Kansas City’s Favorite Festive Foodie Fare
NOVEMBER 2020 | INKANSASCITY.COM
EXCLUSIVE Q&A WITH
NICK CAVE ARTIST & KCAI GRAD
5
DREAM KITCHENS & A MODERN FAMILY FARMHOUSE THE NEGRO LEAGUES
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION FASHION
HOLIDAY AT HOME
Holiday Entertaining
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*To help stop the spread of COVID-19, all Museum and Cafe guests are required to reserve a free ticket to enter. Please visit our website to reserve yours before arriving. 4420 Warwick Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri 64111 | 816-753-5784 | kemperart.org
Grateful
Even Even More More Beautiful Beautiful Things Things to to Come Come
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Tamara Day Go-To Favorites
When it comes to renovating her Bargain Mansions, HGTV host and designer Tamara Day has a few go-to favorites she relies on to help transform these forgotten Kansas City houses into beautiful homes fit for today’s modern families. Tamara signature “laid-back luxe” design style is all about balancing a cozy livable space with touches of luxury and she’s sharing some of her favorites you’ll often find in her projects:
Tune into Tamara’s brand new Bargain Mansions episodes on HGTV, starting Nov. 9 on Monday nights at 8 pm CST.
1
“Scent completely transforms spaces. It creates a sensory memory that you’ll associate with the comfort of home.” Tamara has made her own line of signature candles available through her home decor retail store, Growing Days Home.
3
It’s all in the Tile
4
Tamara’s splurge is often a statement tile. Her go-to is an intricate marble tile pattern with inlaid brass or gold. “My favorite thing in a kitchen is to take a marble backsplash all the way to the ceiling.”
Don’t be afraid of Color A little paint can go a long way towards making a house feel like home. “I get excited about the secondary and often overlooked spaces in a home, like a mud space or powder room.”
2
Make it Personal
Add a touch of Glam Think all your finishes have to be the same? Think again! “I love incorporating brass or gold somewhere in a space - like a statement light fixture for a great showpiece. The finish is timeless.
Smart from the Start Tamara knows a must is to have your budget and financing in place before demo is tackled. “I recommend Nutter Home Loans beyond the place to get a mortgage to buy a home, but to open doors (pun intended!) for homeowners using a Nutter Cash Back Refinance to pay for the remodel and pay off credit cards.”
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Contents NOVEMBER 2020 68 92
94
84 Features 68
IN CONVERSATION WITH NICK CAVE The artist talks about his time in KC, his family, and the impetus behind his newest art installation.
72
KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL Now more than ever, everyone’s in the kitchen. Four kitchens reveal high-impact design solutions for making the most of command central.
80
A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION Organizers of the Negro Leagues’ 100th anniversary channel the same resiliency that sparked the league’s formation in 1920.
Departments
84
WARMING TREND All wrapped up in cozy, comfy fashion for a holiday at home.
92
SEASON’S EATINGS Sweet or savory, some of the holidays’ most treasured treats are made in KC.
94
MODERN FAMILY The decorating duo from Nest Interiors reimagines a rural Platte City home as a modern farmhouse.
On the cover
Chef, co-owner of The Russell, and photographer Amante Domingo not only prepared this delectable turkey, he photographed it too. Find his tips for roasting the perfect turkey on page 35. NOVEMBER 2020
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28
WOMEN IN BUSINESS IN KC
32
ENTERTAINING IN KC
38
OUR MAN IN KC
44
ARTS & CULTURE IN KC
52
BEHIND THE MUSIC IN KC
58
LOOK IN KC
64
LIVING IN KC
110
FLAVOR IN KC
128
MY ESSENTIALS IN KC
IN EVERY ISSUE 22
EDITOR’S NOTE
24
INKANSASCITY.COM
There’s no place like local this Holiday Season!
71ST A ND MIS SION ROAD • P RAIRIE VILLAGE , KAN SAS WWW. SHOPSOF PR A I RIE VILLAG E .COM • @T H E SH OP SOFPRAIRIE V IL L AGE
BE SAFE. BE LOCAL. BE MERRY. SHOP + STYLE Bag & Baggage Brookside Optical Chicos Clique Boutique Euston Hardware Golden & Pine PetPeople RSVP in the Village Scoobie Boutique Village Flower Company
SAVOR, SIPS + SWEETS Better Cheddar Blue Moose Bar & Grill
Café Provence Caffetteria Modern Café and Marketplace CHILL in the Village Dolce Bakery Einstein Bagels The French Market & Cafe Hen House Market & Pharmacy Minsky’s Pizza Goodcents Deli Fresh Subs Rimann Liquors Rise Biscuits Story. Tavern in the Village
AT YOUR SERVICE Athletico Physical Therapy bijin salon & spa BOK Financial Malfer & Associates, ReeceNichols On The Ball Village Hairstyling Prairie Village Shoe Repair Pride Cleaners The Body Lab The Little Gym The Village Dentist US Bank Village Music Academy
Save the Date for the Annual Holiday Open House! THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3RD Jingle + Mingle your way through The Village with one-day-only discounts at participating merchants. For a list of all offers, visit: www.shopsofprairievillage.com/openhouse
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Editor’s Note
Food for Thought Vol. 3 | No. 11 NOVEMBER 2020 Editor In Chief Zim Loy Art Director Alice Govert Bryan Digital Editor Michael Mackie
O
photo by aaron leimkuhler
ne thing’s for sure, the holidays will be mighty different this year. I won’t be making my usual trip to Iowa for Thanksgiving or Christmas, because, of course—pandemic. Most of us also won’t be attending all those holiday parties where hugs are dispensed freely, bubbly drinks are plentiful, and we catch up with friends we haven’t seen in a while. I’m really going to miss all that. Instead, my husband and I are planning a quiet Thanksgiving dinner at home with a couple in our “quaranteam.” But we will be ordering our meal from one of our favorite restaurants. Watching some of Kansas City’s most iconic eateries and bars (almost all locally owned and operated) close these past months has been emblematic of the debacle wrought by Covid-19. Kansas City is nothing if not a foodie town. In the past ten years, KC’s culinary scene has exploded with diverse options of places to eat, from fine-dining restaurants to cozy bistros to fun new concepts, like Strang Hall in Overland Park and the Iron District in North Kansas City. To see the devastation caused by the pandemic is heartbreaking. It will take years for the food service industry to recover. Personally, I’m ordering take-out as much as possible (and I’m fine with that), but it can’t replace the pure joy of an evening out with friends and savoring favorite meals or discovering new ones. It’s a multi-sensory happening—sharing the space; the scent, taste, and visual experience of the food; music playing in the background; being part of the crowd. I’m really going to miss all that, too. What we can all do is support our independent restaurants as much as we’re comfortable and able to do. Whether that means patio dining by the glow of heaters in cooler weather, or dining indoors, socially distant and wearing a mask unless you’re eating, or if you’re like me, ordering as much take-out as you can afford. (And whenever possible, ordering delivery or carryout directly rather than through a third party.) No matter how you plan to support, remember to be very generous with your tips. We’ve been watching so many of our local restaurants pivot to generously feed others during the pandemic by offering free meals to healthcare workers, the newly unemployed, or families in need. The least we can do is step up to do what we can to keep them in business until this pandemic is over. And as for the coronavirus… …I’m not going to miss that at all.
Contributing Writers Kelsey Cipolla, Stacy Downs, Judith Fertig, Timothy Finn, Cindy Hoedel, Cody Hogan, Merrily Jackson, Damian Lair, R. Murphy, Katy Schamberger
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
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Zim
Contributing Photographers Amante Domingo, Aaron Leimkuehler, Sandro, Jenny Wheat
NOVEMBER 2020
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Life Is Too Short “B ecause To Wear Ordinary Jewelry” – Lilliane
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INKANSASCITY.COM ENTER TO WIN
A clutter-free Christmas. Simplicana’s organizer extraordinaire Eliza Cantlay has a bevy of clutterfree gift ideas for the holidays. Trust us, you won’t have to regift ‘em or dust these off later. Find it at inkansascity.com.
Carrots on the side. The Five things you don’t know about Stephonne Singleton. The local
performer just unleashed a new album. We caught up with the singer/songwriter for some behind-the-scenes insight. Find the story at inkansascity.com.
Savoy’s chef Joe West has an easy-to-whipup Thanksgiving side dish that he swears by, sweet and sour carrots. It’s so popular he even included it as part of his popular T-Day menu at the restaurant. Find the recipe at inkansascity.com/ eat-drink/recipes.
NOVEMBER 2020
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Hungry? We’ve got the 411 on new restaurants that are just a hop, skip, and jump away. From
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different. We highlight five artists now showing at the NelsonAtkins Museum who used the female figure to convey ideas about society, history, emotions, and identity. Find it at inkansascity.com.
FIGURE WITH SKIRT, 2018. PURCHASE: WILLIAM ROCKHILL NELSON TRUST THROUGH THE GEORGE H. AND ELIZABETH O. DAVIS FUND, 2018.57.1,2.
A fine figure. Long before Instagram, beauty norms were
Win a stunning staycation! The gorgeous new Hotel Kansas City is giving you the chance to win a two-night stay and $150 gift card to The Town Company for a divine dinner. Need a posh weekend getaway? Enter to win today! (P.S. You deserve it!). Enter by November 30 at inkansascity.com/the-magazine/enter-to-win. Good luck!
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.
Dear Ashley – I have taught my dog the command “bark,” and now I cannot get him to stop. How do I stop him from barking? – Alyssa Willett Hi Alyssa – This is a common behavior displayed by dogs that have just recently learned the “bark” or “speak” command. They were rewarded for barking, so they are repeating this behavior to get a reward. The training for “quiet” is very similar to training for “speak/bark.” Ask your dog to bark or speak. After he barks, give a cue by telling him “quiet” in a calm manner while holding a high-value treat or toy in your hand. Once he is quiet, reward and repeat. Praise him for his silence. Once he starts frequently being quiet on cue, try the command in a higher stimuli environment so that you can use this command in situations where there is a lot of activity and distraction. – Ashley Flores, CPDT-KA
During the season of giving, we at Great Plains SPCA would like to thank you for your continued support and generosity. As a no-kill animal shelter, we could not continue our life-saving mission without you!
GREATPLAINSSPCA.ORG
5424 Antioch Dr. | Merriam, KS 66202
Dear Ashley – I recently adopted a new puppy. He gets excited and pees all the time. Whenever we let him inside, after he has been out for a while, whenever he meets new people, even when the doorbell rings, he just loses all control. What should I do to help him learn to control his bladder when he gets excited? – Sarah Williamson Hi Sarah – To help eliminate submissive urination, do not scold or yell at your puppy when it happens. This will cause the issue
to become much worse. Try to move all introductions to new people and animals and play outdoors to build an association of going pee outdoors. Make greetings very low-key and no big deal at all. Ignore him until he is calm, then reward for calm behaviors. I do have some good news: Most dogs under one year that inappropriately urinate out of excitement usually outgrow the behavior, so hang in there and follow these steps for success. – Ashley Flores, CPDT-KA
Dear Ashley – I adopted my sweet poodle mix, Daisy, who was rescued from a hoarding situation. She is afraid of everything and will run and hide in the closet if I so much as drop the TV remote. What can I do to help build her confidence? – Jacob Harris Hi Jacob – Hoarding situations are difficult on animals. They must learn how to be a pet at an older age which is hard for most of them. Patience is key and slow desensitization to new things likes sounds will help in rehabilitation. Try making very little noise and reward her when she is calm. Then make a louder noise and reward her when she does not panic. Work on building trust with Daisy by understanding her triggers and what motivates her and use those to your advantage. Start with small exercises and train in familiar areas like the home or backyard. The best advice I can give you is to go slow, do not force anything, and be patient. – Ashley Flores, CPDT-KA
Email askashleyinkc@greatplainsspca.org for a chance to have your pet question answered here.
ADOPT. DONATE. VOLUNTEER. 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 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.
“We don’t design for what’s next, we design for what lasts.” Arlene Ladegaard ASID Allied Member, Certified Interior Designer, IIDA
Come meet us! Call 913.851.8776 | View more designs online at DesignConnectionInc.com.
DC inKC_Oct_vFA.indd 1
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Women in Business by
IN KC
Michael Mackie
photo by
Aaron Leimkuehler
Jennifer Spencer
AN UNFULFILLING FIRST JOB IN ADVERTISING LED SPENCER TO A CAREER SHE LOVES
I
n 1997 and fresh out of college, Jennifer Spencer knew she wanted to pursue a career in advertising. “I was really motivated, really go-go-go. Every ad club or activity, I was in it to win it,” she says. However, once she landed her first gig at an advertising firm, she soon became disenchanted. “I wasn’t allowed to lead anything. I felt like I was a glorified executive assistant,” she laments. “I got bored and reached out to a couple of recruiters in town. I thought maybe I needed to be at a different agency.” Turns out, serendipity was definitely on her side. Her zeal for advertising during the interview impressed the recruiter so much, he asked her to work for his company specializing in—you guessed it—advertising and marketing. “So I quit the ad agency and decided I’m going to try this recruiting thing—except I didn’t know what recruiting was,” she says with a smile. “You don’t go to school to be a recruiter. But I’m a studier—so I jumped in and learned everything I could.” She’s not kidding. Spencer beat down the doors at countless agencies and asked to watch how various marketing firms chose their personnel. “I’m not afraid to ask questions. I said teach me everything about all the positions I was hiring,” she says. “I wanted to know what makes a good art director, a good designer, a good writer. I wanted to be educated. I didn’t have one person turn me down when I asked, ‘Can
NOVEMBER 2020
you show me your ways?’” And before she knew it, Spencer started making a name for herself in her niche world of recruiting. Well, more specifically, a nickname. “I hustled, hustled, hustled—and the more people got to know me, that’s when Jennifer Spencer became JenSpen,” she says. After a few more stints at recruiting firms, Spencer says she was ready to fly solo. Her eponymous company The Spencer Group, Inc. was born in late 2001. “At the end of the day—if you boil down what this job is—it has a sales aspect to it. But the difference with a really good recruiter is that we really genuinely care about the people we work with,” she says. “I’m not trying to place someone in a job they’re clearly not suited for. I don’t want to force anything. I care about the candidate and the company—and building deep, long-lasting personal relationships.” At the beginning of her career, Spencer was often the only woman holding court during high-level discussions. “When I first started, it was heavily male-dominated. Anyone at the top was a guy—creative directors, account directors. There were very few women,” she says. “For me to be a female in recruiting in the late 90s/early 2000s was pretty crazy.” Fortunately, her authenticity and sheer ability to match ideal candidates with companies was her calling card. “I’m fast and connect people really quickly. I have a weird ability to understand what a company is looking for and what a team needs.” With 20+ years of experience, she’s also become savvy at salary negotiations—especially when it comes to women being paid what they’re worth. “I have 22 years of salary information—so I have definitely helped a lot of women negotiate more because I knew what a guy was making. Back in the day, if you had a sneaking suspicion, you’re being underpaid, there’s a good chance you were. Today, salaries are much more equal than they used to be.” More than anything, Spencer says she’s proud of the work she’s done for small businesses and companies—many of whom end up being clients for life. Her sagest piece of advice? “Never stop networking. Do not become complacent,” she says. “Authentic networking will carry you through when you get laid off.” Early this year, Spencer was on track to having her best quarter ever. That is, until Covid hit. “In mid-March, it all stopped. Everything was on hold. Companies were not letting anyone go, but they were not hiring,” she says. The last few months have been challenging to say the least, but Spencer is seeing a light at the end of the proverbial pandemic tunnel and she’s learned to accommodate accordingly. “It’s fundamentally changed office dynamics—how people were meeting, interacting, and how you interview for a job. Let’s just say, the interview process got totally turned upside down.” For now, the hiring brigade seems to be back on the uptick. And Spencer is back to doing what put her on the map—aligning people with their dream jobs. “I get what companies need and what the candidate needs. I’m a really good matchmaker,” she says. “Maybe I should open a side business for dating?”
| 28 | 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
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Email me with your entertaining questions, dilemmas, or triumphs at mjackson@inkansascity.com
OUR DIVA OF DINING OFFERS INSPIRATION FOR CELEBRATING THANKSGIVING DURING A PANDEMIC
by
Merrily Jackson
photo by
Amante Domingo
T The Small but Mighty Thanksgiving Dinner
wenty twenty has been a wretched year for many of us, one we can’t say goodbye to soon enough. Despite all of it, let’s hope each of us can find much to be grateful for on November 26, Thanksgiving Day. As I write this, I am grateful for the life of a good friend we lost recently to Covid; I’m thinking especially of his heartbroken family. And I am extremely thankful that I, my hubs and extended family so far remain Covid-free. I hope, as you read this, you and your family are virus-free as well. But we know that footing can change very quickly. Which is why we should all feel comfortable declining—or not extending—invitations for the sort of large Thanksgiving gatherings we have hosted or attended in the past. People understand this simply is not the year for big, elbow-to-elbow get-togethers. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have a lovely, cozy Thanksgiving dinner with our “quaranteam” (and perhaps have a virtual meeting with your larger group at some point in the day). Here
Editor’s note: In Merrily’s column in the October issue, there was a wrong ingredient—penne pasta—listed in the Blue Cheese Dip/Dressing recipe. It was an error on our part. Our apologies.
