KCMag_July2025_LR

Ollie Gates Owner, Gates Bar-B-Q

How do we inspire a healthier world? It starts with putting your health first. At AdventHealth, we’re leading the way in women’s care. As one of U.S. News and World Report’s Best Maternity Care Hospitals, more expecting moms turn to us for first hellos. With our stateof-the-art Cancer Institute home to the leading gynecologic cancer team in the region, and a world-class diagnostic breast center, more women trust our personalized cancer care. And with a team dedicated to women’s heart care, we’re experts in matters of the heart.

Learn why more women trust AdventHealth, Kansas City’s leader in women’s health care at WomensCareKC.com.

OUR MISSION

We love Kansas City like family. We know what makes it great, we know how it struggles, and we know its secrets. Through great storytelling, photography and design, we help our readers celebrate our city’s triumphs, tend to its faults and revel in the things that make it unique.

PUBLISHER

Dave Claflin

EDITOR

Dawnya Bartsch

ART DIRECTOR

Kevin Goodbar

FOOD EDITOR

Tyler Shane

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Nina Cherry

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

Alex Kerr

ADVERTISING SALES

Angie Henshaw and Bob Ulmer

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Alex Healey

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Dominique Parsow

COPY EDITOR

Kelsie Schrader

WEB COORDINATOR

Madison Russell

EDITORIAL INTERNS

Tierney Flavin, Olivia Mahl and Alex Zoellner

MARKETING INTERNS

Talli Cannon, Kyanne Carlgren, Emily Deister, Shelby Martin, Lindsey Ortiz, Zack Solem and James Vander Ark

DESIGN INTERN

Andrew Mason

WRITERS

Nina Cherry, Devan Dignan, David Hodes, Nicole Kinning, Anne Kniggendorf, Olivia Mahl, John Martellaro, Alex Omorodion, Ryan Reed, Ian Ritter, Tyler Shane, Hampton Stevens and Alex Zoellner

PHOTOGRAPHERS AND ILLUSTRATORS

Scott Anderson, David Babcock, Zach Bauman, Lisa Maltby, Andrew Mason, Laura Morsman, Justin Mortelliti, Kelly Powell, Dana Smith and Clayton Steward

INQUIRIES

LLC 605 W. 47th St., Suite 200 Kansas City, MO 64112 (913) 469-6700

As the earth’s human population grows, quiet places become more rare. And valuable. So here’s a welcome surprise: Nebraska, where there’s a 76-mile stretch of the Niobrara National Scenic River that’s so quiet, it’s been designated as America’s first quiet trail. As the locals might say, there’s nothing to hear here. So enjoy the silent treatment. Come to Nebraska. It’s everything you were unexpecting.

Premier Pits

CAN THERE REALLY be too much of a good thing? There definitely cannot be too much good barbecue. This I know. I could probably eat some form of barbecued meat every day of the week. I’m that much of a carnivore.

Although I’m originally from a state that is not known for its great barbecue (California), I still grew up loving it. The first time I came to KC, I told my husband (then-boyfriend) that I would really like to try some of KC’s famous BBQ, and he took me to Arthur Bryant’s. I have been a fan ever since. In fact, while still living in Southern California, before moving to KC some six years ago, Santa Claus knew enough to put a few bottles of Arthur Bryant’s sauces in our stockings every Christmas Eve.

I didn’t really know or truly understand barbecue until I went to Arthur Bryant’s. It was an eye-opening and tastebud-expanding experience for me in the best possible way. Now that I call KC home, I have tried lots of BBQ at lots of different places around the metro, and I find it all so delicious. I know this is sacrilege, but I don’t have very strong opinions about one dish or place over the next. However, now that I have become more steeped in KC BBQ culture, I understand there are lots of strong opinions when it comes to smoked meats and all its nuances. That’s why, when it came to ranking and curating our list of KC’s best BBQ joints and dishes, we enlisted experts.

Anne Kniggendorf

Writer

Anne Kniggendorf, who wrote this month’s story on local author Sieglinde Othmer, is senior writer and editor at the Kansas City Public Library and the author of Secret Kansas City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.

Kansas City magazine’s food editor and critic Tyler Shane, along with food writers Devan Dignan, author of the BBQ Bible, and John Martellaro, former food critic for the Kansas City Star, ate their way through dozens of restaurants, ’cue joints and dishes, drew on their vast knowledge of the city’s food scene, and hashed out their findings over in-person meetings, Zoom calls, texts and emails. It was a long process that took place over the past several months, but it was a necessary one. How else were they going to decide which pitmasters and dishes would make the 2025 list of the best KC BBQ right now? They curated a good, well-thought-out list, and I can’t wait to hear what you think.

However, this issue isn’t just about barbecue. We also give you a peek into this month’s Fringe Festival, a glimpse at the city’s World Cup preparations and the thriving ’90s movie-making business.

So go catch a performance, see a summer blockbuster and grab a smoked brisket sandwich. I’m going to. Happy summer. Dawnya Bartsch, Editor dawnya@kansascitymag.com

Contributors

Devan Dignan Writer

Kansas Citian Devan Dignan is the chief blogger behind disKCovery and the BBQ Bible, a comprehensive online guide to the metro’s barbecue restaurants. Dignan, who contributed to this issue’s barbecue feature, is also a travel fanatic, avid sports fan and trivia lover.

John Martellaro Writer

John Martellaro, who wrote a restaurant review column for the Kansas City Star in the ’90s, contributed to this issue’s barbecue feature. When he’s not writing about KC ’cue for the magazine, he is smoking beef tri-tip roasts at home over cherry wood with his own homemade seasoning rub.

Feedback Say What?

Gone but not forgotten

Our story on 10 beloved KC area restaurants that are no longer here got people talking. From Fanny’s Disco Restaurant and Stephenson’s Old Apple Farm to Costello’s Greenhouse and Houston’s, our readers had memories to share. Check out more comments on our Facebook and Instagram pages @kansascitymagazine.

This is my favorite article from y’all recently. More like this please.

- Mary Heathen

I remember them all.

- Debbie Cohen

Fedora’s was the bomb. I miss it so much. [The] Plaza is a shell of its former self. So sad.

- Beth Fulton

Stephenson’s [had] the best house salad ever and they served it with a little piece of cheddar they cut in the shape of a baby carrot and put a piece of parsley at the end to look like the carrot top.

- Libby Kreighbaum

Most of these would seem mediocre by today’s standards.

- David Johnson

Houston’s was my childhood.

- Laurence Wang

Contact Us KC Publishing, LLC 605 W. 47th St., Suite 200 Kansas City, MO 64112 (913) 469-6700 Email editor@kansascitymag.com

“It was a bulldozer

and a

woman

dancing together.

The windows of the bulldozer were blacked out, and there was this classical music, and it was a beautiful dancer, and you saw the story. You saw them meet, fall in love, have an argument, break up and go their separate ways. It was beautiful.”

- Audrey Crabtree, executive director of KC Fringe Festival

Scan the QR code to check out Kansas City magazine online.

Numbers From This Issue

1998

The year the movie Ride with the Devil, written and directed by Ang Lee, was filmed at various locales around Missouri and Kansas. Page 32

1972

The year Hayward’s BBQ restaurant opened. Page 48

650,000

The number of people expected to visit KC for the World Cup. Page 14

Shout Out

Summer graphic design intern Andrew Mason is proving to be a real gogetter, jumping at every task given to him. Mason shot this issue’s Surreal Estate photo, along with designing several layouts.

the Scenes

Behind

Photographer Samantha Levi shooting ’cue legend

Ollie Gates for this issue’s cover.

World Cup Countdown

With the World Cup happening in just about a year, Kansas City has started prepping for the big event in earnest

By Dawnya Bartsch

AROUND 650,000 PEOPLE are expected to descend on the KC metro over a two-week period to watch six world-class soccer matches at Arrowhead Stadium.

Kansas City is just one of 16 North American cities in Mexico, the United States and Canada to host 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport’s global governing body, World Cup matches. The tournament is held every four years, and the current reigning champ is Argentina, who beat France for its third title at the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar.

For those unsure how it all works, the World Cup begins with a qualification phase that takes place over the course of three years preceding the World Cup. This phase determines which teams qualify for the tournament phase. In the 2026 tournament phase, 48 teams will compete for the crowning title at venues within the host countries over the course of about a month. The host nations automatically qualify for this phase. The championship game will be played at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on July 19, 2026.

To prepare for the big show, city leaders created the nonprofit KC2026. This organization is planning and overseeing the overall strategy for the World Cup and associated events and experience for the region’s largest sporting event in its history. The group recently unveiled a countdown clock at Union Station and highlighted key people and organizations involved in getting KC ready for the soccer world stage.

One such company is Populus, a global sports and entertainment company headquartered in KC. Some of the firm’s local work includes Arrowhead Stadium, Children’s Mercy Park and Kauffman Stadium.

“So many of the spaces and experiences we’ve designed have been at the heart of historic moments,” said Bruce Miller, global chair and CEO of Populous, at a press conference. “Hosting the FIFA World Cup is a once-in-a-lifetime event not just for the greater Kansas City area but for the entire Midwest region. We’re honored to lend our global expertise to help Kansas City shine under this brightest of spotlights, and we’re ready to assist in delivering an experience that World Cup fans will never forget.”

The city has also earmarked various funds and grants to help small businesses, such as $1.4 million to get entrepreneurs and their businesses into vacant storefronts. Other grants have been approved to expand patio dining options at local restaurants, move liquor licensing along and help get more short-term rentals ready.

“As Kansas City prepares to welcome the world for FIFA World Cup 2026, we’re committed to ensuring that every corner and ZIP code in our community benefits from this historic moment,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said at a press conference.

World Cup Stats

The first World Cup was in 1930.

There have been a total of 22 final tournaments.

Eighty national teams have competed.

Brazil has won the most World Cup titles with five.

Germany and Italy have both won four World Cup titles.

Uruguay won the first World Cup.

The World Cup is the most widely viewed and followed sporting event in the world. An estimated 3.57 billion people, close to half the world’s population, viewed the 2018 World Cup. About 1.5 billion people watched the 2022 final World Cup match.

Eighteen countries have hosted the World Cup.

Six World Cup matches will be played in KC.

Photography by Samantha

JOYOUS

LONGEVITY

Parkville Author and Octogenarian Says Joy Is Contagious

By Anne Kniggendorf

SIEGLINDE OTHMER woke up and she was 80. Her husband was dead, buried across the lake from their Parkville home. Her children lived far away.

“How was I going to be joyful?” she asked herself.

Othmer, who has a Ph.D. in social sciences from the University of Hamburg in her native Germany, had worked alongside her husband of 55 years till the day he died. Every moment of her life had been

tied to him and to their children.

Just as she regained a little bounce in her step and some independence after losing him, the world shut down for Covid. By then, though, she’d decided to write a book—a guide, really—telling others how to wear their advanced age as a badge of honor, and wear it joyfully.

Kansas City magazine caught up with Othmer, who is now 84, to learn more about the author before her July book talk at Kansas City Public Library’s Waldo branch.

“Kicking ass” comes up several times in your book. What does that mean to you? It means writing another book. It means going to Vegas like I did last weekend to see my son. Going on a cruise. Listening to the news and dealing with it. That’s kicking ass. And thinking, “How can this be a blessing?” That’s kicking ass. Not losing it in despair—that’s definitely kicking ass. Thank you for asking.

