IN Kansas City November 2018

NOVEMBER 2018 | INKANSASCITY.COM

AN INTERVIEW WITH JASON SUDEIKIS

21 OF KC’S

BEST NEW RESTAURANTS

Holiday Fashion

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WYNONNA with the

KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY Saturday, November 10 at 8 p.m.

Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center Jason Seber, David T. Beals III Associate Conductor

There is only one Wynonna Judd.

Her range, style and voice are simply unmatched. Wynonna returns to the Kansas City Symphony in a celebration of great music, performing her country hits and rock classics along with staples of the American Songbook. Note: this concert is presented without intermission.

Tickets from $45.

Sponsored by the Kao Family Foundation.

FUN, FEEL-GOOD MUSIC! Julian Kaplan

Kansas City Symphony presents

Classical Concert with Symphony Chorus

Thursday, November 8 at 7 p.m.

Friday & Saturday, November 16-17 at 8 p.m.

Sunday, November 18 at 2 p.m.

CLASSICS UNCORKED: MOZART, BACH and BACH, BLUEGRASS and BOURBON SCHUBERT’S NINTH Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center Jason Seber, David T. Beals III Associate Conductor Ready for some toe-tappin’ fun? Come hear some bluegrass pickin’ and pluckin’ plus Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. After the concert, enjoy a complimentary glass of wine while mingling with Symphony musicians in Kauffman Center’s Brandmeyer Great Hall. A special selection of bourbons also will be available for tasting.

Most tickets $25

Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center Michael Stern, conductor Kansas City Symphony Chorus Charles Bruffy, chorus director Allegro Choirs of Kansas City Christy Elsner, founder and artistic director

W.A. MOZART Ave verum corpus J.S. BACH “O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht,” BWV 118 JOHN ADAMS On the Transmigration of Souls SCHUBERT Symphony No. 9, “The Great”

Thanksgiving Weekend Classical Concert

MOZART’S “JUPITER” with HAYDN’S TRUMPET CONCERTO

Friday & Saturday, November 23-24 at 8 p.m.

Sunday, November 25 at 2 p.m.

Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center Bernard Labadie, guest conductor Julian Kaplan, trumpet

F.J. HAYDN Symphony No. 26, “Lamentatione” F.J. HAYDN Trumpet Concerto W.A. MOZART Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter” Maestro Bernard Labadie returns to the Kansas City Symphony for this sparkling Thanksgiving weekend program. Tickets from $25

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Contents November 2018 82

96

68

88 Features

Departments 30

ENTERTAINING IN KC

36

OUR MAN IN KC

42

ARTS & CULTURE IN KC

50

BEHIND THE MUSIC IN KC

54

MY ESSENTIALS IN KC

96

56

LOOK IN KC

SCHOOL OF LIFE As one might imagine, opening a school is not an overnight endeavor. But what started as a casual interest for Christine Kemper has become an all-consuming passion project.

62

LIVING IN KC

66

SHOP IN KC

106

FLAVOR IN KC

68

88

IN CONVERSATION WITH JASON SUDEIKIS Jason Sudeikis frequently comes back to his hometown, often to participate in fundraisers with which he’s personally involved. This month he’s back in town for Thundergong.

AHEAD IN THE CLOUDS A Kansas City designer revamps a Crown Center condominium to reflect his eclectic taste.

72 COLD NIGHTS, HOT PARTIES Welcome the holidays bundled up in cozy coats over the prettiest eveningwear.

82 THE DISH A rundown of KC’s vibrant 2018 restaurant scene.

Where have you been? Where are you going next?

On the cover Warm coats wrap up the prettiest holiday wear.

See page 74 for more information. Photographer: Cameron Gee

NOVEMBER 2018

| 20 | INKANSASCITY.COM

IN EVERY ISSUE 24

EDITOR’S NOTE

118

FACES IN KC

126

THIS MONTH IN KC

128

FOUND IN KC

Whether you’re giving or receiving, the perfect gift awaits at Webster House. ‹ Silk Eiffel Tower scarf, $150

23” Grand Central terminal inspired wall clock, $185

Why the Face book, $15 & Plush sloth toy, $30

Fox nesting dolls, $120

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INKC Holiday Gift Guide.indd 1

Mustard yellow Italian leather bag, $160 & red faux croc short-handled bag, $80

and baroque pearl collar, $935 & bracelet, $700

California-sourced balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil & dirty martini cocktail mixer, $30 ea.

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Editor’s Note

Up Next Vol. 1 | No. 4 November 2018

T

Editor In Chief Zim Loy

Zim

Art Director Alice Govert Bryan Digital Editor Michael Mackie Contributing Writers Susan Cannon, Kelsey Cipolla Judith Fertig, Timothy Finn, Kathryn Greene, Cindy Hoedel, Cody Hogan, Merrily Jackson, Damian Lair, Patricia O’Dell Contributing Photographers Cameron Gee, Aaron Leimkuehler, Tom Styrkowicz Design Intern Eva Tucker photo by jenny wheat

hese few weeks after the detritus of Halloween is disposed of and before the holidays hit with full force are some of my favorites of the year.

This same cold weather will be dismal in February, but now it feels refreshing, and it’s good to be moving my summer wardrobe to the back of the closet and pulling on comfy sweaters and boots for a change of pace.

Bitter winter weather makes party dressing difficult. Bare shoulders and high hems don’t mix well with 10-degree nights. So, we paired some of our favorite festive fashion with the coziest of coats for fairy-tale evenings. Check out our fashion feature beginning on page 72 for all the best looks.

Kansas City is nothing if not a foodie town; our dining-out options have blossomed in the past ten years. This year, additions to our diverse culinary scene have been especially prolific. Our inkansascity.com digital editor, Michael Mackie, shifts to print with his informed assessment of the 2018 restaurant landscape. Some bistros have risen from the ashes (or car/building impact in the case of Freshwater), some have switched locations and changed up menus (see Novel; Michael Smith), and some are a concept new to KC (such as Parlor, with its seven restaurants in one location). Read his story starting on page 82 to see if you agree with his review.

Speaking of dining out, it was a dinner invitation that led to my initial visit to E. Michael Sandridge’s Crown Center condo. While dinner was delicious, I couldn’t get over his home’s absolute perfection. The balance of personal (creative collections and art on most every surface), and contemporary (modern European design is well-represented) has created a distinctive home that’s about much more than that fabulous view. Turn to page 88 and be wowed.

Since our first issue, I’ve been thrilled with the level of exclusive interviews we’ve been privileged to publish. This month, Overland Park-native Jason Sudeikis talks about how growing up in Kansas has affected him and his relationships with others and reveals that he really is a nice guy. And not just Midwest nice. His involvement in metro fundraisers, including this month’s Thundergong, is proof of that. Catch up with his conversation on page 68.

Lest you think that’s all that’s contained within, it’s not. Writer Kathryn Greene has an informative article about the launch of a new girls’ school in Kansas City’s Northeast neighborhood and the work and passion involved in its creation. Our usual suspects of talented, creative contributors are within too. I hope you’ll find this issue an entertaining mix of things you want to read and things you need to read.

Copy Editor Craig Magnus Managing Director Michelle Jolles Publisher Chad Parkhurst Digital Director Brittany Coale Senior Media Consultants Katie Delzer, Krista Markley Client Relations Manager Betsy Lucas Editorial Questions: zloy@inkansascity.com

Advertising Questions:

cparkhurst@inkansascity.com

Distribution Questions: blucas@inkansascity.com

Subscription Questions:

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

IN Kansas City is published monthly by KC Media LLC

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

NOVEMBER 2018

| 24 | INKANSASCITY.COM

We speak diamond.

Our diamond experts can help you customize an engagement ring that’s just right and explain all the parts, cuts and fancy words along the way. Visit a Helzberg Diamonds near you to get started. www.helzbergdiamonds.com

Country Club Plaza

Oak Park Mall

Town Center Plaza

Zona Rosa

SummitWoods Crossing

Independence Center

The Legends at Village West

EXPLORE OUR WEBSITE AT

INKANSASCITY.COM Whatcha’ Watchin’?

Binge-watching your fave TV show is all the rage. Every Wednesday we ask some of KC’s local celebs, artists, and personalities “Whatcha’ Watchin”? Turns out it’s a weird mixed bag—anything from C-SPAN (KMBC 9’s Kris Ketz) to Ozark (chef Celina Tio). Find it at inkansascity.com/innovatorsinfluencers/people. Want to join in on the fun? Let us know whatcha’ watchin’! We’ll throw you in the mix. Send us a quick email—news@inkansascity.com

Trying to decide where to eat?

For the city’s most extensive restaurant guide, head to inkansascity.com/eatdrink/dining-guide

Flying solo. So you’re overdue for a vacation, eh? Or maybe

you’re dying to travel somewhere, but can’t find anyone to tag along? Turns out, travel companies are now chomping at the bit to accommodate the single traveler. We’ve come up with four unique solo adventures for you to try. Turns out—you can go your own way. Read the story at inkansascity.com/innovatorsinfluencers/local-news/four-ways-to-travel-solo-and-love-it

ENTER TO WIN

Arrive in style! We’re giving away a four-hour limo rental from Showtime Transportation for up to ten people. To enter for your chance to win, head to inkansascity.com/ the-magazine/enter-to-win

FACEBOOK @INKANSASCITYMAGAZINE

TWITTER @INKANSASCITYMAG

Music review. As Madonna once sang, “Music makes the people come together.” Good thing we’ve got our stalwart music critic Timothy Finn covering all the must-see concerts coming to town this month. From Bob Seger to Twenty One Pilots, if there’s a buzzworthy concert in the metro, you can bet Tim will give his two-cents worth the following day at inkansascity. com/arts-entertainment/contemporary-music

NOVEMBER 2018

Deliberating what to do tonight? Discover the most

comprehensive calendar in the metro—art galleries, dance, theater, social events, and music, music, music at inkansascity.com/events

| 26 | INKANSASCITY.COM

INSTAGRAM @INKANSASCITYMAG

Generosity the spirit of

A welcoming home sets a generous tone for gifting & gathering.

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Entertaining BY

IN KC

Merrily Jackson

Clockwise from left: The flower cooler at Trapp and Company is filled with gorgeous blooms available by the stem, including these luscious David Austin roses. Whether rented or purchased in bulk, classic stemmed wine glasses can serve a variety of libations. Single-bite canapés are most appropriate for a cocktail party nibble. Dress up a table top with a bowl of fresh fruit.

Parties, Actually.

OUR PRINCIPESSA OF PARTY-GIVING OFFERS IDEAS AND ADVICE FOR PLANNING HOLIDAY GATHERINGS CHEZ VOUS

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

NOVEMBER 2018

K

ansas City’s haute gaysoise, in their social wisdom, have developed a useful and amusing colloquialism: “N.I.,” code for “Not Invited.”

Some examples of usage might include: “Where’s Don?” “N.I.” Or: “Ezra would love to go, but it appears he is N.I.” Or, as an interjection, to protest one’s own exclusion: “Terry and Dan and I went to dinner last night and—” “—N.I.!”

If you’ve found yourself N.I. to a thing or two recently, maybe it’s time to plan your own merry gathering. It’s November and the party-giving season is hard upon our

| 30 | INKANSASCITY.COM

a unique urban venue for your next event

MODERN INTERIOR DESIGN + URBAN EVENT SPACE 3 6 0 1 M A I N S T R E E T · K A N S A S C I T Y, M O 6 4 1 1 1 · 8 1 6 . 4 2 1 . 1 0 3 0 · A L E J A N D R O D E S I G N S T U D I O . C O M

Entertaining

IN KC

The Perfect Cocktail Nibble

This is a fabulously versatile recipe. Make these classic cheese puffs and serve them now, or pipe out the batter and freeze them on a baking sheet before transferring to a resealable bag and storing in the freezer to have on hand. Change the flavor with different cheeses, but Gruyére is traditional.

GOUGÈRES Makes about 50 Gougères

1 cup water

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pats

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup flour

4 eggs

Freshly grated nutmeg

Cayenne pepper

RICHARD J. STERN F   A

IN-KC-vertical-MB.indd 1

1 cup grated Gruyère, plus more for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 400°. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.

Combine 1 cup water, the butter, and the salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. As soon as the butter melts, add the flour, all at once. Stir over low heat until a smooth dough forms and a film starts to form on the bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a stand-mixer

NOVEMBER 2018 | 32 PM | INKANSASCITY.COM 9/26/2018 12:03:02

fitted with the paddle attachment and beat for a minute or so to cool the mixture slightly.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, making sure each one is completely incorporated before adding the next. Add a dash of nutmeg, a pinch of cayenne, and the 1 cup Gruyère and beat to combine. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large plain tip and pipe out the mixture into small mounds on the baking sheets, about the size of a cherry tomato, about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with more grated cheese and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and puffed and not too moist inside, or they may collapse. Let cool in the oven for 5 minutes with the heat off and the door ajar.

Serve immediately, or cool and freeze and then reheat in a 350° oven before serving.

heels, so chop chop, friend. Here is some gentle guidance for hosting holiday fetes.

WHAT MAKES FOR AN INSPIRED PARTY? I say this most emphatically: a Pinterest-worthy home is not essential for your guests to have a blast. Some of the liveliest parties are at ordinary abodes, with outdated kitchens and less-than-fashionable furnishings. Remember that people are all a-tingle to be invited to someone’s home, no matter how humble.

Great hosts give serious thought to logistics. For a big party, you might need to rearrange your furniture—or even move it out altogether—to create the best flow and surge space. For a smaller party, make sure you have intimate groupings, so guests can sit close together and sip and gab.

AMBIENCE, AMBIENCE, AMBIENCE Music gives a party energy (email me for a list of my favorite holiday party CDs), but not at a volume that drowns out conversation. It’s wonderful to have a professional at a piano, tickling the ivories, or in the corner, strumming a guitar.

Soft, romantic lighting makes everybody look good and hides the pet hair. Quash the overhead lights and put 15-watt light bulbs (I get mine online) in all your lamps; you’ll be pleased with how pretty your house looks. You might need a bit stronger lighting in the kitchen and bar areas, but avoid anything over 40 watts, unless you have to perform emergency surgery.

The olfactory sense is closely connected to emotion and memory, so make your house smell divine. KC’s own Ursula Terrasi has launched a killer scented-candle line called Sempre Beve, available online and at her Plaza shop, Terrasi Living and Scandia Down. Her Champagna scent has a hint of evergreen; perfect for the holidays.

FRESH THINGS WORK MIRACLES Leave money in your budget for fresh flowers, which add life and cheer to even the most ho-hum room. A hundred bucks can go a very long way at wholesale clubs and even many grocery stores, which offer nice blooms at great prices. And many area florists, in addition to creating beautiful bouquets, daily sell flowers directly from their cooler. Even better, they often reduce prices on individual stems late in the day.

Small, tight clusters of deep-red or white roses look beautiful at holiday time. A bowl of clementines and figs dresses up a tabletop, as does a basket of polished apples and spruce twigs— or pomegranates, with tiny branches of bittersweet tucked here and there.

