KCMag_April2025

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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

Dave Claflin

EDITOR

Dawnya Bartsch

ART DIRECTOR

Kevin Goodbar

FOOD EDITOR

Tyler Shane

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Nina Cherry

ADVERTISING SALES

Rachel Fletcher, Angie Henshaw and Bob Ulmer

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Alex Healey

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Dominique Parsow

COPY EDITOR

Kelsie Schrader

WEB COORDINATOR

Madison Russell

WRITERS

Nina Cherry, Jill Draper, Emma Flannery, Shauna Gilden, David Hodes, Nicole Kinning, John Martellaro, Tyler Shane, Joyce Smith, Lauren Spencer, Hampton Stevens and Hayley Veilleux

PHOTOGRAPHERS AND ILLUSTRATORS

Matthew Anderson, Zach Bauman, Pilsen Photo Coop, Laura Morsman, Kelly Powell, Ian Simmons, Cassie Taylor and WACSO

SUBSCRIPTIONS kansascitymag.com/subscribe or call (913) 469-6700 Scan here to subscribe to our newsletter and magazine.

Kansas City magazine is published monthly by KC Publishing, 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.

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Thank You for Voting!

The winners have been chosen and will be recognized in the June issue

The nominations were made, the finalists were chosen and now the winners will be named. Stay tuned for the June issue to learn who the winners are and help us celebrate those that make this city great! You can also visit the website for a complete list of winners.

Photography

this month on kansas city mag.com

only online

The Nelson-Atkins wants to hear from you

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art recently revealed the six design finalists for the museum’s planned expansion. The expansion project’s goal is to attract new audiences by creating vibrant spaces to host more art and new immersive and interactive creative experiences for the community. The concepts—devised by some of the most respected designers working in museum architecture today—have been posted online, and the museum wants to hear your opinion. To learn more, check out our story and view the design renderings. Read all about it here…

Color Chart

SPRING IS HERE, and with it comes longer days, warmer weather and all sorts of color. It’s not just spring blooms and the various shades of green coming to life; our food becomes more colorful, too, with summer produce starting to make an appearance at the farmers market and local grocery stores.

Color is also a theme throughout this issue. Sometimes it pops up subtly, as seen in the neon heart purse (the accessory you never knew you needed until now) featured in Current and in our story about florist Jamie Block’s take on the importance of color in our everyday lives.

Jill Draper Writer

Jill Draper, who wrote this issue’s story about the KC couple cultivating native seeds, is a Kansas City-based freelance writer who grows her own vegetables and native plants.

And color, through the use of myriad spices, also plays an important role in Indian food. Our editorial team had a great time exploring the ins and outs of the metro’s Indian food scene to create a guide for you. From Indian markets and clothing shops to restaurants and community groups, we hope you take this information and do a little exploring.

Dawnya Bartsch, Editor dawnya@kansascitymag.com

Contributors

Kelly Powell Photographer

Photographer Kelly Powell took on a slew of assignments this issue, including many for our feature looking into KC’s Indian community. Powell, a commercial and editorial photographer, owns Elements Studio and Elements Brand Haus and is based in Kansas City.

Matthew Anderson Photographer

Architectural and interior design photographer

Matthew Anderson, who took pictures of this issue’s picturesque Union Hill home, is also a YouTube content creator and (occasional) DJ.

Great

SMILES for Life Building

Board-Certified Pediatric Dentis

Compassionate Dental Care

Kid-Friendly Environment

Numbers From This Issue

Spring Fling

An online story about a spring community event hosted by the new owners of the Country Club Plaza went viral, with readers genuinely excited to see some action at KC’s much-loved Plaza shopping district. The family-friendly event, which will be from 11 am to 3 pm on Saturday, April 12, will welcome the season with the “First Annual Spring Market and Shopping Stroll.” It will include live music, in-store promotions and offers, seasonal tastings and interactive experiences at dozens of stores and restaurants.

Probably need to get some empty storefronts gone, especially before the World Cup. It looks deserted in certain spots.

- Victor Abundis

It’s so great to see some cool community events popping up in such an iconic Kansas City district. This is awesome.

- Jay Ringle

We need more of this.

- Debra Haven

Is this another art fair? Yes, please.

- Lea Mallot

“When

The number of years exoneree Marvin Cotton Jr. spent in prison for a murder he did not commit.

Page 20

it invites other people to.”

- David Wayne Reed, creator of Shelf Life

The number of films shot in Missouri that have taken advantage of the Show Mo Tax film credit since it was reinstated in 2023.

Page 18 2016

The year David Wayne Reed created Shelf Life.

Page 29

Shout Out

A big thanks to cover model and Kansas City native Slesha Patel, who now lives in New York but flew in to be a part of this shoot.

Behind the Scenes

Photographers Rebecca Nordin and Caleb Condit of Pilsen Photo Co-op shooting this issue’s cover highlighting KC’s deliciously spicy and colorful Indian food.

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Lights, Cameras, Action

A Missouri film tax credit is successfully luring moviemakers to the state

By David Hodes

MISSOURI GAVE MOVIEMAKERS a close-up two years ago when it reenacted a dormant tax incentive for in-state filming, giving the state a little star power. In early February, the Missouri Film Office and the Business Opportunities Division of the Missouri Department of Economic Development announced that 39 productions have qualified for the Show Mo Tax Credit Program. The productions spent an estimated $33.5 million and received nearly $12.4 million in production incentives in 2024.

(Continued on next page)

Photography by Rachel Kephart

(Continued from page 17)

The original 1999 tax credit program expired in 2013 and was reinstated 10 years later in 2023. “We lost a lot of ground in those 10 years,” says Andrea Klund, director of the Missouri Film Office. “We are still building and getting back to that place, working on production infrastructure now. A television series is what we want. We want to land a set-in-Kansas City show for the longevity that it brings.”

Any eligible state project, which is determined by a preliminary application by a production company, may receive a tax credit of at least 20 percent and up to

There have been other incentive programs in Arkansas and Texas that eventually ran into trouble, says Sasha Yelaun, the lead producer of the low-budget film Boris Is Dead that just wrapped in Kansas City.

“From what I’ve seen, the Missouri state program is one of the more competitive tax credit programs in the country,” Yelaun says. “It’s really well thought-out. And the fact that people are so resourceful here in Kansas City and helpful and just give you certain things you might not get in other cities—that is something that would drive producers from going 42 percent for qualifying expenses. With the added incentive of a 12 percent rebate from the Kansas City Film Development program for productions shot here, a local film project could get a total of 54 percent in production incentives.

“That 12 percent rebate gives us a slight edge over St. Louis,” Klund says. “In the past, a lot of the bigger productions came to St. Louis because the union crew base is mostly in St. Louis.”

Available incentives from the state are broken down to specific qualifying conditions. For instance, if at least 15 percent of the qualified motion media production takes place in a rural or blighted area of Missouri, the production company gets an additional 5 percent tax break.

The program offers a total of $16 million in incentives per year. It is slated to run through December 31, 2029. “To reauthorize the program, we have to demonstrate the economic impact,” Klund says. “And there is pending legislation to take the sunset off of the program because of infrastructure needs. It makes it hard for someone to build a business here. So if that cap comes off of the program, we are more likely to persuade a sound stage to be built in the Kansas City metro area.”

Films shot using the Missouri tax incentive include 15 narrative feature films, four documentary feature films, two narrative shorts, two documentary shorts, nine unscripted TV series, one scripted TV series pilot, one animated TV series, four commercials and one web series.

Here’s a sampling:

Boris Is Dead

Produced by Superfinger Entertainment and shot in Kansas City. Scheduled to premiere at the 2025 Toronto Film Festival in September.

The Motherhood

Produced by Hallmark Media and shot in Kansas City. Series to premiere sometime this year on the Hallmark Channel.

The Possession at Gladstone Manor

Produced by Umbrelic Entertainment and shot in Kansas City. Premiered March 14, 2025, in Kansas City.

Girl in the Garage

Produced by Poke Productions for Lifetime and shot mostly in Kansas City and other Missouri locations. Premiered January 18, 2025.

Ozark Law

Produced by A&E and shot in the Lake of the Ozarks. Series premiered January 8, 2025.

Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story

Produced by Hallmark Media and shot in Kansas City. Premiered November 30, 2024.

Second Chance Stage

Produced by Magnolia Network and shot in Kansas City. Series premiered on Max and Magnolia Network on November 28, 2024.

to a place like California or New York. I feel like the open arms of Kansas City and Missouri have made it a very production-friendly area to migrate toward and move your productions to.”

Yelaun says he has shared his KC filming experience with other low-budget film producers working on low-budget films like his, focusing on the positive economic environment. “I’ve already got probably two or three different production companies that are really looking to get budgets done and bring their productions to Missouri,” he says.

As the word about the incentive program gets out, filmmakers everywhere are lining up. “We received far more inquiries from projects that are from all over the world now that we have these programs in place,” says Rachel Kephart, director of the KC Film Office. “In fact, two of the projects that shot here immediately came back. The producers of those projects brought their next production into Kansas City. So we already have repeat customers.”

Yelaun says filming in Kansas City was an easy decision. “The draw was definitely how competitive the incentive program is,” he says. “Shooting in Kansas City wasn’t a hard sell to my investors.”

MOVIE MAGIC

Starting From Zero Two KC brothers develop an app to help exonerees

By Emma Flannery

WHEN DYLAN CARNAHAN started a podcast five years ago in his Kansas City apartment, little did he know it would lead to an interest in criminal justice, righting wrongs and the creation of an app aimed at helping those wrongfully imprisoned.

In Carnahan’s Simple Questions podcast, he lets his curiosity run wild, exploring all types of topics he has always wanted to learn about. Carnhahan does this by inviting guests with expertise in said topics—such as a competitive eater, a UFC fighter and a retired FBI chief who was part of the Unabomber investigation—and asking them lots of questions.

It was through one such guest, Marvin Cotton Jr., an exoneree who had spent 20 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, that Carnahan learned about the tough road that exonerees face when they are finally released from prison. This interview led to not only a friendship with Cotton, who is the founder of the Organization of Exonerees, but also a collaboration with Carnahan’s brother, Alex Provenzano, a software engineer, to develop an app aimed at easing the transition from prison life to civilian life for those wrongly incarcerated.

Cotton was arrested, charged and received a life sentence in 2001 for first-degree murder—a crime he did not commit. When he was exonerated, he was released into a completely new world that he didn’t know how to navigate.

“You’re building your life from nothing,” Cotton says. “You’re building a life from zero. You have no money. And if you’ve done 20 years, like myself, you have a lot of family members that are deceased. I noticed immediately that there weren’t any resources or plans to handle and deal with exonerees.”

Dylan Carnahan and Alex Provenzano

That’s exactly what Carnahan says the app addresses. Using AI, educational resources and service request software, the app serves as a one-stop shop for exonerees, addressing a critical lack of resources for the wrongfully imprisoned while also advocating for their needs and giving them a voice.

Carnahan and Cotton kept in touch for months after they recorded the episode, texting and calling each other frequently. As he and Cotton got closer, Carnahan came up with an idea.

“I was just sitting at home one night and (thought), ‘What if we made an app that facilitated a lot of the things that (Cotton) is having to deal with?’” Carnahan says. He sent Cotton a text message asking him exactly that, and the rest is history. “I was asking him a lot of calibrated questions about what challenges exonerees face. I got to a point where I realized we could actually build something.”

Cotton’s insights and partnership are what make the app feel like it perfectly addresses the challenges. In addition to Cotton’s partnership, the brothers also worked with other members of the Organization of Exonerees to make sure a variety of different concerns, suggestions and perspectives were being considered.

“I could draft up an idea of what an exoneree needs, but that wouldn’t be grounded in their perspective,” Carnahan says. “I don’t have that understanding.”