Under “J for Joy,” you wrote that “Gratitude and fear do not live in the same heart.” Do you feel fear? How do you deal with that? You read my book! Yes, it attacks us all, and it attacks me every day. In the U.S., we have it so good—most of us. But every morning I wake up and there’s this anxiety about life. Or when you wake up in the night, you get doubts, and the tape in your head goes, “What if? What if the book flops?” I fight that with gratitude. Think about three things that I’m grateful for. Then I

think about things that gave me joy in the past. What gives me joy in the next five minutes? Then I think about how I could help people with those three things. I think that’s essential to stepping back into a positive way of living.

Tell me about the merits of walking—that’s under “M for Movement.” I love walking. It’s free and it gets you out of the house. I use

walking for a kind of meditation. I use it to satisfy my physical therapist. I use it for talking to my neighbors. I know all the dogs in the neighborhood. I use walking for catching ideas. You have ideas when you walk that you don’t have sitting in the house. I do it every day, rain or shine—but no ice. It’s number one for joyous longevity.

“It means going to Vegas like I did last weekend to see my son. Going on a cruise. Listening to the news and dealing with it. That’s kicking ass.”

↓

You write about socializing. How can that help save our lives? We feel connected. We exchange ideas. We are not lonely. Isolation is one of the deadly diseases. To connect is wonderful, and I’ve learned that a lot since my husband died and my kids are away. I realized just a couple days ago, the English language doesn’t separate between formal and informal like Spanish, Italian, German and certainly Greek. The English language doesn’t do that, and I think that’s lovely. If you think about attitudes, how they get shaped by your language—when you’re German, it’s so deeply ingrained; you wouldn’t dare call anyone by their first name unless you’re really family.

You mean that English’s lack of that formality shortens the space between us? Yes.

GO: Sieglinde Othmer talks about her book, Joyous Longevity: The A-Z Field Guide, 2 pm, July 27, Kansas City Public Library, Waldo Branch (201 E. 75th St., KCMO). RSVP for the free event at kclibrary.org/events

I gather from your book that you don’t quite like the idea of retiring to a beach and drinking margaritas. It’s nice for two weeks. I think we should get active. Volunteer. “P for Purpose.” That’s the key to longevity, and it can be anything.

SIEGLINDE OTHMER

THE A -Z FIELD GUIDE

Foreword by Dr. David Friedman #1 Best-Selling Author of Food Sanity

Hometown Pride

Atchison’s Amelia Earhart Festival honors the trailblazing aviator in her birthplace

By Nina Cherry

IN 1997, community members in Atchison, Kansas, decided to commemorate hometown hero Amelia Earhart’s 100th birthday with a celebration. The centennial event drew attendees from around the region and quickly gained widespread attention, earning mentions in publications like The New York Times and The Boston Globe.

“It was even bigger than we thought it would be,” says Jacque Pregont, who has organized the festival since 2003.

The success of that first gathering led to an annual tradition. Now, each third weekend in July, the Amelia Earhart Festival takes place in Atchison, located an hour north of KC along the banks of the Missouri River. The three-day event is a charming tribute to the trailblazing aviator.

This year, the festival’s major draw is a visit from author Laurie Gwen Shapiro as she debuts her most

recent book, The Aviator and the Showman. The tour stop comes just days after the book’s release and follows an appearance on CBS This Morning and an excerpt in The New Yorker.

While many books about Earhart focus on her disappearance and conspiracies surrounding it, Shapiro takes a different approach, exploring the pilot’s marriage to publisher George Putnam and how their partnership helped advance her career. The event takes place at the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum—home to the world’s last remaining Lockheed Model 10 Electra, the same model Earhart flew on her final flight nearly 90 years ago.

In addition to the author talk, the weekend is packed with family-friendly programming, including a car show, aerobatic flight demonstrations, live music, a fireworks display and more. The festival is a uniquely personal tribute with a small-town feel—festivities kick off with an ice cream social at the same church Earhart’s grandfather attended; festivalgoers sign a birthday card and indulge in cake; the aviator’s childhood Victoria-era home, Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum, offers tours all weekend long.

GO: Amelia Earhart Festival. July 17–19.

Times and locations vary.

A full schedule of events is available at visitatchison.com.

“We want people to come and have fun in our town,” Pregont says. “This is not only celebrating Amelia Earhart but the community spirit.”

july

Nelson-Atkins Lawn Party

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s annual Lawn Party returns. A partnership with Kansas City Parks & Rec, festivities stretch from the museum’s south lawn to Brush Creek in Theis Park. Expect a day of live music from local favorites like Friendly Thieves and Back Alley Brass Band, lawn games, art demonstrations, food trucks and more. Plus, photographer Tom Styrkowicz will be snapping photos of partygoers in the Bloch Lobby for the museum’s One By One Community Portrait project. July 20. 4 pm. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

4

Stars and Stripes Picnic

Sprawl out on the lawn of Liberty Memorial for the annual Stars and Stripes Picnic, a free family-friendly celebration of America’s birthday. Pack a blanket and lawn chairs and enjoy an evening of food trucks and live music capped off with a fireworks display. July 4. 3 pm. National WWI Museum and Memorial.

8

Rachel Kushner

Rainy Day Books is bringing Guggenheim fellow and New York Times bestselling author Rachel Kushner to KC in support of her latest comedic thriller, Creation Lake. The novel follows Sadie Smith—a pragmatically ruthless secret agent—on an assignment in France as she gets fooled by her own game when she meets activist (and heartthrob) Bruno Lacombe. July 8. 7 pm. Unity Temple on the Plaza.

8–13

The Wiz

Ease on down the road to The Wiz as the Broadway national tour makes a stop in KC. This spin on L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz—told through the lens of the Black experience—is a tried-andtrue musical theater fan-favorite with songs like “You Can’t Win” and “Home.” When the production made its Broadway debut in 1975, it won seven Tony Awards and, though not initially popular, the 1978 movie adaptation starring pop icons Dianna Ross and Michael Jackson has since become a cult classic. July 8–13. Times vary. Kansas City Music Hall.

16

St. Paul & The Broken Bones and The Wood Brothers

Soul band St. Paul & The Broken Bones teams up with Americana trio The Wood Brothers for a co-headlining summer tour stop in the East Crossroads. Singer Paul Janeway leads the soul outfit with growling vocals—harkening back to the days of Otis Redding and Bill Withers—while The Wood Brothers straddle traditional roots music with a progressive flair. Singer and fingerstyle guitarist Yasmin

Williams will open. July 16. 6:30 pm. Grinders KC.

17—

Aug. 3

Festival of Butterflies

Powell Gardens’ Festival of Butterflies returns to celebrate the striking pollinators. At the family-friendly event, the botanical gardens bring in butterflies from all over the world to hatch and flutter throughout the conservatory. July 17–August 3. Times vary. Powell Gardens.

18

Earth, Wind & Fire

Legendary funk band Earth, Wind & Fire takes the Starlight Theatre stage for an evening of timeless tunes. Formed 56 years ago in Chicago, the band helped define the sound of the 1970s and remains one of the bestselling groups of all time with hits like “September” and “Let’s Groove.” Although frontman and founder Maurice White died in 2016, the groove lives on through his brother, bassist Verdine White, as well as longtime members Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson. July 18. 8 pm. Starlight Theatre.

19

Summer Fest

Zona Rosa’s North Park transforms into an all-day block party at Summer Fest. Now in its third year, the Northland festival includes bounce houses, DJs, kids activities, yard games and more. Food and drinks are available for purchase in the beer garden, along with a pop-up shop of handmade items from local makers curated by Strawberry Swing. July 19. 11 am. Zona Rosa.

19

Father John Misty

After stepping away as the drummer of indie band Fleet Foxes, Josh Tillman reinvented himself as Father John Misty—a sharp-witted and sardonic persona. His wry, folkpop sound found critical acclaim with Pure Comedy, which earned him a Grammy Award in 2018. Now, Father John Misty is bringing the theatrics in support of his latest release, Mahashmashana. Hamilton Leithauser, former frontman of The Walkmen, will open. July 19. 7 pm. Uptown Theater

26

22–27

Ain’t Too Proud

Set to the iconic hits of The Temptations, the musical Ain’t Too Proud follows the legendary Motown group from their early years in Detroit to superstardom against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement. Featuring songs like “My Girl” and “Just My Imagination,” the Tony Award-winning musical

Celebrate Ameri’kana

Free music and arts festival Celebrate Ameri’kana returns to the Historic Northeast. This year’s headliners include two local favorites—Afro-Latino rock band Making Movies and local Congolese gospel group Salvation Choir—plus Latin Grammy Award-winning singer La Lulu from New York. Produced by local nonprofit Art as Mentorship, director (and Making Movies frontman) Enrique Chi describes the event as a “living love letter to the Black, indigenous, immigrant and Latino heroes of American music.” Plus, the community-centered festival will also feature an array of food trucks, an open air mercado, kid-friendly activities, a resource fair, soccer matches and more. July 26. 12 pm. Concourse Park.

brings the story of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers to life with flawless choreography and harmonies. The touring production is a part of Starlight Theatre’s summertime Broadway series. July 22–27. 8 pm. Starlight Theatre.

31

Fitz and The Tantrums

In 2013, indie pop band Fitz and

The Tantrums’ breakthrough sophomore album, More Than Just a Dream, put them on the map. The album’s lead single and most well-known track, “Out of My League,” climbed to a number one spot on Billboard’s Alternative chart. Now, a new release is on the way: The band’s KC performance at The Truman comes days after the release of Man on The Moon, their sixth studio album. July 31. 8 pm. The Truman

“They think because we have a lot of new work that it’s just a bunch of crap thrown at the wall. But we have people, professionals, who this is their full-time job.”

Wonderful and Terrifying

KC Fringe Festival executive director Audrey Crabtree revels in the upcoming event

By Hampton Stevens

FRINGE IS AT the forefront. So says the executive director of KC Fringe Festival, Audrey Crabtree. We sat in a Crossroads coffee shop on a perfect early summer day. Dressed in black and radiating love for her work, Crabtree told me some of the common misconceptions folks have about fringe fests.

First, she says, is the idea that it’s all amateur performers. Far from it.

“People have this misunderstanding,” Crabtree says. “They think because we have a lot of new work that it’s just a bunch of crap thrown at the wall. But we have people, professionals, who this is their full-time job. They travel around to fringe festivals all year round.”

Fringe sits at the cutting edge of theatrical creativity. You’re sure to see something interesting, something that will be shown in a traditional theater a few years down the line. And this year’s festival, running from July 17–27, is no exception.

Many productions that premiered at a fringe fest have gone on to mainstream success. Shows like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Stomp, SIX:

The Musical and, maybe most famously, Fleabag all started as fringe productions.

As a concept, Fringe Fest began in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1947. Eight theater groups turned up uninvited at the newly formed Edinburgh International Festival. They wanted to perform and weren’t going to let a little thing like not being on the official program get in their way. They just went ahead and staged their shows.

As Crabtree explains, her admiration obvious: “They decided, you know what, we’re all here. We’re in town. We’re going to book ourselves in other smaller spaces, maybe not even theaters, outside of the festival. We’ll flyer the heck out of those shows and get some of those bookers to come and book us.”

