The Pitch: April 2021

D O O G IBES V LY N O

April 2021 I FREE I THEPITCHKC.COM

THE P ITC H KC.C OM

CONTENTS

THE PITCH

Publisher Stephanie Carey Editor-in-Chief Brock Wilbur Strategy Director Kelcie McKenney Music Editor Nick Spacek Film Editor Abby Olcese Contributing Writers Emily Cox, Liz Cook, Rachel Potucek, Anne Kniggendorf, Barbara Shelly, April Fleming, Deborah Hirsch, Brooke Tippin, Beth Lipoff, Riley Cowing, Dan Lybarger, Vivian Kane, Orrin Grey, Adrian Torres, Reb Valentine, Aaron Rhodes, J. M. Banks, Gail Folsom Little Village Creative Services Jordan Sellergren Contributing Photographers Zach Bauman, Joe Carey, Chase Castor, Caleb Condit, Travis Young, Jim Nimmo Contributing Designers and Illustrators Katelyn Betz, Austin Crockett, Jake Edmisten, Lacey Hawkins, Angèle Lafond, Alex Peak, Frank Myles, Jon Tinoco Director of Marketing & Promotions Jason Dockery Account Manager John Phelps Director of Operations Andrew Miller Editorial Interns Bek Shackelford, Lucie Krisman, Savannah Hawley, Sophia Misle Multimedia Intern Nicole Mitchell Design Intern Laurel Crouse Marketing Intern Khaqan Khan

CAREY MEDIA

Chief Executive Officer Stephanie Carey Chief Operating Officer Adam Carey

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DISTRIBUTION

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COPYRIGHT

The contents of The Pitch are Copyright 2021 by Carey Media. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means without the express written permission of the publisher.

The Pitch 3543 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64111 For information or to share a story tip, email tips@ thepitchkc.com For advertising: stephanie@thepitchkc.com or 816-218-6702

5 JIM NIMMO

4 LETTER

25 Eat This/Drink This Now

34 4:20 To Yuma

5 FEATURE

26 Buffet in the Fray

36 KC CARES

Letter from the Editor Rumspringa Break

BY BROCK WILBUR

Yes We Cannabis!

Missouri-made medical marijuana moves to the metro

BY JIM NIMMO

9 Cannabis Culture

A sponsored guide to CBD, hemp, medical marijuana, and more

16 Escape Glooms

Kansas City getaways that feel like real vacations

BY APRIL FLEMMING

18 DINING

Smoker Gets in Your Eyes Our city’s barbecue is sweet and spicy, but its history is slow-cooked

BY SAVANNAH HAWLEY

Fairway Creamery fried chicken sandwiches and Hotel Kansas City Tailspin cocktail

BY APRIL FLEMING

When can we seat for all you can eat?

BY LIZ COOK

28 CULTURE

Crystal Clear Our metaphysical community’s stars aligned in 2020

BY NICOLE MITCHELL

Planning a stoned movie marathon?

Here’s how to keep your chill.

BY ABBY OLCESE

Kansas City Pig Rescue Network

BY BROOKE TIPPIN

38 SAVAGE LOVE

Savage Love I have sex with my friend’s wife, then call him to tell him about it after

BY DAN SAVAGE

30 MUSIC

Radkeys to the City Rock’s next wall of sound stomps logal ground

BY NICK SPACEK

32 FILM

Disasterpiece Theater Espionage-Thriller “Order 86” embraces the dunks

BY DAN LYBARGER

Good Vibes Only

by Jordan Sellergren, Jim Nimmo, Chase Castor, April Fleming thepitchkc.com | April 2021 | THE PITCH

3

LETTER

You Belong At...

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

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RUMSPRINGA BREAK BY BROCK WILBUR

I went to a movie theater last week. Yes, those things that we worried had faded into memory—the kind of tale that would be passed down as legend for generations, like some modern capitalist Beowulf.

Four months after its release, the only decoration in the lobby was still a cardboard cutout of Wonder Woman, from that sequel we all watched at home and groaned throughout its runtime. I was here to see a press screening of Godzilla vs. Kong. There were six of us in an entire AMC IMAX theater, spread out so far that I never once saw the other participants. But when the first trailer began to play on the screen, we all let out little shouts. Not of joy for returning to our pleasure palace. No, it was because the sound coming from the screen was by far and away, the loudest thing we had ever heard.

We had a few theories. Perhaps someone cranked the speakers to 11, à la Spinal Tap. Perhaps it was the sheer lack of other bodies present to dampen the sound. But more likely, I believe it had just been a full year since any of us had experienced…

LOUD. In any form. I haven’t been in a theater, I haven’t been at a concert, I haven’t sat in Arrowhead. Maybe, I just wasn’t used to sound itself. It made me feel exceptionally old that my lungs seemed to be compressing under the pressure. When Godzilla let out his first scream, I could feel it in my eyeballs.

I may not be physically in shape enough to just dive back into exhaustive exercise like, you know, sitting through an action movie.

My god. How much have I aged in one year? I’m in my 30s, and I feel that I am a mummy, turning to dust before your eyes.

The moment highlighted a sort of “the bends” issue I worry we might be facing as we dive back into normal life. Like the nautical issue, resurfacing too quickly can cause decompression sickness or even death. I, too, worry that me and my baby will get the bends. Oh no. Because I know me, and I know what happens as soon as we actually get the green light. And I doubt that I’m alone.

We’ll be talking a lot this year about the return of the Roaring 20s. Just as a pandemic in the 1900s and its resolution wound up creating a decade long bacchanalia, so too shall we inevitably leave our basement bunker and embark on a reckless crusade to retake the mere concept of fun. And as Americans, certainly we would never take it

4

THE PITCH | April 2021 | thepitchkc.com

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too far? Certainly.

For September I already have my tickets for a three day concert weekend in Chicago.

I need us to be in a good spot by then. But I also sprung for the kind of tickets which included shaded seats near the stages, because I am recognizing I might not de-mummify at the rate I want to. (Also, as a 6’7” man at concerts, this is basically just community service that I am providing towards those who would wind up standing behind me.)

While I may not be built to fully Rumspringa my way through the next year as I would have as a younger man, I am confident that my friends and loved ones will carry that torch for me. One pal has already booked a six month cruise, for 2022, and I look forward to hearing what she does to get herself banned from countries across the world. I have many associates who have experienced the sexual dry-spell that comes with a pandemic, and as my friend Zach has repeatedly told me, he is fully confident he will wind up in the hospital with a pelvis injury by Christmas.

I spend a few minutes each day in eager anticipation of just what a pandemonic shitshow our world is about to become. I will be thrilled to sit back, eat some popcorn, and watch our cities burn to ash from pure joyous celebration.

However, I would prefer you try to keep the noise to a manageable squallor. If possible. I’m apparently very sensitive to that, these days.

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MEDICAL MISSOURI-MADE ES METRO V O M A N A U IJ R A M OS BY JIM NIMMO WORDS AND PHOT

So you want to sell weed? Legally? In Missouri? The good news is in November of 2018, Missouri voters overwhelmingly passed a constitutional amendment legalizing the sale of medical marijuana in the state.

The bad news is the state legislature limited the number of licenses granted to dispensaries and cultivation operations statewide.

Now all those licenses are gone. Until one of these currently licensed operations goes out of business, decides to sell, or state regulations change... you are out of luck. But Overland Park native Nate Ruby and his mother, Carolyn Richmond, weren’t.

Ruby is the 26-year-old head of OXG, LL or Onyx7, an umbrella company that includes five medical marijuana dispensaries under From The Earth. This cultivation operation grows and distributes “boutique-craft cannabis” products under the name Illicit, and plans for skincare products and edibles under the name Just Be. His journey into the world of the cannabis industry started at the early age of 13, when his mom Carolyn Richards “busted” him. Richards received, by accident, a text from one of Ruby’s friends asking Ruby if

he had any “skateboards” to sell—suspicious, considering Ruby didn’t skate. So she grounded him for a month, which led Ruby to spend his time in the library researching the then fledgling medical marijuana industry.

Years later—after a law degree from UMKC and years planning a marijuana business—Ruby and his mother teamed up to sell weed. Richards brought her experience of owning and managing retail shops to Ruby’s dispensaries.

“They call me Marijuana Mama,” Richards says during a recent interview in their Independence dispensary.

Building a successful medical cannabis company in Missouri is a difficult task. Unlike most startup businesses, there are very few resources available in the maze of cannabis regulations. The cost to start a business are high. The application fee for a business license is $6,000 per dispensary and $10,000 per cultivation facility—and that’s only to apply. If you are approved for a business, you’re expected to pay an annual license fee.

Then, costs associated with construction and renovation of facilities aren’t tax deductible.

Because marijuana is still a federally illegal

drug, you can’t receive a business loan from a bank. While many businesses lean on investors from out-of-state, all cannabis operations in Missouri must show at least 51 percent ownership from Missouri residents.

Missouri began accepting license applications in July of 2019. Nearly 600 separate applications were filed with the state and licenses were awarded six months later to less than half the applicants.

While voters approved a constitutional amendment to legalize the sale of medical cannabis in the state, Missouri legislators set the rules by which the legalization was administered. Only 24 dispensary licenses per congressional voting district were granted for a total of 192 dispensaries in the state.

There were also 62 cultivation licenses, 86 manufacturing facility licenses, and 10 testing lab permits granted. Some 853 appeals to rejected licenses have been filed at a cost of $2.6 million in legal fees incurred by the state of Missouri. These limitations on the number of licenses granted have been explained as necessary to keep the U.S. Department of Justice from enforcing federal law if Missouri did not cap licenses to avoid oversupply.

The DOJ does not want more marijuana produced than is being legally consumed

by medical marijuana patients. Oklahoma, which has few restrictions on the number of grow facilities or dispensaries, has seen no federal involvement.

However, license restrictions keep prices up, resulting in higher state taxes. In Missouri, the medical marijuana tax is 13.35 percent, four percent of which funds veterans programs. The state expects to generate $1.5 million per year in annual licensing fees, and with estimated sales of $200 million for 2021, the industry could raise over $25 million in tax revenues for the state. By 2024, those sales are expected to climb to $650 million with estimated sales tax revenues of $86 million dollars.

Adam Diltz, head grower and COO of OXG, LLC, explains day-to-day expenses for a cannabis operation can easily run up to a quarter of a million dollars per month in costs. If an operation is not “buttoned up,” any small mistake can result in a product that does not pass state testing—and ultimately hundreds of thousands of dollars in the hole.

Ruby compares the state’s infant cannabis industry to the Gold Rush. A few of the miners got very rich, most lost everything, but the real winners of any gold rush are the people who do business with the miners. The thepitchkc.com | April 2021 | THE PITCH

5

FEATURE

Illicit’s Kansas City Kush: An indica hybrid that tests at 23.7% THC with high levels of the terepenes Limonene which is believed to provide stress relief and Myrcene which is believed to promote calming effects and combat insomnia.

guy who sells the shovels and the woman who owns the nearest restaurant made a living off of the aspirations of the miners. The same is true for the cannabis industry. Local Missourians benefited greatly from the construction of dispensaries and the tax revenue already raised. Unfortunately some of those people who were granted initial licenses will simply not be prepared for the huge capital outlay required to stay in business.

“With Illicit [brand cannabis] it’s about quality,” Ruby says. “I hire a lot of really smart people who know how to grow really, really well. I told them, I’m not looking for the cheap product. A lot of people say you can’t be a commercial grower and a craft grower at the same time. We’re trying to take on that challenge. We’re trying to put out a quality product that people love and commercialize it.”

Ruby continues, “The key to this is the right team. You can’t skimp on payroll by having team members wear too many hats because it catches up with you on the compliance side of the state rules. You need specific individuals taxed with specific areas to oversee. Dispensaries have general managers, lead budtenders, budtenders, security personnel. We have all the right people in place to ensure state compliance, to make us successful and to allow us to bring the best product possible to our patients.”

Ruby learned a lot of what he knows today from California-based cannabis company From The Earth. Ruby’s Onyx 7 entered into an agreement with From The Earth that lets him use their brand, intellectual property, and educational resources in his retail dispensaries. The partnership gave Onyx 7 a head start on other applicants—with quality,

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THE PITCH | April 2021 | thepitchkc.com

product knowledge, and training standards already set.