Poinsettias are a bit cliché, but I love the rich, saturated red of a classic poinsettia. And poinsettias are definitely better than nothing.

THE CLASSIC HOLIDAY COCKTAIL PARTY Hosting a big holiday cocktail party can make you a hero among your friends and is a fine way to reciprocate hospitality you’ve enjoyed through the year. It’s fun to bring everybody together under

NOVEMBER 2018

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Entertaining

IN KC

your roof. Consider co-hosting a party with a dear friend; it divides the burden and doubles the merriment.

There’s a reason the conventional cocktail party invitation is for two hours: spread it out for the entire evening and you won’t get that electric, butt-to-butt crowd that makes a cocktail party fun. You can always encourage people to stay later, once the party is raging and everyone is enjoying themselves. Don’t be stingy with your invitations. It’s better to over-invite than under-invite. People like to walk into at a party that looks like a sell-out crowd.

Turn your dining table into a bountiful, self-serve bar or, if you have the funds for it, do hire a bartender and if further funds, a server.

Make it easy for guests to get a drink very soon after they arrive. I love being welcomed with a glass of bubbly. Consider having someone greet guests with a tray full of prosecco or Champagne flutes—nothing will get your party off the ground faster. Or assemble a combo platter of vodka tonics, white wine and Pellegrino water with lime.

You could mix a special drink in quantity. My new favorite holiday drink is the Whiskey and Maple Syrup Sour, delicious and very easily multiplied—email me for the recipe.

FORK OFF, PEOPLE Finger food is best for cocktail parties. Don’t make your guests juggle plates, forks and drinks. People deeply appreciate having food passed

NOVEMBER 2018

butler-style. Even if you have staff, at the height of the party walk around with a serving tray of nibbles for your guests. It’s a great way to connect with everyone individually. Email me for my favorite recipes for make-ahead cocktail food.

QUANTITIES SHOULD BE AMPLE For booze: on average, assume your guests will have two drinks per hour.

There are approximately five glasses of wine per bottle; most mixed drinks are made with a one-ounce shot of liquor. A one-liter bottle of booze contains enough for 32 mixed drinks. Mixers are usually poured in four-ounce portions. One liter of mixer will make eight drinks.

For food: Figure on six bites per person per hour, more if your guest list has a lot of men or if people aren’t going on to dinner. People will eat more of the beloved favorites, like anything fried or cheesy, so plan for more of those items. The more options you have, the fewer you will need of each one.

AND FINALLY, THE GLASSWARE LECTURE Try to avoid using plastic glasses, which make even good wine taste wretched. It doesn’t cost much to rent glassware if you pick it up and drop it off. You don’t have to wash it, just plop it right back into the crate. Glassware should not be a deal-breaker though, darling. It’s better to have a party with plastic than no party at all.

| 34 | INKANSASCITY.COM

Our Man BY

IN KC

Damian Lair

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

dlair@inkansascity.com : @damianlair #OurManINKC

Hunt Slonem amongst his many finds.

On the Hunt with Hunt Slonem

HOT GOSSIP: What notable lamp maker is retiring and pulling the plug on her beautiful lamp biz?

O

n an otherwise dreary, rainy Wednesday, I had the esteemed pleasure of spending an afternoon with one of the most colorful persons I have the delight of knowing. Don Loncasty was also there. Artist, and friend, Hunt Slonem was in town for a show, so Don and I elected to show him around.

We fueled up at Cafe Europa in Crestwood—each of us unable to resist the “green” salad a la Leon, replete with piles of broccoli, cucumber, edamame and avocado. We chatted, mostly of nonsense, travel and gossip, but also about the topic of Hunt’s new book, Gatekeeper: World of Folly, published by Assouline. Hunt recently restored and transformed the abandoned, historic National Guard Colonial Louis Watres Armory in Scranton, PA to house his growing collection of artworks and objets—and surely to provide yet another challenging project.

Mind, this is in addition to the other three historic mansions he’s so fond of “collecting.”

More than 500 truck-loads to fill the armory’s 100,000-square-feet resulted in something that really defies description. (Get the beautiful book!) Following lunch, we proceeded to scout treasures to fill the next mansion (yes, he’s already got one picked out). We shuffled between raindrops to 45th & State Line. We struck gold (no surprise) at Christopher Filley Antiques. As Hunt walked and pointed, Christopher jotted (I’m convinced it was nothing but scribbles) on his hand and arm, “keeping track” of the purchases. “I’ll have that one …

How much is this? … What’s the story on that? … How old is that? …” We were witness to a genius’s mind at work in his most comfortable element. Asian armoires, carved frames, African menagerie, a cabinet collection of birds’ nests—all slated for trucking back to NY. Needing a reprieve from the breakneck speed of collecting, we hopped across the street to Joseph’s Antiques, where I’ve never been surrounded by so many things I could break in such close proximity. There, Hunt amassed quite a number of small Chinese figurines (only from specific dynasties). Finally, it was back to Christopher’s to finalize selections and tally the bill of scribbles.

Later that evening, we rejoined Hunt for his show and book signing at Weinberger Fine Art’s new Drawing Room, just around the corner from the main Crossroads location.

Being amongst Hunt’s work is mood-transformative and an instant cocktail of pure cheer (we had actual cocktails as well). It’s no wonder that more than 80 museums around the world—including The Met, Guggenheim, and Whitney—are home to his works. (Drop in to the gallery—one could grace your walls as well!) Dinner at Rye on the Plaza followed.

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THANKS to Peregrine Honig, I was able to finally experience my first Calvin Arsenia show, held at the 18th & Vine Gem Theater.

The concert also just so happened to be the release of his new album Cantaloupe.

(Recommend!) More than just a “show”—it was truly an artistic spectacle. Arsenia began alone on the stage, just him strumming his harp. Cue to me thinking: how lovely—this is quite intimate. As song #2 began, the unassuming stage curtains opened to reveal a completely insane full-stage band. One of his more unexpected performances of the evening was a chilling rendition/remix of Britney Spears’s Toxic, that paired well with his new, original material. The final song, and the album’s namesake, described why he and a lover can’t elope. Get it—Cantaloupe?

From the first haunting notes, my seatmates and I were in tears. As the song entered its final refrain, the theater’s aisles gradually filled with more than a dozen violinists, inducing the full waterworks. Audible sobs surrounded us. The show wrapped, and Arsenia graciously led the audience to the theater’s entry foyer where we were (again surprised) to be greeted by the Marching Pythons. An impromptu, late-night march through the jazz district streets ensued, and suddenly I was transported back to my junior-high band days. Albeit soooooo much cooler this time around. It was a uniquely Kansas City night (wrapped in tulle and tied in bows) that I’ll never forget. If you get the chance to see Arsenia perform—don’t pass up the opportunity.

SPOTTED Jenny SPOTTED: Wheat, Mary Kemper Wolf, Michelle Roberts, Jenni McSpadden, Katie Van Luchene & Jerry Foulds, Jeff Evrard

Calvin Arsenia from the cover of his new album, Cantaloupe.

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IN KC

Troostapalooza

T

Left to Right: Crissy Dastrup, Phil Glynn, Katie van Dieren and Ave Stokes.

he first (hopefully to be annual) Troostapalooza kicked off to a roaring start. The Saturday event was a vibrant mash-up of live music, including The Phantastics, UMKC Basketball competitions and demos, street pickle ball organized by Chicken N Pickle, craft vendors, skateboarding, and mural painting. The myriad of goings-on, beautiful weather and diverse community left me feeling like I’d turned the corner in New York City and serendipitously stumbled upon one of the countless charming street fairs so common there in fall. While buckets of fun, the event had a grander mission. Organizer Crissy Dastrup spent some time with me at a VIP perch on Wonder Loft’s rooftop to elaborate. Troostapalooza was catalyzed to build resources and awareness for Troost Market Collective—a non-profit that aims to bridge communities via engagement and outreach, hosting artists, makers, and innovators in its shared creative spaces. The collective’s future home on Troost will develop programming, host events and classes and make available tools and machinery to creative entrepreneurs. Crissy overviewed plans for other confirmed developments on Troost, and I was quite blown away.

The neighborhood has, without a doubt, reached the tipping point toward renewal. Like the Crossroads ten years ago—Troost is poised for very big things ahead.

OVERHEARD “This [dessert] SPOTTED: Councilman Quinton Lucas, is not ‘deconCouncilwoman Jolie Justus, Chris Goode, Lee structed’; it’s Page, John Hoffman, Lance Carlton, Addie torn apart and Perry, Andrew Brain, Kemet Coleman, Claire thrown onto Brand, Rueben Alonso, Marquez Beasley, Tim this plate.”

McCoy, Tess Skilling

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME THE KANSAS CITY Rose Society celebrated its recent 2018 Award of Garden Excellence from the World Federation of Roses (trust—it’s a big deal) for the Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden in Loose Park. Event chair Rob Gray magically transformed the garden for Wine & Roses: An Evening in Versailles. Having spent a certain amount of time at Versailles, naturally, I can now say I prefer it tweaked with ambient beats from DJ Ashton Martin, splashed with cocktails and scattered with those impossible-to-decline onion puffs from Lon Lanes’ Inspired Occasions. It was an altogether enchanting garden evening.

SPOTTED: Honorary chairs Anita & Gary Robb, Rob Adams, Tom Suther, Kevin Bryant, Zach Feldman, Sarah Duarte, Brian Courtney, Jonathan Bowyer, Zach Loes, Ron Megee (dressed as French court royalty), David Ruisch, Jason Cole, Kurt Knapstein, Jacques Bredius, Newel & Cameron Brookfield

NOVEMBER 2018

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CHALK IT UP THE KANSAS CITY

Chalk & Walk Festival kicked off its 11th year in vibrant fashion. The (free) two-day weekend event was an opportunity not only to view the most incredible sidewalk chalk artworks around, but also watch these artists in action. I met up with friend Kevin Hancock—easily the event’s biggest cheerleader—for a special tour. We chatted with artists who’d traveled from all over the U.S., browsed through The Strawberry Swing indie craft fair’s 50-plus makers’ handmade wares and enjoyed the various street performers and live entertainment. A “children’s creative corridor” also served as a canvas for inspired little artists.

A patron’s dinner was held the evening prior at Gayle & Bruce Kriegel’s historic home— snaps for Gayle, who I learned is a quite-capable cook for an army!

SPOTTED: Joan Riffel, Lauren Amey, Courtney Watkins, Jeff Robinson, Melissa Sullivan, Lotti Halpern

TROOSTAPALOOZA PHOTO COURTESY OF THE STRAWBERRY SWING

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Our Man

COFFEE (AND CHAMPAGNE!) AT CAMELOT

OVERHEARD “Is that a poncho or a picnic blanket?!”

THERE’S no better feeling than spending part of your weekend supporting a cause you care about, but admittedly, it’s even better when you get to do that in a very cool place. And let’s face it—very few Sundays do I get to have brunch in a castle. But recently, Laura Welch opened her one-of-a-kind Weatherby Lake home to an intimate group for brunch. The occasion was part of Good Samaritan Project’s Flavor! Series. The novel and fresh concept is a series of uniquely themed dinners and events taking place across the autumnal season in some of KC’s most fascinating homes and venues—all benefiting GSP. Laura and co-host Leslie Stulken treated us to a whopping three varieties of homemade strata, salad with veggies straight from Laura’s nearby garden and various pastries. I was also able to properly catch up with the ever-lovely Heather Paxton. The party should have ended there. And I may have overstayed my welcome when after the guests dispersed, I sunk in on the patio sofa, sipping more champagne with the co-hosts and Kristopher Dabner.

One bottle led to the next—and the next— until we’d (was it mostly me??) polished off every bubbly beverage in the castle. But really. Brunch became evening, and as Laura had to politely scoot off to another event, we who remained channeled the pep in our step toward a bit of kitchen clean-up and locked up the castle. Tight.

So, KC— where do you want to go? XO HOT GOSSIP: What former bakery proprietor allowed the shop’s purchaser to continue using her crystal chandeliers, only to learn they were recently “included” in a sale to the newest (third) owner?

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Arts & Culture Judith Fertig

Lisa Grossman

THE ARTIST ANSWERS THREE QUESTIONS FOR IN KANSAS CITY

L

ike many Kansas City-area artists, Lisa Grossman moved here to work for Hallmark in 1988. Eight years later, she began concentrating on her own art. Her first exhibit at the former Dolphin Gallery showed us the prairie landscape as we had never seen it before—in a luminous horizon where the land met the sky in a mystical moment. “I like to do minimal brushwork,” she says, and that breaks down barriers between the artist and the beholder, drawing us in to that experience. Grossman now works in her Lawrence studio. Avidly collected, Grossman’s paintings grace Kansas City homes as well as corporate offices, boardrooms, and even the headquarters of the Kansas City Chiefs. To do the latest series of river paintings, Grossman flew in a private plane and took photos and videos of the Kansas River below.

the urban industrial areas, all the chaos of bridges, dams, weirs, power plants, etc. I was excited to pay homage to the river as a whole.

INKC: In the years just before and after

INKC: You’ve been preparing for the new One Hundred Seventy-Three exhibit opening November 2 at Haw Contemporary Crossroads—aerial views of the 173-mile long Kansas River from Kansas City, Missouri to Junction City, Kansas. What has it been like to get ready for this?

Grossman: I’ve engaged with the Kansas River since about 2003 and it comprises about half my work now. We set the date for the show and I began researching and filling pages of my sketchbook with ideas.

I scheduled a flight to see most of the river in March, and had taken a flight in 2017 as well, so most of the paintings emerged from those two flights.

I had hundreds of birch plywood panels cut, stretched canvases for the larger pieces, primed everything at least five coats, sanded in-between, tinted everything—it is very labor intensive and takes weeks, and I do them in batches as weather permits. A unique part of this project was working out how to mount the rows of paintings on the wall with rails. I put up panels of my photos along with at least four different river maps and atlases to reference and track my progress. I wanted the images to emerge intuitively, while painting multiple views of each section of the river, often on a single panel. I usually focus on gorgeous stretches of the river but for this project I wanted to honor every reach, including

NOVEMBER 2018

the American Civil War, a group of landscape painters known as The Luminists began to focus on the quality of light. One art critic described these paintings as “a call to stillness.” He might have been describing your work. What is it about light the draws you to a prairie sunset or the sparkle of sunshine over water?

Grossman: Every painting I’ve done in the last 30 years is about light! Blinding light, barely perceptible spectrums of sky color…

It’s very emotional for me—pushing paint around until it feels like some atmospheric phenomena. It’s not right until it feels right.

Technically, it seems ridiculous to move viscous paint around on a surface until it achieves some optical trick of atmospheric distance, a veil of cloud, translucent water, etc.

It always starts with beauty for me—a glimpse, a flash of light or color—I’m moved and feel compelled to do something with it, participate in it, express it, share it.