It worked, and year after year, more performers followed their example. In 1958, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society was born. A festival in Brighton, England, had a similar origin, as did Adelaide’s fest in Australia. Today dozens of cities around the world stage fests of their own, including, of course, Kansas City.

GO:

KC Fringe Festival. Times and locations vary. July 17–27. Visit kcfringe.org for more information.

KC Fringe is part of the United States Association of Fringe, one of more than two dozen major festivals in North America.

This year, venues include The Arts Asylum, The Black Box, The Bird Comedy Theater, Center for Spiritual Living, City Stage at Union Station, Kansas City Oasis, Musical Theater Heritage, MCC Penn Valley Campus’ Little Theater, The Unicorn, Whim Space and Stray Cat Film Center.

Crabtree, named executive director in 2022, has extensive experience in the alternative arts space. She’s been a performer and a director, and she’s run a fringe-hosting venue in New York City. She’s also just a huge fan of the format.

“One of the most exciting shows I ever saw was a dance piece in the Dublin Fringe Festival around 2008,” Crabtree says. “It was a bulldozer and a woman dancing together. The windows of the bulldozer were blacked out, and there was this classical music, and it was a beautiful dancer, and you saw the story. You saw them meet, fall in love, have an argument, break up and go their separate ways. It was beautiful. ”

KC may not get to see a tracteur de deux, but the city’s festival will feature modern dance, along with traditional theater, musicals, circus arts, improv, puppetry, stand-up and burlesque.

All told, KC Fringe Festival will feature some 342 performances—63 productions with five performances each—with more than 600 local, national and international artists participating.

There’s more. The film portion of the fest includes 21 screenings. A fine arts portion includes 35 visual artists at two galleries—Fringe Benefits Gallery at Gael’s Public House and the Union Station Gallery.

One last thing people might not know about the fringe movement, Crabtree says: It’s not curated. Not at all. Most conventional arts festivals use jury selection to fill out their line-ups. Most Fringe festivals do not. It’s a random selection of daring and innovative performers.

She laughs a little at the madness of it all. “Yep. You fill out a form and say that you have something. You don’t even have to know exactly what you’re doing at that moment. And then we have a lottery draw.”

So even the organizers, let alone the fans, don’t quite know what they’re going to get?

“That’s right,” she says. “It’s wonderful and terrifying.”

Wonderful and terrifying. You can’t ask any more from art than that.

To Broadway and Back

A Kansas Citian and Broadway alum shines on her own terms

By Nina Cherry

FORMER BROADWAY PERFORMER Talya Groves is a Kansas City music scene star.

Nearly every Friday night, Groves and her band, Talya & Her Boyfriends, command the stage. Singing anything and everything from showtunes to jazz standards to pop songs, Groves’ magnetic presence seems to always captivate the room. Although originally from KC, the singer called New York home for nearly a decade.

During her senior year at Pace University, the actress began taking professional auditions and soon booked a role in the first national tour of Motown: The Musical She hit the road right out of college. From there, she went on to join the original Broadway cast of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and months before the pandemic, she was cast in the musical Mean Girls, sharing the stage with leading lady-turned-pop star Renée Rapp. And that doesn’t begin to include an impressive roster of Off-Broadway and regional theater credits.

↓

“I love that I get to have creative control here. I miss the structure of New York, but it’s important to be my own machine.”

But when the pandemic hit and Broadway shut down for the foreseeable future, Groves had to make a tough decision.

“None of us on Broadway knew what was going to happen,” Groves says. “I decided to move back to Kansas City, but I didn’t really have a long-term plan.” In KC, Groves quickly found work as venues began to open back up. Although the Broadway alum has left a couple times for other opportunities—like a six-monthlong cruise ship gig and regional theater roles—KC remains home base.

“I kind of never looked back,” Groves says. Groves’ musical theater career began as a 16-yearold Park Hill High School student, when she landed a summer job at Worlds of Fun. Ultimately, she performed at the Northland amusement park for a total of six years, spending summers back home throughout college—right up until she booked her first Broadway role. Groves credits Worlds of Fun with equipping her for the big stage.

“That was my first real taste of performing professionally,” Groves says. “It absolutely honed so many aspects of who I am as a performer. On Broadway, they were impressed with the things I didn’t seem to have any trouble with.”

Sometimes Groves craves what she calls the “race” of New York: the fast-paced, cut-throat, competitive environment that had her auditioning nearly every day. But returning to KC as an adult has brought its own lessons. The move taught the vocalist how to design and lead her own productions.

“I love that I get to have creative control here,” Groves says. “I miss the structure of New York, but it’s important to be my own machine. When it starts to feel a little stagnant for me here, it’s on me to figure out how to keep things fresh. I like that.”

What’s next for Groves? A leading role in Musical Theater Heritage’s upcoming production of Rent. The rock musical will run October 2–26.

GO: Talya & Her Boyfriends. Fridays from 4:30 to 8:30 pm. The Phoenix, 302 W. Eighth St., KCMO.

“It’ll be my first time doing theater as an adult in Kansas City, and Mimi is a dream role of mine,” Groves says.

Photography by Kenny Daniel

Second Act

A

former art teacher turns reclaimed wood into stylish and sturdy patio tables

By Nina Cherry

LONGTIME ART TEACHER and carpenter Jacob Matz’s sustainable furniture company Wicked Grain was born out of a school fundraiser for an art program. Students crafted side tables and step stools using aged wood salvaged from the district’s old baseball bleachers.

“I liked it so much that I would go home and do it on the side to make extra money,” Matz says. “I started posting stuff on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, and it just took off.”

In 2013, as demand increased, Matz made the decision to turn his side hustle into a full-time gig. Today, Matz runs the business with help from two part-time employees who assist with packing orders.

Although the carpenter now crafts an array of products, including doors,

shelving and live edge slabs often used for vanities and bar tops, indoor-outdoor farmhouse tables are his specialty. Wicked Grain’s rustic yet refined Land of Oz table was the first farmhouse table Matz designed, and it remains a bestseller. “I’ve made hundreds,” Matz says. Made with longevity in mind, the custom-built pieces are well suited for KC’s temperate months of outdoor dining and gathering.

Matz says around 90 percent of Wicked Grain’s reclaimed wood is sourced from Against the Grain Lumber in Topeka. Run by Adam Moser, a former tree trimmer for the city of Topeka, the company salvages and kiln-dries lumber that would otherwise be sent to a landfill. Typically, Wicked Grain’s products are built with cedar, fir and pine, but customers can opt for an upgrade with hardwoods like oak and walnut.

The shop, located just off of I-35 in Overland Park (7893 Mastin Drive, Overland Park), might be open if you try your luck with a walk-in, but appointments are highly recommended.

Browse Wicked Grain’s collection at wickedgrain.com.

Public Art With a Personal Touch

Phil “Sike Style” Shafer and the Buck O’Neil Bridge

By Ryan Reed

ACROSS KANSAS CITY, the vibrant work of Phil Shafer’s Sike Style Industries punctuates his decades-long career in public art. Whether it’s the Raised Royal mural near Boulevard Brewery or the tribute to A Tribe Called Quest on the old Josey Records, you have likely seen his work adoring downtown walls.

A graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute, Shafer leaned into his love of street art and graffiti, creating murals for both community and corporate projects. Most recently, Shafer was chosen to create a massive, 4,000-square-foot piece on the new Buck O’Neil Bridge, located at Third and Broadway. He chose to dedicate his project to the bridge’s namesake, legendary baseball player Buck O’Neil. For those not in the know, Buck O’Neil was an epic first baseman for the Monarchs who later made Major League Baseball history as the first Black coach.

“The indoor school murals last long, and generations will see them as they grow older, understanding that art is a part of their life and a part of what makes them well-rounded.”

Tell us about your Buck O’Neil project? Why do you think your proposal was selected? Mine was specifically dedicated to the story of Buck O’Neil. It didn’t try to do three other things. I had it completely designed for the presentation. It wasn’t a sketch or a rendering. I think that it also showed how much the Buck O’Neil story resonated with my own life.

You met Buck O’Neil after a Royals game with your dad. What was that like? My dad said, “Hey, let’s walk down here and meet this guy. He’s important.” I just thought I was meeting a nice old guy, but my dad made a point to say that this is a person you should know about and you should understand who he is. I’m glad that he did that for me. To pay him back for that introduction, there’s a caricature of my dad in the mural.

Why do you think it’s important to put art in public places—where people are forced to see it—and not just in museums? You don’t need to be invited or feel like you don’t understand the secret language of art. My murals, specifically, tend to speak directly [to the audience]. You know what the subject is. I mean, there’s metaphors and Easter eggs in all the stuff I do, but I don’t try to abstract the obvious if it’s supposed to be about something.

Do you think the government has a responsibility to create public art? It’s absolutely paramount because it’s supporting local businesses—because artists are local businesses. It’s supporting the cultural growth and engagement in town so that people know there’s life here. We have a very vibrant arts community in Kansas City. If you let the arts groups and the artists organize it, you get a different thing. I think it’s important, but it’s important that it’s done the right way.

More than any other artist, you seem to have left your literal mark on Kansas City. What are you most proud of? Right now, it’s got to be the bridge. But the murals that mean the most to me are the murals in schools. The indoor school murals last long, and generations will see them as they grow older, understanding that art is a part of their life and a part of what makes them well-rounded. That’s super important to me.

Who Am I?

I work with patients who suffer from general orthopedic issues to s port rehabilitation and performance training, preand post-surgical orthopedic patients, and those with back, neck and nerve pain.

Dr. Zak Hill, PT, DPT, CSMT, COMT

Dr. Hill has been a resident of Lee’s Summit for more than 20 years. He serves patients in two locations. In addition to his certification in manual and manipulative therapy, Dr Hill has held his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) for 10 years through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

COMPANY INFO

Zak Hill, along with the therapists at Hill Pro-Motion

Physical Therapy are proficient in a variety of treatment types, including aquatic therapy, dry needling, electrical stimulation, ergonomics, Kinesio taping, laser and manual therapy, spinal manipulation and trigger point therapy. Hill and his team focus on physical therapy for both kids and adults. They take a holistic approach to wellness, focusing on the overall well-being of the patient, and not just the site of injury or pain. They stay at the forefront of therapy through continuous education and advanced certifications. Let their team guide you back to the active life you deserve.

Kansas City’s filmmaking heyday was in the ’90s, and it looks like a sequel might be in the works. We sat down with five local moviemaking veterans and asked them what it was like.

By David Hodes

Illustration by Dana Smith

ansas City was Hollywood’s new production sweetheart in the 1990s. Local producer Patti Broyles (né Watkins), who had moved to Los Angeles from Kansas City to work on feature films, got a call from then-mayor Emanuel Cleaver’s office to come home and set up a film commission office. It was 1994.

“I flew back and met with a bunch of people about that and did a budget for what I thought it would take,” Broyles says. “That was a time when film commissioners were really starting to get noticed for how much economic impact they could have.”

Broyles worked with both the Missouri Film Commission and Kansas Film Commission to develop incentives for film companies to shoot here, hit the road to pitch the city to Los Angeles and New York flimmakers, and talked director Ang Lee into coming to Kansas City instead of Texas to shoot Ride with the Devil

Broyles aggressively marketed the city to the production communities in Los Angeles and New York, hawking filmmaking incentives created with the help of both the Kansas and Missouri film commissions and promoting the talent and crews available here.