In 2019, Onyx 7 approached Pedro Zamora, Executive Director of the Kansas City Hispanic Economic Development Corporation (HEDC) about partnering with their team as they applied for a license for a Southwest Boulevard dispensary location on the West Side.

“The very first day we met, we started talking about, how can we incorporate—not only economic redevelopment in some of these distressed communities, communities that have been overly enforced by rules and regulations and laws that punish and persecute a lot of folks for minor infractions of marijuana possession—but we also started talking about how can we create programs that are sustainable, that will help folks shift their lives,” says Zamora. “And that’s what I got out of our first conversation is that this young man is talking about problems that have been plaguing immigrant, refugee, minority communities. And knowing that [cannabis] is going to come into these communities one way or another, that became more of a motivator for our organization to try to help him win those applications.”

Selling the idea of supporting dispensaries was not an easy thing for Zamora.

“After I cleared this with my wife and mom and sons, then it became a conversation with the [HEDC] board and it got a little cold in the room when we had this conversation,” Zamora says.

Eventually he was able to convince the board the benefits from working with Ruby’s group outweighed any perceived dangers from the association. “We looked at communities that have had several funding

pushes for drug enforcement, youth programs, DARE, COMBAT. I had to look and think, sure those were programs that put a round peg in a round hole but sometimes those are just round pegs in round holes,” Zamora says. “We had to look at the challenges the local communities had and a lot of it was that they do have drug dependencies and they have ailments that can be treated with medical marijuana. We took that into consideration and we researched all the risk factors that come into play when medical marijuana comes into a community.”

For Ruby, the hardest part of the process was the time spent filling out separate applications for all five dispensaries and the cultivation facility. “You don’t really sleep.

You do a lot of research,” he says.

The cannabis industry is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the state. After being granted a license, you have one year to finish construction on your facility and have it inspected and approved for opening. Once you receive the official goahead, you need product ready for harvest.

But in order to harvest product, cultivation needs to receive approval from a testing site in order to be sold.

While Missouri has many dispensaries open, only 15 of the 60 cultivation facilities been given permission to begin operations as of March 1, and only six of those facilities are selling product. This becomes an enormous supply issue for dispensaries and the reason for the current high prices in Missouri.

Matching demand needs while maintaining the quality of the product is only one of the many issues that Onyx 7 has tried to address through their team. Cultivating

quality cannabis is much more complicated than merely sticking a seed in some dirt and trying not to forget to water it. It’s science.

As Onyx 7 COO, Diltz manages the massive grow facility near Independence, Mo., a sprawling property that sits off the road with no signage to identify it. A razor wire fence surrounds the property with cameras prominently displayed on all corners. Inside, a team of 35 employees grow approximately 300 pounds of marijuana per month for sale. Soon, the new, larger building will open and they will employ up to 200 employees while growing 3,000 pounds per month.

Surprisingly, very few plants are grown from seed and those plants never become sold product. Growers purchase seed only to start new “mother plants.” Feminized seeds are purchased at high prices because these genetically engineered seeds are predetermined to grow female plants; male plants produce hemp and are useless for medical cannabis. Even the most common strains of cannabis cost $10 or more for a single seed. Extremely rare seeds can cost hundreds of dollars per seed. The plants grown from these seeds live in the “Mother Room,” a large tented area between the main buildings that allows for natural light. From these original “mother” plants, clippings are removed, tagged for identification, and put into an earth-like root enhancer designed to encourage root growth. When the original “mom” plants in the Mother Room grow too big, they are discarded and replaced by younger plants.

The newly planted clippings become the plants that are allowed to bloom and are

An Independence “budtender” shows patients the “jar appeal” of one of the many strains offered by From the Earth dispensaries.

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FEATURE eventually sold. When the roots are fully established, the clippings are re-planted and put into one of the grow rooms. Creating a “boutique craft” cannabis product requires complete control of the environment. These large rooms are lined with two tiered shelves and are lit by artificial light designed to replicate the best light spectrum for growth.

Nothing is left to chance in their growth cycle. Each plant is individually cared for by workers who follow a strict schedule of feeding, watering, and adjusting the plants for light.

When the plants reach the proper maturity, they are pulled whole from the soil and hung upside down in the drying room.

Here is the real test of a good grower. The quality of the product is determined by proper drying. The length of time that they hang, the humidity, and the temperature of the room are all considered proprietary information and kept as closely guarded trade secrets. The idea is that if you treat each plant the same with the same attention and individual care, it doesn’t matter if it is 10 plants or 10,000 plants. You still get the boutique craft quality cannabis that Ruby wants the Illicit brand to be known for.

Once the drying process is complete, the plants are then trimmed by a team of workers who carefully cut the dried buds from the stem of the original plant. While doing this, they are also providing a quality check on the product. Some buds don’t have “jar appeal,” a reference to the small, glass jars that cannabis is packaged in for sale. These small or misshapen buds (known as “popcorn” buds) are separated and sent to a manufacturing facility managed by the

Illicit team to be ground into pre-rolled joints. Buds considered too “light and airy” to appeal to patients who smoke are called “larf ” and are also sent to manufacturing to create the extractions needed for edibles and vapes. The key philosophy taught to these “trimmers” is that if you wouldn’t be happy buying this 1/8th of weed, don’t package it and don’t sell it. Only the best buds qualify as “boutique-craft” product.

This attention to quality and consistency of product is the main attraction of legalized marijuana for both medical patients and recreational users. A black market purchase is an easy purchase; if you don’t believe me, give your eighth grader $10 and ask them to get you a “dime bag.” The odds are they know someone like 13 year-old Ruby who has “skateboards” for sale. The difference is that 26-year-old Ruby knows what he is selling because he has tracked it from seed to sale. Adult Ruby’s product has been subjected to rigorous testing to ensure that no illegal pesticides were used and that there is no mold, heavy metals, or other contaminants present in the product. Black market purchase information is based on what the guy you bought it from was told it was by his guy. Educating the general public to this difference is a major educational goal of the Onyx 7 team.

As “Marijuana Mama” Richards puts it, “There will always be a black market. But you are choosing to put something in your body, so you had better know what you are putting in your body. You pay a little higher price at a dispensary because the taxes are so high and things are more expensive to run; but if that product is going inside you, you

Trimming the product from the plant stem and sorting buds for quality control at the Onyx7 cultivation facility in Independence.

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THE PITCH | April 2021 | thepitchkc.com

David Diltz, COO of Onyx7 and head grower standing next to a new harvest of the strain White Widow.

know that product is what it says it is on the package.”

There is still a lot to learn about the effects of medical cannabis. Due to it still being illegal at a federal level, research isn’t easy to conduct. But ultimately Americans hold cannabis to a higher standard of safety than other products.

We demand that cannabis be safe, when other products also can be harmful when overindulged in. Alcohol can ruin your liver, computer screens can damage your eyes, and bike seats can cause testicular cancer. Every commercial for prescription drugs carries a laundry list of potential harmful side effects, but we are okay with those products as long as they help us sleep, reduce our anxiety, and cure our impotence.

But as we argue these opposing views, we lose sight of one important group: the patients who feel that cannabis helps their medical conditions.

“When you start talking to people who use cannabis for medical purposes, you can’t deny that it has helped them in some kind of way,” says Ruby. “In the beginning I smoked cannabis recreationally. I thought, ‘Medical is just a way to get it legal for recreational use.’ Then I started meeting these patients and completely flipped my philosophy after meeting the first one.”

For those people who work in the medical cannabis industry, it is always about that “first one”—the one person they personally know who benefited from medical cannabis at a time of great need in their lives. For Zamora it was his brother’s cancer diagnosis.

A military vet who worked for years on a job that required drug testing, he had no adult experience with marijuana until he contract-

ed an especially painful form of cancer. The only thing that helped was the marijuana suggested by his doctor. It changed Zamora’s thinking on the drug.

Stories like Zamora are a common theme among the Onyx 7 team. They each have stories of a friend, family member, or acquaintance that changed their view on the medical benefits of cannabis. Diltz tells of a childhood friend who went from high school football star to homeless opioid addict. After multiple failures in rehab, he ended up in a facility that used cannabis as a “crutch” to combat the urges of his addiction. He’s been clean ever since, and now manages multiple grow facilities across several states. As Ruby’s mother Richmond points out, “Unless you’re in that person’s situation, you don’t know what they go through on a day-to-day basis just to get up out of bed. So for them to legally get medical cannabis is the best thing we can do for someone.”

Some 30 years ago during the worst of the AIDS epidemic, I watched a good friend slowly deteriorate from the disease. Nausea and lack of appetitie made eating very difficult during the last month of his life. He asked me to find him marijuana, and we made a hot tea from it so that he could have a cup before every meal. Whether it was from a scientific reason or a placebo effect, it helped. That illegal drug made his last month of life easier. It was not fair or right that he was forced to break the law to get a small bit of comfort. It was not fair or right that I risked criminal charges to help a dying friend find peace. That’s the real reason that the work Ruby and his team do is important.

Their services help others survive and thrive.

That’s what the community deserves.

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thepitchkc.com | April 2021 | THE PITCH

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ESCAPE GLOOMS FEATURE

KANSAS CITY GETAWAYS THAT FEEL LIKE REAL VACATIONS BY APRIL FLEMING

W

hen most of us think of escape, we think of beaches, mountains, or plane tickets - things that are, in the time of COVID, items of Midwestern fantasy.

While there is reason to hope that soon we’ll realize a more normal-ish life, true normalcy, whatever that means, is still months or even years away. In the meantime, stir craziness remains real and we are desperate (ok, I am desperate), for some form of escape. Gratefully, it turns out that there actually are a handful of places in our own backyard that are worthy of the label If you look hard enough, there’s a day-trip escape out there for everyone, from a stay in a chic Crossroads location with the city’s best restaurants steps away, a modern Scandinavian loft on the water, a custom vintage Airstream with a private hot tub just outside its doors, and a plush downtown working space that makes even an office day feel like a retreat. Here are our top picks for local getaways that don’t feel like you’re just settling for something that’s not your own house.

The Airstream Getaway

The Chic Getaway

Nestled in the Crossroads, No Vacancy is an eight-room boutique hotel and studio space on the upper floors of a century-old brick building at 18th and Baltimore.

Inviting, airy studios, each of them unique, feature details like clawfoot tubs, plush linens, live plants, and vintage accents. There’s also a common space including a rooftop patio with a dreamy, pastel mountain mural practically begging for you to take a picture of it. You can book a single studio or the entire space. One big bonus: you can also request a two-hour massage in your studio. With keyless entry and limited staff interaction, you have the comforts of a hotel with the privacy of a short-term rental.

Studios start at $90 per night. novacancykc.com.

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There’s a tiny oasis, complete with palm trees, hidden away in the Westside. A few steps off of a residential street, down a corridor, and behind a tall locked gate sits a lovingly restored, sleek Airstream camper with a custom deck built around it. Tall wood fences grant lots of privacy, and the deck features comfortable, high-end outdoor furniture, patio umbrellas, string lights, and even a steamy hot tub. The interior of the Airstream is more spacious than you’d imagine, with a full leather couch, custom tile shower, and the softest bed I’ve ever slept in. Rentals of the Airstream start at about $200 per night, before adding cleaning and service fees. airbnb.com

FEATURE

The Work Getaway

Sometimes it’s not possible to fully disengage from life - or sometimes a vacation can just be a quiet place to get some work done (hi, fellow parents). Hotel Kansas City, one of the city’s newest (and most beautiful) hotels, has made its home in the former Kansas City Club, a gentleman’s club started in the 1920s that saw its heyday in the age of Tom Pendergast. For people seeking that worky escape, the hotel currently offers a “Work from Kansas City Hotel” package that includes a daytime stay in a plush sixth-floor suite specifically set up for working. It features expanded table seating, morning pastries from renowned pastry chef Helen-Jo Leach, complimentary bottled water, gym access, and even an afternoon snack of local cheeses and house-made crackers. Extend your stay overnight for another $30, or finish out the day with happy hour in the Lobby Bar or at the signature restaurant, the Town Company. The “Work from Home” package is $99, with the additional overnight stay available for $30 more. Hotelkc.com (call 816-685-1228 to book).

