FROM STREETS TO STOREFRONT

When one thinks of Kansas City cuisine, barbecue likely comes to mind. From backyard pit masters to high-end dining, there are endless possibilities to explore. One such local possibility comes in the form of smokehouse quesadillas and smoked baha chicken tacos, just a few of the items on the menu for Sancho StreetSide, located in downtown Shawnee. Sancho StreetSide combines traditional KC barbecue with Latin street food.

“We’ve brought on that whole street culture of good food, done creatively,” says owner Ryan Moody. “The base of our company is our meat, but we wanted to do something more authentic.”

Moody, a graduate of the Johnson County Community College Chef Apprenticeship Program, incorporates ingredients such as mango, chili, and pineapple to achieve that authenticity.

“I do lots of playing with the food. Lots of trial and error,” says Moody of the menu. “The first couple months we were open, the menu changed almost every single event. We finally settled on some standards, all using fresh and unique ingredients.”

Though delicious, the combination of barbecue and Latin isn’t the most common of food fusions.

“It came from necessity,” Moody says. “When we first started, we didn’t have the ability to have our own hood system. We had to figure out a way to cook all of our proteins. We ended up repurposing some old drums and made one of our smokers and a grill, just like they do in traditional Latin street food.”

Oil drums aren’t the only thing Moody has repurposed. Sancho’s has taken an interesting path to reach where it is today, one that involves a second-hand UPS truck and a renovated bank.

In 2017, Moody began a small catering company, which quickly grew. With encouragement from his father, Moody soon branched out into the world of food trucks. “My dad has always pushed me very hard to go after my dreams and achieve the next thing,” says Moody.

He secured a used UPS truck, transforming it into a bright purple food truck. “You have to have a truck that draws people in,” Moody says. “And then have the food that complements the truck.”

Sancho StreetSide’s food truck can be found traversing the region in addition to serving Shawnee and the surrounding metro area.

“We do a lot of work with the VA Hospital in Kansas City. We go down to First Fridays (in Overland Park). We’ve gone as far south as Paolo. We’ve gone as far north as Kearney (Nebraska). We’ve gone as far east as Grain Valley (Missouri). We’ve gone as far west as Topeka,” Moody says of his truck.

As the popularity of the food truck grew, Moody took the next step and opened a small storefront in downtown Shawnee. “We saw how Shawnee was growing and how the downtown was rebuilding. We really wanted to be one of the corner posts of that area. It is one of the hottest markets in Kansas City,” Moody says.

Using a commissary kitchen that originally housed Kansas State Bank, he was able to take his business to the next level. Moody opened in August 2019 and has received overwhelming support from Shawnee.

“Shawnee is a great community. They have done nothing but welcome us with open arms since we’ve come in down here,” Moody says. “The Chamber of Commerce has been such an asset to us. The city has helped us with a seed program, which has been amazing, as well.”

Both the community of Shawnee and local organizations have been essential in Sancho’s growth.

“We have a lot of customers who come in multiple times a week. A local business owner brings his family in several times a week, and we talk about how business is going with both of us. It’s good to have somebody (who’s) a local business person (who) sees the challenges and successes that come with the growth of a small business,” Moody says.

Growth is something that Sancho StreetSide hopes to continue as the company looks toward the future. “As we move forward, we’d like to take over this whole space,” Moody says. “We want to develop a bar behind the old teller stations. We want to keep moving forward. We want to do events downtown with the local community and other local businesses.”

One such collaboration involves two of the area’s most famous organizations, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals.

“Bra Couture KC (www.bracouturekc. com) is one of the largest fundraisers for breast cancer research. People bid on a bra and a package that comes along with the bra,” Moody says. “One The Specifics package includes tickets to a game inside one of the luxury boxes with pre-game tailgate food provided by Sancho’s. It’s a great opportunity to help a very Sancho StreetSide 11101 Johnson Drive, Suite 110 Shawnee, KS 66203 important cause, and working with those sanchostreetside@gmail.com organizations knocks something off my www.sanchostreetside.com list that I’ve always wanted to do.”

Moody’s other goals include teaming with local breweries to bring unique Mexican beers to Sancho’s, opening a second food truck, and possibly expanding to include multiple locations.

“Right now, we are happy with what we are doing, but we definitely want to grow. I don’t want to have the international chain of Sanchos, but I wouldn’t mind having two or three Sanchos in the area,” Moody says. “I want Sancho StreetSide to be synonymous with Kansas City.”

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FUNERAL HOME (913) 831-3345 (913) 831-3664 Fax (913) 831-3345 (913) 831-3664 Fax 3300 Shawnee D 3300 Shawnee Dr. r. Kansas City, KS 66 Kansas City, KS 66106 106

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1 Shawnee Golf and Country Club 2 Stump Park 3 Mid-America West 4 Mid-America Sports Complex 5 Kansas City Ice Center 6 Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball 7 Mill Creek Streamway Park 8 Starwood Park 9 Shawnee Mission Park 10 The Theatre in the Park 11 Tomahawk Hills Golf Course 12 Holiday Inn Express & Suites 13 Courtyard by Marriott 14 Hampton Inn 15 Comfort Inn & Suites 16 Fairfield Inn & Suites 17 B&B Theatres/Music Theatre Kansas City 18 The University of Kansas Health System 19 Park Lanes 20 Swarner Park 21 Veterans Park Johnson County Library Thomas A. Soetart Aquatic Center Civic Centre 22 Incredible Pizza Company 23 Caenen Castle 24 Shawnee Town 1929 Herman Laird Park 25 Splash Cove 26 City Hall 27 Downtown Shawnee 28 Overland Park Regional Medical Center - ER of Shawnee 29 Pioneer Crossing Park 30 Centra Care Urgent Care Shawnee 31 SkyZone 32 Jaycee Park 33 Listowel Park 34 Shawnee Mission Health

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Find a recreational outlet perfect for you and your family. Visit Stump Park with a walking trail, playground, shelters, and athletic fields. Or find your way to Mill Creek Streamway Park with its 14 miles of walking and biking trails, including the Gary L. Haller Trailer, designated a National Recreation Trail and stretching from Nelson Island on the Kansas River, crossing through Shawnee before it ends in Olathe. And don’t forget the equestrian trails at Mill Creek and Shawnee Mission Park.

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Visit Park Lanes for bowling and more; discover wonderful flavors and more fun at Incredible Pizza Company; or escape to SkyZone, where you’ll defy the law of gravity by soaring through the air only to make a soft landing amid a pool of foam squares, or by reaching for new heights on the trampoline court.

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Explore a locally owned tree nursery and garden center in the heart of Shawnee! Stop into Family Tree Nursery and explore beautiful shrubs, flowers, trees, succulents, and more than you can imagine. Best of all, local roaster Thou Mayest has set up a shop, Café Equinox, in the nursery so you can get your caffeine fix while browsing. 24 25

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Make your way to the corner of Nieman Road and Johnson Drive to experience Shawnee’s core. On your way, take a moment at any of the pocket parks along Nieman Road. Afterwards stop at Transport or Servaes breweries for a fresh, local brew or Drastic Measures for a craft cocktail. Grab tasty street tacos at Sancho Streetside or a pastry at McLain’s Market and Bakery.