Broyles and the new KC Film Commission were a major force, bringing moviemaking to KC throughout the 1990s. Broyles’ efforts reportedly brought in $80 million to the local economy during her time as commissioner.

Lawrence was attacked by cultish invaders. Martians blew up a small Kansas town. A veteran’s hospital near Liberty Memorial was burned to the ground. Gangsters and jazz greats prowled the bars and clubs along 18th and Vine. A serial killer was stalking victims in midtown as a psychic worked with police to stop him. All were real Hollywood filmmaking illusions created with the help of Kansas City cast and crews.

Rising stars, industry darlings and Academy Award winners walked the streets of Kansas City during that

decade. Peter Boyle, Ellen Burstyn, Tobey Maguire, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Miranda Richardson, Gary Sinise, Steve Buscemi, Mark Ruffalo, Jeffrey Wright, Ray Liotta, Forest Whitaker and Harry Belafonte were all working here. Hollywood had found a new welcoming backlot in and around Kansas City, complete with an available who’s who of local actors to draw from and an A-list pool of movie-making craftspeople eager to show off their skills.

Broyles resigned in 2002 when the city didn’t support the budget she wanted. The commission languished for a couple of years and closed in 2004. Local film production leaders such as talent company coowner Heather Laird and local film and video production company leader Teri Rogers stepped in and tried to keep a semblance of it working for years afterwards.

Then, a 2011 report from then-mayor Sly James’ task force on the arts found filmmaking and media production could bring millions of dollars into the local economy. The city council set aside $50,000 in tourism tax dollars, matched by the KC Convention and Visitors Bureau, and hired a new director, Steph Scupham (né Shannon), who reopened the office in 2014, and a new production era was unleashed.

Scupham stepped down in early 2024 to take a producer job at KCPT and was replaced by Rachel Kephart, a former casting assistant working with Heather Laird who held a similar role in 2020 with Visit KC (the new name of the KC Convention and Visitors Bureau). Over the last few years, the commission reinstated dormant incentives and created new ones for filmmaking in the city and the state of Missouri that reportedly has Hollywood production companies taking renewed interest in KC filming. Although a few notable titles, such as Boris Is Dead starring Dane Cook and several Lifetime and Hallmark movies, have been filmed over the last couple years, only time will tell if KC once again turns into a filming hot spot.

Meet five locals who helped make movie magic right here in KC.

Mike Neu

television commercial producer

Worked on: Ride With the Devil in 1998, a feature about border skirmishes during the Civil War.

“I can’t tell you how cool it was to work on that film,” Neu says. “It was my first big feature, a Western by an auteur director (Ang Lee) in my hometown.”

Neu worked for the locations department, then got switched over to the transportation department, where he worked for six months as a cast and crew driver. “I was Tobey Maguire’s driver for a month or so, until they brought in Jewel,” Neu says. “I was terrified because Jewel was hot at that time, with songs in the charts and a reputation as a real diva.”

Neu met her in the location department when she arrived. “I opened the door of our office and bunk, I heard a thud,” he says. “I had hit somebody. I looked around and it was Jewel. I had just slammed the door straight into her. She was fine, but I was mortified.”

The production company built a set modeled after 1863 Lawrence, Kansas, in Pattonsburg, Missouri, ran 300 horses through it to simulate Quantrill’s Raid and then burned it down. All the cast and crew stayed in a hotel in town for about three weeks during the production of that scene. “We just descended on this town.” Neu says. “All the local bars were full every night. It was a constant party.”

Heather Laird talent

agent

Worked on: A Deadly Vision in 1997, a CBS Movie of the Week about a psychic who helps police find a serial killer.

Film producers had their lead actors already attached to the project—Peter Boyle, Ellen Burstyn, Kristin Davis, among others. Laird’s job was to book the remaining roles using her Kansas City connections.

“Director Bill Norton had asked us to get some kind of shady looking people to be in the background for a scene in a sketchy grocery store on Broadway,” Laird says. “So we found the tattoo-est and most pierced, scraggly looking people that we could possibly find in our files to be in that scene. I was told later that when they were actually on set, Bill was confused about who were the background actors and who were the actual patrons of the store.”

Peter Boyle did All Roads Lead Home in Kansas City in 2008, Laird says, which turned out to be his last film role before he died. “I was on the same set with him during filming of A Deadly Vision,” she says. “When he came back in 2008, right when they were wrapping him out on set, he came walking up to me and shook my hand and said it was a pleasure working with me. I was so touched that he made a point of coming over and saying something to me.”

Jeff Owens special effects creator

Worked on: Article 99 in 1990, a feature about doctors and staff in a veteran’s hospital fighting bureaucracy.

Owens and his crew built a replica of a real veteran’s hospital just south of an actual hospital, which they then burned down as part of the film’s story. “That hospital build was a trip because it wasn’t part of the original budget of the film,” Owens says. “I had 20 great carpenters helping me, and then I had to ask each one of them to find somebody when we got that extra workload. It was the biggest crew I’ve ever had to use.”

The trickiest part was the military cemetery set near the hospital, Owens says. The crew installed 11,000 faux headstones, so no matter where you stood, there was a straight line of headstones stretching far into the distance. “That’s way harder than it looks,” Owens says. “We tried to do it

Film crew member Steve Fracol lining up a shot for comedian Bill Burr’s self-financed short film Soda, which can be viewed on Youtube.

Photo by Marcus Giesen

just on our own, and it was impossible. So we hired a good friend of mine, a surveyor, and he went out and surveyed all the lines so that it would work out. After he laid it all out with little flags, we went in and started setting up the foam headstones.”

Owens had his run-ins with the Hollywood crowd working on this film and other feature films shot in Kansas City. “I had to go in and protect my crew and be a force to be dealt with until they realized that we could do anything that they could do in California,” he says.

Andy Wegst cinematographer

Worked on: Mars Attacks! in 1996, a feature about invading Martians taking over the world.

Wegst was one of the rigging grips on the set where Martians destroyed a town, working under the tutelage of key grip Larry Aube, a Hollywood legend who later worked on Spider-Man, Fast and Furious, Terminator 3 and other blockbusters. “I learned a lot,” Wegst says.

Aube took Wegst and another grip to Hooters for lunch one day toward the end of production on the town set. “We sit down, and Larry ordered three pitchers of beer right off the bat, one for each of us. And we sat there for two hour and just got hammered. Then Larry got up and was like, ‘Okay, boys, I got to go back to L.A. Nice working with you.’

The Teamster driver drove us back to the set, and we spent the rest of the day hiding in the grip truck trying to stay off the set.”

Director Tim Burton was classic. “He would drive a golf cart around like he was a NASCAR driver,” Wegst says. “He would screech up to the set and pound the brakes and skid out. He was hilarious.”

Burton did the special effects the old-fashioned way—no CGI. “When the doughnut shop blew up, it went big,” Wegst says. “I think the special effects

guys thought they overdid it. I would imagine nowadays, if you’re working on a Marvel movie or whatever, everything is on a soundstage and green screen. It was just fun to see how an old school Hollywood blockbuster film was made.” Wegst went on to work as a nature cinematographer, working with Peter Fonda and others. He won a national Emmy in 2017 for outstanding cinematography for a PBS episode of Nature about hummingbirds.

Steve Fracol Steadicam operator and director of photography

Worked on: Kansas City in 1995, a feature about politics, power and jazz in Kansas City in the 1930s.

Fracol recently ended a stretch of working in Hollywood on such productions as Grey’s Anatomy and Sons of Anarchy. But his big Hollywood break came in Kansas City, working for Robert Altman on Kansas City. Fracol’s job was shooting background driving plates for the car driving scenes. Altman had that footage projected behind Jennifer Jason Leigh and Miranda Richardson sitting in a car on a set to simulate them driving around Kansas City. “That was my entrance into the film.”

Fracol also shot all of the behind-thescenes interviews with the jazz musicians starring in the movie. “It was a moment for me,” he says. “It was very, very cool.”

After that, Fracol focused on learning more about Steadicam operation, which led to work in Los Angeles in 2008. “I was literally the luckiest guy ever in the right place, at the right time, with the right people, and that just kept snowballing into more and more work,” he says.

Hollywood is all about who you know, Fracol says. “I don’t care how good a person is. If they don’t know a producer or somebody in there who is pulling for them, chances are you’re not going to get a job.”

Fracol won 2015 Camera Operator of the Year award for his work on Scandal, a popular ABC political thriller.

Ang Lee’s Ride with the Devil, filmed on a movie set built in Pattonsburg, MO.

Photo by Mike Neu

Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks!, which was shot in several Kansas cities, including Lawrence.

Photo by Andrew Wegst

Harp Barbecue’s Tyler Harp

Holy Smokes

KC

barbecue is more diverse than ever before, and Cowtown pitmasters are proving they can do it all.

Here

are our

top picks.

KANSAS CITY IS the barbecue capital of the world. But we don’t just do Kansas City-style better than the rest; we do it all better. That’s why we’ve decided to pit the pits. If you’re looking for a spot to grab a three-meat platter or a place to grub on ribs with your rich in-laws, or if you’ve wondered what brisket would taste like contrasted with some funky kimchi, we’ve found barbecue all around KC that fit the bill.

By Tyler Shane, Devan Dignan and John Martellaro Photography

How we made this list

WE HIT THE PITS. We’ve been everywhere over the years, and we revisited dozens of top KC barbecue spots over the past several months to make this list.

WE LIKE SMOKE. Great barbecue can be made in lots of ways, but we admit a preference for traditional methods using live fire.

NO FAVORITISM. This list is not influenced by advertising or personal relationships. We do not accept free food in the judging process.

By Zach Bauman, Samantha Levi and Clayton Steward

Headshot Illustrations by David Babcock

Runners-Up

CHEF J BBQ

1401 W. 13th St., Suite G, KCMO

Tucked beneath a West Bottoms haunted house, Chef J BBQ embraces the craft’s best traditions. There are no shortcuts—just live fire, hickory-smoked meat and counter service, the way barbecue should be.

WOLFEPACK BBQ

910 E. Fifth St., KCMO

The custom-built smoker at this Columbus Park hotspot turns out top-tier brisket, turkey and pork belly. Known for their inventive approach, Wolfepack’s limited-time specials don’t last long. When you see one, it’s best to jump on it.

POINT & FLAT BBQ

@pointandflat_bbq

The black trailer out of Lenexa has built a cult following with their brisket offerings. Most notable are the smoked Reuben and the panini-style brisket grilled cheese. Point & Flat BBQ pops up weekly at Discourse Brewing (Overland Park) and Friction Beer Company (Shawnee).

NIGHT GOAT BARBECUE

2143 Summit St., KCMO Night Goat isn’t so much a restaurant as it is a weekly guest star. Saturdays from 11 am to 2 pm are the only time to get it, and during that window, it’s all that Fox and Pearl Serves. When offered, the flank steak and pork belly are truly special.

“We like to say we make everything but the bread. Maybe one day we’ll make that, too.”

– TYLER HARP

BEFORE TYLER HARP knew what he wanted Harp Barbecue to be, he knew exactly what he didn’t want it to be.

“I’d been to about 80 or 90 barbecues in Kansas City, and I knew I didn’t like sweet barbecue,” Harp says.

