Bernhardt, Jacquelyn P.

Bigus, Edward L.

Booth, Joseph W.

Boothe, Carly F. S-18

Bressel, Jerold A.

Burke, Anne E.

Carmody, Sarah

Clevenger, Katherine

Colgan, Chadler E.

Cutrera, Nick A.

DeWoskin, Joseph A.

Driskell, Erica A. S-19

Elliott, Nathalie Corda

Evans, Paul E.

Finley, Christina D.

Fisher, Nicole M. S-16

Fox, Erin

THE REDFEARN LAW FIRM, P.C.

LEE’S SUMMIT

FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE! Paul Redfearn, a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and Advocate with the American Board of Trial Advocates, has been named to the Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers list for 19 consecutive years, and Mike Wallis, who has worked alongside the Firm’s legal team for over two decades, has been named to Super Lawyers for six consecutive years. Founded by Paul Redfearn in 1984, 2024 marks 40 years The Redfearn Law Firm has been fighting the good fight through hard work, preparation and dedication, focused solely on achieving justice for its clients.

The Firm is committed to the jury trial system and devotes 100% of its time to civil litigation, representing victims suffering from catastrophic harm due to personal injury, medical negligence, defective and dangerous products, and motor vehicle and trucking collisions. The Firm takes pride in standing up for its clients to even the scales against huge corporations and insurance carriers that have unlimited legal and financial resources.

3731 NE Troon Drive Lee’s Summit, MO 64064 (816) 421-5301 redfearnlawfirm.com

Galamba, Susan Saper

Gondring, Christina E.

CHRISTINA E. GONDRING

www.berkowitz-cook.com

Gordon, Robert E.

Gordon, Shannon

Hagg, Jennifer

Hansen, Lisa A.

Hare, J. Ryan

Hare, Lindsay A.

Haynes, Melanie A.

Hill, Elizabeth

ELIZABETH HILL

www.hilllawfirm.com

Hoffman, Larry C.

Jackoboice, Jill C.

JILL C. JACKOBOICE

www.jackoboicelaw.com

Jakobe, Michelle E.

Jeffers, Mark

Kincaid, Gregory D.

Kivett, Amanda Baker

Kreamer, Scott Harrison

Kuhl, Abraham

Kuny, Martin

Landon, Heather

Lawson, Leslie

Leonard, Rebecca L.

Lucansky, Michael W.

Mann, Scott M.

McFarland, Tiffany A.

Moore, Valerie

Morrison, Eric A.

Nelson, Ronald W.

Parks, Dana L.

Reecht, Christopher M., The Law Office of

Reynolds, William “Bud”

Richart, R. Scott

Rieke, Colby L.

Rodarte, Anita I.

Rundberg, Ronald C.

Scaglia, Patricia M.

Schroeder, Melissa

Sorensen, Shannon A.

Stevens, Shea E.

Swall, Larry V.

Thilges, Amanda A.

VanNess, Andrew F.

Veit, Tamara A.

Waits, Courtney B.

Walker, H. Reed

H. REED WALKER

www.reed-walker.com

Walsh, Elizabeth S-18

Wirken, Christopher B.

Wood, Ronald P.

Wullschleger, Stacey S-16

Young, James H.

PROVIDING HIGH-QUALITY LEGAL ADVICE

RISING STARS

Aubrey, Geoffrey

Bajackson, Erin B.

Binder, Kelisen

Britt, Dakota S-3

Crozier, Justin M.

Fahey, Dana L. S-18

Frick, Jared T.

Geib, Amber S-17

Higgins, Chaste

Irwin, Ashley N.

Isaacs, Amberlynn M.

Jacobs Alexander, Kristin K.

Mathews, Lindsay

The attorneys at the Nash & Franciskato Law Firm have dedicated their careers to helping people who are seriously injured by others. Our practice is nationwide and includes cases involving automobile and trucking accidents, wrongful death, class actions, products liability, and defective drugs and medical devices.

Dean Nash, Brian Franciskato and Randy James bring over 100 years of combined legal experience helping clients. We have gained local and national recognition and are routinely asked by other attorneys to act as lead counsel or co-counsel in complex cases against some of the world’s largest corporations. We have the technology and resources of much larger firms, enabling us to be successful against multibillion-dollar corporations, while still providing individual attention to each client.

