February 2023

Leaders in Lung

Cancer Care

As a member of the MD Anderson Cancer Network®, a program of MD Anderson Cancer Center, AdventHealth brings together clinical excellence and wholeperson cancer care close to home. Our network of specialists provides access to some of the latest treatments for common and rare cancers. With leadingedge technology in our hands and compassion in our hearts, we’re moving cancer care forward in Kansas City.

Continuously ranked the #3 top producing real estate team in the Kansas City area by the Kansas City Business Journal.

THANK YOU FOR VOTING US A TOP DENTIST!

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

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Martin Cizmar martin@ kansascitymag.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, STYLE & EVENTS Molly Higgins m olly@ kansascitymag.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Dawyna Bartsch dawyna@ kansascitymag.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, FOOD Tyler Shane tyler@ kansascitymag.com

EDITORIAL INTERNS

Taylor Drummond

Isabella Ferrentino

ART DIRECTOR

Kevin Goodbar kevin@ kansascitymag.com

COPY EDITOR

Kelsie Schrader

WEB COORDINATOR

Madison Russell

SALES

Angie Henshaw angie@kansascitymag.com

WRITERS

Dawnya Bartsch, Nina Cherry, Liz Cook, Pete Cottell, Taylor Drummond, Isabella Ferrentino, Lauren Fox, Molly Higgins, Nichole Kinning, Patrick Moore, Tyler Shane

PHOTOGRAPHERS & ILLUSTRATORS

Zach Bauman, Christian Blaza, Caleb Condit, Joanna Gorham, Jeremey Theron Kirby, Samantha Levi, Rebecca Norden, 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.

kansascitymag.com

INQUIRIES

Kansas City P.O. Box 26823 Overland Park, KS 66225-6823 (913) 469-6700

@kansascitymag @kansascitymagazine

Keeping kids as healthy as possible is about more than ER visits and diagnosing rare diseases. Our commitment to do more for kids is at the heart of everything we do. Because when we partner together, we can clear new paths for every child’s potential. Learn how you can help at childrensmercy.org/imagine.

38

Novel Look

The author of The Ravine shows us inside his Loch Lloyd home.

78

Seeing Red

A look back at the Chiefs’ record-shattering season in photos

60

SWEET ESCAPE

86

Ah, Shucks

Our food critic searches for superlative oysters in a city as far from the ocean as it gets.

BY CALEB

In This Issue

Flight Path

A look inside the new airport terminal, plus some surprising stats

Very Vivid

Pantone’s new color of the year

Luca’n

Knock on the door at Luca Bagels and know what bread is worth.

Sandwiched

24

New Club

Daxx Lasts

A new treatment is much like botox but promises long-lasting results.

Suite Foxes

Vulpes Bastille Gallery in the Crossroads isn’t going anywhere.

Long Lloyd

Interior decorator Jan Long channeled an uncoventional life into a Loch Lloyd home.

86

88

Pearls Jam

The five best oyster experiences in KC

Perfect Day

Where Sauced chef Jayaun Smith likes to eat in KC

90

Drink

A Missouri winery now makes an estate brandy.

Cue Card

A new pop-up pit at a Lenexa brewery

Newsfeed

A generation of Americans is squeezed by competing familial responsibilities.

How can the Country Club Plaza revive itself despite the struggle of traditional retail? 30

Dead River

Having caused the end of concerts at the River Market forever, Death Cab returns

31

Backbeat

Hermon Mehari returns to KC from France for the Folly Jazz Series

The latest in KC food news

Photography by Caleb Condit and Rebecca Norden

Idon’t remember who came up with the idea of doing an issue about sweets, but I’m sure it wasn’t me. I know because I was initially skeptical of the idea of dedicating sixteen pages to, like, sprinkle cookies. But the idea went on the schedule for our February issue and I planned to figure it out when the time came, as we always do. If we can do issues dedicated to steak, soup and pizza, surely we could cobble together some sweet stuff.

I’m thrilled to report that my doubts were misplaced and that there’s a lot more to Kansas City’s sweets scene than layer cakes with Oreos on top and cookies with brand-name candy mashed up in them. When we dug in and started researching spots—with lots of help from our new food critic, Tyler Shane (herself a very talented chocolate maker), and trusted contributor Nicole Bradley—we found some surprises. Did you know that the pastry chef who invented the cake pop is now working right here in KC? Well, she is, as you can read about on page 76. With apologies to all the city’s great doughnuts, we also found a new obsession: small-batch sourdough treats made by an Indonesian-born baker who fills her treats with flavors like pandan and coconut. You’ll spot them on our cover, and can read about them on page 63. Tyler shares a unique edible coffee product, Bloc, which is made similarly to chocolate but from single-origin coffee beans (page 67).

My own moment of realization at just how exciting and worldly a Kansas City sweets issue can be happened at Lenexa’s Algerian Delights, which serves pastries from the North African nation that pull from its strong Arabic and French influences (page 63).

Oh, we’ve got some old favorites, too. Jasper Mirabile’s namesake southside Italian joint has loyal fans, including our contributor Lauren Fox, who’s a big fan of the coconut cake (page 63). I’ve had that cake, too, and it’s the thing that would bring me back to Jasper’s. We’ve also got a love letter to the chocolate shake at Winstead’s (page 68) and the inside scoop on the future of Tippin’s Pies (page 72).

This issue features an essay about Death Cab for Cutie’s irrepressible Midwesternness by world-renowned emo expert Pete Cottell, a longtime collaborator of our editor.

Martin Cizmar EDITOR IN CHIEF MARTIN@KANSASCITYMAG.COM

The sense of discovery is what gets me excited about these special food issues. While they’re ostensibly guides geared toward indulgence— especially when we’re talking about baked goods and chocolate—I always learn a lot about the city. That was certainly true this month. I’m excited to share what we learned with you and hope it’s helpful as you plan for Valentine’s Day or just looking for a quick pick-me-up to beat those late-winter blues.

The sweets feature includes a profile of Outlier baked goods by local institution Liz Cook, who shares the subject’s aversion to overly simplistic sweets.

Our new production coordinator, Dominique Kousgaard, tackled the design of this month’s Ageless Beauty special section.

Dominique Kousgaard

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Pete Cottell WRITER

Liz Cook WRITER

PAGE 19

18-1750

PAGE 33

5,250

Yards that the Kansas City Chiefs passed for in 2022, the most in the league. They were the only team to go over 5,000 yards and more than doubled the yards of the Chicago Bears.

PAGE 78

WHAT’S UP, DOC?

Our January cover story was our annual Top Doctors feature, which presents a list of the best doctors in the city by specialty. To make the list, we contract with a New York-based research firm that conducts a survey of board-certified physicians in the area. The doctors who are most recommended by their peers end up on the list. The feature package also included stories about breakthroughs led by the local medical community and interviews with five of the doctors on the list about what makes them most hopeful about the future of medicine. Here are a handful of the comments posted in reply.

Congratulations to all the honorees, a truly beautiful cover and looking forward to reading this issue!

—Kirsten McGannon

Yay, Dr. Chain! Keeping my skin looking great for 8 years!

—Lindsay Marie

I love this magazine, but I always toss this issue in the trash. It’s just a bunch of doctors basically paying for ad space.

—Mark Reiter

[Editor’s note: The list is made

by the doctors themselves. We hire a third-party research firm in NYC to conduct a poll of every board-certified physician in the area. Doctors cannot and do not pay to be on the list.]

Dr. Angela Piquard is the best doctor of all time!

—Tina Fuhro Klugman

[Dr. Rebecca Chain] is my derm and she’s amazing!

—Marisa Jury

Gorgeous cover!

—Kathy Schiller

SHOUT

Big thanks to Joe McBride, spokesman for the KC airport, who arranged a last-minute tour for our writer and photographer.

A slice of tres leches from Delicias Bakery in KCK, the third spot we hit in a search for the Latin American dessert, which has been made tougher to find by supply chain issues.

Feet from the farthest parking spot in the main lot to the door of the ticketing area at the new Kansas City airport terminal.

The code for Pantone’s Color of the Year, Viva Magenta.

“For as much as the city likes to brag about its Arts District, they didn’t do anything to help keep the artists there or stop outof-state developers from buying all the property.”

— Caranne Camarena, owner of Vulpes Bastille Gallery in the Crossroads

Heartbreaker Event

Cinder Block Brewery

cinderblockbrewery.com

Cinder Block Brewery is hosting the annual Heartbreaker event to celebrate the release of their pomegranate cider. It’s available on tap and in bottles. Join the party and enjoy live jazz music, tarot card readings, a specialty food menu and more. The event starts at noon and runs through 8:00.

SculpSure –

Mia Bella Donna MedSpa

asa-kc.com/sculpsure

Treat yourself or your Valentine to a SculpSure body contouring treatment to help them look and feel their best. It’s a non-invasive treatment that can destroy up to 24% of treated fat cells without surgery. Save $400 on two treatments in one area through this February special.

$599 (Value: $999)*

*Must purchase during February, 2023.

GIFT GUIDE

It’s that time of year when you celebrate the ones you love. Check out these ideas for your significant other, yourself or your pet. We have all of the bases covered for the perfect gift to give.

Show Your Pet Some Love –

K9 Resorts

Luxury Pet Hotel

k9resorts.com/overland-park

Go Heartcore –Helzberg Diamonds

helzberg.com

Warning: this Valentine’s gift comes with thank-you kisses. Surprise and delight with a dazzling 1/2 ct. tw. diamond heart pendant, only $399.99 for a limited time! (Reg. $899.99)

Valentine’s Day isn’t only for couples, it’s a day that you can spoil your pup, too. Treat your furry friend to an overnight stay in Kansas City’s newest luxury pet hotel, K9 Resorts. You can drop them off for a day of fun to play and socialize with others, while being treated to luxury doggie daycare and boarding. Your canine companion will also enjoy a sweet surprise this Valentine’s Day with a premium dog treat or doggie ice cream of their choice.

CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF

The

BY TAYLOR DRUMMOND

LEADING THE CONVERSATION IN KANSAS CITY

THE RUNWAY IS CLEARED, the landing gear is down, and the descent to an on-time landing has begun. After years of planning and building, the new MCI airport is in its final stages and on schedule to open in March.

The largest single infrastructure project in the city’s history, the new terminal is over a million square feet, with detail paid to every inch. From the Missouri-sourced hemlock wood ceiling and the addition of wireless charging pads and outlets at every seat by the gates to the representation of local artists and inclusive additions such as sensory rooms and multi-gendered bathrooms, the facility is a massive upgrade from our old Atomic Era airport.

Here’s a look at the airport by the numbers:

465

Feet from the farthest parking spot in the main lot to the door of the ticketing area. That distance could fit four Delta Boeing 737-800 aircraft from wingtip to wingtip, but it’s nothing compared to most airports.

16

Consolidated TSA lanes for security screening, with room for an additional two lanes during busy times. The TSA says having lanes consolidated to one location will increase efficiency and reduce wait times.

39

Additional gates, each with climate-controlled ceiling-to-floor glass passenger boarding bridges—unlike any terminal in the U.S. These glass aisleways will allow passengers to see a 360-view of the outside airfield and even wave to the pilots in the cockpit of their plane. This differs from the previous enclosed boarding bridges made of uninsulated metal that were known to add to the pre-flight stress of passengers.

50

Concessions that feature local businesses and brands, including the City Market Food Hall, Meat Mitch and Parisi Coffee. Once through security, all passengers can free-roam through the concourse as they make their way to their gate.

5,600,000

Dollars spent on art, equally one percent of the entire budget for the new terminal. Per city ordinance, large development projects must allocate one percent of their budget to art. Out of the budget, the terminal will represent 28 artists, such as Willie Cole’s sculpture “Ornithology.” It will

include twelve larger-than-life birds made from alto saxophones and will hang from the ceiling as a tribute to the KCK native, Charlie “Yardbird” Parker.

2

Lounges available within the new terminal for exclusive members. The first is for the Delta Sky Club in their reserved 11,000-square-foot Sky Lounge with a view of the airfield. The other, the USO lounge, is for all six branches of the military. It will provide complimentary food and comfort for our traveling servicemen and women.

8

Baggage claim carousels, all consolidated to the bottom floor. All eight will be distributing passenger bags just down the steps from the arrivals area. This differs from the five carousels in each of the old terminals that required passengers to walk farther and wait longer to grab their bags.

3

Pet relief locations for pets on the go, fitted with green grass and a fire hydrant to feel right at home.

10

Fully stocked bathroom facilities in total—three times as many as the other two terminals—with male, female and non-gendered options. Each block of restrooms includes a family restroom stall, nursing stations, changing rooms and water bottle filling stations. Above each bathroom stall is a light that changes from green to red—unoccupied and occupied, respectively—removing the uncertainty of an empty stall and the awkward door pull.

40

Inlaid mosaic medallions from the original Terminal A that were removed before demolition and will be placed throughout the new terminal, including at each of the 39 gates. These 40 mosaics are unique circular pieces of art that will bring a touch of vibrant color to the terrazzo flooring of the concourse.

Kansas City’s long-awaited new airport is about to open—here are the numbers to know.

Herre Holistic Dental KC has provided dental care to the Kansas City area since 1953, and we want to help your family thrive today. We are a family-focused office that provides holistic, biological care. As functional dentists, we believe in preventative treatments to help take care of your oral health and overall wellness.

Our approach connects the dots of your whole body health to identify the root cause of disease and provide personalized treatment. We believe that movement, nutrition, sleep, laughter, and caring relationships are all essential to becoming the best versions of ourselves.

Our care centers around the airway, with the goal of helping your family breathe and live healthier. From tongue tie releases, to TMJ and sleep appliances, to airway-focused clear aligner treatment, we have the tools to help you reach your wellness goals.

TIMOTHY HERRE, DDS, FACD

SLEEP APNEA/ SNORING

MYOFUNCTIONAL THERAPY HOLISTIC DENTISTRY HEADACHES

TMJ

TONGUE TIE CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

AIRWAY FOCUSED ORTHODONTICS SAFE AMALGAM REMOVAL BIOCOMPATIBLE MATERIALS

GENERATIONAL PROBLEMS

AST APRIL, Patti Gary and her husband John couldn’t wait for the fall. They were building their dream home, they had a new grandson on the way, and they had finally managed to talk Patti’s mother into downsizing to a one-story home on the next block.

“The best-laid plans,” Patti says with a sigh.

The house that was supposed to be finished in September was delayed for months because of supply chain issues. The Garys had already sold their home, so most of their furnishings, including all their new purchases, went into storage. The builder had taken on several other projects, and his crews were busy elsewhere. When the Garys were finally able to move in at the end of October, much of the builder’s punch list items were unfinished.

“We just gritted our teeth and tried to be patient,” Patti says, “but by then, life had taken another turn.”

In August, their new grandson had been born with trisomy 13, a severe genetic syndrome that meant long hospital stays and several surgeries. Little Huck needed constant care and medical attention, and his three-year-old brother, Foster, soon began begging for attention and acting out. The Garys immediately stepped in to ease their daughter Hilary’s burdens.

“We take Foster home with us for days at a time,” Patti says. “When Huck is in the hospital, Hilary can devote her full attention to him.”

Adjusting to this new lifestyle became even more of a challenge when Patti’s mother fell inside her new house and broke her patella. Because of the severity of the break, she entered a rehab facility quite a distance from the Garys’ new home.

“My mother is in her nineties, and she just doesn’t understand why I’m not there with her as much as she wants me to be.”

Patti hasn’t tried to explain the situation with Huck to her mother yet.

“She is in pain, she is in a strange place, and she feels neglected, which is totally understandable, but I can’t make it better,” Patti says.

Patti and John are new members of what’s called the Sandwich Generation, a term that refers to adults who are taking on the responsibilities of caring for not only their own children and grandchildren but also their aging parents.

According to seniorliving.org, almost forty-seven percent of adults in their forties, fifties and sixties are raising their children or supporting an adult child while assisting their elderly parents both financially and emotionally. The term “Sandwich Generation” has become so common that it now appears in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The medical and legal concerns that come with it take a physical and emotional toll on caregivers.

“Sandwiched caregivers come from all walks of life,” says Rachel Hiles, founder of nonprofit Sandwiched KC. “We belong to every demographic—all racial and religious groups, all income levels and all zip codes.”

Sandwiched KC helps caregivers in the metro area by “providing information and referral, support groups, education and self-care activities. Our mission is to create opportunities for family caregivers to find local support and shared wisdom.”