Growing up around the competition scene and working at Hereford House, Harp believed the same principles that make a great steak should apply to barbecue.

“A good steak doesn’t need condiments or much in the way of seasoning,” he says. “I wanted to make meat that could stand on its own.”

Lacking the resources to compete, Harp focused on honing his craft. Several times a year, he would travel somewhere to learn from someone “who knew more than I did.” At Heritage Barbecue in California, he learned from James Beard-nominated chef Daniel Castillo. Locally, he cooked with another James Beard nom, Antler Room’s chef Nick Goellner. He did a few stints in Texas as well, working with Sunbird Barbecue in Longview and Helberg Barbecue in Woodway, both entrants on Texas Monthly’s 2025 list of The 50 Best BBQ Joints in Texas. It was while in the Lone Star state that Harp discovered the brand of barbecue he loves. What came next is well-documented.

From selling in his driveway to hosting Crane Brewing pop-ups to opening a Raytown storefront, Harp Barbecue now calls Overland Park home. At his new Johnson County spot, powered by a wood-fired rotisserie while also staying true to his live-fire roots, we believe Harp has found his rhythm. And he agrees.

“It was a few steps back to move forward, but now we’re dialed in,” he says. Dialed in, indeed. The briskets are thick-cut and juicy. The pastrami pork belly (a nod to Harp’s time living in New York) is smoky, rich and unlike anything else in town. The pulled pork is vinegar-bathed and rich with flavor. What the pitmaster really prides himself on is his carousel of snappy sausages.

“They’re a blank canvas,” he says. “It seems like sausage’s potential is pretty untapped.”

Alongside garlic and black pepper, inventive varieties like spicy queso, blueberry white cheddar and andouille can also be found. That scratch-made flair carries over to the sides. Sesame slaw, sweet potato mash, twice-baked potato salad and fries cooked in beef tallow are just a few of the options. Pickled veggies, desserts and sauces are also made in-house.

“We like to say we make everything but the bread,” Harp says. “Maybe one day we’ll make that, too.”

Harp’s commitment to wood-fire cooking and scratch-made fare sparked a craft barbecue revolution in Kansas City. He was the first to bring craft ’cue to KC, and he paved the way for others, like Chef J and Wolfepack. However, he’s not too concerned with labels.

“We try to do it all and do it right. Whatever you want to call it is fine by me.”

By Devan Dignan

Barbecue

DON’T GET IT twisted. Even with the new wave of clean and unfussy craft-style barbecue permeating the scene, KC ’cue runs on sauce.

It’s controversial, really, with naysayers and those with, ahem, Texas-sized attitudes claiming the use of sauce is to hide imperfections in the meat. But anyone who has tasted a hint of Gates’ renowned bottled gold knows the truth: You don’t add sauce to KC ’cue because it needs it. You add it because you want it.

Kansas City barbecue is considered a melting pot of regional influences. We have vinegar from the Carolina states, spice from Texas and sweet molasses flavor from the deep South. Gates, a Kansas City institution for nearly 80 years, has managed to capture all of this in their Original flavor—but with a little Kansas City soul.

For nearly 50 years, Gates’ owner, Ollie Gates, has been serving his tomato-based sauce. In all its dark-red, slightly gritty glory, it is the perfect balance between tangy, spicy and sweet. To say that it has contributed to KC’s barbecue history would be an understatement. Sure, Arthur Bryant’s can be credited for making sauce a famous element to our regional style, and KC Masterpiece can be credited for commercializing it. But Gates—whether you choose mild, original, extra-hot or sweet and mild—continues to reign supreme.

Runners-Up

ARTHUR BRYANT’S 1727 Brooklyn Ave., KCMO

We can thank Arthur Bryant’s for giving KC’s signature ingredient a hint of sweetness, but it still has a peppery kick from the original recipe created by Henry Perry, the father of Kansas City BBQ.

Maybe we’re being nostalgic, but there’s something to be said about Gates’ ability to run as a family-owned institution all these years (it opened in 1946). While other notable historic institutions have had multiple owners, Gates still has Ollie. And as long as Kansas City still has Gates, there will be no debate. Gates’ sauce, whether you’re eating it smothered on burnt ends, in a hoagie or bringing it to the family cookout, is the quintessential ingredient to KC ’cue.

Most Iconic KC Sauce GATES

While other notable historic institutions have had multiple owners, Gates still has Ollie. And as long as Kansas City still has Gates, there will be no debate.

JOE’S KANSAS CITY BBQ joeskc.com, various locations Joe’s is rightfully known for delivering consistency, which isn’t easy in the world of barbecue. Their sauce is no different. It hits all the notes— sweet, tangy, peppery and bold.

ZARDA

11931 W. 87th St. Parkway, Lenexa

We can’t deny Zarda’s bean, or its sauce. With 27 spices, it delivers an unbeatable fullbodied zest.

KC MASTERPIECE

KC Masterpiece showed the nation what KC barbecue is all about. The thick, molasses-rich flavor is its signature flavor profile, and while it can be pretty thick, it’s undeniably iconic.

By Tyler Shane

Runners-Up

POINT & FLAT BBQ

@pointandflat_bbq

Chef-driven and craft forward, Point & Flat consistently pops up at Johnson Country’s Discourse Brewery and Friction Beer Co. in Shawnee. You can’t go wrong with a platter of tender meats, but upon a recent visit, the brisket grilled cheese on chile cheese sourdough made a lasting impression.

SMOAK CRAFT BBQ smoakcraftbbq.com

SMOAK is a no-brainer when enjoying sports in KC. Whether you’re at Kauffman or Arrowhead stadium, the wood-fired meats will ensure a good time no matter the score.

KANSAS CITY SMOKED kansascitysmoked.com

Ronnie Oswald’s barbecue truck is popping up at the Overland Park Farmers Market every Saturday morning this summer. It sounds cliché, but don’t skip the brisket here. Or the mac and cheese. Or the sourdough French toast served with a fried egg and blackberry glazed pork belly.

“We get people asking all the time ‘What is kimchi?,’ and when you tell them it’s fermented cabbage, people don’t get too excited about that.”

– GREG STEARS

Best BBQ Food Truck

PICKLED VEGGIES ARE a great element to cut barbecue’s smokey richness, but at Smoke ‘n’ Seoul, you won’t receive the usual go-to of pickles and onions on your meat platter. Instead, you’ll be served glorious, tangy and funky kimchi.

Husband and wife Greg and Nancy Stears’ Korean barbecue food truck relies heavily on Korea’s most popular side dish throughout their menu. There’s the popular, and, according to Greg, most approachable menu item, the pulled pork sandwich, which is sauteed and topped with kimchi. Kimchi is also in the mac and cheese and potato salad. For Greg, it was an obvious choice to pair Korean flavors with his hearty smoked meats. As a former engineer, he says once the concept came to him, it was impossible to shake off. Nancy, however, grew up in Queens, New York, in a traditional Korean household, and she struggled to envision her family’s cuisine infused with KC’s prized culinary genre. She’s not the only one.

“A lot of people are excited about [our food], but there’s definitely people that are apprehensive,” says Greg. “We get people asking all the time ‘What is kimchi?,’ and when you tell them it’s fermented cabbage, people don’t get too excited about that.”

For the wary or new customer, fear not. The Korean elements throughout Smoke ‘n’ Seoul’s menu rarely set themselves apart from the dish they’re infused in, and that’s a good thing. The kimchi, which is made from scratch and sauteed in the pulled pork, tastes zingy, yes, but also balanced and tamed. The brisket rubbed with gochugaru, or Korean red pepper flakes, still tastes traditional and delicious. Like Greg and Nancy, Smoke ‘n’ Seoul’s cross-cultural menu is more of an act of marriage than it is a random pairing.

Based in Gardner, Greg smokes the meats in an offset smoker in his driveway (the rest is made in the Stears’ commercial kitchen right in their home). He says his baby back ribs—smoked, smothered in their spicy gochujang-based Mama Ssong sauce and finished on the grill—are unlike any other in town. Admittedly, due to their intensive process, the ribs make rare appearances. Luckily, Smoke ‘n’ Seoul pops up around the metro regularly (the best way to keep updated is their website, smokenseoul.com). If you don’t see ribs on the menu, start with the kimchi pulled pork sandwich and follow it up with the kimchi potato salad, and, as Greg says, “embrace the funk.”

Smoke ‘n’

Smoke ‘n’ Seoul’s Greg Stears

By Tyler Shane

PHOTOGRAPHY

BY CLAYTON STEWARD

chef j Bbq

By Devan Dignan

1401 W. 13th St., Suite G, KMCO Best place for

Blue Ribbon

AT CHEF J BBQ, every day might as well be Picture Day. Whether it’s an individual meat plate (one to four meats, plus two sides) or one of their gargantuan family platters, every tray that crosses the West Bottoms counter is dressed to impress, ready for its Instagram debut. “You eat with your eyes first,“ Justin Easterwood, the eponymous Chef J, says. “We know that when the food looks good, people are going to want to share it.”

And share it they do, both online and across the table. What makes these platters so special is they taste even better than they look. Thick-cut Black Angus brisket, melt-in-your-mouth pork belly burnt ends, succulent smoked turkey and a weekly rotation of artisan sausages anchor Chef J’s hickory-smoked meat spread. Flavorful sides, each intentionally distinct, along with three unique sauces and house-pickled items, turn every meal into a customizable experience that satisfies every sense.

As a 100 percent live-fire operation that lacks a traditional kitchen, nearly everything Chef J makes—the meats, pit beans and even the bacon for the potato salad—hits the smoker. “There’s something about a big appealing tray of barbecue that, when it tastes as good as it looks, really puts a meal over the top,” Easterwood says.

While these picturesque plates can be savored solo, they’re best when shared by a community. From Easterwood to his partner Terra Whipple to the rest of their team, it takes a community to create. “Nowadays,” Easterwood says, “we’re all Chef J.”

“You eat with your eyes first. We know that when the food looks good, people are going to want to share it.”

– JUSTIN EASTERWOOD

Runners-Up

CHAR BAR

charbarbbq.com, various locations

Unlike many barbecue joints, Char Bar encourages guests to linger with a mix of custom and pre-built plates. The Holy Trinity showcases their spare ribs, brisket and burnt ends. The towering WHOMP! Platter delivers a feast of seven meats, three sides and a jar of pickles to share.

3HALVES BREW PUB & BBQ

110 E. Kansas St., Liberty

This downtown Liberty brewery pairs craft beer with craft ’cue. One to three meat plates offer variety, but the Meat Mile—a tray of five meats and four sides—is built to feed the entire table.

BLIND BOX BBQ

13124 W. 62nd Terrace, Shawnee

Blind Box BBQ blends traditional barbeque with casual, upscale dining in Shawnee. Their Lightweight and Heavyweight Plates offer peak flexibility. The smoked chicken, burnt ends, sausage and cheesy corn bake are among their heavy hitters. (Blind Box has multiple locations, but this is the preferred one to visit, especially for platters.)

JAZZY B’S BBQ

320 S.W. Blue Parkway, Lee’s Summit

This Lee’s Summit staple blends Cajun fare and Kansas City barbecue with their Jazzed Platters that can contain as many as four meats and four sides. Famous for baby back ribs, sausage and wings, Jazzy B’s is also one of the more vegetarian-friendly BBQ spots in the metro.