The Outdoors Getaway

It’s a quick two hours south to Humboldt, Kansas, home of Base Camp. Base Camp is a lot of things, but principally it is a place to stay and relax. At Base Camp, you can reserve up to three impressive, Scandinavian-inspired cabins that overlook the property’s spacious pond. You can also opt for “glamping”-style A-frame tents (was there ever a word both more spot-on and cringeworthy than glamping), or primitive campsites, both of which are sheltered among tall pines and walnut trees. Spend your days riding a bike on the newly-opened Southwind Bike Trail (A Rails to Trails Conservancy Project), or venture into Humboldt to visit Humboldt’s enviable coffee shop, restaurants, and shops. Humboldt is also full of surprises to come, including a music venue, two cocktail bars, a brewery, and a five-room boutique hotel. Cabins start at $100 a night; camping will be available in early summer. facebook.com/BaseCampHumboldt, basecamphumboldt.com

thepitchkc.com | April 2021 | THE PITCH

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DINING

SMOKER GETS IN YOUR EYES

OUR CITY’S BARBECUE IS SWEET AND SPICY, BUT ITS HISTORY IS SLOW-COOKED

BY SAVANNAH HAWLEY

LC’s Bar-B-Q

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LC’s Bar-B-Q

Jones Bar-B-Q

Chef J BBQ

Harp Barbecue

5800 Blue Pkwy, Kansas City lcsbarbq.com (816) 923-4484

6706 Kaw Dr, Kansas City jonesbbqkc.com (913) 788-5005

1401 W 13 St Suite G, Kansas City chefjbbq.com (816) 805-8283

6515 Railroad St, Raytown, MO harpbarbecuekc.com

The year was 1869, and hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the opening of the First Hannibal Bridge, the first permanent railroad bridge to cross the Missouri River. The opening was celebrated with a parade and a barbecue.

In 1880, thousands of Kansas Citians gathered to celebrate the completion of an eight years-long railroad connection project. On the front page of the first edition of The Kansas City Star, then The Kansas City Evening Star, an article about the event was published. “The Grand Barbecue” was a foreshadowing sign of a strong tradition to come.

The author wrote that “a grand old-fashioned barbecue was determined upon… the event celebrated in a manner and style peculiarly characteristic of Kansas City pluck and enterprise.”

This was the beginning of barbecue in Kansas City. Pluck indeed.

Barbecue is an ancient art. Virtually every culture around the world finds evidence of meat being smoked over an open fire pit.

Barbecue in the United States likely finds its origins in the indigenous Taino people. The Taino word “barabicu” can be broken down into four parts: ba for baba, or father; ra for yara, or fire; bi for bibi, or beginning; and cu for guacu, the sacred fire. Barbecue in its roots refers to the sacred fire pit.

Before barbecue turned into restaurants and counter service joints serving up an array of meats in a specific style, it was a tool that enabled mass cooking of large portions of meat to feed crowds of people. Indigenous tribes used it in the Caribbean, and it was spread through colonization and slavery to the upper Americas and woven into Colonial American culture.

To understand American barbecue better, you have to understand how each region’s traditional barbecue came to be. Virginia and the Carolinas are most likely the birthplace of American barbecue. In Virginia, British colonists used the Native American method of drying meat over fire on a grill made of green wood—later marrying that method with the British method of spit-cooking hogs

and other small animals.

When enslaved Africans were taken and brought to the colonies, they brought their use of spices, especially red pepper, with them. The spices, combined with colonists cooking techniques, created barbecue sauce. North Carolina’s vinegar-based sauce developed from the British tradition of basting meats in butter or vinegar to keep the meat from drying out. In South Carolina, a mustard-based sauce came from a large population of French and German immigrants.

Because it was a popular port along the Mississippi River, Memphis was privy to ingredients not found in other locales. Molasses, which was shipped upriver, and tomatoes were mixed with other spices to form Memphis’ sweet-tomato barbecue sauce.

Pork is the purist’s choice for barbecue. Whole hogs were the original choice in southern barbecuing since they were a cheap, low-maintenance source for meat. Cows needed more land, feed, and space than pigs, and pigs could be set free to roam and eat in forests when money was tight. Pork was so popular in the South that it became a point of pride. At one point southerners refused to export the pigs they raised to the northern states, and in the years leading up to the Civil War, southerners ate an average of five pounds of pork for each pound of cattle.

In Texas, however, the story is quite different. German and Czech immigrants had the space and means to raise cattle, so Texas barbecue is cow-based. Brisket and sausage barbecue were developed there. Barbecuing gave Texans—especially those that could not afford the so-called good cuts of beef—time to cook and tenderize the meat into a dish brimming with flavor.

One thing that cannot be forgotten about barbecue is the enslaved hands that made it the cuisine we know today. People will tell you with pride that barbecue takes the worst cuts of meat and turns them into a delicacy. This is true, of course, but is so because of what was offered to (and kept from) those who were forcibly displaced from their homelands.

The term “Pit Master” originated from its reference to an elderly enslaved person who cooked and oversaw the barbecue at the command of slave owners. The processes and traditions of barbecue form were passed down to those who worked under the pitmaster, solidifying the culinary art form.

Colonists and European immigrants added to barbecue with their mustards and vinegars, but American Barbecue was made by enslaved Africans. They fostered the traditions of barbecue and built upon them.

They dug the pits, laid the wood, tended to the coals, and basted the meats. They spent sleepless nights constantly supervising the delicacies only to serve slave owners and politicians (often one and the same) at rallies and large events that celebrated the United States when they had no freedom themselves.

Such is the irony of barbecue. It is the worst cuts of meats made the most desirable by its careful and laborious cooking process.

It is a celebratory American tradition taken from the indigenous people and developed by enslaved people in a country that oppressed them for hundreds of years.

This irony continued as barbecue developed. Black people were the entrepreneurs that brought American barbecue to the masses in virtually all of its main locales. During Jim Crow, when Black people were relegated to separate spheres, white people still came to their neighborhoods to dine on the relaxed but succulent fare. Rich people would ignore their etiquette and eat with their hands. Class forgotten in chase of the enticing meat.

Journalist Jonathan Daniels, writing in the mid-twentieth century, said that “barbecue is the dish which binds together the taste of both the people of the big house and the poorest occupants of the back end of the broken-down barn.” It held true then, and it continues to hold true today.

Barbecue brought people together when nothing else did, and pride in this culture is firmly cemented across the Barbecue Belt.

Each new style of barbecue built on another as traditions were passed down and people moved to different places. The Great Migra-

tion brought barbecue to further prominence in the North and West states. Henry Perry is Kansas City’s example of this migration and the forefather of our beloved barbecue.

The Henry Perry Effect

Henry Perry was born in Shelby County, Tennessee, near Memphis and the Mississippi River, in 1875 (just in between those two grand barbecues that Kansas City celebrated). As a teenager, Perry worked in steamboat kitchens on the river before eventually moving to Kansas City in 1907.

Barbecue existed in the region before Perry. It was likely brought here by those who moved just before The Great Migration enticed by a booming city with plenty of work on railroads and in the Stockyards. But nonetheless, Perry made Kansas City-style barbecue into the popular tradition he began and passed down to his apprentices.

After moving to the city to work at a saloon in Quality Hill, Perry decided to venture on his own and began selling his ‘cue in 1908. From his original stand in a Garment District alley, Perry sold beef and pork, as well as game like opossum, raccoon, and woodchuck for 25 cents.

The offerings Perry sold from his barbecue stand marked his first unique departure in barbecue style. While Perry was of course inspired by his Memphis roots, what with his sauce and cooking process, the range of meats he offered was and has continued to be a uniquely Kansas City phenomenon. Pork in the South, beef in Texas, but in Kansas City there’s always been a variety (although things like raccoon and woodchuck won’t make it to your plate anymore).

Perry’s barbecue operation gained such notoriety that he soon moved it to 17th and Lydia. Then 19th and Highland, in an old trolley barn that he cooked from during the Pendergast era of the ‘20s and ‘30s when the city was “wide-open” during prohibition. His meat still sold to rich and poor, Black and white alike for 25 cents.

Perry traditionally smoked his barbecue over oak and hickory wood until it was juicy thepitchkc.com | April 2021 | THE PITCH

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Chef J BBQ

and tender. Then there was his sauce. Fans of Kansas City-style sauce—a sort of sweet and tangy concoction that typically has a molasses base—probably wouldn’t recognize Perry’s harsh and peppery version. Legend has it that Perry used to love seeing people sweat over his sauce that took years to acclimate to.

Even when Perry was pioneering the best style of barbecue in the United States, there was plenty of competition. A 1932 article in The Call, for which Perry was interviewed, noted that there were “more than a thousand barbecue stands in the city.” Even then, Perry held true to his training and traditions, telling The Call that “there is only one way to cook barbecue and that is the way I am doing it, over a wood fire, with a properly constructed oven and pit.”

Perry’s stubborn adherence to his specific way of doing things earned him the memory of the father of Kansas City barbecue. The other 999 stands he was up against served their purpose but are lost from the collective memory. Perry’s, however, continues with us and is threaded through every decision local pitmasters make today.

Traditions of Perry’s can be found in nearly every barbecue joint in the city. If they’re not, many purists will say it’s not truly Kansas City-style. Smoking the meat over a wood fire, especially using hickory wood, offering an array of sauces (although none as peppery as Perry’s), and serving up every sort of meat available are Perry’s tried and true staples that are still passed down today.

Perry’s death and disciples

Henry Perry died in 1940 and left behind him

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a tradition of barbecue to uphold. Upon his death Perry left one of his three restaurants, Perry’s #2, to Charlie Bryant. An apprentice of Perry, Bryant was committed to upholding his traditions and style of barbecuing. Charlie ran the spot with his brother, Arthur, who came to Kansas City from Texas in 1931 to join his brother and work for Perry.

In 1946, Charlie retired and left the restaurant to Arthur, who changed the name to Arthur Bryant’s. This is when the slight modifications to Perry’s style of barbecue began.

Bryant changed Perry’s sauce to be more palatable. Perry’s was too harsh and peppery, and Bryant wanted it to be appetizing to more people. Even this change didn’t come lightly for the second generation of Perry’s barbecue.

In the book “Smokestack Lightning: Adventures in the Heart of Barbecue County,” Bryant is clear that the change in the recipe didn’t come as a means to alter Perry’s traditions. Instead, Bryant said that “I didn’t come up with something new, just revised what we already had. The sauce was too hot for a lot of people so I decided to cut out a little of the pepper. I said we should make it a pleasure to eat and that’s exactly what we did.”

Bryant’s burnt ends are perhaps one of the most iconic dishes in Kansas City-style barbecue. Originally the dish came only upon request. Burnt ends, or the burned edges of the brisket, were cut off at Bryant’s and slid to the side of the counter.

Calvin Trillin, a journalist who helped Kansas City reach national renown, wrote in a 1972 Playboy article that Arthur Bryant’s is

“the single best restaurant in the world.”

While extolling the burnt ends in that article, Trillin wrote that, “Sometimes, when I’m in some awful, overpriced restaurant in some strange town, trying to choke down some three-dollar hamburger that tastes like a burned sponge, a blank look comes over me: I have just realized that at that very moment, someone in Kansas City is being given those burned edges for free.”

Arthur Bryant’s served celebrities, politicians, and everyday people alike. Bryant grew and maintained the restaurant to be a fixture of Kansas City barbecue and, upon his death in 1982, it stayed in the family for a few years before Bill Rauschelbach and Gary Berbiglia bought part-ownership. Although the restaurant had new owners, the recipes and sauce were barely altered and are still one of the few places you can taste Perry’s pure influence today.

Conor Rauschelbach, general manager at Bryant’s, says that burnt ends exist because of Bryant’s. Arthur began serving them for free as people waited for his other delicious food. They were initially a by-product of their time. Back then the pits weren’t temperature-controlled, so meat would often come out burnt at the edges. “[Bryant] would have the points or the tips of the brisket get a little bit burnt up. Instead of trying to slice that or serve that in a sandwich, he would instruct his pitmaster just to dice it up into bite-size pieces,” says Rauschelbach. “When he had long lines, which was obviously regularly, he would put ‘em on toothpicks and he would walk them up and down the line, chatting with his guests

and letting them taste a little bit more burnt side of the brisket. After a while, it became so popular that people were on him to put it on the menu and he just eventually gave in and put them on the menu.”