This nonprofit’s website has information regarding training and workshops, support groups that meet both on Zoom and in person, a resource portal and tips to make this very demanding job easier. Contact Sandwiched KC by email at info@sandwichedkc. com or by phone at 816-472-9178.

Amy Goyer, AARP’s caregiving expert, reminds caregivers that they can do anything, but they can’t do everything. The feeling of isolation and that no one else can do the job is typical, but with so many people in this situation, asking for help is both reasonable and inevitable.

“I know so many friends who ask if they can do something,” Patti says, “and now I’m finally realizing that it’s okay to say, ‘Yes, you can.’”

“

“Sandwiched caregivers come from all walks of life. We belong to every demographic— all racial and religious groups, all income levels and all zip codes.”

Until recently, John and Patti Gary (right) were vacationing in Seagrove Beach, Florida, and planning for a carefree retirement. Those plans changed as the Garys found themselves part of the “Sandwich Generation.” The Garys built a new dream home behind their former beach house, which Patti’s mom is now living in. Patti now regularly drives to New Orleans to help care for grandsons Huck (in Hilary Fincke’s arms) and Foster (next to dad Thomas Fincke).

KC now has a support group for struggling members of the ‘Sandwich Generation.’

BY SUSIE WHITFIELD

SEEK UNIQUE

different ways to fill empty storefronts and entice shoppers not only after an unprecedented time in retail history but also during the Plaza’s hundredyear anniversary this year. “We’re looking to offer something at every price point, a mixture of local and unique national brands, community events for this special time,” says Grosz, who’s been tasked with celebrating the Plaza’s milestone and making sure it thrives into the next century.

A large part of keeping the Plaza engaging is finding ways to bring in locally owned businesses and keep them here, Grosz says.

Ice Cream Bae is one such business. The not-socommon ice cream shop was conceived by locals Jackie Faltermeier and Adison Sichampanakhone. It started off as a counter offering in the Made in KC Marketplace on the Plaza in 2018. The brand soon gained popularity and a solid social media following due in large part to its Instagramable products. Offerings include the S’more milkshake topped with a large, perfectly toasted marshmallow, graham crackers and a fat chocolate square; the signature flavor ‘I Love You So Matcha,’ featuring matcha-flavored soft serve, Pocky sticks and Kit Kats; and brightly colored ice cream cones.

“Customers are coming here for an experience,” Sichampanakhone says, echoing what Grosz has cited as the future of successful in-person retail experiences.

When Ice Cream Bae outgrew its KC Marketplace location in 2020, it opened its first stand-alone shop in Leawood. Capitalizing on the Leawood success, Faltermeier and Sichampanakhone were able to open a new shop on the Plaza last spring.

“We want to make sure there is room for local businesses with great ideas,” Grosz says. “It’s some folks’ dream to be on the Plaza.” Grosz is attempting to draw such businesses in various ways, such as with seasonal pop-up stores.

IT’S NOT BREAKING NEWS that brick-and-mortar stores across the country have been through challenging times, and Kansas City’s iconic Country Club Plaza is no different.

“What you’ve been seeing at the Plaza is what has been going on across the nation,” says Breana Grosz, the Plaza’s general manager.

Before the pandemic, a slow metamorphosis had been underway in the retail world, with more customers heading to online retailers to find exactly what they want, which forced more traditional shopping businesses to either shutter operations or offer something more creative. The pandemic just accelerated this inevitable transformation, says Grosz, who took over as the Plaza’s general manager about six months ago. It’s Grosz’s job to shape that transformation.

Grosz has come to the Plaza at an interesting time. She’s settling into her new role and looking for

Along with local entrepreneurs, Grosz says the key is to find national and regional retailers that offer something you can’t easily find elsewhere. An example she cites is Parachute, a new high-end home store with around twenty locations scattered throughout the country, or the Normal Brand, a menswear company that began in St. Louis and has a few storefronts but also sells clothes with several select national retailers.

Grosz understands there is an intense community interest to the Plaza and its surrounding neighborhoods and says she has been encouraged by the commitment. That desire has manifested in various community organizations. One such newly formed group is the Plaza Area Council, a group of constituents and civic leaders— many, like Jonathan Kemper and Ken Block, with deep pockets—who are focused on revitalizing the Plaza.

“The Plaza has an extraordinary heritage and a real value as a destination point,” says David Westbook, a council member and the Plaza Area Council’s spokesperson. “This (our group) is not about a sentimental past or a particular problem, but rather looking to the future and how we make the Plaza a unique experience again.”

PHOTO BY BRYNN BURNS

The new manager of the Country Club Plaza wants to increase unique offerings.

BY DAWNYA BARTSCH

“We want to make sure there is room for local businesses with great ideas. It’s some folks’ dream to be on the Plaza.”

Photo by Matt Staver

READ ALL ABOUT KNIT

On cold, gray winter days in the Midwest, creation awaits with a pair of needles at your fingertips and a skein of yarn. There are endless possibilities for what can be made with a few supplies but even more potential when creating alongside like-minded individuals. This is the ambition behind a weekly event called Nerdy Knitting, which brings together those who share a passion for creation through knitting, crocheting, sewing and cross-stitching—with an emphasis on all things nerdy. From crocheted Pokémon characters to hand-knitted Harry Potter-themed sweaters and dragon-scale shawls, those who attend can stitch among friends in the comfort of ReRoll Tavern, the Northland’s board game bar.

“It’s just a comfortable place where anyone can work on their projects and we can help each other,” says organizer Melissa Schmitt. —TAYLOR DRUMMOND

GO: Nerdy Knitting is at ReRoll Tavern, 2368 Armour Road, KCMO, every Wednesday from 6–11 pm, including February 1, 8, 15, and 22.

Joe Pera

February 3. 7 pm.

Standup comedian, writer and filmmaker Joe Pera developed a cult-like following after his unassuming hit series on Adult Swim, Joe Pera Talks With You, where Pera plays a fictionalized version of himself and talks directly to the viewer about ordinary subjects like breakfast and sleeping. His stand-up is very similar, getting laughs with a quiet awkwardness and wholesome simplicity. February 3. 7 pm. Uptown Theater.

The Judds

February 3. 7:30 pm. After losing her mother Naomi Judd, one-half of country duo The Judds, daughter Wynonna is touring one last time using the band’s name in a celebration of her mother’s life. Wynonna will be playing their iconic hits and bringing out other artists like Brandi Carlile and Martina McBride for this arena tour. February 3. 7:30 pm. T-Mobile Center.

Störling Dance Theater’s UNDERGROUND

February 3–4. 7:30 pm. This is Störling Dance Theater’s sixteenth anniversary of presenting the Underground Railroad story in KC, UNDERGROUND. The show uses original music, beautiful costumes and exciting pacing to retell the history of the underground railroad and the brave people who helped bring freedom. February 3–4. 7:30 pm.

Kauffman Center.

Respect: A Tribute to Aretha Franklin

February 3–5

Kansas City Symphony presents Respect, a tribute to the first female performer to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Aretha Franklin, dubbed the greatest singer of all time by Rolling Stone. This show extolls the Queen of Soul’s music, life and legacy. February 3–4, 8 pm; February 5, 2 pm. Helzberg Hall.

Cenicienta

February 4. 11 am.

Fusing puppetry with Spanish and English storytelling, Cenicienta follows ten-year-old Belinda as she uses everyday objects to recreate the classic fairytale Cinderella. This modern, inclusive retelling centers around cultural heritage, family and the power of language. February 4. 11 am. Polsky Theatre.

Bush

February 7. 7:30 pm.

English rock band Bush reached ultimate fame in the late nineties, with seemingly inescapable radio hits like “Glycerine” and “Comedown,” which relied heavily on guitar riffs and lead-singer Gavin Rossdale’s gravely vocals. After an iconic performance at now-infamous Woodstock ’99 and Rossdale’s heavily publicized marriage to another late nineties poppunk icon, Gwen Stefani, the band is on tour for their newest album, The Art of Survival, aptly named for a band that has been struggling to stay relevant for the last two decades. February 7. 7:30 pm. The Midland.

My Fair Lady

February 7–12

Director Bartlett Sher’s revival of the Broadway classic My Fair Lady has brought surprisingly great reviews, with many critics extolling this timeless retelling of the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young, poor Cockney flower seller, and linguists professor Henry Higgins, who is determined to transform Doolittle into his idea of a “proper lady.” February 7–12. Times vary. Kauffman Center.

Fairview

February 9–18

Fairview is a Pulitzer-winning play written in 2018 by Jackie Sibblies Drury. The dark comedy follows a sitcom-like middle class Black family as they prepare a birthday dinner for their grandmother, only to be surveilled by four white people. “[Fairview] takes an interesting look at various views of race and ethnicity and the misconceptions that are accepted purely based on stereotypes,” says the show’s director Lynn King. February 9–18. Times vary. Melting Pot Theatre.

Ruth Reinhardt Conducts Sibelius

February 10–12

German guest conductor and violinist Ruth Reinhardt makes her Kansas City Symphony debut in this wide-ranging program, including Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5. Written with a strong sense of nationalist pride, Sibelius’ music conveys a deep love for his homeland and its sweeping Nordic landscape. February 10–11, 8 pm; February 12, noon. Helzberg Hall.

Adam Sandler

February 11. 7:30 pm.

The A-List celebrity-comedian is extending his renowned tour, Adam Sandler Live, into 2023, with new dates, including a highly anticipated stop in KC. Sandler’s last comedy special for Netflix in 2018 was his first in twenty years and met critical and commercial success, proving that fart jokes are timeless. February 11. 7:30 pm. T-Mobile Center.

Voices of Mississippi

February 11. 7:30 pm.

Voices of Mississippi is a new multimedia event that celebrates the music, art and storytelling traditions of the people of Mississippi. Based on the 2019 Grammy Award-winning project of the same name, this program mixes live musical performances with multimodal elements such as film, photos and audio recordings, with original creator William “Bill” Ferris serving as the program’s host. February 11. 7:30 pm. Yardley Hall.

Lucy Loves Desi

February 11 & 12

Playwright Gregg Oppenheimer, son of I Love Lucy creator Jess Oppenheimer, retells this fastpaced, witty tale of Lucy and Desi’s tumultuous battles with CBS over their ideas that changed television forever. Originally written for L.A. Theatre Works, the behind-thescenes story of the iconic sitcom mirrors the heart and humor that first made it legendary. February 11, 8 pm; February 12, 2 pm. Polsky Theatre.

The Second City Hits Home

February 14–19

Chicago’s sketch and improv comedy theater Second City has become legendary, churning out comedy stars like Tina Fey and Steve Carell. Now, it brings the new show The Second City Hits Home to KC, featuring comedic

sketches, songs and improv about KC along with material from the infamous Second City archives. February 14–19. Times vary. Starlight Theatre.

Cinderella

February 17–19 and 23–26

One of the world’s most timeless and beloved fairy tales, Cinderella, is retold through the world premiere of Devon Carney’s stunning choreography performed by the Kansas City Ballet and accompanied by Prokofiev’s enchanting music, along with classic characters like the bubbly Fairy Godmother and the foot fetish-y Prince Charming. February 17–19 and 23–26. Times vary. Kauffman Center.

Bruce Springsteen

February 18. 8 pm.

The boss is coming to KC. Although “Born in the USA,” this will be Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band’s first tour in North America in nearly seven years. February 18. 8 pm. T-Mobile Center.

Kodo

February 25. 7 pm.

The Harriman-Jewell Series presents Kodo, the performing arts group from Japan that mixes oldworld tradition with modern artforms of the traditional Japanese drum, the taiko. Kodo can have two meanings: “heartbeat,” as in the source of all life, or “children of the drum,” a reflection of their desire to play the drums simply

DakhaBrakha

February 24. 8 pm.

Ukrainian “ethno chaos” band DakhaBrakha creates unexpected new sound by experimenting with Ukrainian folk music and adding surprising rhythms from around the world. The group was created in 2004 at the Kyiv Center of Contemporary Art by avant-garde theater director Vladyslav Troitskyi. Their name means “give/take” in the old Ukrainian language. The elements of their theater background are evident in their performances, which always include striking visual elements. February 24. 8 pm. Polsky Theatre.

and purely. February 25. 7 pm. Helzberg Hall.

Kimbra

February 26. 7 pm.

The New Zealand indie-pop singer and songwriter skyrocketed to fame with Gotye’s inescapable hit “Somebody That I Used To Know” over a decade ago. Since then, she’s had a few albums and singles, most recently turning to more of a surprising mix of electropop and jazz. February 26. 7 pm. recordBar.

Wild Cats of India by Sandesh Kadur

February 21. 7:30 pm.

Part of the National Geographic Live series, photographer and filmmaker Sandesh Kadur highlights the lesser known species of smaller cats that populate India. From the fishing cat that hunts aquatically to the tiny, grumpy-faced Pallas’s cat, Kadur’s videos and photos highlight the importance of these small cats and the urgent need to protect them. February 21. 7:30 pm. Kauffman Center.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

February 26. 7 pm.

With acclaimed music director Riccardo Muti and violinist Julia Fischer, the Chicago Symphony plays Robert Schumann’s Violin Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony. Founded in 1981, the Chicago Symphony is consistently hailed as one of the greatest orchestras in the world, strengthened even more so in the last decade with Muti’s renowned skill and leadership. February 26. 7 pm. Helzberg Hall.

Six: The Musical February 28–March 5

After sweeping a couple dozen awards in the 2021-22 Broadway season, Six has arguably become one of the biggest musicals since Hamilton. The musical is a modern retelling of the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII, presented as a pop concert. Throughout, the queens switch off singing their stories of suffering to decide who should become the group’s lead singer before ending in a celebration of girl power through the last five hundred years. February 28–March 5. Times vary. Kansas City Music Hall.

(“Why You’d Want to Live Here”), and the bittersweet slow-burner “Styrofoam Plates,” which paints a desperate picture of a single mother whose misfortune forces her family to consume a holiday meal in a way that many Midwesterns sincerely enjoy on their own volition. The touring cycle for the Photo Album era is when Death Cab showed a flash of something bigger to its loyal fanbase and critics alike, not unlike when a ho-hum neighborhood is transformed by a shiny new coffee shop that boasts a fancy espresso machine manned by indifferent staff with angular haircuts and unused liberal arts degrees. It wasn’t until 2003’s Transatlanticism, however, that the promise of Death Cab became real.

WELCOME HOME, BEN

BY PETE COTTELL

DESPITE THE INSISTENCE of eggheaded men who wear Chuck Taylors well into their fifties, the punk rock splinter genre known as “emo” is a wholly Midwestern affair. Strains of the genre centered around politics, extreme haircuts and veganism came and went on the coasts while the affable and understated emotional punk music made by average English lit majors with thrifted western shirts and scuffed-up Telecasters remains as relevant as ever. No region is more proud of its averageness than the Midwest, and no modern emo band is more aggressively average than Death Cab for Cutie. And for that reason, we are proud to crown the band, which headlines the Midland on February 6, as Honorary Midwesterners.

Founded in 1997 in the very normal Washington state college town of Bellingham, Death Cab for Cutie quickly seeped into the burgeoning second-wave emo scene by releasing four LPs of introspective guitar pop in just five years’ time. Sensitive college students who cowered at the aggression of contemporaneous acts like Cursive, Thursday and At the Drive-In found solace in the group’s milquetoast anthems, and in frontman Ben Gibbard, they found a more relatable hero than the erratic manchildren that fronted most other bands of the era. The quartet cut their teeth a mere ninety miles north of the most important sub-cultural movement of the nineties, yet they had little interest in adopting the baggage of being a Pacific Northwestern band in the post-grunge era. Death Cab was placeless from the get-go, and in doing so, Gibbard became the poet laureate of people who considered themselves to be the most interesting people from the most uninteresting places.