Carnahan says that from an outside perspective, the entire friendship could seem unorthodox. But as soon as he met Cotton, Carnahan says he felt drawn to his resilience and passion for helping others.

“I think when you hear Marvin’s story and you hear the story of the other exonerees, it’s a very compelling call to action,” he says.

The app allows users to request services from local organizations, including housing, transportation and mental health support. Those requests are immediately sent to each organization, while the app tracks the fulfillment of the request in real time. AI-powered assistance answers questions and offers personalized feedback to users, and educational information that is uploaded by various organizations help exonerees navigate modern technology, finances and other life skills.

When Provenzano was developing the app’s software, the brothers knew they wanted the app to ultimately be something that was easy to use with no barrier to entry. The design is simple and straightforward, using color-coded buttons for easy navigation. Every detail was created with the exoneree’s needs in mind.

Even though Carnahan, Porvenzano and the entire Organization of Exonerees hopes the app inspires nationwide change, Carnahan specifically hopes that the Kansas City community he grew up in joins their effort to reform the criminal justice system for exonerees.

“I would call upon the community that shaped Alex and I to join in on this movement,” he says. “We’re changing things.”

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Industrial Garden

Sound and style collide at the West Bottoms hi-fi club

In the Lowest Ferns

By Nina Cherry

IN THE LOWEST FERNS, the West Bottoms’ high-fidelity club, may have only opened up last year, but it already feels like a long-standing institution.

Half of the magic lies in the space itself, aptly described as an “industrial garden” by co-founder Jason Eubanks. The DJ booth, framed by mid-century-inspired screens made out of scrap metal, serves as the room’s nucleus. The cafe tables were built by hand, and the bench seating was a $10 Facebook Marketplace find. Towering houseplants,

Photography by Maddie Stringfellow

skylights and deep-red lighting soften the rustic edge.

“Our approach was very organic,” says co-founder DJ Dante Walton. “We used our resources—estate sales, vintage stores, thrift stores, you name it. It worked well with the space.”

The owners want to carve out the venue’s reputation as not just a bar but also a community-centric

GO:

space. Their Nomada Movement Series— which debuts this month on every Friday and Saturday before service begins—will include a wide array of activities in their line-up, including yoga, heels and tai chi.

This month also marks DJ Dante Walton’s return to performing with a new residency, Dante’s Infinite Frequencies. Taking place every last Saturday of the month, his series kicks off with special guest dancer Haley Kostas for a mixed media performance.

Dante’s Infinite Frequencies featuring Haley Kostas.

April 26. 8 pm. In the Lowest Ferns. 1105 Hickory St., KCMO. Visit inthelowestferns.com to learn more about specific programming.

“After a year of business, I’m really looking forward to creating space for myself as an artist and to create a fun, connecting experience,” Walton says.

apr

Country Club Plaza Spring Market and Shopping Stroll

Welcome the arrival of spring at Country Club Plaza’s first annual Spring Market and Shopping Stroll. Located on Nichols Road between Jefferson Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, shoppers can experience a vibrant lineup of local artisan pop-up vendors, seasonal tastings and interactive experiences at the stores and restaurants, all the while being entertained throughout the day with live music and other activities. April 12. 11 am. The Country Club Plaza.

3–27

Carousel

Of the many musicals composed by Richard Rodgers—including classics like Oklahoma! and The Sound of Music—Carousel goes down in history as the composer’s personal favorite. Based on Ferenc Molnár’s 1909 play Liliom, the plot follows carnival barker Billy Bigelow’s turbulent romance with millworker Julie Jordan for a tale of love, tragedy and redemption. Music Theater Heritage’s production marks the musical’s 80th anniversary. April 3–27. Times vary. Music Theater Heritage.

4

Big Read Storytime with Rebekah Taussig

KC author Rebekah Taussig brings her latest children’s book, We Are the Scrappy Ones, to life with a storytime event. Drawing from her own experience of losing the use of her legs as a toddler, Taussig’s book celebrates resilience and creativity. Attendees will receive a free copy of the book at the family-friendly reading. April 4. 5:30 pm. Kansas City Public Library, Plaza Branch.

4

Midwest Jazz Collective: Benny Benack III Quartet

The Midwest Jazz Collective—a consortium of a dozen jazz clubs across the region—brings Harlem-based trumpeter and vocalist Benny Benack III to KC’s The Blue Room. Known for his bebop and swing stylings and magnetic stage presence, Benack and his quartet will deliver an upbeat performance that channels the likes of legends Frank Sinatra and Chet Baker. April 4. 8:30 pm & 10 pm. The Blue Room.

5

Helen Sung with Bach Aria Soloists

Globetrotting jazz pianist and composer Helen Sung joins forces with KC’s own Bach Aria Soloists for a world premiere that bridges classical and jazz traditions. The Folly Jazz Series’ performance will honor the improvisational spirit of Johann Sebastian Bach in Sung’s latest work. April 5. 7:30 pm. Folly Theater.

10

Larkin Poe

Sister duo Larkin Poe embodies Americana music with a rocking, bluesy and tinged-withtwang sound—a concoction that scratches the brain just right. In support of their latest and eighth studio album, Bloom, the new release features driving grooves, sincere lyrics and powerful, belting vocals. April 10. 8 pm. The Truman.

11

Les Arts Florissants with Théotime Langlois de Swarte

Three hundred years ago, Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi published his iconic violin concerti, The Four Seasons. To commemorate the anniversary, French violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte and chamber orchestra Les Arts Florissants will close out the Harriman-Jewell Series season with one of the most familiar classical pieces of all time. April 11. 7 pm. Folly Theater.

12

The Princess Bride: An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes

Actor Cary Elwes is offering a behind-the-scenes look at the cult classic film The Princess Bride. Elwes, who portrayed farm boy Westley, will share secrets and stories from the movie and beyond at the Kauffman Center’s moderated discussion. April 12. 7 pm. Muriel Kauffman Theatre.

19 Spring Song

A cornerstone of jazz, the Count Basie Orchestra has carried on the legacy of its legendary namesake and the Kansas City style for 90 years. Although Kansas City jazz pianist Count Basie passed away in 1984, the big band continues to swing on under the leadership of trumpeter Scotty Barnhart. The internationally touring 18-piece ensemble is returning to where it all began in honor of International Jazz Day. April 30. 7 pm. Kansas City Music Hall.

30 Count Basie Orchestra

21

chrysalis, Kirstie Lynn and JOBIE

Grammy award-winning Kansas City Chorale will fill the Nelson Atkins’ lofty and reverberant Kirkwood Hall with lush harmonies for the choir’s annual Easter eve celebration of spring. Led by conductor Charles Bruffy, this year’s program includes Vaughan Williams’ Mass in G Minor alongside a preview of music from the ensemble’s forthcoming album, The Lost Birds, set to release next year. April 19. 6 pm. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

Singer-songwriter Kirstie Lynn is a gem of KC’s music scene. Originally from upstate New York, the operatically trained musician’s pivot to folk was a natural one with her warbling, songbird-like vibrato and poetic storytelling. Lynn will be joined by Nashville-based chrysalis and Boston’s JOBIE at Greenwood Social Hall. The cozy and eclectic Westside venue is a former historic Baptist church turned listening room. April 21. 7 pm. Greenwood Social Hall.

25 & 26

Ailey II

The second company of the world-renowned and revered Alvin

Ailey American Dance Theatre, Ailey II is a leading force in the modern dance world and a cultural institution. Showcasing both newly choreographed works and classics, the program includes the company’s beloved signature work Revelations. The powerful piece—set to spirituals, blues and gospel—tells a resilient story of the Black experience in the United States. April 25, 7:30 pm; April 26, 1 pm. Folly Theater.

25–27

Spring Plant Sale

Offering over 250 varieties of perennials and annuals, Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens’ annual plant sale is a must for those with a green thumb. The weekend-long event features locally grown native plants—many of them pollinator-friendly—with proceeds

supporting the Arboretum. April 25–27. 9 am. Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.

26 & 27

Connor

Wood Presents:

Fibs & Friends Featuring Maggie Winters

Known as @fibula on TikTok and Instagram, Connor Wood went viral for his comedy sketches during the pandemic, ranting about his relatable struggles as an unemployed, quarantined 20-something. Wood has since branched out into stand-up, delivering clever observational quips. He will be joined by Chicago-based comedian Maggie Winters. April 26 & 27. Times vary. Funny Bone Comedy Club.

Dancing With Depth

Owen/Cox Dance Group looks to create community with its original performances

By Hayley Veilleux

KANSAS CITY-BASED Owen/Cox Dance Group is all about collaboration. Working with both professional dancers and musicians from across the country, the company performs original productions around the metro and also has an education program in local schools.

Founded by husband-wife duo Brad Cox and Jennifer Owen in 2007, the dance company has grown from a twinkling idea to a company that regularly performs at venues such as The Folly Theater and Yardley Hall and teaches classes in several elementary schools.

Owen—a classically trained ballet dancer and former member of the Russian State Ballet, Moscow Renaissance Ballet and Hong Kong Ballet—is the company’s choreographer. Cox, who studied at UMKC’s Conservatory and has been heavily influenced by genres ranging from early Renaissance to modern jazz, is the composer behind many of the company’s unique renditions of classical sounds.

Kansas City magazine spoke with Owen about the company’s dedication to artistic collaboration, its role in the Kansas City community and the upcoming performance of Skin on April 12, a story that spotlights the quiet strength of vulnerability and connection.

Can you share a little about your company for people who haven’t heard of it? Owen/Cox Dance Group is committed to creating and presenting new music and dance collaborations with live music. Our works are very collaborative in nature, and we enjoy working with the dancers, musicians, composers, designers and other organizations in the community. We’ve been doing this for 18 years. In addition to our performances, we have an educational outreach program called “Take the Stage,” and we’re currently in seven schools in the Kansas City area. It’s a weekly class that takes place with live music for all of the students in an elementary school class, and this culminates in a year-end performance. This year, it’ll be at the Nelson-Atkins Museum. So we have two different parts to our organization: the more performance, professional side, and then the educational outreach side.

When it comes to dancers at your company, do you think their varying backgrounds and approaches affect how a performance unfolds on stage? I feel that having dancers with diverse backgrounds, ways of moving and experiences really lends itself to a rich artistic product and output because I think there’s an authenticity that comes when people feel like they can bring themselves to the work and feel open to express themselves. I think this creates something really special and beautiful. I feel like I can trust the people I’m working with to help guide how a piece develops and unfolds. So that’s really nice. It opens everyone up to more possibilities—and to trusting when things are going the way that we want them to.

Can you share a little bit about Skin? We premiered the work in 2022, and it’s in collaboration with Helen Gillet, a cellist based in New Orleans. She’s Belgian-born, so she sings in French and English. A lot of the music is her original compositions and songs that she wrote, but she also sings some pieces by other artists. The music is selected in a way that has a beautiful arc to it, with some very poignant moments in the work. One of the songs is [titled] “Skin,” and a lot of the piece is about how we connect with others, how we support each other and how we work together as a community—the beauty in that.

What are you most proud of about the company? What I’m most proud of is the body of work that we’ve created and are creating. I feel that it’s of very strong and high artistic output and really highlights some of the incredible artists that we get to work with. And there’s also a lot of community building that we do with our work, whether it’s bringing artists together from a lot of different genres, backgrounds and organizations within the community or the non-arts groups that we engage with, like Gilda’s Club, which is a cancer support provider. I think bringing people together is really important to me and our organization, and uplifting people through the arts. That’s our goal.

↓ GO: Skin. April 12. 8 pm. Folly Theater.