As the burnt ends became more popular and technology evolved, Rauschelbach says that Bryant’s had to change the recipe a bit.

The technique for burnt ends was one of the only things to change since Arthur’s death.

“They used to just dice up the brisket cold and put the sauce over it,” says Rauschelbach. “What we found was that when the brisket is cold like that you’re basically just throwing sauce on it instead of marinating it, so we pull the brisket right off the smoker now and dice it up hot and then marinate it with the sauce. We believe it’s made the brisket a little bit more tender.”

Although burnt ends are what Bryant’s is best known for, Arthur was quick to assert that everything was equally delicious. After all, that’s what the process of barbecuing is supposed to do.

In a 1979 Missouri Life article, Bryant said “in this grease house there isn’t a specialty. Don’t have one. Everything you get here is jam up. I see to that myself.”

In the same year that Arthur took over what he lovingly referred to as the grease house from Charlie, another iconic barbecue restaurant opened up just a few blocks away.

George and Arzelia Gates purchased Ol’ Kentucky Bar-B-Q on 19th and Vine in 1946. The restaurant was one of the original brick and mortar barbecue joints but eventually fell into disrepair. George wanted to turn it into a tavern, but Arzelia disapproved of whiskey, so the restaurant stayed true to its barbecue roots.

The secret weapon Gates had on his side was Arthur Pinkard, another disciple of Perry. Pinkard stayed on when Ol’ Kentucky was purchased and taught George and his son Ollie (who would eventually take over the business) how to barbecue. They changed the name to “Gates & Sons Bar-B-Q” in 1956.

Pinkard and Gates continued their barbecue in the same ways that Perry did, with few alterations to the process. To this day, they still smoke their meat in a closed pit with three stages. The main departure from Perry’s ‘cue was the sauce that George and Arzelia created. Theirs is a tomato base with vinegar and many secret spices. It’s thicker and brings balance to all of their meats.

Equally as famous as the meat at Gates is the hospitality. For Arzelia, Ollie’s daughter and granddaughter to the original Arzelia Gates, the entire endeavour has always focused on putting community first.

“I heard it was quite a lively and condensed period. That’s when the city was very segregated, so you had all these people in one area that were doing everything,” Gates says.

“The Black dollar was right there in that area.

My dad, Ollie, calls it the 20 blocks of Black

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because we couldn’t move outside of a given area, so we were just kind of contained.

From that people did like the taste of Gates— we stayed open until the wee hours of the morning like everybody else. We entertained Jazz greats like Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker and Sarah Vaughn. We did have a lot of those guys that would come to eat and we would have to stay open in order to give them something to eat. It just grew from there.”

Gates is focused on barbecue, to be sure.

But part of building that barbecue empire that has served presidents, celebrities, and everyday Kansas Citians has been continuing Perry’s legacy in more ways than just smoking meat.

While Perry served everyone, no matter their background, he was also intensely focused on helping his community. In 1920 Perry fed 1,000 people for free. This began a tradition and each year, for four hours on one day, Perry would give free barbecue sandwiches to the elderly, the young, and anyone who was too poor to buy a meal. During his 1929 giveaway, he gave over 150 pounds of meat to the community.

Gates continued Perry’s spirit of helping build the community as much as he continued in Perry’s cooking traditions. Ollie Gates, the son of George and Arzelia, and the man who made Gates into the institution it is today, spent the majority of his life working on building a better city. Arzelia thinks Gates’ ties to the community are what makes their barbecue so special.

“My dad is so community-minded, and wherever one of the restaurants are he tries to beautify everything around it and make people feel comfortable about coming in,” Arzelia Gates says. “With the streetlights, beautification, and that kind of thing so people feel comfortable coming in and sitting down and having some Gates barbecue. The community has been so supportive of us in our efforts to be supportive of the city.”

Kansas City Creativity

Today, Kansas City has over 100 barbecue restaurants, each one claiming to be more different and unique than the last. All of these places, though, showcase the creativity of barbecue that can exist even within a specific style. We’re known for our use of all meats, rather than just pork or beef. We have an iconic slightly sweet and tangy sauce.

And, of course, we have burnt ends.

But within that style, there lies a community with endless creativity. The use of most meats means that each place can experiment in their own niche.

“As a city, we kind of engulf anybody that was doing barbecue around the nation.

If they’ve had something that was good then we’ve kind of implemented it here,” Rauschelbach says.

For Deborah Jones, one half of the sister duo that runs Jones Bar-B-Q, the utter vari-

Jones Bar-B-Q

ety of Kansas City-style barbecue all comes together in hickory wood. It’s that wood that Perry used to start his empire that is necessary for true Kansas City flavor. The Jones sisters use an outdoor pit to barbecue, which inevitably attracts the attention of connoisseurs.

The biggest break from tradition at Jones Bar-B-Q may be that the restaurant is run by women. Jones is one of few women pitmasters in the area, and women are underrepresented in barbecue at large. Although Jones acknowledges that there aren’t many women in her field, she was initially surprised to learn she was an anomaly.

“I never look at it as a pitmaster or none of that, it was just us trying to make a living,” Jones says. “It really throws me for the wild when I hear people say ‘oh you’re a pitmaster.’

I’ve been doing it a long time but I guess I never looked at it like that. It’s a male-dominated field. When people hear a woman is doing it, it just throws people for a loop. I guess people just don’t think women do it.”

Jones wakes up to start the fire around 2 a.m., then spends her day taking laborious care of the meat that smokes over hickory logs—watching it and turning it with a fork.

The sisters first learned firom their father, Leavy B. Jones Sr. He did barbecue from the ‘70s until his death. The sisters began helping him in the ‘80s, but due to his death and some family health issues, the Joneses didn’t permanently open again until 2015. Their barbecue roots stretch over 50 years, and the Jones sisters think Kansas City barbecue is all about tradition.

“As long as there’s a Jones Bar-B-Q, I’ve

asked my family that if anything should happen, that they try and keep it traditional,” Jones says. “We have a fire and brick pit we burn by hickory wood. I’ve tried to keep that going. Like I say, it’s not an easy job.”

One unique innovation from Jones is their barbecue vending machine. They cook platters fresh everyday and stock the vending machine so people can get food and sauce if the restaurant is sold out or closed.

LC’s barbecue has been open since 1986 and has been the go-to traditional ‘cue spot for many. On February 17, LC Richardson, the man behind LC’s, died. There was an outpouring of support from people all around the city, showcasing respect for an outstanding character in the city’s barbecue legacy.

Tasha Hammett, LC’s granddaughter, has been working at the restaurant with her grandfather since she was 12 years old and now runs the business’ operations and management. She says what makes LC’s so special is their commitment to top-tier flavor while still holding true to tradition with their barbecue process and their marketing.

“Our advertising is word of mouth,” Hammett says. “It’s the best and it’s free, and it’s paid off for my grandfather. His products speak for themselves and it makes them returning customers, and then it makes them tell their friends about it.”

Hammett says that LC’s burnt ends are her favorite. The tenderness of the beef is a product of their pit cooking process, but its unique flavor comes from their secret seasonings, which have attracted a dedicated and growing following.

“I think it comes down to his flavor, his

process of cooking his meat, and the fact that he fixes every item on his menu as if it’s for himself, so he puts love in it,” says Hammett.

“My grandpa has an eclectic sauce that leaves that good taste, it matches well with the meat. He always smokes his meat over hickory for the flavor. He puts the seasoning on so it can marinate while it’s cooking. He’s got a couple of secret weapons in his sauce that make it that perfect amount of sweet, but not too sweet.”

LC’s still uses a three-tiered pit that sits in the middle of the building. The pit is the most traditional choice for barbecue, and one that is no longer used in the majority of restaurants in Kansas City today.

Joe’s Kansas City opened in 1997 under its previous name, Oklahoma Joe’s. The owners, Jeff and Joy Stillwater, headed a successful competition team called Slaughterhouse Five before they decided to open a brickand-mortar (in a gas station). When they did open, crowds of people were drawn to their delicious barbecue and their alterations on regional classics.

Ryan Barrows, Vice President of Operations at Joe’s, says that the restaurant’s focus on specialty sandwiches, like their famous Z-man sandwich, are what makes Joe’s so special. It’s also, he says, their commitment to the melting pot of barbecue that is Kansas City. Like altering Carolina style pulled pork to the local palate. “[Joe’s] broke the mold of what traditional barbecue was from some of the founding fathers, if you will,” Barrows says. “A lot of places it was you go in and order a half a pound of meat and a couple of side dishthepitchkc.com | April 2021 | THE PITCH

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Harp Barbecue

es. If you wanted a barbecue sandwich you chose brisket, or pork, or ham. Even back then, Kansas City wasn’t a pulled pork town as much as it is now. Sliced pork was more traditional. We feel pretty comfortable saying that we helped get pulled pork as it’s accepted today in Kansas City kind of on the map.”

Q39, which entered the barbecue scene in 2014, left its mark through its simple innovation.Things like making great barbecue at a sit-down, chef driven restaurant and offering abundant side dishes set Q39 apart from other barbecue spots in the city. Their expansive menu includes such things as brisket burgers and even some vegetarian options, which you won’t find at many other barbecue places.

Rob Magee, chef and owner of Q39, believes that his knowledge of barbecue and market trends has made Q39 into a city-wide institution.

“It’s been great tapping into the Kansas City market with barbecue, because I think everybody’s first love of food in Kansas City is barbecue first,” Magee says.

Magee spent over 12 years on the competitive circuit. His highly decorated team showed that chef driven barbecue could be competitive and win in Kansas City. When he opened Q39, Magee committed himself to doing that same competition barbecue in the restaurant while also providing a cushy atmosphere and open kitchen.

“I’ve helped position myself, Rob Magee, to be the barbecue expert in Kansas City.

We’re the leaders of innovation, and we’re going to continue going as far as we can with barbecue to take care of every customer that walks in the door,” says Magee.

Both Joe’s and Q39 use some combina-

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tion of Southern Pride or Old Hickory smokers, which are gas fired and wood assisted but do not rely solely on wood. Relatively new to our barbecue scene is the offset smoker. In it, the meat smokes in a long horizontal chamber while wood is burned in a firebox on the side and requires new wood about every half hour. These smokers are used in the emerging craft barbecue scene, where cult favorites like Harp Barbecue and Chef J Barbecue propelled the offset smoker to popularity.

Tyler Harp has always been around barbecue. His family started on the competitive barbecue circuit when he was only 6 yearsold, and all of his previous jobs surrounded meat. Opening Harp Barbecue was a no brainer, but it’s Harp’s commitment to the craft that sets him apart. He does pop-ups all over the city, most commonly at Crane Brewing Co. But Harp hopes to open a brick and mortar one day.

“We don’t really try to do necessarily Kansas City-style,” Harp says. “Our goal through barbecue is to bring regional styles to regions where that style isn’t available. My passion as far as it relates to barbecue has evolved from just cooking to making the best barbecue we can to, through all my travels, to trying to bring stuff into regions where it isn’t currently available. I tried to gain as much knowledge as I could on all the different styles and bring something different to a place where it’s not of.”

That brisket, thick cut like is traditionally done in Texas, is their flagship item. But all of Harp’s offerings are irresistible. His focus is on bringing quality barbecue to all people, regardless of dietary restrictions. Harp hopes to one day bring more barbecue to vegetarians, for instance.

While Harp brings some new techniques to the area, he remains rooted in the combination of flavors—sweet, smokey, salty, and spicy—that he sees as the foundation of Kansas City barbecue. Harp sees the craft barbecue scene as the drive to move the entire culinary art form forward while using the traditions passed down in the city’s style.

“I certainly trend towards new school barbecue, though not with everything we do,” says Harp.

“We just want to stand on the people that got us to this point and stand on their shoulders and push us forward. There’s a lot of people that gave a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get Kansas City barbecue where it is on the scene. We want to stand on their shoulders to grow and push it forward.”

What excites Harp the most about Kansas City barbecue is the amount of true wood smoked barbecue coming back to the region.

Offset smokers are disrupting the popular gas fired smokers of the past few decades. But slow cooking the meat over quality wood is one that goes back to barbecue’s roots.

