WEEK OF FEBRUARY 21–27 | BY BERRY ANDERSON
ART Unfolding Seth Johnson at the Greenlease.
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CAFÉ Rye grows at Mission Farms.
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MUSIC FORECAST Toro Y Mio brings the Chazmataz.
F R I D AY | 2 . 2 2 | THE PUPPET SAID WHAT ?
Four or five times a year, Paul Mesner Puppets (1006 East Linwood, 816-756-3500) steps away from the traditional canon of children’s shows to produce the Adult Puppet Slam, an 18-and-older night of comedy. “The overall style is like Second City or improv,” says Bill PreE M OR nevost, PMP’s interim executive director. During the 90-minute event T A E IN tonight and tomorrow, ONL .COM PITCH no subjects are off-limits, and most are drawn from current events and recent headlines. Performers include Mike Horner (who’s also a ventriloquist), Gabby Baculi, Erika Baker and Mesner. Tickets cost $10 at the door, and the show starts at 8 p.m. For more information, see paulmesnerpuppets.org.
EVENTS
THE SWEET LIFE Sugar isn’t that bad for you. In fact, the American Heart Association says 24 grams a day is OK. Consume your grams at The Pitch’s second annual Sugar Rush, at 6 p.m. at the Guild (1621 Locust). Tickets for our sweet sampling of local restaurants, bakeries and food trucks cost $12 in advance or $15 at the door. One of the featured vendors is Mud Pie Vegan Bakery & Coffee, a 39th Street joint that specializes in turning dietaryrestriction lemons into lemon cake. We asked owners Michael and Ashley Valverde and Sharon Hughes for the scoop on gluten-free goods. The Pitch: What do you think people believe they are in for when they try vegan or gluten-free baked goods? Mud Pie: One misconception we hear is that people expect our goods to be dry and dense. After trying our bakery items, people often say they would not know
TUMMY SUPPORT
In addition to a strong faculty and a supportive community, the Kansas City Academy (7933 Main, 816-444-5225) has a powerful man on students’ side: Brandon Draper. The multi-instrumentalist, percussion explorer and all-around talent runs the music program at KCA and is in his second year of curating the school’s Grassroots Concert Series, which has booked several of KC’s most acclaimed jazz acts (including Alaturka and Sons of Brasil). “Generally, the artists and KCA promote each individual event and split the proceeds, just like a club would,” Draper says. “It’s completely grassroots with no sponsorship at all.” Tonight’s show — the KC Belly Dance Showcase — is a little different: All the proceeds go back to KCA so that it can upgrade the auditorium’s lighting system. For tickets ($10 for GA, $15 for preferred seating) and more information, see kcacademy.org. The all-ages show begins at 7 p.m. continued on page 13
D THURS
that they are vegan without being told. What are some of the ingredients you use? We use a range of nondairy milks, including soy, rice, hemp, almond, coconut and cashew. The cashew and coconut milks are made in-house. We can use these milks in both our coffee bar and baked goods. We use a variety of flours in our gluten-free items: rice, sorghum, teff and garbanzo, to name a few. We experiment with different combinations until we get it right. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in this business venture? You have to constantly be learning and experimenting. We want to keep things fresh for our customers and create new recipes. When a customer comes in and mentions that they haven’t been able to eat something in years, we always try to do our best to make that item available for them.
AY
2 . 21 e your Indulg tooth! sweet
S AT U R D AY | 2 . 2 3 |
TERMS OF ENDEARMENT
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ctress, author, spiritualist, Downton Abbey guest star,
and all-around sexy broad Shirley MacLaine comes to Johnson County Community College’s Yardley Hall (12345 College Boulevard, Overland Park, 913-469-4445) at 8 p.m. ART CREDIT HERE
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to tell some of her stories. Buy tickets ($55–$150) at jccc.edu/ performing-arts-series. pitch.com
F E B R U A R Y 2 1 - 2 7, 2 0 1 3
THE PITCH
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