Barbecue platter at Chef J BBQ

ONE OF THE most interesting trends in Kansas City barbecue in recent years has been the growth of outlets that blend traditional slow-smoked meats with an array of cultural influences, including Mexican, Thai and Cajun/Creole. You could call the trend “cross-cultural” or “blended” or even a “mashup,” if that lights your coals. Just don’t call it “fusion.” Practitioners firmly reject that label.

“I try to avoid that word,” says Roman Raya, chef and co-owner of Barbacoa (5500 Troost Ave., KCMO). “It comes with a certain connotation of restaurants not really honoring the cultures they are drawing from.”

Don’t say fusion: a look at the NEW WORLD of blended BBQ

Forget the competing regional styles of barbecue. A few local pitmasters and chefs are looking to their roots to influence their smoked meats. Others are just getting creative. Either way, these joints are straying from KC-style ’cue and making something uniquely delicious.

By John Martellaro

Barbacoa’s cuisine combines traditional Texas barbecue with Mexican culinary traditions in an upscale setting. Ted Liberda, chef-pitmaster of Thai barbecue restaurant Buck Tui BBQ (6737 W. 75th St., Overland Park), expressed similar feelings in a 2023 interview. Liberda prefers the term “crossover.”

“I hate the word ‘fusion,’” Liberda said. “It indicates that it’s not authentic.” He described his food as “the evolution of barbecue for the modern day.” Diners at Buck Tui can choose from among a variety of classic Kansas City barbecue platters or unique crossover treats, such as smoked beef brisket rangoons, pulled pork egg rolls, brisket pad thai and the X Man sandwich, which combines beef brisket and Thai sausage with pickle, papaya slaw and creamy, fiery tiger cry sauce.

Jazzy B’s BBQ (320 S.W. Blue Parkway, Lee’s Summit) offers a menu that’s a balance between Louisiana and Kansas City. Chef-owner Brandon Simpson smokes traditional brisket, pulled pork and baby-back ribs along with Andouille sausage that’s smoked, sliced, then crisped on the griddle. Other options include crab cakes, drunken shrimp po’ boy sandwiches and deep-fried crab balls with a real Cajun flair. Jazzy B’s even offers tacos and quesadillas filled with barbecued meat.

GG’s Barbacoa Café (1032 Minnesota Ave., KCK) combines a classic KCK Taco Trail joint setting with a wide-ranging menu that includes smoked brisket and pulled pork sandwiches, smoked chicken, and classic Mexican dishes such as quesadillas, pozole soup, enchiladas and tortas. Crispy birria beef barbacoa fried tacos, a menu favorite, are served with onions, cilantro and a smoky full-flavored consommé. Breakfast options range from chilaquiles to waffles. Barbacoa, run by Raya and business partner Madeline Buechter, differs dramatically from GG’s disposable plates and workingman’s eatery vibe, with not just its upscale-casual setting and craft cocktails but also its deliberately concentrated menu.

“We have four entrees and six smaller plates,” Raya says. “We want to make sure we can focus on very specific foods. Turning that into something upscale takes a lot of effort. Keeping the menu very specific and focusing on what we do best is very important to us.“

Pollo Asado ($30) is marinated overnight in house-made adobo, then smoked to a gorgeous bronze color and served with an Alabama-style white barbecue sauce. Smoked carnitas ($25) come with tortillas, pico de gallo and garlic crema. Birria de res ($26) is beef chuck in a rich consommé with tortillas and garnishes; the subtle smoke flavor is derived from searing the meat in smoked beef tallow, then simmering in a broth with smoked chilies. Barbacoa also offers a pan-seared barramundi entrée ($24).

Raya grew up in the Mexican neighborhood on Kansas City’s west side, where his father frequently smoked briskets on Sundays and menudo was a staple. As an adult, he competed on the barbecue contest circuit for a while, then launched a food cart “to gain experience and capital” while working toward the concept that opened as Barbacoa in 2023.

“I really wanted to blend those two together and offer something uniquely me.”

Barbecue Dishes at Non-Barbecue Restaurants

Barbecue is messy. There’s no denying it. It has a way of getting all over everything, including the local food scene. There are over 100 barbecue joints across the metro, but there are still plenty more restaurants working Kansas City’s culinary calling card into their menus. Here are four great unexpected spots to grab some great ’cue.

By Devan Dignan

PIGWICH

20 E. Fifth St., KCMO

At Rye, white oak-smoked meats appear throughout the menu. The lunch lineup features a pulled pork sandwich while brunch offers a smoked beef short rib hash.

“We want to have odes to classic Kansas City dishes while putting our own spin on them,” says Benjamin Wood, the executive chef at Rye’s Plaza location.

One such spin is a smoked fried ribs appetizer. “We smoke the ribs as a slab in the traditional way but then slice and fry them individually,” Wood says. The method adds a satisfying crunch to the Duroc bones while sealing in the smoke flavor and juices. In lieu of sauce, a bed of snappy buttermilk red cabbage slaw and a tangle of pickled peppers usher in sweetness, spice and vinegar to round out the dish.

When Alex Pope launched The Local Pig, barbecue was the furthest thing from his mind.

“We were a whole-animal meat market,” says Pope. “We opened Pigwich because we needed an outlet for the parts of the pig and cow we weren’t selling.”

Shortly after sandwiches hit the menu, one of the chefs suggested pulled pork as a daily special and “it just kept selling.” These days, the pulled pork is the foundation of their namesake sandwich, but it’s another smoked cut that sets them apart in Kansas City ’cue.

“We take it from the picnic [shoulder],” Pope says. “It truly is a pork brisket.”

Deli-sliced and topped with their special recipe barbecue sauce, this “underutilized cut” stars in several of Pigwich’s most popular dishes.

1120 E. Old State Route 210, Liberty

Unlike Pigwich, barbecue was always part of the plan for The Fish Market in Liberty Bend.

“It’s always been on the menu,” says owner Darla Staton.

The first thing many guests notice about Staton’s marina-themed eatery is the aroma of hickory smoke. The late Jeff Moore, a Liberty native and hobbyist smoker, combined his local craft with his wife Rae’s Louisiana roots to create a barbecue po’ boy lineup.

Smoked pulled pork, turkey or ham is served on an onion roll and topped with homemade slaw and house sauce. Diners can even opt for the trifecta of meats with the BBQ Fowl Hog.

“It hits all the flavors in one bite,” Staton says.

Smoked salmon, smoked catfish and pulled pork fries round out a barbecue menu hidden in plain sight.

3385

Long-Bell Pizza Co. owner Jayson Eggers’ barbecue journey began in California, where he ran a catering company. Around 2021, his Lee’s Summit pizza shop began incorporating smoked meats— burnt ends, brisket, pulled pork, carnitas and chicken— into their tacos, sandwiches and, obviously, pizzas.

“It added a dynamic of flavors to our menu beyond what we or anyone else was doing,” Eggers says. “How many pizza places are smoking meat on their patio?”

The Risk It for the Brisket pizza—with a whipped cream cheese base seasoned with house rub and topped with smoked burnt ends caramelized in house sauce—is a testament to Long-Bell’s scratch-made philosophy.

RYE

10551 Mission Road, Leawood

THE FISH MARKET

LONG-BELL PIZZA CO.

S.W. Fascination Drive, Lee’s Summit

Chipotle ghost pepper cheese sausage on a hoagie at Scott’s Kitchen

Scott’sKitchen’s

Chipotle Ghost Pepper Cheese Sausage on a Hoagie

By Tyler Shane

11920 N. Ambassador Drive, KCMO

Runners-Up

JOE’S Z-MAN joeskc.com

It’s not a “Best Barbecue Sandwich” list without an honorary mention of Joe’s onion ring-laden pulled pork sandwich. We’re willing to bet the Z-Man was probably the first mainstream barbecue specialty sandwich. That being said, the Rocket Pig is also fantastic.

“I haven’t changed my menu, the prices or anything since August 22, 2022.”

– SCOTT UMSCHEID

TASTE OF KANSAS CITY

BBQ & GRILL’S BRISKET CHEESESTEAK

7935 Prospect Ave., KCMO

There are some regions of barbecue in which putting melted cheese on smoked livefire meats is sacrilegious. Taste of KC’s brisket cheesesteak makes me happy that I don’t live in one of those regions.

CHEF J’S THE BOMB 1401 W. 13th Street, Suite G., KCMO

A towering sandwich stuffed with brisket, turkey and sausage and topped with a juicy rib. Need we say more?

HAWG JAW QUE & BREW’S THE IRISH HOG

900 Swift St., North KCMO

Barbecue has always been a workin’ man’s meal, and that has never been more true in the industrial district of North KC at Hawg Jaw. The Irish Hog is their take on a Reuben (available year round, not just in March). It comes with smoked corned beef brisket, a spicy sauerkraut and smoked sausage.

SCOTT UMSCHEID’S chipotle ghost pepper cheese sausage has been the talk of his restaurant for years now, and yes, he knows the name is a mouthful. We’ll skip the debate on whether a sausage wrapped in a soft hoagie bun is technically a sandwich. The juicy sausage is the stuff of legends, and it sits under the sandwich section of the menu. That’s enough to qualify for us.

The sandwich also just so happens to be getting a makeover— dressed with slaw and drizzled with a red chili fire sauce—which only made us more secure in this decision. It doesn’t matter what iconic burnt end sandwich you throw at me; this is the best barbecue sandwich in KC right now.

“I haven’t changed my menu, the prices or anything since August 22, 2022,” says Umscheid, who is bringing several new items to his restaurant’s menu this month.

Scott’s Kitchen was stationed as a vendor in Kauffman Stadium for the past two years, and although he’s skipping the stadium this year due to a busy schedule, several of the specialty menu items he made for The K will now be making an appearance at his flagship restaurant, the new sausage sandwich being one of them.

Typically, the chipotle ghost pepper cheese sausage is served on a hoagie, and really, it doesn’t need anything else. But, while at The K, Umschied served it topped with a jalapeno apple slaw and guajillo-based hot sauce (it’s merely a zesty kick, not a melt-your-face-off kind of heat). The snap of the zesty sausage on a soft hoagie with the crunch of a lime zest-brightened slaw is impossible to beat.

The lore of the ghost pepper sausage is well known: The recipe came about because Umscheid “looked around and everyone had a jalapeno cheddar sausage on their menu,” he says. “Like, everybody.”

The ghost pepper sausage was on his restaurant’s menu, and while it was a hit, he rarely made more than 70 a week. Several years ago, he was invited to participate in a barbecue throwdown at Arrowhead, and all the other pitmasters had already been picked to smoke the usual standout meats: brisket, pulled pork, ribs, etc. He reluctantly accepted the task of showcasing his sausage, but because they’re so time-consuming to make, he reached out to the sausage makers at Paradise Locker Meats over in Trimble for some help.

“It’s better,” Umscheid says. “It’s more consistent. They make it with heritage-breed pork. It’s just better.”

Paradise Locker Meats continues to make the sausage. With Umscheid’s permission, they showcased his sausage recipe in a conference in Iowa. It won first place.

Blue Ribbon

THE SECRET TO Hayward’s is one simple word: consistency.

