IN Kansas City December 2020

KANSAS CITY LOOKS TOWARD 2021

elebrate C the eason!

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GLORIOUS GIFTABLE GEMS

THE BEST PIES IN KC DECEMBER 2020 INKANSASCITY.COM

A MAJESTIC MISSION HILLS HOME

Inspired by 5-Star Hotels

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Sale prices valid thru January 4th. Not valid with any other offer nor on prior purchases. See store for complete details and limited exclusions.

Preferred By Designers and Open To Everyone

HOLIDAYS INBROOKSIDE

MAKE THE BROOKSIDE SHOPS YOUR HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS. LOCAL SHOPS. PERSONAL SERVICE.

The historic Brookside Shops at 63rd and Brookside Boulevard. Serving you since 1919.

B R O O K S I D E KC .O R G

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01. CHARLIE HOOPER’S Kansas City’s original craft beer bar with 30 taps and over 100 options in bottles and cans. charliehoopers.com 02. JORJY Home + Design + Gifts. shopjorjy.com 03. THE BROOKSIDE DENTIST Patient-centered and compassionate for over 85 years. thebrooksidedentist.com 04. WORLD’S WINDOW “Tree of Kindness” sparkles for the holidays. Gifts. Clothing. Accessories. Folk Art. Festive

gift wrap. worldswindowkc.store 05. LADY BYE With a modern, east coast style. ladybyekc.com 06. COCO BROOKSIDE With a casual, west coast vibe. cocobrookside.com 07. BROOKSIDE TOY & SCIENCE Great selection, friendly service and free gift wrap in store & online. brooksidetoyandscience.com 08. THE CORNER CANDLESHOP The Corner Candleshop, your Brookside Neighborhood Candlemaker for

almost 2 decades. thecornercandleshop.com 09. LEOPOLD GALLERY Live Inspired. leopoldgallery.com

forever,

BROOKSIDE

Nature Inspired Fine Jewelry Diamond Leaf

Pendants

This beautiful pendant contains 0.86 carats of marquise cut diamonds and .52 carats of princess diamonds, set together in 18 karat white gold to form a leaf-like shape.

A shining golden bumble bee sparkles with .02 carats of emeralds and .14 carats of round brilliant diamonds set in 18 karat yellow gold.

Leaf Inspired

Earrings

Treat her to something as distinctive as she is! Set in 18 karat rose and white gold and accented with a ash of round brilliant cut diamonds weighing 0.13 carats total weight, these beautiful leaf-inspired drop earrings are sure to dazzle!

Floral Inspired We can't get enough of a oral accent this season, and this Simon G. band is just the thing! The gorgeous leaf pattern is highlighted by 0.21 carats of round brilliant diamonds.

available at:

4500 W 119th St, Leawood, KS 66209 www.diamondsdirect.com

(913) 312-1660

Winter White

Portfolio K i t c h e n

&

h o m e

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www. por tfoli o - ho me. co m Monday - Friday 9 to 5 Saturday 11 to 3

Winter White

design | cabinetry | lifestyle

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Contents DECEMBER 2020

74

66

86

78 Features

62

IN CONVERSATION WITH DAVID PARSONS The founder of Parsons Dance talks about the arts camp performance that inspired him to be a dancer.

66

MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT Putting the holiday in your home is more important than ever. Two designers from the 2019 Kappa Kappa Gamma Holiday Homes Tour reveal how Kansas City florists are making it fresh and festive.

74

EASY AS PIE How three Kansas City bakeries found their piece of the pie.

Departments

78

ALL SHINY AND BRIGHT Some of the best gifts come wrapped in small boxes.

84

KANSAS CITY LOOKS TOWARD 2021 We gaze into our crystal ball and ask a few local soothsayers for trends and to-dos for the new year.

86

“CELEBRATING BEAUTY” A Mission Hills treetop home evokes earth, air, and sky.

On the cover A sweet sugar-cookie ornament from Swoon Cookie Crafters hangs on our IN Kansas City Christmas tree. Photo by Aaron Leimkuhler.

DECEMBER 2020

| 12 | INKANSASCITY.COM

22

WOMEN IN BUSINESS IN KC

26

ENTERTAINING IN KC

32

OUR MAN IN KC

38

ARTS & CULTURE IN KC

46

BEHIND THE MUSIC IN KC

52

LOOK IN KC

58

LIVING IN KC

102

FLAVOR IN KC

120

MY ESSENTIALS IN KC

IN EVERY ISSUE 16

EDITOR’S NOTE

18

INKANSASCITY.COM

More possibilities.

One location.

I-35 & 67th Street | Merriam, KS 66203 | www.ElevatedAutomotive.com | TOGETHER AT OUR 67TH STREET LOCATION.

816.941.0770

Home… for the Holidays

‘Tis the season… for holiday gifts of comfort and joy, just when it’s needed most.

We invite you to stop in our beautiful Plaza store to view our collections of heavenly gifts or at terrasi.com.

Complimentary gift wrapping included

Locally owned and a Country Club Plaza icon for over 35 years | 501 Nichols Rd. at Pennsylvania | 816.753.4144 | www.terrasi.com

Clairvaux_INKansasCity_FullPage_DecemberFinal.pdf

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11/19/20

3:17 PM

Editor’s Note

Vol. 3 | No. 12 DECEMBER 2020 Editor In Chief Zim Loy Art Director Alice Govert Bryan Digital Editor Michael Mackie

Spark Joy

S

o for December, it seems my letter to you should be happy, warm, cozy—hygge, if you will—a report on all the things we love about the holidays. You know, cuddling up before a warm fire burning in the hearth, with a cup of hot chocolate in hand.

That’s going to be a bit more difficult this year.

Not that you can’t still do it, but in all probability, you’d be sharing it with friends over Zoom rather than IRL. So how does one spark joy during these stressful times? (And no, I’m not referencing a cleaned-out, organized closet via Marie Kondo, although that does give one a little boost of serotonin, too.)

Rather than dwell on the current situation we all find ourselves in—so over this pandemic, the mask-wearing, no hugging, social-distancing present—let’s look forward to 2021. Promising vaccines and therapeutic drugs are within sight. There is light at the end of the proverbial tunnel and fingers crossed that’s not a freight train bearing down on us.

I have big plans for the New Year. No resolutions, though. It’s been tough enough this year without trying to take off my Covid 15 starting in January. My Pinterest board floweth over with ideas for the new home in Fairway that my husband and I hope to move to. It’s smaller than our current home, but my plan is to renovate it into a little piece of perfection, ideal for the way we live now. That should keep me occupied for a few months.

My fervent hope is that by summer, we can again invite oodles of friends over, throw open the series of French doors that line the living room and face the garden and pool (at least, that is how I’ve drawn it on the plans) and toast a belated welcome to 2021.

Cheers!

photo by aaron leimkuhler

Contributing Writers Kelsey Cipolla, Stacy Downs, Judith Fertig, Timothy Finn, Cindy Hoedel, Cody Hogan, Merrily Jackson, Damian Lair, R. Murphy, Katie Van Luchene Contributing Photographers Aaron Leimkuehler, Jack Mitchell Graphic Designer Eva Tucker Copy Editor Craig Magnus Publisher Michelle Jolles Media Director Brittany Coale Senior Media Consultants Katie Delzer, Nicole Kube, Shelayne Lawyer, Krista Markley Newsstand Consultant Joe J. Luca, JK Associates 816-213-4101, jkassoc.net

Editorial Questions: zloy@inkansascity.com

Advertising Questions: bcoale@inkansascity.com

Distribution Questions: mjolles@inkansascity.com

Magazine Subscriptions:

Mail: In Kansas City, PO Box 92257 Long Beach CA 90809 Phone: 888-881-5861, M–F, 8–4 PST Email: inkansascity@psfmag.com

Subscribe Online:

inkansascity.com Find the subscribe link under The Magazine tab

IN Kansas City is published monthly by KC Media LLC

118 Southwest Blvd., 2nd Floor Kansas City, MO 64108 816-768-8300 | inkansascity.com Annual Subscriptions are $19.95

Zim

DECEMBER 2020

| 16 | INKANSASCITY.COM

There’s No Such Thing as “B ecause Too Much HOLIDAY SPARKLE

”

We couldn’t agree more, Lilliane.

And that’s why we love you!

– Lilliane

Antique, Art Deco Necklace Diamonds - 27.60 cts 14 kt White Gold | c. 1920

Lilliane’s Jewelry, one of Kansas City’s oldest and most trusted family-owned jewelers, invites you to find the perfect holiday expression of love from our collection of over 3,000 unique, artisan creations.

Contemporary • Estate • Antique • Custom

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Contemporary | Emerald 2.77 cts.

Diamonds 1.26 cts | 14 kt White Gold

Estate | Aquamarine - 15.85 cts Diamonds - 2.90 cts | 18 kt White Gold c. 1950

Open Daily 9437 Mission Road • Leawood, KS 913•383•3376 • lillianesjewelry.com

See store for complete details and limited exclusions.

Estate | Rubies - 14.40 cts Diamonds - 14.00 cts | 18 kt White Gold

Lilliane’s J E W E L R Y

EXPLORE OUR WEBSITE AT

INKANSASCITY.COM IN Conversation with directors Kevin Smith and Sav Rodgers. The wellknown Smith (Clerks, Jay and Silent Bob) and local filmmaker Rodgers are collaborating on a few things. We find out how the two became friends and what they’re teaming up on in 2021.

Find it at inkansascity.com.

Does holiday stress seem even stressier this year?

Five things you don’t know about Grammy nominee Jim Brickman.

‘Tis the season! Get ready for Brickman’s “Comfort & Joy 2020” virtual tour. The renowned performer and pianist is bringing his interactive holiday concert experience to support The Folly Theater on December 17.

Find the story at inkansascity.com.

The holidays are surprisingly stressful for a lot of people—and that’s in a normal year. Holidays + pandemic = a whole new level of stress! We ask two local clinical psychologists on tips for surviving—and thriving—through the holiday season.

Find the story at inkansascity.com.

Trying to decide where to eat (or get takeout)? We’ve got you covered with the city’s most comprehensive dining guide. Check it out at inkansascity. com/eat-drink/dining-guide FOLLOW US

ENTER TO WIN

FACEBOOK @inkansascitymagazine

A fresh start! Our friends at Premier Vein & Body by Schwartz are giving away a series of three PicoSure laser facials to one lucky winner. This revolutionary, non-invasive skin revitalization procedure treats wrinkles, acne scarring, blemishes, pigmentation (including melasma), and sun damage without the discomfort and downtime associated with other laser treatments! (Winner must use their first treatment by the end of January.) Enter by December 31 at inkansascity.com/themagazine/enter-to-win. Good luck!

TWITTER @inkansascitymag

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER subscribe at INKANSASCITY.COM (under The Magazine tab)

DECEMBER 2020

| 18 | INKANSASCITY.COM

jim brickman photo by jeff klaum

INSTAGRAM @inkansascitymag

GREAT PLAINS SPCA ANIMAL EXPERT ANSWERS YOUR PET QUESTIONS Animal expert, Ashley Flores, CPDT-KA, is the Director of Animal Behavior & Training at Great Plains SPCA. Ashley has more than 16 years of experience in animal training and behavior.

Holiday Donation Match Campaign

This December, please join us in support of our holiday donation match campaign to help all of our pets find homes this holiday season.

HELP US REACH OUR GOAL OF $350,000 Holiday Donation

I recommend keeping him in the kennel when your sister-in-law comes over and releasing him once he becomes calm. You can return him to the kennel if he gets overly excited.

Give your sister-in-law some treats or toys to help with relationship building when she first arrives and remember to take it slow. The more your sister-in-law visits, the less time the acclimation will take in the future.

– Ashley Flores, CPDT-KA

Match Campaign

ALL DONATIONS WILL BE MATCHED UP TO 300,000

GREATPLAINSSPCA.ORG

Dear Ashley – I have a dog who can get too excited and a bit protective when people come over, so I put him in a kennel when we have visitors. My sister-in-law will be staying with us for a few weeks. She has visited before and he generally calms down after a few days. What can I do at the beginning of the stay to reduce the amount of time he needs to adjust?

– AnnMarie Thomas

Dear Ashley – My brother took in a dog that was too much for another family. Her name is Remy and she is shy and fearful.

She does well with women but is nervous of men. She also gets really wound up in the house and their biggest concern is that she is jumping over furniture when she gets excited. They do not have a fenced yard.

Any tips on helping sweet Remy?

– Barbara Poe

5424 Antioch Dr. | Merriam, KS 66202

It sounds like Remy needs more mental stimulation and physical exercise. I recommend increasing exercise and if that is not doable, get a doggy backpack where you slowly add weights to tire her out during walks. Please

be cognizant of her physical abilities while adding weights. I also recommend checking out online DIY canine enrichment for the home to have her work her brain. She should also have slow introductions with new males if you can fit that in. Make sure to reward her for all the positive behaviors she displays with unfamiliar people.

– Ashley Flores, CPDT-KA

Dear Ashley – We adopted Ringo 14 years ago and we’re not sure if this is a COVID thing, old age , or something entirely different, but he has taken to sitting at the bottom of the stairs and whining at 6:00 every morning. I normally go downstairs, take him out, give him attention, and carry him upstairs since he cannot do the stairs by himself. However, not even a minute later when I take him upstairs, he goes to the top of the stairs and starts whining to go down the stairs. What do you think is going on?

– Marla Svoboda and Michael Dean It sounds like Ringo may be experiencing separation anxiety and he is trying to communicate that he wants you to come downstairs and stay with him down there. Our new routines during the pandemic have caused animals to display different types and increased forms of separation anxiety, even for animals that did not have separation anxiety previously. I recommend trying to keep to your normal routines as close as possible to decrease stress in the future when you start leaving home more. I know that is difficult, but even teaching your dogs to be alone for small amounts of time while you are at home is beneficial.

– Ashley Flores, CPDT-KA

Email askashleyinkc@greatplainsspca.org for a chance to have your pet question answered here.

Email askashleyinkc@greatplainsspca.org for a chance to have your pet question answered here.

ADOPT. ADOPT. DONATE. DONATE. VOLUNTEER. VOLUNTEER. About Great Plains SPCA: Great Plains SPCA is an independent 501 (c)(3) no-kill shelter serving approximately About Great Plains SPCA: Great Plains SPCA is an independent 501 (c)(3) no-kill shelter serving approximately 6,000 animals annually in the Johnson County community. As Kansas City’s premium family shelter, we 6,000 animals annually in the Johnson County community. As Kansas City’s premium family shelter, we continue to support the seven municipalities that we are contracted with including Overland Park, Leawood, continue to support the seven municipalities that we are contracted with including Overland Park, Leawood, Shawnee, Lake Quivira and Johnson County Parks and Recreation and unincorporated Johnson County.

Shawnee, Lake Quivira and Johnson County Parks and Recreation and unincorporated Johnson County.

Landmark Home in Mission Hills

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Contact Cathy Maxwell today for a private showing of this one-of-a-kind property.

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Your heart is the only muscle that never rests.

And neither do we.

In an average lifetime, your heart can beat three billion times without ever pausing to rest. AdventHealth’s expert cardiologists are inspired by this incredible powerhouse to strive forward, steadily innovate and stay in rhythm with treatments and technologies to help you feel whole. Find a physician in your neighborhood who’s right for your heart. Because when your heart has the right care, it can do incredible things.

HeartHealthKC.com

Women in Business by

IN KC

Michael Mackie

photo by

Aaron Leimkuehler

Danielle Lehman

THE DIGITAL MARKETER TURNED HER EXPLORATION OF KC’S FOOD SCENE INTO A TRENDING PODCAST AND A WEBSITE

W

hen Danielle Lehman moved to Kansas City from Los Angeles five years ago, she was determined to explore Kansas City’s inspired food scene. What she found were amazing restaurants that suffered from zero exposure. “I felt like there were a lot of really great options that weren’t getting attention from the media or on social media,” she says.

“They were mom and pop, immigrant-owned restaurants that maybe offered cuisines people were intimidated to try or weren’t familiar with.”

Armed with her love of food and desire to shine a spotlight on these restaurateurs, she started a well-received podcast in February 2019 called Open Belly. One teeny problem, however. “I had no experience doing any sort of audio production—at all,” she says with a laugh. Fortunately, she was a quick study. “As I started to get to know some of the chefs just from dining in their restaurants, I found there were a lot of stories and perspectives people should know about,” she says. “I wanted to give them an outlet and help bring in new business and help their businesses continue to thrive.”