Triple Threat

Pianist, singer and composer Jackie Myers

to release an experimental jazz album

By Nina Cherry

ONE OF PIANIST and vocalist Jackie Myers’ favorite tracks on her forthcoming album, What About the Butterfly, is one she nearly cut—“Brown Dirt Shuffle.”

Although the musician initially felt insecure about the song, she was met with immediate encouragement and new ideas from her bandmates. Letting go of her preconceptions, she leaned into her collaborative community.

“I needed the help of the other musicians,” Myers says. “I couldn’t do it on my own. They brought ‘Brown Dirt Shuffle’ to the finish line.”

Myers is releasing What About the Butterfly later this month on Brooklyn-based label 577 Records. A bold departure from her previous work, the experimental album embraces spectral composition—a niche technique that expands harmonic possibilities outside of the traditional 12-note system.

“I was really struck by how spectral composition can access sound, but not in a way that discards the rules of harmony.”

During the pandemic, with gigs dried up and time to spare, Myers enrolled in graduate school and began taking music composition coursework at UMKC’s Conservatory. When she was introduced to experimental composer Gérard Grisey and French spectral music, she was quickly captivated.

“I really like advanced and modern composition, but a lot of it is atonal and avant garde,” Myers says. “I enjoy that, but I don’t like composing it. I was really struck by how spectral composition can access sound, but not in a way that discards the rules of harmony.”

Recorded last June, What About the Butterfly features Myers’ compositions on vocals and piano, backed by an ensemble that includes the Fountain City String Quartet, saxophonists Aryana Nemati and Rich Wheeler, trumpeter Trent Austin, bassists Seth Lee and Blake Shaw, and drummer Ben Leifer. Although the album pushes boundaries, it remains grounded with singable, memorable melodies.

A particularly special guest on the record is saxophone legend Bobby Watson, a former member of Art Blakey’s legendary collective The Jazz Messengers and Myers’ former teacher.

“The fact that Bobby was willing to play on the album—I was just so honored,” Myers says. “He’s been such a wonderful mentor for me from the moment I met him. He continues to show me the way and encourage me.”

The pianist will celebrate the album’s release later this month on April 18 at the American Jazz Museum’s Blue Room, featuring a pared-down ensemble of Myers’ regular trio and the addition of a couple horns. A short tour in her former stomping grounds of Austin, Texas, will follow next month.

“To do this album, I had to become pretty obsessive about this whole thing in micro ways, not just micro tones,” Myers says. ↓

GO: What About the Butterfly Album Release Party. April 18. 8:30 pm. The Blue Room. 1600 E. 18th St., KCMO.

Brilliant Bags

Element Ten’s striking neon sweetheart bag is a springtime statement piece

By Nina Cherry

KANSAS CITY NEON studio Element Ten specializes in crafting custom signs and restoring vintage ones. Founded in 2022, the small, family-owned and -operated company was born out of a desire to carry on a family tradition of working with neon. They have worked on everything from the exterior sign at Midtown Italian restaurant Ragazza to the wavy bar lights at Sagebrush in Rosedale.

Now, they’re bringing their expertise into the fashion world with a wearable statement piece: the sweetheart neon bag.

Playful, maximalist accessories are dominating spring 2025 fashion trends, and Element Ten’s latest eccentric design fits the bill. The compact, structured purse is outlined by a hand-bent, heart-shaped glass neon tube that glows in five vibrant hues: red, pink, yellow, lime green and black with green accents.

While the fragile glass is not conducive for everyday wear, the sweetheart neon bag is striking for a special occasion—and doubles as an eye-catching decorative piece displayed at home.

“We want to show people what’s possible with neon,” says designer Olivia Shelton. “It’s a medium unlike anything else.”

Check out Element Ten’s designs at @element.ten on Instagram.

by

Photography

Cassie Taylor

Forget Big Slick. Big Read Is Where It’s At.

By Laura Spencer

A NIGHT OF show-and-tell for grown-ups goes a long way toward cracking open a whole community of stories. That’s particularly true when it’s paired with the Big Read, the Kansas City Public Library’s invitation for people to share their thoughts and experiences.

“We want to get the community to come together by talking about reading,” says Kaite Stover, the library’s director of readers’ services. “We like to think of this as book-ish joy.”

A free reading and public engagement initiative, the Big Read kicked off in March and runs through May 23. In addition to the show-andtell, called Shelf Life, there are writing classes, film screenings, book groups and a community-wide read of Kansas City author Rebekah Taussig’s memoir, Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary, Resilient, Disabled Body.

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Big Read’s Shelf Life takes place May 1 at 6:30 pm in the Truman Forum Auditorium on the Plaza Branch’s lower level. This marks the event’s return—at least for one night—after a hiatus.

Created in 2016 by writer and director David Wayne Reed, Shelf Life had a five-year run at a Crossroads bar. Reed describes the series as “a church without a church, where people can find community.”

Past Shelf Life events focused on themes such as winning, home, time, protest or unwanted gifts. Participants took the stage with props like cowboy boots, a smashed violin and a vintage typewriter. Storytellers shared “their unedited stories in their own voices,” says Reed, host of the series. “When we share our stories, it invites other people to.”

For this year’s Big Read, Shelf Life’s theme is “soma,” defined as the body of an organism. “Bodies, and how we live in our bodies, and how our bodies carry us through this world,” Reed says, which ties in perfectly with Big Read’s community-wide read of Taussig’s book.

A Kansas City author and disability advocate, Taussig shares her story of undergoing cancer treatment as a toddler, which left her paralyzed from the waist down. “I’m hopeful that this book can invite so many more folks to share their own stories and spark much-needed discussions around disability and access,” Taussig says.

Other storytellers will include actor Vanessa Severo, visual artist Kathy Liao and drummer Billy Brimblecom, who serves as executive director of Steps of Faith Foundation, a nonprofit that provides prosthetic care for amputees.

“I’m kind of like, if David Wayne Reed is asking me to do anything, the answer is ‘yes,’” says Brimblecom, who lost his left leg to Ewing sarcoma 20 years ago. This will be his second time on Shelf Life. Previously, he brought one of his first prosthetics and placed it on a shelf as he told his story, and he’s likely to bring one again.

“Since the early days of even wearing a prosthetic leg, it’s not something that I’ve tried to hide,” he says. “So it’s a little bit like a kind of armor having it on.” Reed will tell his own “soma” story at Shelf Life and examine “my own rate of decay as I age, how we maintain our bodies and acceptance of our bodies as we move through this life.”

GO: Shelf Life, May 1, 6:30 pm. Truman Forum Auditorium, Kansas City Public Library’s Plaza Branch, lower level, 4801 Main St., KCMO.

Over the years, Reed says he’s noticed a shift in the storytellers’ posture during Shelf Life events. After they tell their stories, they “stand a little taller,” he says.

For more about the Kansas City Public Library’s 2025 Big Read, please visit kclibrary.org/BigRead.

Writer and director David Wayne Reed, creator of Shelf Life

Color Communications Making floral arrangements that tell a story

By David Hodes

WHEN YOU WALK into Floral Frontier, a modest floral studio on 79th Street and State Line, there is no overwhelming smell of fragrant flowers like most other floral studios. But there are colors that speak to people, that tell stories or subconsciously influence emotions.

The studio creates both dried and fresh floral arrangements that explore the science of colors and textures. Floral Frontier uses color psychology, a new color science theory that suggests specific colors and their frequencies have a physiological and psychological impact

on feelings and behavior. One study found that the four psychological primary colors—red, blue, yellow and green—relate, respectively, to the body, mind, emotions and the essential balance between these three.

A color can change someone’s mood from sad to happy, from confusion to intelligence, from fear to confidence. It can actually be used to “level out” emotions or to create different moods.

“It’s so wild, the impact of color and the power of color,” Jami Block, owner and creative director of the studio, says. “A lot of the people that I aspire to be like or the works of art in the floral realm that I’m drawn to are always because of the color palette—not the composition.”

Block spent time in Los Angeles working on photo shoots and learning the power of floral arrangements. She worked on a Ketel One vodka gig where all the florals were inspired by the notes in the vodka. “I’m trying to go in a more experiential marketing direction with my florals,” she says. “Photo shoots and telling stories with floral arrangements are my passion.”

Block says that in the floral world, there’s been a traditional sense that more is more. “It’s been about putting as many flower types and as many different colors and textures as you can to make the customer feel like they’re getting

WHAT COLORS MEAN TO THE HUMAN PSYCHE

Red: Love, passion, anger

Orange: Excitement, pleasure, abundance

Yellow: Joy, happiness, communication

Pink: Love, tenderness, innocence

Green: Balance, serenity, joy

Blue: Calmness, serenity, peace

Brown: Comfort, resilience, security

White: Calmness, comfort, hope

Black: Strength, seriousness, negativity

Source:

Mental Health of America, “Color Psychology Explained”

their money’s worth,” Block says. “For me, I want to know more about what the customer is looking for. Is it a sympathy piece? Is it a celebration piece? Is it for you or for your home?”

People don’t really know the science of color, she says. “Some people think purple is one specific color. In reality, purple is thousands of different colors. Playing off of the mystery and symbolism of purple has been really fun to work on.”

The combinations of complementary colors, on top of the impact of one specific color itself, make that color twice as impactful. “If you pair a sky-blue color, which is something that brings calming, with not a harsh yellow but a buttery yellow that brings happiness and light, the fusion of those two colors is twice as impactful together,” she says.

Floral Frontier puts floral arrangements together with a linear element to bring depth to the arrangement and “the subliminal messages of a more open mind, in my opinion,” Block says. “So when a light-blue color is down deeper in the arrangement and the yellow color is out taller, there’s a very calming effect and a very interesting effect.”

The common knowledge is that certain colors should not go together. “But having an open mind and playing with it, sometimes you get wildly surprised to discover two colors that you assumed didn’t go together that do,” she says. “Those are just those little sparks of joy. I think where this life is just so stressful, it’s those little moments that make this such a healing place to work.”

Floral Frontier wants the business to evolve beyond just the average floral studio, where a customer calls and Block makes their arrangements. “I would love for it to all be color science-based so that, in every arrangement, you can look at the colors that are in your arrangement and understand why they’re in your arrangement,” she says. “It’s more of an ‘I need’ versus ‘I’m looking for an arrangement for my dinner.’ I need your science, instead of I need flowers. It would be about people understanding the power of wellness and using the free tools to live a lighter, more intentional life.

“There are so many lessons that flowers can teach us about how to be softer to ourselves, how to be softer to one another, how to appreciate the small amount of time that we have here,” Block says.

THE CONTEXT OF COLOR

A single color can have a series of meanings and interpretations to various people in various regions of the world. For example, the people of China see white as a sad color because they wear white when mourning. Some other societies in Europe perceive white as purity, virginity and cleanliness. In Asia, orange is a positive, spiritually enlightened and lifeaffirming color. In the United States, orange is a color of road hazards, traffic delays and fast-food restaurants.

Source: www.journals.sagepub.com/doi

By Nicole Kinning

THE SUBURBS WERE never part of Lauren and Dan Nguyen’s plan. Inspired by the row houses in Chicago, the couple envisioned a forever home that would maximize urban living on a city lot without sacrificing space for their young family.

Dan’s love of mid-century modern design and Lauren’s desire for craftsman style influenced the result: a sleek, multi-level home that met their needs on a smaller

footprint. And because they were building in historic Union Hill, they were committed to ensuring that their new home complemented the neighborhood’s charm.

“We wanted it to feel like it had been here for years,” Lauren says, and Edward Franklin Building Company helped shape that vision to build their dream house. “This home has always been our North Star.”

Photography by Matthew Anderson

“Lauren loves to read, so incorporating a window nook on the second floor overlooking the street was a really nice touch.”