The lawyers, paralegals, assistants and other staff at Nash & Franciskato all strive to build trusted relationships with every single client, from day one. Our clients are more than an inventory. Each client is given individual attention as we help guide them through the legal process, so they can focus on their recovery.

Sader, Samantha

Samani, Tyse

Spiridigliozzi, Arielle A.

Spitaleri, Angela L.

VanFleet, Lindsey M.

Yarnell, Ashlyn

GENERAL LITIGATION

SUPER LAWYERS

Adams, Robert T.

Bender, Thomas V.

Bethune, Scott S. S-6

Foland, W. James

Graves, Todd P.

Kruse, Kevin J.

McClain, II, Kenneth B.

Pospisil, Michael D.

Rew, Jason K.

Rottinghaus, Thomas A.

Stanley, Kevin D.

RISING STARS

Kopit, Michael

Palmer, Brian L.

IMMIGRATION

SUPER LAWYERS

Austin, James W.

Hoppock, Matthew

MATTHEW HOPPOCK

www.hoppocklawfirm.com

Irish, Kathleen E.

Sharma-Crawford, Rekha S-21

Sharma-Crawford, W. Michael S-21

Willmoth, Jonathan

RISING STARS

Alberti, Genevra S-19

Galicia, Megan

Hewitt, Kelly M.

Moore, Mario

Nguyen, Ronald

PERSONAL INJURY GENERAL: PLAINTIFF

SUPER LAWYERS

Adams, David S.

Adler, James F.

Backer, Joseph M.

Barnes, Kenneth E.

Bartlett, Eric E.

Becker, Timothy J.

Benjamin, Christopher E.

Bottaro, Patrick F.

Bradley, Douglas R.

Brady, Maureen

Buckley, Brendan C.

Burgess, Mitchell L.

Burmeister, Brett T.

Burns, J.J.

Burns, Jeffrey A.

Cambiano, Joseph A.

Campbell, John Harl

Cannezzaro, Nikki

Carr, William

Cassidy, Dennis J.

Chionuma, Chuck N. S-17

Cloon, Bryson R.

Coppage, Brett J.

Crabb, Michael T.

Crabtree, James M.

Crow, Michael P.

Curry, Daniel G.

Cusick, John M.

Davis, Grant L. S-6

Del Percio, Laura L.

DeMarea, Andrew M.

Dickeson, Blaine E.

DiPasquale, Michael V.

Dollar, Tim

Fogarty, III, John J.

Foster, Michael

Foster, Shawn G.

Frickleton, James P.

Gaarder, Timothy C. S-6

Gorny, Stephen M.

STEPHEN M. GORNY

www.gornydandurand.com

Goss, Peter E.

Green, Blake P.

Gregory, Lyle M.

Griggs, Annette

ANNETTE GRIGGS

www.GriggsInjuryLaw.com

Grover, Mark

Hankins, Thomas E.

Harriman, Burt

Heath, M. Blake S-19

Hillyard, Nick

Hinrichs, Nick A. S-19

Holtsclaw, Rick D.

RICK D. HOLTSCLAW

www.holtsclawfirm.com

House, Aaron M.

Hunter, Scott A.

Johnson, David

Johnson, Lynn R.

Johnson, Todd

Jones, Clayton A.

Jones, Thomas C. S-6

Jouras, Jr., Peter A.

Kanatzar, Jill A.

Ketchum, Amanda Pennington

MICHAEL C. DUMA

Kilgore, Michael S.

Kuckelman, Michael

Kurtz, John W.

Lawler, Christopher

Madden, Brian J.

Marvel, Michelle

Mayer, David M.

McCallister, Brian F.

McCreight, Scott A.

McManus, Kevin

McShane, Lucy

Mirfasihi, Mav H.

Mohlman, Michael J.

Mook, Ben

Moore, Jason B.

Morefield, Richard W.

Nantz, Andrew J.

Nash, Dean E. S-12

Noland, Douglass F.

Noland, Kate E.