Lehman says she’s not a foodie. “I’m more of a culinary advocate,” she quips. Her heartfelt podcasts have certainly resonated with listeners thanks to her quiet storytelling approach. “Hearing the emotion and depth in [the owners’] voices, I felt like it was really important not to put my own spin on it. I wanted people to connect with them on a deeper level because you hear them talking. You can almost imagine you’re sitting

DECEMBER 2020

at the counter talking to the chef.”

Lehman finagled the first season of her podcast on a shoestring budget, but reaction from the community was remarkable. “I was surprised at how many people listened to it and resonated with the podcast,” she says.

“For one, there were people who loved food and listened for exploration reasons and have new places to try. Second, there were a lot of people— maybe children of immigrants—who connected with a lot of the stories that we shared. I was overwhelmed by the positive response.”

The fruits of Lehman’s labor were almost instantaneous. The first season featured only Kansas City-centric restaurants. “Going into restaurants and hearing ‘So-and-so just came in and heard about us on your podcast,’ was a really great feeling,” she says. In the midst of all this, Lehman was also pulling double duty running Boxer & Mutt, the digital marketing firm she launched nearly eight years ago. (She named it after her two furball sidekicks.) Along with honing corporate websites, Lehman says there’s been natural crossover with area restaurants. It’s a best-of-both-worlds scenario. “I found I loved working for myself,” she says. “As a friendly-fun digital marketing consultant, I needed a name that wasn’t too serious or stuffy.”

Never one to rest on her laurels, Lehman—who grew up in Hutchinson, Kansas—also started curbsidekc.com in March, a website where respective restaurant owners could showcase their to-go/curbside menu offerings. With more than 180,000+ clicks, the website is a bona-fide success. Lehman then launched a curbside notary project—tying in with some nearby eateries.

“Pop into your favorite coffee shop, grab your fave latte and have your ballot notarized all at once,” she says. “It was a win-win for everybody.”

When pressed about the name of Lehman’s podcast, she said it just made sense. “The idea behind Open Belly? I hope people will approach food and life with an open heart, an open mind and an open belly,” she says. “Instead of coming to the table with ideas about different cultures or your own opinion, use food as a way to facilitate a conversation. Have an open belly. We’ll all be better off.”

One thing she discovered along the way was a fondness for all the culinary pros she interviewed. “I’m good at finding people and stories that people will find interesting,” she says. “It’s an unfiltered conversation so the person can share their own story.” She also found a propensity for Butter Chicken—specifically from Sohaila’s Kitchen at Lenexa Public Market.

“It’s perfect for this time of year. A warm, saucy, hearty, creamy, tomato-y dish served over rice,” she says. “It’s comforting and there’s just something about the way she makes it. I don’t know what their secret is, but I could eat it every day.”

Her most popular podcast, meanwhile, was also her first out of the gate. “I hear the most feedback about my Waldo Thai interview,” she says. “It was one of my favorites. Pam and Darrel were so fun and open to having a conversation with me—and being vulnerable. It was lighthearted and fun, but had some really touching moments as well.”

Clearly, Lehman has an affinity for Kansas City and the warm admiration she’s received for her endeavors. “Kansas City is one of the most underrated cities in America,” she says. “This community has totally accepted me and embraced the projects I’m a part of—and that would have never happened in L.A.”

| 22 | INKANSASCITY.COM

Know Your Worth

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. POWER IS PERSONAL. Whether it’s a path to security, a gateway to your dreams or the road to being your own boss, we have the people and resources to empower you.

Learn more at UMB.com/WXW

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOUR HOME RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

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Entertaining

IN KC

It’s

My Dream Party Shack

party season! Except it’s not. I needn’t explain why; you know all too well. Still, we can dream (can’t we?) of great parties, sizzling conversation, boisterous laughs with friends, as we spend quiet evening after quiet evening at home. I feel deeply blessed and grateful to even have a home; this pandemic has so amplified the challenges of those without one. As Christmas approaches, I selfishly think of what I would love from Santa for when parties come back with a vengeance, as they will when we have a safe, effective, easily available vaccine or therapeutic. I head trip about my fantasy

OUR ENTERTAINING DOYENNE LISTS FOR SANTA EVERYTHING SHE NEEDS TO HOST THE DREAMIEST OF PARTIES by

Merrily Jackson

photo by

Aaron Leimkuehler

Email me with your entertaining questions, dilemmas, or triumphs at mjackson@inkansascity.com

DECEMBER 2020

| 26 | INKANSASCITY.COM

MCCROSKEYINTERIORS.COM 913-282-1161 • info@mccroskeyinteriors

Entertaining

IN KC

Giftable Peanut Clusters If you make only one treat this holiday season, it should be these scrumptious little goodies. I found this simple recipe decades ago in Sassafras, the excellent cookbook from the Junior League of Springfield, Missouri, and have made it many times since. It’s so easy you will feel guilty about all the compliments but accept them anyway.

Makes six dozen 1

6-ounce package butterscotch chips

1

6-ounce package good-quality semi-sweet chocolate chips

2

tablespoons peanut butter, creamy or crunchy

2

cups salted Spanish peanuts

Melt chips and peanut butter on top of a double boiler over low heat. Stir constantly. Add peanuts and stir well. Drop from a teaspoon onto wax paper. Cool. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

DECEMBER 2020

| 28 | INKANSASCITY.COM

party shack, and it jollies me up. Here’s my dream list. As a reminder, it’s a flight of my imagination, so I can have whatever I want.

A SHOW KITCHEN AND A PREP KITCHEN I’ve seen some lovely new houses in which are cleverly installed two fully equipped kitchens back-to-back. There’s the big, gorgeous, front kitchen with marble countertops and a gleaming sink that never seems to attract soiled dishes, dirty pans and other party wreckage. Then, behind a nondescript, swinging door there’s the smaller but highly efficient prep kitchen, where the mess happens.

In the prep kitchen the dishwasher gets loaded, the pans scrubbed, the onions chopped. In the show kitchen, the party rages on in photo-ready perfection.

My friend Dan Nilsen had a two-kitchen set-up in a previous abode, and entertained non-stop. He has since moved away from KC, then back (praise God) just before the pandemic hit, to a home on Ward Parkway with a spectacular kitchen, excellent for party-giving. I am pictured in it in this month’s photo.

AN ADJUSTABLE ROUND TABLE There’s something about sitting around in a circle that encourages conversation, which is why for a dinner party I prefer a round table. Although I’ve been to plenty of fun dinners at other-shaped tables, I don’t think I would ever trade my circular table for a different-shaped table.

I would, however, trade it in for an expandable round Jupe table. Through the magic of carpentry, these tables can grow bigger and smaller to suit the number they are seating. I was surprised when a friend told me how reasonably priced her Jupe table was and that it came from Nebraska Furniture Mart. It looks like she bought it at auction from Sotheby’s.

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AN UNDER-COUNTER ICEMAKER An ample ice supply is the backbone of any self-respecting cocktail party. Only recently I have become something of an ice snob, eschewing the vulgar, cloudy “crescent” ice produced by most refrigerators (including my own) in favor of the crystal clear “tube” ice, available in stores and the homes of those who own a nifty under-counter icemaker. As long as I’m asking, I would prefer the kind that every six hours melts the old ice and generates fresh.

TIM WHITMER ON PIANO A live pianist tickling the ivories makes any gathering seem more like a party; guests feel the love the minute they walk in the door. I would ask Santa for a perennially tuned bubinga-wood baby-grand piano, with local legend Tim Whitmer at the keyboard. Tim always rocks the house, plus he is marvelous at chatting up shy guests.

As long as I’m asking, I would request the talented James

DECEMBER 2020

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Entertaining

IN KC

Albright on an upright bass (they look so chill, don’t they?) to add extra rhythm and depth to the sound.

A ROARING FIREPLACE When you talk about welcoming touches, a blazing fire trumps everything. Gas fireplaces are nice and certainly practical, but in my fantasy party house I would want a real fireplace that burns genuine wood, great-smelling varieties like apple wood and mesquite. I would add to my list a smart-looking basket for logs, a handsome set of andirons, and a minion to tend the fire, while I see to my guests.

A FLORIST ON RETAINER I would want masses of fresh flowers everywhere, so that my guests feel, at every turn, as though they are walking into a photo shoot at Carolyne Roehm’s house. White tulips in the front hall. A triple-stem orchid on the coffee table. An explosion of insanely expensive, out-of-season pink peonies on the kitchen counter. Yellow ranunculus in the powder room. When it comes to fresh flowers, honey, more is more.

A P.A. TO DO MY BIDDING Those who know me well know I have an imaginary personal assistant

named Nancy Anne, who makes a lot of mistakes. For Christmas I would like a real personal assistant who makes no mistakes and doubles as a lady’s maid. My real P.A. would be on top of all my correspondence: invitations extended would be properly mailed rather than texted; invitations received would be replied to immediately; thank-you notes would be dispatched promptly for everything. I would send my real P.A. zooming around town on all manner of errands: to the Asian Market in search of ingredients for Beijing Bellinis; to The Better Cheddar for Valrhona baking chocolate; to Jones Bar-B-Q (as featured on Queer Eye) for a sample platter. Can you see the solid advantages my P.A. would bring to me and all who have truck with me?

BUT BACK TO REALITY The truth is Santa probably won’t deliver any of my requests this year.

But that won’t stop me from wanting to have people over, nor should it stop you, because we both know a great party is not about your stuff.

Most people just want to have a decent drink and some good conversation with friends, to forget their worries for a while. You can give them a good night using one humble kitchen, crescent ice, recorded music, and roses from the warehouse club. And you don’t need a P.A. to extend the invitation. Trust me, when the time comes to have parties again, your friends will be thrilled to come.

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Kemper Gala 2020

I

magine my jubilation when Mary Kemper Wolf cornered me at a gallery opening last winter, asking if I’d consider co-chairing the 2020 gala for the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. Visions of wild performances, insane fashion, spectacular light shows, and flowing Champagne flooded my mind.

“Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!”—I remember responding, as I began building a fantasy party in my mind. Fast forward just a couple of months later to early March: first planning meeting with the museum and my delightful co-chair counterpart, Emily Fehsenfeld. “So, there’s this ‘virus’ that’s now showing up in the U.S. and is starting to make people a little uneasy.” “No way we’ll still be talking about this in the fall!”—we concluded. Thus, we move on to more pressing issues, such as what images to include on our “what to wear” Pinterest board. April arrives. “Umm, guys, do we want to start talking about a plan B and C??” And so it went.

“Pivot”—the unprecedented word of 2020—is what we did. Why not tie the museum’s eventual re-opening to the original gala date and create an opportunity for generous patrons to have advance access to the brandnew Elias Sime exhibit? Safe. Exclusive. Small.

Guests arrived at the museum’s back doors (dressed in Covid-casual wear), a maximum of 30 per hour, in timed slots throughout the day and evening. We meandered via the one-way, proscribed path, through the museum and exhibit, concluding at the front doors where an open-air bar and stage with live music awaited beneath the porte-cochère. Performances staggered across the day included Matt Villinger, Eboni & The Ivories, Calvin Arsenia, and Stephonne. Nibbles from the museum’s Café Sebastienne accompanied the bubbles. (Yes—I still got my Champagne!) And for those not comfortable leaving their homes, a delectable “gala in a box” was personally delivered, contact-free, by volunteers to each doorstep.

Also, a note about the Elias Sime “Tightrope” exhibit, which you can visit through the end of January. It’s the first major museum exhibition of the contemporary Ethiopian artist, and it is visually stunning.

Sime repurposes salvaged electronic components such as circuits and keyboards in his work to explore the precarious balance between the progress that technology has made possible and its detrimental impact on the global environment. The exhibition explores how devices intended to connect us have instead mediated our interactions while simultaneously creating massive amounts of e-waste. His work upcycles this “junk” into quiltlike tableaus that resemble topographical maps or vast HOT landscape aerial perspectives. They’re captivating.

GOSSIP: You’ll likely find yourself backing up to experiWhat local writer ence the scale of each full piece and then zoomwas wildly spooked ing in to examine the delicate artistry involved by a friendly alley at the micro level. In a time where communicamouse while patio tion and connecting can feel strained, this was dining? Twice. just the reference point I needed to recharge, re-

DECEMBER 2020

Kemper Gala co-chairs Damian Lair (left) and Emily Fehsenfeld.

connect, and sort through some of my own accumulating mental “junk.”

OVERHEARD “Having Covid and no taste/smell was finally my chance to lose some weight.

So why am I ordering take-out daily, when I could just as well be nibbling on an Amazon box??”

SPOTTED: Bebe & Graham Hunt, Elizabeth & Paul Uhlmann, III, Christy & Bill Gautreaux, Karen & Jack Holland, Sharon & John Hoffman, Linda & Brad Nicholson, Amy & David Embry, Maurice Watson, Madeleine McDonough, Julian Zugazagoitia, Tony Jones, Dr. Regina Nouhan, Ada & Dr. Kevin Koch, Lindsey & Darcy Stewart, Jacques Bredius, Linda Johntz, Julie Walker Browne & Pete Browne, Ellen & Jamie Copaken, Lynn & Lance Carlton, Katherine & Tyler Fox, Richard Wetzel, Jen DeMeyer, Linda Lighton & Lynn Adkins, Joey Mendez, Buck Wimberly, Katrina Revenaugh

SUMMER IN HINDSIGHT I LOOK FORWARD to June’s second Saturday every year, when a block

of West 18th Street in the Crossroads swells with people, energy—and fashion. Of course, this year, stacks of people flanking a 100-foot runway was untenable. So the West 18th Fashion Show’s tireless team set about reimagining what other forms a fashion show might responsibly take (while appropriately celebrating the event’s laudable 20th anniversary). No small task. Discussions of projecting the show onto a neighboring

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building sparked a fresh venue idea: Boulevard Drive-In Theater. As for what to project—the team wiped the slate completely clean, turned the idea of a runway show on its head, and boldly embarked on producing a feature-length film, written by show veteran Peregrine Honig, directed by Khitam Jabr, and filmed by Jeremy Osbern. The film stars Calvin Arsenia (who along with Mike Dillion also created the score) with a narrative following this young creative as he navigates a global pandemic during the summer of 2020. Along the way, the audience is permitted into Calvin’s mind as he attempts to remain employed and in good spirits, while the live performance infrastructure quickly crumbles. The journey invites viewers into an array of local landmark spaces—many whose doors were still closed at the time of filming. From a quiet, local grocery store to more regal spaces like the Kansas City Museum, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, the National World War I Museum and Memorial, and Powell Gardens, it’s quite a stimulating ride. Each scene and destination features a rotating collection from 13 local and national fashion designers, including: Birdies, Rissa’s Artistic Design, 3Minc, Sew UnRelaxed, Isaiah Allen, Reneé Larouge, No Woe Designs (incredible “umbrella” gown!), Sky Glitter Co. (eye-popping headpieces), Pangea Kali Virga, KAYIE by VanShawn Branch (tribal vibrancy that made me swoon), Anna Van Gheem, EKS Lingerie, and Love Tried. From beginning to end, it was the purest form of beauty and poetry. And yet another example of how difficult times and forced reinvention can result in an exquisite emergence. Bravo.

A Kaw Social

I

OVERHEARD “Ugggh! I left my ‘I Voted’ sticker in the Uber and didn’t even get to take a selfie with it yet.”

’ve never been to an open house for a river. Then again, this year has been chock-full of firsts and surprises. So, when I received an invitation to acquaint myself with the Kansas (Kaw) River, I RSVP’d with delight and intrigue. Hosted by Kaw River Lovers: Armourdale Renewal, Historic West Bottoms, KC Boat Club, Free Wheels for Kids, Friends of the River, Port KC, Friends of the Kaw, among others, it was the perfect opportunity to take in some of autumn’s final whispers.

We gathered alongside the river, just west of Hy-Vee Arena in the West Bottoms, where we were greeted with barbecue and pizza food trucks. I grabbed a Boulevard beer for the road—er, river—and boarded a boat for the river tour. We headed north and curved to the east, looping around the West Bottoms into the Missouri River, then downtown. I’ve always had a penchant for our skyline, but it looks different from the vantage of the river below it. Somehow better. For any budding entrepreneurs out there, I feel like someone should captain private river cruises—complete with beverages HOT of your choice. My boatmates agreed; we would all GOSSIP: pay up to organize a group of friends for a similar experience. Something to consider.

What “tres amigos” Business ideas aside, we headed back to just hosted a joint the dock where another enterprising endeavor (masked) Mexican was already beginning to take shape. The Rock fiesta?