Death Cab turned a corner on 2001’s The Photo Album. Bolstered by the sterling production of guitarist Chris Walla, highlights include the only moshable song in their catalog (“We Laugh Indoors”), a gentle “fuck you” to Los Angeles

Like the same hypothetical city’s buzzy, cheffy bistro that attracts The New York Times and a flock of culture vultures following close behind, all of them threatening to anoint that third-tier metropolis as “the next big thing you’ve never heard of,” Transatlanticism was universally hyped by fans both old and new. Gibbard and Walla gave their wimpiness a wallop on the sprawling title track, and in no time at all, Death Cab was inescapable. The saccharine melodies of “Death of an Interior Decorator” blared in Hollisters across the country, “We Looked Like Giants” soundtracked a million make-out sessions in suburban culs-de-sac, and Seth Cohen—the proto-softboi fan favorite of the Fox teen soap The O.C.—adopted Death Cab for Cutie as his favorite band. Finally, the existence of flannel-clad introverts was validated, and Gibbard emerged as a Tyler Durden-esque hero for guys who consider Taco Bell and a tasty mixtape in their Honda Accord to be an excellent first date. Their 2005 follow-up, Plans, was embraced by altrock radio, but longtime fans greeted its sticky-sweet themes and lack of grit with suspicion. 2008’s Narrow Stairs dialed back the pop sugar but remained on a middling path, and 2011’s Codes and Keys sealed the deal on Death Cab’s regression to the mean. Still, the group staved off the temptation to hitch their wagon to the same star that propelled Seattle acts like Fleet Foxes and The Heart and the Heart to modest fame in the early 2010’s. Gibbard’s brief marriage with actress Zooey Deschanel came to an end in 2012, Walla left the group a year later, yet Gibbard soldiered on. His band was the hot new thing for a fleeting moment, and then it wasn’t, and here they are twenty years later doing what they do best: churning out dependable Midwestern emo with a work ethic that’s unmatched by most modern emo bands that are actually from the Midwest. GO: Death Cab for Cutie plays the Midland on Monday, February 6. 8 pm. $40–$80.

PHOTO BY DAVID LEE

Death Cab for Cutie is the most Midwestern of Midwestern emo bands—despite not being technically Midwestern.

Gibbard emerged as a Tyler Durden-esque hero for guys who consider Taco Bell and a tasty mixtape in their Honda Accord to be an excellent first date.

FULL CIRCLE

Trumpeter Hermon Mehari returns to KC to headline the Folly Jazz Series.

BY NINA CHERRY

“KANSAS CITY IS like home to me,” trumpeter Hermon Mehari says.

While Mehari now resides in Paris, his career took flight in KC. “I knew I could always keep a foot in Kansas City,” Mehari says.

Mehari is the host of KCUR’s The Session, a program dedicated to Black American music that airs every Saturday at 7 pm. He’s also released three of his own albums, in addition to several features as a sideman, and has performed alongside luminaries including Jaleel Shaw, Bobby Watson and Randy Brecker.

In 2016, Mehari released his debut album as a bandleader, Bleu. The album quickly took the jazz scene by storm in both Europe and the United States, receiving high placement on jazz charts and critical acclaim in Downbeat.

Shortly after graduating from UMKC’s Conservatory in 2010, Mehari began putting down roots in Europe while maintaining an active career performing in KC.

“I was feeling this pull towards Europe,” Mehari says. “On the other end, I was doing a lot in Kansas City but felt like I had kind of hit the ceiling.”

Soon after the release of Bleu, Mehari officially made the move to Paris in the fall of 2016.

This past November, Mehari released his third studio album, Asmara, a deep dive into his Eritrean ancestry.

Mehari began the musical exploration of his Eritrean ancestry while working on his sophomore album, A Change for the Dreamlike. While writing in confinement during the pandemic in the French countryside, the result was his composition “Eritrea,” the fourth track on the album.

“I knew that was just the beginning,” Mehari says.

From there, Parisian producer Antoine Rajon suggested a whole album dedicated to his heritage. “I always grew up with Eritrean music with my family, but even though I’ve been a professional musician for so long, I never really studied the music in an academic or musical sense,” Mehari says. “It was something I wanted to dive into.”

Combining Eritrean melodies, rhythms, harmonies and folklore with his formidable and contemporary compositional voice, Mehari weaves a thorough narrative with Asmara that, while complete, will leave you longing for more. The album opens with “Who Dared It,” simultaneously paying tribute to his father’s hometown of Mendefera and recognizing his father’s bravery in fleeing his homeland in 1979 amidst a war with Ethiopia.

Notably, the album features Faytinga, a beloved Eritrean vocalist who now resides in Switzerland and has been lauded for her efforts in the fight for independence from Ethiopia. Faytinga sings on “Tenafaqit” and closing track “Milobe Lawa Furda.”

The album also features KC-based vibraphonist and pianist Peter Schlamb, one of Mehari’s closest collaborators and an important voice on Asmara. “I’ve been collaborating with him for most of my life now and he’s on all of my discs as a bandleader,” Mehari says.

This month, Mehari returns to KC as a featured artist for the Folly Jazz Series, which doubles as his official Kansas City release party for Asmara

The trumpeter’s headlining performance is a momentous full-circle moment for Mehari.

“The series is special to me,” Mehari says. “When I was a student at UMKC, I always went [to the Folly] to watch artists coming to town. I would see a lot of artists that I looked up to and still look up to, so it’s an honor to be a part of the series.”

Mehari’s quartet is made complete by a venturous yet sensitive rhythm section, featuring Schlamb on vibraphone and keys, NYC bassist Rick Rosato and KC’s own Zach Morrow on drums.

“I’m looking forward to coming back to celebrate,” Mehari says.

GO: Hermon Mehari Quartet, Saturday, February 18, 7 pm. Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th St., KCMO. Tickets range from $31–$66.

Emerson Quartet Farewell Tour with special guest, David Finckel, cello

Trent Austin Quartet

Danú | St. Patrick’s Celebration DakhaBrakha

VIVA PANTONE

Designers, artists and trendsetters wait expectantly for Pantone to release their Color of the Year every December. The color is more than just trendy—it often reflects a greater message of the hopes for the upcoming year.

Last year, the Pantone color of the year was Very Peri, a soothing shade of periwinkle that embraced the strangeness and cautious optimism of the post-pandemic world.

Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2023 is Viva Magenta 18-1750, which was revealed at Art Basel Miami. At the launch, Pantone described the color as vibrating with vim and vigor. “Viva Magenta is brave and fearless and a pulsating color whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration.”

The color of the year choice wasn’t a surprise to those who had been watching spring 2023 runways, with the bold magenta featured in many men’s and women’s ready-to-wear spring fashion shows for big-name designers like Gucci and Dior.

Many fashion media outlets like Vogue have been quick to point out that this rich hue is a mix of two signature Valentino colors—deep bright red and hot pink—with Viva Magenta falling between fuchsia and poppy shades. It fits neatly with another trend of the moment, Barbiecore. Bring a fearless energy into spring 2023 by incorporating Viva Magenta into your look.

—MOLLY HIGGINS

Gucci lipstick $44 Jonathan Simkhai top $375

CURATING A BEAUTIFUL LIFE

A NEW WRINKLE

A new and improved alternative to botox debuts in KC.

BY MOLLY HIGGINS

EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, a new scientific breakthrough will change the game. In the world of medspas, Daxxify is the latest technology with potential to revolutionize things.

In September 2022, the FDA approved Daxxify (daxibotulinumtoxinAlanm), an injectable product that is similar to botox. Although many injectables used to lessen wrinkles are more or less botox but with a different name, Daxxify has shown wrinkle improvement that lasts at least six months compared to botox’s average of three to four.

Not only is the duration longer, but Daxxify is the only product of its kind to be manufactured in the United States. It is considered a “clean” product, without the use of human albumin serum or animalbased components. This “clean” or “naked” product is also the first of its kind because it uses peptide exchange technology.

“They’ve actually manufactured a peptide which is positively charged, and so it is able to attach to the same kind of neuro area where the other toxins [like botox] do, but since it’s positively charged, it gives you longer duration,” says Courtney DeKlotz, a nurse practitioner and injection specialist at Georgous Aesthetics. “It’s really fascinating

TRIAL SIZE

Daxxify was approved by the FDA based on clinical trial data from almost three thousand patients. One month after injections, only two percent of patients had any wrinkles. Half the patients were completely or nearly wrinkle-free after six months.

because every other toxin that’s out there on the market right now does not have this technology.”

Although approved by the FDA in September, Daxxify is only being offered by four places in KC, meaning that medspas like Georgous Aesthetics, which debuted Daxxify first in the metro area in December, are among only one-percent of providers offering Daxxify in the U.S. Mary Cirese, managing director of Georgous Aesthetics, says that Daxxify will be widely available sometime in late spring 2023.

During the launch of Daxxify at Georgous Aesthetics in December 2022, they treated a wide variety of male and female patients who had been getting botox treatments, some for nearly two decades, to see how the duration they got out of the treatment would change.

Daxxify has kept fine lines and wrinkles at bay for six to nine months, depending on each individual’s skin. “Overall, when you stop the muscle contraction in that area, it softens lines, it adds a kind of a glow to your skin,” DeKlotz says.

PHOTO BY JEREMEY THERON KIRBY

FOX FORT

Caranne Camarena talks about her gallery, Vulpes Bastille, and the changing Crossroads.

BY MOLLY HIGGINS

CARANNE CAMARENA WANTED TO CREATE a space for artists to work on their pieces and collaborate in an artistic community, much like she had at her alma mater, Kansas City Art Institute.

Overland Park native Camarena has been drawing since she was a small child, calling her decision to go to art school a “foregone conclusion.” Although she has worked with all types of mediums from paint to taxidermy, she now focuses mainly on large-scale mixed media drawings and collages revolving around animal imagery.

Soon after graduating, Camarena invested in an old building in the Crossroads that she transformed into spaces for herself and former classmates to work on their art. Gallery and studio Vulpes Bastille was born.

The gallery space features pieces from artists, who rotate monthly, available for purchase every First Friday. A decade after its humble opening, we talked to Camarena about her studio and gallery and the rapidly changing Crossroads Arts District.

Can you tell us about the beginnings of Vulpes Bastille? I actually didn’t set out to have a gallery. I didn’t want one. I wanted the whole building to be studio spaces. But in the summer of 2012, a couple of my friends asked if they could put some artwork in the front since nothing was up there yet and there was a space that could be used as a gallery. I just kept letting people have shows here. The shows had excellent turnouts because the Crossroads had a ton of foot traffic and, at the time, that entire block was nothing but small artist-run galleries, so we fit right in. Over time, I was cajoled into opening a gallery.

How did the space get such a unique name?

I only slightly regret naming it this—it sounded like a really good idea when I was in college.

Vulpes is the Latin word for fox, and Bastille is like the French Bastille. This is somewhat stemming from my misunderstanding of what the Bastille is. It’s kind of funny in retrospect. The fortress aspect comes from the fact that because I bought the building, it basically meant that we couldn’t be moved. Essentially all the art spaces that were around me when I first opened are now all gone. But there is just no getting rid of us because we can’t have our rents raised until we leave.

What can people expect when they visit the gallery? The goal is for it to be a really diverse array of things as the year progresses, and there’s not any one medium I prefer over the other. I just look for good ideas and passion. I think it’s a good thing for me to not be able to really tell you exactly what to expect when you walk in the gallery. Sometimes there will be a very noisy experimental jam session set to a backdrop of mixed media paintings or ceramic sculptures. I only have a few very vague guidelines, like don’t light my building on fire and don’t leave unattended live animals in here. I shouldn’t have to say these things, but this has come up.

What’re your thoughts on the changing art scene in KC? The art scene in KC has changed to a frightening degree in the last ten years. For as much as the city likes to brag about its Arts District, they didn’t do anything to help keep the artists there or stop out-of-state developers from buying all the property. It’s kind of hard to keep calling it an Arts District if it got too expensive for all the artists to keep being there. Artists will find places to continue to work and make art, but it’s the fact that it’s gotten so decentralized from our Arts District. Does it all need to be in one place? No, it doesn’t, but it was really nice when it was. We’re like the last art space left in the vibrant East Crossroads Arts District. That, to me, is incredibly sad but makes what we’re doing all the more important.

Discover the great outdoors as you journey along the Lost Canyon Cave & Nature Trail at Top of the Rock Ozarks Heritage Preserve. Following your journey, take in the views of the Cathedral of Nature before exploring the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum. Tickets available online at:

topoftherock.com

HILLS AND RAVINES

The Loch Lloyd home of Kelly and Robert Pascuzzi reflects their lives’ indirect journey

BY DAWNYA BARTSCH PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSIE HENDERSON

KELLY AND ROBERT PASCUZZI live a high-energy, fast-moving, unconventional life, and their home’s bold interior reflects that.

“I wanted this home to have energy, be fun, inviting but also cozy,” Kelly says of her sixthousand-square-foot Loch Lloyd house. To accomplish that goal, the Pascuzzis’, along with the help of their interior decorator Jan Long of Long Interiors, chose bright colors and unusual pieces, resulting in a creative, confident but comfortable space.

It’s perfect for when the Pascuzzis, including the couple’s three grown sons, all come together and are home. “I definitely wanted the space to feel welcoming and comfortable for the boys,” Kelly says.

The Pascuzzis approached decorating their lake-front house like they seem to approach most of their projects—as a creative endeavor. It’s through curiosity and self-expression that they have pushed themselves through difficult times.

The centerpiece is a vibrant magenta and gold rug. It’s ringed by neutral sofas and two black accent chairs made of bent rattan poles from Arteriors that could almost be standalone sculptures. Long tied the colors in the rug to the rest of the room with pillows and other objects d’art.

The living room leads to a deck and fire pit with views of the lake and a spiral staircase leading down to an infinityedged, glass-walled pool.

Some years back, the Pascuzzis experienced a life-altering tragedy when a dear friend and her son were killed by the friend’s husband in a murder-suicide. Kelly says she fell into a deep depression and lost faith, unable to process how a seemingly “loving husband and father” could commit such an act. Robert, too, was trying to understand the senselessness of the crime and looking for ways to help Kelly process the grief. It turned out the Pascuzzis’ path would be for Robert to write a novel, The Ravine, inspired by the true events. They were “compelled,” they say, to share their difficult lessons learned “on hope, faith and forgiveness” through the book, and they later co-produced a movie based on the novel, also called The Ravine. The movie was released via streaming platforms in 2021.

1. LIVING ROOM It’s pure drama from the moment the large double entry doors swing open, revealing an airy and bright white living space with contrasting black trim. The room has several key focal points, from views of the lake to a massive fireplace wall that’s clad in oblong black hexagon tiles. A stand-out detailed ceiling that Long left white reveals just the right amount of texture.

Both Robert and Kelly are now devoting much of their life’s work to helping others in their roles as professional life coaches and business consultants. Robert started off in the finance world, and neither he nor Kelly have stayed on one path in their careers.

“I am evolving, so it’s only natural that my style would evolve too,” Kelly says of their most recent decorating adventure. When Kelly says “evolve,” she means she has been more adventurous, willing to fill her spaces with bright colors, original art and unique furniture found across the country.

“It’s really fun working with Robert and Kelly,” says Long, who

has helped the couple with several of their homes. “They like color and bold pieces, ways to bring energy into their homes in very dynamic ways.”

Long and Kelly have traveled to design markets across the country, such as High Point in North Carolina, searching for the perfect pieces. “It’s really a lot of fun,” Long says, noting that the markets are often the first places that future design trends pop up. This penchant for seeking out the unusual makes visiting the Pascuzzi’s house almost like going on a treasure hunt: You never know what might be found around the corner or at the end of a hallway.

2. THE KITCHEN The kitchen is set up for entertaining, opening directly into the main living area with a large island. Long chose low-profile and contemporary bar stools in a muted palette to contrast with the black trim and stark white walls and cabinets. Striking black chandeliers echo the lines of the living room chairs, instantly grabbing the eye. The kitchen is extremely functional. Hidden from sight and just behind the range wall is a large prep kitchen and butler’s pantry with additional ovens, microwave and sink. The messiness of preparing a large meal can be deftly hidden from view.

OFFICE In an awkward configuration, a narrow spiral staircase originally led from the primary bedroom, located on the main level, down to the bedroom’s primary closet. Long and the Pascuzzis expanded a smaller closet right off the bedroom and removed the staircase leading to the lower level closet.

The original closet was just off the main pool-level entertaining area, making it easy to reconfigure it into an office. Long removed part of the wall that sealed it from the rest of the living area and replaced it with a glass wall and door. The original closet’s built-in storage space turned into the perfect place to showcase memorabilia.

3. RECREATION ROOM The lower level has several entertaining spaces and small furniture groupings, all made more interesting with conversation-worthy pieces of art and furniture.

4. BAR Long used warm wood and brass tones in the bar area, giving it a smokey speakeasy feel.

5. DOWNSTAIRS

Q&A

Each month, Kansas City Magazine is partnering with a local firm to help educate our readers on some of the most frequently asked questions in some of the most common areas of law. The legal team at Gorny Durand, LC is among the area’s finest legal professionals and is lending their expertise this month on the topic of personal injury. Steve Gorny addresses questions you might wonder about when choosing an attorney for a personal injury case. You can also consult the firm for a free consultation to address your particular situation.