It deepens my relationship with places that I love by creatively engaging with them.

INKC: Over time, your viewpoint has changed from straight ahead horizontal to looking down from above with the river work. What prompts that change in perspective?

Grossman: My two great passions are the prairie and the river, and over the last 30 years I’ve cycled around several themes that sustain me—sky phenomena, weather, the river, all from various vantages, but also through multiple media—oil, watercolor, printmaking, and I’m starting to explore animation. I’ll never have time to try everything I’d like to, but switching it up keeps it fresh for me. If the process starts to feel formulaic I need to head into new territory and make certain that discovery and risk are part of the adventure again. I’m thankful that my audiences and gallerists have been willing to go along with me when I head down a new track. Of course, it’s always a risk, but if I ever got bored it would be over.

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lisa grossman photo by stephan anderson story

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Arts & Culture by

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Judith Fertig

THE DAY OF THE DEAD, PART ONE

photo by amalia hernandez

ONCE A YEAR or so, the tradition dating back to ancient Mayan times goes, the veil between this life and the next thins and we can once again be in contact with loved ones who have passed. When that Mayan and Aztec belief met Spanish Catholic All Souls’ Day in colonial Mexico, Dia de Los Muertos was born. But instead of European-style sad and gloomy, this south-of-the-border festival is colorful, vivid, and full of life. Families gather throughout this public holiday period to remember their loved ones with food, art, music, dance, and song. To celebrate, Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, a celebration of music and dance based in Mexico City, returns to the Kauffman Center as part of the Harriman-Jewell Series on Saturday, November 3 from 7 to 9 p.m. The performance highlights various regions, costumes, and folk music genres in Mexico with eye-popping brilliance. hjseries.org

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THE DAY OF THE DEAD, PART TWO HAVING FUN with those on the other side of the veil is nothing new. Kids are enchanted with the friendly purple bat known as “Vampirina” on Disney Junior television. In Lawrence, people look forward to the “Zombie Walk” where everyone from senior citizens to babies in strollers lumbers up and down Massachusetts Street, trailing winding sheets and body parts, but still obeying the traffic signals. The Dia de Los Muertos Festival at the Nelson-Atkins Museum honors the Mexican tradition of celebrating those who have gone before with two events, both family-oriented. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday evening, November 2, an adult with a child from ages 6 to 13 can first visit the amazing altar installation at Kirkwood Hall to learn about Day of the Dead symbolism, then create their own “calaca” or playful skeleton print (reservations required). From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 4, kids and their families can engage in the art, music, and culture of this Mexican festival. nelson-atkins.org

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Arts & Culture BY

IN KC

Judith Fertig

THE BEST DRESSED LIST, KANSAS CITY-STYLE FROM THE 1920s through the 1970s, Kansas City’s Garment Dis-

trict turned out everything from house dresses to evening gowns, machine made to hand-sewn. While the Kansas City Museum is under construction, a new location in the old Garment District at 800 Broadway Boulevard will be exhibiting Dressing Up in Kansas City: Dressed to the Nines from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday. The museum has a collection of hundreds of garments, but this exhibit focuses on putting your best and most elegant foot forward in homemade gowns, custom-made gowns by local dressmakers, and couture gowns—all worn by Kansas City women for debutante or fundraising balls, receptions, inaugurations, and even a turn as a fairy princess. You’ll see a gown

by Charles Worth, the English-born designer of haute couture for 19th-century ladies, as well as one by Charles James, America’s first couturier and an acknowledged master of cutting fabric to fit the female form. Daniel Day Lewis’ character in the film The Phantom Thread was loosely based on Charles James, who married Kansas Citian Nancy Lee Gregory in real life. And the rest, as they say, is history. kansascitymuseum.org

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NOVEMBER 2018

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THE REAL DEAL THIS ISN’T YOUR TYPICAL literary event of authors reading from their published works of fiction, biography, or poetry. Veterans’ Readers Theatre involves works in progress—authentic experiences that find a written form and are told by local veterans and their family members. For five weeks, these Kansas City area writers have been finding their voices, then telling their stories in what can be a cathartic experience for them as well as a riveting and emotional one for the audience. All of the prose and poetry blends together in a unifying script on Tuesday evening, November 13 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Plaza Branch of the Kansas City Public Library in conjunction with the Missouri Arts Council, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., and the Missouri Humanities Council. This is a free event, but you must register. kclibrary.org

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Behind the Music

IN KC

Katy Guillen (left), drummer Stephanie Williams (center), and bassist Claire Adams are Katy Guillen & The Girls.

Katy Guillen & The Girls by

Timothy Finn

photo by

Aaron Bowen

F

or more than six years, Katy Guillen & The Girls were one of the more successful bands to come out of Kansas City.

Their first big moment came in early 2014, when they made it to the finals of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. After that, the trio—Katy Guillen, Claire Adams and Stephanie Williams—drew the attention of festivals and booking agents all over North America, which eventually led to a tour of Europe.

In September, the band announced that it would go on an “indefinite hiatus” beginning Jan. 1. A few farewell shows have been

NOVEMBER 2018

scheduled, including a final farewell show at Knuckleheads Saloon on Dec. 22.

Guillen recently answered questions about the band, its rise to national prominence and what may lie ahead.

I first saw you back when you were a duo with drummer Go-Go Ray, playing Saturday matinee gigs at the Brick. What do you remember about those days? How did they prepare you for what lay ahead?

Katy Guillen: Those days definitely set a foundation for what Katy

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Guillen & The Girls started on; at our very first show at Knuckleheads we played the entire Katy & Go-Go album. When I look back on those days, I was pushed outside my comfort zone, in terms of leading a project, performing, writing, developing a sound with others.

Working with Go-Go was a great experience that I’ll never forget. I learned so much during that time and was able to carry it with me to start Katy Guillen & The Girls, after we parted ways.

In 2014, Katy Guillen and the Girls won the Kansas City Blues Challenge, then went on to finish in the finals of the International Blue Challenge in Memphis.

How formative were those experiences? How much did they propel your band upward in the blues world?

KG: The experience definitely shaped our next couple of years. We gained many opportunities from it, everything from playing the International Montreal Jazz Festival, to touring Sweden, to playing blues and jazz festivals across the country.

As much as it was a springboard for us to move up in the blues world, we were able to use those opportunities to build in other worlds as well. The benefits from it were all-encompassing for us. Preparing for the challenge made the band pull together and work hard on crafting the perfect set and executing it exactly how we felt best represented who we were. After that experience we had more of an identity and suddenly a reputation that we didn’t have before. It will always be a very important part of the band’s history.

You’ve been playing live since you were 14, attending blues jams at Harling’s.

What comes to mind when you recall those days?

KG: I remember meeting so many different musicians and getting to play with a variety of people. It was one of the best learning experiences. I also remember feeling so many nerves every time I’d go to a jam, but then would feel so good after playing.

My dad and I would go to jam after jam every week and get invited to other jams, and sometimes to sit in with people.

It was like dominoes; one jam would lead to another and another. We’d go to all of them. It was addicting. I learned so much and had a blast doing it.

Most musicians say their songs or albums are like their offspring so it’s hard to pick favorites. Your band released three albums and you released one with Go-Go. If you could, say something about each of them and what it means to you now, looking back.

KG: I will preface this section by saying I love all of these albums. They do feel like your babies after everything you put in to them.

Katy & Go-Go, When I Get Away: This was a significant album for me because it was the first album of all originals that was self-produced. The process for that album was pretty free and experimental. Most of the recording process was me and Duane Trower, who engineered it, just trying out a bunch of guitar ideas and layers. It was lots of fun. I’m proud of the album, although there are a few things I’d do differently now.

But it was my first real crack at a record.

Katy Guillen & The Girls: This was the band’s first release. We worked together on the arrangements of the songs and self-produced it with Duane Trower engineering.

It’s funny to me because we got branded a “blues” band by a lot of people, although none of our records have been “blues.” This album was blues-influenced, but it dipped into a couple of different sounds and styles, which was what we did as a band. It set up our sound and our energy.

Heavy Days: Our second release. We took it in more of a rock direction and branched out who we worked with. Paul Malinowski produced it, Duane Trower engineered and co-produced it again, and Black Lab Mastering mastered it. We put one of my favorite blues songs on this album, Baby Please Don’t Go by Big Joe Williams. I love the way we’ve adapted this

NOVEMBER 2018

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Behind the Music

IN KC

song over the years. It’s always been one of our favorites to play live.

I’m so happy we put it on this record.

Remember What You Knew Before: Our third album. It was so much fun to record. We recorded a few days at my house, then recorded a few days at Element, with Lennon Bone engineering and producing.

We tried all kinds of different things, from recording on the porch, to recording claps and stomps in an empty room upstairs. We adapted previously recorded originals into more acoustic and roots-y interpretations. We had a lot of requests for an acoustic record after doing a handful of acoustic shows. The sound on this album put us into a different realm, which is what we were shooting for. We wanted to go in more of an Americana direction.

You can play several styles of guitar, including flamenco. Will you continue to play primarily rock and blues or will you explore other styles?

KG: I love learning and playing different styles and genres whenever possible. I’ll definitely explore other styles and sounds.

Your last record, Remember What You Knew Before, was a collection of covers of your own songs, recast in a kind of Americana/country vein and it sounded very natural from you. Is that a possibility?

KG: Yes, it’s possible. I loved recording the more acoustic-geared

NOVEMBER 2018

stuff. It casts the songs in a very different light. As the songwriter, I appreciate hearing those different interpretations. Moving forward, I’d like to try a couple of different things out, sound-wise. Writing is fun and figuring out how you want songs to sound is fun. The possibilities are open right now.

Finally, what has living in Kansas City and being a vital part of its music scene meant to you and your band?

KG: It has been one of the greatest experiences for all of us thus far.

We’re all proud to call Kansas City home and to get to tell people where we’re from when we tour. The music scene here is world-class.

We have felt nothing but love from the Kansas City community. It has just been an honor.

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

Every Wednesday the website publishes his list of Top 5 Not-to-Miss Concerts in the metro.

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

Email Timothy Finn at tfinn@inkansascity.com

| 52 | INKANSASCITY.COM

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My Essentials

IN KC

ABBEY-JO EANS THE EXECUTIVE CHEF FOR HAPPY GILLIS CAFÉ & HANGOUT SHARES A FEW OF HER KC ESSENTIALS

F PHOTO BY AARON LEIMKUEHLER

ive years after purchasing Happy Gillis Café & Hangout, Abbey-Jo Eans and her husband switched gears as Abbey-Jo takes the lead as executive chef and Josh concentrates on his consulting business. She’s redesigned the menu to reflect her passion for fresh, seasonal food and has broadened the options available. The New York native says about her adopted hometown, “I feel at home here. The people are friendly; the restaurant community is like a big family. I like that.

There’s always something new happening and you feel like you can keep up. It’s a great big city with a classic small-town feel.”

Abbey-Jo’s essentials...

SATURDAY DAY OUT: We don’t get a lot of

Saturdays off, so we try to do family stuff—a movie at Union Station’s Imax theater, or disc golf at Waterworks Park. We love Chinese food—our family go-tos are Princess Gardens and ABC Café.

FAVORITE COCKTAIL: It’s either a margarita

or gin and tonic. If I’m out, the Rieger has my favorite G&T.

DATE NIGHT: We go to Ça Va first for Champagne and snacks (we love natural wines and the sparkling rosé and the fries are the best), then head over to Imperial Foot Care.

Care We actually love to get foot massages on date night.

It’s the perfect balance of getting out and having fun while still getting to relax.

A FAVORITE LOCAL PRODUCT: THE WARM, ROASTED VEGGIE PLATE: Probably

my favorite dish on our new menu. It’s satisfying and healthy so you still feel great after eating it. It’s everything I want in a vegetarian dish.

I love Christopher Elbow chocolates, always have. I just eat them way too fast.

NOVEMBER 2018

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WHERE TO SHOP: The Kemper

Museum Gift Shop is full of one-ofa-kind pieces from local artists and I love to give a gift that’s quintessential Kansas City.

THERE IS POWER IN BEING FUNDAMENTAL, STRONG, SIMPLE, AND THOUGHTFUL. WE AT FINEFOLK BELIEVE IN HONEST BEAUTY COMING FROM HONEST DESIGN. FINEFOLK IS A SMALL SHOP + DESIGN STUDIO TUCKED AWAY IN THE HEART OF KANSAS CITY’S CROSSROADS ARTS DISTRICT. THE SHOP CARRIES COLLECTIONS OF INSPIRED PIECES FROM INDEPENDENT DESIGNERS WHO WE FEEL REPRESENT A VALUED SENSE OF STYLE + BEAUTY.

Look

IN KC

Fashion

by

Susan Cannon

photo by

Farhad Samari

W.H. Ranch Dungarees A LOCAL COWBOY COUTURIER IS MAKING SOME OF THE WORLD’S BEST JEANS

Jean craftsman Ryan Martin (right) with friend, photographer Stephen Smith, both wearing head-to-toe W.H. Ranch Dungarees.

KC’s

Ryan Martin, the sole proprietor and employee of W.H. Ranch Dungarees, is an old-school maker of heirloom quality, vintage-style jeans, painstakingly crafting each pair one-by-one.

Martin quietly reigns within a global subculture of artisanal denim producers who are fetishized for the quality and workmanship of their single craftsman, custom-made denim.

In 2017 his one-man brand was awarded the lofty title of Greatest Jean Maker in the World after a two-year long international Artisan Challenge, hosted by The Denim World Championship. His skills have also been validated through numerous write-ups in the Financial Times London; the Danish book Blue Blooded: Denim Hunters and Denim Culture; Hail Mary Magazine in Japan, and online sites such as The Rake, Denim Hunters, Gear Patrol and Heddels. Yet somehow, he’s remained a relative secret here.

With his degree in Apparel and Textile Design from K-State in 2004, and studies in European pattern-making and draping in London, he initially garnered a broad cult following for his handcrafted denim and duck-cloth ties under the White Horse Trading Co. label and the rugged outerwear he designed for another company. But in 2011 he bit the bullet and created W.H. Ranch Dungarees while living in Colorado. Each of the 12 jean styles and two jacket styles in his Heritage Collection are bench-made, single-needle construction, made of Japanese selvedge denim, using the denim industry’s original, legend-

NOVEMBER 2018

ary thread-maker and YKK hardware.

Now living in Kansas City, Martin also serves as the director of design and product development for a soon-to-launch E. Edwards brand of workwear called KC Jacks, yet he continues to be devoted to his couture craft, which thrives with international customers.

“W.H. Ranch Dungarees is really a passion project for me where no sacrifices are made.” he says, explaining that his business is not the typical commercial venture, and his knowledge and respect for the exact historical reproduction standards of his vintage-style workwear must be met. He knows his stuff as a long-time avid Lee jean collector and a veritable historian of the Lee company.

