5 minute read
Fun at A Taste of Leawood
Chamber event showcases local restaurants and vendors for a foodie's paradise.
By Jill Dutton
Photos by Kevin Anderson
The streets of Park Place Leawood were lined with vendors, and the smells of wagyu beef and street tacos wafted gently, drawing my daughter and me to various tents at this year’s A Taste of Leawood. Live music from The Ragged Heirs played in the background as we excitedly checked out the food vendors.
We started with a donut from Duck Donuts—not a traditional starter, but we couldn’t resist the chocolate- and nutcovered cake donuts. They were tender and fresh and whetted our appetites for more. Next was a slice of Margherita pizza from Dewey’s Pizza, then a rich and savory corned beef hash from Urban Egg. It wasn’t long before we needed to rest and digest before trying more, so we stopped for a bit to listen to the music at Park Place Barkley Square.
A Taste of Leawood is an annual Leawood Chamber festival that has become a beloved tradition for food enthusiasts. Top chefs come prepared to share signature dishes while visitors sample gourmet and specialty small plates throughout the evening.
“A Taste of Leawood serves as the Leawood Chamber’s largest annual fundraiser and the largest community event within Leawood,” says Taylor Limoges, vice president of programming and communications for the Leawood Chamber. “The event showcases the area’s top restaurants (this year, we had 19 participating restaurants). Sponsors and vendors are also spotlighted. With this year’s event being at Park Place, several shops in the center extended their store hours to attract Taste of Leawood attendees.”
The event started in 1997 as a progressive dinner called “Grazing the Trail.” Limoges says event-goers would commute via trolley throughout the night.
“As the years went on and demand grew, a permanent (nonmobile) location was needed, which became Leawood City Hall. After many years at City Hall, the venue moved to Town Center Plaza, which was a wonderful host. As we continue to showcase Leawood destinations, Park Place was an obvious next choice for both this year and into the future. We’ve added several fun elements to the event throughout the years—a photo bus, caricature artist, live band, glamping amenities to lounge and more.”
The highlight of the event, Limoges says, is the “bottomless food from all the restaurant vendors (and maybe the drink tickets!), along with a sense of community.”
“Whether it’s treated as a date night, a girl’s night out or a networking opportunity, everyone is sure to have a good (and delicious) time. The restaurants love showcasing their menu to folks who may not have tried them otherwise,” she says.
Signature Dishes
Silo Modern Farmhouse, like all of the vendors, brought the best of its best, this year featuring Chef Laura’s Veal Ragu over a bed of Palmetto Farms stone ground grits finished with fresh arugula.
“We thought this dish would be fitting for the transition into the fall season as it encompasses the home-cooked comfort and culinary refinement we strive for here at Silo,” says Taylor Tantillo, food and beverage director for Silo.
“We are always honored to participate in Taste of Leawood and love engaging in the community, showcasing our seasonal menu items and collaborating with other restaurants in the area.”
Rye Leawood event manager India D’Ortona says the restaurant “featured an heirloom squash gazpacho as well as our house-made pumpkin pie tartlets. We wanted to celebrate our fall seasonal menu change as well as our local farmers through modern provisions.”
Of the event, D’Ortona says, “Rye supports locally and we love to be involved with our neighborhood. The Taste of Leawood (event) allows us to showcase just a taste of what Rye brings to our Leawood community. The whole experience is a blast and allows us to get outside of our normal environment. It is always amazing to see a group of people gather over beautiful food.”
Krystle Shoemaker, assistant general manager for Booth Creek Wagyu, says, “This year’s A Taste of Leawood was definitely one for the books!
“Our company featured the steak bites in our BC20 label, and we used the K.C. Strip End Cut steak. Our Wagyu comes as low as 10% marbling and can go as high as 40% plus, so we wanted to showcase a nice, mid-range steak to better suit all tastes and preferences. We also sampled our Wagyu beef jerky for football season, as it’s a great conversation starter.
“As far as the festival, we were invited to attend by the Leawood Chamber of
Commerce, and we thought it would be a great opportunity to work with local vendors and reach an audience that hadn’t yet heard of our brand.”
Shoemaker says, “Some stand-out moments from the event were how great everyone was and how well we were received by the guests and fellow vendors. It was our first time doing something like this, but we are looking forward to attending similar events in the future.”
Until next year, stay tuned for the 2025 A Taste of Leawood, an evening of libations, food, community and entertainment.
Save the Date
A Taste of Leawood 2025
Saturday, September 13, 2025, from 6-9pm at Park Place
A Taste of the Best
Participants in the 2024 Taste of Leawood
801 Chophouse
Andy’s Frozen Custard
Aqua Penny’s
Bamboo Penny’s
Booth Creek Wagyu
Bruu Cafe
Dewey’s Pizza
Duck Donuts
Mission Taco Joint
Mother Clucker!
Pinstripes
RA Sushi
Rye
Silo Modern Farmhouse
Sullivan’s Steakhouse
Torchy’s Tacos
Tuk Thai
Urban Egg