If you would like to promote your firm and can offer your expertise on one of these topics, email angie@kansascitymag.com to become one of our monthly legal contributors.

What You Need to Know When Choosing a Personal Injury Attorney Q & A

Gorny Dandurand provides personable, intelligent counsel to those who have experienced a tragic situation resulting in serious injury or death. The lawyers and staff have decades of experience guiding clients from case intake through complex jury trials. The team of lawyers have received countless awards including Best Lawyers in America (Lawyer of the Year twice), Super Lawyers, and Best of the Bar.

Steve Gorny answers your questions about Personal Injury

The team of attorneys manage these types of cases:

• Truck Accidents

• Car Accidents

• Dangerous Premises

• Negligent Doctors

• Catastrophic Injury

• Wrongful Death

QWhat factors are most important when selecting a lawyer for a personal injury case?

ATrial experience is the most important factor when selecting a lawyer when you or a loved one is injured. Insurance companies know the lawyers that are capable and willing to take a case to trial and those lawyers that typically settle short. In nearly every case, lawyers who try cases obtain higher settlement offers for their clients. This firm regularly goes to trial and insurance companies know that.

QWhat do I need to do after hiring a lawyer?

AHire a law firm that helps take the headache and worry of obtaining justice off your plate. Skilled and dedicated lawyers allow injured clients to focus on their health, both physical and mental, and recovering from the tragic event. An experienced firm will not over burden you with day-to-day details during the course of the case.

QHow do I know what my case is worth?

ADo not hire a lawyer that tells you what your case is worth during the initial meeting. Although it may be possible to address a range for case value, a skilled lawyer cannot provide you with a detailed assessment until evaluating all the circumstances including where the case will be filed, the nature of the injuries, medical bills, lost wages, the need for future medical treatment, and a host of other factors.

Ageless BEAUTY

Cosmetic Procedures for Every Decade

Maintaining your appearance can help you look and feel better at any age. Inside you’ll find information on cosmetic procedures that can be used over time to support your appearance and help you rejuvenate yourself, regardless of your age.

Ageless

As we move from one decade to the next, each filled with countless milestones and moments to remember, we also continue to age more aggressively in our face and body. So, as time moves on, it’s a great time to stop and get serious about taking care of ourselves. By taking proactive steps to create a routine focused on anti-aging, you can slow down the signs and preserve the youthful features that you love.

LiquidLift Collagen Treatment

(also known as Derm Perfexion)

The Grove Spa

thegrovespa.com

816-834-9100

Injectables and Fillers

CoolSculpting

Maternity and childbirth are typically an amazing time in a woman’s life, but once recovery begins, many moms begin considering treatments to enhance their postpartum bodies. Mommy makeovers are commonly used to restore and reshape the woman’s body after child bearing. If you’re looking for a less invasive procedure, CoolSculpting® is an alternative to a tummy tuck that can eliminate fat in your stomach. The treatment freezes fat cells to death and then naturally eliminates them from your body. This FDA approved procedure is also more affordable than a surgical procedure.

Lip augmentation has become one of the more sought-after treatments for facial enhancement. It can boost self-confidence and restore a more youthful appearance. The procedure may be done through a plastic surgeon or if you don’t want to have surgery, dermal fillers are a viable alternative. Fillers are an effective way to enhance your lips, giving you a fuller, more voluminous pout, with no downtime required. However, the results aren’t permanent and will need touch ups to maintain a smooth and plump appearance.

Skin firmness begins to change in our 40’s. Most women are interested in improving skin elasticity, and restoring lost volume, but some are hesitant to consider fillers and want alternatives to lasers. This is why the Liquid Lift Collagen Treatment (also known as PRX Derm Perfexion), offered by The Grove Spa, has been so popular. By delivering kojic acid, TCA and hydrogen peroxide below the epidermal layer of the skin, this cutting-edge, patented technology works from the inside out, where real change can be made. The result is tighter, plumper and healthier skin. There is no downtime, no needles and no pain.

Ultherapy

Ultherapy is a nonsurgical skin tightening procedure that counteracts the loss the of skin’s natural structure that occurs in your 40’s. It’s an ultrasound procedure that stimulates the skin’s production of collagen and elastin, and can be administered on the face and the body. The procedure can deliver very favorable results lifting the eyebrows, cheeks and neck in the right candidate, with most patients requiring only a single treatment to achieve desired results that improve over time.

Skin Resurfac i ng

aNu Ae st he ti cs & Optimal Well ne ss

anuaesthetics.com

913-298-6230 (Leawood)

816-359-3310 (North)

816-339-5053 (River Market)

aNu Aestheti

Wellness offers some of the newest laser skin resurfacing procedures such as Sciton® MOXI, Contour TRL™ and ProFractional Therapy™, all of which can reverse and reduce traces of aging. Contour TRL™ is an advanced Erbium Laser resurfacing treatment performed only by aNu’s medical director, Dr. Cristyn Watkins. It literally erases wrinkles, pigmented lesions and other skin irregularities in the epidermis and dermis. ProFractional Therapy™ treats surgical scars, acne scars and other texture issues by stimulating new collagen in a minimal downtime treatment. Schedule a consultation and discover if you may be a candidate for one of these breakthrough treatments.

Mini Facelift

As woman age, many are curious about how to maintain healthy and youthful looking skin. Aging gracefully becomes more relevant than at any other time, since this is typically the decade when woman consider getting some type of work done. After consulting with a certified plastic surgeon, you may want to consider a partial facelift or it’s also known as a mini facelift which focuses on the lower third of the face. If your skin requires limited corrections, this procedure is designed to reduce loose skin and wrinkles and can be a maintenance procedure to delay facial signs of aging.

Sun Damage & Skin Tone

Georg ous Aesthetic Bar

georgouskc.com

816-946-8484

Treatments for sun damage and pigmentation are some of the most requested treatments for generational “Boomers”. Broad Band Light (BBL)is a non-invasive treatment that can reduce the appearance of sunspots, pigment, redness and rosacea, while stimulating collagen and elastin production. Other light-based treatments such as the HALO Hybrid Fractional Laser can provide a more aggressive treatment for not only sun damage and pigmentation, but also skin resurfacing. For those seeking alternatives to laser treatments, a variety of chemical peels can help address even skin tone concerns. Winter is the perfect time to schedule these types of treatments.

Eyelid Lift

While the preliminary effects of aging can start to appear as early as your 20’s and 30’s, they start to become a lot more obvious between your 40’s-60’s. Fine lines and wrinkles start to define your face and you may start noticing that your eyes start to droop lower than they did before, resulting in more tired look. Eyelid surgery, when performed by a certified plastic surgeon, removes the extra skin above and below the eyelid, giving you a more youthful result and appearing more alert and awake.

Though there is no way to stop the clock, there are ways to help you look and feel your best, no matter what your age.

2023 KANSAS CITY

FIVE STAR WEALTH MANAGERS

These days, it takes a village to manage your financial world. Whether it is managing your assets with a wealth manager, navigating the ever-changing tax landscape, sorting out your estate and succession planning or picking the right life insurance, finding the right team can be a daunting task. In fact, many consumers have a hard time figuring out where to even begin. Sometimes, a few simple questions can put you off on the right path. Asking a professional what makes working with them a unique experience can help you understand how they work and if their style meshes with your own. This is a great place to start! Five Star Professional uses its own proprietary research methodology to name outstanding professionals, then works with publications such as Kansas City Magazine to spread the word about award winners. Each award candidate undergoes a thorough research process (detailed here) before being considered for the final list of award winners. For the complete list of winners, go to www.fivestarprofessional.com.

RESEARCH DISCLOSURES

In order to consider a broad population of high-quality wealth managers, award candidates are identified by one of three sources: firm nomination, peer nomination or prequalification based on industry standing. Self-nominations are not accepted. Kansas Cityarea award candidates were identified using internal and external research data. Candidates do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final lists of Five Star Wealth Managers.

• The Five Star award is not indicative of a professional’s future performance.

• Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets.

• The inclusion of a professional on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the professional by Five Star Professional or Kansas City Magazine.

• Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any professional is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected professionals will be awarded this accomplishment by Five Star Professional in the future.

• Five Star Professional is not an advisory firm and the content of this article should not be considered financial advice. For more information on the Five Star Wealth Manager award program, research and selection criteria, go to fivestarprofessional.com/research.

• 1,843 award candidates in the Kansas City area were considered for the Five Star Wealth Manager award. 138 (approximately 7% of the award candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers.

FIVE STAR WEALTH MANAGER DETERMINATION OF AWARD WINNERS CRITERIA

Award candidates who satisfied 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. Eligibility Criteria – Required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser or a registered investment adviser representative. 2. Actively employed as a credentialed professional in the financial services industry for a minimum of five years.

3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review. 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal firm standards. 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation Criteria – Considered: 6. One-year client retention rate. 7. Five-year client retention rate.

8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered. 9. Number of client households served.

10. Education and professional designations.

Regulatory Review: As defined by Five Star Professional, the wealth manager has not: been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; been convicted of a felony. Within the past 11 years the wealth manager has not: been terminated from a wealth management or financial services firm; filed for personal bankruptcy; had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them (and no more than five total pending, dismissed or denied) with any regulatory authority.

Five Star Professional conducts a regulatory review of each nominated wealth manager using the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD) website. Five Star Professional also uses multiple supporting processes to help ensure that a favorable regulatory and complaint history exists. Data submitted through these processes was applied per the above criteria; each wealth manager who passes the Five Star Professional regulatory review must attest that they meet the definition of favorable regulatory history based upon the criteria listed above. Five Star Professional promotes via local advertising the opportunity for consumers to confidentially submit complaints regarding a wealth manager.

FIVE STAR PROFESSIONAL

PROPRIETARY RESEARCH PROCESS

NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES

Three sources of nominations:

– Firm nominations

– Peer nominations

– Prequalification based on industry credentials

REGULATORY CONSUMER COMPLAINT REVIEW

All candidates must demonstrate a favorable regulatory history.

CANDIDATE

SUBMISSION OF PRACTICE INFORMATION

Candidates must complete either an online or over-the-phone interview.

EVALUATION OF CANDIDATE PRACTICE

Candidates are evaluated on 10 objective evaluation and eligibility criteria.

FIRM REVIEW OF AWARD CANDIDATE LIST

All candidates are reviewed by a representative of their firm before final selection.

2023 AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Finalization and announcement of Five Star Professional award winners.

— WEALTH MANAGERS —

CEO, Portfolio Manager Ethel J. Davis

The

• Empowered, disciplined and trusted to navigate your financial goals and objectives

Ethel J. Davis, founder and CEO of VZD Capital Management, LLC, believes there is an odyssey to create sustainable wealth and multigenerational legacies. Becoming a member of the underrepresented class of wealth managers, Ethel is one of the few African American women to own 100% of a registered investment advisory firm. She believes in treating her clients as extended members of her family. After all, VZD Capital Management is the namesake of her parents — Vergie and Zether Davis. Ethel defines wealth creation as investing in companies with significant harvest potential than the seeds

VZD Capital Management, LLC

planted for long-term results. Yet, she extracts each client’s story to build a legacy that leaves a footprint for their families, businesses and philanthropic endeavors.

VZD is a fiduciary firm, for the clients’ interests are the priority, not compensations or commissions. Ethel does not believe in the one-size-fits-all approach, for every client has different standards of living, emotional risk tolerance, time horizons and economic factors to consider when creating, rebalancing and disbursing wealth over time. VZD continues to serve the people who desire a family oriented relationship.

8953 Mill Creek Road • Lenexa, KS 66219

Phone: 816-726-7066

info@vzdcap.com • www.vzdcap.com

VZD Capital Management, LLC(“Advisor”) is a registered investment adviser located in Overland Park, Kansas. Ethel J. Davis, Advisor is in compliance with the current filing requirements imposed upon registered investment advisers by those states in which Advisor maintains clients. Advisor may only transact business in those states in which it is registered, or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration requirements. Advisor’s web site is limited to the dissemination of general infrormation pertaining to its advisory services, together with access to additional investment-related information, publication and links. Accordingly, the publication of Advisor’s web site on the internet should not be construed by any consumer and/or prospective client as Advisor’s solicitation to effect, or attempt to effect transactions in securities, or the rendering of personalized investment advice for compensation, over the internet. A copy of Advisor’s current written disclosure statement discussing Advisor’s business operations, services, and fees is available from Advisor upon written request.

FIVE

This award was issued on 01/01/2023 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 04/18/2022 through 10/21/2022. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Selfwealth managers were considered for the award; 138 (7% of candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR:

-

-

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any

Odyssey to Wealth Creation and Multigenerational Legacies

Frank Mall

Financial Advisor

Live Richly. Journey Confidently.

Helping

• For key financial life decisions

• With objective tools and knowledge to keep you on a path toward success

• Through your journey with a long-term working relationship

In early 1986, Frank Mall started a financial services practice with a simple philosophy: provide financial guidance based on each client’s needs and build long-term relationships to monitor and adjust the results of that guidance. More than three and a half decades later, that core philosophy is still fully employed day in and day out.

Frank believes that someone equipped with a well-thought-out financial road map can make well-informed financial decisions. He works with each client to understand what they want to accomplish, when they want it accomplished and what resources are available. From there, a financial road map is developed for further discussion, with action being taken on the highest priorities.

Client service is provided by Joy Mall, whose goal is to ensure everyone has a friendly, positive experience, feeling valued and well cared for as an individual by the Outfitters Team.

Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 1,843 Kansas City-area wealth # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period.

registered investment adviser representative;

2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.

Left to right: Eleven-year winner Frank Mall; Joy Mall

— WEALTH MANAGERS —

Pete Martinez

President and Private Wealth Manager

Make the Most of What You Have. Invest With Insight.

If you’re looking for an experienced financial advisor who will listen to you and design a financial plan built around where you are today and where you want to go in retirement, we’re Insight Financial Services, and we would like to meet you. After working closely with you to establish your objectives, we place your dreams beside the reality of your assets, expenses, risk tolerance and tax situation, and we evaluate them on a practical timeline. Only then, once we know who you are, where you are and where you want to go, do we create and implement your customized financial strategy. Contact us today at 913-402-2020 to schedule a no-cost, no-obligation second opinion service (S.O.S.) review. We hope to meet you soon!

• Using a personalized, client-centric model to produce tailored experiences for our clients

• Distinctive designations held by IFS sta members include Master of Business Administration (MBA), Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®), Registered Financial Consultant (RFC®) and Behavioral Financial Advisor™ (BFA™)

7101 College Boulevard, Suite 740 • Overland Park, KS 66210 Phone: 913-402-2020 pmartinez@ifsadvisors.com • www.ifsadvisors.com www.facebook.com/InsightFinancialServices

Investment advisory services offered through IFS Advisors, LLC (IFSA), an SEC registered investment adviser.

This award was issued on 1/1/2023 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 4/18/2022 through 10/21/2022. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed managers were considered for the award; 138 (7% of candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: #

This award was issued on 01/01/2023 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 04/18/2022 through 10/21/2022. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self- completed wealth managers were considered for the award; 138 (7% of candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: # 2020:

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any

Left to right: Back row: Lorinda Gregg; Greg Keal; Larry Broxterman; Adam Waybright; Robyn Horsley; Front row: Kelly Stephenson; Twelve-year winner Pete Martinez, President and Private Wealth Manager; Tracy McCormick; Lisa Meyer

The Ferguson Smith Cohen Group at Morgan Stanley

The Power to Grow. The Strength to Preserve. The Confidence to Relax.

At the Ferguson Smith Cohen Group, we are seasoned investment professionals who understand that wealth management is about far more than the numbers on your account statement. It’s about finding solutions to financial challenges that can help you afford the lifestyle you want to live while supporting the people, causes and institutions that enrich your life.

You have worked hard to build a successful career or professional practice or perhaps you are the current steward of a significant legacy. We will work just as hard to help you preserve what you have earned and enjoy the rewards of your success. We will help you create a comprehensive wealth management plan to address all of the challenges and opportunities you face. Whether aiming to reduce your tax burden, planning for retirement, paying for college or passing along your financial legacy, we can tailor highly customized solutions designed to help you reach your goals.

Dianna Smith is a 2012 – 2023 Five Star Wealth Manager award winner, Patrick Cohen is a 2020 and 2023 Five Star Wealth Manager award winner and Ryan Widrig is a 2022 – 2023 Five Star Wealth Manager award winner.