“I think traditionally, as far as tradition in the last 20 years, Kansas City barbecue has been cooked with gas assist, and Old Hickory or Southern Prides, which are smokers meant to mass produce as much meat as you can,” says Harp. “But now I think people are kind of realizing that there is a legitimate product behind cooking with strictly wood.

The thing I’m excited about is the amount of offset smokers coming to Kansas City. Because I know everytime I see one of those that Kansas City’s taking another step forward to being the best we can.”

Justin Easterwood, the man behind Chef J BBQ, always had a passion for cooking

over a fire. He’s been doing barbecue since he was 18. Like Harp, Easterwood does his barbecue in an offset smoker. Easterwood’s is located in the cafeteria of The Beast, ironically, off 13th and Hickory in the West Bottoms.

The street name was a bit of a calling for Easterwood and serves as a reminder of what he considers “Kansas City flavor”: hickory wood. The only kind he uses.

“I’m a Kansas City guy, born and raised and grew up around Kansas City barbecue,” says Easterwood. “I always loved researching other regions as much as possible. I try to do the same thing with my menu today and take the best from all parts. I’ve always thought that’s what Kansas City is all about: trying to have a whole good pot of awesome barbecue.

Kansas City flavor finds its way into everything.”

That base, a hickory wood smoked barbecue that is equal parts sweet and spicy, is important to Easterwood. Even as he brings in techniques and styles from different regions, he is committed to maintaining that underlying Kansas City flavor, which he says is about love more than anything else.

“Kansas City barbecue has got a lot of tradition into it,” Easterwood says. “The people who started it, Henry Perry and everyone, there was a lot of love that went into that barbecue, and I still think that rings true today. With as many barbecue joints as there are in Kansas City, there’s a lot of people that have a lot of love for their barbecue out there.

It’s what it’s all about.”

Techniques change and Kansas Citystyle ‘cue is constantly evolving. Even those that are firmly rooted in tradition have necessarily departed from the city’s founding father of barbecue. Creativity is the one thing that remains constant. Perry’s barbecue came to prominence because of his creativity. The use of different region’s styles in today’s craft barbecue scene mirrors Perry’s use of all different kinds of meats. The experimentation in spices and sauces is exactly what has been done for hundreds of years in the city.

The commitment to innovation, serving the community, and constantly providing the best barbecue possible is the ultimate foundation of Kansas City-style barbecue. That, and the use of hickory wood. Each of the plethora of barbecue joints open today differ in their offerings but remain committed to that cause. Then, of course, is the love. Without love, no one would be doing barbecue here. The love of providing for the community and of making the best barbecue is enduring, no matter what innovations come along.

The future of our barbecue could be chef-driven, utterly traditional, or smallbatch craft barbecue, depending on who you ask. But the future of Kansas City barbecue has room for all of these differing methods because that’s how it began. Our oldest tradition is one of innovation, and the future of our city’s ‘cue looks bright.

DINING

EAT THIS NOW WORDS AND PHOTOS BY APRIL FLEMING

Fairway Creamery, 5938 Mission Rd, Fairway, KS 66205, fairwaycreamery.com

While first and foremost Fairway Creamery is an ice cream and donut shop (one that makes just about the best versions you’ll find in Kansas City of either of those things), it does hold hidden treasures.

One of those treasures is its fried chicken sandwich, served only on weekends. This is one of the few items at the shop not originally crafted by master chocolatier (and owner of Fairway Creamery) Christopher Elbow. Rather, it comes from the hands/brain/ sources of Todd Schulte, the original owner of Happy Gillis, as well as Speak Sandwiches (RIP) and Genessee Royale (RIP on RIP). Fairway General Manager Tony Glamcevski jokes that Schulte, with this A-grade KC restaurant pedigree, “knows a thing or two about tasty breakfast sandwiches.”

Starting with enormous, steamy, fluffy biscuits, Schulte adds a crispy, juicy, and peppery fried chicken breast, gooey melted cheddar, and a perfectly cooked, sunny side-up egg (local sourcing of all of these ingredients is a big bonus). And because near-perfect is never enough, you can get it topped with sausage gravy—the basic end result being biscuits and gravy and near-perfect fried chicken and a farm-fresh runny egg. It’s a lot— and while it may not be reinventing the breakfast biscuit wheel, there is real happiness here. (There also may be heavy naps.)

DRINK THIS NOW In a more typical year, the opening of Hotel Kansas City would have caused a much bigger stir than it did in Fall 2020. The renovation of the former Kansas City Club, with its 15 floors of ornate Beaux-Arts craftsmanship, would be Hotel Kansas City, one thing, but then the introduction of The Town Company, helmed by Chef 1228 Baltimore Johnny Leach and pastry chef Helen-Jo Leach, both big-deal chefs plucked Ave., Kansas City, from places like Del Posto and Momofuku in New York, should have generMO 64105, ated a wave of buzz. This was just one of so many unfair things about 2020. hotelkc.com But there’s no such thing as too late—maybe it is time for us all to “discover” the Hotel that’s now a part of our city’s fabric—and dive into even its less-discussed amenities, like the Lobby Bar. Like the rest of the hotel, the lobby bar is no slouch when it comes to looks, but there’s substance here, too. With a drink program designed

by Director of Restaurants, Bars, and Events Scott Tipton (whose vitae includes time managing the Savoy and pioneering the Paris of the Plains cocktail festival), the bar and its drinks are far better than they ever needed to be. The drinks here, in a nod to the building’s pre-Prohibition era and Prohibition-era heydays, are mostly refined classics, refined by Tipton, and enhanced with local Kansas City spirits and ingredients.

Take the Tailspin, which is a riff on the classic Bijou cocktail. The traditional Bijou recipe calls for gin, sweet vermouth, and chartreuse, and a dash of orange bitters. The Hotel Kansas City Lobby bar version features J. Rieger & Co. Midwestern Dry Gin, a vermouth blend, green chartreuse, orange bitters, and Campari, with a Luxardo cherry for garnish.

With its dusky maroon color, silky texture, and aromatic spirits, a blind taster might even be hard-pressed to know it’s a gin cocktail. And if we can be surprised by a drink in the Lobby Bar, who knows what else we might find if we dig even deeper? thepitchkc.com | April 2021 | THE PITCH

25

DINING

BUFFET IN THE FRAY WHEN CAN WE SEAT FOR ALL YOU CAN EAT? BY LIZ COOK

High up on my list of wild post-pandemic fantasies—somewhere between being trampled in a concert hall and kissing strangers on the mouth—is eating lunch at an Indian buffet.

I miss the opulence of hotel pans brimming with masoor dal and malai kofta. I miss the tottering pyramid of golden-brown samosas, the stacks of speckled papadum.

What I miss most is so basic, I’m almost embarrassed to admit it in these pages: cold onion chutney, rouged like a dance mom, sharp and piquant and sweet all at once. I would—did—eat it solo with a spoon.

As far as the KCMO Health Department is concerned, I can make my fantasy a reality any time I want: buffets are back on the COVID-safe menu. Michelle Pekarsky, the department’s Public Information Officer, confirmed customers can even serve themselves from buffet stations now—as long as they’re masked, and as long as the restaurant sanitizes “serving/eating areas & objects every 90 minutes at minimum.”

But that doesn’t mean the metro’s Indian restaurants are ready for us to grab a plate.

“It’s too scary,” says Dea Stevens, general manager of Taj Palace on West 39th. “Even with everyone getting the vaccine right now, even with social distancing and how often

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THE PITCH | April 2021 | thepitchkc.com

we’re wiping things down. It’s just too scary.”

Stevens is the restaurant’s certified food manager—the first point of contact when a city health inspector comes calling. She knows what it takes to keep a buffet line safe.

Before the pandemic, she had to constantly police customers who would try to reuse plates and utensils on their trips through the buffet line. That level of supervision is exhausting outside of a global health emergency. Inside of one, it can feel impossible.

Stevens has been frank about those challenges with customers. She was getting so many calls and questions about the buffet that she posted a video response on the restaurant’s Facebook page in March. In the video, she speaks directly to the camera, a brightly colored mask tucked beneath her chin. “Let’s get it clear right now,” she says.

“We’re in the middle of a pandemic…there’s no way we’re going to have a buffet.”

Closing down the buffet had consequences. The lunch buffet at Taj Palace was a major revenue source, especially on weekends. Losing it meant losing employees— Stevens herself was laid off for a few months.

But steady growth in carry-out orders has helped sustain the restaurant. The return of dine-in service has made a difference, too.

What once seemed like a foregone conclusion—the return of the buffet—is now up in

the air.

“My owner [Resham Singh] and I talk about it every night. We both kind of feel like until COVID’s gone or manageable, it’s not gonna come back. And I don’t know if it will come back even then.”

The surprising sticking point? Food waste. It’s easy to deride buffets for their caloric excess, the permission slip they sign for our gluttony. For restaurateurs, the concern isn’t how much people eat, but how much they leave behind.

Stevens notes that many buffet customers pile plates high with food but only graze on few bites. The restaurant throws the rest away. Food waste has a financial cost, of course, but the buffet’s always been a money-maker. It’s a different cost that bothers her and Singh.

“We consider food to be an honor and precious,” Stevens says. “And to watch people waste like they do, it’s morally wrong.”

Taj Palace isn’t the only Indian restaurant making these kinds of calculations.

Korma Sutra in Lenexa has been buffet-less for months, even though Johnson County guidelines allow buffets to operate as normal. And owner Baljit Singh says the lunch buffet isn’t coming back.

I press him a bit—even after the pandemic has ended? Even if we really do get

Taj Palace’s shut down buffet, left and owner Resham Singh, above.

CHASE CASTOR

“back to normal”?

“One thousand percent,” Singh says.

“No more buffet.” He mentions a couple reasons—it’s hard to accommodate customers with food allergies on a buffet, for one—but his concerns mirror Stevens’. “Mostly a lot of food waste, every day.”

DINING

g ro w n b y h a n d

made by hand

Seva Cuisine of India’s buffet and peacock mural, above, and the team, below.

For his part, Singh says he hasn’t taken much of a financial hit since he shut down the buffet. His customers have been loyal— some families get carry-out three times a week. He tries to show his gratitude in return. He tucks extra food in customers’ bags, doles out free ice cream for their kids. He says he doesn’t need the buffet to make his customers feel like kings.

But Indian buffets are more than just money-makers or hunger-saters: they’re also a crucial entry point into the cuisine for diners from different cultural backgrounds.

Lunch buffets provide a low-cost, low-commitment way for diners to extend their ap-

CHASE CASTOR

petites beyond butter chicken and tikka masala. For that reason alone, they’re unlikely to disappear from the metro dining scene entirely.

Gurdev Deol, owner of Seva Cuisine of India near Liberty, has some of the same misgivings about buffets as his metro counterparts. He worked as a KCMO health inspector for years, and is clear-eyed about the risks buffets present right now. He’s seen diners waste a lot of food at Seva, too, and it bothers him.

But Deol isn’t ready to give up the steam tables just yet. In the Before Times, he’d watch families come in for the lunch

8 1 6 .2 2 1 .7 5 5 9 | bl u e bi rdbi stro .co m 1 7 0 0 S u mmi t S tre e t

buffet and sample dishes—then come back for dinner to order a new favorite. “I think they [buffets] were important to introduce our food to new people who have not tried it before,” he says. “It was a good way to stay in touch with people.”

Like Stevens, Deol says he’s been fielding a lot of calls from customers about when the buffet will return. And despite all of the risks and challenges and chaos of buffet service—in and outside of a pandemic—he wants to give the people what they want.

“People accepted us, and we have to accept their requests, also. They have been supporting our families for years, and if they want the buffet, we can work with that.”

Still, when the buffet does return, it’s likely to be on weekends only. The weekday lunch buffet was never that profitable. Plus, Deol says, sounding just a little bit guilty: “it is a bit easier now, actually.”

COVID-19 is unlikely to be the demise of the Indian buffet locally. But it has driven some restaurants to consider whether they still want to host our modern Bacchanalia when vaccines prevail. Food waste and sustainability are growing concerns for restaurants across cuisines and price points.

If we want to keep the opulence of buffets, we might have to think more critically about how we patron them.

As for my onion chutney? Taj Palace has graciously included small cups with my carry-out when I ask. I might not be able to nab a buffet-sized portion any time soon.

But if escaping a global pandemic means downsizing my condiment consumption, that’s a sacrifice I can live with.