NOVEMBER 2020
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MCCROSKEYINTERIORS.COM 913-282-1161 • info@mccroskeyinteriors
Entertaining
IN KC
Make-Ahead Gravy Here’s a great secret: There’s no need to make gravy right before serving. You can make it up to five days ahead. Then, as you reheat it, whisk in the turkey pan drippings for extra flavor.
1 stick butter 1/ 2
cup chopped onion
1/ 2
cup flour Salt and pepper
4 to 5 cups chicken, turkey or vegetable stock, the richer the better, warmed Turkey drippings and giblets (optional) In a heavy, medium-sized saucepan melt butter over medium heat, then add onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on the onions, stirring constantly, and cook until flour is golden to brown. Adjust heat so mixture does not burn. Gradually whisk in 4 cups stock until mixture thickens and is smooth. If it is too thick, add more stock or water. Cool, cover and chill. Just before you’re ready to serve, reheat mixture over low heat, stirring. If you’re roasting a turkey, scrape the bottom of the pan and add drippings or giblets to gravy. Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve.
NOVEMBER 2020
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are some ideas and pointers for serving Thanksgiving dinner to a small gathering. EMBRACE THE SMALLNESS Serving dinner to a smaller bunch means you can use Grandma’s dish set, of which you have only four place settings. It means, since you’re not worried about seating all those people, you can focus on setting one, small, beauteous table. If you have a larger home, it can even liberate you from your dining room. You can set up a snug little table in front of the fireplace or eat at the kitchen island. It also gives you a chance to sink back and have a real conversation with those at your table over a leisurely, delicious dinner. AND SPEAKING OF THE MEAL Is it just you doing the cooking? You’ll still have a feast just by sticking to the essentials: turkey, dressing, cranberry relish, potatoes, gravy, and a vegetable of some kind. (Email me, I’ll send you my favorite recipes.) Know that there is no crime whatsoever in ordering a complete takeout dinner from your favorite restaurant, grocery store, or club. And if your little pod is not fond of a turkey dinner, who’s to stop you from making stir fry? There’s no need to bake a pie, darling, unless you love to make pies. You can buy a good one the day before at a restaurant or bakery, but remember to order it early. I’ll probably order mine from Ashleigh’s Bake Shoppe in Westport. Her pies are first rate, and she offers curbside service LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT BIRD If there are only two or three of you, consider roasting a turkey breast instead of the entire bird. Your house will still smell like Thanksgiving, but without all the to-do of a turkey. And you’ll have more room in your oven for your sides. But you won’t have dark meat, and you won’t have that Norman Rockwell moment of pulling a gleaming roasted turkey out of the oven to cries of delight. My friend Amante Domingo, the talented chef who co-owns The Russell, a popular restaurant at 31st and Main Street in Midtown (where Russell Florist used to be—get it?) shared with me his secrets for the perfect turkey for a smaller crowd. TURKEY ADVICE FROM AMANTE Great cooks think ahead. Amante says give your turkey tons of time to thaw in the refrigerator or under cold running water. “Skip this step and things will turn out horribly,” he says. For every four pounds of turkey, allot 24 hours of defrosting. For a five- to six-pound turkey, you want at least 36 hours to defrost. To be on the safe side, move your frozen turkey into the fridge Tuesday night. Buy small. A pound and a half per person is plenty when calculating the size of your bird. The yield when the bird cooks will work out to about a pound of meat a person. If you are feeding four or five people, a six-pound turkey is perfect. Amante says he likes to braise one turkey—cut into
NOVEMBER 2020
Shop Our Locally Owned Store of 22 Years!
Fabulous Selection & In Home Design www.AreaRugDimensions.com 127th & Metcalf | (913)327-8784
| 35 | INKANSASCITY.COM
Entertaining
IN KC
parts—and then roast a small, whole turkey for show. “The braising liquid makes wonderful gravy and gives you tons of juice for dressing/ stuffing,” he says. Try something new. Amante encourages you to experiment with your bird. Don’t be intimidated—treat it like you would a large chicken, remembering it has to reach an internal temperature of 165. “Have a goal in mind for presentation and taste before you start,” Amante says. “Some years I cut the turkey in half and cook it slowly on my trusty old Weber.” “Other years I have brined the turkey overnight, then roasted it in the oven on a bed of onions, herbs and potatoes, which elevates the bird a bit, to allow heat underneath. The fats and juice drip onto the potatoes and onions making them super-tasty,” he says. Skip the baste. “I personally feel like basting makes the oven dip in temperature from opening it frequently,” says Amante. He advises placing a small dish of water in the oven to help make it humid, then cranking up the heat after the bird is cooked to crisp it up. Rub it in. “You know that messy spice cabinet you have? With those three open containers of Italian seasoning you forgot about? Make a spice blend,” says Amante. He says he gets good salt and peppercorns and simply adds the old spices to his grinder or blender to make his own rub. He advises equal parts salt, pepper, garlic, onion, and Italian seasoning. “Get that rub and literally put it in every crack, crevice, in-
side and outside of the bird. This covers the feelings on flavor. It can be sweet, spicy and zesty.” Butterball forever. Amante and I both agree we’ve neither of us had a good experience with a “heritage” or “organic” or “pasture-raised” turkey. Unvaryingly, they’ve been dry, gamey-tasting, horrendously overpriced. Our advice is save your money and go Butterball. Amante says he is willing to share his recipes for brine and turkey dressing. Email me and I’ll send them to you. SHOP AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE Scurrying out to the store the night before Thanksgiving is the last thing you want to do. This year especially, it’s good to avoid the mobbed supermarkets. Well in advance of Thanksgiving, make sure you have the following ingredients on hand: butter (lots!); chicken stock (homemade is best but canned or boxed is okay); aromatics like garlic, onions, shallots, leeks, fresh ginger; fresh citrus; sturdy, branch herbs like rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves; light brown sugar; and the creams: heavy, sour, and ice. And finally, lay in a supply of Champagne before they hike up the prices for the holiday. And stock up on wine. Even if you’re not drinking it, it can be splashed into gravy or vegetable dishes, or used to deglaze the turkey roasting pan. White burgundy, chardonnay, beaujolais and pinot noir all taste scrumptious with a turkey dinner!
RELAX.
Isn’t that what you want to do when you buy or sell a home? Relax and let the experts guide you.
Kevin Bryant Melinda Chalfant Katherine Meiners Gregg
Kathy Scaglia Green Becky Loboda Sandy Palmer
Heidi Peter Tom Suther Nancy Weeks
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NOVEMBER 2020
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Our Man BY
IN KC
Damian Lair
dlair@inkansascity.com
: @damianlair #OurManINKC
Jazz & Tacos
W
anting to soak up every last bit of the perfect autumn weather, I headed to the 18th & Vine district for alfresco apps and cocktails at Soirée Steak & Oyster House. Over fried green tomatoes, mac and cheese, and crab cakes, I caught up with friends—old and new. There was live jazz on the terrace, which was the perfect backdrop for dropping back a few “Ellingtons,” Councilman Brandon Ellington’s signature drink at Soirée. I’m not telling you what’s in it—you’ll have to whip over to find out for yourself. After happy hour, we wandered over to the American Jazz Museum for their Bird is the Word event. Surrounding the iconic, patinated bronze Charlie Parker Bird Lives sculpture, artists were painting en plein air, including Deaunte Thomas and Skiggity, among others. Saxophonist Nneoma Lanea played, and attendees were encouraged to bring their own paint supplies to bring the memory of Charlie Parker (and the ongoing centennial celebration of his birth) to life. After chatting with some of the artists, we meandered back to 18th Street, which happened to be kicking off another one of 18th & Vine’s First Friday events. Kismet! Still missing the bustling First Fridays of yore in the Crossroads, this checked all the yearned-for boxes—and more. There were vendors galore lining the streets. Clothing, art, jewelry, cosmetic products—you name it. I picked up some shea butter crème from a budding grade-school entrepreneur, some funky sunglasses, and a rose-oil rollerball from Melaninated Magic. Food trucks kept everyone fed and hydrated. And there was more than ample room for social distancing. Plus, more music. We also ran into local leader Joseph Thomas, registering people to vote. Awesome work. As the sun was disappearing behind the downtown skyline, we bid adieu and headed toward our next stop: KCK. On the agenda? The new KCK Taco Trail. Launched by the Kansas City Kansas Convention and Visitors Bureau (KCK CVB), the KCK Taco Trail is a mappedout trail of over 50 local taquerias serving up authentic tacos all across the city. The trail is intended to provide a flavor-filled experience of culture and history through food, with chances to win prizes along the way. Sign up for free online (kcktacotrail.com) and hit the trail! Check in as you hit up new spots (you have a full year!), and earn prizes like decals, hot sauce, and T-shirts. If you make it to every taqueria, you’ll be treated to a Taco Trail Championship Flag and have your name included on the Taco Trail Walk of Fame. Spicy! Lucky for us, we had the KCK CVB executive director, Alan Carr, as our personal taco guide. We first popped into Bonito Michoacan. Foremost a grocery store, Bonito Michoacan serves a variety of Mexican food dishes for dine-in or carry out. I went with a variety of street tacos and was delighted. We also peeked inside next door Bonito Michoacan Bakery, which has an eye-popping array of more than 50 varieties Who bought up all the hot sauce of Mexican breads. They also have cookies, cakes, in KCK? and other traditional pastries. We grabbed some breads and pastries for the next day’s breakfast.
NOVEMBER 2020
Damian Lair at the 18th and Vine district.
OVERHEARD “Is this human food?”
Second stop: El Torito Supermart. This eatery, connected to a grocery store rather than directly inside one, had equal (Spoiler: it was charm and authenticity and boasted a full not human, nor Mexican menu. I opted for my guilty pleadelicious.) sure: the chimichanga. Absolutely stuffed after only two stops, we decided the other 52 trail stops would wait for another day— or rather, many days. Not quite ready to call it a night (when am I?), with Alan’s guidance, we made our way to Dotlander’s Bar, a quintessential sports bar, complete with pool tables and the perfect amount of dive-bar character. After a cocktail, it was on to Breit’s Stein and Deli, where I hear they’re known for their Reuben sandwich, but that was certainly not in the cards. Cocktail it was. And one final stop for good measure, Chicago’s. Replete with jukebox, pinball machine, and a ceiling papered in dollar bills, it made me feel like I was back in college. Unfortunately for me, I don’t quite bounce back as quickly as I used to, so I was responsibly shuttled home. I’m often asked what I’m doing to keep myself busy in the era of canceled galas and postponed benefits. And this is a great example. Even during a pandemic, the city is full of create-your-own-adventure opportunities. Choose a neighborhood or district and start exploring. Passport not required. Though you may want to grab a taco pass. SPOTTED: Crissy Dastrup, Michele Watley, Marquez Beasley, Lee Page
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NOVEMBER 2020
Our Man
IN KC
Charcuterie for a Cause
A
t this time of year, I’m typically scrolling through the list of Flavor! events hosted every autumn for Thrive Health Connection (formerly Good Samaritan Project), trying to narrow down a few to add to my calendar. Over the years, I’ve attended numerous iterations of these events, typically hosted with clever themes at beautiful homes across the city. While the Flavor! series endures, like many events, they’ve responsibly adapted to our socially distant situation. Thrive is a regional leader in providing health and wellness care to individuals living with HIV/AIDS, as well as prevention, programming, and education services. This year, to support their efforts, I chose the “Build the Perfect Charcuterie Board” event, which I figured would be both educational, as well as delicious. I was correct on both counts. And what better time to further sharpen my skills in the kitchen? (Let’s not revisit the recent virtual apple crisp lesson, when I neglected to add the sugar.) With all the necessary supplies carefully What luddite assembled by Thrive, I opened my bag and socialite finally awaited instructions from our host, Rachel, succumbed to of Charcuterie by Rachel. First off, while buying a cell phone? “charcuterie” is a French term for preserving meat (prior to the advent of refrigeration), to| 40 | INKANSASCITY.COM
OVERHEARD “Well you’re the spiciest nut I know.”
day the term is used to describe the plentiful smattering of meats, cheeses, and crackers for party-guest grazing. And while charcuterie has really taken off in recent years, the assemblage has become something of a beautiful art form of excess—just check out Rachel’s Instagram for a glimpse (@charcuteriebyrachel). For a good spread, gather a variety of any of the following: cured meats, cheeses, berries and vegetables, olives and pickles, jams and jellies, dips, crackers and bread, garnishes like rosemary or edible flowers, and a bit of dark chocolate to boot. Rachel recommends placing the largest items first, like dip bowls or large cheese wheels. Next, create an S-shaped “river” of round, sliced meats—folded into pie-shaped quarters and stacked together to create a meandering streak across the board. Then just keep adding items—stacking and layering as you go. It’s nice to keep color in mind as you assemble, e.g., you wouldn’t want two beige things together, like crackers and hummus. Pro tip: consider color diversity as you’re grocery shopping for supplies. Finally, fill in the remaining gaps with small things like nuts and berries. You can place all this on a wooden serving board, or for large spreads, use brown butcher paper. Lately, I’ve seen some mind-blowing charcuteries covering entire kitchen islands or tables, to dramatic effect. I would love to say that my board turned out Instagram-worthy, but after a long day at work, and nibbling as I followed along, the end result was a bit spare. That said, I learned a lot and cannot wait to apply the skill to my own mega-charcuterie party, once it’s safe to pack my home with hungry friends. And shout-out to local Green Dirt Farm, whose rosemary sheepmilk cheese spread and “Dirt Lover” cheese (coated with vegetable ash) were so delicious that I had none left when the time came to place the crackers. A must-add for your future boards!