Island Bridge Project is a public/private part-

DECEMBER 2020

| 34 | INKANSASCITY.COM

OVERHEARD “That’s a lot of gate for not a lot of house.”

rendering by gould evans

nership to reclaim the 1905 railroad crossing and transform it into America’s first destination landmark bridge. Once a connection between the bi-state stockyard districts (the second largest beef processing center in the world at the time), developers hope that a re-envisioned bridge will connect two 21st-century Kansas Cities and ignite further riverfront development. Stretching nearly the length of a toppled Eiffel tower, and made with what appears to be as much steel, the structurally sound bridge rests 40 feet above the slow-current river. It was purchased from the railroad by Kansas City, Missouri, (even though it lies entirely in Kansas) in the early 1980s as part of the Kemper Arena parking expansion. During its second lease on life, the bridge will be cantilevered on both sides to expand the bridge’s footprint and width, as well as introduce a second deck to further maximize its real estate. There will be three kitchens, a coffee shop and bar,

community space, gardens, two event spaces, a boardwalk, and open public seating. The three kitchens will house four restaurants, serving up an array of best-in-category cuisine. Thus far, tenants will include the award-winning Slap’s BBQ (who intends to barbecue in open-air cookers on the bridge, adding to the ambiance) and Buffalo State Pizza. Like Slap’s and Buffalo State, additional restaurants will ideally operate a nearby “home” restaurant with full-size kitchens that can support and staff the satellite restaurant. The two event spaces—one open-air and one covered—already have catering agreements arranged with notables Lon Lane and Michael Smith. Robust programming will also take center stage. Think: The High Line in New York City. In addition to transforming the dead zone between our two disconnected Kansas Cities, project developers hope the bridge will also reconnect the city with nature and its intertwined rivers. And indeed, it should. Because aside from serving as a bustling hive of dining, imbibing, and gathering, the bridge will dually function as a public crossing and trailhead for the miles of levee-top trails currently separated by the river. Restrooms and water fountains for weary hikers and bikers will offer respite, but the bridge will also open an entirely new way to explore trails in plain sight, but previously out of reach. Bridges are wonderful things—both in metaphor and in real life.

They connect us to something otherwise untouchable. I am so excited for this project, and I can’t wait until we can meet there for a drink.

Come Come celebrate celebrate the the holidays holidays with with us. us.

New New arrivals, arrivals, classic classic gingerbread gingerbread houses, houses, timeless timeless style. style. Complimentary Complimentary gift wrapping wrapping and and the the occasional occasional champagne champagne toast. toast. Let’s Let’s look look forward, forward, gift together, together, to to aa new new year year of of hope, hope, joy joy and and aa fresh fresh start. start.

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Arts & Culture

Mike Horner THE DIRECTOR OF PUPPETRY ARTS AT MESNER PUPPET THEATER ANSWERS FOUR QUESTIONS by

Judith Fertig

DECEMBER 2020

I

f you think puppets are just for kids, think again. Puppets have been used for thousands of years to tell stories important to societies, whether for religious ritual or entertainment. Archaeologists excavating in Egypt have found ancient wooden forms operated by strings and clay forms worked by wires.

Some historians think that puppets predate actors in theater.

Kansas City is lucky to have its own puppet company, the beloved Mesner Puppet Theater. Since 2006, Mike Horner has been a creative force, designing, building, and performing. When founder Paul Mesner stepped away in 2017, he knew that Horner, with his “encyclopedic knowledge” of new styles of puppetry, could take on a leading role creating puppets that speak a universal language, from the beloved Ezra Jack Keats’ story The Snowy Day to the classic Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince. mesnerpuppets.org

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INKC: What sparked your interest in puppetry?

Horner: When I was about three years old, a touring puppet minis-

try group performed at my family’s church in rural Nebraska. I was hooked immediately! My father was inspired as well, and he and my mom started their own puppet ministry with two other couples from church. They would build all the puppets in the laundry room, rehearse in the living room, and take us kids along when they toured to other churches. All of this fascinated me, and I knew this was what I wanted to do with my life.

It also helped that I was born right when the Muppet Show premiered and Sesame Street was the hottest thing on children’s television!

INKC: What goes into making a puppet—for example, the puppets for The Snowy Day—and then making them come alive?

Horner: When making a puppet for a new play, you first ask yourself what style of puppet will most effectively serve the story. Different types of puppets excel at different things, and you want to be sure the style you are using contributes to the storytelling. A puppet has to be durable and withstand several weeks of daily performances, but also light enough that a puppeteer’s arms won’t throb in pain after a 45-minute show.

Bringing a puppet to life involves manipulating it skillfully enough to convey a particular emotion or action while still being subtle enough to allow the audience room to use their imagination to “fill in the blanks.”

INKC: What are the ways that puppets can tell stories compared

to other performing arts? Are puppets a more accessible medium for children?

Horner: Puppetry allows for the building of a unique, physical world with no ties to reality, thus letting the audience briefly forget about reality and immerse themselves in the story. Actors might be incredibly convincing in a play, but in the back of your mind you know you could run into them at the grocery store. A puppet performed in front of an audience only exists as a character during that performance; it’s an illusion that exists in just that moment.

At its core, puppetry is play, which I think is why it’s so accessible to children. Kids use dolls, action figures, and stuffed animals all the time to act out the emotions and relationships they experience in their daily lives. Seeing puppets performed on stage is a natural extension of what kids are doing with their toys.

INKC: How has Kansas City nurtured your career in the arts?

Horner: Aside from learning alongside our company’s founder, Paul

Mesner, being in Kansas City has allowed me to work with a wide variety of artists from many disciplines. Just about every art form can be used in puppetry, and seeking inspiration from the eclectic artists in the city has made my work only stronger. Several years ago we hired visual artist Matt Hawkins to design our production of Wizard of Oz. It was incredible to take Matt’s drawings of those iconic characters and build them as dimensional puppets, and I now often find myself designing puppets in a “Hawkins” style. The inspiration goes both ways—Matt has been building some amazing puppets himself!

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DECEMBER 2020

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Arts & Culture by

IN KC

Judith Fertig

AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS ON DECEMBER 24, 1951, an opera in one act debuted on NBC, broadcast live on the first Hallmark Hall of Fame production. Amahl and the Night Visitors by Gian-Carlo Menotti was the first opera composed for television. The opera was inspired

by The Adoration of the Magi, a painting by Hieronymus Bosch that the composer viewed in New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The opera tells the story of three traveling kings on their way to find a star in the East. They stop at the home of a shepherd boy and his mother. It was inspired by Menotti’s own childhood in Italy. He explained, “In Italy we have no Santa Claus. I suppose that Santa Claus is much too busy with American children to be able to handle Italian children as well. Our gifts were brought to us by the Three Kings, instead.”

The Lyric Opera’s production also adds its own flair—it will be performed by puppets, designed by Paul Mesner as a special project.

A digital filmed performance is available for purchase now and can be viewed starting December 15. (Digital access is $40). kcopera.org

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VIBRANT: THE ART OF CHRISTINA ERIVES, LAUREN MABRY, AND SHALENE VALENZUELA

A Toast to Burning Desires: Driven

by Shalene Valenzuela.

THREE FEMALE CERAMICISTS join together for a colorful exhibit that expands the boundaries of clay and glaze at Belger Crane Yard Studios.

Christina Erives crafts cacti and other playful forms that point to the traditions and rituals of her Mexican culture. “Ceramics as a material has permanence,” she says. “There is so much beauty in these traditions and my aim has been to make a mark of my time that will be preserved in the history of ceramic objects.”

Lauren Mabry, a graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute, takes the traditional cylindrical form and applies vivid color and abstract designs to take it as far as her imagination will go. “Through calculated experimentation driven by a fascination with color and visual movement, the objects I make challenge viewers to contemplate the perceived physical state of matter,” she says.

Shalene Valenzuela explores the simmering emotions behind everyday domestic objects, such as a rolling pin, a potholder, a toaster. What stories might they tell if they could talk in a bold new language? Says Valenzuela, “My narratives explore topics ranging from fairy tales, urban mythologies, consumer culture, societal expectations, etiquette, and coming-of-age issues.”

Only 20 tickets are issued per time slot, to allow for social distancing.

The exhibition will be on view through December 31. belgerarts.org

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DECEMBER 2020

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Arts & Culture BY

IN KC

Judith Fertig

SILK AND STEEL: FRENCH FASHION, WOMEN, AND WORLD WAR I IN THE SUMMER OF 1914, World War I exploded. From then until June 1919, this global conflict threatened to destroy western civilization. Along with oft-told tales of men in battles go the underreported stories of women working in war industries, nursing, transportation, and fighting for equal rights. The survival of women’s fashion also played an important role in keeping up morale, maintaining ties with allies, and even helping wartime economies, especially in France.

How could a woman do a physically active, important job in cumbersome clothing? Women’s fashion needed to adapt to scarcity of materials, new roles for women, and the need to boost morale. Enter the more streamlined wartime silhouette, military uniforms, and post-war emancipation, all paving the way for Coco Chanel, who finally liberated women from the corset.

Silk and Steel at the National WWI Museum and Memorial, through April 11, 2021, features dresses, capes, coats, shoes, hats, and other accessories gathered from many museums to show the change. French designers of the period include Callot Soeurs, Madeleine Vionnet, House of Worth, Maison Complier & Rondeau, and Hermès.

Tickets available at theworldwar.org.

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Christina’s World by Cooper West Walker.

EXCEPTIONAL WORK IN EXTRAORDINARY TIMES IN THE RUN-UP TO THE HOLIDAYS, schools feature concerts, plays, and other performances to show off what students have been working on since August. This year, of course, will be different. No pageants, no carols, no art projects to delight and amuse parents, grandparents, and friends Usually, right before the holidays, the Kansas City Art Institute holds an end-of-semester exhibit of student art, much of it for sale. This year, the “for sale” part is on pause, but you can view the students’ exceptional talent virtually starting on December 11. The KCAI End of Semester Virtual Exhibit will feature works from hundreds of students across all KCAI departments—Animation, Ceramics, Fiber, Filmmaking, Foundation, Graphic Design, Illustration, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Product Design, and Sculpture.

Stay well, stay safe, support art students. For more information visit kcai.edu.

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Behind the Music

IN KC

S

ara Morgan has spent most of her life away from her birthplace in McGehee, Arkansas, but she has not shed nor forgotten the values and principles instilled in her by the small Southern town, the place she still calls “home.”

These days, the 2007 Olathe South High School grad and her husband, Chris Bradley, live amid the rural outskirts of the Kansas City metro area as Sara pursues the music life she launched about ten years ago, an endeavor that has been filled with plenty of rewards and hard lessons learned.

She recently answered questions from IN Kansas City about her small-town upbringing amid a large family, her pursuit of a career as a singer-songwriter in the country music world, and how two people—a country legend and a preacher/guitarist friend—shaped her outlook on music and life.

Sara Morgan by

Timothy Finn

DECEMBER 2020

| 46 | INKANSASCITY.COM

You spent the first decade of your life in McGehee in southeast Arkansas. What was that town like and how did living there shape you?

Sara Morgan: McGehee will always be home.

When we moved, the population was a little over 4,000, there was one stoplight, and everyone knew everyone and everything about everyone. My teachers knew my parents so well that if I ever did anything wrong, I knew my parents would know about it before mom picked me up at the end of the day. It was an “easy-going, ride bikes with your buddies until the streetlights come on” kind of town.

My childhood helped me learn as an adult to appreciate a slower pace, quiet times, the breeze in the trees, and to really cherish the precious moments we are given with loved ones. It also taught me that farmers feed and clothe the world, hard work is necessary to get where you want to go in life, and real, meaningful relationships matter most.

I have observed so many people wanting

to get away from their roots, but for me there is something very powerful about them. I believe in watering the best parts of them.

You grew up in a large family. What’s the gender breakdown and how did that environment influence you?

SM: Four boys, four girls. I am a first-born but was No. 2 in our blended family. We are a very loyal bunch. We always have one another’s back.

Life in a house with eight kids and all our friends could be chaotic at times, but the door and the fridge were always open to everyone. I make an intentional effort to talk to and visit with my siblings and parents regularly. I think the closeness of our family is why superficial acquaintances aren’t part of my life. Or my career.

You moved to Kansas City when you were ten and graduated from high school in Johnson County. How big of an adjustment was that and what are some of your most lasting memories of that time?

SM: The biggest adjustment for me was the lack of racial diversity.

Back home, our town was very diverse, and everyone went to the same school. I had never known anything different, and I thought that’s how it must be everywhere. Being in a place where things were drastically different was unsettling. I went home that first week and said “Mom, where is everybody else?”

The best memories: meeting the curly-haired guy in middle school—who I found incredibly irritating at the time—who would many years later become my husband; and scoring a three-point shot at

DECEMBER 2020

the buzzer during a basketball game at Olathe South.

What music was around during your childhood?

SM: I always signed up for music class and choir when they were an option, but other than that I didn’t really have any one-on-one teaching.

My music teachers noticed that I took a special interest in singing, and I would receive solos and was sort of expected to carry sections periodically. In high school I participated in chamber choirs, mixed ensembles, and all-women’s choirs.

Was music prevalent in your house? How did your family influence your music world?

SM: The music that filled my life back then was country, Christian music/church hymns, and [the band] Boston. My parents love Boston. My mom is always reminiscing about the Boston concert she went to in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, when she was in high school. She still has her ticket stub.

When I was a kid my dad and I took a trip to Pensacola, Florida, in his white-with-red-stripes Ford Ranger. We took a brown bag full of fried bologna sandwiches that my mom had made, and we listened to Boston’s debut record on cassette tape the entire trip. It is my favorite record in the world.

You and I share a couple of significant life experiences. We both grew up in families of eight children. And we both have suffered

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Behind the Music

IN KC

the death of one of those siblings. Talk about your brother who died—what you remember most about him and how his death has affected you.

SM: Well, dang. I have avoided this question for almost a decade. It’s the one part of my life I am incapable of emotionally dealing with. I cannot touch it. My brain cannot process his death. It kicks the concept back out, like a “404 error” when I try to access it. That is how it has affected me. Trying to answer this question requires me to stop between sentences because the depth of emotional ache I carry on a daily basis pertaining to this is suffocating when I’m forced to observe it.

I had this dream in college that [Alex] came back. He knocked on the door and he was dressed in his Navy whites and he said, “I’m sorry. They needed me for a mission. I had to.” I woke up, and for a few seconds I believed that. Then I realized it was just a dream, and the heaviness came back to my chest. It wasn’t until then that I realized how internalized I had allowed this to become. I’ve written one lyric about him: “We buried him to the tune of a 21-gun salute.”

I have a photograph of the last moment I saw him. He hugged me, got in a moving truck with his new wife, and they headed out to Norfolk, Virginia, where he was based. I can’t believe someone snapped a photo of this.

Music was not your first pursuit. Talk about what you did before you focused on music. Why did you choose that?

SM: My first pursuit was a degree in Biblical and Theological Studies.

I’m fascinated by world history, specifically church history. I chose it

DECEMBER 2020

because I love to read. Part of me still wants to be a college professor.

When I’m sitting on my porch daydreaming, I consider applying to Trinity College, moving to Dublin—if I could get into school—and working on that. I saw The Long Room there last year. Breathtaking.

What and who most inspired your move into the world of music?

SM: The what—naivety and a rebellious spirit. The who—a talented

guy named Jason North. He was my youth-group worship leader in high school. We both ended up in northwest Arkansas: I was in college, and he and his family were in nearby Fayetteville. I sent him a song I had written one night. Instead of telling me it was bad, like he should have, he asked when we were going to record it. We ended up recording two albums together, and I’m hopeful our musical paths will cross again.

What songwriters did you have in mind when you started writing your own songs?

SM: I really didn’t have any in mind when I started. I was just picking up a guitar and writing songs, out of boredom, initially. When I began really venturing into music, Loretta Lynn’s lyrics became my favorite.

Her music was simple, her lyrics weren’t pretentious, and they weren’t trying. They were great hooks about real life written in a way that made sense to anyone who heard them.

You’ve met her twice, including one night when you both performed at the Uptown Theater. What did she say to you that still resonates?

SM: I walked onto her tour bus. I sat down across from her in her kitch-

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enette. She put her hand on mine. We took a photo. She essentially said, and I am paraphrasing six years later: “If you have a hit song, you have to get out there and push it, because no one is going to do that for you. No one is ever going to believe in you as much as you have to, to get this done.” She signed my guitar. I walked off her tour bus, and as I was walking off, I realized there were a bunch of fans behind a barricade screaming for her: an 82-year-old, female country singer.