OUTDOOR OASIS

The Nguyens’ top priority was that their home felt natural to Union Hill. “If you drive around Union Hill, there are lots of pops of colors,” Lauren says. True to that spirit, the home’s exterior is painted a soft yellow with sections of the roof in evergreen and the gable trim in deep mustard. Beneath the covered patio, light blue slats add another subtle splash of color.

Craftsman-style railings around the porches enhance the charm of the home while another Union Hill home staple—rooftop decks— played a key role in the design. The Nguyens didn’t add just one; they built two, one facing north and the other south. In total the home has four outdoor living areas, perfect for soaking in the city’s energy and skyline views.

A STEP ABOVE

There’s no denying that this home’s defining feature is its height. Inspired by traditional Chicago row homes, the goal was to “build up.” More than just a way to move between floors, the stunning switchback staircase serves as the home’s true focal point. Lined with windows that reach the top, the space is flooded with natural light.

“Something I didn’t expect is how [the light] changes in this space throughout the day,” Lauren says. “It’s so beautiful.”

PERSONAL TOUCHES

“Lauren loves to read, so incorporating a window nook on the second floor overlooking the street was a really nice touch,” says Grant Baumgartner, managing partner at Edward Franklin. “Our architect worked to infuse nooks and small spaces for the family to live their day-to-day life and create memories.”

And with the home’s impressive four-story height, stunning views can be seen from nearly every window.

“It felt very natural, which wasn’t something any of us intentionally planned, but it just came together that way.”

STARS ALIGNED

Speaking of the staircase, Baumgartner and his team installed an exquisite light fixture that cascades from the top of the house all the way to the bottom. Made of chains and orbed lights, each element was meticulously placed to match the staircase’s full height. “They have this kind of creative astronomy, planetarium-like feel,” Dan says.

That celestial theme continues up the staircase, culminating in ethereal light fixtures affixed to the ceiling. “Think the alchemy tower in Harry Potter,” Lauren says. “It’s kind of witchy, maybe a little moody, and [Edward Franklin] really leaned into that with all of their fixtures.”

FORCE OF NATURE

The couple admits that, at first, they hadn’t given much thought to the kitchen countertops. But as soon as they saw this one, they knew it was perfect for them. “You can feel all the intricacies,” Dan says. “It has such a natural, organic feel to it.”

As the rest of the space came together, that organic look became even more apparent. “Once everything was in place, the space took on this very earthy feel,” Lauren says. “I think it was all the natural light, the green in the counter slab, the earthy tones of the curtains and the wood. It felt very natural, which wasn’t something any of us intentionally planned, but it just came together that way.”

LATE TO THE PARTY

Although it seamlessly blends into the space, the coffee nook off the kitchen was a last-minute addition—just like the arched ceiling in front of the staircase, which was designed to accommodate unexpected ductwork.

“When you build a vertical home, it requires a lot of steel,” Baumgartner says. “That also creates other challenges, especially when you have an HVAC duct running from the front to the back of the house.” While most builders would do a bump-out around the duct and call it a day, the Edward Franklin team incorporated an arch into the design. “It created this perfect little architectural moment that frames out the staircase and the multilevel chandelier.”

SARIS AND SPICE AND EVERYTHING NICE

Kansas City magazine’s editorial team explores the metro’s vibrant Indian community

By

Hodes,

David

Tyler Shane and Hampton Stevens

Photography by Zach Bauman, Pilsen Photo Coop and Kelly Powell

Namaste.

From chess and curry to saris and spice, the Kansas City Indian community is alive, active and growing.

The Kansas City magazine editorial team explored what makes the metro’s Indian community unique, from its spice shops and markets to its restaurants and associations. Come take a peek with us.

Sixty Years and Counting

THE INDIA ASSOCIATION of Kansas City is celebrating 60 years in 2025. The volunteer-run organization is “dedicated to representing the people of Indian heritage in and around the greater Kansas City area. Collaborating with various organizations, we foster unity among the Indian, Asian and American communities,” states the nonprofit’s website.

From dance competitions to expos to concerts, the IAKC is an important resource for the Indian community and the general public, says Usha Saha, president of the IAKC. Some of the organization’s signature events include India Fest, India Nite and a New Year’s ball.

“India’s heritage is a rich and vibrant tapestry, beautifully woven from the diverse threads of history, philosophy, art and tradition,” Saha says. “This legacy has profoundly shaped our past, continues to illuminate our present and inspires our journey into the future.”

Saha came to the U.S. from Vijayawada in southwest India in 1991 as a postdoctoral fellow at Kent State University before making her way to KC in 1992. She has been head of the IAKC since 2019.

“By sharing our rich culture with the broader community, we not only celebrate our roots but also contribute to fostering understanding and building a more inclusive and harmonious society,” Saha says. 

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY POWELL

Usha Saha, president of the Indian Association of Kansas City

Ultimately, it’s the smoky bits of char on the bubbly bread that makes naan a true delight, and Seva's specialty tandoor clay oven creates this.

Bar Naan

By Tyler Shane

“ROTI IS FOR everyday eating,” says Gurdev Singh as he sits at his Northland Indian restaurant Seva, having just ordered us a dish of tikka masala with a side of naan. “Naan is for special occasions.”

Singh, who hails from the northwest region of India in Punjab, prides himself on many aspects of his restaurant’s menu. Throughout it, vegetarian and vegan dishes boast fresh ingredients. His kitchen doesn’t use dyes (which can sometimes be the case if your tandoori chicken is a particularly bright shade of orange), and he chooses to keep the recipe to his popular tandoori fish a secret. And yet, it’s Seva’s naan that Singh says is “the best.” In contrast to the more dense and thin slices of roti, Seva’s naan is light and pillowy. It pulls apart with the ease of a fresh biscuit hot out the oven. But ultimately, it’s the smoky bits of char on the bubbly bread that make naan a true delight, and Seva’s specialty tandoor clay oven creates this.

Cooking naan in the oven is quick (Seva’s naan-maker says during a rush, he can prepare a slice of naan, from dough to crispy fluffy disc, in 50 seconds). The ball of naan dough is flattened, docked and then spread over what can only be described as a dome-shaped pillow. Using the pillow, the cook reaches down into the hot clay oven, which can be anywhere from 450 to 600 degrees, and stamps the dough against the oven’s walls. Sticking to the walls, the dough quickly bubbles and crisps. After about a minute, the cook uses a long poker tool to gently peel the naan off the oven’s wall, and it’s ready to serve immediately.

As Singh and I use the naan that I just watched bubble in the clay oven moments ago to scoop up bits of rice and creamy tikka masala, neither one of us talks much. We are, for the most part, absorbed in the beautiful food we’ve just been served—until Singh drops some undeniable wisdom.

“Whatever you are enjoying, you enjoy more with naan.” 

“At first, I kind of wanted to stay away from the Indian-ness of it all, but I just kind of gave into it because that is my heritage.”

Meet the Two Chefs Pioneering Modern Indian Food in Kansas City

By Tyler Shane

In a city where many Indian restaurants serve solid but similar menus, Ameet Malhotra and Swetha Newcomb’s new-age spin on the age-old cuisine is a welcome addition to KC’s food scene. The two chefs are putting a unique twist on the food of their grandmothers. While serving fusion cuisine doesn’t come without its challenges, Malhotra and Newcomb have found success in borrowing from their culinary heritage to create something new—even if it strays from tradition.

Swetha Newcomb of Of Course

TWO YEARS INTO operating her South JoCo restaurant Of Course, Newcomb is more confident than ever in her Midwestern-influenced Indian fusion menu. The secret to her success? Leaning in.

“At first, I kind of wanted to stay away from the Indian-ness of it all, but I just kind of gave into it because that is my heritage,” Newcomb says. “To do that, I needed to have my mom help me.”

Newcomb developed her own sort of worldly cooking style during her years as a private chef. Not wanting customers to put her cuisine in a box, she was initially hesitant to label Of Course an Indian restaurant, though the menu was certainly inspired by her Indian roots. As Newcomb continued to gravitate toward Indian flavors and cooking styles, she decided to have her mom, Geetha Gondi, who is from Hyderabad, India, come in and teach the staff some of her recipes and how to handle certain spices.

Newcomb says an Indian version of mirepoix, which includes ginger and garlic paste, creates the base of many of her restau-

rant’s dishes. And spices like mustard seed, cumin seed and chili powder are used liberally throughout the menu. Any of these aromatics can be found in Of Course’s more familiar Midwestern comfort meals like Caesar salads and grilled ribeyes.

Of Course’s menu is meant to be shared, similar to the family-style dining Newcomb grew up with. While eating food directly with your hands is common in India, Newcomb considers “less messy” ways for her customers to eat her food, like sourdough bread to accompany the egg curry toast (her personal favorite menu item) and a tostada as a vessel to scoop up the duck curry.

Of Course’s dining room matches its modern menu. The upscale venue is a sophisticated homage to the textures and colors of Indian culture. The beautiful large bar is also a perfect spot to enjoy the restaurant’s happy hour.

To anyone hesitant to try Indian food—or Newcomb’s take on it—she recommends getting the burger.

“Everyone is going to love the burger,” she says. 

INDIAN-CENTRIC MARKETS AROUND

THE METRO

Looking for a jar of pickled mango chutney or a package of pineapple cream biscuits? We’ve got you covered.

Ambica Foods

9054 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park

Himalayan Grocery 1406 Minnesota Ave., KCK

JS Taj Grocers and Sweet Shop 11830 Quivira Road, Overland Park

KC India Mart

8542 W. 133rd St., Overland Park

Namaste India Groceries

6741 W. 119th St., Overland Park

Midtown Market

3967 Main St., KCMO

Our Place Indian Grocery 11170 Antioch Road, Overland Park

Pan-Asia Market

11940 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park

Pak Halal

International Foods

12259 W. 87th St., Parkway, Lenexa

Rajadhani Indian Cuisine

12030 Blue Valley Parkway, Overland Park

Royal Spices

8380 W. 151st St., Overland Park

Shahrazad

International Market

12605 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park

Swagat Spice Bazaar

7407 N.W. 87th St., KCMO

TT Asian Grocery

10138 W. 119th St., Overland Park

Two Chefs

(Continued)

Ameet Malhotra of Elephant Wings

AMEET MALHOTRA PROBABLY wouldn’t have started his restaurant Elephant Wings if it wasn’t for the pandemic. Along with 200 others, the Mumbai native was laid off from his job at Hallmark in 2020, and it was then that he began cooking food out of his home and selling it to friends and family. When he had 45 people come to his door to pick up his butter chicken, he knew he was onto something. Malhotra learned how to cook Indian food from his father, but the graphic designerturned-chef has always put his own touch on the genre. Malhotra says he often dreams of dishes, like an Indian variation of ramen or a lamb rogan josh over rigatoni noodles, and will execute them the next day. His restaurant, Elephant Wings (which sits in a vendor space in the bottom northeast corner of the Crossroads food hall Parlor), features a fusion menu, with Indian flavors at each dish’s base. For example, a banh mi sandwich with cumin chicken and a coriander chutney is offered alongside a tikka masala poutine.

Malhotra began Elephant Wings as a pri-

vate dinner service (which he still does) and initially promised himself that he would never put butter chicken or tikka masala on his menu. Today, however, you’ll find both of those on his Parlor menu.

“I feel like I need to have something recognizable, something familiar,” Malhotra says.

Fusion food is, more often than not, a tough sell to wary customers, especially those who may not have an experimental palate. Malhotra says these customers are his biggest challenge.

“My message to them is to try to have an open mind,” Malhotra says.

For those who are unsure how one can skillfully execute masala mac and cheese or chili tandoori fries, rest assured that Malhotra successfully infuses his Indian roots into any dish. He recently won a taco competition hosted by the nonprofit KC Shepherd’s Center, triumphing over notable chefs like Chef Philip Thompson from Q39. Malhotra’s winning taco included cumin chicken, coriander chutney, corn jalapeno and a curried aioli. 