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27

CULTURE

CRYSTAL CLEAR OUR METAPHYSICAL COMMUNITY’S STARS ALIGNED IN 2020 BY NICOLE MITCHELL

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been interested in everything metaphysical. Even though I grew up in the Lutheran church, I remember asking my pastor questions about reincarnation and ghosts. When I first heard about tarot, I was entranced.

Not only were the cards beautiful, but the fact that you could use them to learn more about yourself excited me.

It wasn’t until a breakup a few years ago that I finally decided it was time to learn for myself. I spent months reading more about astrology, I bought my first tarot deck and learned the basic meanings; I even grew a hefty collection of small crystals all in the name of healing. (I’ve now toned down my spiritual overspending and take my time to learn, but hey, I was going through something.)

It’s been a few years since I’ve embraced my spirituality and became part of the community. But throughout this last year, I

noticed more and more of my friends and strangers joining too, and I wanted to see if the Kansas City metaphysical community has noticed the same trend.

Like my personal path to spirituality, Sabrina Caldwell—owner of The Energy Within, a metaphysical store in Overland Park—experienced a low point that brought her to hers. It started with her friend and co-owner Jackie McDuffey bringing her an amethyst pendant. From there, Caldwell asked more questions about the universe and became more interested in the metaphysical. Eventually, she felt guided to share her knowledge with others and was inspired to open her shop. Today, The Energy Within has many newcomers and a variety of successful events, all with the purpose of expressing one’s spirituality.

It seems to be a common experience that when people are at their lowest points, they tend to turn in to themselves. Whether that lowest point is a breakup or… you know, facing a collective trauma and being forced to sit alone with their thoughts for the first time, people want to learn more about who they are and where they fit in the universe. It makes sense the most common theme I heard from those interviewed was community. A sense of community in times of hardships is what keeps us afloat.

That explains why there is a huge community of spiritual people who connect with online outlets like TikTok and Twitter. The hashtag #WitchTok currently has 9.9 billion views on TikTok, with videos ranging from informative how-tos to comedic storytimes.

Users like Chaotic Witch Aunt have grown

Above: Jessica Dertinger, Edith Blakeney, Theresa Goodman. Right: The inside of Harvest Moon Botanica.

The store sells candles, natural oils, perfumes, and more.

COURTESY OF HARVEST MOON BOTANICA

a platform of thousands due to this influx of people interested in the metaphysical.

Whether you call it witchcraft, spirituality, connecting with the universe, or something completely different, there is space for everyone. Alessandra Dzuba, owner of Oracle Natural Science in the Crossroads, believes deeply in science, but finds other aspects of the metaphysical as a tool to assist her in that. Meanwhile, Oracle shop manager, Quinn, has experience in herbalism, reiki, and tarot. The differences in opinion and experience sparks meaningful conversations.

In fact, some of the most memorable days for Dzuba at the shop include ones where she is sharing a conversation with customers and coworkers about each other’s beliefs. “That’s exactly what I want Oracle to be. Everyone can come there, no judgments, and we can all discuss and work off of each other and add to our practice,” Dzuba says.

Community is comfort. It is also the ability to share opinions and advice with each other. It’s the opportunity to learn more about a topic you care about while hearing what others have to say about it.

Harvest Moon Botanica, a metaphysical store and women’s collective on Troost, is owned by three women: Theresa Goodman, Jessica Dertinger, and Edith Blakeney.

When I asked them if they’d seen an increase in sales during the pandemic, Goodman answered with a resounding, “oof, yeah.” According to her, Harvest Moon Botanica had

at least tripled its sales in the last year.

“Our business is definitely booming because people are ready to heal. Especially since the pandemic, there’s been a really strong emphasis on ‘support your local small businesses,’ and so that, in itself, has really helped,” says co-owner Dertinger. “Then there’s the other aspect of people genuinely waking up and becoming more conscious and more aware of what is good for them.”

Many people visit Kansas City’s metaphysical stores looking for something to help them, from crystals for self-love or herbs to boost the immune system. While the pandemic has grown interest in all things metaphysical—it’s not all about boosting the immune system. Even though people may be worried about the effects of the pandemic,

Above left: Candle magic starter kit.

COURTESY OF ORACLE NATURAL SCIENCE Bottom left: Alessandra Dzuba, Quinn Kavanaugh FOR STRANGE WOMEN

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THE PITCH | April 2021 | thepitchkc.com

CULTURE

Above: Pictured crystals offered at The Energy Within include malachite and rose quartz. Right: A collection of labradorite crystals offered at the store.

COURTESY OF THE ENERGY WITHIN

the most popular reason for visiting these shops is a search for guidance through life.

“When we have all of the fear and the isolation that has impacted all of us, [crystals] helps reset,” Caldwell says.

If the metaphysical space is something that you’re interested in joining, the best advice given by Dertinger, Goodman, and just about everyone else that I interviewed was to trust your intuition. If there’s something that you feel drawn to, whether it be a specific crystal, candle, or herb, then that is meant for you.

“There’s going to be something that you keep looking at. There’s going to be something that you look at, then turn away from.

There’s going to be something that you kind

enced so many of us to join the online spiritual community.

The pandemic has taken a toll on all of us. It has caused a lot of hardships in our lives, from losing jobs to losing family mem-

“WHILE THE PANDEMIC HAS GROWN INTEREST IN ALL THINGS METAPHYSICAL—IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT BOOSTING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. EVEN THOUGH PEOPLE MAY BE WORRIED ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, THE MOST POPULAR REASON FOR VISITING THESE SHOPS IS A SEARCH FOR GUIDANCE THROUGH LIFE.” of want but your brain can’t think of a logical reason as to why you need that and so you’re just turning away from it. That’s the thing that’s for you. Choose that thing even if your brain doesn’t understand why you’re choosing it,” Dertinger says.

Your intuition will tell you what’s right for you. It’s what pushed me to learn to read tarot. It’s what told Caldwell to open The Energy Within after her friend gave her that amethyst necklace. And it’s what has influ-

bers because of Coronavirus. Nothing can make that okay. But it’s also given people the opportunity to learn more about themselves and their view of the universe. And in a strange way, it has also connected us in new and unexpected ways.

If you want to learn more about the metaphysical, there are people in Kansas City here for you. You just have to reach out.

1/2 -off sandwiches at restaurants around KC.

May 17-23 Participating restaurants to be announced soon Follow on Facebook for updates. *For participation details, email Jason@thepitchkc.com

thepitchkc.com | April 2021 | THE PITCH

29

MUSIC

VINNY DINGO

RADKEYS TO THE CITY ROCK’S NEXT WALL OF SOUND STOMPS LOCAL GROUND BY NICK SPACEK

Isaiah, Dee, and Solomon Radke–the trio of brothers who make up Kansas City’s rock ‘n’ roll act Radkey—are not particularly loquacious. Then again, when you’ve done as much in the past year as this band has, you don’t really need to be. Actions speak louder than words, what with two massively-successful Kickstarter campaigns and a slew of popular livestreams keeping Radkey in the public eye during the pandemic just as much as their relentless touring had before it shut down live performances.

Thankfully, the trio had already started work on a Patreon—a site where “fans become active participants in the work they love by offering them a monthly membership”—even prior to the shutdown, thus allowing them to pivot on an already-existing

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THE PITCH | April 2021 | thepitchkc.com

axis, rather than having to scramble, says bassist and vocalist Isaiah.

“It actually gave us a little more breathing room,” Isaiah explains.

“I don’t know if we actually would’ve finished the full record if we didn’t just get everything taken off our schedule,” continues Solomon, Radkey’s drummer. “It’s like, ‘Oh, now we have time to finish the album.

Interesting.’”

The interesting thing about Radkey’s Kickstarter programs for No Strange Cats and Green Room are that these aren’t to record the albums. They’re already done, but it offers up a way for fans to fund the release of vinyl editions. As a matter of fact, the announcement of a Kickstarter was accompanied both times by the release of the album

itself via streaming services–an intentional decision, says Isaiah.

“It’s really great that they want to hear it and it’s important to us that we actually put it out to even listen to beforehand,” explains the bassist. “It can be a mystery—what it sounds like, what the songs are—or you can just listen to them on Spotify, which promotes the actual record itself, which is nice.”

As the band has these songs written and recorded, their take is that if they can just surprise everyone by putting it out there when they can, Isaiah continues: “All right, here it is. You’ll get the whole thing. It’s fun to give people something exciting in times like these.”

Speaking of “Times Like These,” one of Radkey’s biggest-ever shows was slated

to happen this past Fourth of July weekend: Foo Fighters’ D.C. Jam, a 25th anniversary celebration for the arena-rockers, featuring Chris Stapleton, Pharrell, the Go-Go’s, Band of Horses, the Regrettes, and, yes, Radkey.

“That was going to be fun,” says Isaiah with a tinge of regret. “We also had a Coheed & Cambria cruise thing that was going to be our first-ever thing like that.”

Thankfully, Bandcamp Fridays, wherein the platform waives their fees and all proceeds from sales go directly to the artists, have also been a boon to the trio. While they do say that they’ve been learning as they go, the simplicity of the platform for releasing music is the real appeal.

“We can just get it right out to the fans,” Isaiah says, with guitarist and vocalist Dee

MUSIC

IV Hydration therapy for:

seconding it: “No label, no middle man.”

Given that this is a return to the band’s early days, wherein everything was done by the three brothers and their father, Matt, I ask if it’s been difficult making the transition back to the whole DIY method of operating Radkey.

Solomon lets out a sigh of relief before saying, “It’s been nice transitioning back to that. When you’re on a label and it takes like two weeks to get like a response on something simple, it’s really cool just being fully in charge of all the stuff we do now, so that’s been a plus.”

“We’ve been doing this for just so long,” Isaiah agrees. “It’s been a constant train just rolling. It’s crazy. It really is. We just figured out a lot of stuff along the way and a lot of those things are like, ‘Just put out a bunch of singles.’ That’s just kind of how the music business works right now, especially with Spotify and stuff.”

Radkey is interesting, in that these three young men have been doing this since two-thirds of the band weren’t even able to drive. When they played their first-ever show, opening for Fishbone at Merriam’s Aftershock in March of 2011, Dee was 17, Isaiah 15, and Solomon 13. This has been the only job any of them have ever had. There’s

been no flipping burgers or bussing tables for the three, giving them a unique perspective into rock’n’roll as a career. I inquire as to how things happen now that there’s not the usual grind of touring, given that Radkey was usually on the road most of the year pre-COVID-19.

the band’s deep rock knowledge, with regular cover song performances (mid-February saw the band do a version of Elliott Smith’s “Needle in the Hay”), video calls, and more.

“We spend a lot of time picking out covers,” says Isaiah. “That’s a big thing. We try to change it up, too. We try not to do too

“I DON’T KNOW IF WE ACTUALLY WOULD’VE FINISHED THE FULL RECORD IF WE DIDN’T JUST GET EVERYTHING TAKEN OFF OUR SCHEDULE. IT’S LIKE, ‘OH, NOW WE HAVE TIME TO FINISH THE ALBUM. INTERESTING.’” —SOLOMON RADKE “Working on the Patreon stuff, that’s a lot to keep up with,” Solomon replies. “We always try to have a new album kind of written, if we ever want to do a session–a lot more of the stuff that you wouldn’t usually have time to do if you were going on tours, but trying to be productive at the same time.”

The Radkey Patreon offers up a lot more than the usual stickers and t-shirts, thanks to

much Ramones—even though it’s a lot of fun to do Ramones songs. We really are just trying to make it interesting before we start hitting the road, because there’s a lot of stuff that we can do on the road that would be really cool with the Patreon. Right now we just try to keep it as cool as we can without actually having the power to be on the road, basically.”

“We’re trying to get even better at interacting with them, doing video calls and stuff—just getting closer to the fans.”

Radkey has always been the sort of band that’s been very interactive with its fans, but I wonder if they feel like this has brought them even more in contact with said fans because they can’t play shows, so this is something that you’re focusing on more.

“Yeah, and what’s cool is we’ve always wanted to do something like this: a fan club kind of thing or something where you can get closer to the band,” Isaiah says. He points to bands like Weezer who have done similar things: “You’re here, you’re part of their club.

You get cool songs and extra singles and really special things, and it’s cool to have that.”