Norman, Phyllis

Nutter, Scott E.

Parisi, John M.

Peddicord, Eryn M.

Perkin, Erica

Playter, Eric S.

Pope, Judy

Porto, Tom

Preman, Vance C.

Presley, Kirk R. S-16

Preuss, Thomas J. (TJ)

Price, Timothy P.

Putnam, Tamara I.

Rader, Michael C.

Randles, Rebecca M.

Riemann, Tim J.

Robb, Anita Porte

Rose, Jared A.

Roth, Jason P. S-13

Russell, Brian

Sanders, Stephen Scott, Joshua

Shachtman, Scott A.

Shetlar, James R. S-21

Shumate, Wes S-6

Siro, Rik N.

Skeens, David M.

Smith, Andrew K.

Smith, Rachel E.

Stout, David C.

Stuart, Daniel E.

Sweeny, Christopher P.

Taylor, Donald T.

Thomas, Daniel A.

Townsend, Michael D.

Turner, John E.

van Zanten, Hans H.

Vandever, Wm. Dirk

Votava, Brett T.

Waddell, Michael P.

Wallace, Brian

Wallis, Michael D. S-10

Watson, Ryan

Welch, Pamela J.

Wendt, Samuel M.

White, Bryan

Williams, Brett A.

Woodworth, Sophie

Zmijewski, Daniel R.

RISING STARS

Aramjoo, Ashley

Aramjoo, Paemon

Baker, Joshua L.

Barnard, Brice

Barnett, Samuel

Becker, Josh

Belew, Kyle

Bishop, Stephen L.

Boden, Rachel

Brand, Nick Brillhart, Adam Marcus

Camejo, Ivan

Carroll, John S. S-6

Presley & Presley, LLC is a Kansas City law firm backed by the skills and experience of 40 years of representing the most significantly injured and their families in the areas of aviation, car and truck crashes, catastrophic injury and premises liability, with emphasis on the complex insurance coverage and bad faith liability issues that often arise. Presley & Presley, LLC

Corwin, Katherine

Crook, Dustin

Cross, Jordan

Dandurand, Christopher

Denning, Paeten

Dollar, Lauren

Frickleton, Kelly Clare

Friesen, Ben

Geren, Andrew T.

Grantham, Lindsay T.

Gray, II, Gerald Green, Austin W.

Hyde, Jack

Jacobs, Irving J. “Josh”

Jones, Kevin A.

Kenney, Bill

Korth, Eric

Lawrence, Rachel

Leiker, Jarrett

Lester, Michael

Lucas, Todd

Lydick, Geoff

Martens, Reed

McCoy, Matthew S-16

McElderry, Ryan

McGreevy, Joe M.

Medlin, Tristan Melero, Claire

Meyer, Mike

Morris, Aaron M.

Phillips, Spencer Tremaine

Poole, Zachary D.

ZACHARY D. POOLE

www.zdplaw.com

CITY CONSUMER 2023

Riggins, Anthony

Robb, Andrew C.

Robb, Brittany Sanders

Robinson, Suzanne H.

Rodriguez, Margarita

Scearcy, Nate

Scherer, Ethan G.

Schmitt, Hunter

Singer, Daniel A.

St. John, Kelly

Stockman, Reginald

Strozier, Phillip Swift, Matt

Tadtman, Brian

Templin, Nickolas C.

Thrasher, Robert

Tourigny, Greg

Tuck, Garrett

Ward, Drew

Wiegers, Cody L.

PERSONAL INJURY MEDICAL MALPRACTICE:

PLAINTIFF

SUPER LAWYERS

Bartimus, James R.

Cullan, MD, Samuel K.

DeGreeff, David C.

Dempsey, Leland F.

Eisenmenger, Spencer

Fowler, Ryan C.

Hergott, Nick

Honnold, Bradley D. S-20

Kavanaugh, Paul

Kenner, Nancy E.

Kingsland, Robert D.