SYMPHONY IN THE PARK ON A COLORFUL, LEAVES-CHANGING EVENING, I met my sister and her husband, plus their three little ones, at the Shawnee Indian Mission for an outdoor concert performed by members of the Kansas City Symphony. While it’s not currently possible to settle into the Kauffman Center for a full symphony experience, a grassy spot with blanket turned out to be an adequate substitute (for now). This pop-up event was part of the symphony’s generous endeavor to send musicians around the community to share a bit of their musical joy, when we could all use a little extra. With cello, viola, and violin, the small ensemble filled the park with Bach, Beethoven, and Handel pieces, including one of my absolute favorites: Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Aria. We dined on chicken wraps from nearby Longboards in Mission and tried out the new Quirk Spiked & Sparkling seltzers from Boulevard Brewing Company. The wraps hit the spot, and the seltzers packed the punch of a cocktail, but without the saccharine aftertaste that accompanies too many of the other more commercial products in this category. The pear yuzu flavor was tops. And bravo to the symphony for actively working to engage with the community and bringing its music to the people, when we cannot enjoy it indoors.
So, KC—where do you want to go? XO
NOVEMBER 2020
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you have the urge to nest as the temperatures drop, you’re not alone. The cooler months are a prime time for home interior updates and renovations. In late summer and early fall, people tend to shift their focus to preparing for holiday entertaining. And when the last of the holiday decorations are put away, weeks of winter still await, the best time of the year to snuggle up and get cozy at home. Of course, this year looks so much different than the rest. As more people opt for home updates because they’re spending more time at home, suppliers are struggling to keep pace with demand.
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That’s when working with a professional like Karin Ross, owner of Karin Ross Designs, becomes even more important. Ross has seen firsthand how vendors are attempting to navigate unforeseen delays. And instead of subjecting clients to that stress, Ross is the conduit, maintaining all of the necessary communication while looking for other ways to keep the project on track. “We’ve seen items like darker colored paint that are harder to find,” Ross says. “Now, many kitchen appliances are back-ordered with a three- to four-month wait.” Given that kitchens are such popular areas to update, long wait times such as these certainly aren’t ideal. Yet Ross has a knack not only for communicating with vendors and suppliers to understand what’s happening at any given time; she’ll also ensure that clients have that same information, setting realistic expectations for the project timeline. Ross also doesn’t hesitate to tap into her creativity, especially with regard to design elements like color palettes. Ross and her team may recommend alternative products or colors, depending on material shortages and other factors. Rest assured—despite any challenges, the finished product will be nothing short of fantastic. “We’re doing the best we can within our operating conditions,” she says. “But we’re committed to making sure the result is beautiful, no matter what we need to do.” That commitment is a staple of Ross’s business. For many people, redoing a kitchen or bathroom or making other home updates is a long-anticipated project. Ross doesn’t take that responsibility lightly. “We want to incorporate elements that help each client focus on the future and feel excited about where they live,” she says. Ross freely admits that pandemic-related challenges have thrown her industry some curveballs. Yet amid the unexpected challenges, Ross has also noticed some encouraging behaviors. “Clients have a new appreciation for their homes,” she says. “They’re spending more time there and seeing ways that they can make their spaces even better.” Making your home more functional is often a primary focus of any interior updates. But there’s the emotional aspect, too. What makes you happy? What brings you joy? What helps you feel more
relaxed and secure? Those feelings are more important than ever, and your home should check all of those boxes. If you have a home update project in mind, now is an ideal time to reach out to Ross for a virtual consultation. There’s likely other work that can happen while Ross keeps a close eye on fulfillment and delivery timelines. And just think of the end result: preparing your favorite cold-weather meal in a brand-new kitchen or watching the kids huddle over homework around a new kitchen island as you prep ingredients. So many of us have put much of our lives on hold this year— large gatherings, travel, a career change. Yet you don’t need to put off your home update any longer. You deserve a space that’s a sanctuary—a haven within the chaos of daily life. And Ross is ready to ensure you get the home of your dreams.
Arts & Culture
IN KC
Scott Heidmann (left) and Ken Petti.
Scott Heidmann THE POP-UP ART GALLERIST ANSWERS FOUR QUESTIONS by
Judith Fertig
NOVEMBER 2020
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W
ith a career as an interior designer with noted architectural firms—most recently as the director of design for the DLR Group and director of design for HNTB—Scott Heidmann knows a thing or two about creating ambience for work and hospitality. His son is an artist. His collaborator, Ken Petti, now creative developer for the pop-ups, has a background in fashion marketing. So perhaps it’s not unlikely that space + art + pandemic = the pop-up Heidmann Art Salon,
a venue with a new collection of artists each time. Feelgood space meets art-buying public. In September, his pop-up at the Crossroads Hotel drew socially distanced gallery-goers attracted to this one-of-a-kind event. November’s pop-up Santa Paws will usher in, as Heidmann puts it, the holiday season for the salon. Says Heidmann, “We have a special series of events planned for December, Santa Cause: Random Acts of Christmas.” To get on the list and be in the know, follow him on Facebook: @heidmannart
A spectacular, contemporary venue with transformable reception spaces and a magnificent courtyard. 1900bldg.com (913) 730–1905
INKC: How did the pop-up Heidmann Art Salon get
started? Heidmann: Ken Petti and I went to a private party in New
York that inspired the idea. INKC: Your interior design work for noted architectural
firms has included such projects as creating interactive workspaces for SR Collective in the Crossroads and hospitality areas across the country. What is your particular vibe and how have you brought it to your pop-up art gallery? Heidmann: When it comes to design aesthetics, my belief is everything in a room should have a conversation with each other—art, design, people, and materials. Ken Petti and I took this framework and conceptualized our salons and their thematic identities from there. We aim to bring a different experience to each salon for our invited guests. INKC: What inspired you to get involved in the arts,
most visibly with the Kansas City Art Institute and Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art? Heidmann: Ken and I share a great passion for the arts and welcome opportunities to partner and collaborate with many different art entities. The Kemper Museum and KCAI presented us with tailored opportunities to make a creative impact with them via ROAR, the Kemper Museum 20 years young, and interpreting ART POP at KCAI.
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INKC: What is it about Kansas City that nurtures your creative endeavors? Heidmann: There are lots of creative people in Kansas City. It is a very energizing and exhilarating place. New prospects arise all the time. We remain very inspired.
NOVEMBER 2020
1900 Building 1900 Shawnee Mission Parkway Mission Woods, Kansas
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Arts & Culture BY
IN KC
Judith Fertig
ART IN THE TIME OF BLACK LIVES MATTER THE KANSAS CITY ART INSTITUTE has opened its new KCAI Gallery: Center for Contemporary Practice after relocating from the Crossroads District. Its inaugural exhibition, Revolution in Our Lifetime: An Exhibition in Three Parts, focuses on social justice, then and now. This exhibit features works by Emory Douglas, who created the visual identity for the Black Panther Party, starting in the 1960s. His strong graphic images of Black men, women, and children helped spur others to join the civil rights movement. He is the virtual artist-in-residence for this semester, collaborating with KCAI students whose graphic design, printmaking, and illustration works will form part of the exhibit in November. Revolution in Our Lifetime also features works from the African American Arts Collective (AAAC), a growing group of artists in the Kansas City area coming together for professional development, networking, and social change. The exhibit runs until December 5, 2020. You are can experience the exhibition in person with free timed-entry tickets or virtually with the Online Viewing Room. Visit kcai.edu/kcai-gallery for more information.
Pear Tree
Celebrate your home and garden with us this Fall. A new harvest of treasures are in the shop this month.
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NOVEMBER 2020
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PERFECTLY IMPERFECT The Three Graces by Lucas Cranach the Elder.
WITH THE NELSON OPEN AGAIN, now is the perfect time to take in a new exhibit that will make you feel okay about the Covid 15. Those extra stress-eating 15 pounds, that is. Perfectly Imperfect explores two artists’ views of the female body at a time when studying naked bodies was definitely verboten. But somehow, Albrecht Dürer and Lucas Cranach the Elder managed. When they were not allowed to see the real thing in person, they went, well, virtual. We can all relate. Both German Renaissance artists and printmakers approached their subjects in different ways. Dürer turned to math and precise measurements, which were also championed by Michelangelo. Cranach’s female bodies look remarkably similar. Throwing out the idea of mathematical perfection, the artist created the same shaped limbs, the same graceful and small-breasted torso, over and over. And yet, when you compare Dürer’s jowly and muscle-bound Nemesis to Cranach’s wispy The Three Graces, the contemporary viewer might conclude that Cranach was closer to the real thing. But you decide. The selection of prints and paintings includes two significant loans from the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Linda Hall Library. The exhibit runs until January 1, 2021. nelson-atkins.org/ collection/modern
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Visit our website and shop 24/7 www.RensenHouseofLights.com
Arts & Culture by
IN KC
Judith Fertig
TELLABRATION: A STORYTELLING EVENT IN NATURE STORYTELLERS through the ages have honed their craft, inspired by nature. On November 21 at 10:30 a.m., the Ernie Miller Nature Center in Olathe celebrates International Day of Storytelling with tales from real life, myth, and legend for an audience of all ages—with live animals! Great horned, barred, and screech owls; tarantulas; snakes; and the resident rabbit help illustrate stories from New Zealand, Africa, Thailand, South America, and right here at home. All the tales come with a side of environmental and nature education. The Ernie Miller Nature Center is off Highway 7 in Olathe. Tickets are required for this popular event, which is $3 for Johnson County residents, $4 for non-residents. For more information and tickets, visit erniemiller.com.
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UlahKC
NOVEMBER 2020
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THE CROWN CRAFTED CONCERT SERIES PRESENTS SIENTO Y VIVO FLAMENCO THE MID-CONTINENT PUBLIC LIBRARY has gotten creative during the pandemic. They’ve partnered with One Kansas City radio, 100.1 FM, to bring us The Crown Crafted Concert Series as virtual events on their Facebook page. One Kansas City radio is a multilingual, multicultural station from the urban core with a fascinating lineup of programs on 100.1 FM. Their joint virtual program, Siento y Vivo (I Feel and I Live) Flamenco, combines traditional and cutting-edge flamenco song, dance, and music. Flamenco is a centuries-old art form much like jazz. It speaks of the tragedies and triumphs in life, of love gone wrong, in a fusion of Romany, Moorish, Jewish, and indigenous Andalusian influences. Again, similar to jazz, flamenco embraces both structure and improvisation. Musician Beau Bledsoe, dancer Melinda Hedgecorth, violinist Coleen Dieker, guitarist Michael McClintock, and horn specialist John Currey come together for a virtuoso performance on Saturday, November 21. You can watch online at: facebook. com/mcpl360. For more information, visit: mymcpl.org
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Great G reat Places Places to Get to G et in in the the Holiday Holiday o day ay S Spirit prt With the fall of winter’s first snowflakes comes the anticipation for upcoming holidays, time spent with friends and family and finding the perfect gifts. This year, we are challenging Iowans to support local businesses this holiday season. Our communities are full of unique shops, boutiques, restaurants and holiday events. Check out these communities and others to get in the Iowa holiday spirit.
tourismcedarrapids.com
CEDAR RAPIDS Embrace the feel of a European holiday getaway with a visit to the Czech Village/New Bohemia Main Street in Cedar Rapids. Shop throughout the downtown, tour the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library and gift shop, have a cozy family-style meal at Rodina or sip a Czech Pilsner at Lion Bridge Brewing Company.
visitmuscatine.com
thisisnorthiowa.com
MUSCATINE
NORTH IOWA
Relax and get into the holiday spirit in historic downtown Muscatine. Stroll through one-of-a-kind shops to find that unique gift, sip on small-batch craft brews and enjoy chefinspired cuisine from a local eatery. Turn your shopping trip into a weekend getaway with a stay at a boutique hotel, just steps away from the Mississippi River.
For a small-town holiday celebration, pay a visit to Clear Lake and Mason City. Their main streets are full of warm and inviting retail shops decked out for the season and featuring locally made products from gift items to gourmet food from local farms. Be sure to check out their various holiday festivals like the Festival of Trees and Christmas by the Lake.
Now, more than ever, it’s important to shop small and support our local businesses. For even more unique Iowa gift ideas for the holiday season, visit ShopIowa.com.
traveliowa.com
Behind the Music
IN KC
S
he grew up in a nomadic world that posed many obstacles and hardships, but one constant thrived in the life of a young Crystal Rose: a love of music. “I moved around a ton as a kid,” she said. “I attended nine different schools from kindergarten through 12th grade … but spent the majority of my childhood in a children’s home in Hot Springs, Arkansas.” Those schools were in places like Orlando, Florida, and Springfield, Missouri, where she also attended college, and in Kansas City, where she attended UMKC and where she generated the nerve and inspiration to pursue music as her calling. Rose, who just released the three-song EP Arena, recently answered questions from IN Kansas City about her upbringing, the music that filled her girlhood, and her dedicated and flourishing journey into Kansas City’s music world. What are your earliest music memories?
Crystal Rose: When we were in Florida we
Crystal Rose by
Timothy Finn
NOVEMBER 2020
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lived in the sticks in the middle of the Everglades, where families were predominantly Spanish, and, like my family, Haitian. It was a poor and under-served community in the middle of nowhere, and this Spanish woman would come to our neighborhood once a week with a truck of donated dry goods— mostly snacks like graham crackers and Cheez-Its and stuff like that. She would teach us Christian songs in Spanish, and if we stayed the whole time she gave all the neighborhood kids food to take home. One song has stuck with me all these years; I think it’s because the melody is so simple and easy to remember. It went: “Alabare, alabare, alabare a mi señor (I will praise my lord).” How did your time in Kansas City shape you? CR: I vividly remember going to middle school in Kansas City. We grew up poor in the ’hood, I mean like “no heat, running wa-
ter, or electricity” poor. Going to school in Kansas City toughened me up, for sure. The kids at Westport Middle School were not messing around. There were fights every day, weapons brought into school, drugs. If you didn’t hold your ground, you’d be taken advantage of. Westport was pretty diverse racially, but it was my first experience at a school where I wasn’t the minority. It was for sure a culture shock. That’s where I learned that I was “too white.” And at my previous schools, it wasn’t that I was too black; I was simply black, which didn’t help much. Most of the time I couldn’t see beyond my environment, but at some point I realized there was more out there. I skipped school often and walked around the city to neighborhoods I had never seen. I wanted to see beyond my block. I remember sneaking into a blocked-off area on the Plaza during a St. Patrick’s Day festival. I’m sure everyone was wondering why these random-ass kids were party-crashing and why we weren’t in school. For the most part I’ve always been curious and searching for more. Was there an initial big music experience in Kansas City? CR: There were tons of musically inclined kids at school. If the entire class wasn’t breaking out in song, a few kids in the back were or someone was banging a beat on the desk—that sort of thing. I found music at an early age, but I was generally a shy and insecure kid. I envied those with the confidence and pride to share their gifts. But they also nudged
me to step out of my shell. One year during Thanksgiving break in college, I came to Kansas City to visit my family. My two sisters and I took the city bus to the Plaza so that I could busk for a bit. It was freezing cold, but I remember how exciting that experience was: people stopping to hear me sing and dropping cash in my guitar case. I haven’t really made this connection before, but I think that experience played a role in why I moved back to Kansas City as an adult— after swearing as a kid that I would never live in Kansas City again. I tell people I moved to Kansas City because they had live music and Springfield didn’t. What was your music education like growing up? CR: 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? CR: My family loved music, but not in any profound way that I can attribute to my love for music. My mom and grandma sang around the house while doing chores. For a good chunk of living with my family and living
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L I G H T I N G
Behind the Music
IN KC
in the children’s home, I was allowed to listen only to Christian music. But obviously when you tell a kid they can’t do something they’re going to want exactly what’s forbidden. I loved contemporary Christian music and gospel when I was a kid. But when I lived with my relatives, I always had the radio on and was jamming to Mary J. Blige, Christina Aguilera, and Destiny’s Child. Pop and R&B were a sort of escape into an alter ego. Who else inspired and influenced you, and why did they affect you? CR: Kirk Franklin’s music moved me in a different way: It was therapeutic. His music gave me permission to lament at a very young age, which was refreshing because I felt like I wasn’t heard or understood as a kid. When I was down, I would lock myself in my room and put Songs for the Storm on repeat. And I can’t forget Jonny Lang. I discovered him in high school, and his song Only A Man changed my perspective on music in a way that’s hard to explain. I do know that after hearing that song I began to seek out every live version of all my favorite songs whereas before I only enjoyed the recorded versions. What do you remember about your first music performance? Where and when was it? CR: I guess it was singing the National Anthem at a Drury University basketball game. I don’t remember much. The gym was large and there were tons of people. I felt really small, but the way my voice reverberatSIDNov2020INKCad.pdf 1 10/7/20 8:49 AM ed in the room was magical.