“I grew up in Salina, Kansas, the birthplace of Lee jeans. They outfitted my forefathers working the farmland on the dusty plains of Kansas. There is this romanticism to the notion that I am making the same jeans that my ancestors wore on the farm while they were struggling to survive the Dust Bowl. All of my cuts are based off of cuts Lee offered from the 1930 through the 1950s. This period to me was really the golden age of denim, so I tirelessly strive to replicate what made those jeans so great. It’s not just the fit, of course, but the construction techniques that were used. I obsess about every detail and finally reached the point with the acquisition of original 80-year-old machines to fully replicate the construction.

It was a long, tiresome, and often-times defeating journey, but I can honestly say that what is being produced out of my studio is simply the best, if only because it replicates the best.” whranchdungarees.com

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E A T. S H O P. I N D U L G E . D I S C O V E R .

117TH STREET AND NALL AVENUE

-

LEAWOOD, KANSAS

The holiday season is in full swing at Park Place, where you’ll find wonder ful gifts for the fixer-uppers, trend-setters and culinary connoisseurs on your list! While you’re here, take some time to create fun memories with friends and family at The Ice (opening Nov. 16).

Park Place is your place to Eat. Shop. Indulge. Discover.

E A T.

2.

80 1 CH OP HOU S E

3.

TH E A I N S W OR T H BU R G E R F I GO R D ON BI E R S CH PACI U G O G E LA T O P I G & F I NCH RA S U S H I

7.

1.

T. LOF T S H OP & I N D U LG E .

ALOFT LEAWOOD-OVERLAND PARK BELLA BRIDESMAIDS BR E A K OU T K C ET I QU E T T E BOU T I Q U E FL OW E R S BY E M I LY

4.

L E R E VE N A I L S A L O N O R A NG E T HE OR Y FI TN E S S TH E S E LF I E B OU TI Q U E SE WK C

6.

TO M T I VOL J E WE L S . ..A ND MOR E D I S COVE R .

5.

1. T I MOT H Y W E B E R SAL O N 2. G E NO’S ME N ’S C L O T H I E R S 3. PICKLEMAN’S GOURMET CAFÉ 4. P I N K A NT LE R S S T U D I O 5. T H E LE A R N I N G TR E E 6. HA N D & LA ND 7. A LY S A R E NE B O U T I Q U E

W W W. PA R K P L A C E L E AW O O D . C O M PAR K PLACE IS LOCATED ON TH E NOR TH EAS T COR NER OF N ALL AVEN UE & 117T H ST. IN TH E CENTER OF LEAW OOD, J US T NOR TH OF AM C 20 T HEAT RE.

IN KC_Nov2.indd 2

10/15/18 10:25 AM

Look

IN KC Beauty

BY

Susan Cannon

Buffalo Mane A BARBER SHOP THAT REFLECTS NOSTALGIA, COMMUNITY, COOL, AND GIVING BACK

O

n Grand Boulevard and 7th Street sits the coolest barber shop in town—Buffalo Mane, owned by hair stylist Krystal Smith Leitner, whose dream it was to open a barber shop, along with her husband, Phil Leitner, a custom furniture maker and space curator. They snapped up the tiny location (originally a 1920s White Castle burger joint) upon moving back to Kansas City from Hawaii in 2014. Phil built out and designed the interior, creating a hipster’s paradise that has a real “home on the range” vibe.

Krystal started as the sole barber, but that didn’t last long. The classic men’s services, including buzz cuts, clipper cuts, beard trims, and hot-towel shaves (not to mention the popular kids’ and women’s cuts) are only part of it. Buffalo Mane’s ethos and meaning behind the name are just as good.

“The name Buffalo Mane comes from my Native American heritage, but primarily it is the idea of what the buffalo symbolized for that culture—giving back. It was believed that the bison would lay down its life for the tribe and the tribe would utilize the entire buffalo for food, clothing, shelter and tools—nothing wasted,” says Krystal. “I thought that represented what we wanted in a business. So we try

NOVEMBER 2018

to focus on a charity or a drive each month as our own way of giving back.”

Success came quickly and Krystal grew her team, expanding to a second Buffalo Mane location in Lenexa that’s a full service women’s salon as well as a barber shop. Its interior is light, airy, and modern with the touches that evoke the buffalo theme created by Phil.

The couple’s third location in the East Crossroads is under construction now and will be a 2,000-square-foot work and retail space of Phil’s custom furniture and furnishings called Wheat and Waves. The name symbolizes his beachy California upbringing. Krystal’s Airstream (or “hair stream” as Phil likes to call it) will be part of the interior, but will be used on location at weddings when Buffalo Mane is hired to groom and style wedding parties. And it will be designed similarly to the original shop on Grand.

Asked what is special about Buffalo Mane, Krystal says, “Our Grand Boulevard location is tiny, but the banter and atmosphere is unlike any other, and we try to use that to bring very different people together on a daily basis. I think that’s what sets us apart, honestly.” buffalomane.com

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF BUFFALO MANE

Interior of Buffalo Mane on Grand Blvd. Krystal Smith Leitner (inset) is the owner.

11547 ASH STREET, LEAWOOD, KS 913-906-9477 | ALYSARENE.COM

Look

IN KC

Wellness

by

Susan Cannon

Free-Floating

EXPERIENCE SENSORY DEPRIVATION “FLOATING” AND HALOTHERAPY

Salinity Salt and Flotation Spa in Overland Park, experience sensory deprivation therapy or “floating”—a therapy that shuts down the senses to allow for deep de-stressing and relaxation, and dry salt therapy or “halotherapy”—which aids in alleviating allergens that affect the immune system.

FLOATING It’s crucial for our bodies and minds to occasionally disconnect in order to de-stress and heal from physical ailments or injuries, as well as to unwind from exterior pressures such as social (media) anxieties, workplace stresses, or trauma.

Flotation therapy safely cuts off the sources of sensory experience: sound, sight, smell, and touch. At Salinity Spa you can experience this within a sterile “float” room that’s spacious for one, and comfortable for two people (popular with couples). Enter the tranquil, dimly lit room and step into 18 inches of 95-degree water, filled with 2000 pounds of Epsom salt, which keeps the body buoyant. Its celestial ceiling is designed to emulate a starry night, while relaxing music plays as you acclimate. After ten minutes the lights and music go out, leaving you to float in darkness, which creates sensory deprivation, a feeling of weightlessness, and peaceful relaxation. The weightlessness eliminates the body’s pressure points, relieving muscle tension, headaches, and stress, as well as relieving arthritis pain and inflammation. It aids in sleep and helps to alleviate pregnancy discomfort. Floating also enhances performance, stimulates creativity and focus, and boosts energy. One or twohour float sessions are available. (If you find yourself uncomfortable in

NOVEMBER 2018

the darkness, you can press a large button near the door to turn on the underwater and the celestial ceiling lights.)

“Ninety percent of first-time floaters express how amazing they feel coming out of the flotation room,” says owner Terry Amerine. “They are so relaxed I’m considering creating a partnership with Uber to transport clients to and from the spa, as driving is the last thing they want to do after their therapy.”

HALOTHERAPY History shows evidence of healing benefits coming from salt caves. In the mid-1800s, a physician in Poland observed that miners who worked in salt caves didn’t get the lung diseases common in other miners. A German physician discovered during WWII that people who hid in salt caves experienced improvements in respiratory conditions.

Now termed halotherapy, it’s a modern spa experience that’s often held in fabricated cave settings or real salt caves, but at Salinity the therapy is experienced in a simulated beach setting, where you’ll feel, listen, visualize, and breathe deeply as if you’re near the ocean.

Within Salinity’s large, dimly lit room, pure, dry salt is infused into the air as you lounge with sounds and visuals of ocean waves, laying on the warmth of jade stone heating pads, designed for ultimate relaxation.

The room is also rented out for guided meditation and yoga classes.

Salinity Spa has cleverly created a children’s playroom stocked interactive toys within a setting of beach-themed murals, and equipped with healthy salt-infused air for kids, while mom or dad experiences a therapy session of his or her own. salinityforyou.com

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photo courtesy of salinity

At

Living

IN KC by

Patricia O’Dell

You Can Go Home Again—Stylishly

K

ansas City native and nationally recognized designer Marshall Watson was recently in town to speak at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Each year the museum’s Committee of 100 hosts a luncheon, which features a design luminary.

Watson (yes, he is professional golfer Tom Watson’s brother) studied design and engineering at Stanford, though he took a detour into acting after graduation.

“There was a recession,” he said. “No one was building or decorating.”

He worked on the daytime drama As the World Turns, which was filmed in New York City. A quick stint at the Fashion Institute of Technology led him back to his roots, and his design career began in earnest.

Watson took a conscious—though not common—approach, to his craft.

“I did not want to define my look,” he said. “I wanted each project

NOVEMBER 2018

to be distinctly the clients’.”

This philosophy, which is evident in his new book, The Art of Elegance; Classic Interiors, reflects a dedication to the guiding principles of designers such as Billy Baldwin and Mark Hampton.

“Their sense of proportion was so exacting. So right.”

In order to further this dedication to the tenets of classic design— whether the home is traditional or modern—Watson takes his staff on tours of historic homes so they can study proportion.

It was particularly poignant for Watson to be invited to take the stage on his home turf.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have been working on an iconic Kansas City apartment. It’s significant to be asked to come speak at the Nelson.

It’s significant to be home.”

Watson’s book, The Art of Elegance: Classic Interiors is in bookstores now.

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TAKE A DIP CHANEE VIJAY recently returned to

the Midwest. (She’s a Topeka native who’s lived in Philadelphia, Charlotte and Manhattan Beach, CA.) While her home base has changed, she’s been firmly entrenched in sustainable design for most of her career.

“I’m basically self-taught. Once I decided that I wanted to own my own business, I had to look at what I could do.

And I thought, ‘Well, I can sew!’”

As with all creative process, Vijay’s was a winding road. She began making her own blocks for printing fabric and then moved to screen-printing. Eventually, she was drawn to a “perfectly imperfect” look.

“I’m committed to sustainable fab-

rics and inks,” she says. “I love European hemp because of the slubs and handmade feel of it.”

Vijay has a broad collection of pillows, bags, poufs, aprons, and wristlets. Throws and tablecloths are coming soon.

Vijay’s studio is in East Brookside, and while she sells to retailers, she plans to be open on a regular basis, so people can wander in and see the complete collections.

“I really want to create products that will last. Everything is washable and made for real life—even life with children and dogs,” she says with a laugh.

Vijay’s products are available at chaneevijay.com, her studio at 633 E. 63rd St. and Golden & Pine in Prairie Village.

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Living

IN KC

N Wrap It Up by

Patricia O’Dell

ot that we need another reason to cuddle up, but Karrie Dean’s Happy Habitat throws are a nice excuse. Dean designs bold and classic patterns that provide as much stylish impact to a room as creature comfort to its inhabitants.

“These designs really come from the gut,” she says. “I feel colors and I want to play with them.”

There’s no doubt that these throws look like fun. There are “mini” sizes that work great for kids, or the regular size which works perfect for an adult or two, depending on how close you want to be.

“I’m not a designer by training,” says Dean. “But I’ll see a space and wonder what would pop there. Mostly I’m just playing with color. The end result is never what you think it’s going to be.”

Happy Habitat throws, which are available in cotton, wool, and a pretty dreamy alpaca, are available online at happyhabitat.net and at The Little House in Fairway, Coveted Home on the Plaza and local Made in KC locations.

NOVEMBER 2018

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THROW DOWN

Inspired by vintage Swiss Army wool blankets, touches of orange, including saddlestitched edging, add drama to this Bobo Intriguing Objects throw. SID & Co. (1812 West 45th St.)

As cozy as your favorite cable-knit sweater, wrap yourself up in a 100 percent cotton throw from Creative Co-op on winter’s coldest days. Spruce Home (2515 Somerset Dr.)

Fluffy llamas playfully frolic across this knit 100 percent cotton Shiraleah throw perfect for a nursery—or for grownups too. Webster House (1644 Wyandotte St.)

NOVEMBER 2018

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Shop

IN KC

Co-owner Jessica Mead in front of the handpainted store logo.

PHOTOS BY

Aaron Leimkuehler

Above top: The Tyler Kingston Mercantile shop in North Kansas City.

Inset: Pots, planters, and pillows for sale. Above middle: If you don’t have a green thumb, “grow” these cute ceramic cactus instead. Left: Vintage denim is a big seller in the shop.

TYLER KINGSTON MERCANTILE

A Macrame wall hanging, $85.

business making and selling furniture on Etsy in 2011 morphed into a nationwide online business and the opening of a creative, colorful retail shop at 422 Armour Rd. in North Kansas City.

“My husband started making furniture for our house and our friends,” says Jessica Mead, who owns Tyler Kingston Mercantile with her husband, Ryan. Selling the pieces on Etsy was a success, so they opened up their woodshop on First Fridays and brought in other items, both vintage and new, to sell with their furniture. The success of that lead to the opening of the store in 2017. Although their woodshop is in downtown

NOVEMBER 2018

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Kansas City, they opened the store north of the river because that’s where they live. “There aren’t a lot of shops like ours here,” Mead says. The creative combo of furniture, home accessories and vintage clothes and objects sets it apart.

“I bring in what I love and that’s what I try to offer,” Mead says of the curated collection. Baskets, rugs, pillows, and home accessories all mesh with a distinctive vibe. Neutrals reign, but the Meads aren’t opposed to adding a pop of color. Also in the mix are clothes, including a nice selection of vintage denim. “Vintage Lee and Levi jeans are my personal favorite,” Mead says. tylerkingston.com

november 12 ~ 16 M o n day t h r u F r i day

|

8aM to 4PM

good bye

110 East 13th avenue, north Kansas City directions from north:

from South:

South on Hwy 169

North on I-35

South on 9 to NKC

Hwy 9 North over river to NKC

East (left) on 13th Ave

East (right) on 13th Ave

Take a quick left to parking behind building

l i g h t i n g

l i f e s t y l e

IN CONVERSATION WITH

Jason Sudeikis Cindy Hoedel

A words by

Actor and comedian Jason Sudeikis grew up in Overland Park, Kansas.

After attending Rockhurst High School and graduating from Shawnee Mission West High School, Sudeikis received a basketball scholarship to a local junior college, but the classes he excelled at were the ones he took on weekends at ComedySportz Theater (now Comedy City) in Kansas City.

Chasing the thrill of live audiences, Sudeikis relocated to Chicago, where he gigged with several comedy troupes before moving again to become a founding member of The Second City Las Vegas. His big break came in 2003, when his uncle, George Wendt, (Cheers) urged him to send a tape to the producers of Saturday Night Live. After two years as a staff writer, he earned a spot as cast member for eight seasons.

Sudeikis has gone on to star and appear in numerous films and TV shows. Recently he finished filming a thriller called Driven in Puerto Rico, and currently produces the Comedy Central comedy series Detroiters.