Owner Eric Sweeney started working for founder Hayward Spears when the restaurant first opened in 1972. Asked what hedoes differently from Spears since he took over in 2013, Sweeney answers with another single word: “nothin’.” He bought the recipes for the rubs and sauce and has left them intact.

Sweeney hasn’t been at Hayward’s the whole time; he spent decades working in classic Kansas City institutions including Houston’s, Plaza III and Joe’s Kansas City (when it was still Oklahoma Joe’s).

Today, Hayward’s is a family operation, with Sweeney’s wife, son and daughter-in-law playing key roles. Bestselling items include burnt ends, pulled pork, the Hayward’s Hash sandwich (chopped beef brisket and pork rib tip meat on a toasted sesame hoagie roll) and DJ’s Mushroom & Swiss sandwich (sliced brisket, Swiss cheese and fried portabella mushroom caps with horseradish sauce). A recent addition is pork belly burnt ends that are cured in-house, then smoked and deep fried.

Meats are served unsauced. Items sampled on a recent visit included tender, smoky pork ribs; lean, moist and flavorful pulled pork; and absolutely delightful burnt ends—moist, tender, smoky and deftly seasoned. Deep fried sides such as onion rings and okra were crisp and non-greasy.

Hayward’s meats are smoked with 100 percent hickory wood, a practice many pitmasters frown on, believing it imparts a harsh flavor. Sweeney’s take: “Oh, you can over-smoke it, for sure.” To prevent that, he separates his briskets into flat and point cuts and smokes them separately so they don’t have to linger too long in the pit.

“I’m not really a patient guy, but I am with barbecue,” Sweeney says. “It tells you when it’s ready.”

“I’m not really a patient guy, but I am with barbecue. It tells you when it’s ready.”

–ERIC SWEENEY

Runners-Up

BIG T’S BAR-B-Q

6201 Blue Parkway, KCMO

A quintessential BBQ joint that harkens back to the city’s East Side barbecue origins.

JACK STACK BARBECUE jackstackbbq.com, various locations

Founded in 1957 as a storefront joint, secondgeneration owner Jack Fiorella pioneered KC ’cue’s move to upscale settings and service, adding menu items such as fresh fish, steaks and smoked lamb ribs.

GATES BAR-B-Q gatesbbq.com, various locations

A Kansas City institution with roots stretching back to 1946. Occasional inconsistency can be an issue, but at its best, it’s as good as it gets.

ROSEDALE BAR-B-Q

600 Southwest Blvd., KCK “Smoking since 1935.”

Another classic counterservice joint offering brisket, ham, pork, turkey, ribs and chicken with traditional sides. In addition to the succulent smoked meats, it’s also known for its trademark super-crispy crinkle-cut fries served in a waxed paper bag.

Best old school

Hayward’s

By John Martellaro

Blue Ribbon

Short ribs platter at Slap’s BBQ

Runners-Up

JOE’S KANSAS CITY BAR-B-QUE

joeskc.com, various locations

Joe’s blazed the trail from the competition circuit to KC’s restaurant scene. The long list of championships won and accolades earned is rivaled only by the daily lines of customers. Joe’s famous fries, slabs of ribs and Z-Man sandwich have become the stuff of local legend.

Q39

q39kc.com, various locations

At Q39’s midtown and Overland Park locations, competition ’cue gets the white glove treatment. The burnt ends, pulled pork and award-winning brisket are always great picks, but the spiced onion straws and apple slaw are a must.

MEAT MITCH

3620 W. 95th St., Leawood

Known for their sauces, Meat Mitch earned hardware nationwide before bringing it all home to Leawood. Their All-Star Platters and specialty sandwiches are all certified winners, accompanied by blue ribbon hospitality.

SCOTT’S KITCHEN AND CATERING AT HANGAR 29

11920 N. Ambassador Drive, KCMO

A Northland favorite, Scott’s Kitchen serves standout St. Louis ribs, ghost pepper jack sausage and jumbo smoked wings with homestyle sides to match. As a bonus, it’s one of the few spots in town offering a daily barbecue breakfast.

“Hopefully, you can cook the same quality of food week in and week out and get people to agree it’s pretty solid.”

–JOE PEARCE

THE PEARCE BROTHERS didn’t set out to open a restaurant.

“Competition barbecue started as a way for Mike and I to get together and just cook barbecue,” Joe Pearce says. But when their team, Squeal Like a Pig, started winning, including a runner-up finish on Destination America’s show BBQ Pitmasters in 2013, they began to think bigger.

“We thought: ‘We’re pretty good at this. Maybe we should open a restaurant,’” Joe says.

Like their team, Slap’s BBQ saw immediate success and sold out every day for the first three and a half to four years. That popularity persists, with daily lines out the door during lunch.

Slap’s may soon expand their dinner hours due to demand, but we highly recommend enduring the long lines early in the day when the meats are fresh off the smoker and at their best. The quality and availability of their midday offerings makes it worth the wait.

Dinner is good. Lunch is unparalleled.

Slap’s differentiates itself from many of its peers by continuing to compete. While competition requires a few polished bites, the restaurant prepares 250 slabs of ribs, 100 briskets and 30 pork butts daily. Additionally, their fan-favorite baked potato casserole can move over 100 gallons on a busy Saturday. Joe utilizes a mild mix of hickory and oak for a balanced flavor.

“I want the meat to speak for itself,” he says.

On the circuit, it’s pecan for a bolder bite. Although Slap’s is best known for their spare ribs, burnt ends and jalapeño-cheddar sausage, it’s the chicken that wins most, picking up world championships in 2022 and 2023.

Whether the Pearce brothers are working the smoker for their restaurant or a competition, the need for consistency remains principal.

“Hopefully, you can cook the same quality of food week in and week out and get people to agree it’s pretty solid,” Joe says.

Slap’s has grown into a Kansas City staple, often mentioned alongside local icons like Joe’s, Jack Stack and Arthur Bryant’s. “It’s humbling,” Joe says. “We grew up eating at these places. It’s been a wild ride.”

More than a restaurant, Slap’s BBQ is a competition stalwart that consistently sets the standard for what Kansas City barbecue can be.

Best Competition BBQ

Blue Ribbon

By Devan Dignan

553 Central Ave., KCK

Slap’s BBQ

Best Upscale BBQ Restaurant Q39

By Tyler Shane

BARBECUE HAS historically always been a “no frills” cuisine, but Q39’s late owner Rob Magee proved that the meaty genre can, in fact, be dressed up. When you’re making competition-quality meats with such precision, why not have a dining experience to match?

British chef Philip Thompson successfully helmed Q39’s smokers since 2021, taking over when Magee passed away due to cancer. In March, the popular restaurant saw another change at the top when chef Patrick Peluso took over. Mirroring Magee’s background, Peluso did 11 years on the competition circuit, competing at the American Royal every year, and so far he’s managed to maintain the level of precision Q39 has become known for. The burnt end sandwich, stuffed with onion straws, has rightfully become heralded as one of the best in the city, and the slow-smoked certified Angus beef brisket is wildly tender.

“I think that’s where we would truly hang our hat is the competition meats,” Peluso says. “Pit to plate is what we stand on. We’re smoking meat today and serving it today.”

When he’s not honoring Magee’s legacy, Peluso is using a chef’s approach to create new menu items, like the brisket meatballs and cheesesteak with caramelized onions, both of which stay true to KC’s signature barbecue practice: getting creative with leftover scraps from other meats to create gold (we’re not known for our burnt ends for nothing).

Peluso is a chef first and pitmaster second. He attended Johnson County Community College’s culinary program and apprenticed under Lidia Bastianich before overseeing the dining programs at the Nelson Atkins and World War I Museum. Bringing a refined approach to barbecue is natural for Peluso. At Q39, the napkins are cloth, service is tableside, a host stand greets you when you walk in. All in all, there’s no cutting corners.

“Our smokers kick on at 2:30 in the morning, then we shut them down at 10 at night,” says Peluso. “Something that’s a little bit unique about us, too: We do a full cleaning of the smokers every night.”

Blue Ribbon

“I think that’s where we would truly hang our hat is the competition meats. Pit to plate is what we stand on.”

–PATRICK PELUSO

Runners-Up

BUCK TUI

6737 W. 75th St., Overland Park

Buck Tui, KC’s beloved Thai barbecue restaurant, is a great date night spot. There’s table service, a host stand and cloth napkins, and you can dress up your meal with a craft cocktail. That’s fancy enough for us. While experiencing the flavors of chef Pam Liberda’s Thai heritage, you won’t be disappointed with Thai-barbecue crossovers like red curry brisket, pineapple rib fried rice and brisket pho (lunch only).

JACK STACK

jackstackbbq.com, various locations

We suggest this classic barbecue spot as a destination to host out-of-town clients. It’s a staple, but the cheesy corn bake is enough reason to go without a work obligation.

CHAR BAR

4050 Pennsylvania Ave., KCMO

No paper towels here! Add a craft cocktail to your meal, and make your in-laws pay for the Jabroni Hatchback sandwich platter with burnt ends, pulled pork, hand-cranked sausage and several sides.

SMOKEHOUSE BARBECUE

smokehousebbq.com, various locations

Smokehouse may have been the first restaurant in KC to bring barbecue into an elevated environment. Along with Jack Stack, it’s a beloved ’cue restaurant for us KC natives, and it always will be.

Brisket dinner

The Argentinian sandwich you didn’t

know you craved

By Alex Omorodion

BIRTHED FROM THE happy marriage of chorizo pork sausage and “pan” (bread), the choripán is a simple, satisfying sandwich usually made with chorizo, lettuce and tomatoes and served between crisp baguette style bread.

In North Kansas City, just south of the airport, lies Los Hornos Argentinian Flavors (10004 N.W. Executive Hills Blvd., KCMO), owned and operated by Argentina native Isolina Maria De La Vega. Through her restaurant, De La Vega shares the tastes, sights and smells of San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina, where she grew up, she says.

Los Hornos serves a host of traditional Argentinian dishes, a variety of empanadas and plenty of coffee, but it’s the choripán that De La Vega says is not only the most popular menu item but also

Photography by Kelly Powell

an Argentinian comfort food. Not unlike hot dog and pizza slices in American cities, the choripán is commonly sold by street vendors and in stadiums.

“Choripán is famous in Argentina,” De La Vega says. “When you finish the soccer matches, everyone eats choripán, so it’s a popular sandwich.”

Los Hornos’ choripán comes with a variety of sides including french fries, mashed potatoes and salads.

Because Argentina is a huge soccer nation, De La Vega plans for Los Hornos to be a central hub for the 2026 World Cup.

“For the last World Cup, we put some big TVs in the restaurant, and we are planning the same for next year.”

Bites Booze&

Holladay Distillery

Holladay Distillery recently released its limited-edition Ben Holladay 8-Year One Barrel Bourbon. This much-anticipated release is the result of eight patient years of aging. The highly coveted bottles are arriving in select markets across the US— but bourbon fans in Kansas City have the rare opportunity to grab one right at the source---the Holladay Distillery in Weston. holladaydistillery.com

Char Bar Smoked Meats

e Pastrami Burnt End Reuben Sandwich from Char Bar, you’re missing a weekly favorite! It’s only available on Thursdays. They brine the pastrami for seven days and smoke it for 16 hours to get the flavor perfected. It’s layered on a Char Bar exclusive—their proprietary Farm-To-Market pumpernickel bun. With the topping of tangy sauerkraut, its a mouth full of flavor. They go quick, so don’t miss out on this mouth-watering weekly experience because once they're gone, they're gone!

