November 2023 THEPITCHKC.COM
4 LETTER Editor-in-Chief Brock Wilbur President & Chief Operating Officer Andrew Miller Director of Marketing & Promotions Jason Dockery Managing Editor Steph Castor Community Manager & Food Editor Sarah Sipple Sales Executive Erin Carey Music Editor Nick Spacek Film Editor Abby Olcese Little Village Creative Services Jordan Sellergren Art Director Cassondra Jones Contributing Writers Michael Mackie, Barb Shelly, Beth Lipoff, Kristen Thomas, Jordan Baranowski, Lauren Textor, Adrian Torres, Kate Frick, Scott Poore, Hana Kim, Patrick Sprehe, Ivy Anderegg, Tyler Schneider Editorial Interns Mar’Che Boggess, Joe Ellett, Emily Jacobs, Hayden Kalp, Zoe Strohm Contributing Photographers Zach Bauman, Brooke Tramel, Maura Dayton, Isabella Galvan, Allison Scavo, Pilsen Photo Co-op Contributing Designers and Illustrators Alex Peak, Jake Edmisten
VOICE MEDIA GROUP National Advertising 1-888-278-9866 vmgadvertising.com
DISTRIBUTION The Pitch distributes 20,000 copies a month and is available free throughout Greater Kansas City, limited to one copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for $5 each, payable at The Pitch’s office in advance. The Pitch may be distributed only by The Pitch’s authorized independent contractors or authorized distributors. No person may, without prior written permission of The Pitch, take more than one copy of each week’s issue. Mail subscriptions: $22.50 for six months or $45 per year, payable in advance. Application to mail at second-class postage rates is pending at Kansas City, MO 64108.
Letter from the Editor High Scores Ahead In the unending side-scroller of life in the big city, this is our chance to come together as a community and celebrate the folks and businesses who earned the chance for (temporary) immortality by inputting their initials. BY BROCK WILBUR
6 BEST OF KANSAS CITY 2023
Our Picks From the rock stars on the football field to actual rock stars—with some crossover—here’s what made 2023 a raucous time for the writers of this magazine. BY THE PITCH STAFF
16 Your Picks
The metro cast 679,500 votes in 505 categories to signify every standout from “Best Bartender” to “Best Doctor” to “Best Place to Shake Your Booty”—and everything in between. BY PITCH READERS
Cover by Cassondra Jones
Letter from the Editor High Scores Ahead By Brock Wilbur Greetings, dear reader, and welcome to our favorite issue of the year. For 43 years, The Pitch has been a cornerstone of the KC community, from its humble beginnings at Penny Lane Records to the multi-faceted outlet you know and love today. As is tradition, we always put together a “Best Of” magazine that takes an extensive look at everything that makes this metro—and its surrounding areas—one of the greatest places in America to live/visit/celebrate/get rekt/fall in love/lose your mind/go hard in the paint. This yearly tentpole issue serves as both a victory lap to all those involved and as a beacon that welcomes new blood to the city. I should know, as a Best Of issue picked up during a visit to KC was a cornerstone in the decision of my wife and I uprooting our lives from Los Angeles to come be part of
this absolute rager happening in the center of everything. As per usual, the issue is divided right down the middle. In the “Our Picks” section, the writers from The Pitch tossed out some thoughts and feelings on what we thought made KC into the all-star that she was this year—from our favorite rock stars on the football field to our favorite rock stars who blew stadiums away. Yes, obviously there’s a little crossover between those two subjects these days, which also just absolutely rips. In the “Your Picks” section, the people of KC cast 679,500 votes in 505 categories, selecting their favorite people, restaurants, creators, businesses, and places to just get weird. The second half of the issue is fully hands-off from our internal team, and no weight was placed on any of the scales. The winners and runners-up in these categories were 1000% picked by the city after rounds of nomination and voting. Does this magazine include every local hero and all that they did? Absolutely not. Is this the definitive list of the only people and businesses that are making a difference? Absolutely not. Is this a parade that we get to throw to celebrate the hard work
and unyielding dedication of more people than there is space for naming them? Absolutely yes. One of the reasons we went with this year’s arcade-based theme is that we look at this write-up a bit like the disco cyberspace of a mall games emporium. There’s a marketplace of ideas here, with hundreds of machines to play and so many worlds to see. In each of those spaces, this is a chance for the champions of 2023 to input their initials next to their high score—to be looked upon and adored by all those who step up to try their hand next. But what’s most important here is that these high scores are transitional. This is a city full of new players on the come-up, with quarters stacked next to the screen to indicate that they’ve got next. If your name isn’t sitting at No. 1 in the category where you regularly compete, well, we cannot wait to see what new techniques you bring to the battle in 2024. Pitch in and we’ll make it through,
COPYRIGHT The contents of The Pitch are Copyright 2023 by The Pitch LLC. 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: andrew@thepitchkc.com or 816-218-6792
CHECK IT OUT
Saltwell Farm Kitchen launches relief fundraiser after devastating fire
Saltwell Farm Kitchen is a farm-to-table experience that has been near and dear to our hearts for the past two years. In the early hours of October 1, the Overbrook, Kansas farmhouse suffered a fire that damaged the kitchen, prep area, bathrooms, equipment, ingredients, art, and heirloom trinkets passed down by family and community members. On October 3, owner Shantel Grace wrote a lengthy and heartfelt social media post sharing her thoughts on the incident, thanking staff, guests, first responders, local businesses, and friends of friends for their support. “We’re quickly learning that being vulnerable and asking for help to get through life’s difficulties is a part of life, especially for small businesses like us, who exist not because of pockets of money but rather only because of hard work and gumption,” Grace states. The post also included a link to a GoFundMe to help cover lost hours and wages while the staff is out of work that insurance otherwise will not cover due to the nontraditional nature of the homestead/farm/restaurant. Follow the link to learn more about Saltwell’s efforts to move forward and rebuild. Saltwell Farm Kitchen owners Shantel Grace and Rozz Petrozz in April 2022. Steph Castor
4
THE PITCH | November 2023 | THEPITCHKC.COM
THEPITCHKC.COM