Sudeikis lives in Brooklyn with his partner, actress Olivia Wilde, and their children, Otis, 4, and Daisy, 2, and returns to Kansas City several times a year to visit friends and family. He is known for his many charitable works here, including co-hosting the Big Slick Celebrity Weekend,

NOVEMBER 2018

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/ getty images photo by larry busacca

“

That’s a great thing about my hometown being in the middle— it’s always on the way to somewhere.

NOVEMBER 2018

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which benefits the Cancer Center at Children’s Mercy.

On Nov. 3 Sudeikis will be in Kansas City for Thundergong (tickets at thundergong.org), a celebrity benefit concert for Steps of Faith, which provides prosthetics for people who have lost a limb.

In a call from Los Angeles, where Sudeikis and Wilde are temporarily renting a home while working on projects, Sudeikis often pauses for a second before unspooling thoughtful answers in a soothing, modulated alto voice. Self-effacing and polite, he laughs only twice in 20 minutes and you get the feeling that this also is related to his Midwestern manners—not laughing at your own jokes.

group of wonderful, lifelong friends—my extended family, my chosen family—continues to live as well.

What do you love to do when you come back to Kansas City?

First and foremost, catching up with friends, hanging out with them, and that usually involves going to eat at someplace local that either comes from my past, like Gates or Arthur Bryant’s, or something more current like Jack Stack or Kansas City Joe’s. Then there’s Winstead’s or Taco Via, Pyramid Pizza, just hitting the haunts with friends, and we’re all a little bit older and wiser hopefully than we used to be.

Tomorrow I’m going to be in town to see the Foo Fighters at the Sprint Center with some pals, so I love fun things like that, too.

That’s a great thing about my hometown being in the middle—it’s always on the way to somewhere. It’s a wonderful destination in itself, and it One of the joys of can always factor into other trips. Especially when you’ve got a mom who is a travel agent, it works Big Slick, and now out well.

“

The photos from last year’s Thundergong look like a mash-up of a party, a musical concert, and an improv show. What is it, exactly?

Thundergong is a benefit concert that I and one of my dearest, best, oldest friends, Billy Brimblecom, throw together to help support a foundation that he started called Steps of Faith, which helps provide support, both emotional and financial, for people that need prosthetic limbs.

Thundergong, is Billy is a talented drummer and he lost his left What are you nostalgic for? leg to cancer. Being an artist, he didn’t have great letting people come I get nostalgic just driving certain ways that I drove insurance and so I and some good pals of mine see the city and it to high school or drove to Comedy Sportz. It’s aland Billy’s did an improv show at the Record Bar ways just good to get back, shooting hoops in the a few years ago that helped buy one of those pricreally sells itself. driveway with my sisters if they’re in town. ey pieces so he could walk and live and work and A really fun thing is, Daisy has never been to all those things that are the pursuit of happiness.

KC yet, but Otis has been a few times, so he has It cost a pretty penny, and he took that opportu“Kansas cousins”—all my friends who have kids nity to find a way to give back and help people in similar ages, so he gets to run around and catch similar situations. lightning bugs and do all those wonderful things The foundation now helps dozens and dozens that I grew up doing. of people each year get over this tremendous hurdle that they have when they find themselves in a situation where Living in Brooklyn and working in LA, do you ever find yourself they have lost an appendage, and they don’t have the means to actrying to convince people that Kansas City is cooler than they quire a new one. think it is?

Kansas City’s doing a nice job all on its own. I try to do my best to be Where did the name come from? a good ambassador by the way that I go about handling my business Billy came up with it. It’s two words that just sound good together, and treating people. like “Woodward and Bernstein.” I don’t even know if it’s an actual I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been along for the ride of Kanreal instrument—maybe we can patent it and sell it. sas City’s wonderful rise. Kansas City has raised people’s awareness about the city, whether it be through athletics with the Royals and How is life in California compared to Brooklyn? those great couple of seasons, culminating in winning the World SeWe’re lucky, we’ve got actual friends out here, not just show business ries, and everything going on with the Chiefs right now, and Kansas friends, and we’ve made sure we rented a house with a pool, because Jayhawks basketball. that is not a luxury that a lot of homes have in Brooklyn. It’s a good One of the joys of Big Slick, and now Thundergong, is letting way for the kids to learn how to swim. people come see the city and it really sells itself. It’s not so much the structures, although there’s lovely architecture and all that good Brooklyn is your home now, so what is Kansas City to you? stuff, but it’s also the people and the vibe there.

We try to make home wherever we are with the kids. Brooklyn is For all the divisiveness in the country right now, it’s nice to see where the bills go. That’s the family’s home. It’s not my home. Kanpeople who still treat people with manners and listen with curiosity sas City, and specifically Overland Park, is home home to me. It’s as opposed to maybe with an agenda. where Nana and Papa live, to the kids. And it’s where another great

”

NOVEMBER 2018

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Jason Sudeikis, Ken Traugher (a patient Steps Of Faith helped with a new leg), and Billy Brimblecom at the first Thundergong last year.

[Robinson] and Sam [Richardson] who are from Detroit, and who love their hometown. I empathize with that feeling. When they look at it with such glowing affection, it’s like Detroit in a way is a place like Kansas, where there’s a perception by those outside that may not be the full truth. So it’s interesting to explore those truths that people from those places actually know and feel.

As far as my career goes, I don’t know. I just want to try to keep being the dumbest person in every room I’m in, so I can just get better at being a man, an artist, a partner, a dad, a human being.

Whatever trends in that direction, I’ll lean towards that.

As a comedian you are an acute observer of people. What have you learned about how people in Kansas City are different than people on either coast?

It might be little things like an inherent kindness. I think I was surprised my first few years living in New York that when I hold a door open, which is second nature to me, people would be like, “What are you doing? What do you want?” (Laughs.)

Not everyone, of course, and there’s plenty of people back home that you hold the door open for and they don’t say thank you—that energy exists everywhere in the world, but I think it’s less prevalent where I’m from.

I say, just try to be the change you want to see in the world, and I don’t judge people for being one way or the other when it comes to manners. Well, maybe a little bit. That’s one thing I definitely had instilled in me by my parents and also by the people I was fortunate enough to grow up around.

Of all the work you’ve done on stage, TV, and film, what is the most fun, and what direction do you hope your career takes you in?

I try not to do anything I don’t find fun, to be honest, and that included homework, back when I lived in Kansas. I didn’t do much of that because I didn’t find that fun. And that hurt me and helped me in different ways.

With Detroiters, my involvement is simply that I’m working with and supporting two guys, specifically the stars of the show, Tim

NOVEMBER 2018

“ ”

I just want to try to keep being the dumbest person in every room I’m in, so I can just get better at being a man, an artist, a partner, a dad, a human being.

What is a truth for you about Kansas that people not from here don’t get?

For example, I was on a horse for the very first time just a couple of months ago and it was, uh, scary. (Laughs.) That’s why I’ve always got to explain to people, “I’m from Overland Park. I’m not from Kansas. In Overland Park, we didn’t have a lot of horses.”

Daisy, my 2-year-old, rides a horse. There’s a little park right by where we’re staying in LA, and they have pony rides, and she rides this pony, like, every day. She’s really taken to it. It’s something else to watch your little girl do something so casually and easily that, when I tried it made me extremely nervous. So the kids are already doing stuff I can’t do. That keeps you grounded. m

Interview condensed and minimally edited for clarity.

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g

i n

COLD

t s h

hot parties WELCOME THE HOLIDAYS BUNDLED UP IN COZY COATS OVER THE PRETTIEST EVENINGWEAR

Cameron Gee Arlen Wickstrum Flock Salon and Gallery makeup by Nick Jenkins Flock Salon and Gallery antique chairs from Parrin & Co. photos by hair by

NOVEMBER 2018

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PARTY LINE Peruvian Connection dress, $199; Peruvian Connection alpaca-fur trimmed sweater coat, $550; earrings, $59, leather obi sash, $89. All from Peruvian Connection (Crestwood Shops).

Jeffrey Campbell sandals, $145, from Alysa Rene Boutique (Park Place).

FRINGE BENEFITS Tart Collections faux fur coat, $308; MG jumpsuit, $288; Suzanna Dai earrings, $215.

All from Miriam Garvey (Fairway Shops).

VELVET UNDERGROUND Just lace top, $128; Just velvet trousers, $98; Mijeong Park faux sherling coat, $650; Jenny Bird earrings, $75. All from Anaphora (Prairiefire).

NOVEMBER 2018

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FOXY LADY Alberto Makali fox fur coat, $1,800; Milly strapless dress, $450; Jeffrey Campbell sandals, $160; Kendra Scott earrings, $80. All from Halls Kansas City (Crown Center).

NOVEMBER 2018

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COLOR STORY Alice + Olivia faux fur coat, $660; Alice + Olivia dress, $695; Bauble Bar earrings, $42; Sam Edelman mules, $130. All Halls Kansas City.

GLITTERATI Veronica Beard dress, $550; Clique Boutique (Prairie Village Shops). Mulit-colored, layered silver fox cape, $1,500; Alaskan Fur (Overland Park). Earrings, $88; Alysa Rene Boutique.

LIQUID ASSETS Helmut Lang blouse, $360; Baldwin corduroy jeans, $185; Rag & Bone mules, $425; Lizzie Fortunato earrings, $300.

All from Standard Style Boutique (Town Center Crossing). Part Two faux fur coat, $260; Webster House (Crossroads).

NOVEMBER 2018

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SILVER LINING Fifteen Twenty faux fur jacket, $288, Fifteen Twenty velvet dress, $158; Julie Zancanelli earrings, $248. All from Alysa Rene Boutique (Park Place).

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FUZZY FLAIR Carre Noir faux fur coat, $198; Joseph Ribkoff dress, $212; Claudia Lobao necklace, $245. All from EJ’s Boutique (Hawthorne Plaza).

BANKSIA BAKEHOUSE Ricotta hotcakes slathered in honeycomb butter and topped with caramelized bananas and fresh strawberries.

THE DISH A RUNDOWN OF KC’S VIBRANT 2018 RESTAURANT SCENE. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? WHERE ARE YOU GOING NEXT? words by photos by

Michael Mackie Aaron Leimkuehler NOVEMBER 2018

B

less Kansas City’s ever-hungry heart—we’re a town filled with foodies. Midwesterners by and large like to eat out. That’s old news.

Fine dining or fast grub, the options are endless, especially with so many new restaurants opening every ten seconds—give or take five seconds. But, truth be told, Kansas City is overwhelmingly fickle when trying out new culinary digs. Several new-ish restaurants have seen a slow burn

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FRESHWATER Roasted duck breast roulade with cornmeal stuffing, served over Parisian gnocchi and beet purée and garnished with fava bean sprouts.

to success or a white-hot supernova of popularity. God forbid any of us should be stuck in a dining-out rut, so we’ve scoured the metro to give you a taste (pun intended) of bistros, bodegas and burger joints chomping at the bit (pun intended again) to see you traipse in their respective door. Let’s introduce you to the Culinary Class of 2018.

While we’re dishing up options, first up—a recent addition to the East Crossroads dining scene: Parlor, which offers seven restaurant concepts (Scandinavian! Hot Chicken! Korean!) in a giant two-story,

NOVEMBER 2018

two-bar venue. Patrons have been ravenous about the food hall from the first day. The seven restaurants were so overwhelmed with the onslaught of inquisitive, hungry guests, that lines were long and food was scarce.

(Read that: some places completely ran out of food to serve.) They’ve since gotten their proverbial act(s) together. Bonus points—as the venue is far more food-focused in its presentation. And the food component of the new business has been winning raves for the imaginative dishes.

(Good thing Parlor is finding its footing. Another food hall is starting

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FREESTYLE POKÉ

Assemble a custom poké bowl from a plethora of ingredients, including rice, ahi tuna, mung beans, crispy shallots, seaweed salad, masago orange and sauce it with a mayo or aioli.

to set up shop fewer than two blocks away.)

Another popular bistro is movin’ on up to the eastside—of the Crossroads, that is. Jumping on the red-hot Arts District bandwagon, Novel finally got a piece of the pie. It embraces Webster’s definition of novel: “new or unusual in an interesting way.” The dining room features a 50-foot-long tile mosaic across from an open kitchen. The menu is both casual and upscale, inventive and inviting. And if sweet treats are your jam, save room. Pastry chef Jessica Armstrong offers up some of

NOVEMBER 2018

the best homemade desserts in the Midwest. (Yeah, we said it.) We’re willing to risk a spike in our blood sugar if she adds her Butterscotch Budino Pie with salted caramel and sour cream ice cream back to the menu. Let’s start a petition until that happens.

A bistro in the more traditional mold would be The Russell, which two young restaurateurs—chef Amante Domingo and entrepreneur Heather White—adapted out of the unassuming brick building that had served for several decades as Russell Florist on Main Street. The

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NOVEL

Agnolotti stuffed with braised duck neck and foie gras in a port-wine syrup with pickled cherries.

menu is creative, innovative, and delicious. The salmon and avocado toast, steak chimi sandwich and divine desserts deserve special mention. The biggest critique that the venue has gotten thus far have been the acoustics, which irritate some of the older patrons, and the hours of operation—hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.—which sets the fast-casual restaurant and bakery apart as strictly a brunch and lunch place.

If The Russell is taking its creative cues from a different playbook, so is Campground, the gastronomic playground created by Christopher

NOVEMBER 2018

and Cristen Ciesiel, which serves beers and craft cocktails in the former Genessee Royale venue in the West Bottoms. If Genessee Royale’s claim to fame had been as a hangout for the smart, funny artsy kids who populated the Stockyards neighborhood, Campground’s raison d’etre is somewhat boozier in spirit, with less attention paid to the culinary component of the mix.

The Restaurant at 1900 is getting buzz for their take on modern American cuisine from award-winning chef Linda Duerr. With some

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SURA EATS AT PARLOR

Savory kimchi pancakes topped with sautéed greens and sesame seeds.

Italian and French flair thrown in for good measure, the restaurant takes pride in the ever-changing seasonal menu. Want to be dazzled? Ask about their inventive lunch and dinner specials. You can thank us later.

Just when you thought there was a surplus of trendy burger bars in town, two notoriously popular burger chains have steamrolled the metro with plenty of fanfare. Shake Shack has a rabid fan base thanks to their comically large legion of followers. Call them what you will, these ground-beef groupies helped propel the new Plaza Shack to stratospheric sales. Even the well-to-do Kemper Gala knows a good

NOVEMBER 2018

thing when they see it. They passed around late-night Shake Shack cheeseburgers to the dancing queens brave enough to stay as the party started winding down.

The newest entry in the celebrity burger category? Wahlburgers— which is the brainchild of chef Paul Wahlburg, his former boy-band sibling Donnie and their beefy movie-star brother Mark. The first local outpost opened earlier this year in Olathe. The slickly mounted Wahlburgers, with its attractive, young staff and oddball hours (you can only order a take-out burger after 7 p.m.) means KC’s nickname of Cowtown

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THE RUSSELL

Grilled sourdough toast spread with herbed ricotta cheese and topped with a half-charred, spiced pear, arugula, hot honey and candied walnuts.

will remain intact for at least a few more years.