What contemporary artists do you most admire? CR: Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus because they continue to share them-
selves in a holistic way. They don’t limit the ways they can present themselves to the world. They let themselves shift and grow, they explore the seeds within themselves; and they water them without shame. They do what they want, and that’s what I want to do. I don’t want to keep myself in a box because of numbers or others’ expectations. If I want to explore different looks and genres, I will do just that. What artists do people compare you to? CR: These days I get Sade, Tracy Chapman, Emily King, and Jasmine Sullivan. Describe your music for readers who haven’t heard you yet. CR: I think my music is personal, vulnerable, and straightforward. There
are no frills, really. I aim to emote my passions, my pain, and my hopes through my music. I tend to write big hooks, and my verses tend to sit in the valley. I think my new EP Arena would fall under some sub-genre of hip-hop, pop and experimental. Think lush colors. But I really just try to make it and let others decide on their own; I don’t want to get hung up on a sound. What do you like most about Kansas City’s music community? What could it use more of? CR: The Kansas City music community is so supportive, specifically between the artist and musicians. If you need help with anything, there’s
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1. Lion Toggle Necklace $52 2. Rainbow Clasp Necklace $74 3. Seaglass Necklace $155 4. No Touch Tool $28 5. Jack Puzzle $95 6. Sid & Co. Coasters $16 7. Fireworks Earrings $56 8. Gold & Turquoise Ring $45 9. Mercury Glass Candle $52 10. Venn Puzzle $95 11. E.G. Necklace $38
always someone willing to lend a hand. We’re all learning from each other and passing on info and resources. I think we could benefit from more knowledge directly from the industry so that we can grow and move forward—so if you want to, this time next year you’re not just playing the same live shows you’ve played the last three years. Maybe you’re playing out of town; maybe you’ve started an LLC for your band or found an investor; maybe you’ve become an ambassador for a brand, leveled up your live performance, started creating and selling merch, participated in a songwriting conference, found a publisher, graphic design help. There’s a lot of information online, but a lot of it is outdated or from people trying to scam independent artists. You are a woman of color working in an industry that is predominantly white and male. What challenges does that pose for you? Have things changed much since you started, for better or worse? CR: I try to be careful about connecting unfortunate experiences with the fact that I’m a woman, even more so the fact that I am a Black woman. That being said, I do have those unfortunate stories. The vibe I generally get is that my opinion and input is not taken seriously, producers and sound guys insisting on their ways, like they just know better, always. It is a challenge to advocate for yourself and your ideas while leading a group of men. If you don’t communicate what you want, it will never be yours. And I am really a solo artist because I hire musicians. I try to spend more time figuring out what I want in my music so that when I invite
musicians to work with me, it is true to my vision. I don’t know if things have gotten better. But I have been fortunate enough to find some musicians who respect my genius and do their best to help me make it a reality instead of hijacking the show. I’m not saying I have only surrounded myself with “yes men” because I’m definitely not; my ideas get challenged. There’s a balance to it all. This doesn’t happen at the rate it used to, but people—typically, white people—always expected me to make R&B or gospel music simply because I am Black, and I hated that. I eventually steered away from soul and R&B influences in my music because I didn’t want to be boxed as a gospel or R&B singer. Somewhere along the line, I believed that artists in those genres got stuck and then shelved, unless they were white. Nowadays I just try my best to let any and all my influences come through in my music. Seems like the healthiest thing to do.
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
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Look
IN KC
Fashion
BY
R. Murphy
Fringe Benefits
L
ate fall calls for a bit of flair, right? Jazz up an otherwise pedestrian outfit with fringe. Whether you go full urban cowboy or stick to a more subtle look, this embellishment is easy to wear and incorporates an undercover tribal vibe without feeling costumey. FULL FRINGE If you’re going to do it, do it right with this supple cropped faux suede fringe jacket. Fringe extends across the chest and shoulders to bring movement and fun to this statement jacket. Fringe suede jacket by Serenity, $80, Frankie and Jules Boutique (Overland Park). FRINGE AND CHILL Get cozy with a subtle fringe on the shawl collar and hem of this 100 percent acrylic sweater. The tribal pattern in neutrals makes it easy to pair with a straight jean for apple picking or yoga pants for apple eating. Aztec sweater by Keren Hart, $45, available at Hawthorne and Ivy (Waldo). ALL EARS All ears look fabulous in fringe, that is. These delicate danglers are made of glass beads in ivory, lapis, and black for a bold look to brighten up any look. Plus, these are lightweight and comfortable to wear. Ink + Alloy ivory with lapis and black luxe stripe earrings, $35, available at Shopgirls (Brookside).
NOVEMBER 2020
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Look
IN KC Beauty
by
R. Murphy
Everybody’s Secret: Botox
I
magine the scene—you walk into a socially distanced holiday party, ready to dazzle with your most fashion-forward mask on. Does your available facial real estate say, “well-rested and at ease” or “I’ve been 2020’ed—hard.” If your eyes or forehead are betraying you, then maybe it’s time for a bit of facial freshening with everybody’s secret weapon: Botox. While Botox or other neuromodulators such as Dysport used to conjure up images of frozen-faced celebrities, the reality couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead of freezing the face, these injectables soften facial lines while allowing movement, according to local dermatologists and aestheticians. “With face masks, the eyes and forehead are the only features on display, and wrinkles—especially the ‘11s’ between eyebrows, crow’s feet, and horizontal forehead lines—can make men and women look tired or even angry. And patients needn’t worry about looking “frozen” or unnatural. Now more than ever, it’s important to be able to smile with our eyes. A good injector improves bothersome wrinkles while still allowing for movement and facial expression,” says James Mirabile, founder and onsite physician at Mirabile M.D. Beauty, Health & Wellness. Karen Naugle, the director of marketing at AesthetiCare Medspa, says that they have seen an uptick in clients looking for Botox as well, and it’s not just in the over 50 set.
NOVEMBER 2020
“Considering that it’s the #1 most popular cosmetic treatment in the entire world, results are outstanding in pretty much all age groups. Not only can it give your face a more refreshed look with softening existing lines, but it helps prevent new lines from forming. We have noticed now more than ever an increased interest in injectables. If they’re anything like me, it’s because they’ve seen themselves a whole lot more on Zoom,” she says. Indeed, the 30-minute treatment is becoming much more popular with younger people, especially those looking to prevent lines from forming and creating a natural, relaxed look. Kasha Campbell, practice manager at Hollyday Med Spa and Aesthetics, calls this ‘prejuvenation,’ and many people are starting the process in their 20s. Another way to make Botox look even more natural is ‘sprinkling,’ says Campbell. “Sprinkling is where the areas are treated more conservatively, so you are still able to show movement in those muscles, but still achieve a similar overall result of softening and preventing. We have a lot of patients who are nervous the first time or want to schedule when their S/O is out of town, but the truth is, they generally only notice in the best way. ‘Oh, wow, your skin looks amazing. Did you do something different?’ or ‘You look so refreshed and well-rested!’” says Campbell. And really, who can argue with that? | 60 | INKANSASCITY.COM
The holidays look different this year, but ‘tis the season to be jolly! With events and festivities happening throughout Legends Outlets, we’re here to bring a sense of wonder and a dash of kindness — all to make spirits brighter. L E G E N D S S H O P P I N G . C O M
— DAV E & B U S T E R ’ S
— N I K E FAC TO R Y S TO R E
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COMING SOON:
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FAC TO R Y H O U S E — VA N S O U T L E T
— PUMA — TO R Y B U R C H
Look
IN KC
Wellness
by
R. Murphy
Pregaming: Eat for Success
Y
ou have a plan—first, you go for the mashed potatoes, making a Close Encounters of the Third Kind-sized mound, topped with Grandma’s famous gravy. Then head for the stuffing, all while giving the pie table sideeye. Most of us have favorite dishes that we long for all year but only indulge around the holidays. But the eternal question remains-to eat breakfast the day of a big holiday meal or abstain? We asked a registered dietician Bethany Frazier, aka The Kansas City Dietician, for her advice. “One of the worst things that you can do is to skip your meal earlier in the day, especially if you’re eating later in the day. For one, that will make you really hungry, but it’s also bad from a blood sugar management standpoint. We don’t want to be cranky when we sit down to a meal with family and friends,” says Frazier. Instead, she recommends sticking to your normal eating plan, whatever that is. That helps to set the expectation that the holiday meal is a special meal that is to be enjoyed with family, but it’s not one that you should feel sick after eating. Keeping your regular routine and expectation means that you can enjoy special foods without eating an increased volume of food. For breakfast, Frazier advises a balanced blend of protein (eggs, yogurt), healthy fat (avocado, olive oil), and healthy carbs and fiber (fruit, whole-grain toast). And if you’re not a traditional breakfast food fan, never fear. Any food that hits your macros is fair game, including Thanksgiving leftovers. Over easy eggs on top of roasted turkey breast and cranberry sauce? Don’t mind if I do.
NOVEMBER 2020
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Living
IN KC The Rail desk from Kanso.
Desk Mate BY
Stacy Downs
W
orking from home until at least January 2021? It might be time to invest in a desk if:
• Your dining table resembles an officesupply store aisle. • Your neck, shoulders, and back hurt from hunching over and your fingers are numb from typing at an awkward angle. • You simply need a designated spot to work and stash your stuff.
Here are a few options to consider: SPACE SAVER The Rail desk can be hung from the wall at the height that’s best for you to work from and in whichever room. It also can be used as a bookshelf or counter. Available at Kanso (Crossroads Arts District). shopkanso.com The Lawson desk from J Thomas Home.
CUSTOM COMMAND CENTER Modern farmhouse or just plain modern? Drawers needed? What type of wood and finish? Choose what you like through a local furniture maker, such as J Thomas Home. Lawson desk available at J Thomas Home (Olathe). jthomashome.com DOUBLE DUTY
The Theodore Alexander Irwindale desk from Seville Home.
The Theodore Alexander Irwindale desk has four drawers and a commodious work surface. If working from home is temporary, this piece could be put to use as a console in the future. Available at Seville Home (Leawood). sevillehome.com
NOVEMBER 2020
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Giving Thanks 3 STRATEGIES FOR PREPARING THE BIG FEAST IN THIS BIG YEAR
2020 is definitely going down as a turkey in the history books, but celebrating Thanksgiving can still be enjoyable and memorable this year. Here are some safety precautions, with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance in mind, to take if you’re inviting guests beyond your household: DISTANCE. Not many of us have a dining table long enough to distance 6 feet apart from each other. If the weather works out (sometimes it’s in the 60s on TDay in KC) you can sit outdoors. Or if the weather doesn’t cooperate, you can set up tables in other rooms throughout the house. Open a window or two to ventilate. Remember to mask when you’re not actively eating or drinking. INDIVIDUALIZE. While food itself has not been shown to spread the virus, contact has. When serving food, identify one person to serve all food so that multiple people are not handling the serving utensils. Have appetizers set up on individual plates (or even plastic baggies). Use single-use options for salt and pepper. Definitely dig out those wine charms to prevent sharing glasses! SANITIZE. Wash hands frequently and offer hand sanitizer into guests’ hands a few times throughout the day. Consider using disposable plates, utensils, and napkins as well as paper guest towels in restrooms. Great resource: The New Dime Store (Brookside) carries lots of seasonal paper products and an array of other useful items for Thanksgiving. newdimestore.com
NOVEMBER 2020
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Living
IN KC
Growing Green in KC BY
Stacy Downs
C
M
hentell Shannon, the brains behind Convivial ceramics, has opened a new botanical retail store in the Crossroads, Verdant. Verdant sells Convivial planters and vases made in its signature sand stoneware with ivory glaze, along with the houseplants and bouquets to fill them. Verdant’s website also includes detailed care instructions for plants and flowers. Verdant also carries Convivial candles poured by Mixture, another local company; Convivial’s own line of botanical letterpress greeting cards; and other locally made items, including Happy Habitat throws. shopverdant.com
aybe you’ve been to a pop-up event and seen the Virgil’s Plant Shop bus, a traveling oasis of houseplants. Now owner Reba Hamilton has a storefront on Troost Avenue in the burgeoning block where Ruby Jean’s Juicery is located. She got into the business because when she was seeking plants, she didn’t get advice on how to care for them. “I know from personal experience that it’s important to get information about proper maintenance,” Hamilton says. Virgil’s, named for Hamilton’s 9-yearold shop dog, a border collie-boxer mix, also carries items from local artists and makers, and delivers locally within 25 miles of the store. virgilsplantshop.com
NOVEMBER 2020
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FUN AND GAMES ONE OF MY GAME-LOVING FRIENDS, with whom I met regularly for trivia nights before our new normal, has modified our social routine. “Bring your own dice,” she instructed me one afternoon. My family and I took the opportunity to visit TableTop Game and Hobby, where they sell dice in a treasure trove of gemstone colors, shapes, and sizes, and even carry a brand called Cat Butt that cheekily lives up to its name. After much studying, we left with a transparent turquoise set that’s lively in color but traditional in dot design. These past few months, we’ve been carrying a velvet pouch of dice back and forth to play Yahtzee. It’s been wonderful, yet safe, fun as we sit masked, making wolf howls when we roll five of a kind while diagonally distancing from each other with our own sets of dice. One of the positives during this pandemic is that we all value the camaraderie and conversation with family and friends even more, and games help foster those shared experiences. As the weather grows cooler and holiday breaks are upon us, it’s time to stock up on indoor entertainment. I’m digging up old board games and seeking out new ones. A new Scrabble board tops my list, and it might be the right moment to dive into a jigsaw puzzle or two.
Be IN the Know
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER.
DICE AND MORE Find games galore, new and classic, to choose from at TableTop Game and Hobby (Overland Park).