“I feel like I need to have something recognizable, something familiar.”

Tikka House spices

SpiceUpLifeYour

By Tyler Shane

SPICES ARE AN imperative element to Indian cuisine. What would a curry be without the warm fragrancy of garam masala, or a chutney without the peppery bite of coriander? These spices create the beautiful aromatic depth that Indian food is known for. At the long-standing family-run restaurant Tikka House in the River Market, rows and rows of Cambro tubs are filled to the brim with almost any and every spice you can think of.

“[The restaurant] grew from just a table of spices to now almost a thousand of them,” says Zade Alhabashi, whose mom, Manal Alhabashi, opened Tikka House in 2005. “There’s a bunch more upstairs. It’s like a rabbit hole.”

There’s the basics—paprika, garlic powder, curry powder, parsley and the like. There’s also common blends like Italian seasoning and herbs de Provence. Then there’s the more specialty blends, which go by names like Buddha Belly, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Bomb Diggity and Slap Yo Mama.

Tikka House makes custom blends for tons of restaurants and food operations around the city, like spice mixes for pickling companies and top-secret rubs for barbecue teams.

“I think that’s what makes us unique,” Zade says. “Anyone can come in here and get a custom spice blend. We also cater to dietary restrictions and have a salt-free section.”

Zade is Manal’s oldest son, and along with helping the family business, he sells spices with his brother, Laith, at the Overland Park Farmers’ Market under the vendor name Bazaar Spice.

Many of Tikka House’s and Bazaar’s spices are brought in from out of the country. Manal travels to her home country of Jordan every couple of months to seek out and bring back spices and seasonings of great quality. There’s a lot of counterfeit spices out there, and the Alhabashi family knows how to suss them out.

Take, for example, saffron, the beloved and expensive bits of red flower revered in Indian cuisine and known for its unparalleled earthy and floral flavor. Zade says you can test the quality of saffron by dipping it in water. If it stains the water, it’s been treated with a red dye and is an inferior product. When you buy saffron from Manal, rest assured she is worth her salt, so to speak.

“It looks like an episode of Narcos,” Zade jokes. “She travels back with duffel bags filled with kilos of saffron.”

For those who patron Tikka House for their spice haul, you’ll write down your order on one of the clipboards near the restaurant’s entrance. An employee will scoop your chosen spices in bags and deliver them to the cashier. While you’re waiting, you can order one of the restaurant’s popular menu items: samosas and tikka masala.

As for Bazaar Spice, you can find Zade and Laith with their colorful spices at the Overland Park Farmers’ Market beginning this month. (It should be noted that the market will take place at the Matt Ross Community Center (8101 Marty St., Overland Park) while the pavilion undergoes renovations). Zade hopes to eventually open a deli where he can also sell his spices. 

FIVE SPOTS TO GRAB LASSI IN KC

Lassi is a simple and refreshing beverage that has a smoothie-like texture and is great to cool off with in the warmer months. The creamy, frothy drink is one of the most popular in India. It’s traditionally a blend of yogurt, water, milk or cream, and sometimes spices or fruit. Here’s where we recommend grabbing a glass:

Korma Sutra 12112 W. 87th St. Parkway, Lenexa kckormasutra.net

Seva Cuisine of India 8674 N.E. Flintlock Road, KCMO sevacuisineofindia.com

Raj Express 11721 College Blvd., Overland Park rajexpressop.com

World Fresh Market 10303 Metcalf Ave,, Overland Park worldfreshmarketkc.com

Taj Mahal 7521 Wornall Road, KCMO kctajmahal.com

Midwest Masala

By Hampton Stevens

FOOD IS LOVE. Just ask Jyoti Mukharji.

“In India, we don’t express our love in words,” she says. In the Western world, Mukharji explains, everybody says I love you. “You tell your parents that. You tell your friends that. You tell your children. In India, nobody talks that way. It’s never expressed in that way. The way love is expressed is through food.”

Love is a set of actions, in other words, with the cooking and sharing of favorite foods being among the most intimate and vital.

Seventy-one-year-old Mukharji explains this in her Uttar Pradesh accent right before one of the wildly successful cooking classes she holds in her red brick Prairie Village home. The interior of the house is warm and welcoming. The foyer is stuffed with houseplants, and the walls are adorned with a mix of Indian artifacts and traditional western decor. Wearing a pale purple top beneath her black apron, Mukharji leads me to a clean and spacious kitchen. Her dark hair is streaked with gray. The day’s ingredients are organized on a big, granite-topped center island.

A half dozen women and one man— students all—share the space. Her classes, though, are often much larger. Recently, she hosted a single class of 23 souls.

The popularity is understandable. It’s a charming, fulfilling experience. Mukharji starts class with a bit of personal history. Then she might explain the differences

between green and black cardamom or how to know when cooking oil is hot enough to fry with. Maybe she hands out curry leaves for students to sniff and chew. Maybe she demonstrates the preparation of Bharva Murgh Tangdii, a spicy stuffed drumstick, or Badshah Ka Korma, her chicken and potato curry. As a side dish, you might get Jeera Mutter (peas seasoned with cumin and ginger).

It’s glorious, smart stuff—a mix of restaurant staples, regional favorites and Mukharji originals. There’s an almost symphonic progression in her mastery of India’s regional flavors. The savory, spicy, salty and sweet tastes rise and fall on the palette like the strings, horns, woodwinds and percussion of a finely balanced orchestra.

Mukharji, however, prefers a choreography metaphor. “Your tongue,” she tells me, “should be dancing with every dish that you try.”

She started leading that dance more than 20 years ago. “I always had a passion to teach,” she says, but life came first. She went to medical school, started a pathology practice, got married and had children. She left medicine in 1987, though, to care for her three boys, including one with a disability. “I wanted to make sure that I was on his team.”

More than two decades later, she started teaching—an occurrence she repeatedly describes as “a fluke.”

CLASSIC KC ’CUE WITH AN INDIAN TWIST

Known for his uniquely eclectic approach to creating classic ’cue, Tyler Harp of Harp Barbecue has quickly become a KC BBQ scene legend. He recently moved his Raytown restaurant to southern Overland Park (12094 W. 135th St., OP), where a large contingent of Indians have settled, and he has begun to experiment with barbecue-Indian fusion offerings, like an andouille sausage with tandoor flavor and turmeric.

“Southeast Asian food, outside of barbecue, has honestly been my biggest passion,” Harp says. “For the most part, our barbecue is more savory, so I think it works with Indian spices.”

Harp has created tandoori chicken skewers for lunch and is working on a prime rib using different Indian spices for dinner. “So the prime rib will be seasoned with salt, garlic and pepper, but then we’re also going to go with spicy curry powder, some turmeric and tandoori with that as well,” he says. “Some bold, good flavors. You got to figure out what sells and what people react to and what people want.”

In 2009, Mukharji was involved in an organization called, at the time, Head Start (now known as Growing Futures Early Education Center). “I was on the board and used to donate an Indian dinner for eight to the silent auction.”

One year, though, a friend and fellow board member also wanted to donate a dinner. “She came to me and said, ‘Instead of us doing two dinners, why don’t you do a cooking class?’”

A teaching star was born. Or maybe a teaching Buddha.

“The day I did my first class, it was like I had achieved Nirvana,” she says. “My passion to cook and my passion to teach just came together.”

Since then, she’s taught an astonishing number of students. Despite zero advertising and no social media presence, more than 6,000 people have learned from her over the years—with many returning again and again.

“I have a lady who has done 94 of my classes,” Mukharji says.

If you don’t have time to take 90-plus classes, though, fear not. You can still taste her passion. Mukharji, along with one of her sons, has written a cookbook.

In keeping with her meticulous nature, the book took seven years to write. Called Heartland Masala, Mukharji says it’s a “300-page cookbook with 100 recipes that have been thoroughly researched,” replete with recipe origin stories.

Her middle son, Auyon, an accomplished musician and visual artist as well as a culinary historian, provided illustrated vignettes for the tome.

Heartland Masala comes out in September. For now, though, Mukharji’s on to her next class.

“I’ve been doing it for 15 years, and as I’m getting older, instead of it wearing me out and me burning out, I’m getting more invigorated doing it,” she says. “It just gives me so much gratification, so much happiness to see the smiles on the faces of the people who come and who enjoy the experience.”

She definitely isn’t in it for the money. All the proceeds from her classes go to local nonprofits, including Growing Futures, Gift of Life and Friends of Chamber Music. In other words, just like the Indian culinary culture she celebrates, Mukharji shares her food as an expression of love. 

To learn more about Mukharji’s cooking class or to preorder an autographed copy of her book, email jmukharji@gmail.com. The book can also be preordered on Amazon or at Barnes and Noble.

“The day I did my first class, it was like I had achieved Nirvana. My passion to cook and my passion to teach just came together.”

Jyoti Mukharji teaching one of her cooking classes

Vibrant Voices

KC’s Indian community is creating generational roots and sharing their culture

By David Hodes

KANSAS CITY HAS long been a place of opportunity. The scores of immigrant groups that have chosen to settle here are proof. From the Irish, Germans, Polish and Croatians to Italians, Koreans, Hmong and Hispanics, many groups have made a mark, bringing with them bits and pieces of their culture. With delicious food, gorgeous traditional garments and high civic engagement, a growing vibrant Indian community is making its mark, too.

The local Indian population has grown steadily to about 4,000 families, according to the findings of the Kansas City Convention and Visitors Bureau, with some Indian residents estimating the population at twice that size. Many say it began with pediatrician Dr. Nirmal Kumar Mitra, a native Indian who settled in the metropolitan area in 1955. He is often referred to as the elder statesman of the Kansas City Indian community. Second and third generation Indians are now here, and they consider Kansas City their permanent home.

There are significant Indian student populations at Johnson County Community College, UMKC, and Avila University. Indian students are 12.6 percent of the international student body at KU; over the last several years the total Indian population of students on the KU campus has grown at an average rate of 7.3 percent, according to a University of Kansas International Affairs Report.

Preeti Goyal, the media and promotions manager of the Indian Association of Kansas City, moved to KC in 2005 from Boston with her husband, Anul, when he got a job working for Sprint, now T-Mobile. “There is a very vibrant Indian community in Kansas City,” she says. The goal of the association is to unite the Indian community and provide resources for living and working here.

“I came from the northern part of India and lived in Boston in 2001,” Goyal says. “Boston culture was way different than what we have in Kansas City. There was a lot of Indian community there, too, but we wondered if we made the right decision [to move to KC] or not.”

Two weeks later, she got her answer. “My son was in kindergarten in Boston and in first grade when we moved here,” she says. “He asked why is his papa was home so early in the daytime. He had never seen his dad home in the daytime because the Boston commute times were so long. My son was so surprised and happy when I told him, ‘Now Papa is going to be home in the daytime to play with you.’ Then we realized that this is a great city to raise our kids because everything is so close by.”

The Indian community has comfortably assimilated, says Goyal. They not only celebrate Indian holidays with festivals throughout the year but also Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween and, yes, even St. Patrick’s Day.

The American Dream is alive

Sachin Chaudhari, his wife, Archana, and daughter Hriyda, moved from Mumbai to San Francisco in 2011. Chaudhari then got a job offer to work in Kansas City in 2015 for Salesforce as the program IT architect director. They settled in Overland Park and had another daughter, Saachi. “Kansas City is home,” Chaudhari says. “Even though our generation did all our education and everything back in India, we came here with a job and had the American dream of the pursuit of happiness.”