The poké craze has finally hit the metro. (Thank god.) In a town not particularly revered for its raw fish, the Hawaiian-esque Freestyle Poké is doing everything humanly possible to bring fresh fish to the metro. Poké—which means “to slice or cut” in Hawaiian—offers up chunks of raw, marinated fish which is typically tossed over rice (among other offerings) and topped with vegetables and a smattering of delectable sauces. Located in the River Market—because, of course it is— Freestyle Poké has seen an insane surge of popularity since they opened

NOVEMBER 2018

earlier this summer. (It wasn’t unheard of to see lines snaking down the block at lunchtime.)

Speaking of fresh fish, chef Calvin Davis has turned Freshwater in to a dining destination—uh, again. Freshwater went under last year when a car plowed through their shiny new dining room, but now they’re back and better than ever. Word of mouth has been touting Davis’ culinary designs—and we use that term because his modern plating techniques are fabled. Don’t worry, his approach to fine dining isn’t just artistic, his food remains delicious.

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continued on page

102

Two Greg Eltringham paintings flank a Jesse Christopher painting in the living room.

Classic midcentury Wassily chairs and a B&B Italia sofa provide seating. Flower arrangement from Studio Dan Meiners.

words by photos by

Ahead in the Clouds

Patricia O’Dell Aaron Leimkuehler

A KANSAS CITY DESIGNER REVAMPS A CROWN CENTER CONDOMINIUM TO REFLECT HIS ECLECTIC TASTE

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Above: Walls came down to reveal raw concrete columns.

Living room view faces Liberty Memorial. Left: The console holds a Jean Michel Basquiat painting and a sculpture by Barry Eisenhart. Clockwise from top left: Sandridge found the painting at a Paris flea market. The stainless-steel console is actually a coffee table turned on its side; painting above the console is

by Brady Legler; to the right is a John Bosso mixed media above a Hunt Slonem painting.

In the entry, a Charles Podrebarac painting hangs above a white-lacquered console; gilded foo dogs are 17th-century Chinese. A detail of the ’40s agate-topped coffee table in the living room, with objets as diverse as a Russian lacquer box, lapis beads in an Orrefors bowl, Baccarat sculptures, and a geode on display. Sandridge’s collection of silver-gilded seashells from Sicily.

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‘‘I

t was all about the view,” says designer E. Michael Sandridge of Alejandro Design Studio of his San Francisco Tower condominium. Sandridge had previously lived on the Country Club Plaza but was ready for a change and was seduced by the post-Brutalist architecture of the building.

“The architecture is so raw and unpretentious. Brutalism

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Top left: In the kitchen, a custom-made concrete sink wraps around the Cambria countertop. Top right: Cobalt blue Viking appliances contrast against the white custom cabinetry. An Italian Luceplan light fixture hugs the ceiling. Opposite: A Roger Shimomura painting faces the dining room. Kartell acrylic chairs surround the Calligaris table. Flower arrangement is from Studio Dan Meiners.

has an air of intimidation. You can see that this building came a little later. It’s softer,” Sandridge says.

The term “brutalism” is derived from the French “beton brut,” which translates as “raw concrete.” A popular post-World War II style, its construction was relatively inexpensive and easy to manage. As the post-war years were a time of rapid growth, this construction method was popular, particularly for civic and educational buildings.

Sandridge planned to retain both the look and the feel of the raw concrete. “I ripped everything out and started over from scratch,” he said. “I really wanted to polish the concrete floor and leave it. But the building—understandably—has noise-abating requirements, so I had to figure out another way.”

In the public spaces the designer installed concrete floor tiles very much in keeping with the spirit of the building. He also left bare the concrete supports in the interior of the space. Despite the

NOVEMBER 2018

strictness of his structural design, the apartment is not stark. Indeed, it’s rich in details and layers of personal history.

The gleam of the stainless steel of the pair of Marcel Breuer’s Wassily chairs and the Eileen Grey end table add to the view of the Liberty Memorial from the west side of the apartment. Low tables hold collections of paper weights, small sculptures and countless talismans that Sandridge has picked up on his travels.

“It’s easier to carry home small things like this rather than art,” he said. “Art I mostly buy at home.”

Buying art in town has certainly not proven a challenge. Every wall is a gallery of original art from portraits to abstracts to collage.

The master bedroom is the most spare—though not stark— room in the home. Here, low, dense carpeting provides a subtle note of softness and comfort. The cloud-like white-to-gray palette provides a haven at the end of the day. The master bath repeats the

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Above: Tizio lamps flank the Calligaris bed in the master bedroom. Trio of paintings are by Jesse Christopher. Flowers from Studio Dan Meiners. Left: Guarding the entrance to the bedroom is a 17th-century statue of Confucius, carved from a single piece of eucalyptus.

use of concrete in the custom double sink. To offset its sculptural starkness, Sandridge designed the industrial-luxe riveted stainless mirrors above.

A sitting room at the other end of the apartment holds a sofa bed with a guest bathroom to accommodate family and out of town friends.

The kitchen is—literally—the center of the home. Its open construction and wrap-around counter make it an easy spot to immediately relax. The counter provides plenty of space to grab a quick bite or linger with guests while cocktails or dinner are in process. Cobalt blue Viking appliances provide an unexpected, but typically “Sandridge,” injection of color in what would have remained for some an entirely neutral space. The deep custom sink and industrial faucet provide another nod to the building’s origins.

The poured concrete double sink in the master bath is by Justin Stogsdill.

Riveted, metal-framed mirrors are custom-designed.

As part of Donald Hall’s vision for the development of Crown Center, the San Francisco Towers is one of the tallest buildings in Kansas City. This height and placement provide the kitchen with a perfectly framed view of newly re-lit Western Auto sign.

“We got to see them test it!” says Sandridge of he and his partner.

“It flickered on and then went off. We almost couldn’t believe it.”

In the powder room, artist Yolanda VanderGaast crafted the custom-designed bronze “Tornado” sink and the matching faucets.

This unexpected, but magical moment should be expected here.

In a home with a custom copper sink in the powder room and a Sicilian shrine amongst midcentury-modern treasures, turning every corner is a delight. Sandridge agrees that his itch to move paid off.

“It was a perfect time to move downtown,” says Sandridge. “The energy is here. It’s a great time to be in this part of the city.”

THE IT LIST Art

Custom Concrete

Flowers

Interior Design

Weinberger Fine Art weinbergerfineart.com

Stogs Concrete Design stogs.net

Studio Dan Meiners danmeiners.com

Alejandro Design Studio alejandrodesignstudio.com

School of Life AS ONE MIGHT IMAGINE, OPENING A SCHOOL IS NOT AN OVERNIGHT ENDEAVOR. BUT WHAT STARTED AS A CASUAL INTEREST FOR CHRISTINE KEMPER HAS BECOME AN ALL-CONSUMING PASSION PROJECT—AND THE DOORS TO KANSAS CITY GIRLS PREPARATORY ACADEMY HAVEN’T EVEN OPENED YET

words by

Kathryn Greene

photo by

Tom Styrkowicz

C

hristine Kemper has a busy schedule. But as she says, “I don’t know a single woman who doesn’t.” Which is why, despite her recognition of the need for more effective education in Kansas City, it was not something she thought she’d be able to take on herself. “Maybe in six years,” she laughs. The mother of four is no stranger to the world of education, however. Her resumé, which includes time served on the board of DeLaSalle Education Center and a current role as president of the board at University Academy Charter School, reveals both passion and practice. But ultimately they have been preparation, because now she is taking on one of her most important roles to date—serving as board chairperson of the forthcoming Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy (KCGPA).

The all-girls school will bring a new wave of opportunity to girls in Northeast Kansas City, providing tuition-free education to 100 fifthgrade girls in the fall of 2019. Though Kemper recognized the importance of such a school in Kansas City, particularly in the Northeast community, she originally did not envision herself becoming so deeply involved in it— perhaps laying the groundwork and letting someone else take over. But the more she learned about public education in Kansas City, the population she wanted to serve, and her desired outcomes, she moved the project to the top of her priorities.

The groundwork had been laid years earlier in Kemper’s relationships with Kansas City native Ann Tisch, founder of The Young Women’s Leadership School (TYWLS) of East Harlem, and Julie Tomasic, a longstanding member of the Kansas City Police Department and the current head of Mayor Sly James’ security detail. Five years ago, Kemper and Tomasic traveled to New York City to visit Tisch’s school, which at its founding in 1996 was the United States’ first newly launched all-girls

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Julie Tomasic, left, and Christine Kemper.

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school of life continued

Tom Krebs, the chief executive officer of KCGPA.

school in 30 years. After observing TYWLS’ model and its focus on educating young women, Kemper was deeply moved by the dramatic improvement in the results of the girls graduating from Tisch’s school compared to their peers.

But back in Kansas City, students were—and are—falling behind. In 20152016, only seven open-enrollment schools within Kansas City Public Schools’ boundaries had more than half of students proficient in math and reading. For students who had taken college-entrance exams, scores fell far below requirements for competitive admissions. And those burdens are borne disproportionately by low-income communities of color in Kansas City.

“Our public-school system in Kansas City is not adequately serving the entire population. And for me, getting an education is an issue of equity. I feel very strongly that all young people should be given the opportunity to have a quality education. In Kansas City, when schools aren’t performing, those are the families least likely to be able to pay tuition to go to an alternative school,” says Kemper. It was clear that

Tisch’s school was effective in its objectives, inspiring Kemper to bring a school like Tisch’s to Kansas City.

By late 2015, continuing into 2016, Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy was in its quiet planning stages. But as the country’s political climate and dialogue transformed, Kemper—long aware but newly reminded of the disparities between the way men and women are treated— the launching of KCGPA became particularly prudent. It was a charge Kemper knew she needed to lead, ending her short-lived resistance, founded in lack of time, never interest. “I want to be sure to be giving young women every opportunity to discover their power and their voices and to be able to thrive academically, personally, and professionally,” says Kemper.

Raising the funds to ensure KCGPA’s success and bringing on a team who shared the vision and passion for the school was critical.

Coming on board as the chief executive officer is charter school veteran

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NOVEMBER 2018

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Tara Haskins, the founding school leader for KCGPA.

Tom Krebs, who having grown up in and around segregated schools, has long been angry about the differences in educational opportunity that remain the norm. With KCGPA, he has an opportunity to personally challenge— and hopefully change—the status quo.

“It’s an incredible gift to get to contribute to a space where young women are free to dream, think, and act without restraint.

We need the voices and leadership of these young women, to both address the challenges and opportunities that lie in our future. We’re lucky beyond belief to get to make this a reality,” says Krebs.

Kemper’s tenets—a place where young women thrive academically, personally, and professionally—are evident in the way KCGPA will operate both inside and beyond the classroom. The schools’ overarching mission is what the team refers to as “high expectation, high support.” In the classroom, the faculty to student ratio will be a small, but supportive, 16:1. And students will be assigned to advisory groups, a community-within-a-community that will aid them through their academic career. They will meet every morning, and they will stay

within the same advisory group throughout their duration at KCGPA, creating a stability and familiarity between themselves, their peers, and their designated faculty member.

Every year, one grade will be added until the school reaches its full scope, serving students in fifth through twelfth grades.

In the beginning, literacy will be a major focus. According to Kemper, their fifth-grade students will come to the school reading at a second-grade level. One of the most critical components to remedying this—and something that will remain a hallmark of KCGPA—is meeting students wherever they are, academically, and bringing them up to the appropriate level. KCGPA will also have longer school days, and a longer academic year, which breaks down to 30 percent more instruction time.

KCGPA will place a heavy emphasis on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Fine Arts, and Mathematics.) But Krebs’ hope is that one day, STEAM will be so incorporated into education on a na-

Dustin S. Cates, artistic director

Get Sleigh’d with holiday merriment presented as only HMC can. This season we’ll don our bells and our Santa suits to present a holiday extravaganza worthy of ringing in the new year!

HMC’S 33RD SEASON IS U N D E RW R I T T E N BY H OT E L P H I L L I P S

Dec. 1 & 2 Sat 8pm, Sun 4pm

Dec. 9 Sun 4pm

C. Stephen Metzler Hall at the Folly Theater

Yardley Hall

Yardley Hall tickets can be purchased through the Carlsen

Tickets: hmckc.org or 816.931.3338

Center box office:

913.469.4445

NOVEMBER 2018

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SCHOOL OF LIFE CONTINUED

BURGERFI CHEESEBURGERS

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We’ve rounded up the best food delivery apps that will bring deliciousness straight to your home or office.

“CNN Health reported this morning that only 2 companies out of the 25 largest burger chains in America received an “A Rating” on the annual antibiotic report card. BurgerFi is proud to be one of the companies that never use antibiotics, steroids or hormones in our beef” – CNN Health 10/17/18

NOVEMBER 2018

tional level that it no longer needs to be called out as an area of focus.

Until then, the studies will be foundational in the school’s curriculum.

But opportunities to make a difference don’t stop after the last class of the day ends—KCGPA will work with area organizations to help students and their families find access to any services they might need, including translational ones.

Equity and inclusion are the founding principles of KCGPA, incorporated throughout the organization, but also reflected not only in the population served, but from the top down, starting with the faculty and staff. “We felt very strongly in our recruiting process, that we want to be represented by women and women of color,” says Kemper. An internal agreement serves as the core of the hiring process—if a candidate pool is not at least 70 percent women and 70 percent people of color, more recruiting will be done before the interview process is even started.

A national search led to Tara Haskin, who relocated from Houston to Kansas City to take on the role of founding school leader. What caught Haskins’ attention primarily was KCGPA’s all-girls model, one that has shown effectiveness not only in East Harlem but in one of her prior roles in Houston. As she learned more about the mission of KCGPA, she realized that the school wasn’t only championing equity on paper but keeping it at the core of the organization and using it as a driving force to lead the school.

When it comes time to be fully immersed in her role, Haskins is most excited to develop KCGPA’s teachers and make sure that they are delivering the content to students at the highest possible level.

“The stronger our teachers are, the stronger the impact they will have on students. The founding school leader will help drive the school culture, but teachers are the ones who will actually push it forward.” She is also looking forward to getting to know the girls on an individual level. In her experience, she’s noticed that the strongest school leaders get to know not only their students but their families as well.

Tomasic, who has served on the police force for 28 years and will now serve as a board member, has according to her, made some great arrests, helped incarcerate some threats to the community, and worked on large cases, or as she describes it, tried to change the world ‘on the | 100 | INKANSASCITY.COM

Students from the Young Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem.

back end.’ “I now truly feel that my biggest and best contribution to crime reduction in Kansas City will be helping to found this school,” says Tomasic. She believes that education is key to solving a lot of Kansas City—particularly Northeast Kansas City’s—problems.