STYLISH BACKGAMMON Playing an old game never looked so fresh and new. Available at Jorjy (Brookside).
BE THE FIRST TO KNOW • must-attend events & benefits • music news and reviews • what theater to see • the latest fashion trends • exquisite homes and gardens • restaurant reviews • what’s new and who’s who.
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(find the Newsletter link under The Magazine tab)
PLEASING-TO-THEEYE PUZZLES There’s everything from Charley Harper illustrations to gradient-color art. Available at The General Store (Downtown Overland Park).
NOVEMBER 2020
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THIS WEEK
Become an INsider
words by
Cindy Hoedel
photo by
Sandro
IN CONVERSATION WITH
Nick Cave
H
e speaks in hushed, soft tones punctuated with thoughtful pauses like the open spaces in his beaded artworks. For a lifelong Midwesterner, born and raised in Fulton, Missouri, and a longtime resident of Chicago, artist Nick Cave has a surprising Southern drawl (“still” becomes “steel”), so a recent, long phone conversation with IN Kansas City was marked by frequent silences, because you just want him to go on talking forever. Cave, who earned his BFA at Kansas City Art Institute and MFA at Cranbrook Academy of Art, rocketed to international acclaim in 1992 with Soundsuits, created in response to the Rodney King beating at the hands of the Los Angeles police department. Soundsuits, wearable sculptures that produce sound with motion, provide protection and liberation by concealing race, gender, and class. Cave, 61, who trained as a dancer with Alvin Ailey, often performs in the Soundsuits, leading exuberant dances and parades on stages and in the streets. Nick Cave: Until, on display through Jan. 3 at the Momentary in Bentonville, Arkansas, is the artist’s most ambitious project yet, spanning more than 24,000 square feet. The show was created in response to the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. As Covid-19 delayed the opening of the show from March until August, the George Floyd murder and Black Lives Matter protests erupted, charging the exhibition with renewed relevance. The show’s immersive displays include Kinetic Spinner Forest, a roomful of backyard garden spinners where menace lurks beneath beauty and Crystal Cloudscape, a glittering raft containing ten miles of crystals and 24 chandeliers concealing a secret garden that can be viewed by climbing ladders that looks like aircraft passenger stairs.
NOVEMBER 2020
The show debuted at MASS MoCA before traveling to Sydney, Australia, and Glasgow, Scotland. The Momentary, a new art space in a former cheese factory, is its final stop; it is open Tuesdays through Sundays, closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day; admission is free; masks are required. Cave’s recent artistic responses to the Black Lives Matter protests can be followed at jackshainman.com/artists/nick_cave and at facebook.com/nickcaveartist. You got your BFA at the Kansas City Art Institute. If you were to create a Soundsuit or installation about Kansas City, what would that look like? Well, I did that when I was a student there from 1979 to 1982. I galvanized a group of students and friends to create a processional performance down to the Plaza in garment constructions I created. I did this type of thing frequently. The biggest change in my work since then is that I now have the means to realize ideas in their fullest, without compromising. I still have great connections in Kansas City with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, with collectors such as Sharon and John Hoffman, and Christy and Bill Gautreaux, and amazing friends like Sean Kelly, Jim Hubbell, Howard Mitchem, Bruce Burstert, and Gregory D.— where are you? So, it holds a very special place in my heart. What was your childhood like in Fulton, Missouri, and how did it shape you? It was quite lovely. I was number three of seven brothers, and my mother was one of 16 children.
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NOVEMBER 2020
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That makes me imagine fun family reunions. Yes! And family holidays. My family has always been very close, very connected. I was surrounded by unconditional love and by creative people: quilters, woodworkers, seamstresses. My parents were very supportive, not that they really understood the arts, but I was always doing that sort of thing. My brother Jack, who is a year older, is an artist as well. We would set up still lifes and paint them, and we learned how to macrame. Even when I would be hanging out with my brothers, I was also always vicariously watching at a distance: “Oh, what is my grandmother making? What is my aunt making? She’s sewing on a sewing machine, what does that mean? What does that look like?” We lived in an all-black neighborhood, so I didn’t have a sense of racial injustice early. I enjoyed that innocence of childhood, but my parents did sit my brothers and me down and explain to us about our identity and the obstacles that may come with that. It was definitely brought to our attention that our skin color is seen as a threat, but that it was not going to shape who we became. Have you ever been stopped for jogging while Black or driving while Black or otherwise not breaking the law? Oh, yes, a number of times. The first incident, I was just moving into my adulthood. After studying at KCAI and doing my masters at Cranbrook, I came to Chicago to live. I was walking home from teaching at the Art Institute of Chicago. I have my portfolio in hand, walking in the street. All of a sudden, I’m surrounded by, like ten undercover police cars, and they are like, “Lay down on the ground.” I was like, “What is going on?” The convenience store down the street had been robbed. I mean, do I look like someone that could have… Yes. Right, obviously I looked to them like someone that could have done it—with portfolio in hand. And we all know the reason why. Right. And so, I followed all instructions. And then they realized they had the wrong person, and they basically all got in their cars and sped off. And there I was, standing there, in this sort of state of shock. What was going through your head? I was thinking, “Three seconds ago, my life was targeted. My identity was violated.” Another time I was at the Shedd Aquarium with friends that were in town, and we were looking at the exhibitions. And all of a sudden, two undercover cops…throw…me…to…the…ground. My friends just went ballistic. I went ballistic: “What the f**k is going on right now?” They said, “Sir, please be quiet.” You know, somebody is attacking me—how am I supposed to be quiet? They pull me into this room, and they say, “We had someone report that there was a black guy with a white T-shirt on and blue jeans that stole a purse.” And I was like, “OK. I didn’t do that.” Again. And they were like, “We’re very sorry.” And I’m sitting there
NOVEMBER 2020
thinking, “Do I go report this, or do I not go report it? What good is it going to do if I do go report it? Are there going to be any repercussions from this act?” Or, does pursuing it just set you up for more disrespect and prolong the trauma? Right. And you’re just kind of stunned. For six months, I was so paranoid when I would see police. Literally paranoid. Do those incidents still reverberate in your life? Yes. When I go out at night, if I’m coming home at three in the morning, I’m thinking about my route. No side streets. It’s about being in a public atmosphere with lights. It’s about staying out of situations with police that could be altered to look very differently. It’s part of my existence that’s very real.
‘‘
...not only is it an exhibition about police brutality and social injustice, but it’s also a space for convening, for us to collectively come together and talk about racism in America. The project is kinetic, it’s immersive, it’s transformative. It speaks about optimism and hope, but yet it is burdened with all the disparity.”
So the title of your current exhibition, Until, is informed by your personal experience. Yes, it refers to the notion of “innocent until proven guilty” or “guilty until proven innocent.” I was first invited to do a project for MASS MoCA in their Gallery 5 space, which is the size of a football field, in 2013. Denise Markonish, the curator, came to my studio and said, “I want you to think about what you want to do. I’m going to go away for a year and come back and see what you’ve come up with.” I continued working in my studio, not thinking about it at all, and [the] Michael Brown [shooting in Ferguson] happened. And I wondered, “Is there racism in heaven?” And all at once, the project became clear. Did you ever imagine back then the events of this spring that would unfold as you were preparing to mount Until in Bentonville? Oh my gosh, no. Until was supposed to have opened in April at the Momentary in Bentonville, but with Covid, it was pushed back. And when George Floyd happened [in May], it was like, “Arrrggh. We need Until out in the world right now.” I am just thankful that it got up. Because not only is it an exhibition about police brutality and social injustice, but it’s also a space for conven-
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photo courtesy of the momentary, bentonville
Crystal Cloudscape by Nick Cave.
ing, for us to collectively come together and talk about racism in America. The project is kinetic, it’s immersive, it’s transformative. It speaks about optimism and hope, but yet it is burdened with all the disparity. Because for me, that’s how life is. The emotional trauma that I have to carry as a person of color is heavy, constantly compartmentalizing all these incidents in order to navigate and to function in this very treacherous country. You wonder why you’re not happy. Or why you’re feeling sad. When George Floyd happened, all of a sudden, all those feelings I had been trying to suppress rose to the surface. And so, you know, it’s just a lot to juggle all at once. I’m fortunate to have art as a vehicle to pour all these emotions into. But it is tough. It is hard. It is unfortunate. And yet, I’m able to keep forging forward through art as a form of protest. When you walked through the exhibition in Bentonville, in light of the events of this summer, were new aspects of meaning revealed, even though you created it? Totally. The thing about this exhibition is, all the venues are very, very different. There’s a lot of renegotiating placement, renegotiating how people will move through the exhibition. It allows me to reimagine, reconfigure the experience differently. But the essence remains relevant.
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I think the most amazing thing was just feeling a sense of comfort and ease and reflectiveness. It settled me. Sometimes it feels like racism and violence are woven into our society, like patterns in the Beaded Cliff Wall in your current exhibition. On the other hand, you get to work with students as a professor at the Art Institute of Chicago. Do they give you hope that a better future is possible? Oh, totally. I think with the young generation, history is history—they are not living that history. The injustice, the brutality—they’re not standing for any of it. And they have come to be open to inclusion, diversity in a very, very different way than previous generations. Your work has been described as having a quality of radical joy. Do you feel at this moment like radical joy has a chance against the darkness? Yes. I guess I can only sort of hope for that. I think we’re in a very critical time right now: We’ve got to collectively decide: How do we want to live? What kind of America are we? What kind of America do we want to become?
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Interview condensed and minimally edited for clarity.
Kitchen Confidential ‘‘
Sophisticated Transitional
NOW MORE THAN EVER, EVERYONE’S IN THE KITCHEN. FOUR KITCHENS REVEAL HIGH-IMPACT DESIGN SOLUTIONS FOR MAKING THE MOST OF COMMAND CENTRAL
WORDS BY
Judith Fertig
PHOTOS BY
Aaron Leimkuehler
NOVEMBER 2020
E
verything in its place” could be the theme of this Mission Hills kitchen for a surgeon and his wife who love to cook. “They wanted a clean-lined, organized, and warm kitchen that brings out the architectural elements of their home,” says designer and owner Geri Higgins of Portfolio Kitchen & Home. “Stately, classic, and crisp.” “We also wanted it to be multifunctional—to serve as a hearth room and a home office,” says the wife. “And bring as much light as possible into the room.” “We like to cook together,” she says, so a six-burner
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Above: The kitchen features a zone for cooking and cleanup, another for hospitality, a third for coffee. (The coffee station is located behind the doors on the right) Top right: The 14-foot island looks like a piece of furniture, topped with veined Calacatta Borghini marble. Bottom right: Walls are clad in handmade glazed Spanish tiles from countertop to ceiling.
Thermador flanked by two ovens provides ample operating room for the surgeon/chef and his sous chef wife. “We have a giant fireclay sink, which I love,” she says. And, of course, that’s in the cleanup zone with the dishwashers. “When everything has a place tailored to how you live, it makes for a calm, easy place to be,” says Higgins.
Portfolio Kitchen & Home | portfolio-home.com
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Above: All the colors in the kitchen are reflected in the custom-made tile mural behind the Wolf range. Left: A framed-glass backsplash in the beverage center reflects even more light into the bright space. Below: At one end of the island, curved cabinet doors hint at the level of detail in the design. Opposite: The large, custom-designed cherry-wood island is topped with Bahia blue granite.
La Dolce Vita
A
family trip to the Amalfi Coast sparked a desire to turn a dated Leawood kitchen into a mesmerizing view of the sea. “We started with a photo I took on that trip,” says Lisa Crawford, Kansas City manager of DelBrenna Boutique, a third-generation Italian jewelry company based in Cortona of Under the Tuscan Sun fame. Lisa and her husband, Kevin, a construction executive with MasTec, called on Cherie Brown of Kitchens by Kleweno to make their vision come true. First up was the focal point, a remarkable and colorful trompe l’oeil Amalfi view executed by tilemasters Jake and Julie Bond. ‘It gives us something beautiful to look at when we cook,” says Lisa. The pale blue hue of the walls echoes the sea blue color of the beverage area cabinetry. Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances make the meal prep part of the pleasure, so everyone can enjoy “an Italian zest for life and the pleasures of the table,” says Lisa. Kitchens By Kleweno | kleweno.com
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Above: It’s a modern mix of materials, with stainless-steel cabinets on one wall, zebrawood veneer cabinets on another, and walnut cabinetry by Crystal Cabinet Works surrounding the sink. Left inset: A zebrawood panel pulls back to reveal a hidden walk-in pantry. Below: The bar area, complete with a wine refrigerator. Opposite: Quartzite tops both the island and the surrounding counters.
W
Modern Mix
hen Karen and John Yungmeyer pop open a bottle of bubbly in their Fairway kitchen, the party begins. With nibbles prepared and ready in warming drawers, guests gathering around a big island and someone playing the baby grand piano nearby, magic happens. Maybe it’s partly due to the spell of the kitchen, cast by three talented people: Sue Shinneman of Kitchen Studio Kansas City, Terry Tevis of Tevis Architects, and interior designer Kurt Knapstein. “We have so much light, I feel like I’m at a spa,” says Karen Yungmeyer. Shinneman and Knapstein designed a lower-than-standard Wolf induction cooktop in the island and side-by-side ovens to accommodate the petite cook. “It’s a wonderful kitchen,” Karen says. “Everything fits together beautifully.” Kitchen Studio | kitchenstudiokc.com Knapstein Design | knapsteindesign.com
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N
Pattern Play
eedlepoint designer Kam Snyder and her husband, John, a sales executive, loved their quirky 1960s house in Old Leawood. They just didn’t like the kitchen. So they asked Lisa Otterness of Classic Kitchens Design Studio to reimagine it. “It took a bit of layered problem-solving,” says Otterness. When they pulled everything away from the windows—surprise!—it was a little too obvious that the windows were different heights. They need-
ed an architectural detail to take the eye somewhere else, hence the wainscoting with the band of graphic cement tile that Kam loves. Most of the storage is under the 16-foot island of matte Italian laminate cabinets, topped with quartz counters and accented with black hardware. “Think off the wall,” suggests Otterness. “Dishes and glassware can go in a drawer.” A ZLine range beckons John to whip up something delicious. “It doesn’t get much better than making my morning coffee with the light streaming in from the windows,” says Kam.
Classic Kitchens | classickitchenskc.com NOVEMBER 2020
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Top: Cool grays and whites are the dominate hues in the kitchen, which are picked up in the wainscoting of encaustic cement tile from International Materials of Design. Above: No steps from dishwasher to storage. Snyder can move dishes from the two-drawered Fisher & Paykel dishwasher right to the drawer next door. Right: The sleek Wood-Mode custom cabinets are a crisp mix of white and striÊd laminate. Opposite: The cabinets stand out against a wall swathed in handcrafted glazed white porcelain subway tile accented with stripes of dark gray pencil tile. Contrasting grout picks up the room’s palette.
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SAFE AT HOME, OIL ON CANVAS BY KADIR NELSON
A Centennial Celebration ORGANIZERS OF THE NEGRO LEAGUES’ 100TH ANNIVERSARY CHANNEL THE SAME RESILIENCY THAT SPARKED THE LEAGUE’S FORMATION IN 1920 WORDS BY
Katy Schamberger
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The Kansas City Monarchs in the 1950s.