She had her own mountains to climb, but her refusal to change who she was in exchange for success is why I love her, and I believe it’s also why she has lasted. Whatever you use to hook them is what you’ll have to use to keep them. A Kentucky accent and killer country tunes about her life are what hooked them, so it’s all she’s needed to keep them.

Many entertainers create a character in order to “sell,” but characters are for fairy tales. Loretta Lynn was, and still is, a breath of fresh air for the rest of us just trying to make it out here in the real world.

I’ve seen you perform several times. Each time you seemed more comfortable and natural on stage. Assess how your live performances have evolved.

SM: I played one show that really changed my approach to performances. A few years back in Lawrence, I opened for a big Nashville band. When I got done with the set, I looked down and the front row of the crowd was fighting over something.

Two girls finally came up with my set list shredded in half. I chuckled at them. They realized they had my attention, and we started talking.

Other people started chiming in. I bent down and started talking to the

crowd and throwing anything I could find to them: extra set lists, picks, my capos, markers, all of the things I tend to keep by my pedal board while I’m performing.

I realized in that moment that I had the performing thing backwards. I’m not there for people to see me; I’m there to see people. That allowed me to evolve to a very comfortable place on stage, both in the areas of musical performance and crowd connection. Seeing the crowd as multiple, individual people instead of looking at them as a collective has made performing something I enjoy; it has allowed me to no longer feel separated from them. It’s like the buffer has been removed.

How much has your music partner and guitar accompanist Carl Butler helped you as a live performer?

SM: Carl is the one who said, “Whatever you use to hook ‘em is what you have to use to keep ‘em.” He’s also always said, “Good songs will make the live show; the rest of it will fall into place,” and it sort of has, as of recently. That advice defines my live show.

As for the 90 minutes we spend on stage at night, we berate each other the entire time. I think people think we hate each other, but it’s just a shtick. He’s old, and I’m another blonde girl with a guitar. The jokes write themselves.

What about beyond music? He is, after all, a minister and preacher.

SM: He is much more of a life mentor than a musical mentor. He is

very in-tune with his surroundings and he knows how to be human, alone and around other people. He can look in someone’s eyes and

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Behind the Music

IN KC

see straight through to their heart.

When Carl and I met, I believed that I knew everything there was to know. It didn’t really matter that I actually knew nothing and that my retorts were just condescending platitudes. Carl was patient. He did not judge my ignorance or my points of view. He never took anything I said personally or assumed any comment I made was about him. He asked me questions until I was able to break the cycle. Eventually I realized I had just been talking circles around myself. Being around Carl helped me switch my brain on.

What have been some of your favorite music moments over the past six or seven years?

SM: The moments I cherish the most are the times I’ve been on stage with people I love. When you’re on stage with good friends, 90 minutes feels like a split second. I’m glad people take pictures.

You have released several singles and one full-length album, Average Jane. One of those singles, Church in a Bar, got some traction nationally in radio land, thanks to its being a really good song and thanks to some relentless work by you. What did you learn from that experience?

SM: Thank you. I learned more about business/finance than anything.

I learned that when someone really believes in you, they are willing to take the risk. There are plenty of producers out there who will charge me an arm and a leg and produce my record, but the catch is that they’re

doing it for everyone else, too. That works for some people, but this route would have been a mistake for me. And Carl kept me from making that mistake. My current producer has a philosophy for being in the business today: “Don’t go into debt for this,” and “Don’t play with more than you’re willing or able to lose.”

From the recording, to the mixing, to the release and the work still going on behind Church in a Bar, everything was fast. There was no time wasted. I wrote it on a Wednesday, and I believe we cut it in Nashville that next Friday. I walked in, the band sat down, I put on the guitar, I played through the song, then we cut it live. It’s an old-school approach and it turns out the old ways are the best ways sometimes.

I pulled this quote from your Facebook page: “I ain’t buyin’ my way in, and I ain’t sellin’ my soul.” Care to elaborate?

SM: My next record discusses this exact lyric ad nauseam. It means what it says. I’m not paying someone to write reviews about me, and I refuse to become someone I’m not for 15 minutes of fame. I want to see myself when I look in a mirror rather than a caricature.

And this from your web page, to Chris: “Baby, I may never make it, but I know we will.” A life in music requires some serious sacrifices. How do you and Chris navigate all the demands?

SM: I know I can speak for Chris when I say our marriage is our number one priority. When you both agree on that up front, you can give energy to a secondary thing like a career without it taking over your life in an

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unhealthy way. A partnership like that makes navigating the demands of this type of career much easier than if we were to attempt it alone.

How are you surviving the pandemic, personally and as a musician?

SM: I am doing great. We left the city, and we live in a rural area now.

Life is much more normal where we are. I drink coffee on a wraparound front porch in the morning, pet stray cats, and read. Chris kept his job (thank you, Frank Hicks). I had a good job I was able to go back to, so I did; we weren’t sure how things were going to go.

I am still working on the next record and we are pretty close to being done. I’m playing here and there and have noticed that the crowds are bigger, and people are actually buying more merchandise, so things are surprisingly stable.

I am happy for the support but I’m trying to be very conscious of the financial position many people have found themselves in. Continuing to promote a career in music, which I know is a luxury in the first place, seems trivial when people are losing their businesses, homes, and lives. But those same people have argued to me that music is what gets them through the difficult times. Seeing people forget about the world for 90 minutes is what made me decide to go back to work.

What are your favorite Covid-era binging exercises?

SM: I watch The Office, and it’s usually just on in the background if Chris is home and we are eating a quick lunch. When I’ve had the free time, I have been binging books. The Story of WWII by Donald L.

Miller is fantastic. My eBay cart is full of antique American history books from the 1800s.

I’ve gone through a lot of books, but the one I’ve really binged on has been the Bible. I hadn’t read it in years, and when I was in school, I was reading it from a historical perspective. I’ve been reading it from a personal perspective in search of stability. I’m trying to learn how to exist calmly and lovingly in a world that is chaotic. It’s turned out to be a good book for that.

Give us your rosiest hopes and expectations for Sara Morgan in 2021.

SM: I hope to have a piece of land in the middle of nowhere with a little house on it, and I hope to release a record that people can relate to. And maybe for Church in a Bar to become a bona-fide smash.

WANT MORE TIMOTHY FINN? Check out his weekly online-only content at inkansascity.com.

Every Wednesday the website publishes his list of Top 5 Notto-Miss Concerts in the metro.

Every week you’ll find his revered, rollicking, reasoned reviews and commentary.

Email Timothy Finn at tfinn@inkansascity.com

nspjarch.com 913.831.1415 2019 Spaces half page layout.indd 19

6/19/2020 10:34:26 AM DECEMBER 2020

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Look

IN KC

Fashion

BY

R. Murphy

Sweater Weather CHECK OUT SOME OF OUR FAVORITE SWEATERS AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT BOUTIQUES NOTORIOUS Channel RBG with this pearl-bedecked sweater with gathered shoulders for the sweetest puffed sleeves. In soft gray, you can jazz it up with a bold pant color or keep it neutral with dark, straightleg denim for a look that is office appropriate or night-out fresh. Wool-blend sweater

by ASTR, $120. Available at Lady Bye (Brookside).

THE SWIPP

W

hat’s the best part of winter? The freedom to lean into the hygge way of life, starting with sweaters. Whether you prefer chunky and cozy or a sleeker silhouette, sweaters are our go-to for an afternoon at home or nursing hot cocoa around the fire with friends.

Julie Oliver loves sweaters too—so much so that she created the perfect undergarment to make sure that you can enjoy the warmth of your favorite wool without the itch factor—the Swipp or sweater slip. This ultra-lightweight and breathable garment is meant to be worn under your favorite sweater to protect winter skin from potential irritation from fibers.

Like a rash guard for winter, the Swipp uses all the technology that our skin loves in the summer—breathable fabric, ultra-flat seams that disappear, and a barrier between your delicate knitwear and your potentially sweaty body. The Swipp is cut to hit just above the waistline and above the bracelet line so as to be undetectable, so no tucking is required. Available in crewneck, v-neck, and sleeveless v-neck, ranging from $28-$46. thesweaterslip.com

FIERCE Get comfortable in this pale pink leopard print sweater with gathered sleeves. Pair it with distressed jeans and platform Keds for a run to the market or slip into your favorite joggers and lounge at home. Polyester and rayon sweater by Sanctuary, $98, available at Scout and Molly’s (Leawood).

DOUBLING DOWN Turtlenecks are back in a big way this season as seen in this striking piece from Sayaka Davis. A slit in the back of this fine-knit wool reveals a double collar in creamy white. Flowing sleeves gather at the wrist and a loose body means comfort and oh-so-edgy style. Wool double turtleneck sweater in merino wool, Sayaka Davis, $298, available at Finefolk (West Plaza).

DECEMBER 2020

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Come Home to Warmth.

COME HOME TO NEST.

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Look

IN KC Beauty

A Blank

Canvas BY

R. Murphy

AH, DECEMBER. NORMALLY THIS MONTH WOULD BE A CHOCKABLOCK WITH PARTIES AND SOIREES, EACH NEEDING A DIFFERENT MAKEUP LOOK AND ENSEMBLE. BUT EVEN WITH GATHERINGS FEWER AND FARTHER BETWEEN, IT’S THE MOST EXCITING TIME OF YEAR FOR CREATING DARING LOOKS THAT WILL DELIGHT EVEN YOUR WEEKLY ZOOM HAPPY HOUR OR YOUR BUBBLES HOLIDAY SHINDIG. WANT VERSATILITY? TRY THESE PALETTES TO CREATE LOOKS THAT GO FROM FRIDAY MEETING TO SATURDAY REVELRY.

THE WHOLE SHEBANG If you just want to feel pampered, even in your own bathroom, reach for Dior.

This multiuse palette has a warm and cool color story, complete with silky eyeshadows, two cheek colors, illuminating face powder, and four creamy lip colors. Dior Sparkling Couture MultiUse Palette, $89, nordstrom.com.

WINDOW DRESSING What’s a beautiful eye look without a strong brow to frame it? If you have been eschewing the waxer in the past few months, let Anastasia of Beverly Hills help you create the perfect brow shape. This five-piece kit has everything you need, including guides, brow color, setting gel, and brushes. Anastasia Beverly Hills Signature Brow Kit, $60, only at Nordstrom and nordstrom.com.

SEND NUDES There’s something timeless about a not-sonude lid and this palette from Huda nails it. Create office-appropriate looks with the matte shades or glam it up with fine shimmer or chunky glitter. Plus, these nudes veer slightly to the plum side of the spectrum, giving a wide variety of skin tones ample material to work with. Huda Beauty The New Nude Eyeshadow Palette, $65, sephora.com.

A WALK IN THE WOODS Channel Taylor Swift as you dip into this deluxe palette, with bonus lip gloss and bestselling mascara, Better than Sex. The palette itself includes four cheek colors and 20 eye shades in warm, earthy hues in both shimmers and mattes. Too Faced Enchanted Forest Makeup Set, $44, ulta.com.

DECEMBER 2020

| 54 | INKANSASCITY.COM

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Look

IN KC

Wellness

BY

R. Murphy

The Book of Thanks

THE CLASSIC Sometimes simple is best. Slip your favorite Moleskine into Sandlot Goods’ pocket-sized leather journal cover, complete with two card slots.

Find something that stands out while you’re out and about? No need to wait to jot it down. Plus, this cover means that you can fill and refill it over the years. Pocket Journal Cover in tan or black, $78, sandlotgoods. com, Westside Storey (Westside), or Houndstooth (River Market).

L

et’s be honest—2020 has been rough all around. Sure, we won the Super Bowl but other than that, the hits have just kept coming. But even in the midst of one of the most challenging years in recent memory, there have been moments of joy and accomplishment. If your mental health could use a boost, psychologists say that acknowledging even the smallest wins can be highly beneficial to your wellbeing.

According to leading gratitude researcher Robert Emmons, Ph.D., gratitude can lead to better sleep because of fewer negative thoughts, reduced hostility and aggression (who doesn’t need that right now?), and a greater likelihood of contributing to work and other organizations.

Better sleep, less aggression, and more giving? Sounds like gratitude may be the silver bullet that 2020 needs.

If you’re starting a gratitude practice, it can be helpful to write things down. Even a jot or two about what went right in your day can be a concrete reminder of what you have going right. A gratitude journal can be a wonderful reminder of all that we have to be thankful for.

Here are a few of our favorites.

DECEMBER 2020

VIVID EXPRESSIONS If color inspires you, grab this beautifully abstract journal. With blank pages that lay flat when opened, you can illustrate your thoughts.

Sky Layflat Journal Blank, $8, Cuorobella (Hawthorne Plaza).

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A LITTLE PUSH Sometimes you need a little encouragement to get you started. Enter A Gratitude. This journal not only Life of Gratitude provides space for your thoughts but also prompts and activities that can get the gears of gratitude moving A Life of Gratitude Journal, $14.95, Paper Source (Country Club Plaza and Town Center Crossing).

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Living

IN KC BY

Stacy Downs

Home Tomes EACH YEAR, I LOVE TO GIVE AND RECEIVE BOOKS—ESPECIALLY DESIGN BOOKS SINCE THEY INSPIRE IDEAS FOR MY HOME AND BEYOND.

LOCAL SOURCES FOR THE LATEST BOOKS INCLUDE GEORGE: A LIFESTYLE STORE IN THE CRESTWOOD SHOPS

Interiors: The Greatest Rooms of the Century by Phaidon Editors (Phaidon) showcases 400 interiors from around the world organized A to Z by designer. Admittedly, I’m judging this book largely by its orange velvet cover. I’ve had a crush on the color since my childhood in the 1970s when my family had a burnt-orange corduroy sofa.

AND RAINY DAY BOOKS IN FAIRWAY.

HERE ARE A FEW BOOKS FROM 2020 THAT PIQUE MY INTEREST.

Still: The Slow Home by Natalie Watson (Hardie Grant) is about living slower through the environment chosen at home. The book examines a dozen people’s residences and their selections that bring them happiness and well-being.

Wild Interiors: Beautiful Plants in Beautiful Spaces by Hilton Carter (CICO Books) looks luxurious and useful. Carter gives a room-by-room care guide for what types of plants can thrive in the humidity of a bathroom and the heat of the kitchen. He’s also a plant stylist who illustrates the wild possibilities for the home.

DECEMBER 2020

| 58 | INKANSASCITY.COM

Décor That Lasts All Winter

W

hile I love the glow and spirit of the holidays, I strive to keep décor to a minimum so there’s not a lot I have to take down come January 1 or before.

That’s why I was drawn to these plywood trees

by Design Ideas at the Kemper Museum Shop.

Even though they’re called Tannenbaum, they look forest-like and can definitely last beyond the new year. Their simple forms and spots of

DECEMBER 2020

color spark fun and joy.

There is a selection of hues beyond the traditional red and green (though they have those, too) in shades of pink, orange, yellow, and blue. They are also available in different sizes. I chose a few six- and eight-inch versions.

One of the best parts: They assemble in two pieces so when spring returns, you can take them apart and store them flat. shop.kemperart.org

| 59 | INKANSASCITY.COM

Living

IN KC by

Stacy Downs

Time for New Traditions Hammered copper fondue set available at Pryde’s Kitchen & Necessities (Westport), $70.

I

n a year unlike any other, celebrating the holidays and welcoming 2021 will definitely look and feel different from raucous large gatherings of the past. 2021 might be about spending time only with those already in our household as well as shorter, socially distanced moments with those who live elsewhere.

And all of this is perfectly fine since health and safety are top priority. Plus it’s an opportunity to make room for new traditions, routines, and rituals. These are the things that give us moments to anticipate and remember.

A few suggestions: ADVENT CALENDAR. While so many people use one, so many don’t take the time—and they’re a blast! Make 2020 the year to create one.

Mix it up on the daily surprises, leaving little notes and verses along with candy and gift cards. You can buy or build the calendars. One of my crafty friends made one for her family out of different colors of envelopes, and you could do the same thing with mini boxes.

DECEMBER 2020

DOORSTOP DROP OFF. Make a night of stopping by family, friends, and neighbors’ homes with gifts, cards, or baked treats. Ring the doorbell, and if they’re there, say a quick masked greeting, and if they’re not, leave your present on the porch.