1856 Old Fashioned

Ingredients:

- 2.0 oz | Ben Holladay Bourbon

- 0.5 oz | Gomme Syrup

- 2 dashes | Aromatic Bitters

- 2 dashes | Orange Bitters

- Add Ben Holladay Bourbon, gomme syrup, aromatic bitters, orange bitters, and ice to a mixing glass.

- Stir 20 – 25 times

- Strain into a rocks glass with one large ice cube

- Express an orange peel over the rocks glass

- Garnish with the orange peel

Q39

July is National Grilling Month and Q39 is elevating their grilling game with the KC Strip Steak made from Certified Angus Beef. A cut above the rest, it’s aged 21 days minimum before being cooked fresh to order over hickory wood-fired grills and topped with house made herb butter. Seasoned to perfection, you will want to give this a try during National Grilling Month. Q39kc.com

Joe’s KC BBQ

It’s the perfect partnership -- Joe’s KC BBQ Low & Slow Lemon Radler created with Free State Brewing. It’s slow brewed with natural citrus and crafted for hot afternoons and smoky sunsets. This great tasting beer is brewed for KC BBQ fans. Now available at all Joe’s KC BBQ locations. The Low & Slow Lemon Radler is perfect for porch swings, pontoons, and pitmasters. joeskc.com

Burnt End BBQ Bar and Grill

American Royal award-winning BBQ is what you can expect when you take in a bite at Burnt End BBQ Bar and Grill. Their BBQ competition platters are served with one or two choices of meat and two sauces. Pictured here is the beef brisket paired with smoked turkey. The hearty combination is complemented with crispy crinkle fries pit beans, Texas toast and house-made pickles. Visit one of their two locations in Crown Center or DeSoto, KS. burntendbbq.com

J’s BBQ

J's BBQ Smokehouse & Catering is KC’s newest BBQ experience, even though its story goes back nearly 50 years. J’s is a revival of the second Johnny's BBQ, opened by former employee and passionate pitmaster Josh Deal. He’s serving up hickory smoked burnt ends topped with their original BBQ sauce and a side pickle spear. They’re double smoked and chopped to order. Check out this KC hidden gem. jsbbqkc.com

Ice Ice Baby

By Olivia Mahl

TIM AND LAUREN YORK have brought a popular East Coast delight right here to Kansas City: Italian ice. A cross between sorbet and shaved ice, Italian ice is refreshing and perfect for hot, muggy KC summers.

The couple is serving up their icy treats from a pink and orange pastel-hued trailer emblazoned with their business’s moniker, Neon Palm Ice. It can be found at the Overland Park Farmers Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The Yorks started their business in 2018 when they were living in Northern California. When they decided to move back to KC, Tim’s hometown, in 2024, it was easy to bring their mobile business with them. Tim uses his bartending experience to create recipes, and Lauren works on the brand.

The Yorks pulled inspiration from Palm Springs, California, and tossed around all sorts of vibrant and

Their Italian ice ingredients include real cane sugar, water and fresh fruit—some days straight from the farmers market.

The Yorks’ trailer can also be booked for events. To learn more, visit neonpalmice.com.

fun words before choosing Neon Palm for their summer-inspired business.

“I was like, that’s amazing, so that’s where we landed,” says Lauren when talking about creating their brand.

Their Italian ice ingredients include real cane sugar, water and fresh fruit—some days straight from the farmers market. Fluffy and smooth, each cup is vegan, dairy- and gluten-free.

If you can’t decide between strawberry, tropical mango, lime, pineapple, watermelon, piňa colada, lemon or blackberry lemon mint, to name just a few, don’t worry; you’re allowed to sample and mix.

“Our favorite combo is the blackberry lemon mixed with piňa colada,” Tim says. “It’s just refreshing. It’s a lot of different flavors, but they all work really well together.” Based on a recent visit, the piña colada and mojito also pair nicely.

Specialty flavors such as Mai Tai and spiced pear will make menu appearances, as will the occasional collaborations with local wineries.

Goode for Your Body, Goode for Your Soul

From community gardens to children’s books, Chris Goode of Ruby Jean’s Juicery is helping his community put health first

By Ryan Reed

CHRIS

GOODE,

OWNER and founder of Ruby Jean’s Juicery, has been very busy.

Within the last few years, Goode’s business has grown exponentially, with his juices being sold in over 100 Whole Foods locations nationwide as well as spots closer to home, like the Kansas City Current’s CPKC stadium. The widespread growth represents Goode’s

CHRIS GOODE ’S PERFECT DAY IN KC

Ruby Jean’s Juicery

I mean, seriously, you know it’s something that I think is a huge health benefit. Obviously it’s my business, but I dreamt of it and then brought it to life. It’s a staple in my diet and my family’s diet.

Black Pantry Coffee

The Candied Yam Latte—I don’t know what to say. You just have to try it.

Westside Local

They’ve got a killer wrap. I go for the kale wrap, add salmon, hold the bacon, side of fruit. I’m a pescatarian, so it’s my go-to. If you are having a drink, the Westside Cocktail is great (blanco tequila, cilantro syrup and lime).

Deep Rooted Clothing Company

I’m a fan of color, so I’m very colorforward in our brand and our aesthetic. I appreciate Deep Rooted’s use of color, but they’re also one of those brands that have the ability to have community embedded in their existence. It’s not a topical thing; it’s who they are. It’s who the owner is and how they exist and show up in this community.

Corvino

The mushroom burger with house-cut fries. It’s out of this world. It’s a guilty pleasure.

CPKC Stadium: I appreciate the environment at CPKC stadium a lot. We have a location there as well. You’d think this new state-of-the-art stadium could be kind of pretentious and stuffy, but instead it’s like a small-town college environment, and it’s just super approachable. The food offerings are amazing and very thoughtful.

Concourse Park

Even if I’m walking by myself, no kids with me, I’m definitely going down Concourse Park’s slide. There’s tons of cardboard boxes that people have left or people bring a potato sack, and you just go down the slide. There’s this endorphin rush that you get and it’s so instantaneous. I think that is something that doctors here in Kansas City should prescribe.

dedication to clean living through an honest diet and a desire to spread his philosophy throughout the metro and beyond.

For Goode, his juices are just the beginning. He has also become an advocate for educating people on the benefits of whole foods and a healthy diet. Most recently, he cut the ribbon on Ruby Jean’s Garden, an Eastside community-run one-acre garden. Stakeholders can pick fruits and vegetables in exchange for volunteer hours or “sweat-equity” in the form of planting, cleaning or attending educational workshops.

“By the spring of 2026, the lot will be fully functional and in a really strong position,” Goode says. “The goal is to create a community garden where you can take what you need. The difference in our model is that you’ll come in and help by picking up trash, pulling weeds or harvesting fruits and vegetables. We want you to learn to do some component of this on your own at home even if you just have an apartment. We really, really want to emphasize a community ownership model. That ownership is through time investment, through attention investment.”

The garden was inspired by the children’s book Goode wrote honoring the memory of his grandmother Ruby Jean, the juicery’s namesake. Ruby Jean passed away in 1999 at the premature age of 61 after a battle with diabetes, kidney disease and high blood pressure largely attributed to her diet. Through the book and the garden, Goode hopes to teach the importance of healthy eating choices and bring much-needed fresh food into a neighborhood considered a food desert.

Party Animals

THE KANSAS CITY ZOO’S annual after-hours party, Jazzoo, is one of the city’s most popular fundraising events. The “creative black tie” event is held the first Friday in June, and this year’s theme, Safari Soiree, is sure to bring out all the party animals.

Every year, thousands come to roam around the zoo and nibble on bites from hundreds of local food and drink vendors, as well as dance the night away with live music and entertainment provided throughout the venue.

The event raises funds for educational and research programs offered at the zoo. Check out these pictures from last year’s bash, and to find out more about how to go to this year’s soiree, head to kansascityzoo.org.

Hole In One

THE 2025 KIDSTLC OPEN raised a record-breaking $155,000 to support vital mental and behavioral health for kids and families at KidsTLC. The charity golf tourney was held at Shadow Glen Golf Club in Olathe. The nonprofit was founded in 1972 by the Johnson County Young Matrons to fund emergency shelter for abused and neglected children. Over the years, KidsTLC has expanded its mission to help youth who are experiencing mental and behavioral challenges. Visit kidstlc.org to learn more.

We want to hear from you. Tell us about events happening in the community. –Dawnya Bartsch, editor editor@kansascitymag.com.

Randy Vance, Kent Sunderland, Wayne Strickland and KidsTLC board member Gary Church.

KidsTLC CEO Erin Dugan and her daughter Bella LaTorella, a KidsTLC volunteer.

Derek Stephens, Liz Jones, KidsTLC board member Jenny Sullivan and Doug Gaumer.

2025 KidsTLC Open champions, the JE Dunn construction team: Dennis Burns, Mary Moore, Brian Burkett and Andrew Petersen.

surreal estate

Monkey See, Monkey Do

This lifelike KC statue was also in Michael Jackson’s collection

By Nicole Kinning

NEAR THE CORNER of Nichols Road and Central Street on the Plaza stands a whimsical bronze statue with a story—and a twin that once belonged to the King of Pop. The artist behind “Monkey Business,” Mark Lundeen is a Colorado-based sculptor whose work appears across the country. From the iconic astronaut statue at Denver International Airport to a recently unveiled statue of President Trump and “The Eagle Has Landed” at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lundeen’s strikingly detailed bronze sculptures are instantly recognizable.

“I want people to look at my sculptures, and I want my sculptures to look back at them like they’re ready to answer a question.”

“Monkey Business”—which depicts an organ grinder and his monkey—was created in the late 1980s and was inspired by Lundeen’s European travels. “I came across a couple of old organ grinders in Italy—guys on the street that had their little monkeys that would go around and collect money and put it in their cups,” he says. The man in the sculpture was modeled after Lundeen’s friend and colleague, Joe Tarantino, “a short, stocky Italian guy,” Lundeen says.

Only 15 casts of “Monkey Business” were ever made in the late 1980s, and they sold quickly. One landed at the Country Club Plaza. While there’s no official record of who brought it here, it’s likely that J.C. Nichols heir Miller Nichols, who oversaw much of the Plaza’s art collection at the time, had a hand in it. Another “Monkey Business” cast ended up in Michael Jackson’s collection of lifelike statues at Neverland Ranch.

In his work, Lundeen molds each sculpture in an oil-based clay, then casts it in bronze using a process that dates back 5,000 years to ancient China. His commitment to the craft requires meticulous planning: Before starting “Monkey Business,” he visited the Denver Zoo to study capuchin monkeys up close. It was one of the first animals he ever sculpted. Since then, he’s gone on to create everything from a towering pronghorn antelope on the University of Nebraska–Kearney campus to a buck on John Deere’s campus in Illinois.

Lundeen is preparing to unveil a statue of former president Jimmy Carter for the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland, along with a tribute to a Korean War Medal of Honor recipient that will stand in the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka. And after more than four decades in the business, Lundeen says he’s never been busier.

“I want people to look at my sculptures,” he says, “and I want my sculptures to look back at them like they’re ready to answer a question.”

Photography by Andrew Mason