A
s the calendar flipped over to 2020, the stage was set to honor an historic milestone: 100 years since the founding of baseball’s Negro Leagues here in Kansas City. The festivities kicked off on February 13, 2020, which, as Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President Bob Kendrick explains, “coincides with the date that the Negro Leagues were formed in 1920.” Continues Kendrick, “We get off to a flying start. Everything is amazing; we launched a partnership with MLB and the MLB Players Association announcing a joint $1 million contribution in support of the museum. And a National Day of Recognition, originally scheduled for June 27, marked the first time that all MLB teams would simultaneously recognize the Negro Leagues.” Then, a triumphant year ground to an abrupt standstill as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold and shuttered businesses around the U.S., including the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, while also halting national sports and shrouding upcoming seasons in uncertainty. You could, in baseball terms, call the pandemic the ultimate curveball. And it left Kendrick and other participating partners scrambling
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to salvage the celebration. That’s when Kendrick looked to the past for the inspiration to move forward. “This museum, this history, is about resilience,” he says. “We had to dig down deep to keep the will and spirit that this history represents. I’ve said this on countless occasions: if you’re going to be a steward of the Negro Leagues story, you can’t wallow in self-pity. That would be an injustice to this incredible story and the courageous athletes who made this story.” That story’s most significant chapter was written 100 years ago when a group of baseball team owners gathered in Kansas City to change the course of history. PASEO YMCA: WHERE IT ALL BEGAN The year 2020 marks the centennial anniversary of the Negro Leagues, but Black baseball players started organizing long before 1920. There are records of a baseball game between two Black teams in 1855. From there, several Black baseball clubs formed in the mid1800s. Just a few years later, racist opposition attempted to halt the players’ momentum.
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In 1867, the National Association of Amateur Base Ball Players elected to reject applications from African American clubs. In 1876, the professional National League was formed by owners intent on keeping it a white man’s game. By 1900, Jim Crow laws had shut out Black players from professional teams. Not to be deterred, players continued to organize their own units, traveling around the country in buses—otherwise known as “barnstorming”—to play anyone they could. Andrew “Rube” Foster, former player, manager and owner of the Chicago American Giants, saw an opportunity to officially recognize these and other teams. Inside Kansas City’s Paseo YMCA (now the Buck O’Neil Education and Research Center), just one block west of the historic 18th & Vine District, Foster and several Midwestern team owners met in 1920 to create an organized league structure. There, in the heart of Kansas City, the Negro National League was born. The league launched with eight teams: Chicago American Giants, Chicago Giants, Cuban Stars, Dayton Marcos, Detroit Stars, Kansas City Monarchs, Indianapolis ABCs and the St. Louis Giants.
Leroy “Satchel” Paige
HISTORY NEEDS A HOME Within two decades of the League’s creation, the rise of players like Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby, Satchel Paige, and Nate Moreland caught the attention of several Major League Baseball team owners. In October 1946, the Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey announced Robinson’s signing to the team from the Kansas City Monarchs. And on April 15, 1947, while playing first base, Robinson integrated major league baseball. Fast forward a few decades, when, in 1990, Kendrick popped his head into 18th & Vine’s historic Lincoln Building to ask Don Motley, executive director of the Negro League Museum, where he could find a shrine dedicated to this important history. “‘You’re standing in it,’” Motley told Kendrick, as recounted by Jerry Crasnick of the MLB Players Association. Kendrick officially joined the museum’s staff in 1998 as its first director of marketing and, in 2011, was named president of the museum. In that time and more recently, the museum has expanded well outside of its one-room confines to encompass 50,000 square feet, which includes the Buck O’Neil Education and Research Center.
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President Bob Kendrick
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Visitors to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum enjoy self-guided tours through a collection of photographs, memorabilia, and short films that capture the Negro Leagues’ collective history, as well as standout moments and players. For baseball fans, a visit to the museum is typically a bucket list item, and it’s common for people from around the U.S.—and around the world—to stop in and learn more about the Negro Leagues. When pandemic-induced stay-at-home orders were lifted earlier this year and the museum reopened its doors, Kendrick says the first museum visitor was a woman from Brooklyn, N.Y., who stopped in while she and her husband were en route to Colorado. He described the moment of seeing people back in the museum as a “Publisher’s Clearinghouse” moment, and if he could have, he would have showered her with confetti. THE CENTENNIAL CONTINUES The year may be winding down, but the Negro Leagues centennial celebration continues. Channeling the resiliency that so perfectly defined the league itself, Kendrick has tirelessly worked to embrace the year’s festive intent and find ways to virtually recognize the Negro Leagues and how the organization forever changed baseball. One example: the Tipping Your Cap campaign. “In our sport, there’s nothing more honorable than a simple tip of the cap,” Kendrick says. “It’s the ultimate show of respect.” Organizers, including Kendrick, took the Tipping Your Cap campaign from an in-stadium event to a virtual celebration, creating a website to showcase photos and videos of fans tipping their caps in a salute to the league. On June 29, four former U.S. presidents—President Obama, President Bush, President Clinton and President Carter—each tipped their caps. The campaign didn’t just go worldwide; it went intergalactic when NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy tipped his cap from the International Space Station. Other notable Tipping Your Cap participants include The Temptations, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Billie Jean King, and Henry Aaron, a testament to the reach of the Negro Leagues and how the league’s strength and resiliency continues to inspire long after its dissolution—even to Kendrick’s surprise. “It fills me with tremendous pride,” he says. “We felt like we would get some baseball fans to join us in this effort, and there would
Buck O’Neil
Jackie Robinson
be a likelihood that we would get those who made their living in the sport—current and former Major Leaguers. But when you see the depth of those who are outside the baseball world—four living presidents, General Colin Powell, Bob Costas, Stephen Colbert—and then we went literally into space. I think it was at that point that I realized we had something really special.” Those moments, along with his dedication to sharing the story and the history of the Negro Leagues as widely as possible, have kept Kendrick energized throughout a truly unprecedented year. And if he finds he needs an additional boost, he reflects on the words of a dear friend and baseball icon. “I quote my friend Buck O’Neil often,
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especially in these difficult times that we’re experiencing now,” Kendrick says. “As if a pandemic wasn’t enough, we’ve moved into a realm of social upheaval. Buck always said that there are more good people than bad. We’re seeing the good people come to our aid, and that individual support has grown since the museum’s downtime. It fills me with great joy and gratitude to see so many coming to our aid and wanting to see the story and celebration of the Negro Leagues continue in as great a capacity as we can execute it.” Visit nlbm.com to plan your visit to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, shop official Negro Leagues merchandise and stay up-to-date on other ways to celebrate 100 years of the Negro Leagues.
TURNING HEADS Sweater coat, $350; turtleneck, $149; trousers, $269. All from Peruvian Connection (Crestwood Shops). Samkas necklace, $50; from Clothology: 135 (Parkway Plaza).
Warming Trend ALL WRAPPED UP IN COZY, COMFY FASHION FOR A HOLIDAY AT HOME
Jenny Wheat Arlen Wickstrum Flock Salon and Gallery makeup by Silvia Duckworth BellÃsima by Silvia photos by hair by
PATTERN PLAY D. Exterior sweater, $895; Naadam Turtleneck, $325; both from Hudson & Jane (Crestwood Shops).
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FIRESIDE CHAT Alice & Olivia sweater, $795, and leather pants, $295; BB DeKota leather cami, $49; Prada sneakers, $690; Julie Vos earrings, $65. All from Halls Kansas City (Crown Center).
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SOFT TOUCH Suzusan sweater, $1,035; Monies earrings, $115. Both from Asiatica (Westwood).
IT’S A WRAP Raquel Allegra top, $450, and pants, $495; Lauren Manoogian sweater coat, $590. All from Finefolk (West Plaza).Vince slippers, $150, from Halls Kansas City (Crown Center).
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A ROOM WITH A VIEW Frnch sweater, $68; Ariella pants, $48; Corkys slippers, $34; Samkas earrings, $58. All from Clothology: 135 (Parkway Plaza).
SOFT FOCUS Double Zero cami and wide pant set, $88; Gentle Fawn cardigan, $128; Vintage Havana sneakers, $125; Julie Zancanelli earrings, $98. All from Alysa Rene Boutique (Park Place).
WAKE UP CALL Enza Costa top, $189, and pants, $185; Dolce Vita slippers, $60; both from Clairvaux (Fairway Shops). Samkas earrings, $26; from Clothology: 135 (Parkway Plaza).
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Season’s Eatings
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WORDS BY
CAN’T MISS FAVORITES
Kelsey Cipolla
SWEET OR SAVORY, SOME OF THE HOLIDAYS’ MOST TREASURED TREATS ARE MADE IN KC
K
ansas City knows how to make the most of the holiday season—and we’re not just talking about the lights on the Country Club Plaza or the Mayor’s majestic Christmas tree. Loads of local companies make foods perfect for entertaining during the most wonderful (and often most chaotic) time of the year, from ready-to-eat desserts to delectable spreads and customizable cheese boards. Get the story behind a few of our favorites along with creative ideas that just might lead you to a new holiday tradition.
Topsy’s POPCORN The holidays don’t officially start until you have Topsy’s popcorn in hand. Whether you’re gifted a decorative tin or munching from a cone-shaped bag as you walk around the Country Club Plaza, you’re part of a tradition that dates back more than 70 years. topsyspopcorn.com Louisburg Cider Mill
APPLE CIDER Louisburg Cider Mill grinds and mills apples largely sourced from orchards along the Missouri River Valley for this full-flavored cider perfect for sipping on chilly winter nights alongside a fire. Made without preservatives or sweeteners, it can also add local flavor to recipes—check out the mill’s website for ideas. louisburgcidermill.com
Thēz Nuts
Strawberry Hill Povitica Whether it’s toasted and enjoyed alongside a cup of coffee as breakfast or saved for a sweet after-dinner treat, Strawberry Hill Povitica’s signature swirls offer a taste of nostalgia. That’s because the recipe has been in the O’Leary family for decades and part of Kansas City’s food landscape since the company launched in 1984. “You could get it before then, but you had to know somebody,” says co-owner Marc O’Leary, a third-generation povitica baker. His grandparents would make 15 or 20 loaves each holiday season and hand them out as gifts. “You had to know the mailman, or you had to know a priest, or a neighbor, or something along those lines because it’s so hard to make.” Povitica starts with sweet dough rolled thin enough to read a newspaper CONTINUED ON PAGE
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CINNAMON CANDIED PECANS They may look like classic candied pecans, but this treat has a few tricks, courtesy of Madagascar bourbon vanilla and a touch of star anise. The premium nuts also make a great hostess gift or travel snack— because the only thing worse than sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic the morning of Thanksgiving is sitting there with an empty stomach. theznuts.com
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Left: Fresh white-painted clapboard and new Marvin windows with a thin black proďŹ le give this renovated home a classic modern farmhouse feel. Below: Katy Cassaw, left, and Kat Benson, interior designers and principals at Nest Interiors.
Modern Family THE DECORATING DUO FROM NEST INTERIORS REIMAGINES A RURAL PLATTE CITY HOME AS A MODERN FARMHOUSE Judith Fertig Aaron Leimkuehler
WORDS BY PHOTOS BY
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A contemporary wrought-iron railing replaced Victorian-style wood balusters in the foyer. The Loloi rug adds plenty of texture and hints at the blue hues to be discovered throughout the home.
T
hree years ago, Tim Jonkman drove past a newer Victorian-style house situated on 43 acres in Platte City that was for sale and called his wife, Lana. They both looked, fell in love, and put in an offer that day. The kicker? To make it their own, they’d need to redo it. And the paint wasn’t even dry on their current home, freshly remodeled. But no problem. Tim owns Jonkman Construction, whose highend commercial projects include the Restaurant at 1900. And the
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couple has a great relationship with Katy Cassaw and Kat Benson of Nest Interiors, who had worked on their previous house, which sold right away. “We could help them visualize what could be in the new house,” says Cassaw. “And find places for what was important to them,” adds Benson. It certainly helped that the couple knew what they wanted: modern farmhouse. But they needed help on how to get there. Tim listed rift-sawn and quarter-sawn oak floors, a butler’s kitchen
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Top: Cassaw and Benson redesigned the fireplace in the family room, removing a Victorian mantel and replacing it with painted brick and a rustic, reclaimed wood beam. Bruce, the family’s Siamese cat, peeks out from behind the RH sofa. Above: In the living room, the Lee Industries sofa is fronted by a pair of bunching tables from Four Hands. Right: The RH desk in the office pops against the navy printed-grasscloth wallcovering from Thibaut.
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Left, top: A trio of bronze-toned pendants from Visual Comfort lights the kitchen island. Left, middle: One wall of the kitchen is clad in glossy porcelain hexagon tile from Walker Zanger. Left, bottom: More than a pantry, the butler’s kitchen just off the main kitchen is the domaine of Tim Jonkman. Opposite: A Tilda chandelier from Arteriors hangs over the custom-made walnut dining table.
that could hide his dinner prep mess, and a minimalist approach as must-haves. Maybe a touch of industrial in the black windows. Lana leaned toward clean lines, a place to display her collection of sand from family beach vacations and dirt from baseball games at Kauffman Stadium, and definitely a great tub for soaking. Oh, and chickens to peck around in the yard, namely Winona, Snickers, and Ivana. They also knew what they didn’t want: No country clichés. No dust-catching collections of vintage kitchen items, no ruffles, no stuff. The Nest team spoke “modern farmhouse” fluently, coming up with a streamlined design entailing white walls, black accents and metals, shiplap, natural woods, barn doors, quilt patterns, a hint of color, and just a touch of modern graphic wallpaper here and there. These elements flow throughout the house, from the shiplap entryway to the barn doors closing off the butler’s kitchen to the office wallpapered in a vibrant blue pattern. The welcoming front porch, with its ceiling of natural cedar, holds traditional black rocking chairs, but also modern heated seating. “I don’t know what I like until I see it,” says Tim, but when he saw the curvaceous concrete outdoor furniture by Galanter & Jones in San Francisco, it was exactly what he wanted. Plug it in and the family stays toasty even on the porch, even on a cold winter day. And the furniture never blows away. The porch is Lana’s favorite place to wait for fifth-grader Beau to walk up the long driveway from the bus and greet high
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Moody blues. In the principal bedroom, walls are papered in pale blue grasscloth from Phillip Jeffries, azurehued bedside lamps are from Barbara Cosgrove, navy quilted linens dress the bed and gray-blue wool flat-weave wallto-wall from Shaw carpets the floor.
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Above: A Carrara marble slab tops the vanity, while the shower is clad in 12- by 24-inch marble tiles. Far left: Nestled into a niche of the principal bathroom is an elegant, stand-alone tub. Left: Black accents, including the Visual Comfort sconce, the RH pivot mirror and the Kohler faucet, punch up the powder room.
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The pool, surrounded by woods, is a new addition to the property.
schoolers Ava and Gage when they’re expected home. Seeing them “just makes me happy,” says Lana. Custom walnut cabinetry throughout the home is by SquareOneStudio, a company Tim has used in commercial projects. “My thing is the details,” he says. As the person doing much of the cooking, he loves that the contemporary white and frosted-glass barn doors on the butler’s kitchen can close to hide the coffeemaker, air fryer, toaster oven, and all the crumbs so that the main kitchen stays tidy. The open kitchen, the heart of the house, also features an apron-front sink made of cast concrete resin, a huge island, hexagonal tile, a long cabinet wall, and natural wood open shelving. The powder bath sheathed in shiplap shows a quilt-patterned Soci cement tile underfoot. The principal bedroom walls are papered in a pale blue Phillip Jeffries grasscloth for a whisper of color. The Zen-like feel continues in the principal bath, where an egg-shaped tub is the modern take on
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the Victorian claw foot and black-andwhite tile takes on a whole new look. Back-to-back remodeling is not on everyone’s wish list, but Lana says, “If you think you want to do it, do it. You’ll regret it if you don’t.” Their remodeling turned out to be very timely after the pandemic hit. “We have lots of space to be together but be free.”