2012-2023 Five Star Wealth Manager Award Source: fivestarprofessional.com

(Awarded 2012-2023)

• Highly skilled in comprehensive wealth management

• Deeply experienced and hands-on investment professionals

• Collaboration to help you live the life you want to live

Two Hallbrook Place 11161 Overbrook Road, Suite 225 Leawood, KS 66211

Phone: 913-402-5287

advisor.morganstanley.com/the-ferguson-smith-cohen-group

questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 1,843 Kansas City-area wealth # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period.

registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.

Left to right: Andrew Sigler, Financial Advisor; Andriea Nie, Portfolio Associate; Chris Malmgren, Financial Advisor; Sandra Fahlstrom, Business Development Associate; 2020 and 2023 winner Patrick Cohen, Financial Advisor; 2012 – 2023 winner Dianna L. Smith, CIMA®, Wealth Advisor; 2012 – 2015 and 2017 – 2018 winner Scott Ferguson, Wealth Advisor; Riley Griffin, Registered Client Service Associate; Katie Lew, Financial Advisor; Debbie Cartwright, Senior Registered Client Service Associate; 2022 – 2023 winner Ryan Widrig, Financial Advisor

The award was determined based on an evaluation process conducted by Five-Star Professional based on objective criteria. The award was not based on a specific time period. For more information on award methodology and criteria, scan QR code. ©2023 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. CRC 5084795 11/22. CRC 5084795 11/22.

Financial Planning

Patrick Aubry · Morgan Stanley Page 7

Sheila K. Davis · Morgan Stanley Page 7

David Dickens · KC Financial Advisors Page 8

Mark A. Gash · Summit Pointe Financial Group

James A. Guyot · Lighthouse Financial Strategies

Christopher David Heckadon · Summit Pointe Financial Group

Tony Richard Moeller · Integrity Advisory

Alex Michael Petrovic III · Petrovic Financial Services

Ryan York Poage · Ryan Poage & Co.

— WEALTH MANAGERS —

All award winners are listed in this publication.

Alisa Anne Roth · Mariner Wealth Advisors

Carra D. Sprague · Morgan Stanley Page 8

Brian L. Taylor · Taylor’d Financial Services Page 6

Investments

Rick Bain · Lighthouse Financial Strategies

Patrick Cohen · Morgan Stanley Page 5

Steven T. Cox Jr. · Providence Financial Advisors LLC Page 8

Steven T. Cox Sr. · Providence Financial Advisors LLC Page 8

Ethel J. Davis · VZD Capital Management, LLC Page 2

Greg Alan Harvey · Integrated Wealth Solutions

Frank Mall · FinanciaLife Outfitters Page 3

Pete Martinez · Insight Financial Services Page 4

R. Brook Menees · Instrumental Advisors

Richard Kevan Myers · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Craig Novorr · Paragon Capital Management, LLC

Domenic Rizzi · GWN Securities

Teri L. Salach · Morgan Stanley Page 7

Dianna L. Smith · Morgan Stanley Page 5

Ryan Widrig · Morgan Stanley Page 5

Warren Williams · Williams Retirement Group

President, MBA, AIF® Brian

L. Taylor

• Family owned

• One-on-one partnership

• Individually customized financial plans

No two individuals are alike. Their financial plans shouldn’t be either. Whether you’re envisioning your retirement or already enjoying life after work, we meet you where you are and work to position you to achieve your unique goals. We work diligently to provide individuals and families with expert service and support in the framework of a family owned business focused on lasting relationships. Clients choose us to create personalized wealth management plans that better position them to experience financial security as they define it.

Financial Services

This award was issued on 01/01/2023 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 04/18/2022 through 10/21/2022. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self- completed wealth managers were considered for the award; 138 (7% of candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: #

This award was issued on 1/1/2023 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 4/18/2022 through 10/21/2022. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed managers were considered for the award; 138 (7% of candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: #

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any

Left to right: Holly Taylor; Two-year winner Brian Taylor; Katrina Crites

YEAR WINNER 7

Left to right: 2019, 2021 – 2023 winner Teri L. Salach, Wealth Advisor; 2017 – 2023 winner Sheila K. Davis, Financial Advisor; Jennifer Denning, Financial Advisor

We Listen Like a Friend and Support You as Family.

• Working through daily issues and life transitions, sharing all that life throws at you

• Helping you spend less time thinking about your finances and more time living your life

Sheila K. Davis and Teri L. Salach founded The Plaza Group at Morgan Stanley in 2021, bringing together knowledge, insights and substantial experience. They combine their talents with the resources of Morgan Stanley to create a wealth management experience that is customized for you where you will feel listened to, understood and always the most important part of their relationship.

Sheila is a 2017 – 2023 Five Star Wealth Manager and Teri is a 2019 and 2021 – 2023 Five Star Wealth Manager.

Source: fivestarprofessional.com (Awarded 2017 - 2023) The award was determined based on an evaluation process conducted by Five-Star Professional based on objective criteria. The award was not based on a specific time period. For more information on award methodology and criteria, scan QR code. ©2023 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. CRC 5007154 10/22.

STAR WEALTH MANAGER AWARD WINNER

FIVE

Senior

Enriching Lives with Financial Solutions

•

Portfolio Risk Assessment (Aladdin)

Customized investment management

Goals Planning system

11161 Overbrook Road, Suite 225 Leawood, KS 66211 Phone: 913-402-5295 • Cell: 913-991-3172 patrick.aubry@morganstanley.com

Advisor;

2020 - 2023 Five Star Wealth Manager award Source: fivestarprofessional.com (Awarded 2020 - 2023) The award was determined based on an evaluation process conducted by Five-Star Professional based on objective criteria. The award was not based on a specific time period. For more information

questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 1,843 Kansas City-area wealth # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period.

-

registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.

2020 – 2023 winner Patrick Aubry, Senior Vice President, Wealth

Diane Lair, Portfolio Associate, Financial Planning Associate

on award methodology and criteria, scan QR code. ©2023 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. CRC 5077654 11/22.

2017 - 2023 Five Star Wealth Manager award

— WEALTH MANAGERS —

Steven T. Cox Sr. and Steven T. Cox Jr.

• Wealth and investment management services

• Financial planning services

• Customized financial solutions

At Providence Financial Advisors, we believe it is important to maintain a balance between growing your assets and protecting your wealth. We take a long-term approach to investing, avoiding fads and market timing. To accomplish this, portfolios are designed and managed using modern portfolio theory.

6900 College Boulevard, Suite 440 Overland Park, KS 66211 Phone: 913-323-0535 scox@pfa-llc.com • stcoxjr@pfa-llc.com www.pfa-llc.com

Once your portfolio is invested, it is continuously monitored relative to your investment objectives and goals. You are kept up to date through reports, emails, telephone calls and in-person meetings. As independent, fee-only advisors, we serve in a fiduciary to our clients. We believe being compensated only by our clients provides maximum flexibility in selecting investments that address each client’s unique situation. Please feel free to contact us for a free consultation.

FIVE STAR WEALTH MANAGER AWARD WINNER

Associate Vice President, Financial Advisor

David Dickens

11161 Overbrook Road, Suite 225 Leawood, KS 66211

Phone: 913-402-5209

carra.sprague@morganstanley.com morganstanleyfa.com/carra.sprague

YEAR WINNER 9

retirement planning means more than providing my clients with investment advice. It means helping them maintain the financial independence they’ve worked their whole lives to achieve and striving to ensure they have the means to pursue what’s most important to them.

Senior Wealth Advisor, CFA 10975 Grandview Drive, Building 27, Suite 190 Overland Park, KS 66210

Phone: 913-317-1414

ddickens@kcfinancialadvisors.com www.CoverYourAssetsKC.com

CoverYourAssetsKC Weekly Podcast

David Dickens is the senior wealth advisor at KC Financial Advisors. As a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) with over 40 years of investment industry experience, David and his team are motivated by helping individuals plan for and achieve success in their increasingly longer retirements. Each client’s situation is carefully analyzed, and then a customized plan is created and implemented. Regular interaction with clients allows for mindful monitoring of every plan with adjustments to fit life and market changes. Ongoing risk management is always key, as is a clear understanding of what is important to each and every client. Because no two lives are the same, no two plans are the same!

Investment advisory services offered through duly authorized representatives of CreativeOne Wealth, LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. CreativeOne Wealth and KC Financial Advisors are separate companies.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks

This award was issued on 01/01/2023 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 04/18/2022 through 10/21/2022. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self- completed wealth managers were considered for the award; 138 (7% of candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: #

2020: 1,579, 115, 7%, 1/1/20, 4/1/19 - 11/13/19; 2019: 1,574, 134, 9%, 1/1/19, 5/11/18 - 11/27/18; 2018: 1,387, 119, 9%, 1/1/18, 5/17/17 - 11/30/17; 2017: 952, 212, 5/20/13 - 10/15/13; 2013: 766, 203, 27%, 12/1/12, 5/20/12 - 10/15/12; 2012: 676, 200, 30%, 11/1/11, 5/20/11 - 10/15/11. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, Certified finanCial Planner™ and federally registered CFP (with plaque design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee

Carra D. Sprague

Left to right: 2022 – 2023 winner Steven T. Cox Jr., CFA; 2017 – 2023 winner Steven T. Cox Sr., CFA, President; Mark Donaldson, CFA

Continued from FS-6

Vestana Von Achen Ahlen · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Mark Sterling Allison · FCI Advisors

Jeffrey Joseph Angold · Morgan Stanley

Kelly Stiefel Arias · Prosperity Advisors

Stuart Carlton Berkley · FCI Advisors

Victoria Marie Bogner · McDaniel Knutson Financial Partners

Matthew Shane Brady · Mariner Wealth Advisors

Idonna Lucile Bragg · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Ryan Wayne Brooke · Searcy Financial

Michael Eugene Brun · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Brent A. Caswell · Normandy Investment Advisors

Jessi Lyn Chadd · Aspyre Wealth Partners

Sandra Lynn Chism · Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

John Paul Chladek · Chladek Wealth Management

Don Caldwell Clark · LPL Financial

Scott Patrick Connors · LPL Financial

Charles Sherwood Cooper · Strongbox Wealth

Jessica Ann Culpepper · Creative Planning

Chad Michael Davis · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Joseph Patrick DeLargy · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

R. Marshall Douthat · Morgan Stanley

William Todd Easley · Prosperity Advisors

Jason Stephen Edmonds · Edmonds Duncan Registered Investment Advisors

David Edward Enenbach · Enenbach & Associates Financial Consultants

Ray Darby Evans · Infinitas

John Christopher Fales · Allos Investment Advisors

Brett Michael Flood · LPL Financial

James Edward Friddell · The Opus Group

Austin Wesley Gates · Morgan Stanley

Clark Stevens Gay · Visionary Wealth Advisors

Nicholas John Gertsema · Gertsema Wealth Advisors

Bruce Glenn · Infinitas

Stephanie Lyn Guerin · Buckingham Strategic Wealth

Brian Lee Heithoff · Mariner Wealth Advisors

Leonard Henry Hempen · Planners for Financial Success

Kevin Hennessy · Money Concepts Capital

Aaron Steven Herwig · V. Wealth Management

Kelly Jeanne Hokanson · Buckingham Stategic Wealth

Adam Gregory Hoopes · Creative Planning

James Clay Horlacher · First Affirmative Financial Network

Kyle Richard Hummer · Morgan Stanley

Brigid Anne Jones Mook · Creative Planning

Sam Irby Jordan · Synergy Wealth Solutions

Brian Nelson Kaufman · Prairie Capital Management Group

Christopher P. Kelliher · Creative Planning

Wendall Alan Kennedy · On Investment

James Curtis Knapp · Knapp Family Wealth

Stewart Solomon Koesten · Aspyre Wealth Partners

Troy Lee Kuhn · Creative Planning

David Ray Laroque · AIG Retirement Services

John Tempel Ludwig · Morgan Stanley

Joseph Michael Lussier · Creative Planning

Brad Germain Masek · MML Investors

Erica Droste Massman · Index Wealth Advisors

Daniel Neal Mathews · Creative Planning

David Wayne Mattern · Mattern Wealth Management

Justin David McCandless · Morgan Stanley

Michael Richard McCaw · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Scott A. McMillen · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Ryan W. McQueary · Morgan Stanley

Susanne R. Meyer · Nicholson Meyer Capital Management

Matthew Link Montgomery · FCI Advisors

Doug James Mottet · Mottet Wealth

John Michael Nauman · Infinex Investments

David James Neihart · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Jeffrey Alan Nelson · Lincoln Financial Advisors

James Edward Neunuebel · UBS

Jennifer Dawson Nicholson · Nicholson Meyer Capital Management

Michael George O’Neill · Mariner Wealth Advisors

David Gregory Pacer · Infinitas

Kristin Knight Patterson · FCI Advisors

Jerry Leon Perfect · Infinitas

Brian Eugene Perott · FCI Advisors

James Anthony Powers · Cambridge Investment Research

Mark David Rabin · LPL Financial

Lars Lael Ragan · Independent Financial Group

Randall Paul Rhyner · Smith Moore & Co.

Justin Clay Richardson · Mariner Wealth Advisors

Thomas C. Riordan · Morgan Stanley

Mark Ronald Roberts · Affinity Asset Management

Brenna Kathleen Saunders · Creative Planning

Matthew Scott Sayers · FCS Private Wealth Management

Gregory Robert Schaff · Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

Jeff A. Schoenekase · Principal Financial Group

Andrew D. Scianna · US Bancorp Investments

Samuel Robert Scott · Creative Planning

Michael John Searcy · Searcy Financial

Jessica Ann Searcy Kmetty · Searcy Financial

Steven Bradley Seiler · Stifel

Marc Clinton Shaffer · Searcy Financial

Darin Noel Shank · Merrill Lynch

Mitchell Lane Smith · Buttonwood Financial Group

Scott Preston Sollars · FCI Advisors

Matthew David Starkey · Aspyre Wealth Partners

Satu Sofia Stechschulte · FCI Advisors

Gerald Clair Steffes · Steffes Financial

Sara Dawn Stiles · RISE Consulting

Kristie B. Svejda · RBC Wealth Management

Matthew Ryan Thompson · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Jeffrey Alan Tudas · Normandy Investment Advisors

Brandon Alan Turner · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Park Ulrich · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

James Michael Warren · MML Investors

Kaylynn Delaney Watts · Creative Planning

Brad B. Welch · Morgan Stanley

Emily Page West · FCI Advisors

Amy Renae White · Prairie Ridge Asset Management

Jim Richard Williams · Creative Planning

Richard Edgar Witherspoon · Reliant Financial Services

Tom Clark Wood · LPL Financial

questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 1,843 Kansas City-area wealth # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period.

registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.

certification requirements. The Chartered Financial Consultant® credential [ChFC®] is a financial planning designation awarded by The American College.

Just Desserts.

February is short but sweet. The briefest month of the year has Valentine’s day, which means it’s truffle time. This month, we share our picks for the city's best bonbons and a lot of other unique sweets that are baked, dipped and drizzled to perfection.

By Dawnya Bartsch, Martin Cizmar, Liz Cook, Taylor Drummond, Isabella Ferrentino, Lauren Fox, Molly Higgins, Nicole Kinning, Patrick Moore and Tyler Shane

Photography by Caleb Condit and Rebecca Norden

Sourdough Doughnuts at Slow Rise

JESSICA DUNKEL’S SLOW RISE (instagram.com/slowrisekc)

sourdough doughnuts sell out at every pop-up and farmers market she attends. The pop-up project’s name refers to the fermentation method, where slow is the keyword. The process of her small-batch doughnuts—making the dough, fermenting, hand rolling, proofing, frying and filling—takes three full days.

Dunkel is self-taught but inspired by her birthplace of Indonesia, where sweet-filled breads are common. Flavors of the fluffy pastries vary from sweet Pandan coconut to a savory sesame seed-coated Everything doughnut. Each batch is fried just hours before serving. “I always believe that doughnuts are not meant to be kept, no matter how good they are, because they’re always best fresh,” Dunkel says. —Tyler Shane

Napoleon at Algerian Delights

Algeria is a North African nation with a long history of cultural cross-pollination, which you’ll see reflected in the offerings at Lenexa’s Algerian Delights (12108 W. 87th St. Parkway, Lenexa)

Along with savory handheld meat pies and fruit tortes, they make a number of mildly sweet Arabic pastries, including the shortbread biscuits known as ghribia and semolina-based makroudh.

The most popular item comes from the nation’s French influence, though: mille-feuille, otherwise known as Napoleon. The diminutive emperor’s namesake pastry is a stack of puff pastry and pastry cream below an elegant swirl of chocolate and white icing.