FONDUE NIGHT. When I was younger, my parents and two younger brothers and I made fondue on New Year’s Eve. We’ve done this with our sons, too, but in some years, we’ve gone to friends’ houses for large parties. This year, we’re definitely doing a festive fondue with just the four of us to bring in the new year—both an oil version to cook meat and veggie and a chocolate one for dessert.

JOURNAL. You don’t need to wait until 2021 to start reflecting on your day in a journal. A friend recently gifted me the perfect one, called the “One Line A Day” five-year memory book. It’s actually several lines for each day of the year, enough to jot down ideas, thoughts, and what you’re grateful for on that date.

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THE MONTHLY GIFT OF ART

Every Option of Wood Flooring

Every Type of Carpet

Vase by Erica Iman.

WE’RE DEFINITELY not getting out and about as much as usual to go to art openings and shows in a city that’s known for its artists.

One consistent way to see art this year has been by subscription. I signed up for ceramic artist Erica Iman’s monthly bud vases.

Receiving them has been a bright spot during our challenging times, a surprise to look forward to. I’ve received six, and it’s been delightful to study their different clays, textures, and glazes. They look gorgeous grouped together on a side table in my living room or arranged one per place setting on my dining table. ericaiman.com In a similar fashion, Belger Arts has created Mug of the Month, “a small, but powerful way to help sustain our vastly changing arts community—one mug at a time.”

Subscribers can sign up monthly or annually for the mugs.

So far, they have named the monthly artists through February. belgerarts.org

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Open to the Public Free Financing Full Service Installation -or- Carry Out 127th & Metcalf KCWholesaleCarpet.com

Mug by artist Pierce Haley, who will be the Mug of the Month artist at Belger Arts in February.

DECEMBER 2020

| 61 | INKANSASCITY.COM

words by

Cindy Hoedel

photo by

Jack Mitchell

IN CONVERSATION WITH

David Parsons

I

nternationally celebrated dancer and choreographer David Parsons thrilled his first audience as a teen with a gravity-defying exit from a trampoline at an arts camp show in Kansas City. His career has been soaring ever since.

Parsons, 61, began training with the Missouri Dance Theater at age 14. At 17, he moved to New York when he was offered an internship at the Ailey School. In 1978 he joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company as an apprentice, then became a principal dancer. Taylor created roles showcasing Parsons’s athleticism.

He performed as a guest artist with New York City Ballet, toured with MOMIX and performed with Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project.

In 1985, he founded Parsons Dance. The company has performed in at least 445 cities in 30 countries on five continents. Parsons has also choreographed Broadway productions and performances in the fashion industry for Loro Piana and Missoni.

Last year, Parsons choreographed A Play for Love for the Kansas City Ballet. A Parsons Dance performance with the Harriman Jewell Series at Muriel Kauffman Theatre has been rescheduled for September 9, 2021.

Parsons spoke with IN Kansas City by phone during a break while building shelves in the garage of the Stamford, Connecticut, home he shares with his partner, Melinda Cloobeck.

DECEMBER 2020

What was your childhood in Kansas City like?

In the beginning it was great. We lived in Armour Hills. It was an incredibly beautiful neighborhood—middle class. I went to JC Nichols School. And then when I was 11 or 12, my brothers and my father left my mother, and I had to stay with her. She went into a terrible mental state; she really had a breakdown. I stayed with my mother in that house until I was 17 and one of my brothers came back. I said, “Are you gonna stay with mom?” And he said yes. Three days later, with $70 in my pocket, I got on the train to New York City and never went back.

My mother and my family are fine now. It was difficult to see her go through that and to have that family break up on me. Then I found another family in Missouri Dance Theater, and when I moved to New York I found another family, the Paul Taylor Dance Company.

The other thing about Kansas City that was formative, was, at the age of 15, I had a motorcycle accident with the mayor of Kansas City’s daughter on the back. There was a photograph on the front page of The Kansas City Star of me on the ground with my dog licking me, because he was the one that made us wreck, and Nina on a stretcher. And the caption said, “Nina Wheeler and the boy…”

From then on, I always wanted to make sure my name was better represented. [Laughs] Nina and I are still close and the last time I performed at the Kauff-

| 62 | INKANSASCITY.COM

man, [former mayor] Charlie Wheeler came.

When did you become aware of dance as a child?

We had a trampoline in the backyard. I was a gymnast and a trampolinist. I was making pieces on the trampoline at age 12 or 13. I made my first piece to Led Zeppelin.

Do you remember the song?

Kashmir.

What did that look like, trampoline choreography?

Well, you’re in the air all the time. And it stuck. We’re known as a company that has a lot of air time.

Do you remember the point when dance started to feel like a vocation?

Yes. My mom put me in arts camp at Sunset Hill School. There was a show that I was in, and I put my trampoline on the stage. At the end of the piece I grabbed onto the pipes above, after my biggest bounce, and I pulled my legs up and never came down.

Holy. Cow. [Laughs] So basically, I exited up. The curtain closed. The audience went crazy, and at that moment I knew I wanted to be in show business.

Perhaps your most famous piece is Caught, a solo where a strobe flashes repeatedly as a dancer leaps, making it appear the dancer is walking on air. Where did you come up with that idea?

I was working with a photographer named Lois Greenfield—I’ve had a relationship with her for 35 years—she made her name shooting dance.

We would go in the studio and just play, and I realized that there was a way I could use a strobe light to catch a dancer on a dark stage and it would seem like they never hit the ground. We all have dreams of flying, that connects us as humans around the world. It’s a jaw dropper. You can hear the audience gasp when you’re dancing it.

What were the early days like as a young kid from the Midwest in New York City?

Two weeks after I arrived in New York, the 1977 blackout happened.

I was staying in an apartment for $130 a month. I used to work the graveyard shift, 11 to 7, pumping gas on 90th Street and Third Avenue.

During the day, I had a scholarship with Ailey, and I would sleep at two times during the day.

After eight months in New York, I got into Paul Taylor as an understudy, and six months later, I was touring the Soviet Union with the Taylor company.

You give Paul Taylor credit for teaching you to treat dancers fairly. What do you mean by that?

I am in the contemporary world. Ballet is a different world. Sometimes you have 100 people in a ballet company. There are only eight people in

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our company, and they are all principals. We have understudies behind them, but they don’t go out on the road.

To have good dancers you need to pay them. They need to live like everyone else. For 35 years we’ve had medical coverage for free. That is how you build trust.

It’s a very small group and I like it that way. You’re working so closely; you are more like friends. You’re not going to mess with your friends, because you don’t want your friends to leave you. We look for people that want to spend their whole career with us, and most dancers do, because they tour the world and they get to do other people’s works.

When I was in Paul Taylor’s company, one of the reasons why I left after nine years was because he didn’t do anybody else’s works. I wanted to do other works.

Does your company have a personality?

We are known as a very physical company. In my opinion, it’s a very vital company. We’re constantly looking for ways to keep ourselves alive and moving in different directions. Thirty-five years is a long time to have a not-for-profit organization.

‘‘

Nowadays, it’s more acceptable to be accessible. Times have changed. I don’t care what people think. I’m not going to change who I am. We love to take our audiences on a rollercoaster of emotions.”

Your work is frequently called “accessible.” That can be a hot-button word in all areas of art. In dance, what is considered not accessible, and what makes your work accessible?

Nowadays, it’s more acceptable to be accessible. Times have changed. I don’t care what people think. I’m not going to change who I am. We love to take our audiences on a rollercoaster of emotions. We love to have an audience member laugh. We want to make sure when you leave, you won’t forget Parsons Dance, and I think we achieve that.

In the early stages of your career, AIDS hit the dance world hard. Now Covid is hitting all arts groups hard. How do you view the situation?

It’s amazing I’ve been able to land on my feet when you look at what I’ve lived through. As soon as I arrived in New York, there were the blackouts and riots.

Then, we were in the air over Texas and saw the Space Shuttle break up.

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For 35 years, Parsons has collaborated with photographer Lois Greenfield to capture the essence of dance.

photos by lois greenfield

You were looking out the window of a plane at the Challenger when it exploded?

Yes. Then there was the AIDS crisis, and people in Paul Taylor’s company were dying while I was there. And we [Parsons Dance] were in New York on 9/11. We were supposed to perform that night in between the two towers.

When I think about the pandemic, I think about a piece I made called Ring Around the Rosy after I left Paul [Taylor]. It was an epic about the Black Plague over 400 years ago that killed millions of people.

I had been touring in Italy and I stayed at a friend’s apartment in Milan, and I looked down and said, “What is that old beautiful building?”

He said, “That was a plague hospital.” So I studied that whole thing and had an original score by Richard Peaslee, and it was so affective.

The same thing is happening today, that kind of fear and not knowing.

How is your company responding to the pandemic?

We had been in Wuhan the year before the pandemic, and we have an employee from there. Her parents let us know [about the virus]. We have also spent a lot of time in Italy and we were hearing from people there. We did our 2020 gala online in May. Since July, our dancers have been working in pods in three locations.

I wanted to do something profound [in response to Covid] to Beethoven or Mozart. The dancers didn’t want to do something Covid-related.

They wanted to do something about communication between humans in the age of social media and cell phones and computers.

My lady’s son, David Cloobeck, is a composer. He studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston. So David did the music, working at night.

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He put together a beautiful score that reminds us of the sounds we hear every day, little bleeps and tones like you hear on your phone. The piece is called Side Effects. We performed it on a farm in Stamford, Connecticut, to 100 close patrons and board members. It really struck home with people. Now they’re working on a new piece. We’re producing like crazy.

Compared to opera or ballet, my world is very enclosed. The only thing that’s going to affect us is touring. At the age of 61, all I do is keep my paints, which are my dancers, together so I can create and give my dancers work. We will survive and do what we do on my small level.

We’re agile.

I started my company with Howell Binkley. He’s lit every one of my works and he was my best friend. Unfortunately, he passed away in August from cancer, so we are reeling a little bit. He was my best collaborator. He did a little show called Hamilton and picked up a Tony for it.

[Chuckles] He was huge. So I’ve got a real hole in my heart not having that guy around. It’s unusual to form a dance company with a lighting designer as a partner, but we had a beautiful run.

Your mission statement reads, in part, “We envision a more positive, creative, and welcoming world.” How can dance make the world better?

Oh. Oh. Dance is just inspiring to see. It fills you with hope. It fills you with positive energy to see someone really express themselves in a nonverbal way. It can go into your soul. I never underestimate the power of good dance.

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Interview condensed and minimally edited for clarity.

Making Spirits Bright PUTTING THE HOLIDAY IN YOUR HOME IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER. TWO DESIGNERS FROM THE 2019 KAPPA KAPPA GAMMA HOLIDAY HOMES TOUR REVEAL HOW KANSAS CITY FLORISTS ARE MAKING IT FRESH AND FESTIVE

Classic, Fresh, and Fun Fresh Fleur | freshfleur@gmail.com

DECEMBER 2020

K

atie and Bryce Gahagan’s Prairie Village home has classic contemporary down pat. Monica Faught of Fresh Fleur, who had designed the couple’s wedding florals, added light-hearted and festive to the mix. “We used classic Christmas colors—red, green, gold, and silver with a pop of Pink Floyd roses to make it fun and unique,” says Faught. “The black-and-

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This page: A colorful arrangement poinsettias and a lush, oversized garland filled with ornaments in a variety of colors and sizes make an impact in the imposing two-story foyer. Opposite: A smaller version of the foyer garland is draped across the living room mantel. words by photos by

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Judith Fertig Aaron Leimkuehler

DECEMBER 2020

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This page: Pink dominates in the daughter’s room, where her favorite color shows up in the custom-flocked tree and the bedside bouquet. Opposite: A table runner filled with Pink Floyd roses is eye-catching, yet easy for diners to converse over.

white ribbon is not necessarily traditional, but it helps tie it all together.”

And that garland up the staircase! Says Faught, “One of my tricks for seasonal decorating is more! More lights, more ornaments, etc. I doubled up the sections of garland on the entire railing which gave me more surface area to attach the ornaments and helped create a stunning garland with wow factor.”

On the hall chest sits a large, three-tiered silver-and-gold serving piece that Faught filled with red and hot-pink poinsettias.

Faught created the round, topiary-like arrangements flanking the fireplace with red and hot-pink carnations. “Carnations have a bad reputation sometimes, but in the right application they can truly be surprising stunners that are a great value,” she says. Plus, the arrangements lasted

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four weeks with regular waterings.

In the dining room, “Keeping the rose and carnation centerpieces low, narrow, and dense ensures that guests could carry on unobstructed conversations and the hostess would still have room for serving pieces,” says Faught.

The tree in daughter Evan Gahagan’s room is a custom-flocked real Frasier fir. “Woody, the Christmas tree guru at Family Tree Nursery on Nieman Road, was able to flock Evan’s tree in the perfect shade of pink,” says Faught.

“It’s something magical and almost cartoon-like that kids love.”

Says Faught, “My gift from my mother is ‘making things pretty,’ and during this very ugly year, when so many things are still uncertain, I am really looking forward to making things pretty during the holidays again at my house.”

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Tradition with a Twist Studio Dan Meiners | danmeiners.com

DECEMBER 2020

T

his 1922 Plaza-area grande dame, owned by Jeff and Amy Hargroves, features classic lines, rosy brick, and white pillars and porticos. “It was a fun house to work

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This page: A garland comprised of fresh, scented greens and accented with holiday ornaments cascades down the bannister in the entry hall. Opposite: Wreaths and garlands festooned with blue and silver details adorn the exterior.

DECEMBER 2020

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Above: The family room is a symphony of gray, silver, pale blue, and white holiday decor. Opposite: In the dining room, a composition of fresh flowers, berries, evergreens, all topped off with a bold gold bow, is the center of attention.

with,” says Dan Meiners, of Studio Dan Meiners. He started with black urns filled with evergreens, a ropy garland, and a welcoming wreath of shiny baubles that can withstand the elements. “If you want to make your own wreath, hot-glue the wires into the ornaments first,” he advises, “then wire the ornaments into the wreath frame, pulling them deep inside so they stay put.”

Using cedar for scent and elegance and white pine for softness and airiness, Meiners decked the halls with fresh greenery. He added accents of colorful ornaments, sprays of

DECEMBER 2020

berries, and pinecones to pull it all together.

Working with the existing color scheme of teal, brown, and yellow, Meiners added two contrasting hues—salmon and emerald. On the hall console and the dining table, he created lush arrangements featuring salmon amaryllis and English cabbage roses. “We paired traditional elements with contemporary details,” he says.

And don’t forget the remote controls to turn all the holiday lights on and off; they will make your life so much easier, he says. “Hide your cords and enjoy the lights.”

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Easy asPie

HOW THREE KANSAS CITY BAKERIES FOUND THEIR PIECE OF THE PIE

T

he first ten months of the year may be dominated by cakes, cookies, and other desserts, but come the holidays, it’s all about the pies. We caught up with the bakers behind three local pie businesses to talk crusts, fillings, and what sets their pies apart.

WORDS BY

Kelsey Cipolla

DECEMBER 2020

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Amy Marcus

SWEET TEA PIE CO. When Amy Marcus was furloughed from her job in the culinary industry at the beginning of the pandemic this spring, she started baking pies and dropping them off with friends as a way to keep cooking and stay connected.

“I’d never delved into pies,” she admits. “I mostly do savory cooking, and I honestly wanted to learn something new. I fell in love with the idea of combining my love of savory into desserts, so I started coming up with really interesting flavors, and it kind of went from there.”

Friends also fell in love with her flavors, which initially included an orange pekoe tea-infused chess pie and started spreading the word about her creations. Within a week of her first batch, Marcus was fulfilling orders for people she didn’t know, and a new business was born— Sweet Tea Pie Co. As a one-woman operation, Marcus announces online when she’ll be accepting orders and when they will be available for pick up. Pie flavors vary—her holiday lineup included caramel apple pancetta and bourbon

DECEMBER 2020

maple pecan, and a chai tea chess pie is among her current offerings.

In addition, Marcus has started offering three varieties of freezer-friendly take-and-bake pot pies as a way to get back to her savory roots: A sweet and savory vegan root veggie in a hard cider gravy; a hard cider-braised, chili-rubbed chicken pot pie with poblanos, hominy, and tomatillos; and a Korean chicken pie with shiitake mushrooms, plus Korean peppers and sweet potatoes.

Ultimately, Marcus would love to turn Sweet Tea Pie Co. into a brick-and-mortar pie shop with other simple menu offerings. But for now, she’s enjoying the flexibility of the business as a single mom tasked with homeschooling her three kids, who might just find a lesson in their mom’s new path.