THE IT LIST Cabinetry SquareOneStudio sqonestudio.com
www.classickitchenskc.com
Construction www.classickitchenskc.com
now featuring
Jonkman Construction jonkmanconstruction.com
now featuring
Interior Design Nest Interiors nestkc.com
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season’s eatings continued from page
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through and rich filling made in small batches. Each loaf is still handrolled to give it that distinctive swirled design, with one pound of dough encasing two pounds of filling. The Eastern European pastry is traditionally made with a walnut filling, but Strawberry Hill offers 13 different options, from the sweet, nutty English walnut and spiced apple cinnamon to white chocolate cherry and pumpkin cream cheese. During the holiday season, Strawberry Hill will produce approximately 8,000 loaves per day, shipping them all over the country to families that have made povitica part of their seasonal tradition. “It’s kind of like turkey at Thanksgiving,” O’Leary says. “You can’t have a holiday without it, especially in Kansas City.” Povitica can be toasted up on the stove and made even richer with a pat of butter or scoop of ice cream, but O’Leary notes there are more unconventional uses—one New York restaurant is now using apple cinnamon povitica and sharp cheddar to make a decadent grilled cheese. strawberryhill.com
Kansas City Canning Co. At a time of year when indulgence reigns supreme, Kansas City Canning Co. offers an easy way to reduce food waste with its modern spin on canning and preserves. Owner Tim Tuohy works with local farms to turn their surplus and bumper crops into shelf-stable spreads, sauces and more, often available in limited supplies alongside a lineup of products sold seasonally and year around.
4300 W 64th St, Prairie Village | Indian Fields
2-Story | 5 Bedrooms | 4.1 Baths | Finished Daylight Lower Level Enjoy the Holidays in Your Beautiful Newer Construction Treasure in Shawnee Mission School District For a Private Showing, Call Julana at 816.582.6566 | www.4300W64th.com RE/MAX Premier Realty 2210 W 75th Street Prairie Village, KS 66208 913.652.0400 myhomepricekc.com
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Eating responsibly is made extra simple (and tasty) with Kansas City Canning Co’s holiday-ready bundle, which includes rosemary fig spread, pumpkin butter, and red wine cranberry sauce. The rosemary fig spread is one of Kansas City Canning Co.’s original offerings, Tuohy says. Sweet and savory, it is perfect for adding depth to grilled cheese sandwiches or as a glaze on pork or chicken. Two years ago, Tuohy hopped aboard the pumpkin spice train with pumpkin butter, a low sugar-added take that adds apple for tartness in addition to traditional flavors like cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Then there’s the company’s version of a Thanksgiving favorite: cranberry sauce. “What I wanted to do was something that still has those nostalgic notes of all those flavors you get from the Ocean Spray cranberry sauce, but the way that we cook it, we make sure to leave some whole berries,” Tuohy says. “We use about three gallons of red wine in each batch, so it has that tartness, that dryness, from the red wine.” One of Kansas City Canning Co.’s other specialties also makes for happy entertaining: shrubs, preserved cocktail mixers that utilize fresh fruit and vinegar. Tuohy’s varieties include smoked spice pear and blood orange ginger. He recommends combining one bottle of shrub with a 750ml bottle of the liquor of your choice and two liters of club soda for a delicious batch cocktail. kansascitycanningco.com
DiCapo Foods Italian Holiday Cookies A tray of Italian holiday cookies offers something for everyone, says John DiCapo. His company, DiCapo Foods, has been making
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season’s eatings continued
the cookies using the same recipes his mom grew up with since the early 2000s. There are powder sugar-laden Russian tea balls, crunchy pecan thumbprints with a dollop of sweet strawberry filling, and clove and cinnamon-spiced chocolate Tay Tus rustically iced; sweet butter-yellow lemon drops, intensely chocolatey triple chocolate, and festive fig cookies topped with a few colorful sprinkles; there’s polarizing graham-cracker cups and last but not least, the soft, sweet iced wedding cookies. Italian women of past generations traditionally made these cookies every holiday season, DiCapo says, but although the recipes have been passed down, modern home cooks may find themselves without the bandwidth to tackle such an elaborate baking project. “In today’s world, everybody’s moving so fast, everybody is so busy that it’s really hard to stop and make cookies,” DiCapo explains. “But everybody still wants them. That’s really where our opportunity came in.” This year’s holidays should taste even sweeter, as DiCapo almost sold the company earlier this year before negotiations fell through in light of Covid-19. Although the cookies are as delicious as ever, you might need to look in some new places to find them; the cookies are now available to order directly from the company, as well as from se-
lect retailers including Marco Polo’s Italian Deli and Scimeca’s Deli, DiCapo says. “We put a lot of love in our cookies,” he adds. “Every cookie doesn’t look the same, because we hand-ice each one. We make cookies like we’re going to eat them ourselves.” dicapofoods.com
Green Dirt Farm Sarah Hoffmann’s love affair with cheese began long before she started Green Dirt Farm. “My favorite and much beloved aunt had a cheese shop in New Jersey in the 70s when I was a teenager, and I would go to her shop and lend a hand at the holidays when I was super busy,” Hoffmann says. “She taught me how to love fine cheese.” Decades later, cheese is still a prominent part of the holiday season for Hoffmann and her Weston farm and cheese operation. Each year, Green Dirt caters cheese boards, hosts cheese board arranging classes (this year happening online) and encourages patrons to get cheesy at home with a DIY set. The ridiculously giftable set includes wedges of rustic, mountain-style hard cheeses Prairie Tomme and Aux Arcs; light, versatile nettle and spicy chilis spreadable cheeses; and a square of soft-ripened Ruby. Kansas City Canning Co. preserves, a box of Effie’s
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Oatcakes, and a Green Dirt Farm cutting board and knife round out the collection and set you up for success, although there’s always room to get creative by adding pickles, olives, or nuts, Hoffmann says. “When we’re creating cheese boards, we always think about wanting to get a variety of different cheeses so that you get this whole beautiful appearance,” she explains. “You want the cheese board to not only taste great, but you want it to be the centerpiece of your holiday table and be really beautiful.” Of course, boards aren’t the only way to enjoy cheese during the holiday season. Hoffmann suggests using Aux Arcs raclette-style and serving over potatoes or on top of a batch of French onion soup. greendirtfarm.com
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In the Kitchen SWEET POTATOES BY
Cody Hogan
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or many, a holiday table without sweet potatoes would not be complete. I don’t necessarily feel that way, but I understand the importance of tradition and food. For those who need sweet potatoes, I’ll share one of my favorite renditions and hope you will make it a part of your tradition. First of all, sweet potatoes and yams are not the same thing—potatoes are also unrelated. It’s a long story, but believe me, they’re not even cousins and act and taste differently when cooked. Sweet potatoes do come in a variety of colors with varying sugar contents and textures. Those most popular in the US are the golden orange ones like Jewel, Garnet, and Beauregard—they also tend to be the sweetest. Asian varieties run from purple to yellow and even white. The farmers market, ethnic groceries, and Whole Foods are great sources for exploring the world of sweet potatoes, especially at this time of year. Sweet potatoes are incredibly versatile. I like them simply roasted, topped with butter, salt, and pepper, or roasted in wedges then glazed in a reduction of balsamic vinegar. Their sweetness is also a pleasant addition to vegetarian or traditional chili, diced and added for the last 20 minutes of cooking—it pairs beautifully with cumin, oregano, and a little piquant spice. Fries are nice, too. Generally speaking, sweet potato (the intense orange-yellow type we eat here in the US) can be used in most places where one would use pumpkin. What it doesn’t need is a marshmallow. This recipe is one we use in various guises at Lidia’s, the restaurant where I am chef. It is a great standby for home cooks, too—especially when entertaining for large groups. It is inexpensive, filling and reheats beautifully, so it can be prepared the day before if necessary. In this variation, braised Swiss chard is folded into a rough mash of roasted sweet potatoes. Other greens or cabbage can be substituted. The leaves of the sweet potato plant can even be substituted for the Swiss chard (with a much shorter cooking time), but their flavor is not as earthy and pronounced. The “rocky mash” concept can be adapted to any type of potato, but only sweet potatoes can be successfully reheated after being refrigerated (Idaho, Yukon Gold, red potatoes, etc. all take on a weird “reheated” quality after they have been chilled). Whatever your sweet potato and greens choice—enjoy!
NOVEMBER 2020
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Sweet Potato and Swiss Chard Mash There are several ways to reach the finish line with this recipe. The dish could be cooked entirely in one pot (instructions follow*), but I think the flavors are more intense and satisfying if you are willing to dirty a few more dishes and turn on the oven. Begin by roasting the sweet potatoes in their skins in a 400°F oven until tender, about 30 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes—I’ve seen some giants that take up to an hour to cook through (you can cut those into smaller pieces to speed up the process if you’re in a rush). In the meantime, remove the stems from a big bunch or two of any type of Swiss chard (reserving them for stock or soup), wash the leaves (don’t dry them), stack, and then slice them into wide ribbons. In a large skillet with a lid, sauté a few sliced cloves of garlic in extra virgin olive oil or butter. butter When the garlic begins to turn golden brown around the edges, add the wet chard leaves, shake the pan briefly and cover for a few moments so the leaves begin to steam and wilt. When wilted, sprinkle with salt and then turn down the heat and continue cooking while the sweet potatoes roast in the oven. Monitor the chard and if at any time it appears that it might scorch, add a few tablespoons of water. Over time, the chard will take on a more savory quality. When the sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a knife or feel tender when gently squeezed, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool briefly. Being careful not to burn your fingers, remove the skins (they should slip off easily) and put the sweet potatoes into the skillet with the chard. When all of the sweet potatoes are in the skillet, gently turn them into the Swiss chard until you have a rough mash interlaced with ribbons of dark green. Taste and adjust, adding salt and pepper and EVOO or butter. Keep warm, or reheat and serve when needed. Don’t even think about a marshmallow. *For the one-pot method, sauté a few sliced cloves of garlic in oil, then add peeled sweet potatoes, cut in one-inch-thick slices, roughly chopped Swiss chard leaves, a generous dash of salt, and enough water to reach a depth of about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Stir to prevent the garlic from burning, cover and simmer until the sweet potatoes and greens are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. If at any time you are worried about scorching, add a bit more water. If, when the contents are cooked, there is water left in the bottom of the pot, turn up the heat to high to quickly boil it off. Drizzle with EVOO or add a few knobs of butter. Adjust seasoning. Done, and with only one dirty pan.
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In Your Pantry COOL SEASON GREENS Cool season greens allow the sensation of the freshness available from gardens and farmers markets to continue past what we think of as the typical growing season. In fact, cool season greens benefit from lower temperatures and acquire their best flavors and colors when kissed by frost. Sensing the change in the weather, many plants increase their sugar content which acts like natural antifreeze. In addition to cabbage, arugula, and radicchio, think about these the next time you have a wintertime craving for something fresh. Kale There is an incredible variety of kale available in markets today. For all practical purposes they are interchangeable. For salads or consuming raw, most kales are best when immature (very small/baby), but even larger leaves can be used if they are stripped from their inedible stems and “massaged” to help tenderize the leaves. Tough stems should also be removed before cooking, and braising for extended periods of time results in a savory, velvety flavor and texture. The most common kale is green curly kale, and curly redbor—with the deep purple and magenta leaves— is its stunning cousin. Lacinato or cavalo nero (AKA dinosaur kale) is the favorite variety in Tuscany and makes a beautiful edible ornamental. Red Russian and similar varieties (flatter leaves, similar flavor), and ornamental kales (some growing straight through winter in our area) are a different plant family but still edible (more cabbage like).
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Swiss Chard An extremely healthful and beautiful green, Swiss chard comes in a rainbow of colors and sizes. From green (whitestemmed) varieties to red, fuchsia, orange, and electric yellow, all are prepared in a similar manner. Smaller leaves can be delicious in salads while larger leaves benefit from longer cooking—in fact, cooking these leaves for at least 45 minutes brings out a savory umami quality. Delicious in soups, stews, pasta fillings, and stir fries. Leaves can also be used as packets for stuffing with rice or seasoned ground meats. The stems, which can have a more pronounced mineral flavor, are typically reserved for other uses, like stocks, stuffings and fillings, or soups.
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Collard Greens This savory and slightly bitter southern favorite is actually a type of kale. Grown in many warmer climates around the planet, collards are most delicious right after a frost when their natural sugar levels are higher. Many cooks enhance this effect by adding a bit of sugar or honey when cooking collards. All across the American South, they are prepared by slow cooking (sometimes overnight) to yield a more tender finished dish. They also mix well with other types of greens like mustards and turnip greens. Collards excel when cooked with pork of any kind, and also pair well with spicy mustard and sour cream.
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list—right down to socks and underwear. It illustrates the need some of these kids have. Other times, it’s something that every child wants, like Bluetooth earbuds or video games.” Next up is the family wish list. “It’s really an opportunity for those families whose children are benefitting from our array of services to create family memories.” says Hall. “It takes some of the burden off—and provides an opportunity to build important family connections during times of significant challenge.” Finally, community members are encouraged to make donations to the organization’s innovative and nationally recognized programs. “It’s a great opportunity to make sure we have all the supplies to provide the enriched level of services children and their families need while at KidsTLC,” says Hall.
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AS KIDSTLC EXPANDS, HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP MAKE THE HOLIDAYS BRIGHTER FOR KIDS IN NEED
W
hen KidsTLC’s Holiday Giving Program launched over a decade ago, no one at the organization had any idea it would become such an annual outpouring of love. “It really started with the idea that we had kids who wouldn’t be able to go home for Christmas,” says Elizabeth Hall, the director of campus and community engagement for KidsTLC. “We wanted to bring the joy of the holiday season while kids were on our campus. There was—and continues to be—an unbelievable amount of generosity throughout the community for this event.” In the 70s, KidsTLC was a preeminent emergency shelter for abused and neglected children. Over the years, their mission has continued to grow and meet community needs by implementing innovative new programs. The residential and outpatient services they provide have expanded over the years to further help children in the areas of mental and behavioral health, autism, and family support. Next month, the organization is slated to open a brand new facility that will double the physical footprint of the campus. The campus expansion—its biggest in over a decade—is designed to get more kids in need off the state’s waitlist and into KidsTLC’s expansive programs. “It’s really exciting. It’s going to allow us an additional 50 residential beds,” says Shannon Wickliffe, chief development officer. “But with our upcoming expansion, we’re going to nearly double our program needs, creating a necessity for our Holiday Giving Program to grow. We’re going to want to make sure the holidays are extra special for our new kids and their families.” For many of the children seeking a brighter future on campus, “the holidays that most of us have experienced are not necessarily a thing for them. To come here and have someone ask, ‘What would you like?’—that might be the first time they’ve been asked that,” adds Wickliffe.