—Martin Cizmar

Mangonada at Palacana

For a sweet and spicy flavor combination, head to Palacana (830 Southwest Boulevard, KCMO) for their traditional Mexican mangonada. This colorful treat combines fresh mango pieces and sweet mango sorbet with tamarind sauce and spicy chamoy—a Mexican sauce made from pickled fruit. The dessert, which almost resembles a lava lamp with its orange and red swirl, comes complete with a tamarind straw. Although I had this treat on a cold day in November, it’s destined for the heat of summer. While at Palacana, be sure to also try their paletas: Mexican popsicles that come in unique and popular flavors like cinnamon, pecan, and strawberries and cream. —Lauren

Fox

Coconut Cake at Jasper’s

When I worked at Jasper’s (1201 W. 103rd St., KCMO) in the summer of 2016, I thought I knew my favorite dessert: their delicious tartufo. Then I had the deep-rooted Italian restaurant's coconut cake. This triple-layered white cake is soaked with coconut liqueur and filled with chantilly custard. The outside of the cake is coated in a thick layer of buttercream icing and dusted generously with coconut flakes. It’s the restaurant’s most popular dessert, and you can either order an individual slice (they don’t skimp on the size) or a full cake. —Lauren Fox

Apple Fritter at M&M Bakery & Delicatessen

It took three tries to land the legendary apple fritter at M&M Bakery and Deli off Highway 71 (1721 E. 31st St., KCMO). There were no regrets. The fritters are truly glorious, weighing in at close to a pound but offering enough variation in crunchy parts, soft parts, extra apple-y parts and pools of glaze to make it interesting all the way through. Come before the case is empty and the large lunch crowd arrives for the best pork-free hoagies in town.

—Martin Cizmar

Biscotti ball cookie

Italian vanilla cake cookie topped with vanilla icing.

Chocolate ball

A rich chocolate cookie with chocolate chips smothered in chocolate icing.

Figs cookie

A biscotti-style cookie wrapped around a fig-based filling and topped with vanilla icing and sprinkles.

Neapolitan cookie ball

An almond-flavored, rainbow-colored cookie glazed with almond-flavored icing.

Sesame cookie

A butter cookie rolled in sesame seeds and cooked to a nice crisp—delicious with coffee.

Snowballs cookie

A butter cookie filled with pecans and rolled in powdered sugar.

Tay-Tus

Scola’s signature spice cookie.

A decadent mixture of cinnamon, cloves and chopped pecans that’s glazed with almond icing.

Thumbprint cookie

A butter cookie rolled in pecans and filled with strawberry preserves.

Lemon biscotti ball

A biscotti ball dripping in lemon icing.

Pistachio ball

A deliciously green butter cookie filled with pistachios and finished off with vanilla icing.

Chocolate rainbow cookie

Thin layers of almond confection cake layered with raspberry jam and coated in chocolate.

Ravasani

A traditional Italian anise cookie.

Scola’s Italian Cookies

DIANNA SCOLA started off making Italian cookies in her Northland kitchen for friends and family looking to properly stock cookie tables at weddings and holidays. Using generations-old family recipes, she would mix, roll, shape and ice on her kitchen table, enlisting the help of family when large orders started to mount. As word spread, her side gig grew too large and she opened Scola’s Italian Cookies (8002 N. Oak Trafficway, Suite 105, KCMO) in early December 2020, just in time for the Christmas rush. Since then, Scola’s has expanded into a full-fledged Italian bakery, but it’s those ubiquitous cookies found at Italian-American weddings that she’s known for across the Northland and south Kansas City, where Scola grew up, and that keep bringing folks in. Variety is key to an Italian cookie table—here’s a rundown of Scola’s lineup. —Dawnya

Bartsch

Butterscotch Brioche Cinnamon Rolls at Heirloom

THERE’S A LOT to admire behind the glass at Heirloom Bakery on 63rd Street (401 E. 63rd St., KCMO), but if you want the bakery’s best item, you’ll have to brave the weekend crowds. That item is the butterscotch brioche cinnamon roll, arguably the best cinnamon roll in a town lousy with good ones.

The rich rolls aren’t especially hard to make, says Scott Meinke, who co-owns Heirloom with his wife, Kate. But they don’t want to waste any butter-laden brioche on slow days: “There’s a lot of butter in the brioche, so if we don’t sell them out they are a higher-dollar item to make,” Scott says.

You’ll taste that buttery goodness along with cinnamon and spiced sugar in the dough, but it’s the cream cheese frosting with a butterscotch drizzle that takes this treat to elite.

—Martin Cizmar

Gram & Dun Bar

There aren’t many spots where I’ll sidle up to the bar just to enjoy a cocktail and something off the dessert menu, but Gram & Dun (600 Ward Parkway, KCMO) is one of them. The Plaza restaurant’s flagship confection, the Gram & Dun Bar, is heaven for anyone who loves a little salt with their sweet. The bottommost layer of the bar is a crunchy and savory caramel-pretzel crust, which is topped by a thick layer of peanut nougat and finished with a covering of fluffy chocolate mousse. And the dessert comes à la mode.

-Nicole Kinning

Pistachio Pudding Cake at Governor Stumpy’s

Twenty-odd years ago, a server at Governor Stumpy’s in Waldo (321 E. Gregory Blvd., KCMO) encountered a pistachio pudding cake at a party, or so goes the story told by the barkeep. The cake was so delicious she insisted that owner Kevin Ryan consider putting it on the menu. It’s stayed put since.

The only dessert Stumpy’s bakes in-house, this double-layer cake is made moist with pistachio pudding and frosted in a soothing pastel green. If you’re a Notre Dame fan, it goes well with watching the game at this most Cheers-y of pubs every Saturday in the fall. For anti-Domers, order one when they lose—which these days is almost every Saturday in the fall.

—Martin Cizmar

Bootleg Bourbon Balls

Bardstown, Kentucky, is the esteemed “Bourbon Capital of the World.” It’s got nothing on a woman-owned, small business here in Kansas City: Bootleg Bourbon Balls (bootlegbourbonballs. com). The company has perfected the creation of spirit-filled confections made with Kansas City’s craft spirits and mixed with Belgian chocolate.

Head Bootlegger Lisa Fitch describes her Kentucky thoroughbred balls as “notoriously naughty chocolates, but so nice.” Bootleg sells sample boxes through its website and delivers to four locations around town at no extra cost. The lineup of bourbon balls includes not only traditional balls filled with Tom’s Town Pendergast Royal Gold Bourbon and Union Horse Reserve Bourbon but also chocolate balls infused with local rum and whiskey.

The sampler’s standout is a sparkly chocolate masterpiece called Dame’s Dish, a dark chocolate and whiskey pecan blend with the Lifted Spirits Wheat Whiskey. The first bite of this immaculate confection, through the whiskey-soaked chocolate, reveals a delectable maraschino cherry to savor. It’ll leave you wanting to share with the whole family—if they’re over 21, that is.

“They aren’t your Grandma’s bourbon balls— and this ain’t your Grandpa’s bourbon,” Fitch says.

—Taylor Drummond

Bloc at Maps Coffee & Chocolate

Vincent Rodriguez describes himself as “forever curious,” which helps explain how he turned his bike shop into Maps Coffee and Chocolate (13440 Santa Fe Trail Drive, Lenexa). The custom bike builder began roasting coffee and then, recognizing the absence of craft chocolate in KC, took it upon himself in 2017 to start roasting cacao and making bean-to-bar chocolate.

Behind Maps’ quaint cafe area in downtown Lenexa, patrons can watch as fresh, velvety chocolate is poured into molds while listening to the hum of single-origin coffee beans tumbling in the roaster. Rodriguez’s innovation shines in his unique edible coffee product, Bloc. Made similarly to chocolate, the bittersweet invention holds limitless potential. Try eating it whole as an energy bite, infusing it in your baking recipes, melting it down as an ice cream sauce or using it as a cocktail garnish. —Tyler Shane

Chocolate Shake at Winstead’s

I grew up going to Winstead’s on half-days in grade school and the last day of the school year. The parents would always order “Skyscrapers” for us to share—that’s just a milkshake in a gigantic vase. What’s better than that? I wish I could drink more beverages out of vases.

Most Winstead’s locations have closed over the years, and a lot of people think it has lost its luster and gone downhill. I disagree. Winstead’s still holds a special place in my heart, especially because the Country Club Plaza location has a drive-thru that’s open twenty-four hours. That’s huge in Kansas City, where most things shut down by nine. Look for me in the line of cars, ordering a chocolate shake.

—Patrick Moore

Pineapple Whip at Hawaiian Bros

Even if you haven’t tried pineapple Dole whip, you’ve likely seen it on a Disney adult’s Instagram feed, perfectly positioned in front of Cinderella’s castle. Pineapple Dole whip is up there on the list of ubiquitous Disney park snacks, alongside giant turkey legs and Mickey-shaped churros. The tropical soft serve is fruity, creamy and refreshing all at the same time.

Good news: You don’t have to travel to Disneyland—or the Dole Plantation in Hawaii, for that matter—for some whip. In fact, you can likely get pineapple Dole whip around the corner from where you live thanks to the twelve Hawaiian Bros locations in the city. Go classic with the flagship pineapple, or get it swirled with strawberry whip, which has a just-as-invigorating flavor. —Nicole

Kinning

Chocolate Pie at Ashleigh’s Bake Shop

DODGE THE CROWDS shopping for Le Creuset

dutch ovens and ornate cutting boards at Pryde’s specialty kitchen supply store and make your way to the basement, where Ashleigh’s Bake Shop (115 Westport Rd., KCMO) sits inconspicuously. You may then find yourself behind a man who is picking up seven bags worth of pies and wondering if the dessert will be worth it.

Things sell out fast here, and I was left to pick between by-the-slice pumpkin and chocolate pies. The crust was the star element of both. The pumpkin was solid and tasted like the best pumpkin pie you’ve ever had on Thanksgiving. The chocolate was the standout for me, though. The rich chocolate mousse filling was heartier and more realistically chocolate-y than anything you’d find in the grocery store, and it was completely covered in light-as-air whipped cream and chocolate chips, just the way my inner child likes it. —Molly

Higgins

Danish at 1900 Barker

Sometimes, you just need something sweet to start your day. Let Lawrence’s 1900 Barker (1900 Barker Ave., Lawrence) answer that call. When I went to the neighborhood bakery in early December, I had one of their seasonal specials: a blueberry cream cheese danish. The large danish had a flaky, melt-in-your-mouth pastry edge lightly covered with powdered sugar. At the center of the danish was a vanilla crème-pâtissière and homemade blueberry jam, which had just the right amount of sweetness. 1900 Barker was named a top hundred bakery in the nation by Food and Wine Magazine in 2020, and co-owner Taylor Petrehn has been named an “outstanding baker” semifinalist from the James Beard Foundation four times. —Lauren Fox

Tres Leches at Delicias Bakery

Supply chain issues continue to plague bakeries making specialized pastries, which for the last several months has meant a severe shortage in tres leches. We spent some time asking around about by-the-slice tres leches in KCK before finally finding them at Delicias Bakery on Central Avenue (1704 Central Ave., KCK). It was worth the effort. Delicias makes a mean pan tres leches from sponge cake soaked in evaporated milk, condensed milk and good old-fashioned whole milk. If you want to be guaranteed a cake, better to call and order a whole one.

—Martin Cizmar

Mochi Doughnuts at Blackhole Bakery

IN THE COSMOS, a black hole has a gravitational pull so powerful no object can resist being pulled into it. This is precisely how I think about the mochi doughnuts at Blackhole

Bakery on Troost (5531 Troost Ave., KCMO). These orbs of rice flour are scooped into the deep frier, where they develop a vaguely gelatinous outer layer that’s an ideal receptacle for a thin layer of icing with an interesting flavor (i.e., rosemary clementine, eggnog, root beer float). Try them and then try driving by the bakery without feeling your car tugged toward the event horizon.

—Martin Cizmar

Tiger’s Blood at Miami Ice

Everything about Miami Ice (1624 W. 39th St., KCMO) brings back nostalgic summer memories, from the neon lights to the cool, fruity-smelling air that wafts toward you as you open the door to the 39th Street shop. Miami shaves their ice as fine as fresh-fallen snow, and the list of syrup flavors is as long as the line out the door on a hot summer day. You can’t go wrong with any flavor, but I highly recommend the Tiger’s Blood syrup, which is a sweet and nutty blend of strawberry, watermelon and coconut. —Nicole Kinning

OUR FAVORITE GLUTEN-FREE DESSERTS IN KC

By Isabella Ferrentino

The Littlest Bake Shop

Known as the city’s first all gluten-free and vegan bakery, The Littlest Bake Shop (645 E. 59th St., KCMO) is a bakery and cafe with a little window where you can order a mix of baked goods, savory meals and caffeinated beverages. They offer to carry your order to your car after ordering, which solves any excuse of going outside on an unbearable day. The owner and main baker, Iris Green, is gluten-free and vegan herself. “Because we’re dedicated gluten-free and vegan, we are able to cater to people that have dairy, egg and gluten allergies, and a lot of those sensitivities coexist,” Green says. The safe kitchen environment guarantees any risk of cross-contamination, and their menu changes weekly because they cook seasonally.

Morgana’s Bakery

If you want to feel like you’re eating gluten again, check out Morgana’s Bakery (9711 E. 63rd St., Raytown). You’re immediately confronted with the issue of what to try at this gluten-free bakery. Morgana’s offers cookies, bread, cupcakes, pies, doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, croissants and much more. The bakery achieves the flakiness of pastry that gluten-free people all know and miss. Many of the baked goods are dairy-free as well. “The amount of unexpected joy I get from making food for people has brought me more joy and love from my customers than pretty much anything, other than my family, has ever brought to me,” says owner and baker Morgana Burke.

Donutology

Donutology (1009 Westport Road, KCMO) guarantees that you and your family can have a sugar rush all day. Open from morning to evening, Donutology is intended to cure your craving for doughnuts past the “appropriate” time. Doughnut enthusiast and Donutology founder Andrew Cameron has been known as the doughnut guy since college. “We’re super grateful for the gluten-free community and we try our best to serve them, and we would love for those that haven’t tried our products to come to give us a shot,” Cameron says. Donutology outsources its gluten-free products and keeps them in a sealed box, so they’re certified gluten-free even though Donutology as a whole is not. They offer seasonal flavors and gluten-free doughnuts, pop tarts and cinnamon rolls.

Billie’s Grocery

Billie’s Grocery (3216 Gillham Plaza, Suite 100, KCMO) surrounds you in a chic and homey environment as you pick out what you want from the gluten-free bakery. The entire glass display case has about thirty gluten-free baked goods and cakes to choose from. Billie’s Grocery can be a sit-down restaurant or a quick-to-go bite. Their fully dedicated gluten-free oven ensures no cross-contamination. There are so many options to choose from, and they offer gluten-free, dairy-free desserts made from raw ingredients as well. They offer cooking classes that can be accommodated for dietary needs, too. “I think the options that we have are bright, clean and happy. We also have something for everybody,” says CEO Robin Krause. “I didn’t want to narrow my market to just gluten-free, vegans, vegetarians or meat eaters. I kind of gave it to everybody.”

IT’S COMPLICATED

By Liz Cook

Tierney Larson doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth. When the KC baker started selling mail-order cookies last March, she skipped the snickerdoodles and butterscotch blondies. Instead, she packed her cookie boxes with the kinds of offbeat, semi-savory flavor combinations she craved herself: pomegranate and bitter melon, root beer and rye. She gave her business an iconoclastic name to match: Outliers Baked Goods (outliersbakedgoods.com).

“I’m definitely not a dessert person,” Larson says. “It’s hard for me to want to eat dessert. So I think it’s fun for me to make them and adjust [the recipe] until I actually want to eat it.”

Larson’s cookies rotate each month, freeing her to experiment with some truly polarizing flavors (Fernet Pianta in shortbread). But a few cookies are available year-round, including our favorite: the miso chocolate peanut butter marshmallow sandwich cookie. If you can follow that dense stack of disparate ingredients, you’ll be rewarded with a cookie every bit as complicated as its name. Two earthy, ink-dark chocolate cookies are sandwiched around a pillowy marshmallow filling that’s spiked with vanilla and powdered peanut butter. It’s a soft, slightly chewy cookie, with plenty for die-hard desserters to love. The white miso adds a mild, savory bass line without detracting from the cookie’s sweetness.