His family celebrates various Indian festivals but also participates in the city’s St Patrick’s parade, too. “We have a drum group,” he says. “We get a big trailer for the parade, and we dress up in a combination of green plus fusion with Indian clothing. That’s because we cannot be completely Indian and live in Kansas City. And we cannot be completely American. It’s the fusion of those two cultures.”

They also celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving. “There is not a clear-cut distinction between what’s an American festival versus Indian culture with us,” he says. “Everybody celebrates every festival because it’s an opportunity to know the different cultures. It’s an opportunity to participate and get involved. It’s a willingness to know what the other culture brings in and then how we can adapt it.”

Kansas City has a charm that the Indian community finds appealing. “It is like a city, but it’s also like a suburb,” Overland Park resident Neelakandan Seshan says. He moved with his wife and two kids here in 2008 after graduating from Periyar University in South India with a masters of business administration degree in computer and information sciences.

After a dozen years as a solutions architect with Dell, Seshan began work in IT as a cloud and infrastructure architect and system administrator for Concentrix, a global technology and services company, in October 2024. “Kansas City is very calm,” Seshan says. “I have American neighbors and one from Ireland. So I feel like we’re all pretty close. I feel it’s like a family. I can talk to anyone.”

Several local Indian-owned international IT tech businesses are based in the metro, such as Object Technology Solutions Inc., founded in 1999 and headquartered in Overland Park. OTSI is led by founder and executive chairman Narasimha Gondi. Global Soft Systems, founded in 2001 and also headquartered in Overland Park, is led by president and CEO Gopal Aedma.

But it’s not just IT jobs at big companies attracting Indian migrants to Kansas City. It’s the lure of community coupled with the opportunity for entrepreneurship.

Vijay Malik, an entrepreneur living in Westport, moved to KC with his family when he was five. His father, Madanjit, was an architect and urban planner who got his degree at the University of Southern California, then traveled back to New Delhi hoping to work in government.

Madanjit married and started his family in India, but he soon discovered how corrupt the government was. “He said that one of the things that turned him off about the Indian government was—there’s a word for it, but basically it was bribe money,” Malik says. “There was a 10 percent bribe to be paid to the government for any contract work.”

The family moved to the U.S. in 1968 when Malik was five years old, landing in Memphis on the day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. They found a home in the suburbs of Memphis, then moved to Kansas City in 1977 to a house at 62nd and Wornall. Malik’s father worked for the city as an urban planner.

Malik, who went to Southwest High School, moved to the East Coast for a bit but made his way back to Kansas City to be with his family. He started his own business after college, engineering and creating durable household goods. Malik’s shoe rack product was recently accepted for sale at Walmart, a major win for him. “We settled in Kansas City because of the clean air, the affordable housing, the lack of congestion, the ease of life,” Malik says. “Clean air is nothing to take for granted. If you travel the world, there’s some nasty environments. There’s no blue sky in Shanghai, the saying goes.”

having a get-together and ask her if she could cook for them. She used to cook in the garage, then take the food and deliver it to them.”

“It was like two of my friends who knew two people,” Shagan says. “Whatever I would cook for Sam for the road, I would ask them if they’re interested, and then I would cook extra. And these two people knew four more people, and then that group just got bigger and bigger.”

Sam Bajwa and his wife Shagan have their hands in several businesses. In 1993, Sam moved to Vancouver from his home in Punjab, India. Shagan came to New York in 1993 from a village in Punjab. Their marriage was arranged by Shagan’s grandmother, who was living in Canada. They married in Canada in 1997 and had three sons: Manver, 27; Mohabat, 26; and Shahbaz, 25. The family has lived in Overland Park since 2004.

The couple started off in Overland Park with a gas station. Shagan worked there until getting a job at a Mazuma Credit Union in 2006 while Sam also ran a trucking business. This is also when Shagan began cooking. “She had a passion for cooking,” Sam says. “While she was working at the bank, she used to take food for her co-workers for company parties. Then people would tell her that they were

Shagan worked at the bank until 5 pm, went home and started cooking for people in their garage. “I said, ‘You are killing yourself with all this cooking,’” Sam says. “I was making decent money, so I said I could support her if she wanted to quit at the bank. So she gave her two weeks’ notice at the end of 2016.”

The garage was too small for her growing cooking business, so they took the leap and opened their own restaurant, Shagan’s at 145th and Metcalf in 2018, featuring northern India Punjabi cuisine. They opened another Shagan’s at 84th and Ward Parkway in late 2022.

And they came to love Kansas City— despite its huge difference to their life in Punjab, a city with a population of 24 million. “My brother asked what is there in Kansas City,” she says. “I said it’s like a village. I like the feeling, the quiet, and it’s laid back.”

SARIS AND LEHENGAS

Headed to an Indian wedding? Or just want to look fabulous? Here are a few places in town to find traditional Indian garments.

Leharr Collection

The Leharr Collection was founded in 2012 by Chetna Ranat after she searched for high-end traditional clothing to no avail. She realized there was an untapped market for exceptional designs, quality and personalized service. Based in Overland Park, the Leharr Collection uses a mix of traditional and modern design elements and sells ready-to-wear and couture pieces. Ranat sees clients by appointment only. To learn more visit leharrcollection. com or call 913-735-5143.

Remya’s Classy Missy Boutique

This Overland Park-based boutique sells a wide range of traditional Indian garments for every budget. Customers can place an order online or call for an appointment. To learn more, visit remyasclassymissy.com or call 913-804-7764.

Paridhan Indian Clothing Boutique

The owners of the Paridhan Indian Clothing Boutique in Overland Park have decided to call it quits, but they still have merchandise and are having a going-out-of-business sale. The owners are seeing customers by appointment only. For more information, call 913-544-7715.

Shagan and Sam Bajwa PHOTOGRAPHY

Bollywood Comes to JoCo

By David Hodes

JOYA KAZI, 36, is an Indian choreographer, dancer and rising global superstar. She was born in Mumbai in 1988, then moved to Los Angeles in 2012 to study dance at the University of Califor nia-Davis. She was a dance pro at age 8, went into business with her own company at 16 and was financially independent at 18.

Kazi credits a classical Indian dancer she saw on a Michael Jackson video when she was three years old as her inspiration. She’s worked on U.S. television shows, danced with John Travolta in one of her first Bollywood star gigs, and is currently busy directing and performing in her U.S. tour “Rhythm India: Bolly wood and Beyond.”

KCM caught up with Kazi before her March 8 show at Yardley Hall in Johnson County Community College.

About coming to Kansas City:

“We're so excited to just simply bring the show all across the country. Most of all, we wanted to bring it to places that don't get the opportunity to be able to have that exposure to different types of music and dance and culture. Coming to Kansas City for us is just an opportunity to really share our culture and invite people in to experience the music, the history, the dancing.

About the historical significance of her show:

“There's so much more rich history behind each of the dance styles, knowing that so many of these classical dances that are thousands and thousands of years old have gone on from generation to generation. They have survived a movement during British rule where everything was outlawed. Indians worked so hard to continue practicing each of these traditions and passing them along, so it’s a privilege for us living in America to be able to even learn these dances and a privilege to be able to share that with everyone.”

About changing perceptions:

think that I would be extremely westernized and extremely modern and not really in touch with my culture. But I love stepping between those two dichotomies and just bridging the East and West, and that's something that I really try to do with my work.”

About what the music teaches:

“When I am here in the West, people perceive India to be almost like a Third World country. But it's extremely modern. And even in the dance industry, everything there is a lot more modernized. They have their own styles of underground, hip-hop, rock and metal music. It's a completely different world. When I go there, they're so surprised to see how deeply ingrained I am in the Indian classical arts and music living in America. They would

“We get to just live our dreams out on stage. It’s important for us to have the responsibility to our audience to transport them to a completely different place, to a magical world. Whether we're showing joy or pain or sorrow or excitement with our dance moves, it's really just taking people on an adventure with you, and a journey where you really feel the music. That's what's so unique about Indian music. Even if you don't understand the music, you will feel the emotions from the music, the instrumentation, even the dancing. I find it to be such a privilege to be able to live this life as a performer and a dancer.” 

Bollywood superstar Joya Kazi

FLAVORS Spring

Q39 , q39kc.com

Since 2014, Q39 has served chef-driven barbeque, with a foundation built on a hybrid of traditional culinary training and competition barbeque by founder Chef Rob Magee. His innovation has carried on in the work of co-founder and CEO, Kelly Magee. She continues to deliver new and delicious menu additions that offer complementary flavors to their original barbeque staples. Coming later this spring, you can feast on a wood-fired Canadian Salmon Salad, featuring mixed greens, potato, celery, green beans, cucumber, teardrop peppers all topped with a balsamic dressing.

GREEN DIRT ON OAK , oak.greendirtfarm.com

Spring at Green Dirt on Oak is a time of renewal, where they highlight the fresh, vibrant flavors of the Midwest through their sustainable practices and partnerships with local farmers. The Spring lamb dishes and cheeses take center stage, paired with tender greens, bright herbs, and house made accompaniments. Every dish is crafted with care, celebrating the season’s bounty while honoring our commitment to sustainability. Visit Green Dirt on Oak as they welcome spring with flavors that are fresh, local, and thoughtfully sourced!

TACO NACO KC , taconacokc.com

With spring in the air and temperatures on the rise, there’s nothing more palatable than the fresh, quality ingredients that TACO NACO KC serves up. The Chicken Al Pastor Taco is among the seasonal favorites and it’s a must try. The chicken is marinated in achiote, topped with cilantro aioli, fresh pineapple-onion relish, and cilantro microgreens in a white corn nixtamal tortilla. Its light floral, peppery flavor delivers a dash of sweet and savory profile. Pair with the Tomatillo-Jalapeno Salsa to bring out a bright, citrusy tang. To get the best bang for your buck, stop in for Taco Tuesday and enjoy three tacos for $11.25 or happy hour weekdays from 2-5 pm with special promotions on margaritas, cervezas and agua frescas.

CINDER BLOCK BREWERY , cinderblockbrewery.com

Perfection doesn’t come easy, folks, but the brewmasters at Cinder Block Brewery are consistently fine-tuning their process to ensure the highest quality brew makes it to your glass. The latest is their seasonal Cinderveza, a Mexican-style lager brewed with fresh lime zest. Its light and crisp notes make it a spring favorite. Available in stores and at local bars April through May. While visiting the brewery, check out The Commons, a throwback game bar connected to Cinder Block Brewery. This new concept for the Northlands will offer a full bar with craft cocktails and a selection of local beers. It's the perfect place to unwind, sip, and socialize. Coming this spring.

FLAVORS , Spring

FLAVORS

SROVALF Spring

, TOP LEFT: Chicken Al Pastor Taco from TACO NACO KC TOP RIGHT: Lamb from Green Dirt on Oak

BOTTOM LEFT: Cinderveza from Cinder Block Brewery BOTTOM RIGHT: Wood-fired Canadian Salmon Salad from Q39

Every Wednesday, six strangers meet for dinner. Should you join?

By Shauna Gilden / Illustration by WACSO

IN A WORLD dominated by digital interactions, there’s a new social app organizing in-person group meetups. It’s not only refreshing; it seems to be working, too.

Operating in more than 285 cities, including Kansas City, the Timeleft app connects 16,000 individuals every Wednesday night for special dinners. The app uses an algorithm to pair six compatible strangers, with the aim of fostering authentic dialogue in a relaxed, face-to-face environment.

Feeling adventurous, I decided to take the plunge and sign up for a dinner. I downloaded the app, paid the monthly fee and started filling out my profile with such details as age range, interests, profession, food preferences and musical tastes. Once complete, I selected a date for my dinner, and just like that, I was matched with five strangers. Anticipation built from that moment on.