With perks like being able to hop online and play a game like Destiny 2 with the band, one can understand just why folks think it’s so cool. While Radkey might have had to kick into that a lot faster than they might have initially thought, they agree that “all that stuff ” is now something that the band would be happy to keep rolling, even after the pandemic.

“In the end, it’s just cool to have people who actually want to do that,” Isaiah concludes.

wellness

•

vitamin booster

• • hangovers • migraines • jet lag • fatigue • athletic the flu

performance

thepitchkc.com | April 2021 | THE PITCH

31

FILM

A MERRY BAND PRODUCTIONS

DISASTERPIECE THEATER ESPIONAGE-THRILLER *ORDER 86* EMBRACES THE DUNKS BY DAN LYBARGER

Every now and then a locally made movie catches on nationally even if it features no stars or was made with a budget similar to the price of a car.

Herk Harvey’s Carnival of Souls, Kevin Willmott’s CSA: The Confederate States of America and Jill Sixx Gevargizian’s The Stylist have all found audiences despite their modest origins. Willmott is now an Oscar winner for co-writing, and Gevargizian earned praise in the Los Angeles Times as her movie is playing in festivals across the country.

Like the previous films, the spy thriller Order 86 is unique, but its path the marketplace is a little different. When the movie goes on sale at the end of the month, it’s coming with a Mystery Science Theater 3000-style commentary track from local movie wisecrackers Cinemasochists.

So why exactly does Order 86 come with comic enhancement?

The story by director Richard A. Buswell, producer Alex Paxton, and Jonathan Love has some potentially intriguing plot twists. There’s also a solid performance from Christopher Preyer (Clownado) as an enigmatic operator named Sam. Order 86 concerns a whistleblower named Frank (Coleman Crenshaw) who

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THE PITCH | April 2021 | thepitchkc.com

steals a computer virus that could wreck the global economy and communications systems. To prevent the bug from getting into the wrong hands, he secretly hands it to an unsuspecting waitress-aspiring actress (Laurie Catherine Winkel). She winds up being the target of covert operatives from around the globe.

How do we know they come from the other side of the Atlantic? The supporting cast is full of accents that are supposed to be German, Russian or British, but it’s difficult to tell with all the mumbling.

It’s also hard to pull off a James Bond thriller when the locations are mostly in KC’s River Market (you can clearly spot dispensers for The Pitch), and the budget for gadgets is considerably less than what 007 spends on suits and martinis.

There’s also a recurring issue where the film goes out of focus, as if cinematographer Todd Baron from The Room has taken over the camera work.

This is where the Cinemasochists come in. In the enhanced version, available on Vimeo, you’ll hear them shout jokes over the film. Enhancement, indeed.

Why Spies?

The decision to film an espionage movie

away from the coasts seems a little odd, but Paxton recalls that he and Buswell weren’t interested in making the kind of first-timer films that others would choose.

“Everybody and their mother does the horror movie as their first movie, or they’ll do the romantic comedy route, so, let’s do something else,” he recalls by phone. Paxton would know. He has worked at several movie theaters and is an asset for any film trivial team. On mine, he was known as the “soundtrack whisperer” for his encyclopedic knowledge of music cues.

Buswell, who has worked at both DST and H&R Block, specializes in stage combat, so making an action movie isn’t so farfetched. After shooting, he restaged murder scenes for DNA of Murder with Paul Holes.

Basically, he knows how to help people convincingly fake violent struggles.

He and Paxton were eager to produce something that wasn’t like the films they were watching.

“Both Alex and I had become a little disillusioned with what Hollywood has been putting out. I would go through a movie, and half-way, two-thirds of the way through the movie, I would know how it ends,” says Buswell.

“When I wrote the script, I’d come to a

crossroads where a decision had to be made by a character or a plot decision, I’d say, ‘What would Hollywood do? They would turn left.’ So, I would turn right and see where it would go.”

Sad Coda

The filmmakers ran into a problem with an opening sequence that had to be reshot, because it was moving lethargically.

“We’d filmed that scene once before.

We weren’t really happy with it. It just didn’t turn out quite right. This is our opening scene, so it needs to flow better. Our original actor wasn’t able to make it,” recalls Paxton.

To take over the role, the filmmakers cast Craig Glazer, the owner of Stanford’s Comedy Club, who had had some acting experience and managed to nail his cameo. Sadly, he got to see the movie, which finished shooting in 2016. Glazer died of cancer in 2018. Glazer was the subject of the cover story in the July 4, 2013 issue of The Pitch.

Bussell recalls, “I was shocked when I heard that he died. The other thing that’s sad for me is that my Dad died the year we filmed it. He died after Christmas of 2016. I really wanted him to see me make a feature film.”

Buswell and Paxton are happy that peo-

FILM

The team behind Order 86 building a mystery.

A MERRY BAND PRODUCTIONS

ple can finally see their effort and that the proceeds from purchases can be used to pay their collaborators and start another movie, even if the wisecracks are added. Both are quick to credit the people who gave all and want them to get their due.

“They worked from dusk till dawn,” admits Paxton.

Admittedly, adding the commentary track is an unusual selling point.

“I used to work at an advertising agency back in the early 2000s. It’s now called VMLY&R. One of my many coworkers from that period is Sean Hogan, who is now a partner at DMH. We’ve remained friends on Facebook. He said that there was this movie that had somehow found its way to him.

The people who made the movie had trouble marketing it and said let’s go to an advertising agency. He ended up with a copy of it.

DMH doesn’t do film marketing. They have bars in their offices and in some cases watch the movie, and Sean and kind of wanted to pick my brain about it and see if there was something about this movie that was worth doing something with,” recalls Cinemasochist Dale Maxfield.

“This seems like something that we could riff, but how do I tell the filmmakers that their movie is bad enough to be fodder for us and how do we navigate that? We respect the movies that we make fun of. We know that movies are hard to make,” Maxfield and fellow Cinemasochists Matt McCann and Bess Hayles do more than mock their targets. Before COVID-19 forced them to make virtual presentations, the three presented a little history on their movies and read from tight, color coded scripts. If their movie is Highlander 2, Fifty Shades of Grey, or Order 86, the trio can go through more than 700 jokes per offering.

When asked about what it was like to hear Maxfield and company riffing on their film, Paxton replied, “We never thought it was the greatest film. There were a couple of remarks where that hits close to home. There were a couple where, touché, you got me.”

Technical Wizardry

Despite the ribbing the filmmakers have taken, Buswell and Paxton did learn filmmaking chops as they progressed. Postproduction takes longer if you are learning it for the first time. Nonetheless, Buswell pulled off a formidable technical trick that I didn’t notice on 32-inch TV. “I’m sure that many people have said, ‘When are you finally going to release this?’

Computer technology has been a huge boon.

I couldn’t have done this without the ability to use a computer,” recalls Buswell. “Do you remember when they go back to Jen’s apartment toward the end of the film and Bernie (Joshua Busick) is down by the cab? The Germans attack, but there’s nobody there.

It’s just the crickets and the cab. I was able to digitally erase (Bernie) from the shot.”

The filmmakers ingeniously incorporated their surroundings.

“You know that scene in the alley when the helicopter flies by?,” asks Buswell. “That was me working on the sound. There was a helicopter flying nearby while I was recording dialogue. So, instead of trying to remove the helicopter sound, I just put the helicopter into the shot.

“To be technically correct, the helicopter itself was a real helicopter, which I added digitally to the alley scene, putting it both in the sky and its reflection in the window as it passes.”

“I’ve got to hand it to him,” admits Maxfield. “The fact that I didn’t notice that there’s a fake helicopter in the movie, that’s good work for your time out.”

Despite the ribbing, Buswell is happy that the movie has at least one fan. “My Mom has been able to see it. She loved it, of course, because I made it. That’s what moms are like,” he laughs.

Paxton is at work on another script and an audio book. He adds, “In the immortal words of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (the director of such disasterpieces as Glen or Glenda and Plan 9 from Outer Space), my next one will be better.” thepitchkc.com | April 2021 | THE PITCH

33

BEING JOHN MALKOVICH

FILM

Keep it simple

4:20 TO YUMA CLUELESS

PLANNING A STONED MOVIE MARATHON? HERE’S HOW TO KEEP YOUR CHILL. BY ABBY OLCESE

When it comes to great movies to watch while enjoying marijuana, there are a few different routes you could take. For Screenland Theaters’ Adam Roberts, the experience has taken a few different forms over time. His most recent bake-and-watch cinema preference, however, might seem unexpected.

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THE PITCH | April 2021 | thepitchkc.com

“I’ve discovered Pixar films work quite well under any influence,” Roberts says. “At the end of every Pixar movie, you’re gonna be in tears, so it’s like a light, soft hug of a film, and being a little high for that is nice.”

Missouri voted to legalize medical marijuana in 2018, and there are ongoing discussions about moving to legalize it recre-

ationally. Dispensaries and companies producing edibles started opening in the metro area late last year. With a growing number of people having access to medical marijuana locally, in a growing number of forms, an important question arises: if you want to get high and watch a movie, what movie should you watch?

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In talking both with movie fans and cannabis industry professionals, a shared opinion is that the best approach is to pick something fun and easy to follow.

“If I’m looking for a good movie to watch high, the number one thing is, is this movie too plotty? If so, I’m not gonna enjoy it,” Willy Evans, co-founder of the Kansas City Underground Film Festival, says. “A mood experience is good, or something really funny, or something you can enjoy without paying attention to the story.”

Roberts says complex movies—for example, Memento or Being John Malkovich— don’t play well with the shortened attention span most people experience while high.

“Those movies that are already built to be puzzles, or over two hours, I’m gonna be out on,” Roberts says. “You also always run the risk of falling asleep when you’re high, especially if you’re comfortable and well-fed, so you’re not looking to watch overly complex epics, at least not for the first time.”

Tyler Mitchem works with cannabis-infused beverages at Clovr, Kansas City’s first producer of marijuana edibles. Mitchem says he agrees that simple is the way to go, but it’s also a good idea to take advantage of marijuana’s enhancing abilities.

“It can heighten certain senses for certain individuals,” Mitchem says. “For me it’s sight perception, so maybe colors are a little more vivid, or action scenes are more explosive, and it can heighten your sensitivity to something like surround sound. If I were to sit down and watch a movie, I’d be using it before and during, and I’d want to enjoy the heightened form of it. It can only make a movie better.”

FILM

Tokin’ recommendations

With the ability of marijuana to enhance audiovisual experiences, Mitchem’s recommendation for movies to watch while high makes a lot of sense. “I’m a big Marvel guy, there’s so much action going on in those movies, and those are great,” Mitchem says. “They’re a little long, but they’re great movies. The color is enhanced and the action is enhanced.”

Along those lines, while arthouse cinema might at first seem too ambitious to enjoy under the influence, Stray Cat Cinema’s Andrew Linn says the right pick can create a memorable trip.

WAKING LIFE

DAZED AND CONFUSED

CÉLINE AND JULIE GO BOATING

“Movies like Waking Life and Dead Man aren’t heady in overly technical ways, but in a philosophical way,” Linn says. “If you’re high, you’re in a state of mind where you’re open to that.”

Linn also recommends the 1974 Jacques Rivette film Celine and Julie Go Boating. “It’s like a three-hour fantasy hangout film. It’s got a circular, rotational feel to it.”

The 1998 Coen Brothers noir-tinged comedy The Big Lebowski is, of course, a stoner classic, but it’s not the only mys-

tery-based option. Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice and David Robert Mitchell’s Under the Silver Lake all either feature prominent stoner characters or, according to fans, lend themselves well to watching high. That begs the question: what about marijuana and stoner culture works so well with this format?

Linn says the appeal likely goes back to the genre’s roots.

“There are two threads of detective plots, one of which comes from The Thin Man, where the characters are either drunk or hungover through most of the movies.

They’re floating through things and reacting to the world around them,” Linn says. “A detective in a film noir often has things just kind of happen to them, and they’re coming to the story as an outsider. It’s something they don’t fully understand. The idea of trying to solve a mystery that you don’t have the ability or the comprehension to understand just feels like a direct line from that film noir detective trope.”