And that’s the crux of Outliers’ mission: It’s not about making desserts less sugary, less indulgent, less fun. It’s about making them more complicated, lacing a little surprise and curiosity into a predictable endorphin rush.

Larson isn’t trying to thumb her nose at classic desserts. “I just like them to be balanced,” she says. Us, too.

Smoked Cheesecake at Chef J

AT CHEF J in the West Bottoms (1401 W. 13th Street, Suite G, KCMO), owner-pitmaster Justin Easterwood wants everything he serves to have a kiss of fire from his wood-burning pit. That extends to the desserts, notably the cheesecake. The cheesecake is made with heavy cream, vanilla bean and sugar, all of which is whipped and put into three-inch cake pans with graham cracker crust. The toppings rotate constantly, with a recent show-stopping sour orange version employing candied orange slices that were smoked in his smoker.

—Martin Cizmar

French Silk Pie from Tippin’s Longtime locals will remember Tippin’s Pies as the signature offering at a homestyle restaurant called  J.J. Tippin’s Restaurant and Pie Pantry, which opened in Lenexa back in 1980. Tippins started selling pies at Hen House grocery stores back in 1998 and sold to the grocer’s owners, the Ball family, in 2004. Today, Tippin’s pies are available in twenty-plus states but remain most prized at Hen House, where their SKUs account for the number one and number two items sold in the stores around the holidays. Robin Venn is the president of Tippin’s and has been charged with growing the brand by introducing new products, such as smaller versions of the pies for people watching their weight or budget. French Silk is the top-seller for the entire year. Venn says the popularity starts with the crust, which is very flakey thanks to ingredients like real butter and careful attention to an automated process that includes everything from how many strokes of the mixer each batch gets to the temperature of each ingredient added. “It’s a premium pie which means premium ingredients,” Venn says. “It’s real cream that goes on top, real butter that goes into the silk. You can skimp and put in margarin, but it’s not the same, which you can taste with some of our competitors. It’s why Tippin’s pies have a following across the country.” —Martin

Cizmar

Sweet Cream Doughnut at Tous Les Jours

Everything at Tous Les Jours (10348 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park) is exquisite, whether you opt for the French-Asian bakery’s ambrosial almond croissant or a sugar-grit sweet rice doughnut. The sweet cream doughnut deserves a special shoutout. Have you ever had a doughnut so moist that its dough literally stretches as you pull it apart? That’s what you’ll find with this pillowy braided pastry that leans more yeasty and buttery than sweet.

—Nicole Kinning

TIERNEY LARSON PORTRAIT BY BRANDON POLLACK

Bon Appétit

BY NICOLE KINNING

IT’S VALENTINE’S DAY MONTH, but fancy chocolate deserves to be enjoyed year-round. We visited chocolatiers around the city to find the best bonbons to sink your teeth into.

1. Fleur de Sel at Christopher Elbow

There are two types of people: people who love chewy caramel and people who prefer more liquidy caramel. The Fleur de Sel at Christopher Elbow (1819 McGee St., KCMO) is for those who prefer the latter. The candy’s dark chocolate shell is speckled, and milky caramel spills out as soon as you take a bite.

2. J. Rieger & Co. Whiskey at Andre’s Chocolates

When I chose this chocolate out of the case at Andre’s (5018 Main St., KCMO and 4929 W. 119th St., Overland Park), the cashier kindly told me: “Make sure you pop the whole thing in your mouth.” She wasn’t kidding. The square chocolate has straight-up J. Rieger & Co. whiskey at its center, which explodes in your mouth as soon as your teeth crack it open.

3. Sea Turtle at Bliss Chocolatier

Every piece of chocolate in Bliss’ Blue Springs shop (3100 MO-7, Suite D, Blue Springs) is delectable and so eloquently lacquered you almost feel guilty taking a bite. But the Sea Turtle is especially delightful: The delicate bonbon’s milk chocolate shell is painted blue and is shaped like a turtle, and its inside is filled with salty pecan praline and caramel.

4. Lavender at Panache Chocolatier

Leawood chocolate boutique Panache (11555 Ash St., Leawood) leans sophisticated and is known for its floral and fruit chocolates. The lavender-infused truffle is comforting and luxurious all in the same bite.

5. Dark Chocolate Mint at Laura Little’s Candies

Laura Little’s Candies (2100 W. 75th St., Prairie Village) feels like a fudge factory straight out of a mountain town—because it is. The cute shop that stands in Prairie Village is based out of Estes Park, Colorado, and has a case of bonbons that are—wait for it—sugar-free. Don’t let that deter you. Every bite of the dark chocolate mint confection is as delectable as a Girl Scouts Thin Mint.

3 4 5

“I decided I was going to utilize all this cake scrap we had and make cake balls, but Munchkin-sized.”

The Queen of ‘Pop’

How an innovative local pastry chef developed an iconic treat

FROM CHICKEN WINGS to oxtail to burnt ends, a number of iconic American recipes started as a creative way to upcycle scraps. Add cake pops to that list.

Starbucks didn’t invent the cake pop; they just stuck it on a stick. The ballshaped treats were originally made from small scraps of trimmed cake at Milk Bar, a wildly influential New York bakery that spun off from David Chang’s Momofuku restaurants. At Milk Bar, which has locations on both coasts and in Canada, they’re called cake truffles.

If you want to be even more specific about it, the cake pop was the brainchild of Helen Jo Leach, a pastry chef who used to work at Milk Bar and is now at the Hotel Kansas City’s dining operations, including Town Company, Nighthawk and the slepton Lobby Market.

Leach, a Chicago native, first encountered a ball-shaped cake at a bakery in her native Chicago. They were Chicago-sized and nothing like the cute bite-sized bonbons that rose to popularity throughout the Obama years.

“They were like giant cake balls—bigger than a tennis ball—and I was just like, ‘Wow, that’s crazy. How did they do that?’” she says. “In my head, I was like, ‘I bet I could figure it out.’ When I got back to work [in New York], I decided I was going to utilize all this cake scrap we had and make cake balls, but Munchkin-sized.”

And so she did. The first bite-sized balls of cake were “smooshed together” with the help of vanilla milk, then refrigerated and dusted “in ground-up cereal that we had at the time—like Lucky Charms or whatever we had.” (The flavor “Cereal Milk” is a trademark owned by Leach’s former boss, Milk Bar don Christina Tosi, who has made a career out of nostalgia-baiting Millennials.)

“Eventually people were like, ‘You should make more of those,’ and I was like, ‘You should sell those,’” Leach says. “Christina asked me, ‘What should we call them?’ and I said cake truffles because [they’re] kind of enrobed in chocolate and have a coating, but the inside is cake.”

The name did not last as well as the concept—most people would probably call them cake pops even if they’re off the stick—but the idea itself spread. Before long, Milk Bar ran out of scraps to meet demand and had to make cakes to cut up and turn into balls.

At Hotel Kansas City, the cake truffles (known as cake bonbons) make occasional appearances on the menu. But Leach and her team are always working on something new, often with a whimsical twist. Many of Leach’s pastries use Asian ingredients, and she’s always looking to keep things as seasonal as possible.

At the Lobby Market, you’ll find fresh pastry concepts from Leach and her staff including a new gooey butter coffee cake—inspired by St. Louis-style butter cake that’s turned into a pancake-inspired coffee cake—and a gluten-free power bar known as the Zenergy bar with black sesame paste, goji berries and puffed brown rice.

And who knows: You may encounter the next cake pop there.

“I’m trying to use the Lobby Market as a place to feature things developed by my staff and give them a shout-out,” Leach says. “I have someone on my staff who focuses on bread, and I really want to do a kimchi focaccia bread. I can be like, ‘Do you want to work on that?’ I’m blessed to have a team that gets really excited about new projects and wants to own it.”

—Martin Cizmar

The Golden Era The recordshattering Chiefs offense kept rolling in 2022, making for a memorable season at Arrowhead.

Photography by Jeremey Theron Kirby

IIt’s been a decade since the Kansas City Chiefs had a losing season. In that time, fans have become accustomed to offensive fireworks—especially since the arrival of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Still, the 2023 season came as a surprise to most.

During the offseason, the Chiefs traded away speedster Tyreek Hill, one of the game’s most dangerous wide receivers. There was no splashy replacement, just JuJu Smith-Schuster, a one-time Pro Bowler who hadn’t gone over a thousand yards in the previous three years. Rather than pursue a big-name running back, the team stood pat with Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and, when he went on injured reserve, handed the job to seventhround rookie Isiah Pacheco.

Rather than regressing without Hill, the Chiefs instead won fourteen games, matching their total from the 2020 Super Bowl season.

This issue goes to print in mid-January and will arrive right around the AFC Championship game. No matter what happens, it’s been a memorable season—but it will be all the more memorable if the Chiefs are able to return to the Super Bowl and avenge the pandemic-era loss to Tom Brady and his Buccaneers.

Definitely Defensible

The offense wasn’t alone in losing a high-profile player, with safety Tyrann Mathieu departing for New Orleans. In his place, players like third-year linebacker Willie Gay (#50) stood up. Gay returned from a fourgame suspension for an off-the-field incident to make a number of back-cracking tackles and two big turnovers.

‘Party’ Boy

To Be Frank

The Chiefs’ defense played stout when it mattered, with defensive end Frank Clark (#55) putting up a strong season opposite Chris Jones.

Mahomes and all-world tight end Travis Kelce (#87) were mostly responsible for the fireworks. Kelce not only fought for his right to party but also pulled an Al Bundy, scoring four touchdowns in a single game.

Mahomes Magic

Kansas City was the only team to pass for more than five thousand yards this season, actually doubling up the passing game production of the league’s worst passing offense, the Chicago Bears. The Chiefs' forty-one passing touchdowns were six more than the feisty Cincinnati Bengals had in second place. And they weren't slouches on the ground, either, putting up eighteen tuddies by foot, top ten in the league.

Someone is accidentally injured every second

That’s

Unexpected moments happen. When they do, you can trust that AdventHealth’s ER experts are ready to safely care for you at four locations throughout Johnson County. And, we’ve made it easy to schedule a non-life-threatening emergency room visit online so you can wait in the comfort of home and arrive at a time convenient for you.

Four Johnson County

THE HOLE STORY

You could spend a month reading about the science of bagels before coming to some understanding of how to properly deploy barley malt syrup and jute. That’s probably why you’ll find a lot of talented bakers eventually try their hand at making the perfect boiled-then-baked breadstuff. That extends to Providence Pizza’s coowner Luke Salvatore, who was inspired to do a Saturday morning pop-up, Luca Bagel (lucabagel.com), inside his pizza shop. Luca bagels are crisp and chewy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, with a wide-open crumb structure. They’re hand-rolled and proofed for two days before being put on clothcovered bagel boards and slipped into the pizza ovens. The bagels are available at either the Grandview or Westport location, depending on the week, and are now a third contender in the great debate about the city’s best bagel, which was previously between Meshuggah and Black Hole Bakery. One thing different about Luca: They’ll slice and (gasp) even toast your bagels. —MARTIN

CIZMAR

THE RAW DEAL

The best restaurants for oysters on the half shell in landlocked Kansas City

BY TYLER SHANE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CALEB CONDIT AND REBECCA NORDEN

RAW OYSTERS INSPIRE the same debate as deep dish pizza, with lovers of the bivalves and layered pies insisting that if you’re not a fan, “you just haven’t had them the right way.” While the verdict is still out on the aphrodisiac-quality of oysters—supposedly the amino acids stimulate the sex drive—one thing can be agreed upon collectively: Raw oysters are the closest you can get to tasting the ocean. Some people would rather have the ocean deep fried in a tempura batter, others want to slurp up its raw offspring. In the American city that is the farthest away from an ocean as you can get, those who prefer their seafood fried and smothered cannot be blamed.

But oysters have a unique history here in the Midwest. You might even consider oysters the first food trend of the region, as they were given to travelers along the Sante Fe trail along with the quintessential glass of champagne. Oysters, raw or cooked, were conse-

quently consumed throughout the nineteenth century with fervor. The food fad resulted in the overharvesting and ultimate crash of the oyster market.

Unlike the “raw” tuna or salmon found in sushi everywhere in the world, oysters are not flash-frozen—if they’re frozen, they’re essentially dead. You might get frozen oysters if you plan to cook them, but the “fresh” raw oysters at a restaurant really are fresh. Typically, seafood takes at least two days to make it here. This means you need to trust the restaurant you’re buying from.

In their raw form, there is no amount of culinary magic that can make the quality of an oyster “better.” Its integrity lies in its pure freshness. A shuck of the shell, et voilá, inescapable truth awaits. A squeeze of lemon or splash of mignonette are beautiful enhancers to the jelly-like mollusks, but still, these simple accompaniments cannot mask the funk of an oyster that was opened well before you sat down at your table.

In Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, he refers to the childhood moment of tasting his first raw oyster as “magic” and offers it as an example of how the risk of consuming a bad one should not deter you from experiencing the sea’s delicacy. Because feasting on delicacies from lands far, far away usually means you’re going to be shelling out a few bucks, it helps to know which ones are worth taking the risk.

Almost always, a prime raw oyster experience includes a visible oyster bar. The restaurants that have these make oysters their priority. As is seen in the ranked list below, restaurants are making the effort to go more and more out of their way to deliver better quality seafood to landlocked Kansas City.

EARL’S PREMIER

1Out of all marine fare, oysters take precedence at Earl’s Premier in Brookside (651 E. 59th St., KCMO, 816-255-3600, earlspremier.com). The restaurant’s cluttered East Coast vibe will make you feel as though you’ve been vacationing along the coast of Maine and are making a pitstop for lunch. Aromas of crispy fried cod and clam chowder help.

Owners Todd Schulte and Cory Dannehl have a partnership with Maine Oyster Company to have the shellfish delivered to their restaurant several times a week. The investment with the company means that the oysters are harvested within a day or two of being delivered, making them some of the freshest oysters you can have in Kansas City. Freshly printed “Oysters of the Day” cards at each table are further evidence of Earl’s commitment, listing as many as six different species with valuable information such as origin and tasting notes. I had the pleasure of trying Olympia oysters that were harvested just the day before—confirmed by the receiving tag that the restaurant collects with each shipment. They were sweet, briney and tasted like the ocean breeze. A frozen gin and tonic was a perfect companion.

Chefs often say that when it comes to stellar seafood, their only job is to not ruin it. Earl’s has done the hard work up front, and the oysters shine with nothing more than a shuck.

FARINA

2Whereas many seafood restaurants have an oyster bar situated within their traditional bar, Farina in the Crossroads (19 W. 19th St., KCMO, 816-768-6600, farinakc.com) does not mix pleasure with business. Two bars in Farina serve different specialties: One features a bartender shaking up gin martinis; the other is devoted solely to shucking and serving oysters. The dedication to the shellfish begs for a reputable selection in which Farina more than succeeds. Michael Smith’s acknowledgment of fresh seafood as a staple of Italian fare is evidenced by multiple oyster species from each coast. Large Penn Coves from Washington are delectably tender with a cucumber-y finish while Chebooktooks from the eastern Canadian province of New Brunswick take on a light, neutral flavor.

Smith’s obvious diligence immediately puts one at ease when eating the raw shellfish in the heart of the Midwest. The upscale restaurant is made more relaxed with the presence of an oyster shucker behind the bar. Guests take on a voyeuristic role as work typically done behind the scenes comes to the forefront and wavy shells are pried open in showmanship. Oysters tell no lies, and Farina keeps no secrets.

JAX FISH HOUSE

3Jax Fish House and Oyster Bar debuted on the Plaza (4814 Roanoke Parkway, KCMO, 816-437-7940, jaxfishhouse.com) as the first location outside of Colorado, and it achieves an original take on the often-cliched nautical theme familiar to seafood spots

Details like pillars constructed of oyster shells and fish-shaped stained-glass installations hanging over the bar bedazzle but are toned down with paper lined tabletops.

The fish house boasts of their house oyster, the Emersum from Chesapeake Bay, and has every right to, as Jax is the proprietor of the oyster variety. It does not fail to impress with its buttery finish. Similar to Earl’s, oysters are a priority for Jax. The daily happy hour offers $2.50 raw oysters along with half-priced pours of bubbly wines. The daily varieties include seven types of oysters. However, the Miyagi oyster, which has a mild brine, was far too pungent and left a taste of ocean floor that no amount of champagne could get rid of.