“It’s been fun to show them that life changes and we can reinvent ourselves, we can come up with new ways to support ourselves and new ways to stay creative,” she says. sweetteapieco.com

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Ashleigh Luna

Handmaking up to 150 pies is all in a day’s work for Ashleigh Luna and her dad and baking buddy, Charles Luna. The duo does all of the cooking for the bake shop Ashleigh opened five years ago inside Pryde’s Kitchen & Necessities (115 Westport Road).

“It’s exhausting sometimes, but we get it done,” she says.

Baking pies professionally wasn’t always on the menu for the Lunas.

Ashleigh, who received a degree in broadcast media before completing the culinary program at Johnson & Wales in Denver, initially experimented with cookies and other sweet treats before landing on pies.

“I always grew up making the Thanksgiving pie for our family,” she explains. “I feel like pie is just one of those classic, not fussy American desserts that’s so quintessential.”

Ashleigh and her dad liked to cook together and started testing pie recipes one summer almost ten years ago, refining them through trial and error. They’re the same recipes used today at Ashleigh’s Bake Shop, which is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Because the Lunas do all the baking fresh each morning, the selection

DECEMBER 2020

in the shop is limited and prone to selling out, so advanced orders are recommended, whether you’re opting for the bestselling berry patch or cherry pies, or have your sights set on a savory quiche. (The crab pie, made with real crab, swiss, cheddar, a little Old Bay, sautéed peppers and onions, has been one of the bake shop’s most popular pandemic offerings.)

Ashleigh’s personal favorite pies include the almond chocolate chess, which she describes as a gooey brownie pie with a little bit of almond extract, cinnamon, and toasted slivered almonds on top. She’s also partial to the cranberry apple oat crumble.

“It kind of smells like apple cider when it’s baking in the oven,” she says. “But it’s got a little bit of tartness from the cranberry.”

Regardless of their fillings and flavors, Ashleigh’s pies include one very important common denominator: the bake shop’s much beloved, incredibly flakey all-butter pie crusts.

“We’ve had people almost moved to tears—it’s so cute—and they’ll say ‘I haven’t had a pie like this since my grandma’s cherry pie,’” she says. ashleighsbakeshop.com

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ashleigh luna photo by aaron leimkuhler

ASHLEIGH’S BAKE SHOP

Jan Knobel & Elaine Van Buskirk

jan knobel & elaine van buskirk photo by aaron leimkuhler

ashleigh luna photo by aaron leimkuhler

THE UPPER CRUST PIE BAKERY

Sisters Jan Knobel and Elaine Van Buskirk have fond memories of baked goods from their childhood.

“We grew up with this custom of having delicious homemade pie at every family gathering or dinner or celebration,” Knobel says. “Pie was always a part of that, and it just seemed like standard fare—we thought everybody did this kind of thing.”

It wasn’t until much later that they realized their experience was special. They sought to recreate it at Downtown Overland Park’s Upper Crust Pie Bakery (7943 Santa Fe Drive).

Their old-school approach has made the Upper Crust one of Kansas City’s premier pie destinations since the sisters opened the shop in 2005. Although the Upper Crust offers cookies and bars, pies are undeniably the focus, from fruit pies with golden brown crusts to chocolate meringue with artfully tousled, towering peaks, not to mention plenty of nut and custard pies.

After much deliberation, Knobel names the blueberry, peach, and coconut meringue pies as her favorites—Van Buskirk cuts in to say her sister is taking all her top picks.

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Although the pair has similar taste in pie, they’ve found their own niches in the business. Knobel is still very involved in baking, spending every other day in the shop’s kitchen.

“Jan is clearly the baker,” Van Buskirk explains. “She has an eye, she has this sense—she can almost smell if something isn’t right.”

Meanwhile, Van Buskirk focuses on the retail and customer-service side of the business. “There are all these other things that come into play,” she says.” It’s not just pulling it out of the oven—you’ve got to figure out what to do with it, how to package it, how to make sure you have systems in place so you always have the fresher items out there for customers to pick up.”

Beyond their business savvy, the sisters say their reliance on traditional pie baking, without any convenient shortcuts, is what keeps them ahead of the pack.

“We still make our pies the way we made pie at home,” Knobel says. “We’re still using the same quality of ingredients. Everything is still mixed in small batches by hand. There’s no artificial anything, we use 100-percent butter in our crust, we use real fruit in our pie fillings.” uppercrustpiebakery.com

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All Shiny& Bright SOME OF THE BEST GIFTS COME WRAPPED IN SMALL BOXES

TAKE A BOW Diamond and 18k white-gold necklace, $30,000, Lilliane’s Jewelry (Leawood).

photos by

Aaron Leimkuehler

ROCK STARS Left to right: Champagne diamond pavĂŠ sphere in 18k rose-gold pendant, $11,675, Mazzarese Jewelry (Parkway Plaza). Armenta pendant with champagne diamonds and white and black sapphires in blackened sterling silver and 18k gold, $2,190. Doves Celestia diamond pendant in satin finish 18k gold, $3,628. Tacori Ivy Lane diamond pendant in blackened sterling silver and 18k rose gold, $1,590.

All from Meierotto Jewelers (North Kansas City). White diamonds in star motif pendant in 18k gold, $3,900, Pendleton Jewelry (45th & State Line Rd.) DECEMBER 2020

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BLUE ICE Clockwise from top left: Sapphire, diamond, and 18k whitegold earrings, $13,750, Lilliane’s Jewelry (Leawood). 14k whitegold necklace with pendant of blue sapphires and diamonds, $1,400, Diamonds Direct (Camelot Court Shopping Center). Ethos Maria blue topaz in 18k whitegold ring, $4,200. Ethos Maria blue topaz in 18k white-gold earrings, $5,625. Both from Mazzarese Jewelry (Parkway Plaza). Whitegold cocktail ring set with a London blue topaz surrounded by diamonds, $6,000, Diamonds Direct. Lagos Glacier blue topaz ring, $1,300, TIVOL (Country Club Plaza and Hawthorne Plaza).

DECEMBER 2020

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FINE LINES Clockwise from top left: David Yurman Origami cuff bracelet in blackened silver and 18k gold, $3,800, Meierotto Jewelers. Anna Maria Cammilli Sultana pendant with diamonds in 18k gold, $9,810, TIVOL. Enamel-coated geode accented with diamonds and rubies in 18k yellow-gold ring, $4,338, Pendleton Jewelry.Yven Tufenkjian baguette diamonds in 18k white-gold bangle bracelet, $25,000, Mazzarese Jewelry. Pear-shaped diamond pavĂŠ set in 18k white-gold swirl earrings, $7,700, Diamonds Direct.

DECEMBER 2020

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HOLIDAY MAGIC Clockwise from top left: Diamond, ruby, and 18k white-gold necklace, $26,250, Lilliane’s Jewelry. Carved malachite and diamond 18k yellow-gold earrings, $4,200, Pendleton Jewelry. Rubies and diamonds set in 18k rose-gold cuff bracelet, $37,000, Diamonds Direct. 7.42 carat ruby and diamond necklace, $55,000, TIVOL. Lemon quartz ring with diamond accent in 14k yellow-gold bezel and sterling-silver band, $925, Pendleton Jewelry. Emerald and diamond bracelet, $19,750, TIVOL.

DECEMBER 2020

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GO FOR THE GOLD Clockwise from top left: Diamond charm set on 14k yellow-gold spring necklace, $2,100, Diamonds Direct. Anna Beck silver and 18k yellow-gold tear-drop earrings, $325. Anna Beck silver and 18k yellow-gold saddle ring, $300. Both from Mazzarese Jewelry. Ippolita Classico crinkle hammered 18k gold earrings, $1,995, Meierotto Jewelers. Citrine, diamond, and 14k yellow-gold earrings, $1,250, Lilliane’s Jewelry.

DECEMBER 2020

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Kansas City Looks Toward

2021

(and it can’t come soon enough) WE GAZE INTO OUR CRYSTAL BALL AND ASK A FEW LOCAL SOOTHSAYERS FOR TRENDS AND TO-DOS FOR THE NEW YEAR WORDS BY

Katie Van Luchene

W

e’ve run out of adjectives and swear words for 2020. And while we lost our minds along with a few favorite businesses, we saw others zig and zag to remain open and relevant.

But when the clock strikes midnight on December 31, it’s time to stop pivoting and plant our feet firmly in the brave new world of 2021.

So what will Kansas City look like while the pandemic still grips our nation? The answer is: better than most cities our size.

That prediction comes from strong leadership and a history of making it through tough times with our famous Midwestern mix of grit and grace.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas cheering on the Chiefs in last year’s winning season.

He’s hoping for another Super Bowl win in 2021.

Interior designer Lisa Schmitz made the most of staying home by turning a sunroom into a crafts room.

THE MAN WITH THE PLAN Followers of Quinton Lucas chuckled at the mayor’s tweet on election night that he hoped 2020 was just a dream and Bobby Ewing would emerge from the shower. Everything post-Super Bowl parade seems like a blur.

So what’s on His Honor’s new year’s resolution? Learn yoga?

Take up painting? No, with the weight of the city on his shoulders, he’s more sacrosanct. “We have to get beyond Covid-19,” he says, “so we can get back out there, build on our strengths, and continue to create unity.”

Winning Super Bowl 2021 would go a long way to reviving the city’s enthusiasm and pride we felt last year says this rabid Kansas CONTINUED ON PAGE

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DECEMBER 2020

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Right: Town Center Plaza welcomed Berlin for a drive-in concert.

The Center plans on more concerts in 2021. Below: The Mercury Room opened on the top oor of Reverb Apartments.

Have a staycation in 2021 at the No Vacancy guesthouse in the Crossroads.

Above: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art extended the exhibit of Muhammad Ali photographs by Gordon Parks until April. 4, 2021. Right: Beef and gnocchi dish from Urban Cafe.

DECEMBER 2020

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WORDS BY

Judith Fertig

PHOTOS BY

Aaron Leimkuehler

“CELEBRATING BEAUTY ” A MISSION HILLS TREETOP HOME EVOKES EARTH, AIR, AND SKY

DECEMBER 2020

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This page: The soaring, two-story living room is lighted by a stunning stainlesssteel and powder-coated steel pendant from Hudson Valley. Rift-sawn oak clads the fireplace wall, while the owner’s cat, Nola, peeks out from under the quartz and steel coffee table from Abner Henry. Flowers from The Little Flower Shop. Opposite: A bird’s-eye view.

DECEMBER 2020

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Above: In the library, a Heriz rug anchors the seating area. The Standford sofa is flanked by a pair of leather recliners from Hancock & Moore. Right: Interior designer Mark Sudermann. Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Two views of the sculptural steel and wood staircase that connects the three floors. The Sonneman chandelier is especially enchanting when viewed from outdoors in the evening. The lower-level family room features a Chaddock sectional and two custom Eleanor Rigby club chairs facing the fireplace and flat-screen television. Flowers from The Little Flower Shop.

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s soon as you walk in this Mission Hills home, the graceful silhouette of a baby grand piano draws your eye onwards. Behind it hangs a contemporary painting by Mako Fujimura done in the ancient Japanese style of nihonga, a process of layering precious minerals such as azurite and malachite on rice paper. “I commissioned this work,” says the owner, a local businessman, “because it’s about celebrating beauty.”

This treetop aerie is also about celebrating a dream team of talent: Rick Jones of NSPJ Architects, Rick and Brett Standard of RM Stan-

dard Construction, and interior designer Mark Sudermann. “I was like a kid in a candy store working with them,” the homeowner says.

“Please tell me what the land calls for,” the homeowner first asked of architect Jones. The site atop a leafy hillside with a stream running below promised panoramic views. The resulting three-story home’s prairie modern style, both inside and out, evokes earth, air, and sky.

And the homeowner had his own wish list. “I wanted a quiet beauty. And light is very important,” he says.

Rift-sawn oak, limestone, glass, and conwords continued on page

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In the dining room, a chandelier from Fine Art Lighting hangs over the Chaddock table. Custom upholstered chairs in an Osborne & Little wool plaid surround the table. Opposite, top: A sophisticated mix of materials, including the rift-sawn oak cabinets, a stainless-steel appliance wall, and Neolith countertops define the contemporary, but warm kitchen.

Opposite, below: The breakfast area offers a panoramic view of the treetops and the creek below.

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The principal bedroom’s restful scheme includes a Century bed layered with a Vervain coverlet and custom Euro shams in Osborne & Little striped fabric fronted by a Stroheim velvet-upholstered bolster. Opposite, top: In a guest room, Pollack worsted-wool curtains flank a cozy niche furnished with a pair of Charles Stewart custom-made club chairs upholstered in a Pollack blue tweed. Opposite, bottom: In the principal bath, a generously sized Kohler soaker tub is framed by matching custom rift-sawn oak vanities. Flowers throughout by The Little Flower Shop.

DECEMBER 2020

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celebrating beauty continued from page

89

LOOKING AHEAD IN KC

New Year, New You...

coming in our January issue

Above: In a powder room, the Native Trails steel-and-marble sink is surrounded by Thibaut studded wallcovering.

inkansascity.com

DECEMBER 2020

temporary lighting are featured throughout the house for a seamless, integral look. “It has been a wonderful collaboration,” says designer Sudermann, who was brought into the project early on.

“I like to get to know the client first, then push the envelope, push their vision, otherwise why hire an interior designer?” Sudermann says. “The client wanted open and airy, warm, modern, clean and uncluttered. We added so many quiet details. For example, there’s a metal channel where the wall meets the ceiling instead of crown molding. I designed the limestone wall in the dining room so there are little projections of stone for votive candles. The wall seems to glow at night. The draperies are a warm, soft wool. We brought in sky blues in some upholstery | 94 | INKANSASCITY.COM

LOOKING AHEAD IN KC

Design at Home...

THE IT LIST Architect NSPJ Architects nspjarch.com

coming in our February issue

Construction RM Standard Construction rmstandard.com Interior Design M. Sudermann Interior Design msudermann.com Flowers The Little Flower Shop thelittleflowershop.com

and cushions. I want you to be able to throw pillows in the air and wherever they land, they work.”

The principal suite on the ground floor also has its own quiet details. You enter this wing via a cozy bookcase-lined study through to the bedroom, which has its own private deck. “In a house with soaring spaces, you need somewhere to feel like a retreat,” says Sudermann.

The guest room on an upper floor redefines the idea of “window seat.” It offers an alcove sitting area to take advantage of the view, which can be curtained off in the evening for privacy. “A guest could also wake up in the morning and see the view first thing,” says Sudermann.

While tall windows bathe the rooms with light during the day, coordinated contemporary lighting adds nighttime sparkle. “When I presented my lighting plan, everyone was very happy,” says Sudermann. Polished, sophisticated, and sometimes whimsical, the lighting fixtures also mimic elements of candlelight, starshine, and the glow of reflected planets in the night sky.

The contemporary stairway in wood and metal soars the full three stories, letting the light flow through each level. A pendant light fixture that looks like a string of bubbles illuminates the space.

“To get the lighting just right, I had to stand on scaffolding for three hours to figure out how and where to install it,” recalls Sudermann.

In the kitchen, rift-oak cabinets, stone counters, and a stainless-steel wall of appliances combine for a clutter-free, streamlined space.

Some of the homeowner’s favorite moments happen on the private deck outside the master bedroom. “I have my coffee in the morning and do a little reading and when I get home at night, I enjoy a glass of wine there,” he says.

But the real pleasure comes when he walks in the door at night.

“As soon as I come in, this house soothes my soul,” he says.

DECEMBER 2020

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KC LOOKS TOWARDS 2021 continued from page 85

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DECEMBER 2020

City Chiefs fan. But he’s not holding out for that gift basket the San Francisco 49ers promised last January. “It doesn’t matter,” he muses.

“We have better chocolatiers in Kansas City.”

ON THE HOME FRONT The shelter-in-place mandate forced us to reevaluate the address we call home. It became more than just a place to change clothes on our way to another event or grab a quick meal. It was our refuge, classroom, office, gym, and local restaurant.

Homeowners began to evaluate what was needed to make their lives easier or more joyful, whether a kitchen update, spa-like master bath, inviting outdoor space, or a closet makeover. One stylish friend finally added electric window shades in his apartment, a splurge he likens to the cost of a new car. “But since I haven’t had to buy as many new clothes this year,” he says, “it was an easy decision.”