AMBER GEIB

Selected to Rising Stars

GEIB LAW GROUP 4971 NE Goodview Circle, Suite B Lee’s Summit, MO 64064 (816) 908-9676 amber@geiblaw.com www.geiblaw.com

FAMILY LAW | CRIMINAL DEFENSE | BANKRUPTCY: CONSUMER

Amber Geib is the founder and principal attorney of the Geib Law Group. While attending law school, Amber received the coveted invitation to become a member of Phi Delta Phi, the oldest and most prestigious legal honor society, and made the Dean’s Honor List every semester. She graduated six months early from the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law with a family law emphasis.

Amber represents clients in multiple family law areas, including divorce, paternity, child support, child custody and modifications. Amber is a zealous advocate on behalf of her clients and their goals. She is compassionate and understands the emotional and financial challenges that come with family law issues.

CHIONUMA LAW FIRM, LLC

Chionuma Law Firm stands out as a beacon of legal excellence. With over 30 years of expertise, Chuck N. Chionuma is your trusted advocate. His wealth of experience provides a distinct advantage when tackling personal injury matters, allowing for a seamless navigation of legal complexities and ensuring that you receive the just compensation you deserve. With attorney Chionuma by your side, you can place your

unwavering commitment to safeguarding your rights. Your personal injury case deserves nothing less than the seasoned touch of a legal expert.

Nail, Roger D. S-20

Norfleet, Robert (Rob)

Norton, John (Jack)

Ricket, Ashley L. S-21

ASHLEY L. RICKET

www.ricketlaw.com

Rollins, John

JOHN ROLLINS

www.therollinslawfirm.com

Ronan, III, William P.

WILLIAM P. RONAN, III

www.theronanlawfirm.com

Spencer, Kathryn A. (Katie)

RISING STARS

Klenda, Kasey

Shull, William “Joe”

PERSONAL INJURY PRODUCTS: PLAINTIFF

SUPER LAWYERS

Allen, Lauren Perkins

Bertram, Benjamin A.

Brose, David

Cartmell, Thomas P.

Delaney, Brennan

Emison, J. Kent

Franciskato, Brian S. S-12

Gentile, R. Douglas

Goza, Kirk J. S-19

Haigh, Burton S.

James, Randy W. S-12

FAMILY LAW

At Boothe Walsh Law & Mediation LLC, we are focused on empowering our family law clients. We believe in equipping our clients with the resources and tools they need to work through the legal process to come out on the other side stronger attorneys and mediators walk alongside our clients as they navigate the changes in family life. 130 N. Cherry St., Third Floor, Olathe, KS 66061 (913) 890-4790 | boothewalsh.com

Kieffer, Jonathan P.

Lucas, Chad C.

Monsees, Timothy W.

Parrish, Mark E.

Redfearn, III, Paul L. S-10

Thompson, James T.

RISING STARS

Callahan, Luke

Kopp, Dan

AUSTIN T. OSBORN

www.mccartneystucky.com

Scarcello, Lindsey

REAL ESTATE

SUPER LAWYERS

Anderson, Julie

SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY

RISING STARS

Sciolaro, Kyle H.

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

SUPER LAWYERS

Burkhead, Leah B. S-7

Mark, Keith S-7

RISING STARS

Byun, Hyemin

Mark, Anna M. S-7

Mark, Jacob S-7

Mark, Zachary K. S-7

Starke, Vanessa M.

Selected to Rising Stars

GENEVRA ALBERTI CRAWFORD ATTORNEYS AT LAW cum laude

Selected to Super Lawyers

TRICIA BATH

CRIMINAL DEFENSE

CRIMINAL DEFENSE: DUI/DWI CRIMINAL DEFENSE: WHITE COLLAR

ERICA A. DRISKELL BERKOWITZ COOK GONDRING

REAL ESTATE

BANKING BUSINESS/CORPORATE

magna cum laude

REAL ESTATE CIVIL LITIGATION: PLAINTIFF Selected to Super Lawyers

DESARAE G. HARRAH HARRAH LAW, LLC

ASHLEY L. RICKET

RICKET LAW FIRM HEALTH

Selected

EATING AND DRINKING WELL

IN KANSAS CITY

TASTE

Poplicious

When gourmet popcorn shops with dozens of flavors first started popping up, it might have seemed like an overly niche fad that wouldn’t last long, but the trend has survived even during recent tough economic times.