PEARL TAVERN 4

With new business establishments opening on the regular in Lee’s Summit, such as Smoke Brewing and Calaveras as of late, the city seems to be in the midst of a glow up. Pearl Tavern (1672 N.W. Chipman Road, Lee’s Summit, 816-347-1986, pearltavernkc.com), with its effort to provide Lee’s Summit with quality seafood, is an unexpected and welcome addition. The casual joint places seafood in a bar and grill setting, showcasing a daily list of available fresh fish and oysters. While the raw oysters could have used a bit more cleaning on the shuckers’ end, the quality was palpable and quite impressive considering the low-key atmosphere in which chicken tenders are on the menu

OCEAN PRIME 5

When talking about oysters, it’s definitely necessary to tip your cap to Ocean Prime (4622 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 300, KCMO, 816-600-0630, ocean-prime.com), a fine-dining chain that serves some of Kansas City’s most notable raw oysters.

With a focus on steaks, seafood and cocktails, Ocean Prime maintains its exclusive vibe with a pricey menu, dimly lit dining room and a few gimmicks. Dry ice was served along with the oysters, providing a smokey aesthetic that added some razzle dazzle. (The seafood towers are served with a larger, more awe-inspiring portion of dry ice.) There were only two types of oysters available, both perfectly fine—no fishy scent or pesky bits of sand lingering on the lip of the shells. Although I did miss the side of mignonette vinegar, Ocean Prime is an example of a large chain that has their processes of access and preparation down pat, creating a seamless execution for the customer.

Also tried: Pierpont’s, Jarocho South and Yummi Crab.

“

Smith’s obvious diligence immediately puts one at ease when eating the raw shellfish in the heart of the Midwest.

THE SAUCE BOSS

Sauced chef Jayaun Smith describes his perfect day in KC.

BY TYLER SHANE

AS A CHILD, if Jayaun Smith wasn’t jumping off couches trying to imitate wrestlers on WWE, he was fixing his gaze on the swift knife chops of anxious chefs battling it out for the title of Iron Chef America. Captivated by celebrity chefs like Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse and Guy Fieri in his early years, the enthusiastic Smith has been steadfast in his own career as a private chef and co-owner of the Crossroads eatery Sauced.

Along with the inspiration of competitive cooking shows, Smith, better known as Chef Jay, credits his success to his mom and grandmother exposing him to different kinds of food at a young age. Smith’s grandma, a native of Mobile, Alabama, also passed along her knowledge of Southern cooking—and let him cook. “They would grocery shop for me, buy me ingredients and let me be in the kitchen, even cooking them breakfast and dinner,” Smith says.

After competing in national cooking competitions in high school, the Kansas City native enrolled in the culinary program at Johnson County Community College in 2014. However, despite his considerable kitchen experience, the ambitious chef says he struggled to have

his talents recognized. Professor and chef Aaron Prater saw Smith’s talents and hired him to work in his restaurant, The Sundry.

“Aaron was pushing me the whole time to go ahead and be this person that I wanted to be and to be the face of his restaurant,” Smith says. “I was able to build my confidence during that time.”

Smith was also the head chef at Ruby Jean’s Juicery in 2017. Asked if he ever felt constrained by Ruby’s health-focused menu, Smith says that he “embraced the challenge.” He was also the private chef for several Chiefs players at the time, cooking healthy meals for them.

Smith’s path has been forged by his competitive nature and saying “yes” to opportunities and challenges that were presented to him. He was voted The Pitch’s Best Chef in 2018 and was a contestant on season twenty of Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen. More recently, you may have seen him collaborating with Coca-Cola at a Chiefs tailgate cooking up game day eats like grilled chicken wings tossed with a Thai cherry Coke sauce. His wide array of experience has turned him into a culinary renaissance man, able to whip up vegan soul food one day and Asian barbecue the next.

PERFECT DAY

Brunch: I love Third Street Social or Lula’s Southern Cookhouse for a good brunch. Lula makes amazing fried chicken and they have this cinnamon praline pecan-style waffle. It’s amazing.

Quick Bite: I like ramen throughout the middle of the day because it’s not overly heavy, so I’ll go to Chewology or Boru. I gotta have crispy pork belly and, of course, a marinated egg. I’m a very traditional guy so when I eat other culture’s foods, I love to have it exactly the way they make it.

Dinner: I love Stock Hill Steakhouse. I love their steaks and appetizers, and their crab dip is amazing. For my go-to, get me a good ribeye or a strip steak with potatoes.

Late-night drink: I love a good margarita. I always love trying people’s house margaritas because I believe if you can’t make a good house margarita, then you can’t make a good flavored margarita. But you will always catch me at Kona Grill. I know the manager, Matt. He’s a really big fan of my work and he always shows me so much love when I go there. When a lot of people drink, they look for those good moments and when I have a drink there, I know I’m going to have a good time and get filled with love by someone who truly appreciates my work and what I do.

C e l e b r at i n g

Women in M ed icine

Women in Medicine Spotlights:

eu mattis turpis. Pellentesque tincidunt augue sed tortor porttitor, commodo orci malesuada.Mauris dignissi. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris dictum cursus malesuada. Vivamus nec magna nec arcu placerat malesuada. Curabitur dictum odio non est sodales, sed tempor odio tempor. Etiam nisi sapien, eleifend ut feugiat sit amet, dignissim ac velit.

FULL PAGE

250 Words 2-3 Images: Headshot & 1-2 at work

150 Words

2 Images: Headshot & 1 at work

1/3 PAGE

75 Words

1 Image: Headshot

Fence Stile Winery introduces an estate brandy.

BY MARTIN CIZMAR

A YOUNG VINES

MRISH HALLBERG didn’t want to make brandy; he wanted to make rum. His mother, Shriti Hallberg Plimpton, had other ideas—and ten acres of grapes.

Plimpton owns Fence Stile Winery in Excelsior Springs, which grows hybrid grapes like vignoles, seyval and vidal blanc. As Hallberg approached his twenty-first birthday, mother and son struck a bargain. “I wanted to do a distillery, she wanted me to do something with the wine she had,” he says. “I wanted to do rum because there’s only one other distillery in Missouri doing rum and it’s more fun to make, but we have a winery.”

A deal having been reached, Hallberg distilled his first spirit on his twenty-first birthday. Hallberg, who is in school for mathematics and computer science, learned on his own. “It’s fairly simple chemistry,” he says. “Methanol cooks off at hundred and sixty-five degrees, ethanol cooks off at one hundred and seventy-three, and yeast converts sugars into alcohol.”

And so the first two Nyx-branded “immature brandies” were made from vidal blanc and another grape.

As a skeptic of Midwest wines, I’ve long thought that making brandy might be a way to neutralize some of the overt sweetness and foxy notes found in grapes with genetics from North American native grapes.

Vidal blanc is a good candidate for the project: The grape was actually developed by a French grape breeder of the same surname for the express purpose of making Cognac on the west coast of France.

After harvest, the grapes are put in air-tight stainless steel barrels to ferment and then distilled on a stainless steel rig and put into barrels that are handcharred over the winery’s fire pit. The final result is smooth and direct, with notes of honey and toffee, and one hundred proof, which you’d never get from sipping it.

TO THE POINT

A stick-burning pop-up pit sets up at Limitless Brewing in Lenexa.

BY MARTIN CIZMAR

THE FIRST BRISKET Quentin Van Horn ever made was for Easter, and it didn’t turn out very well. Van Horn, who now runs the Point and Flat BBQ barbecue pop-up (instagram.com/pointandflat_bbq) at the new Limitless Brewing in Lenexa, was watching a lot of Food Network and getting inspired by shows like BBQ Pitmasters

“My first brisket turned out raw in the middle,” he says. “I didn’t know how to trim, I didn’t know how to wrap it, I didn’t know anything I do now. I was very beginner. I cut it open and it was raw. I had the whole family over and I had to cut it into steaks, and that wasn’t very good.”

Those “steaks” served to his entire family were chewy and not especially tasty.

“It wasn’t what it should be, but I didn’t even know what it should be at the time—I didn’t know what the hell I was doing,” Van Horn says.

Rather than becoming discouraged, Van Horn set about learning how to make better ’cue. Point and Flat’s brisket tacos on a recent Friday night at Limitless show he’s well on his way.

“I’m a very detail-oriented person, and smoking meats requires that you be very detailed,”

he says. “You’ve got to do the same process over and over again.”

Van Horn sold men’s suits at Jos A. Bank and Men’s Wearhouse for eighteen years on commission until being furloughed during the pandemic and then brought back under a new and less-favorable pay structure. He left for a car dealership job and bought a smoker.

Van Horn has been inspired by Texas-style KC ’cuers like Tyler Harp and Justin Easterwood have forsaken burnt ends in favor of a simple rub of salt and pepper and overnight stick-burning on wood (hickory and oak). He catches the trimmings, melts them into tallow and bastes his wrapped brisket with it. (“It basically braises it in the tallow; it’s a beautiful thing.”)

Van Horn also makes creative use of cardboard in his smoking process, which he learned from Zilla’s Pit in Tennessee. He trims a piece to fit the bottom of his briskets. “It just holds the juices and everything to the brisket.”

Point and Flat’s first pop-up was on First Friday in August. Van Horn latched onto Limitless right before the brewery moved to its new, more prominent location, where the pit sets up from Tuesday to Saturday. The brewery-and-cue pop-up model that Harp pioneered at Crane and that has become a staple at a handful of breweries across the country worked out well for both sides.

“I know food trucks are kind of sporadic and they charge people to come sometimes,” he says. “They don’t charge me anything, I don’t charge anything. I come and bring the fire.”

WHAT’S NEW IN KANSAS CITY FOOD & DRINK

Salami Szn

Todd Schulte and Cory Dannehl have succeeded in bringing some of the freshest seafood to Kansas City with their East Coast-inspired restaurant, Earl’s Premier. Now, they’re on to their next venture, an Italian restaurant called Bacaro Primo. The Italian concept will take over the former Café Europa space in Brookside’s Crestwood Shops (323 E. 55th St., KCMO).

Just as Earl’s is dedicated to raw oysters, featuring an oyster bar that holds some of the best seats in the house, Barcaro Primo will specialize in deli meats. A salami bar will be the center of activity, with a fire-engine-red hand slicer that will slice meats to order for meat and cheese boards. Wood-fired pizzas, pastas and steak Fiorentina will grace the menu as well, with an emphasis on imported products that would be hard to find anywhere else in Kansas City.

“I think one of the things it will allow us to do is really expose people to a different variety of selections as opposed to just getting a plate of prosciutto,” Schulte says. “We have an Italian imports supplier to give us access to a lot of products that aren’t available in this market here in Kansas City. Quality is the name of the game first and foremost.”

Despite the high-quality ingredients, Schulte and Dannehl want to create an approachable dining spot in which patrons can comfortably indulge in shareable plates and thoughtful Italian meals. A curated wine, beer and cocktails menu will be offered, with a special program for negronis and amaros.

Use Your Noodle

JINYA, a ramen bar chain based in Los Angeles, will be opening its first Kansas location in the Bluhawk development in South Overland Park (7761 W. 159th St. Overland Park) in February. With fifty locations throughout the U.S. and Canada, the highly anticipated restaurant will specialize in traditional Japanese flavors, serving up authentic ramen and small plates.  JINYA is known for its extensive offerings of savory broths. The broths are slowly simmered for twenty hours, getting flavor from pork bones, chicken, vegetables and many other Japanese ingredients. Special attention is paid to each part of the ramen process, from the water used in the broth to the noodle’s special aging process. Plant-based and vegan options are spread throughout the menu, such as Impossible rice bowls, Impossible tacos and several vegan ramen bowls.  Along with an open kitchen and patio, a full bar will offer sake flights, local craft beers and Japanese whiskeys. The popular whiskey soda, Toki highball, will make an appearance and be served from a super-chilled Suntory/Hoshizaki dispenser.

Tomo Takahashi, the founder of JINYA, began his restaurateur career in 2000 in Tokyo, eventually bringing his ramen to the U.S., where JINYA restaurants began to spread like wildfire.

Todd Schulte at Earl’s Premier

JINYA

Elephants Fly

Ameet Malhotra has been cooking up Indian fusion in his client’s kitchens for years as a private chef. Now, he’s taking his cuisine to the public with Elephant Wing in the Northland’s Iron District (1599 Iron St., North Kansas City).

Malhotra’s cooking, inspired by his birthplace of Mumbai, is entirely unique as he pulls inspiration from worldly flavors. The Iron District menu will showcase sandwiches like the Unholy Cow, a juicy beef sandwich topped with coriander chutney, pickled cucumbers, red onions and jalapenos all stuffed into a baguette. The Bombay-Mi is a variation of the traditional banh mi sandwich except with cumin chicken, veggies, cilantro and a drizzle of curried aioli. Other grab-and-go eats like the Tikka Masala Poutine and Dhamaka Nachos are a great representation of Malhotra’s ability to transform familiar dishes with his creative flair.

“People can get a great quick dive into Indian cuisine this way,” Malhotra says.  Elephant Wings will officially open on March 11.

Mexican in the Mall

Oak Park Mall in Overland Park is now home to a traditional Mexican family restaurant, Los Abuelos Cantina & Bar. Los Abuelos is near the northwest entrance and has burritos, quesadillas, chilaquiles and the like. The restaurant also has an extensive margarita menu, micheladas and Mexican beers on tap.

Hit the Bricks

The Crossroads is the most beer-dense neighborhood in not just the city but the region, and now it’s home to the city’s second cidery.

Brick River Cider (1701 McGee St., Suite 100, KCMO), which hails from St. Louis, has opened next to Casual Animal. They’re making ciders on-site and will also have a full food menu that can be made glutenfree on request, according to Flatland. All menu items can be made gluten-free for those with intolerances. In addition to TVs, entertainment comes from board games.

Cookie Closed

The restaurant reviewed in our January issue has closed. Wild Rose Bistro was a pop-up inside Classic Cookie Cafe in Waldo, which owned both operations. Owner-chef Bryan Sparks told the Kansas City Star that it was “death by a thousand cuts” and predicted that the country is going into a recession. Wild Rose received a mixed review from our critic Tyler Shane, who said it could use a little pruning.

Elephant Wing

Bryan Sparks at Wild Rose Bistro

SURREAL ESTATE

A FEW POINTERS

Pilots once navigated across the country by following a track of massive concrete arrows.

BEFORE GPS GUIDED JETS across the United States, pilots used a lo-fi navigation tool: massive concrete arrows dotting the countryside, pointing prop plane pilots between New York and San Francisco.

Begun in the 1920s and known as the Transcontinental Airmail Route, the infrastructure project was funded via the United States Post Office to kick-start its airmail program. At the time, letters were still the main avenue for communication, and it could often take weeks or even months for a letter to reach its destination. Airmail would change that.

The beacons’ primary purpose was to provide a “nighttime navigation system for early aviators, particularly the U.S. Airmail Service,” states thesurveystation.com, a niche website dedicated to chronicling the whereabouts of markers and airway beacons across the country.

The original arrows were spaced twenty-five miles apart. Searchlight beacons were mounted on fifty-foot tow-

ers, and seventy-foot-long cement arrows were splayed across the ground. Painted a bright yellow so as not to be missed by pilots in the sky, the arrows pointed in certain directions, creating the nation’s firstever flight paths.

“Planes often had only a handful of instruments, and pilots navigated from the cockpit by looking for familiar landmarks below,” wrote Angela Minor, an airway beacon and arrow enthusiast who researches and writes on the topic. “There were no air navigation charts yet, and flights were limited to daylight hours.”

Because Kansas City is right in the middle of the country, several of the huge arrows swept right through the city. One such arrow stood where the World’s of Fun parking lots are now. There was also one in Independence where an apartment complex known as Hawthorne Place now is. And not so surprising, there was a beacon and arrow in

an area known as Ferrelview off of Northwest Cookingham Drive near Kansas City International Airport. Perhaps a little more interesting was an old arrow locale at Black Swan Estates in Shawnee.

Only a handful of the original fifteen hundred coast-to-coast beacons and arrows exist today, and one is in rural Kansas at the Municipal Airport in Anthony. The airport was built in the 1930s by local aviator J. Howard Wilcox. A beacon was added in 1938, and a few years after the beacon was built, Wilcox was asked to head the Kansas wing of the newly organized Civil Air Patrol. The airport was used as the headquarters of the Kansas Wing Civil Air Patrol until the late 1950s.

It wasn’t until the 1940s that radar, radio communication and improved instrument panels made the arrows obsolete.

—DAWNYA BARTSCH

Spanning over 18,000 square feet, our tranquil environment awaits you for a day of pampering. Rest, relax, and escape this season at Cedar Creek Spa.

Book your appointment online: bigcedar.com