Architect Matthew Hufft has always embraced large windows and sliding doors to bring the outside in as a way to boost mental and physical wellness. Residences he and his team have designed offer views of woods or water or at least a restful garden. And he notes that entryways, mudrooms, and foyers aren’t just a space between the outside world and the house; they must now serve as buffer zones as we’re tasked with keeping family and visitors safe. “The awkward request for a guest to remove shoes will no longer be awkward,” he writes in a blog, “it will be the accepted norm. So a bench and storage will be necessary in these spaces.” Could a sink for hand washing be far behind?

Interior designer Lisa Schmitz made the most of staying home by turning a sunroom into a crafts catchall for herself and teenaged son and daughter.

While there’s a cabinet to store the sewing machine, it went unused; Avery, a Loyola student currently schooling from home, works in textiles. If you’re a fan of those fabulous chicken footstools at George in the Crestwood Shops, you can credit this young woman for the “feathers.”

Lisa also uses this room for Zoom meetings because it’s filled with natural light and “because my bedroom, while it’s lovely, seemed too personal for business,” she says.

The designer made changes to the living room as well during this time. “I’m known for using neutrals, but I brought in some brighter colors recently,” she says. “But now I crave more soothing tones. I switched a vibrant rug to a tone-on-tone one and added pillows from local designer Chanee Vijay.” These hand-painted hemp pillows and throws are available in restful colors like mocha, ochre, charcoal, and surf.

She also added a game table to the living room, the spot where Avery can work on puzzles or challenge brother Grady to a board game. That is, when he’s not working on his fly-tying skills in the craft room.

Interior designer John Rufenacht is famous for a style that exudes luxury. And going into 2021, his clients are asking for cushy textures and soothing hues. A project in Houston imparts what he calls “gentle comfort and security.”

One room features a taupe suede sofa, matching club chairs upholstered in a linear pattern and poofs covered in what looks like a chunky knit sweater. Even the chandelier over the dining room table | 96 | INKANSASCITY.COM

eschews hard lines for a swirly, swoopy shape.

STAY-CATIONS WITH A SIDE OF HISTORY You’ve canceled that cruise to Greece and hit pause on the trip to Palm Springs. And it looks like we’ll be staying at home for a good part of 2021 too. But when cabin fever overtakes you in a month or so, consider becoming a tourist in your own town. Three options— two of them new—offer first-class lodging with walkabout finds.

Independence, Missouri, may be Harry Truman’s town, but Independence Square is all Cindy McClain. Her artistic taste touches every shop, art gallery, and dining room in this vibrant destination, starting with Ophelia’s restaurant and the inn upstairs that shares its name.

Guest rooms here are tastefully done, and just as tasty is anything prepared by Ophelia’s chef, Bobby Stearns, downstairs. Other restaurants, including Café Verona, are within walking distance, as well as home décor magnet Be Here Now and kitchen emporium Gilbert Whitney & Co. A spa, yoga studio, bowling alley, and movie theater make this a vacation spot close to home.

Also imbued in local history, Hotel Kansas City opened its doors in late 2020, just when we were eager to venture out again. The 144room hotel, part of the Unbound Collection by Hyatt, took over the iconic Kansas City Club downtown. Nothing “business stuffy” here; the remodel is stunning, starting with the lobby’s chandelier.

The hotel retained reminders of the building’s past including stained glass, ornate plaster reliefs, and hand-hewn walnut paneling.

Locals will recognize two names on the hotel’s four restaurants and bars roster: chef Patrick Ryan and Scott Tipton, the director of restaurants, bars and events. The Town Company, helmed by the executive chef, Johnny Leach, features an open hearth.

In the Crossroads, side-by-side signs declaring No Vacancy and Stay Here (there should be exclamation marks) add an Alice in Wonderland vibe to the No Vacancy guesthouse at 1717 Wyandotte. Newly minted hotelier Spencer Sight furnished each of the eight unique rooms with finds from estate sales and commissions from local artists.

Eclectic elements like a hanging wicker seat, claw-foot tub, dreamy four-poster bed, and exposed brick walls make each guest room feel like a personal loft. Three have kitchenettes and all but Studio Four (with its courtyard view) look over the Crossroads Arts District.

The streets and alleyways offer art galleries, exceptional dining, and fun shopping options, including Gallup Maps and Birdie’s, home to exquisite lingerie. Or you can hop on the streetcar to explore downtown. By the time you can book a room or buy out the entire place for up to 17 guests (Domino magazine is way ahead of you), there will be a new gourmet food, wine, and cheese retailer on the block.

TAKE IT OUTSIDE Those needing retail respite from the pandemic found it at Town Center Plaza when general manager Jacqueline Shrum shifted its Sunset Music Fest series from lawn chairs to drive-in concerts. LED screens draped across big stages and FM transmitters allowed folks to enjoy the evening in vehicles. “These were so popular we’re continuing them through 2021,” Jacqueline says, “with an emphasis on

DECEMBER 2020

January 16 JEFF LORBER

January 22 Karrin Allyson

February 12 ANAT COHEN February 13 JOHN PIZZARELLI TRIO March 20 PAQUITO D’RIVERA April 9 ELIANE ELIAS

Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts, Commerce Bank, Trustee

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KC LOOKS TOWARDS 2021 CONTINUED

local rather than national talent.”

The Leawood shopping, dining, and entertainment destination, which includes Town Center Crossing across the street, will host other events in the new year, including a fitness challenge and Hometown Heroes, featuring the local community engagement officers with the Leawood Police Department.

REIMAGINING PERFORMANCES While some stages may remain dark, at least in the first few months of the year, arts groups will continue to collaborate with area green spaces.

Powell Gardens made the most of its lush acres for the holiday Festival of Lights with performances by Kansas City Ballet and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Other events, including outdoor visiting chef dinners, are on its 2021 calendar.

The Kansas City Repertory Theatre reimagined its 2020-2021 season to fall in line with pandemic guidance. According to a joint statement from Stuart Carden, the artistic director, and executive director Angela Gieras, “…all of us at KCRep are creating a new season that is an inventive, revelatory, and entertaining mix of small-scale live performance, outdoor family-friendly events, and digital theatre experiences.”

REINVENTING MUSEUMS Museums find it a bit easier to plan for 2021. According to Kathleen Leighton, the manager of media relations at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, “We put the health and safety of our staff, volunteers, and

guests first, so as we enter 2021, free, timed tickets will still be necessary to promote social distancing and limit the number of guests in the museum at any one time. At this time [mid-November], we have further reduced ticket inventories, so the museum is well below the 50 percent capacity mandate. There is much for guests to experience, including Gordon Parks x Muhammad Ali: The Image of a Champion, 1966/70, which has been extended through April 4, 2021.”

Many of KC’s museums, including the Nelson, are offering virtual tours, which are gaining in popularity with both students and adults.

Check websites before attending in person, as changing regulations will affect accessibility.

DINING OUT, FINALLY With restaurants closed for much of 2020, people resorted to carryout and making do with provisions from the fridge and freezer. Right now, it looks like for at least the first few months of 2021 mean more of the same.

Shannon Bowman, the founder of Dining Savvy KC and Hardcore KC Foodie social media sites, definitely has a following. When asked for her list of places to try in 2021, she says she’s eager to support Blackand minority-owned enterprises.

One is Urban Café, an organic restaurant and food truck owned by husband and wife Justin and Rashaun Clark. Serving brunch, lunch, and dinner in their renovated space at 5500 Troost, the menu lists a pork belly sandwich, crabmeat omelet, and the Urban Bowl with grains and veggies.

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and Westport. “They serve my favorite wings and fried fish in town,” she says, “and that’s no small claim. And don’t miss the mac ‘n cheese.”

If “eat healthy” tops your new year’s resolutions, two places opened recently that won’t make you feel deprived. Billie’s Grocery, in the renovated space designed by Kansas City architect Nelle Peters on Gillham Plaza, offers gluten-free goodies like bacon banana waffles and a dairyfree charcuterie board. Robin Krause, who also owns Unbakery and Juicery, puts the hallelujah in healthy food like balsamic mushrooms on sourdough bread and miso wild-caught salmon. She also offers cooking classes in the space.

In south Overland Park, influencer and photographer Kasim Hardaway opened Cultivare, serving flavor-packed combinations like his Southwestern Bowl filled with roasted vegetables and grains and topped with a charred jalapeño pepper.

The pandemic has not stopped several exciting bars that recently opened, just in time to toast 2021. The talented team behind The Monarch on the Plaza ventured south to launch Verdigris in Leawood’s Park Place. The third under architect David Manica’s aesthetic is a jewelry box in the sky, The Mercury Room, at the top floor of Reverb Apartments in the Crossroads. The ceiling lights and gorgeous downtown views are reflected in walls of mirrors in this intimate and sophisticated space.

Goat & Rabbit opened in the lovely Volker neighborhood, its name a reference to the rivaling factions during Pendergast’s days. That’s about all the political talk we can endure right now, but just ten bucks for a Bee’s Knees cocktail gets our vote.

DECEMBER 2020

And Canary, the latest from the owners of Julep, is opening soon in the historic Netherland at 38th and Main. A rooftop bar provides a glorious view of our town.

OPEN FOR BUSINESS Things are looking up for the business side of KC as well in 2021, according to the local boosters at Kansas City Area Development Council.

Angela Kennedy, heading up the marketing team and investor relations for KCADC, is putting out the welcome mat for Pretzels, Inc.—good news for anyone addicted to Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels—and Chewy, Inc. for four-legged pals. Lifestyle brand Urban Outfitters is opening a distribution center as well. Stay on top of more good news at thinkkc.com.

Mayor Lucas was on hand to herald the Blue River Commerce Center that will eventually add 2.5 million square feet of industrial buildings to South Kansas City, resulting in 1,500-3,000 jobs as well as a robust need for more housing and services.

But it’s not just bricks and mortar putting a shine on the new year.

Tristan Mace—representative of the batch of energetic young entrepreneurs locating in Kansas City—recently launched Parkermace, a network of executives, venture capitalists, and other investors to allocate funds and resources here for startups. He says Kansas City is right on the cusp of becoming a “new major tech ecosystem.”

Ribbon cuttings and “We’re Open!” signs give us hope that the dreary days are almost over. Perhaps as Mayor Lucas opined, we’ll wake up to find a 2021 that’s shiny and new.

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In the Kitchen QUINCES BY

Cody Hogan

PHOTOS BY

‘‘S

o is it like an apple or a pear?” That’s the question I hear most frequently when I introduce someone to quinces. Its appearance, something between a misshapen apple and a gnarly squat pear, leads to that assumption. While quinces are in the same family as apples and pears (and plums, cherries, and almonds), they taste nothing like either, are rather tough to cut, and are extremely tannic and essentially inedible when raw. Quinces do have a deliciously striking scent—a few of them sitting in a bowl on a table will perfume an entire room. But when slowly cooked, the fruit is transformed to a delicate yet resilient velvety mouthful, similar to a poached pear, but with an altogether different flavor and a haunting scent.

And they are a little furry. So to simply compare them to another fruit—well, it’s complicated.

Quinces are a very old fruit, so old in fact that some theologians suggest it as the fruit that tempted Eve in the Garden, and it is often depicted as such in medieval paintings. They originated in western Asia and are common in those cuisines but have long been popular in Europe and were once more common in the U.S. Over the past century they have fallen out of favor in much of the country due their susceptibility to disease but are slowly returning to popularity. It can be a handsome plant, if a bit unpredictable in its growth habit. In the spring they are covered with beautiful flowers, much like a cherry tree. I have grown several varieties over the years but they all eventually succumbed to one virus or the other, most likely due to my fungal-prone microclimate. I now leave their cultivation to professionals in more amenable climes.

I fell in love with the romance of the quince and its foreignness years before I first tasted one and sampled its enticing aroma. When I finally had my first exposure it was a revelation. The fruit is pale green fading to golden when ripe, and the aforementioned fuzz easily rubs or washes off. They have a flavor (and scent) I can only describe as floral and somehow pleasantly old fashioned. Quinces have a very high pectin content and are perhaps most commonly used to make membrillo (its name in Spanish), a fruit leather commonly served with cheese.

It is also useful for making savory preserves—I use them for cranberry-quince chutney every Thanksgiving to accompany the turkey or oth-

DECEMBER 2020

Aaron Leimkuehler

er roast meats. But for me, they excel in desserts. Deciding whether or not to eat quinces—it’s not complicated.

Quinces and Winter Fruit Compote This is really a recipe for two compotes—poached quince and a poached pear and dried fruit compote that are then combined. Both are delicious and variations are endless.

In a small pot, begin by combining a few quinces, peeled and quartered, with two cups of water, a cup of sugar and a half a vanilla bean (optional, but delicious). Don’t bother trying to remove the core from the quinces at this stage because it’s like trying to cut leather and after cooking it will be much easier. Simmer the mixture, covered, for about two and a half hours—yes, really. It doesn’t take that long for them to become tender, but it does take that long to turn a lovely shade of sunset rose (cooking the fruit in a sugar syrup causes the tannins mellow and form anthocyanins/pigment). If you fear at any point that the quinces might cook dry and scorch, add a bit more water. Meanwhile, in a larger pot, combine four cups of water, water two cups of wine (you’ll need the rest of the bottle to drink while the quinces cook), zest and juice of a lemon, and one stick of cinnamon and bring to a simmer. Add about four firm but ripe pears, pears peeled, halved or quartered, and cored, to the simmering syrup and cook for 15 minutes. Add about two cups of dried fruits, fruits your choice (see In the Pantry) to the pear mixture and turn off the heat. Allow the dried fruit to rehydrate and cool while the quinces continue to cook. When the quinces have turned an alluring shade, turn off the heat and allow them to cool in the liquid. When they are cool enough to handle, one by one remove the quince quarters from the syrup, cut out the cores (discard) and slice the quinces into smaller pieces—but not too small. You want to be able to appreciate their quince-ness. Add them to the pear mixture and strain the pink quince syrup into pear mixture as well. Serve as desired. I like to serve the compote warm, like a soup, with a big scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream melting into it, or with a rice or bread pudding. The compote is also quite refreshing served cool, perhaps with a dry crumbly cake that can soak up the juices. A friend of mine uses the liquid as a steaming, comforting tea, and any leftover syrup can be reduced and used as an elegant dessert sauce, glaze, or sweetener for hot or cold tea.

| 102 | INKANSASCITY.COM

In Your Pantry DRIED FRUITS Especially handy in the winter but great to have in the pantry all year long, dried fruits are extremely versatile and delicious. The next time you’re in the grocery store, grab a variety to keep on hand.

Raisins

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The most common dried fruit in the U.S., dried grapes come in many colors and sizes—like grapes. From the standard dark brown raisin to golden raisins (aka Sultanas), plump flame raisins to tiny currants (little dried Zante grapes), try adding these to your next apple pie for a boost in complexity and texture. Soak them briefly in good wine vinegar and add to your next salad for a chewy burst of flavor.

Dried Plums Formerly known as prunes, these tasty, if much maligned, morsels are wonderful poached and served over ice cream or with a crumbly cornmeal cake.If you have patience, put a big jar of these covered in bourbon—or better yet, Armagnac—in the back of the pantry for about a year and then enjoy an absolutely delicious treat straight out of the jar (or stuffed inside a roast pork loin).

Apricots Just about everything goes with apricots, making dried apricots super convenient for an added sweet-and-sour burst of flavor.

Sulfur dioxide is added in the drying process to maintain the bright orange color and keep them more tender, but they are also available unsulphured—and brown. Both varieties are delicious eaten out of hand, rehydrated in compotes or dipped in dark chocolate. For a savory twist, try adding to braising meats for a hint of fruity sweetness.

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Tart Cherries Dried cherries are not all the same. Sweet cherries can be a bit on the insipid side, but tart cherries, aka Montmorency cherries, are loaded with flavor. Delicious in salads with grains and nuts. They also rehydrate beautifully with a splash of brandy for an impromptu ice cream topping.

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Figs

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Fortunately for those of us who live outside of fig growing territory (the Midwest gets just a little too cool), dried figs can be equally delicious (if not quite as sensual) and are available year around. Poach them with a little sugar and balsamic or other fruity-ish vinegar and purée them to make a wonderful spread for crackers and rich cheeses like camembert or brie. Black Mission figs are pictured here, but white and brown dried figs are also readily available.

Become an INsider DECEMBER 2020

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In Your Cocktail UNION HORSE DISTILLING CO. by

Kelsey Cipolla

photo by

Aaron Leimkuehler

W

Sleigh Ryed

DECEMBER 2020

| 104 | INKANSASCITY.COM

hen the Garcias say Union Horse Distilling Co. is a family business, they mean it. The Lenexa-based company was founded by four siblings who now oversee different aspects of the operation: Patrick is the master distiller; Eric serves as the general manager; Mary is the director of special events; and Damian is the director of sales and marketing.