At least that’s what Justin and Melody Woo, owners of Popculture in Parkville, have experienced. The husband and wife duo purchased the popcorn and ice cream shop from its previous owners in 2019, right before the pandemic, and it was challenging.

GO: 115 Main St., Parkville, MO and 8004 Foster St., Overland Park.

“It forced us out of our comfort zone,” says Justin, a chef by training. “We had to rethink our business model and take risks that we may not have taken otherwise. In the end, it was a good thing.” They leaned into delivery and shipping, increasing those avenues exponentially, he says.

“We were delivering little boxes of fun during a really miserable time,” adds Melody, a dietician.

And it is fun. With flavors from hot wings to blueberry cheesecake, the Woo’s popcorn makes almost any day a celebration. There’s a Tasting Wall from which customers are encouraged to spend some time sampling the roughly 50 flavors, such as a syrupy Dr. Pepper to a sharp grape. When asked how they distill the essence of a loaded baked potato into popcorn, Melody laughs and says, “magic?”

The Woos start with quality air-popped corn, creating a blank slate for this weird magic. Whatever arcane incantations it takes to transmute the savory, spicy tang of a fried pickle into a popcorn flavoring, it works. And of course, there are seasonal flavors at the moment, such as peppermint bark, candy cane, maple syrup and eggnog.

–RYAN REED

IT’S THE BOMB

BY RACHEL LAYTON

STOCKING STUFFER season is here, and Yummies by Yoka has you covered with a delicious assortment of uniquely flavored hot cocoa bombs sure to please most everyone on your list.

Hot cocoa bombs are just what they seem—balls, “or bombs,” of chocolate shells filled with goodies like marshmallows, butterscotch chips and cocoa powder. When hot milk is poured on top, they burst and melt into especially decadent hot chocolate.

Amanda Yoka founded her cottage bakery Yummies by Yoka in 2016, and every holiday season she offers eight different flavors of hot cocoa bombs, including favorites like s’mores and Butterbeer. Using two-piece

silicone molds, Yoka handcrafts her oversized cocoa bombs with Merckens-brand chocolate and packages them each with step-bystep instructions on how best to enjoy these treats. S’mores bombs are stuffed with marshmallows and have a graham cracker and toasted marshmallow finish on the outside—all the aesthetics of a warm winter treat straight out of a Hallmark movie. “The bomb explodes marshmallows from the middle once hot milk is poured over top,” Yoka says.

Butterbeer cocoa bombs are made with a white chocolate shell and infused with butterscotch chips, thick butterscotch and cocoa. This bomb feels like Diagon Alley has come to your living room and might even inspire a last-minute Harry Potter movie night. Yoka highly recommends using hot milk or coffee over the bombs to add to their rich, decadent texture. They’re sure to kick a relaxing winter night up a notch.

FLOUR POWER

Will Berndt of Marion Milling wants you to bake local this holiday season.

TYLER SHANE

WILL BERNDT knows flour. He’s spent a significant amount of time working with it in bakeries such as Ibis and Fervere. But nowadays, Berndt acts as the wheat product’s middle man. His company, Marion Milling, not only produces locally milled flour that’s more flavorful and nutritious than your average store-bought bag, but also happens to be single-handedly building a local grain economy in KC.

“I think we’re one of the only people making the connection between local grain farmers and bakers and restaurants,” Berndt says.

Berndt and his Marion Milling co-founder Chris Matsch first began making their own flour when the two were working at Messenger Coffee on Grand Street. They bought a stone mill from Vermont-based New American Stone Mills and milled flour from local farmers’ grains for the coffee shop’s baked goods. When the coffee brand was bought in 2020, Berndt and Matsch found space in the West Bottoms and began milling flour full time, supplying KC’s restaurant and bakeries.

PERFECT DAY

Diner breakfast: I’m partial to any place that has a counter with stools that you can sit at with a cup of coffee. I like Hayes north of the river or City Diner in the River Market. Just a bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich.

Bakery: Obviously, I’d recommend the bread at Ibis since I helped put that together. But 1900 Barker is great. Taylor [Petrehn’s] laminated doughs, like croissants, are always great.