The night before our meetup, the app provided details about my fellow guests, including their professions and astrological signs. The day of, I received the name and address of a trendy downtown Kansas City sushi spot for our 7 pm gathering. I was curious, nervous and enthusiastic all at once. Arriving early, I was greeted by a fellow diner—a warm, confident woman in her mid-40s already seated at the table. We hit it off immediately, and my pre-dinner jitters slipped away. Soon, another guest arrived—slightly reserved, yet welcoming. The atmosphere was friendly and inviting. Next, an animated woman in her 50s joined us, bringing an infectious uplifting energy. By the time the last guests arrived, we had seven instead of six—a delightful surprise—and all of us were women. Remarkably, everyone was a first-timer except for one seasoned attendee who had engaged in two previous dinners.

There we were, seven strangers hailing from different corners of the city—Lawrence, the Crossroads, Olathe, North of the River, and even far from KC, in St. Louis. It quickly felt like I was with old friends. Our professions were diverse: health care, media, law and agriculture.

The conversation was engaging and flowed as freely as the cocktails. We opened up about parenting, divorces, dating, marriage and career journeys. Genuine connections were built.

At 8:30 pm, the app pinged with a surprise notification inviting us to post-dinner cocktails nearby with other Timeleft groups. Caught up in the warmth of our evening, we were reluctant to part ways. Instead, we exchanged phone numbers and agreed to plan another girls’ night—perhaps the start of a cherished new tradition.

As we said our goodbyes, half the group departed, but three of us were too intrigued to call it a night. Curious about the next spot, we ventured onward to meet up with even more strangers. There were men and women there, all primarily in their 30s, but all also seeking meaningful connections.

Later that evening, as I climbed into bed, I reflected on our dinner with a sense of pride. We had shared so much and embraced the thrill of stepping outside our comfort zones. For some, it meant confronting fears; for others, it was about pursuing personal goals. One of us tried

“What if dinner with five strangers could change your life?”

sushi for the first time. What could have been another dull Wednesday night on the couch transformed into laughter and heartwarming stories. More importantly, I welcomed six new friends into my life. A text chain was begun, and we made plans for our next meetup. I say take the plunge. Try it out. What if dinner with five strangers could change your life? I can confidently say, for me, it already has.

Contributor Shauna Gilden, who grew up in Kansas City, has spent the last several decades in Los Angeles. She recently moved back to the area and has been pushing herself outside her comfort zone, getting to know her hometown all over again.

Native Seed

A Shawnee couple is producing seeds right here, creating plants better suited to the Midwest

By Jill Draper

Photography by Laura Morsman

THE REVELATION WAS startling when it came to a pair of plant biologists already deep into graduate school studies: The huge majority of seeds sold in the United States are produced overseas in low-cost labor markets like China and India. Often traded through the Netherlands, they’re repackaged under different brand names.

“Even heirloom seeds,” says Nancy Kost. “It’s really kind of shocking.”

“It’s a bit frightening, too, in terms of national security,” says Matthew Kost, Nancy’s husband.

The two met at Ohio State University in 2009. Nancy had grown up in Bolivia, where the potato was first domesticated, and the two struck up a conversation about the lowly spud. “That was my pickup line,” Matthew remembers. “She lit up.”

Now married with two children, the Kosts own and operate a company that produces seeds locally so the plants that grow from them are better suited to the Midwest. Their emphasis on hometown horticulture is all about promoting biodiversity and healthy communities.

The Buffalo Seed Company is headquartered at the Kosts’ Shawnee home, but their seed-producing plants are grown on plots scattered throughout the area. None of the plots are irrigated or chemically fertilized—the only additions are compost, chicken manure and local straw for mulch and weed control.

No watering? How does that work in Kansas City’s drought-prone summers, where temperatures can reach 100 degrees or more?

“With some varieties, the climate will knock out 95 percent of plants the first year,” Matthew says. “We save seeds from the 5 percent that survive. The next year, the majority of those plants will live. We let nature do what it’s gonna do, and it’s surprising how quickly the selection process happens.”

“We’re stewarding these seeds,” Nancy says. “Even after just two or three years, you start seeing a better product.”

The Kosts founded their company in 2018, and many of the 375 types of seeds for sale (vegetables, fruit, grains, herbs and flowers) have undergone seven to eight years of adaptation on land the couple owns and on other plots farmed by a network of contract growers. Matthew, who has a Ph.D. in evolutionary agroecology, first sources seeds from locations around the world that most closely match our climate. These include parts of Eastern Europe, northeastern China and Turkey.

The seeds often come from national seed banks, where they’re available to researchers and businesses, but not the general public. It’s a gap the Kosts aim to bridge between seeds locked in banks and seeds that can be purchased retail by individual farmers and gardeners.

Matthew gets additional seeds from local farmers who have saved them for generations, like a woman in Lawrence who noticed her heirloom tomatoes—Arkansas Traveler and Wood’s Famous Brimmer—set fruit during summer’s hottest days when other tomatoes quit.

Seeds also come from friends and immigrants. As a former director of Cultivate Kansas City, Matthew oversaw the organization’s New Roots program for refugees and became familiar with plants like green eggplant and Burmese winter squash.

The squash, for example, was encouraged to cross-pollinate with other winter squash into a true Midwestern variety that the Kosts simply call America. Sweeter than pumpkin, Nancy uses it for her Thanksgiving pies.

When a seed variety adapts itself to a local region but still grows with a range of sizes, shapes and/or colors, it’s known as a landrace. Most seed companies don’t sell landraces because customers want to know exactly what they’re going to get. But a diverse output is the key to surviving changing weather conditions and harmful insect attacks.

Nancy, who studied tomato breeding, grows a highly mixed patch of tomatoes that yield different sizes at different times in colors ranging from red and yellow to purple and orange. They’re all slicers, however, and all good to eat. Too difficult to separate, the seeds are called All Welcome.

The opposite of diversity can happen when plants become too uniform over time. That’s when the Kosts add some of the older, less adapted seeds back to the population. “It’s a sweet spot we try to hit,” Matthew says. Buffalo Seeds can be ordered online or found at Merriam Feed and Seed and the Overland Park Farmers’ Market from a vendor called Dirt Beast Farm. The Kosts also hope to arrange sales at Made in KC stores this spring—because seeds shaped by Kansas City’s soil and climate are the ultimate in locally made.

“We’re thesestewarding seeds. Even after just two or three years, you start seeing a better product.”

PICTURED, LEFT TO RIGHT: Silveria, Nancy, Matthew and Thomas Kost

KC’s Very Own Chi-Town Hot Dog

By Tyler Shane

STATIONED IN FRONT of a KCK strip mall church, Morty’s Chicago food cart (1919 W. 43rd Ave., KCK), with its bright-yellow Vienna Beef flag, looks as if it’s been plucked straight from the Windy City. It’s known for serving the Italian beef sandwich, but there are several other places in KC where you can get a solid Italian

beef (Sauls and Jim’s Alley Bar, for example). There are far fewer spots where you can find Chicago’s extremely unique hot dog, and Morty’s is one of them.

The Chicago dog is not fancy, but it’s perfect in its own right. It comes “dragged through the garden,” meaning garnished with sliced onions, tomato wedges, sport peppers, celery salt and yellow mustard (ketchup is considered sacrilegious on the Windy City’s dog) and, best of all, a whole pickle spear.

When stopping by, be sure to give the man himself, Morty, a generous tip while you’re ordering. The owner pops up with his food cart six days a week, rain or shine.

by

Photography

Kelly Powell

Time to Linger at Le Lounge

By Tyler Shane

THE BOUTIQUE HOTEL No Vacancy’s bar Le Lounge is definitely for lounging, despite its new and much larger space. Spencer Sight, the hotel’s owner, relocated the stylish bar from its original second floor location, only accessible from an alley and long flight of stairs, to a newly acquired ground floor spot in the same Crossroads building.

The original Le Lounge had that air of excitement that hotel bars are known for, and for those who enjoyed its original location’s exclusive coolness, don’t worry—the bar’s new locale has the same sexy grandeur, just with a bit more room and seating.

No Vacancy (1717 Wyandotte St., KCMO), an eight-room hotel with event space, takes up about 30 percent of the much larger Monogram Building, which was built in 1925 for film company Monogram Pictures. So when the building’s corner space became available, acquiring it seemed like an obvious choice.

Sight has completely renovated the industrial space, and yet Le Lounge’s new digs invoke a feeling of timelessness.

Original elements, such as exposed brick and a front door with transom windows, along with a dark-green vintage circular banquette from Midtown’s vintage market

Urban Mining, make the bar feel like it’s been there for ages. However, as much as Sight loves sourcing vintage furniture, he says it can be difficult for such pieces to stand up in a commercial setting. Instead, he designed almost all of Le Lounge’s furniture himself and had an architect in Istanbul build it.

With orange velvet armchairs, deep maroon banquettes and a cherry wood-lined bar, Le Lounge has that elusive romance and ritzy refinement essential to any hotel bar. Cream-colored scallop drapes cover the bar’s windows so it feels private. As a pedestrian, the only way you’d know there was a bar inside is by the small neon sign in the window that reads “cocktails.”

Le Lounge’s menu is full of classics, and I can’t help but recommend the martini. Lead bartender Manny Gomez uses liquid nitrogen, which helps the martini glass stay colder for longer. The no-frills cocktail is a hotel bar essential, and Le Lounge does it justice.

Harp Moves South

By John Martellaro

IT’S NOT EXACTLY like Arthur Bryant’s is shuttering the Brooklyn Avenue shrine and relocating to, say, the Legends in KCK. Still, when one of the metro’s most acclaimed barbecue purveyors moves 20 miles to the south and west and across the state line, it’s big news in Barbecue World.

Harp Barbecue, which originated as a pop-up at Crane Brewing in Raytown before setting up its own shop on Raytown Road, moved to southern Overland Park in October 2024 (12094 W. 135th St., Overland Park). Harp’s uniquely eclectic approach to barbecue incorporates influences from various barbecue hotspots of the South and West into the classic Kansas City style. That approach, combined with effective creativity and flawless execution, vaulted the relative newcomer to the top of various regional barbecue charts, including a top-10 ranking in Kansas City magazine.

So, what sets Harp Barbecue apart? Chef-owner Tyler Harp adds some Tennessee tang to his pulled pork and a hint of San Antonio saltiness to his acclaimed beef brisket, while his meltingly tender, flavorful spare ribs are pure Kansas City. The brisket, in particular, combines beautifully with the house sauce, which leans to the sweet end of the sugar-vinegar spectrum. Assorted house-made sausage varieties are another highlight, including a blueberry-white cheddar version, in which the fruit provides an accent flavor but not overt sweetness.

Sides include a creamy mac and cheese made with pasta shells, classic beans and a twice-baked potato salad. The highlight is a sweet potato mash that tastes like pie without the crust.

Harp isn’t just slapping styles together at random. Take, for example, how he constructed one of the most original, and delicious, barbecue sandwiches in town: the Pastrami Bomb. It offers smoked pastrami on marble rye with coleslaw and a Carolina-style mustard sauce—with a twist.

“I used to live in New York City, where I really discovered hot pastrami,” Harp says. “We are pretty fortunate here in Kansas City to have Browne’s (Irish Marketplace) keeping that flame alive here. Outside of that, there’s not a lot of other places you can find it. Mustard is the condiment served the most with pastrami. Sauerkraut is fermented cabbage, and because we make pastrami with pork belly instead of beef, the vinegar in the coleslaw helps cut through the richness of the meat.”

As a final touch, Harp bases his mustard sauce on a whole grain variety instead of the smooth yellow base typical in Carolina. “We’re just cramming as much flavor as we can in there,” Harp says.

He put just as much forethought into choosing his new location, near the corner of 135th and Quivira.