Three Ways You Can Help Each child on campus makes an individual, handwritten wish list for presents from Santa. “Kids come into our residential program around the holidays and ask how will Santa know where I am—and that’s never something a child should wonder,” Hall says. She says many community members will swoop in and fulfill that child’s wish list, no matter how big or small. “The wish list is a chance for the gift giver to get to know our kids and the items they want,” says Wickliffe. “We’ve seen kids put basic things on their
Visit kidstlc.org/holidaygiving to learn how you can help!
With more kids than ever on campus this December, several local businesses are stepping up to help with the expanded need for gifts and donations. Town Center Plaza and Town Center Crossing will have a storefront location for KidsTLC through December. “We’re going to decorate the windows with some handcrafted whimsy,” says Hall. “In addition to our website, it will be a place where folks can gather details about the giving program and find various merchants who will have collection boxes in their stores. It will also be a holiday workshop on select days where gifts will be wrapped and sorted.” Macy’s and Matthew Made Art are also collaborating with the organization to guarantee a brighter holiday for all. “These partnerships are all new and exciting for us and will certainly help us while our campus is growing during a pandemic,” she says.
Tremendous Response, Tremendous Generosity KidsTLC’s Holiday Giving Program has had quite an impact, becoming one of the organization’s largest gift-in-kind efforts. “The number of gifts that come in, along with the support, the community volunteerism, the wrapping, the parties, the celebrations—It’s all very transformative for our agency and our kids,” Hall says. Given all the new pandemic safety protocols, the organization has seen a proactive shift in the type of support they receive. “Prior to the pandemic, people would come directly to campus to help,” she explains. “Now, it comes in the form of drop-offs and other means of supporting us. It shows the tremendous amount of community support out there—especially when we’ve had to pivot.” And with the new year right around the corner, the organization is collectively looking forward to returning to a sense of normalcy in 2021. “We’re excited about growing and improving upon what we already feel is our best in class—the services we provide,” says Wickliffe. “With this expansion, we’re going to be able to provide services for kids who, frankly, have unimaginable obstacles to overcome which makes their placements difficult. That’s what we do—and now we’ll be able to do more of it. So 2021—I’m looking forward to it.”
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In Your Cocktail DRASTIC MEASURES by
Kelsey Cipolla
photo by
Aaron Leimkuehler
D
A Whole New Low
NOVEMBER 2020
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rastic Measures encourages dramatic entrances. The Shawnee cocktail bar’s nondescript façade gives way to a small lobby with a door knocker and a glowing green light to indicate there’s room for more guests, encouraging patrons to thump with purpose to be let into the intimate space. There are no reservations at Drastic Measures—seating is first-come, first-serve and cash is the only form of payment accepted, so arrive prepared (at least with your bank card, as an ATM is available on the premises). It’s an important part of the bar’s ethos. Opened over the summer by Manifesto veteran Jay Sanders and Swordfish Tom’s owner Jill Cockson, the business is designed to keep operating costs to a minimum so they can invest in premium spirits and provide livable wages and benefits for staff. The entry procedure may be reminiscent of a speakeasy, but Drastic Measures is much more modern in both its aesthetic and approach to cocktails. Groupings of cleanlined sofas and chairs encourage guests to linger over cocktails and conversations, surrounded by limestone and dark teal walls and spiraling pendant light fixtures. In addition to playing off the measure-
ments that go into building a cocktail, Drastic Measures’ name gives insight into its cocktails: Drinks that are a little radical but executed with restraint by bartenders who will cheerfully debate the relative merits of any drink you’re considering while effortlessly crafting an order for another patron. Ingredients that might be garish in other hands make for remarkably balanced cocktails at Drastic Measures. It’s a quality of bar program Kansas City typically looks to Westport and the Crossroads to find, parked unexpectedly in Johnson County, a welcome, tasty surprise. Cocktails like the Measured Approach, an old fashioned made with the additions of aged rum and grilled-apple tincture, have already proven favorites among guests, but a new fall menu, unveiled in early October, offers a new batch of drinks to fall in love with, including the Antigone, a chai tea-infused Jamaican rum cocktail with black currant and lime, and the cinnamon-toast crunch-infused All Time Low. “I really wanted to make a lower abv cocktail using sherry as a base, but I needed it to be approachable because I wanted to expose more people to drinking sherry and seeing it’s potential in cocktails,” Sanders says. “It’s something we have been using in craft cocktail bars for years, but I don’t see a lot of home bartenders using it yet.” Sanders was tossing around ideas with a team member on a slow night when the idea for a cinnamon-infused sherry came up, morphing into a nostalgic conversation about cinnamon flavors and ultimately Cinnamon Toast Crunch. “We made it the next day and it was perfect,” Sanders says. “Yes, I know it’s silly; yes, I know it sounds childish and sweet. But it’s just drastic enough to catch the eye and just measured enough to fall right in line with our brand of cocktails.”
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A Whole New Low 2 ounces Cinnamon Toast Crunch-infused manzanilla sherry .25 ounce Kalani Coconut Liqueur .75 ounce fresh lime juice .75 ounce pineapple syrup Shake, serve over crushed ice with a dehydrated pineapple slice. For the CTC sherry: Take 1 cup of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and let it sit with a 750ml bottle of manzanilla sherry overnight, then strain through a coffee filter. For the pineapple syrup: Combine two parts fresh pineapple juice with one part rich simple syrup (2 parts sugar, 1 part water).
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BRUÚ CAFÉ
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BUBBLE TEA gets a makeover fit for the Instagram era at Bruú Café, which launched earlier this year with delivery before opening its Country Club Plaza shop (4709 Central St.) in October. You’ll find the expected offerings at the posh café, including traditional milk teas, fruit bubble teas, and cheese macchiatos, along with some less conventional flavors like crème brulee set off with brown sugar tapioca pearls. Bruu also offers a visually dazzling assortment of ombre lattes that use rainbow-hued bubbles—the anchan strawberry latte looks like an early evening sky poured into a glass, a layer of pale pink topped with vibrant blue butterfly pea-flower tea. Drinks are available in standard cups as well as in kid-friendly sizes and bottles— have your iPhone camera at the ready. bruucafe.com
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NEW HOWARD HANNA PROJECTS
In Culinary News
ONE OF KANSAS CITY’S most visionary chefs is bringing something new to KC. Howard Hanna, along with some of the team behind The Rieger and Ça Va, plan to open two concepts in a 6,000-square-foot space in the City Club Apartments (1989 Main St.) mixed-use community in the Crossroads—a natural wine bar and a diner. The former will focus on a rotating array of eclectic natural wines, shareable plates and entrées served in an intimate setting. “We want it to feel unique and special, but also relaxed and unpretentious,” Hanna says. The diner, meanwhile, will feature tons of outdoor dining space and a menu of familiar dishes with unexpected flavors in a space designed with subtle nods to the classic diner aesthetic made modern. The as yet-unnamed establishments will open sometime next year, so stay tuned.
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Located in the heart of the Crossroads Arts & Technology District 2009 Baltimore Ave. Kansas City, MO 64108 @flocksalonandgallery ph. (816) 656-5727 - Book today!
SALON AND GALLERY
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IN KC
Kelsey Cipolla
CANARY KC AFTER YEARS OF SUCCESS in Westport at Julep and
In Culinary News
Soft Conspiracy, owners Keely Edgington and Beau Williams’ latest project finds them in Midtown. Canary KC, a travel-inspired restaurant and bar, takes its name from Amelia Earhart’s first plane and is set to open in the historic Netherland building (3835 Main St.) this month, occupying both a ground floor and rooftop space where they’ll serve modern American food and cocktails with a twist. “One thing I keep thinking about this year is what it means to be an American,” Edgington explains. “We are truly a melting pot, and our food should reflect that. Modern American food does not have to be meatloaf.” Mark Dandurand, who most recently operated Fond out of Strang Hall, will serve as Canary’s executive chef. canarykc.com
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IN KC
Reservation for One THE CHIVE, SIMPLY GOOD CAFÉ & MARKET by
Kelsey Cipolla
T
photos by
he Chive, Simply Good Café & Market lets fresh, local ingredients shine in dishes that feel like what mom would make—if your mom were a really adept chef. Fittingly, the Grandview restaurant is owned and operated by Michelle Brown, who shares the space with her son Nolan’s Transparent Brewing Co. The brewery is visually dominant thanks to a large central bar and prominently displayed list of refreshing, balanced beers on tap,
NOVEMBER 2020
Aaron Leimkuehler
while The Chive occupies a small corner to the left of the main entrance. The two make for a slightly uncomfortable pair, despite their shared roots. Combining beer and food is nothing revolutionary, but The Chive’s eclectic, ingredient-driven food isn’t the most natural fit for a brewery setting, although some dishes lend themselves to it better than others. The restaurant’s menu is expansive and ever-changing based on
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what local products are available. Unlike many eateries, The Chive doesn’t settle for vague pronouncements about the locality of its food. Instead, it displays the percentage of ingredients locally sourced each week, with a goal of hitting a 75- to 95-percent goal year round. A long list of area growers and producers supply everything from meat, eggs, and produce to vanilla and candles. Guests place their order and pay before seating themselves at one of the small tables situated throughout the space, or pick up items from the market selections, a collection of hand-labeled ice creams, syrups and stocks as well as granola, popcorn brittle, and toffees. A pair of large garage doors open onto a spacious patio with picnic tables during warm days. Polished concrete floors, a few reclaimed-wood accent walls, flowers arranged in old bottles scrubbed clean and soft, colorfully trimmed napkins create an atmosphere that’s homey and down-to-earth. While all of the dishes have that same sense of care, they vary in style and complexity. Breakfast is served daily and features offerings such as a French toast with maple butter pecan syrup and a parfait with triple berry sauce, plus a daily egg sandwich and the T, T & J—tea, toast, and The Chive’s jam of the day. Brown and co.’s creativity really gleams when it’s time for lunch and dinner, starting with apple fritters. Crispy on the outside and fluffy within, the fritters have a nice heat from diced jalapeños and a different kind of spice from a luscious apple compote swirled over the top. The dish tastes like fall and gets boosted to the next level by an exceptional beer cheese sauce where the flavors meld in scrumptious harmony.
The green chili pork posole feels similarly cozy, with satisfying body added to the soup by hominy and salsa verde. The posole is hearty and filling with tender chunks of meat, although it could use a pinch more salt to bring the flavors into sharper focus. The Chive also serves up a selection of salads, pizzas, and sandwiches. The bison biker burger is small but well-cooked and coated with a layer of jammy, brown caramelized onions. It comes with a choice of an underwhelming, slightly broken blue cheese sauce or that delectable beer cheese sauce, which is the clear winner and adds salty richness to the lean meat. Paper-thin sweet potato and potato chips come together as a side, no sogginess in sight. Entrées show a blend of influences: there’s the 99-percent local veggie fried rice as well as a pork meatball kabob, served with an over-aggressive za’atar spiced rice. The meatballs are packed with flavor and show dark, crusty spots announcing well-applied heat. Although the kebabs are on the dry side, it’s an issue easily rectified with a spoonful of tzatziki. Piled onto a triangle of garlic herb naan and topped with some pickled red onion, it’s a perfect bite. Dessert circles back to home base with a variety of ice creams, vanilla cheesecake, and petite French apple cakes. The mocha cake is dense and fudgy, the rich chocolate taste offset by the subtle tang of the accompanying buttermilk ice cream. Like most of what The Chive delivers, it’s simply good. thechivesimplygood.com
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8 8 1 7 S TAT E L I N E R D | K A N S A S C I T Y, M I S S O U R I
NOVEMBER 2020
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C H A R L E S T O N S R E S TA U R A N T
Get in the holiday spirit at The Roasterie! With gift sets, limited release coffee and so much more, you'll be able to check everyone off your list in one place. Shop online or find a café near you at theroasterie.com
’s Favorite Kansas City
NOV
| INKANSA EMBER 2020
EXCLUSIVE
SCIT Y.CO
odie Fare Festive Fo
IN Kansas City magazine is available at The Roasterie Cafe.
M
Q&A WITH
GRAD
NICK CAVE
AI ARTIST & KC
5
DREAM &A KITCHENS ILY MODERN FAM SE FARMHOU LEAGUES THE NEGRO
L CENTENNIAION CELEBRAT FASHION
HOLIDAY AT
HOME
Purchase a copy at any of our eight area
Holidayg Entertainin
locations and The Roasterie will donate a portion of the sales to Variety Children’s Charity of Greater Kansas City.
RUNWAY REVIEW a christionMICHEAL fashion experience LIVE FASHION EVENT FRIDAY, DEC. 11TH, 2020 www.runwayreviewkc.com Photo: @Galiciaphotography1 Styling: @sarahbstyling Hair: @jennbstyles Make Up: @frances_rodriguez_mua and @Aesthetically_euphoric_ Models: @viciousv6 @ambercurvemodel @winnyduku Designers: @rogerfigueroa_designs @lucias_sarto @christianmichaelfashion
My Essentials
IN KC
GWEN HEFNER DESIGNER, INFLUENCER, MOM BY
Michael Mackie
R PHOTO BY JUSTIN SALEM MEYER
enovating, gardening, and entertaining are all part of what makes a home for Gwen Hefner and her family. She is known throughout the blogosphere—and of course with her huge following on Instagram, as The Makerista—where she shares all that inspires and interests her audience. With a burgeoning interest in design, she honed her interior style (and love of thrifting) as a stay-at-home mom. A few years later, she took that love of design online. The Makerista has since been featured in Better Homes & Gardens, domino, and Country Living, and on HGTV, among many other media. Recently Hefner started her own thrifting club where she shares all of her tips and tricks for snagging the best deals while bringing unique, personal style to your home. And, naturally, she’s a fan of living in Kansas City. “I love that we have access to big city living—art, food, culture, history—all the while maintaining that small-town kindness and feel,” she says.
Gwen’s essentials... SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP:
HOLIDAY ACCESSORY:
I am loving Clairvaux! [The owner] Joni has such a great eye and warm spirit, and the store shows it. I want everything, including the custom furniture built for displaying the apparel. It’s a beautiful experience.
Colonial Gardens and their fresh-cut greens! I go faux with my trees (they’re easier to decorate) but I love to deck the halls—and mantels and doorways and tabletops—with branches that bring in wonderful scents, texture, and life.
HOLIDAY TRADITION: Our neigh-
borhood carols for cans every year. We sing classic songs with a brass quartet, and the singers and musicians have soup or chili afterwards. It’s just a really special time that feels nostalgic and sets the tone for a wonderful holiday season.
FAVE WORD: Probably ‘love.’ Whether I’m
discussing a great dress, a tasty treat, a thrift treasure, or a new plant for the garden—I love it all!
THE NOSE KNOWS:
Nell Hills Pickwick candle in the Home scent. It’s so delightful and has some of my favorite notes all rolled into one, from balsam to rose to grapefruit. NOVEMBER 2020
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BARGAIN-ISTA: I am a thrift-store junkie. I even started a thrift club (@thriftwiththemakerista) ( where I take members shopping with me and share my tips and tricks for finding the best treasures. Blessings Abound on Metcalf is a wonderful store filled with high quality pieces at a bargain. LOCAL HIDDEN GEM: Vivilore in Independence.
Fresh, delicious food and the atmosphere is out of this world. Definitely sit on the patio if the weather is nice!
BREAKFAST-ISTA:
For a sit-down breakfast I love (there’s that word) First Watch.
A Community Designed Just for Your Family!