Movies: I’m a big fan of the Screenland Theatre in North KC. It’s a great independent movie theater. I appreciate that it’s owned and run by people who actually like movies. It’s a good vibe over there, kind of nostalgic. If I’m free in the afternoons, I’ll check out some of their older movies.

Tacos: I’ve been grabbing Tacos Valentina at Torn Label. They’re doing some cool stuff. I usually get a variety of tacos, but their burrito is really good also.

Dive Bar: At the end of the day, I’ll usually grab a domestic beer at Lucky Boys. They don’t bat an eye at the fact that I’m covered in flour from head to toe. And you can order pizza from Fortunati next door.

More than likely, you’ve already tasted Marion Milling’s wheat. It has found its way into the kitchens of numerous local establishments, including The Town Co., Crossroads Hotel, Fortunati Pizza, Savoy, Corvino, and Fox and Bull Baking Co., to name a few.

It’s not a hard sell. Marion Milling has a direct relationship with nearby farmers, such as 180 Farms in Sweet Springs, MO, making it a sustainably sourced product. Even better, the flavor is incomparable to the big-name brands in the grocery stores. Why? Because unlike the roller mills that the high-commodity flours use, stone mills are able to grind almost the entire wheat berry, including the nutrient-dense bran and germ. Most flours lack these extra components, only grinding down the wheat’s starchy endosperm.

“The wheat germ is ground into the flour, so you get all those oils and nutrients from it,” Berndt says. “But it also has all the aroma, flavor and individual character of the different wheats. The first time we baked with it, it was pretty amazing.”

Instead of the neutral flavor you may get from Gold Medal or King Arthur, Marion Milling’s flour is wheatier, nuttier and full of depth. When asked if there’s a baked good that Marion Milling’s flour is particularly excellent for, Berndt replies, without hesitation, “breads.” Those trying their hand at baking this time of year can purchase the flour online, and bakers can feel free to reach out to the company’s website with any questions.

“It’s fun to use [flour] that is fresh, that hasn’t been sitting in a warehouse for who knows how long,” Berndt says. “We mill all our flour to order, so when you put in an order, we mill it, bag it and send it out.”

Profile Your Practice

Reach New Patients

WHAT’S NEW IN KANSAS CITY FOOD & DRINK

BY TYLER SHANE

Two KC breweries win medals at the Great American Beer Festival

The Great American Beer Festival is America’s largest beer competition. At this year’s fall event, two KC craft breweries, Pathlight Brewing and Cinder Block Brewery, went home with medals.

According to Forbes, over 2,000 breweries from all 50 states entered 9,298 beers at this year’s competition. Beers were entered in 99 categories and judged over several weeks by hundreds of beer judges and experts from ten countries.

Cinder Block Brewery in North KC took home a silver medal for their Juicy Pils in the “Other Hoppy Lager” category.

“This beer is incredibly special to us as we’ve made tweaks throughout the year to try to perfect our West Coast Pilsner in hopes of making it the perfect craft beer, as well as paying homage to our city with the label itself,” a Cinder Block Instagram post reads.

You can find the silver medal-winning brew in the Cinder Block Brewery taproom and in six-packs to go. Keep an eye out for it at local restaurants and retailers.

Pathlight Brewing in Shawnee won a bronze medal for their Kha Point brew in the “Herb and Spice Beer” category. Kha Point is their Thai Rice lager.

According to the brewery’s Instagram, “Puffed Jasmine rice gives this a light (almost fluffy) body and crisp finish. Infusions of Thai basil, Lemongrass, and Galagal is our take on Tom Kha.”

A wagyu meat market opens in Overland Park

Booth Creek Wagyu is a premium wagyu beef producer based in the Flint Hills just north of Manhattan, Kansas. The company raises, processes and distributes fullblood and American wagyu. Since 2020, Booth Creek has been growing rapidly, and recently opened a second wagyu meat market in Overland Park (13412 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park).

The meat market, located in the Deer Creek Woods shopping center, opened late August. The original Manhattan, Kansas, store is less than 20 miles from the Flint Hills ranch.