Thanks to Tomasic and Kemper, Mayor Sly James will serve as a member on KCGPA’s board, dovetailing with the end of his mayoral term in 2019. “Mayor Sly James and I have this beautiful bit of symmetry because he has long been an advocate for women, and for quality education, and for the Northeast part of Kansas City. It really made sense to bring him on board,” says Kemper. The Mayor has been active throughout the development of KCGPA, including location scouting for the building.

Rounding out the team is Jahna Riley, an AmeriCorps alumna and Kansas City educator who will be KCGPA’s family and community engagement coordinator. The team will have high expectations of themselves and their students, but also of themselves and the school. One of their first major goals will be to reach the prestigious distinction of being a National Blue-Ribbon School. Currently, only one other charter school in the state of Missouri, University Academy Charter School, has that designation. But there is already one seal of approval; KCGPA is an affiliate of the Young Women’s Leadership Network, which started with Ann Tisch in 1996. The national network is comprised of all-girls schools that have achieved a more than 95 percent high school graduation rate and nearly 100 percent college acceptance rate.

“I have been so powerfully moved by the response of the community, which has recognized the importance of this school. I am so gratified that people are putting their faith in us to bring KCGPA to the Northeast.

It has been moving on every level. Personally, and professionally, I don’t think I could be investing my time in anything more important than this,” says Kemper.

The doors to Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy might be opening in the fall of 2019, but the metaphorical ones—opportunity, equity, and inclusion—will open for hundreds of students, decades, and generations to come. kcgpa.org

NOVEMBER 2018

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THE DISH CONTINUED FROM PAGE

87

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NOVEMBER 2018

Have you been to the Dining Experience at Kauffman Center’s scenic space? No? Wait, have you heard about the Dining Experience at Kauffman Center? No? It’s been up and rolling for a while now, appeasing diners’ finicky taste buds before evening shows at the Kauffman. But now they’ve ratcheted up their menu with the addition of executive chef Laura Comer, who was named Chef of the Year by the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association. It’s hyper-local, hyper-seasonal fare served in three exquisite courses.

We say a hearty welcome to our friends at On Broadway Deli, the first authentic Jewish deli in Kansas City since the New York Deli on Troost closed. If you need/want/crave/covet/deserve a sandwich piled sky-high with savory deli meats and all the subsequent toppings, swing in. PS. Their potato latkes are magic on a plate. Oy! Ye olde Westport will never be the same with the addition of Sailor Jack’s Snack Shack. Think hip. Think nautical. It’s perfectly suited for landlubbers who want to inhale lobster rolls or old bay-spiced fried chicken. Oh, and let’s not forget the potent cocktails that helped put them on the map.

G’Day, mate! Hungry for Australian food? (Yes, it’s a thing.) Let’s introduce you to Banksia Bakehouse. What was the genesis behind the space? When the owners moved to Kansas City six years ago, they embraced KC, but “missed the amazing cafe and bakery culture of Australia.” So they did what any good Aussie would do—they deconstructed some of their favorite dishes and unleashed them so enamored patrons could get a taste of Down Under.

The Savoy at 21C is bringing sexy back with their renovated space that kept many of the nuances of the original historic restaurant. If there | 102 | INKANSASCITY.COM

THE RUSSELL

Spice-rubbed grilled half chicken, served over greens with a side of grilled avocado and tortillas.

were a history book about restaurants in Kansas City, The Savoy would have its own chapter. Now with their revamped and re-imagined design, it needs an addendum. Bring your appetite, the menu is impressive. You can digest food while surveying the endless array of artwork in the hotel’s various galleries.

One is the loneliest number. Fortunately, chefs Colby and Megan Garrelts’ famed Rye, along with the ever-popular Q39 and Jarochos have all expanded to second locations.

Rarely does a JoCo bistro venture in to the metro, but that’s exactly what Rye did—joining the list of esteemed local restaurants on the Plaza. Q39 and Jarochos, meanwhile, took their party out south to—you guessed it— Johnson County.

Gastropub Hogshead KC is finding success with its new location on the Plaza.

Restaurateur Shawn McClenny—who owns his fair share of eateries in the metro—wanted a rustic contemporary space that doubles as a carnivore’s paradise. Goal achieved. The interior of the restaurant is dark, rich and brooding. Want to be seen without being seen? You’ve found the perfect locale.

James Beard award-winning chef Mi-

chael Smith switched his menu to Italian and is moving down the block. That puts him in even closer proximity to several other Italian restaurants such as Lidia’s, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and the newest of the new restaurants on our list, Lazia at Crossroads (inside the oh-so posh Crossroads Hotel). Lazia’s executive chef Remy Ayesh’s menu shows off oldschool Italian lineage with her perfectionist, contemporary flair. (Rumor has it XR—the casual sister restaurant perched outside Lazia—sampled (and subsequently pitched) over 1,000 different variations of dough and pizza crusts before finally committing to the wood-fired pizzas being served up in the atrium. That’s dedication.)

Grab your bestie, your betrothed, your boo or your beau and make a date to try a new boîte before the end of the year. It’s like the lottery, you can’t win if you don’t play. With so many new options swirling around the metro, you’re bound to find one that whets your appetite. And with so many new restaurants looming on the horizon, don’t be surprised if we unveil another round of burgeoning, freshman restaurants early next year.

NOVEMBER 2018

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Are you an INnovator or INfluencer?

Do you know someone who is?

Presented by IN Kansas City

We want your INput.

Nominations begin early next year.

Interested in becoming a sponsor? Please contact Chad Parkhurst, In Kansas City publisher, at cparkhurst@inkansascity.com or call 816-768-8306.

THE SHOPPING EVENT OF THE SEASON

NOV. 15–18

OVERLAND PARK CONVENTION CENTER

GIRLS NIGHT OUT

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Grab your gal pals and shop til’ you drop at Girls Night Out and revel in great music, drinks and prizes Fri. from 5-9PM.

Eat, Drink and be Merry at Saturday Night Out. Don’t miss this unique experience, which only happens once a year! Sat. from 5-9PM.

Bid on a one-of-a-kind tree or wreath at the Festival of Trees silent auction, benefiting Johnson County Christmas Bureau.

SHOP MORE THAN 300 BOOTHS AND FIND THE LATEST TRENDS IN APPAREL, JEWELRY, DÉCOR, SEASONAL GIFTS, GOURMET FOODS AND MORE! SATISFACTION GUARANTEED WE’RE SO SURE YOU’LL ENJOY THE SHOW, WE’LL REFUND YOUR ADMISSION IF YOU DON’T.

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Clockwise from left: The completely white interior of an eggplant with pale to white seeds is a sign of youth and freshness.

Roasted tomatoes and eggplant with herbs. Eggplant on the vine.

In the Kitchen by

Cody Hogan Aaron Leimkuehler

photos by

T

he end of the growing season in Kansas City brings challenges and rewards to gardeners and cooks. What do you do with the stragglers in the garden—those last grape tomatoes that want to ripen but can’t, the eggplants that are probably a little too mature (and bitter), the herbs that you can’t stand to see go to waste? Here’s my solution for just this conundrum.

First, the flavor-challenged tomatoes. One way to enhance the essence of less-than-ideal tomatoes is to roast them. By removing some of the water from the tomato, it concentrates the flavor and provides an opportunity to introduce other flavors like garlic or herbs. Roasting is also a great way to improve grocery store “winter” tomatoes that—although beautiful—are totally lacking in every other way. And for the eggplant—try slicing and soaking it in milk, ideally for about 24 hours.

Recipes often suggest salting eggplant to remove bitterness (the dark liquids that come out of salted eggplant carry a lot of the bitter tannins from the seeds), and that technique contributes wonderful seasoning to

NOVEMBER 2018

the eggplant. But soaking in milk with a little salt has the added benefit of endowing an almost creamy, custard-like texture to the eggplant, and it seems to keep the eggplant from absorbing as much oil when cooked. The addition of a flavor enhancer like soy sauce takes the savor to another level thanks to its naturally occurring glutamate content (a natural flavor enhancer). In the Mediterranean, they would use anchovies, another source of glutamate, to the same effect. If the meal I am preparing is more in the Mediterranean vein that’s what I would use, but if the food is more Asian, or “anything goes” American, I would use soy. (See page 110 for some recommendations.) Good quality wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar can have a similar effect. Again, I want this to be your recipe to utilize what you have available, be it from the farmers market or your own back yard.

And as for the rewards at the end of the growing season? Well, as Thane Palmberg, an old farmer friend told me when I asked him what he did in the winter—“that’s when you get to rest.”

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GLAZED EGGPLANT AND ROASTED TOMATOES WITH HERBS This is a recipe about techniques and guidelines.

As for proportions, I like to explain how it works and in what ratios, so that you can adapt this recipe and make it your own. Cooking is fun— and flexible.

Cut the stem end from some eggplant (quantity and variety of eggplant are up to you—I love the smaller purple Italian eggplants and Japanese varieties, but a good old standard like Black Beauty is also delicious. Using a vegetable peeler, peel one-inch wide strips of skin from the eggplant all the way to the bottom, which can be tough. It should look striped. (Eggplant skin is an essential part of the flavor and experience of eggplant, but too much, especially in older eggplant, is not necessarily a good thing). Cut the eggplant into ½-inch thick slices, rounds for larger eggplant, or on the bias for smaller, skinnier eggplants. Lightly salt them and place them in a bowl. Pour over just enough milk to cover the slices, place a piece of plastic wrap or a small plate directly on the surface to keep

the eggplant in contact with the milk (in case it floats). Refrigerate for 24 hours (ideally).

On the day you intend to serve the dish, slice cherry or grape tomatoes in half, or larger plum-style tomatoes in quarters.

Sprinkle lightly with salt. Peel and thinly slice a few cloves of garlic and toss in with the tomatoes. Drizzle everything with a tablespoon or two of extra-virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with some herbs (fresh thyme and dried oregano are a favorite combination of mine). Toss everything together and allow it to sit for about 30 minutes. The tomatoes will release a good bit of water—that’s a good thing. Preheat your oven to 450°. Scoop up the tomatoes from the bowl with your hands, shaking any excess liquid from them, and spread, cut side facing up, on a lightly oiled sheet pan or one lined with parchment. Place the pan in a preheated oven (use a convection oven/fan if you have that option—it dries them out faster), and roast, stirring occasionally, until slightly shriveled and charred a bit

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around the edges. Allow to cool.

Pick your herb of choice (basil, Thai basil, cilantro, fresh or dried oregano—whatever would harmonize with your meal) and pick, tear or shred it into small pieces. Reserve.

Remove the eggplant from the milk and pat it dry. Give the milk to the cat. Preheat a non-stick or cast-iron skillet on medium high. Dredge the eggplant in a bit of all-purpose flour. Pour a tablespoon or two of olive oil into the skillet and add the eggplant slices, cooking them until lightly browned on the first side, then turn them to cook on the second side. When they begin to color on the second side, add a splash or two of good soy sauce, a few chopped anchovies, or vinegar and gently shake and agitate the skillet, turning the pieces so they are completely coated and glazed. Add the roasted tomatoes and reserved herbs to the eggplant slices, toss a few times, and pour into a serving platter. Garnish with more of the herbs. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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In Your Cocktail

Kelsey Cipolla Aaron Leimkuehler by

photos by

LADDER TO THE MOON For SoT general manager Jacob Stanton, an exploration of art, particularly the works of Georgia O’Keeffe, during a recent trip to the Southwest provided a spark of inspiration that resulted in this new seasonal cocktail.

“As I started to contemplate the flavors that I wanted to use, I read a story of how O’Keeffe was commissioned by Dole to compose a painting of a pineapple in 1938.

Dole paid for an all-expenses-included trip to Hawaii, which shaped a large part in the rest of her career,” he explains. “Because of her association with pineapples, I started with Plantation Pineapple Rum. From there, I wanted to include the two most iconic flavors of the Southwest region: green chilis and sage.”

The drink is simply composed, since it’s not far off from a sour build, Stanton says, but like O’Keeffe’s paintings, it’s rich in meaning.

2 ounces Plantation Pineapple Rum ½ ounce Ancho Reyes Verde liqueur

SoT

takes its name from the 15th century British English term for a drunkard. Or, maybe it stands for the more straightforward South of Truman. Either way, it means one thing to patrons of the Crossroads bar—cocktails as visually stunning as they are delicious.

The brainchild of acclaimed photographer Ron Berg and his wife, Sheri Stamper, the cocktail lounge opened next door to Ron Berg Studio and Berg Event Space in 2016. Since then, it’s attracted a mix of patrons as eclectic-cool as SoT itself, those who live and work around the Crossroads as well as guests in pursuit of a cocktail experience that still seems like a well-kept secret, despite its many fans.

Perhaps it’s because of the charming patio, open seasonally. Inside, the bar is modern with exposed brick, brightly colored banquettes and a comfy mix of chairs, but step outside and it becomes an urban oasis illuminated by string lights, which feels tucked away even in the heart of bustling downtown Kansas City.

SoT is a bit like a glamorous choose-yourown-adventure, from how you pronounce its name (“sät” or S.O.T. are both acceptable), to which of the signature seasonal cocktails you’ll decide to imbibe. Many bars promise artfully

½ ounce rich agave syrup crafted cocktails, but SoT actually delivers drinks on the verge of being works of art, thanks to the playful creativity of the team behind the bar. While you can get a glass of wine from the paired-down list or a draft beer, as well as elevated bar bites, the cocktails (and bartenders) are undeniably the star of the show.

The autumn menu features the Breakfast in Limbo—Irish whiskey, blended Scotch, cream sherry, fresh lemon juice, black walnut bitters, rich Demerara and egg white— as well as the crowd-pleasing Hopeful and Smokey, which combines Ophir Ancient Spice Gin, Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur, Cynar 70, Campari and house honey syrup smoked in cherry wood for a concoction that tastes like fall in a glass. (Keep a close eye on SoT’s Instagram, @sotkc, to see the latest and greatest creations.)

For those who can’t bring themselves to choose, there’s the option of having a custom drink made based on your tastes and willingness to try something new. It’s a less intimidating process than it could be thanks to the friendly, knowledgeable bartenders. Consider it your little secret.

1521 Grand Boulevard sotkc.com

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¾ ounce fresh lime juice 4 dashes Dram Wild Mountain Sage Bitters 3 drops 10% saline solutions Combine all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake. Double strain into a stemmed glass. Express a single sage leaf over the glass and float.

local

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In Your Pantry International Materials of Design TILE

STONE

HIT THE SAUCE BY

Cody Hogan Aaron Leimkuehler

PHOTOS BY

San-J Organic Shoyu Soy Sauce

Made from organic soybeans and wheat, Shoyu (Japanese for soy sauce) packs a flavor wallop. A little goes a long way. Not for the salt or soy sensitive. Available at better grocery stores.

Bluegrass Soy Sauce

Handcrafted in Louisville, Kentucky at the only small-batch soy brewery in the U.S. Lower in sodium and brewed and aged in bourbon barrels for that little extra smoky-sweet nuance. Available at Amazon and other fine foods retailers.