Patrick had a background in brewing and Damian had worked in sales in the food and beverage industry, so a brewery seemed like a natural idea when they started brainstorming business concepts in the late 2000s.

But after touring a distillery out of state, the Garcias had a light bulb moment.

“Back then, there were a ton of breweries—there were so many breweries everywhere, and there were not a lot of craft distilleries that were making small-batch craft spirits,” Damian says.

They found a spacious building in Lenexa where they could set up shop, and Patrick used his brewing experience to learn the ropes of distilling. In 2010, the business was born.

Much has changed for Union Horse over the last decade. The Garcias learned

how to navigate running a business as a family, and the distillery has gone from distributing only in Kansas and Missouri to nine other states. Union Horse also found success hosting events out of its 6,500-square-foot event space and stepped up its spirits in a way made possible by the intervening years.

“Right now, we’re sitting at between five and six years on our bourbon and rye aged in a barrel,” Damian explains. “As we’ve matured as a distillery, so has our whiskey.”

Union Horse’s spirits are made with locally sourced ingredients and aged in Missouri-oak barrels. Whiskey is the bedrock for the distillery: Its lineup currently includes the smooth and spicy Reunion Straight Rye Whiskey and its higher proof sibling, Barrel Strength Reunion Rye Whiskey. Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey boasts complex notes of creamy vanilla, maple, and nougat, and Long Shot White Whiskey is aged for a brisk 120 minutes before it’s ready to go. The newest product offering, Rolling Standard Midwestern Four Grain Whiskey, has elements of both wheated bourbon and American single malt whiskeys, a flavor profile Damian says will appeal to many Scotch drinkers.

Union Horse’s Rider Vodka is the lone outlier in the group in terms of category, although it benefits from the same attentive approach to craftsmanship.

Regardless of which direction your tastes lie, there’s a Union Horse spirit to give a try, although Damian is partial to rye. Fittingly, Reunion Straight Rye Whiskey is the star of this wintery cocktail created by Jonathon Bush, the distillery’s in-house bartender. The drink gets a boost from another Kansas City-based brand in the form of Kansas City Canning Co. shrub.

“The inspiration for this cocktail is definitely a whiskey sour, but the shrub gives a good amount of complexity to the drink,” Bush says.

Whatever the holiday season throws at you, you’ll be ready to sleigh. unionhorse.com

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Sleigh Ryed 1.5 ounces Union Horse Reunion Straight Rye .5 ounce Kansas City Canning Co. Smoked Pear Shrub .5 ounce egg white .5 ounce simple syrup .5 lemon juice Pear slices (garnish)

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Combine all ingredients into cocktail shaker (no ice). Dry shake for at least five seconds. Add ice to shaker and shake vigorously until cold. Double strain into a rocks glass and garnish with pear slices.

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Kelsey Cipolla

KC TACO TRAIL

In Culinary News

THIS WINTER, hit the trail—The KC Taco Trail.

The Kansas City Kansas Convention and Visitors Bureau launched the trail to celebrate KCK’s status as a destination for tacos. It includes nearly 50 spots throughout local neighborhoods, from more authentic taquerias and street taco destinations like Bonito Michoacan and Tacos el Tio to restaurants you didn’t even know served tacos—we’re looking at you Slap’s BBQ. A delicious taco is undeniably its own reward, but there’s extra incentive to explore: Sign up online for a free Taco Trail Pass and unlock prizes based on the number of restaurants you eat at. Although the taco adventure is ongoing, diners have until October 31, 2021, to complete the trail and claim their spoils. visitkansascityks.com/tacotrail

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Kelsey Cipolla

CLAY & FIRE AFTER PLAYING HOST to many restaurants over the

In Culinary News

years, including Lill’s on 17th, Novel, and Fox & Pearl’s temporary location, 815 West 17th Street is now home to Clay & Fire, a Turkish and Near Eastern restaurant, which opened in mid-August with Brent Grunnels as the executive chef. Clay & Fire currently serves breakfast and lunch with plans to add dinner service in the near future.

Produce is sourced from two local farms, and dishes include an assortment of mezze options, rotisserie chicken with roasted veggies and a variety of egg dishes, from Georgian chirbuli, made with tomato and walnuts, to Turkish yumurta çilbir with yogurt and paprika. “What’s really cool about the menu is there’s nothing really like it offered here in town,” Grunnels says. “It’s very comforting—it’s almost like soul food.” clayandfirekc.com

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MATTIE’S FOODS

In Culinary News

SISTERS Arvelisha Woods and India Pernell never intended to get into the food business. But when they adopted a vegan diet and found themselves with woefully few options, Woods and Pernell took matters into their own hands, first creating a packaged queso under the brand Mattie’s Foods, then launching a food truck. Now, Mattie’s Foods has its own Brookside restaurant (633 E. 63rd St. #110) where guests can enjoy comfort foods made smart, from a breakfast burrito loaded with hash browns and meatless sausage to nachos with cashew sour cream and barbecue tofu. The sisters are excited to show Kansas City that vegan meals aren’t limited to raw veggies and salads, and craveable foods can still be on the menu. “We want people’s lives to change,” Woods says. “One bite at a time,” Pernell jumps in to add. mattiesfoods.com

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LADYBIRD, COLLECTED

In Culinary News

FANS OF LADYBIRD DINER in Lawrence don’t just love owner Meg Heriford’s homey, flavorful cooking and incredible pies. Heriford is also known for sharing thoughtful, heartfelt dispatches on social media based on her experiences running the restaurant. Those posts became especially poignant this year, when Ladybird Diner shifted its focus to providing free sack lunches to the community, ultimately offering boxes of grocery staples for families in need. Heriford writes about her pandemic efforts and much more in Ladybird, Collected, a book of essays released this fall. Purchase a copy from Lawrence’s Raven Book Store and 100 percent of proceeds go to the diner’s community meal program, with each book purchase funding four meals. ladybirddiner.com

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DECEMBER 2020

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Treat Yourself & A Friend This Holiday Season!

12for$12

An In-Depth Interview with Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas

4

REFRESH & RENEW!

Kitchens to Covet

A STUNNING SUNSET HILL CONTEMPORARY

JANUARY 2020 | INKANSASCITY.COM

Charitable Chiefs Players Give Back To Kansas City

Kansas City Chefs Share Their Fav Eateries

HOME MAKEOVERS

A WALDO MEDITERRANEAN & A PRAIRIE VILLAGE RANCH

THE POWER OF FOOD COLORFUL BROOKSIDE BUNGALOW

BARGAIN SHOPPING 101

Perfect P.V. Renovation

FEBRUARY 2020 | INKANSASCITY.COM

A Deep Dive Into KC’s Favorite Dishes and Drinks

FLIRTY FLORAL FASHION

MARCH 2020 | INKANSASCITY.COM

APRIL 2020 | INKANSASCITY.COM

MASTER SUITE MAKEOVERS

DERBY DAY FASHION

THE NEW FACES OF

PHILANTHROPY

Be the

BestYou Resolved: No Resolutions Booze-free Cocktails Wintertime Entertaining

We Are Kansas City Strong!

Valentine Gifts Galore

Plus

Cocktails & Cuisine q&a with interior designer

TRIP HAENISCH

Culinary News, Arts and Music Coverage and so much more!

entertaining advice, recipes, and so much more

Kansas City’s Everyday Heroes

Keeping KC Moving: Essential Workers Tell Their Stories

The KC Arts Community’s Pandemic Response

OUR NEW NORMAL

12 KANSAS CITIANS (Including Mayor Quinton Lucas) ON LIFE IN THE TIME OF THE CORONA CRISIS MAY 2020 | INKANSASCITY.COM

JUNE 2020 | INKANSASCITY.COM

JULY 2020 | INKANSASCITY.COM

The Men’s Issue

NICKY LOPEZ

FRENCH

SHOP LOCAL FOR FATHER’S DAY

PLUS

10 2

Chris Cooper AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

FUN

Derrick Nnadi

THINGS TO DO IN KC

BLACK CHEFS

A PLAZA CONDO RENO A CEDAR CREEK NEW BUILD

Kansas City’s Ultimate Sandwich Guide

OCTOBER 2020 | INKANSASCITY.COM

AT HOME WITH A STUNNING COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY BLACK ARTISTS

(SOCIAL DISTANCING)

STUNNING SPACES

TALKS ABOUT GROWING UP IN KC, HIS NEW PROJECTS, AND HOW HE’S COPING WITH COVID-19

a colorful midcentury home, the kc arts scene, entertaining advice, recipes, and so much more

Living with Art

Talks about his photography and films documenting KC’s music scene, growing up in Kansas City, and the Black Lives Matter movement

GREAT GIFTS

RESTAURANTS GET CREATIVE

RENOWNED OPERA STAR

JOYCE DiDONATO

JAVONNE

THE ROYALS PLAYER

DR. LEE NORMAN

AN EXCLUSIVE Q&A WITH

DIALLO

is eager to be back at bat

q&a with secretary of kansas dept. of health & environment

AUGUST 2020 | INKANSASCITY.COM

Tackling Racism in the Food Industry

ARTS

THE

ISSUE

Kansas City’s Favorite Festive Foodie Fare

NOVEMBER 2020 | INKANSASCITY.COM

Chiefs’ Defensive Tackle

TALKS ABOUT HIS LOVE OF DOGS, FOOTBALL IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS, AND THE ONE RESTAURANT HE WANTS TO SEE IN KC

EXCLUSIVE Q&A WITH

NICK CAVE ARTIST & KCAI GRAD

KC-BASED BUSINESSES GO NATIONAL DOCUMENTING THE BLM MURALS A MIDCENTURY MASTERPIECE IN MEYER CIRCLE

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DREAM KITCHENS & A MODERN FAMILY FARMHOUSE THE NEGRO LEAGUES

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION FASHION

HOLIDAY AT HOME

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Flavor

IN KC

Reservation for One THE AMERICAN RESERVE by

Kelsey Cipolla

R

photos by

oom service has its time and place, but sometimes you have to shirk off the robe and venture down to the hotel restaurant and bar. It’s an alluring proposition at the reimagined American Reserve Bar & Grille, located inside the Ambassador Hotel.

With a revamped interior and new chef and menu, the restaurant is a seductive marriage of style and substance. While the space has the

DECEMBER 2020

Aaron Leimkuehler

same bones, it’s been refined with hardwood floors, white marble tabletops and gold velvet seating areas. Tucked away in a banquette to the side, it’s easy to forget you’re in a hotel lobby at all until you hear the mechanical whir of elevator doors sliding apart and the high-pitched squeal of a (presumably very fancy) toddler in temporary residence.

Moments like these—when the realities of travel intersect with The American Reserve’s attempt to create a fine dining atmosphere—can be

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jarring, especially if you’re just stopping by for a meal. Business visitors talk shop over margaritas, and a group of men in baseball caps cluster to get a view of the evening’s game on the bar’s discreet TVs, creating a rift between the food and drinks’ high quality and price point and the overall restaurant experience. But it’s a disconnect The American Reserve works to overcome.

Fans of the restaurant’s previous iteration will recognize the tall, mirrored bar that serves as a focal point and still serves up delicious cocktails. The Goats & Rabbits, made with both Tom’s Town Bourbon and Restless Spirits Whiskey, comes with a side of local history courtesy of a full menu page that delves into the rivalry between the Pendergasts and local leader Joe Shannon. The American Reserve also serves up a bevy of seasonal cocktails, including a few hot options. The mulled wine is cozy and comforting, brimming with citrus and spices. And thanks to sommelier Eric Willey, the restaurant’s wine program has been elevated, with an impressive, expansive wine list boasting 180 different bottles.

The restaurant menu has been similarly leveled up under the direction of new executive chef Bryant Wigge. He’s introduced a new weekend brunch menu, featuring an assortment of classic offerings like omelets, huevos ranchero, and breakfast bowls alongside fruity brunch punch and a $20 bottomless mimosa, two of many available brunch cocktails.

Come dinner time, there’s a focus on proteins at The American Reserve, one that should be indulged right off the bat with the luxurious

YOUR

steak tartare. The buttery meat is balanced out by pops of acid from capers and shallots, and a silky poached egg yolk. Served with slices of crusty, grilled ciabatta, it’s an indulgent start to the meal.

The steak adoration continues with a selection of U.S.D.A. prime natural cuts sourced from Kansas-based Creekstone Farms, offered in addition to a handful of entrées. The Tomahawk Pork Chop is slow cooked, coaxing out flavor, and served with white beans and black kale accentuated with lemon, chili flakes, and a little more pork for good measure. Ironically, most of the meat is removed from the pork chop and fanned across the plate, with the bone emerging like a flag post, so as not to deprive you of going after the last bits of meat.

Seared scallops are served with a similarly striking presentation, placed atop a layer of smoked sweet potato mash sprinkled with pomegranate seeds and crispy sage leaves. The scallops could do with a harder sear for texture, but the center is perfectly cooked, the pure, mild flavor of the scallops playing well with the earthy fried herbs.

Dessert offerings include a ricotta doughnut and a Basque cheesecake, a crustless version with a texture more akin to pound cake than a slice of its New York-style cousin. Roasted strawberries and an accompanying tart strawberry sauce lend the dish moisture and cut through its richness.

Whether you’re checking in as a guest or checking out new spots for dinner before catching a performance downtown, The American Reserve is worth a reservation. reservekc.com

The holidays may look a little different this year, but we’re here to make spirits bright! Check out all the new stores like Tory Burch and PUMA, take a sleigh selfie, and enjoy the Christmas tree light show whenever you like! LEGENDSSHOPPING.COM

OUTLET FOR THE SEASON

DECEMBER 2020

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There's no place like Kansas City for the holidays. Your local Roasterie Café is holiday ready with delicious seasonal drinks, festive mugs, cozy beanies and so much more.

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My Essentials

IN KC

RENÉ BOLLIER ENTREPRENEUR, CHOCOLATIER, BON VIVANT BY

Michael Mackie

I PHOTO BY AARON LEIMKUEHLER

f Kansas City had a proverbial “candy man”—chances are René Bollier would be at the top of that sweet list. As the president and executive chef at André’s Confiserie Suisse, he’s created some of the city’s most beloved toothsome treats and decadent chocolates.

Bollier began training at age 11, learning the family’s top-secret recipes and even spending three years honing his culinary skills at several of Switzerland’s best-known pastry shops. In 2002, Bollier and his wife, Nancy, returned to Kansas City to lead Andre’s into its third generation. While he’s known for some old-school favorites, he also loves “working on the development of new and exciting products,” he says. “Innovation is key to longevity.”

Bollier has plenty of fans, but he says it’s definitely a mutual admiration society. He loves the people of Kansas City. “It’s hard to imagine a kinder, more supportive city. Everyone living in it seems to find such pride in the place they call home,” he says. “I count myself lucky to live and work alongside such an amazing community that my grandparents joined 65 years ago.”

René’s essentials...

WELL READ: Steve Kraske is one of my favorite

RAISE A GLASS:

local journalists. I love listening to Up to Date whenever I have time.

An old fashioned, but not the one with a bunch of muddled fruit and way too much ice. I like the kind you can enjoy at The Campground while sitting outside in front of a fire.

CHRISTMAS TREE-RIFIC:

BRUNCH BUNCH:

The pastrami hash with gruyère cream at Ragazza. I love Laura Norris’s food and this brunch dish screams, “René, come and get me!”

HIDDEN GEM:

It’s not so hidden anymore, but The Antler Room is a gem that everyone needs to try. Nick and Leslie’s team always does an amazing job on all fronts.

Soil Service.. The holidays are not the holidays without a real Douglas fir to bring in the green and poinsettias for those splashes of red. This is a shopping excursion I have been making since I was a kid with my dad.

WHERE TO SEE AND BE SEEN: My living

room! I have three little girls and a beautiful wife who impress me each day—and I try to do the same in return.

DECEMBER 2020

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THE NOSE KNOWS:

Gingerbread never gets old. I wish all of you could experience the intensity of that amazing aroma when 100 pounds of it are baking in our ovens.

The Hills of Leawood is the newest luxury community from Saul Ellis and Mark Simpson, developers of Hallbrook and Lion’s Gate. Their new development is ideally positioned at 151st & Mission Rd. and is the last new residential community in the City of Leawood!

The community features walkout luxury homesites and large estate lots in a neighborhood that is in the heart of everything, yet private and serene in its innovative rolling hills landplan design.

the pavefle x collec tion

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