The 1,400-square-foot store will carry multiple grades of high-quality wagyu beef. In addition to steaks, the meat market will stock wagyu hot dogs, burger patties, ground beef, roasts and snacks like summer sausage, snack sticks and jerky. Booth Creek also ships its products nationwide.

“We are excited to bring wagyu to Overland Park and the Kansas City metro area,” says Booth Creek Founder and CEO Dave Dreiling. “Wagyu has a truly unparalleled taste as compared to traditional commercial beef. We look forward to helping educate the community not only on the different flavor profiles but also the overall health benefits of wagyu.”

Wagyu beef, originally from Japan, is world-famous for its marbling, which creates a very tender and flavorful meat. This rich, buttery beef has only been stateside since the late 1970s and has just recently gained popularity. Today, most wagyu in America are crossbred with angus or another breed called American wagyu.

Two new restaurants head to KC’s Power and Light District

Two health-conscious restaurants are headed to the Power and Light District come 2024.

HomeGrown and Modern Market Eatery are part of the Wichita-based Thrive Restaurant Group, and both are expected to open sometime next year.

HomeGrown, a breakfast, brunch and lunch spot, will be the Thrive Restaurant Group’s ninth HomeGrown restaurant, three of which are in the Kansas City area. The newest establishment will occupy the former Flying Saucer Draught Emporium restaurant (101 E. 13th St., KCMO).

Modern Market Eatery (1347 Main St., KCMO) is a fast-casual spot with a menu full of ethically sourced ingredients free from artificial flavors, trans fats, hormones, antibiotics and unnecessary additives. The eatery offers a variety of made-from-scratch lunch and dinner options, including grain bowls, salads, sandwiches and pizzas. Beer and wine will also be served.

“We eagerly anticipate the arrival of HomeGrown and Modern Market Eatery to the District in 2024,” says John Moncke, president of the Kansas City Power and Light District. “With nearly 1,000 residential units in the District and more on the way when Midland Lofts opens next year, we are very intentional about the experiences we are curating for our residents and millions of guests alike.”

SURREAL ESTATE

THE STORIES BEHIND KANSAS CITY’S MOST EYE-CATCHING BUILDINGS

WATER BALLOON

How a rusty old water tower became a Northland icon

IS IT A BIRD? Is it a plane? No, it’s the Worlds of Fun water tower, and it became a city-wide landmark 50 years ago when it was painted to look like the amusement park’s hot air balloon logo. Built in 1955, the water tower serendipitously needed a fresh coat of paint right around when the amusement park opened in 1973. At the time, painting water towers anything other than a bland, neutral color was unheard of, says Scott Keilbey, who recently retired as director of sales for the Tnemec Company, a Northland-based company that makes protective coatings and linings for structures like water towers around the globe. Tnemec, cement spelled backward, was instrumental in turning the Northland water tower into an instant icon when the company’s colorful coatings were used to paint the tower.

“It was the very first unique logo ever done in the nation on a water tank.”

“It was the very first unique logo ever done in the nation on a water tank,” says Keilbey, a second-generation Tnemec man who worked on selecting the tower’s last two coating systems. “The reason why I can say this is because Tnemec is responsible for 80 to 85 percent of coatings inside and out of municipal water towers [in the nation.] My father [Bill Keilbey] was Tnemec’s representative who worked on the original logo project.”

It was a novel treatment at the time, and Tnemec knew it would be a great way to showcase its new colorful coating products. And the powers that be at Worlds of Fun, built by the Hunt family, knew it would be a great way to advertise the park.

“We knew painting the water tower would be great for Worlds of Fun,” says Lee Derrough, who was general manager of Worlds of Fun before becoming chairman and CEO of Hunt Midwest Enterprises. “It’s right at our front door—an amazing advertising opportunity for us.”

Where the notion to turn the water tank into a balloon came from is a little murky, but one thing’s for sure: It wasn’t the city’s. Although the two million-gallon water tank that serves nearly 70,000 residents needed a fresh coat of paint, the colorful coatings were more expensive than the city thought necessary, so Worlds of Fun ponied up the difference. “It was worth every penny,” Derrough says.