4691 Indian Creek Parkway (i-435 & Roe) Overland Park, KS 913.383.3383

www.imdtile.com

Bragg’s Coconut Liquid Aminos All Purpose Seasoning

Made from organic nonGMO, MSG-free coconut blossom nectar, apple cider vinegar and sea salt. Delicious on just about anything, extremely low in sodium and insanely tasty. Available in the Health Market section of Hy-Vee and other health food stores.

Columela Vinagre de Jerez Sherry Vinegar

Nutty and mellow but full-flavored sherry vinegar is a great substitute for good wine vinegar in any recipe. It has a special affinity for roasted sweet peppers. Produced in Spain and available at Whole Foods and other fine grocery stores.

NOVEMBER 2018

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IN KC

Kelsey Cipolla

FOX & PEARL

In Culinary News

SOMETIMES a name tells you everything you need to know. That’s true in chef Good’s case—Vaughn Good, that is—whose rustic, heart-filled fare delighted diners at his Lawrence butcher shop and restaurant Hank Charcuterie for years before it closed earlier this summer. Kansas’ loss is Missouri’s gain as Good launched a new concept, Fox & Pearl, in a temporary location at 815 W. 17th while its permanent building on the Westside undergoes construction. The restaurant continues in the tradition of Hank Charcuterie, serving locally sourced meat and produce with whole animals butchered in-house for dinner Tuesday through Saturday and brunch on Saturday mornings.

Ingredients are showcased in dishes including Sweetlove Farm fried chicken, Braised Rare Hare Barns rabbit pot pie and roasted squash bread pudding. foxandpearlkc.com

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COMMISSIONED ART BY NIKA WINN

SALON AND GALLERY Located in the heart of the Crossroads Arts & Technology District 2009 Baltimore Ave. Kansas City, MO 64108 @flocksalonandgallery ph. (816) 656-5727 Book today!

Purveyors of ORIBE hair care products

The fountain of youth for hair

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AFTERWORD TAVERN & SHELVES BOOKS AND DRINKS share a striking ability

In Culinary News

to bring people together and foster passionate discussion. Now they also share a roof at Afterword Tavern & Shelves, a hybrid bar and bookstore now open at 1834 Grand Boulevard. The novel concept features a curated selection of reads, local beer (all hailing from breweries within a 100-mile radius of the shop), Midwestern wines, regionally produced liquor and coffee. Afterword also serves up sandwiches and small plates, including seasonal toasts and a Cubano packed with smoked ham and citrus pork, not to mention cocktails like the Tyrannosaurus Tex, clarified milk punch with Duffy’s Run Vodka, Green Chartreuse, Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, lime, hatch and guajillo peppers. Open Wednesday through Sunday, the cozy Crossroads spot is the perfect place to find your next favorite book—or find yourself in conversation with a fellow bibliophile. afterwordkc.com

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KOBI-Q

In Culinary News

FOR A TOUR of Asian cuisine, look no further than the Crossroads, where Kobi-Q opened this summer. From bi bim bap to LA-style galbi short ribs to KFC (that’s Korean Fried Chicken wings, naturally), the restaurant focuses on Korean fusion flavors, but it doesn’t stop there.

Kobi-Q also features its own take on poké, a wide selection of sushi and sashimi, Vietnamese-inspired noodle bowls and shabu-shabu, a Japanese-style DIY hot pot fit for two. Open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, there’s no shortage of dishes to try at the casual spot on 1531 Grand Boulevard, whether you’re sampling the kimchi stew—aged kimchi, pork and tofu in a spicy broth with rice—or japchae glass noodles—sweet potato starch noodles with veggies and beef. kobi-q.com

at t h e

TAV E R N S SANTA BRUNCH Saturday, Dec. 8, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Tavern at Mission Farms Join the Tavern family for photos with Santa and a special brunch buffet featuring a carving station, fresh seafood, made-to-order omelets, delicious desserts, breakfast dishes and more.

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS EVE DINNER MENU Available at both locations Monday, Dec. 24 Now taking reservations.

NEW YEAR’S EVE AT BOTH TAVERNS Live DJS from 10 pm – close with a Champagne toast at midnight Monday, Dec. 31 Now taking reservations.

GIVE THE GIFT OF TAVERN *Complimentary gift card valid January 2, 2019 – March 31, 2019. Not redeemable for cash. Not applicable for tax or tip.

3901 Prairie Lane | Prairie Village, KS | 66208

NOVEMBER 2018

10681 Mission Rd | Leawood, KS | 66206

Located in the Prairie Village Shopping Center

Located in Mission Farms

Phone: (913) 529-2229 www.taverninthevillage.com

Phone: (913) 213-6588 www.tavernatmissionfarms.com

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Reservation for One PEARL TAVERN

Kelsey Cipolla PHOTOS BY Aaron Leimkuehler BY

F

inding delicious shrimp or fish and chips in Kansas City is no problem. Fresh oysters? You have options. Eight different types of fish flown in from around the world? Now you’re in a more exclusive class of Midwestern

NOVEMBER 2018

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restaurants, one that Pearl Tavern comfortably fits into and makes its own.

Situated in an outdoor Lee’s Summit shopping center, the restaurant serves up classic, approachable takes on dishes in a convivial atmosphere where guests don’t hesitate to tie on

crab-adorned plastic bibs and get their hands dirty during weekend brunch and daily lunch and dinner service.

Sure, the person next to you could order up a bottle of Moët, but they’re far more likely to be sipping a beer or one of the bar’s signature crushes, blends of liquor and fresh-squeezed juice served over crushed ice. The Blackberry Bramble crush, made with Builders Botanical Gin, muddled blackberries, lemon, and simple syrup packs a tart, refreshing punch and comes with two juicy blackberries served, fittingly, on a pearl-topped skewer.

Pearl Tavern shows signs of the space’s former life as a sports bar but leans into its coastal influence with wood-planked walls, exposed brick and a striking rope canopy. A kitschy assortment of marine-inspired pieces adorns the walls, from framed rows of sand dollars to images of playful mermaids.

Although it’s thoroughly unpretentious, the eatery’s selection of fresh seafood borders on being overwhelming, flown in fresh from both coasts as well as the Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes, among other destinations.

Choose from one of the many oysters being offered that day to start, or opt for the ceviche. Once the crispy tostadas run out, don’t stop to think twice about grabbing a fork and digging in for any remaining chunks of tender fish, shrimp and scallops in a chilled habanero-spiced broth—unless it’s to gleefully accept one of the surprisingly airy house honey biscuits, offered not at the beginning of the meal but brought out on a tray and served individually once you’ve settled in a bit. Does everyone else get a biscuit? Yes. Does that make it feel any less thrilling when you’re personally offered a little cloud of goodness? Absolutely not.

The fresh fish options tantalize, with a menu ranging from tilapia from Costa Rica to Peruvian silk snapper to barramundi from Down Under depending on the day, all available grilled or blackened with mashed potatoes, asparagus and herb beurre blanc.

Pearl Tavern offers a handful of items for those not interested in seafood in a category tellingly dubbed “not fish” on the menu.

But—go fish. The seafood dishes on the everyday menu are familiar with a twist—the Maryland crab cakes are accompanied by a glossy mound of forbidden black rice, and the decadent lobster mac n’ cheese boasts a lobster veloute in addition to a creamy cheese sauce. For those who know their way around a crab leg (and have the patience to shell it), the Tavern Boil satisfies with plump shrimp, crab legs, Yukon gold potatoes, andouille sausage, corn, and yes, the aforementioned plastic bib.

That the seafood is handled reverently should come as no surprise given the fact owners Andy Lock and Domhnall Molloy and culinary director and chef Po Wang, the trio behind a growing empire of Lee’s Summit favorites like Third Street Social and Summit Grill, are veterans of McCormick & Schmick’s, as is Kent Long, the executive chef.

Pastry chef Nicolette Foster rounds out the crew, and the menu, with a rotating selection of homemade pies. A slice of her peanut butter pretzel confection is a simple yet effective endnote with its blend of salty pretzel and sweet peanut butter, a sinful combination of silky and crunchy textures.

Just like finding a local restaurant laser-focused on fresh seafood in landlocked Missouri, it proves to be a very welcome surprise. pearltavernkc.com

WE’LL BRING THE Q Celebrate the season with championship barbeque—delivered directly to you by our expert catering team with a range of service options.

Visit Q39KC.com/catering

Q39 MIDTOWN

1000 W 39TH ST, KCMO | 816.255.3753 M–TH 11A–10P | F–SAT 11A–11P | SUN 11A–9P

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11051 ANTIOCH RD, OPKS | 913.951.4500 M–SAT 11A–10P | SUN 11A–9P

NOVEMBER 2018 |1868-01069_Nov 117 | INKANSASCITY.COM InKC Ad R04.indd 1

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Kemper Gala

THE ANNUAL Kemper Gala was another sold-out affair. This year’s theme: Body Electric: Color the Night.

Ignite Your Soul. An eclectic and electric mix of colors and fashion were on display at the event, alongside some phenomenal live performances, signature cocktails and an amazing buffet created by the team at Café Sebastienne.

More photos on page 120.

photos by j. robert schraeder

NOVEMBER 2018

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Treat Yourself & A Friend This Holiday Season!

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Live Like aLocal NOVEMBER 2018 | INKANSASCITY.COM

OCTOBER 2018 | INKANSASCITY.COM

AN INTERVIEW WITH JASON SUDEIKIS

21

OF KC’S BEST NEW RESTAURANTS

15

OF KC’S MOST ICONIC EATERIES YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF

AN INTERVIEW WITH KC NATIVE GILLIAN FLYNN

Holiday Fashion

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More Kemper Gala

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NOVEMBER 2018

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Faces

IN KC

Kansas City Fashion Week THE WEEK-LONG EVENT culminated in four nights of showcasing 31 local and national designers, including internationally known designer Rachel Roy, as models strutted the runway at Union Station.

photos by nikkie affholter, roberto carlos, experteve llc, j. hartley, larry f. levenson, no. 9 photography, robby g photography, eli stack, nick verbenec, alec walworth, tou yang

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NOVEMBER 2018

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Faces

IN KC

Dead Poultry Society at the American Royal Barbecue

THE DEAD POULTRY SOCIETY claims

to be the best party at the American Royal Barbecue—with good cause. This celebration of all things Kansas City barbecue including DJ Mike Scott, a mechanical bull, and of course, delicious barbecue. All for a great charity—Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City. photos by j. robert schraeder

NOVEMBER 2018

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NOVEMBER 2018

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This Month IN KC

November

WHERE YOU NEED TO BE AND WHAT YOU NEED TO SEE

Folly Frolic November 17

Holiday Boutique November 15-18

follytheater.org

kcholidayboutique.com Happy holidays. The Overland Park Convention Center will be filled to the brim as more than 285 exhibitors display their wares, ranging from fashion to food to gifts to holiday accessories and everything in-between for this year’s Holiday Boutique. Eat, drink and shop for all your holiday needs. With a bit of proper planning, it just might be possible to complete all your holiday shopping in a single day! Join IN Kansas City magazine at our booth on opening night to register for prizes and collect a gift bag if you’re one of the first 500 guests to check in with us. Friday is Ladies Night Out,, so get the girls together and enjoy music, drinks, door prizes, and late night, exclusive access to some of fabulous boutiques.

Tickets are $12 online and $14 at the door. Children ages 12 and under are free.

WHAT’S NEW IN KC Museum of Illusion

Union Station, 30 W Pershing Rd museumofillusions.us

Dinner and a show! This year’s benefit concert features hometown artist and globally recognized blues and gospel vocalist Oleta Adams. The four-time Grammy-nominated artist, whose 1990 debut album, Circle of One, went Platinum, has toured with such artists as Michael Bolton, Luther Vandross, Phil Collins, and Tears for Fears. The performance helps raise funds for the Folly Theater to continue its special programming, such as the Folly Jazz Series and the Folly Kids’ Series, and of course, continued maintenance on the 118-yearold building. The benefit also celebrates the reopening of the theater after a $2.5 milliondollar renovation to the lobbies and the shareholders space. Combo tickets are available that include a three-course, prix-fixe dinner at the Savoy in the Main Gallery of the 21c Hotel.

Tickets are on sale now.

The eyes have it! Soon after opening the nation’s first Museum of Illusion in New York City, the second has opened in Kansas City’s Union Station. The original concept launched in Croatia, and now there are locations in ten countries. Made to entertain and surprise the entire family, the museum consists of optical illusion exhibits and a playroom with interactive games and puzzles. More than 70 exhibits, based on science, mathematics, biology, and psychology, are available for participation. Experience the anti-gravity room and see water flowing uphill. Holograms explain the story of evolution. Through a deeper understanding of vision, perception, the human brain, and science, visitors will learn why our eyes see things that our brain doesn’t understand. A gift shop on the premises allows you to take the fun home. Tickets range from $15 for an adult to $10 for a child, with special rates for families, seniors and groups.

For Kansas City’s most comprehensive calendar of events, go to inkansascity.com

NOVEMBER 2018

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WHAT’S NEW IN KC

Dine often and dine well.

Adorn

5601 W 135th Street adornkc.com A chic new boutique. Inside Anaphora at Prairiefire, Adorn occupies 1,200 square feet of retail space, featuring a curated collection of contemporary brands for women. “We offer a range of casual pieces to fit a wide variety of age groups at a great price,” owner Heather Moeder says.

“Our style is always growing, always changing and embracing new trends that meet the needs of our clientele. Our passion is making the busy mom, working woman, and fashionista look good and feel fabulous.” Adorn also carries a variety of accessories and jewelry, including the popular Mariana Jewelry collection.

Clothology: 135

4800 West 135th Street clothology135.com Another chic new boutique. Down 135th Street in Parkway Plaza, Pam Katsorelos Burton has launched her new boutique, Clothology: 135. After working for several major companies, Burton followed her passion for fashion. Options include work wear, casual wear, dresses, athleisure, and accessories. “Our tagline is ‘the study of your style,’” Burton says. “Our sizes ranges from XS to 3XL, and we offer a varied price structure.” The style bar, where clients can sip a glass of wine and work with the staff, is something Burton is especially proud of. “We want to have fun playing with clothes,” she says. The boutique offers a variety of specialty services, including in-house alterations. Lines range from Molly Bracken, Hardtail, and Inae, with jewelry by several designers, including Samkas.

250

OF THE BEST KC RESTAURANTS

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Dining Guide

For the city’s most extensive restaurant guide, head to inkansascity.com/ eat-drink/dining-guide

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BOWLED OVER HANDCRAFTED, colorful papier-mâché bowls are ethically handmade from 100-percent waste newspapers and magazines by an entirely women-run enterprise in Swaziland. Decorative and functional, they can collect pocket treasures at the end of the day, hold small accessories, or just sit on a shelf and look beautiful. They’re available at TallulahBelle’s in downtown Overland Park, where more than 90 percent of the artists and craftspeople featured are women. tallulahbelles.com Papier-mâché bowls, $50 each

NOVEMBER 2018

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