“Our lease was expiring in Raytown, and we felt like we had maximized our growth in that location,” he says. “We have a pretty decent following out here in Overland Park and Olathe, and in this area, we have a lot of outdoor activity, ball fields, soccer fields, golf courses. So we expect things to really pick up as the weather warms up.”

The new location is the former site of Jon Russell’s Barbecue, which Harp often visited with his family while growing up. The cozy, comfy counter-service dining room has a classic rib joint atmosphere with checkered tablecloths, brick and corrugated tin walls, and photos of Kansas City landmarks and sports teams.

Divine Design

John O’Brien, designer of KC’s hottest restaurants, talks design, his latest project and his perfect day in KC

By Tyler Shane

THERE’S A LOT more to a restaurant’s success than food and drink, and at many of the most beloved restaurants in KC, that “more” starts with John O’Brien. Walk into any of the restaurants O’Brien and his team at Hammer Out Design have designed—like Brookside’s Earl’s Premier and Bacaro Primo or the West Bottoms’ Voltaire and Golden Ox—and you’ll notice a transportive quality. To dine at any one of his restaurants is to be whisked away from the outside world, even if for just a couple of hours. That’s because O’Brien’s work goes beyond throwing on a coat of paint, installing a bar or moving some furniture around. He and his team aren’t in the interior design business. They’re in the business of storytelling.

O’Brien describes restaurants as “magical little beings,” places where people come for an experience—to nourish themselves with food and community. To create that magic, many, if not hundreds, of elements must come together.

“If you have the food side plus the magic of an interior, and you can bring those together to start a restaurant outright, it can be pretty wonderful,” says O’Brien, who got his start working under Paul Robinson of the local Gilbert/Robinson restaurant empire.

From lighting and seating to the finer details like coat hooks and tip jars, O’Brien, his daughter Kaitlyn and his design partner Justin Gainan thrift and pull from their personal collections to bring a space to life. They don’t hesitate to travel across the country to snag some secondhand light fixtures from a Whirlpool factory in Fayetteville or the wooden remnants of a former butcher shop in Corpus Christi. It’s this sort of clunky improvisation that gives their spaces that timeless character the team has become known for.

Photography by Kelly Powell

“We always gotta have a few doors, some lumber or slabs on hand,” says Gainan, who has been working alongside O’Brien for 22 years. “Those things turn into different things. Some might become a bench, some might become shelves for a back bar. There’s a really special moment when things start to congeal. The restaurant begins to show itself.”

O’Brien and his team bring an almost spiritual quality to their craft. Collaboration and embracing imperfection are two of their core principles. Ironically, one of the biggest reasons their spaces (they design more than restaurants, but the food industry is their bread and butter) are so smartly done is because they don’t overthink it.

“I think sometimes the worst thing people do is overthink it,” O’Brien says. “You can feel that sometimes when you walk into a place—they’ve spent too much money, they’ve overthought it. It doesn’t have the magic.”

Nour’s, the team’s latest restaurant project, is a great example of Hammer Out Design’s “magic.” The restaurant, which will soon open at 39th Street and Warwick Boulevard in Park 39, a mixed-use building, is helmed by chef Marwan Chebaro, who has been working as a caterer for Sprint, Cerner and KU Med the last several years. Nour’s is an homage to Chebaro’s daughter, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 29.

JOHN O’BRIEN’S PERFECT DAY IN KC

Coffee

O’Brien and his team have been working on the space for two years, and unlike Earl’s and the Golden Ox, which have an old-school appearance, Nour’s has a brighter, more colorful and modern aesthetic. It has a massive open kitchen, a bar, a grab-and-go section, a maker’s market and plenty of seating. Still, with all this, there are elements that make the space more than just a place to eat and drink. A massive Persian rug hung on the restaurant’s wall and other textiles from O’Brien’s personal collection honor the vibrancy of Chebaro’s Lebanese heritage. Then there are details that honor Chebaro’s daughter, like an altar, an addition both Chebaro and O’Brien hope encourages community.

I’ll hit up Oddly with Justin and Caitlyn. That’s his go-to. Justin has turned me onto cappuccinos. If I’m hungry, I’ll get a doughnut.

A Cold One I think the owners of Alma Mader Brewing are incredible. Justin and I love the glassware that they serve the drinks in.

The West Bottoms I love sitting at the bar at Voltaire. I think it’s one of the prettiest that we’ve built. Also, I get to see Wes [Gartner], the owner. He’s a good friend of mine. I’m drinking a Victoria when I’m there. It’s a Mexican beer. It’s real simple, but I also like the label.

O’Brien has also branded entire neighborhoods and movements, like the Crossroads and its tradition of First Fridays. Ultimately, he wants to see KC thrive. “I like working on neighborhoods and communities, and this is a town of really incredible things happening,” he says.

Because O’Brien is always thinking of the bigger picture, it’s not uncommon for him to be attached to a restaurant and its survival even after his design work is done. Invested in Nour’s success, he’s helping Chebaro search for the right chef to helm its kitchen, and because of the restaurant’s large parking lot, O’Brien envisions it hosting events with markets and food trucks.

“We’re working on a different level here,” he says. “But [Nour’s] is also going to have some kick-ass food.”

Newsfeed

What’s new in Kansas City food and drink

By Joyce Smith and Tyler Shane

Cosmo moves to the Crossroads

Cosmo Burger, one of KC’s top burger spots, is leaving the Lenexa Public Market to open in the Crossroads.

Cosmo has been a beloved addition to KC’s food scene since it opened in 2020. In January, we dubbed it one of KC’s best restaurants, and more recently, we named it one of KC’s best smashburgers.

Cosmo Burger chef and owner Jacob Kruger began selling his burgers out of Waldo’s Dodson’s Bar, and in 2022, he expanded, opening a stall in the Lenexa Public Market.

Cosmo will officially close in the Lenexa market on April 19. A press release teases a Crossroads move but gives no specific details as to the location or opening date.

“To bridge the transition for staff and guests, Cosmo Burger will offer pop-up lunch service at its Waldo location inside Dodson’s Bar and Commons (7438 Wornall Road, KCMO) beginning April 20,” the press release states.

Urban Egg adds more spots

Serving up cinnamon swirl pancakes, espresso martinis and bacon jam burgers, the popular chain restaurant Urban Egg is adding more metro spots.

Although the breakfast, brunch and lunch chain is based in Colorado, its founder Randy Price grew up in Overland Park and knows the metro well.

Urban Egg will open in the Northland’s Valley View Shoppes (Missouri 152 and North Booth Avenue) before the end of the year. It’s a hot, newish development with such tenants as Fareway Meat Market, Meshuggah Bagels, Andy’s Frozen Custard, QuikTrip, Starbucks and Whataburger.

Price graduated from Shawnee Mission South High School and went on to earn a degree in business and hotel management from Northern Arizona University. Later, he worked for Houston’s on the Country Club Plaza and in Overland Park.

Urban Egg has eight restaurants in Colorado, and Price hopes to add several more in the Kansas City metro, Colorado and Texas by the end of the year.

Blackhole Bakery opens another spot

Blackhole Bakery is set to open a second location in the West Plaza Antique District.

Known for its mochi donuts and other delightful pastries, Blackhole Bakery quickly gained a loyal following when it opened in 2020. The bakery’s ability to remain open through the pandemic is certainly a testament to owner Jason Provo’s delicious baked goods.

Five years later, the bakery is ready for an expansion. According to Startland News, Blackhole Bakery will open a second location in the West Plaza Antique District (1702 W. 45th St., KCMO). The opening is slated for later this year.

Penny and Doug Mufuka have been on a tear—opening a new Thai restaurant every couple of years since 2021.

Their latest venture, Penny’s in the Village (4160 West 71st. Street, Prairie Village), opened to much fanfare. They also own Bamboo Penny’s (5270 W. 116th Place, Leawood), KC Thai (12250 W. 135th St., OP) and the stunning Aqua Penny’s (11652 Ash St., Leawood) in Park Place.

To keep the older restaurants garden-fresh, the Mufukas are continuously tweaking their restaurants and menus. For example, Aqua Penny’s menu now features some fan-favorite entrees as small plates for sharing, including mini lobster rolls, fire-roasted octopus and peppers, beef sliders, and crab fried rice. “Pass them around the table, or keep them for yourself,” the menu reads.

This summer, the couple will remodel Bamboo Penny’s popular patio and refresh the interior. But even with their jam-packed schedules, the couple takes time for date nights.

ABC Cafe (10001 W. 87th St. OP) is the Mufakas’ favorite restaurant to head to when off duty. Penny opts for the dim sum and is especially fond of the barbecue pork puffs. Both favor ABC’s Salt & Pepper Flounder, under the restaurant’s “special dishes” category. The dish is an entire fish and meant for a large group, so it’s not ordered much, says Derrick Lam, ABC’s owner.

“People don’t get it all the time,” Lam says. “They usually get it when they come with their family—two, three, four, up to eight people. It’s a really good shareable dish.”

An entire flounder is filleted, and then the meat is sliced into bite-size pieces. The fish’s bones are then deep fried. The meat is also deep fried with jalapeno, garlic and scallions and then served on top of the fried bones—mostly for presentation purposes, though some customers do eat the bones, Lam says.

As for the barbecue pork puffs, they are a top-ordered item among ABC’s diners.

“Barbecue roast pork, a pretty common Cantonese staple, chopped up and cooked with onions for a saucy filling similar to a savory pie, then baked,” Lam says.

ABC Cafe has built a zealous following since it opened 15 years ago. Lam says one of his most popular menu items is the siu mai dim sum—an open-faced shrimp, pork and mushroom dumpling.

ABC Cafe’s flounder dish

surreal estate

Waist Land

A history of Kansas City’s most iconic house style

By Nicole Kinning

KANSAS CITY’S MOST notable historic home style takes after a piece of clothing— and if you look closely, the resemblance is hard to miss.

The shirtwaist house, like its namesake blouse that was popular among the growing number of working women in the early 1900s, is all about structure. A solid limestone or brick first floor serves as a sturdy “waist” while wood or stucco upper stories resemble the blouse’s lightweight top. A steeply pitched roof mirrors its collar, and as a finishing touch, a covered front porch echoes the blouse’s cuffs and pleats.

“The elevated style also eliminated termites. It’s just a wonderful confluence of different elements that came together to create this house.”

Shirtwaist homes, built primarily in the early 20th century, are a defining feature of Kansas City’s original neighborhoods, from Roanoke to Hyde Park to Brookside—and for good reason. A variation of the popular American Foursquare, a standard home style of the era, shirtwaists kept the practical and boxy design while incorporating a few distinct details. At the time, both sides of the state line were booming with limestone quarries and brick factories, which ensured a steady supply of materials for these homes.

Joe Thompson, founder of Architectural Craftsmen, a firm specializing in remodeling historic homes, says that shirtwaist homes were well-suited to their time. “The mass of the limestone and brick allowed people to cool their houses more easily and helped even out heat fluctuations,” he says. “The elevated style also eliminated termites. It’s just a wonderful confluence of different elements that came together to create this house.”

Since shirtwaist homes are almost exclusively crafted from stone and brick, they’re incredibly durable, and their exteriors are tough to modify. “That makes them, in a sense, more durable as an architectural style,” Thompson says. “What you see from the street is usually much more original on a shirtwaist than almost any other style of home.”

For Thompson, most of his remodeling work on shirtwaist homes has focused on the interior, all while preserving the home’s historical integrity. He often uncovers original features, from massive heat system boilers—some as large as a small car—to asbestos-ridden compounds and insulation. “We’ll sometimes find insulation in the walls that may have been original,” he says. “A lot of it is made with horsehair because, of course, we had the stockyards. There was so much hair coming off those animals that they were rolling it into mats about an inch thick to make usable insulation. It’s not great, but it was something.”

by Ian Simmons

Photography