Weed on film

In addition to movies with stoner characters that work well as movies to watch while get-

ting high, Hollywood has plenty of onscreen examples of marijuana use—and cannabis culture—that both accurately depict it or get it wildly wrong. Among fans and professionals alike, one movie stands out as a sterling example: Richard Linklater’s 1993 hangout film Dazed and Confused, about a group of Austin, Texas teenagers on the last day of school in 1976.

“I think Dazed and Confused is one of the better movies of making a stoner movie that resembles real life,” Mitchem says. “It’s more like what your average stoner crew would be like.”

Roberts says the movie feels like an accurate portrait of a life stage that’s partially defined by marijuana use.

“Dazed and Confused is the embodiment of being 18 years old and discovering alcohol and marijuana, and also who you are as a person,” Roberts says. “It’s a time and a place for most people, and it works really well because there are so many different characters, and they all kind of resonate under the feeling of not knowing what to do with their lives, but they all get along because they drink and smoke.”

Roberts says there are also plenty of one-off examples of scenes or characters in

movies that get marijuana right.

“There’s one scene in Clueless where Cher (Alicia Silverstone’s character) smokes weed, and it’s like the first time we all smoked weed,” Roberts says. “We’re all very dainty, holding the joint for the first time, thinking ‘am I even doing this right?’ It’s very honest and real and funny.”

In terms of cannabis culture, Mitchem says he likes the 2019 Guy Ritchie film The Gentlemen, in which Matthew McConaughey’s character has a profitable weed empire.

“It took the industry very seriously on a large-scale grow basis,” Mitchem says. “It portrays my industry in a different light because it shows there are affluent people involved in it, that we’re not just a bunch of hood rats.”

What to enjoy while you watch

Once you’ve decided on something to watch, the next step is finding the right product to enjoy alongside your chosen movie. Mitchem recommends staying away from options that you can consume quickly, since the goal is to enjoy a high and enjoy a movie together. “The same dose of the same edible affects everyone differently,” Mitchem says. “You might not want to eat an edible and watch a movie and then it’s done.”

Rather, Mitchem says, look for products you can enjoy over time.

“A beverage would be nice, something you can casually enjoy while watching a movie, like an infused mocktail,” Mitchem says. “A beverage or flower would be my two top choices.”

Most importantly, Mitchem notes, responsible consumption is key no matter what you’re watching or what you choose to consume alongside it.

“Never let anyone under 21 consume cannabis products,” Mitchem says. “It’s not a cure for any illnesses, just a treatment possibility for certain illnesses, under the correct circumstances, for adults only.”

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35

KC CARES

KANSAS CITY PIG RESCUE NETWORK

BY BROOKE TIPPIN

One night as I was scrolling through my As my husband and I pulled up to their Instagram feed, I came across an account location, we witnessed pigs, goats, and sevwith pictures of the most handsome boy. eral other animals moving about the farm in His name was Butters, and he had my heart. perfect harmony. A friendly volunteer welHe was stinky, dirty, hairy, and was seeking comed us upon our arrival. We grabbed our someone for love, snacks, and belly scratch- giant bag of vegetable snacks and prepared es. But most importantly, he was looking for to share the love with all the farm animals. a sponsor to take care of his food, medical We walked around and the volunteer filled care, and shelter while waiting for a lucky us in on several of the pigs and their backfamily to adopt all 300 pounds of him. But- stories. Many had come from neglectful ters was a pig, and he was being fostered environments, some had jumped off trucks at Willeyville Farm in Cleveland, Missouri that were headed to the slaughterhouse, and through the Kansas City Pig Rescue Net- others were lifelong residents of the foster work. farm. Each pig had a story. Each pig matI had to meet him. tered.

Kansas City Pig Rescue Network Then the moment came. I got to (KCPRN) is an organization meet Butters. I squealed with exdedicated to the rescue, citement and rushed to feed rehabilitation, and perhim all the best vegetables manent placement I saved just for him. He UNLIKE of domesticated was even more beautipigs in Kansas and ful in person. We were OTHER PIG RESCUES Missouri. Their able to sit in one of OR ANIMAL mission is to the shelters built for SANCTUARIES, KCPRN “Protect, Advothe pigs to huddle cate and Educate,” together in at night IS A FOSTER-TOensuring each pig or when it gets cold.

ADOPT NON-PROFIT finds their forever It was cold the day we PIG RESCUE. family. Unlike other went to visit, but it was pig rescues or animal extremely warm in the sanctuaries, KCPRN is a pig hut. I was able to handfoster-to-adopt non-profit feed him and pet his belly for as pig rescue. They believe it is imlong as he wanted (which was a long portant in getting to understanding each pig time). He was in pig heaven, and I was just that comes through their program so they happy to spend time with him. During the can help rehabilitate them and prepare them holiday season, KCPRN sent me an ornafor a happy life in a permanent family home. ment with his photo on it. A small gift that As I mentioned, Butters was looking will always mean something special to me. for a sponsor—and I wanted to be that per- Eventually, Butters was adopted by a loving son. I immediately grabbed my credit card family, but I am so happy I could provide and signed up. My small monthly payment him with the help and essentials he needed helped ensure he got the love and care he de- while waiting for his forever home. serves. I was contacted by one of the volunKCPRN is a temporary home to roughteers at KCPRN with appreciation, and they ly 80 or more pigs at a time. Every pig that said I could come out to meet him anytime. comes into their program receives the esI immediately said “YES” and “how many sentials including spay/neuter, worming snacks can I bring?” and vaccinations, clean water, dry straw,

36

THE PITCH | April 2021 | thepitchkc.com

Making a couple of pals like Butters.

BROOKE TIPPIN

and food. Beyond the basics, they also treat infections, attack wounds, broken bones, soft tissue injuries, dental and eye issues, seizures, and other health issues.

If you are interested in volunteering or adopting a pig, visit their website at kcpigrescuenetwork.org to learn more. If you are not able to adopt a pig right now, but want to help, sponsoring is a great option. Spon-

sorships allow the organization to focus on larger financial projects like building new shelters and pens, transportation, events, and educational opportunities. You can set up reoccurring donations or sponsorships on their website. Or if you want to do a onetime donation, you can find them on paypal. me/KCPRN or Venmo @kc-pigrescuenetwork.

Kansas City Pig Rescue Network Sponsor a pig for $25 a month: kcpigrescuenetwork.org

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37

SAVAGE LOVE

I HAVE SEX WITH MY FRIEND’S WIFE, THEN CALL HIM TO TELL HIM ABOUT IT AFTER

BY DAN SAVAGE

Dear Dan: A male friend—not my best friend but a close one—told me his wife was really attracted to me, another male, and asked if I was attracted to her. His wife is an incredibly hot woman and I thought it was a trick question. I read your column and listen to the Savage Lovecast, Dan, so I know there are guys out there who want other men to sleep with their wives, of course, but I didn’t want to risk offending this friend by saying “FUCK YEAH” too quickly. After he convinced me it wasn’t a trick, I told him that of course I wanted to have sex with his wife. She’s incredibly beautiful and a really great person. I told him was that I not at the least bit bisexual and not into MMF threesomes and he told me he wouldn’t even be there. He just wanted to hear all the details later—and hear them from me, not her.

I’ve slept with his wife four times since and the sex we’ve been having is phenomenal for both of us. But the talks I have afterwards with my friend make me uncomfortable.

We’ve gotten on the phone later in the day or the next day and I give him the details and insult him a little, which he likes, and honestly none of that is the problem. What makes me uncomfortable is that I can hear him beating off during these phone calls. Which makes me feel like I’m having phone sex with a guy. I’m not comfortable with this and I feel like our friendship has become sexualized in a way that just feels unnatural for me. The one time we met in person to talk after I fucked his wife he was visibly aroused throughout our entire conversation. I would like to keep fucking my friend’s wife and she wants to keep fucking me but I don’t want to talk with my friend about it afterwards. Shouldn’t it be enough for him to just know I’m fucking her?

Distressed Aussie Chafes Under Cringe Kink P.S. This is his thing, not hers. She loves having sex with me but the calls to her husband don’t do anything for her.

Dear DACUCK: It’s obviously not enough

38

THE PITCH | April 2021 | thepitchkc.com

for him to know you’re fucking his wife.

If that was enough for him, DACUCK, he wouldn’t want to get on the phone with afterwards.

This is a consent question. If your friend consents to his wife having sex with other men on the condition that he hears about it afterwards—and hears about it from those other men—that condition has to be met for the sex she’s having with other men to be consensual. And while the calls afterwards aren’t a turn-on for his wife, DACUCK, if those calls make it possible for her to sleep with other men and she enjoys doing that, well then, the calls actually are doing something for her too. You’re not obligated to have these conversations with your friend if they make you uncomfortable—because of course you’re not—but if you were to refuse, DACUCK, then your friend might withdraw his consent for you to fuck his wife. Your friend and his wife might be willing to revise these conditions just for you, DACUCKS, so it couldn’t hurt to ask. But if he says no you don’t get to fuck his wife anymore. Or if he says no and his wife keeps fucking you, well then, she’d cheating on him for real and not “cheating” on him for fun.

Zooming out for a second: you knew this was a turn-on for your friend before you fucked his wife. You knew he was a cuckold, which means you knew he would be getting off on you fucking his wife, DACUCK, which means you knew he’d be out there somewhere beating off about you and your dick. Even if he didn’t want to hear from you directly afterwards, even if he was pumping the wife for the details, your friendship was sexualized pretty much from the moment he asked you to fuck his wife and you agreed.

So the problem isn’t the sexualization of this friendship or the awareness that this dude is out there beating off about you. The problem is having to listen to him beat off when you get on the phone—or having to see him become visibly aroused when you meet up in person—and there’s a pretty easy workaround for that. (I love a solvable problem!) Instead of giving him a call after you’ve fucked his wife, use the voice memo app on your phone to record a long, detailed, insult-strewn message after you’ve fucked his wife and send it him. You’ll still get to fuck his wife, he’ll still get to hear about it from you, and you won’t have to listen to him doing what you damn well knew he’d be doing after you fucked his wife, i.e. furiously beating off about you.

Dear Dan: I’m a 20-something hetero female living in the South. I’m having trouble with my boyfriend of almost three years. We are very happy together but our sex life is lackluster. The really strange part is that the sex, when we have it, is always good. It’s intense and satisfying. However, getting sex to happen is a challenge. My boyfriend has a lower

libido but it’s not a huge discrepancy. I want sex 2-3 times per week and he wants it maybe once per week. We have compromised on twice a week. However, the sex is routine and banal. It always happens on the same days— Sundays and Wednesdays—and there’s no spontaneity at all, which makes it boring for me. In addition, my boyfriend never initiates.

He has a history of being promiscuous—he slept with about 100 women before we were together—and I am completely fine with that.

But he has admitted to me that he misses his promiscuous life and that monogamy is difficult for him. He says he loves me and that he wants to make this work. He is the person I want to marry but I feel like I’m settling sexually. Please help.

Becoming Annoyed Now About Lovemaking Dear BANAL: The sex, when you have it, is intense and satisfying… but routine and banal at the same time because there’s no spontaneity. The obvious answer is obvious: If having sex at the same time and in the same place is ruining the intense and satisfying sex you’re having, BANAL, maybe don’t always have sex at the same time or in the same place? And since you’re the initiator and that’s unlikely to change—turning a cheater into a faithful partner is easier than turning a non-initiator into an initiator— that means you’re in charge of the when and the where. You’ve already compromised on having sex twice a week, which is your lowend preference and double his preference (so you got the better end of that deal), and now all you gotta do is initiate sex on different days, at different times, and in different places. Easy-peasy.

Now for the non-obvious answer, BANAL: You need to listen to what your boyfriend is telling you. Monogamy is difficult for everyone, not just your boyfriend, but some people find it more difficult than others. And asking someone who finds monogamy extremely difficult to make a monogamous commitment… yeah, that’s not a great plan. This isn’t entirely on you; someone whose libido tanks when they’re in a monogamous relationship and/or someone who’s way more interested in sex when they’re free to sleep around shouldn’t be making monogamous commitments. Or not making them yet. Monogamy might not be right for your boyfriend at the moment, BANAL, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be right for him ever. Just like sex you have to schedule might not be right for you now, while in your mid-twenties, but that doesn’t mean scheduled/routine/maintenance sex won’t be right for you ever.

Question for Dan? Email him at mail@ savagelove.net. On Twitter at @fakedansavage.

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