IN Kansas City September 2018

SEPTEMBER 2018 | INKANSASCITY.COM

Walk on the Wild Side FALL FASHION ISSUE

KEVIN WILLMOTT AN IN-DEPTH Q&A SENSATIONAL RENOVATED MIDCENTURY MODERN

Don't Don'tever eversettle settlefor forless lessthan thanextraordinary. extraordinary.

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09.29.18

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design | cabinetry | lifestyle

Portfolio Portfolio Portfolio K i t c h e n K i K t c i th ce hn e n &

& h o m e & h o hm oe m e

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Brady Legler, Boomerang (detail), 2017, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 48 inches. Personal Collection of Trudy and John Jacobson.

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Honorary Chairs

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To join Just Like You Films as a sponsor for the 2018 Power of Film, please visit www.justlikeyoufilms.org or contact Betsy Lindsey, Director of Development, at betsy.w.lindsey@gmail.com or 913.240.4269.

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Contents September 2018 92 68

121

82

Features

Departments

68

92

KEVIN WILLMOTT A frank conversation on race, politics, and movie-making with the co-screenwriter of BlacKkKlansman.

A MAN & WOMAN FOR ALL SEASONS Older woman, younger man aside, this season’s best looks are ageless.

30

ENTERTAINING IN KC

36

OUR MAN IN KC

42

ARTS & CULTURE IN KC

50

BEHIND THE MUSIC IN KC

72

100

54

MY ESSENTIALS IN KC

ANIMAL MAGNETISM Once again for fall, animal prints come roaring back into style.

OPEN SPACES Two innovative ideas merge into one grand experience happening over 62 days throughout Kansas City.

56

LOOK IN KC

62

LIVING IN KC

82

112

FLAVOR IN KC

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN For a Prairie Village couple looking for a larger home in their beloved neighborhood, a midcentury-modern home in need of a refresh was the perfect answer.

134

THIS MONTH IN KC

IN EVERY ISSUE

On the cover Go wild with animal prints for fall. For more

information, turn to page 79. To win the sunglasses, go to page 26.

Photographer: Kenny Johnson

SEPTEMBER 2018

| 20 | INKANSASCITY.COM

24

EDITOR’S NOTE

52

NEXT IN KC

122

FACES IN KC

136

FOUND IN KC

Casual

S O P H I S T I C AT I O N

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Thank you to our Sponsors & Featured Vendors!

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Stephanie & Henry Bond, Leslie & Dan Hogan, Leslie & Tim Kostner, Kelly & Ron Lockton, Katie & Mark Moreland, Holly & Greg Mosher, Dana & Rich Reda

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Editor’s Note

What I did on My Summer Vacation

Vol. 1 | No. 2 September 2018

I

Editor In Chief Zim Loy Art Director Alice Govert Bryan Digital Editor Michael Mackie Contributing Writers Susan Cannon, Charles Ferruzza, Judith Fertig, Timothy Finn, Cindy Hoedel, Cody Hogan, Merrily Jackson, Damian Lair, Patricia O’Dell

PHOTO BY JENNY WHEAT

n my small-town Iowa grade school (and in every other grade school across the country, so it seemed), every September when we returned to classes, one of our first assignments was to write about what we did over vacation.

It’s still a good way to judge how our summer fared.

Here’s mine.

I and a small crew of like-minded folks decided to launch a media company.

If you watch Turner Classic Movies, it’s a bit like when Seated, left to right: Brittany Coale, Katie Delzer, Zim Loy, Alice Govert Bryan, Betsy Lucas. Standing: Chad Judy Garland and Mickey Parkhurst, Michelle Jolles, Michael Mackie.

Rooney got together in innumerable ’40s movies and decided to put on a show. With their friends! In a barn!

Only instead of a barn we have a cool Crossroads loft office.

The fun of those ’40s flicks was that everyone was extremely talented and the show they put on (the movie’s climax) was as good as any Broadway musical. That’s kind of the way I feel. Our IN Kansas City team is extremely talented. And we’re justifiably proud of what we’ve produced. It is one of the great pleasures of developing this magazine that I get to work with this brilliant and hard-working team, including everyone on staff and our capable freelancers.

The feedback we’ve received from our premiere issue of the print magazine and the launch of our inkansascity.com website has been gratifying. There has been some criticism, to be sure. We’re listening to what those concerns are because we want to be as we said on our first cover, “celebrating how Kansas City lives today.” And we mean Kansas City in the broadest sense of the word. We mean north of the river, the Johnson County suburbs, and east in Independence, Raytown, and Lee’s Summit.

In every issue, we want to reflect what our city is now. Sometimes you can almost physically feel the exuberant energy of what is going on: the national press coverage; the people moving here because they’ve heard it’s the place to be; the thriving arts, cultural, entertaining, music, restaurant, design, and retail communities. So much is going on and until now, there hasn’t been one place to find it all.

Our goal is to be that source for you.

Contributing Photographers Ron Berg, Cameron Gee, Kenny Johnson, Aaron Leimkuehler Tom Styrkowicz Copy Editor Craig Magnus Managing Director Michelle Jolles Publisher Chad Parkhurst Digital Director Brittany Coale Senior Media Consultant Katie Delzer Client Relations Manager Betsy Lucas Editorial Questions: zloy@inkansascity.com

Advertising Questions:

cparkhurst@inkansascity.com

Distribution Questions: blucas@inkansascity.com

Subscription Questions:

Mail: In Kansas City, PO Box 92257 Long Beach CA 90809 Phone: 888-881-5861, M–F, 8–4 PST Email: inkansascity@psfmag.com

IN Kansas City is published monthly by KC Media LLC

118 Southwest Blvd., 2nd Floor Kansas City, MO 64108

Zim

816-768-8300 | inkansascity.com Annual Subscriptions are $19.95

SEPTEMBER 2018

| 24 | INKANSASCITY.COM

EXPLORE OUR WEBSITE AT

INKANSASCITY.COM Deliberating what to do tonight?

Discover the most comprehensive calendar in the metro—art galleries, dance, theater, social events, and music, music, music at inkansascity. com/events

ENTER TO WIN

Loving the sunglasses on the cover?

Enter to win a pair of your very own Boz Eyeware sunglasses. The sunglasses, available at Romanelli Optix, retail at $640, but for the lucky winner— FREE! To enter for a chance to win, head to inkansascity.com/the-magazine/enter-to-win

FACEBOOK @INKANSASCITYMAGAZINE

TWITTER

Trying to decide where to eat? For

Want to hear some good music this week? Every week, In Kansas

City’s music critic, Timothy Finn, chooses his Top 5 Concerts of the Week in the metro. Check out his weekly picks at inkansascity.com/arts-entertainment/music

SEPTEMBER 2018

| 26 | INKANSASCITY.COM

the city’s most extensive restaurant guide, head to inkansascity.com/ eat-drink/dining-guide

@INKANSASCITYMAG

INSTAGRAM @INKANSASCITYMAG

FAVORITE PHOTO BY AARON LINDBERG, MAROON 5 PUBLICITY PHOTO, SHUTTERSTOCK

What’s your favorite photograph? Each week, In Kansas City’s digital editor, Michael Mackie, queries some of Kansas City’s favorite professional photographers for theirs. It’s harder than you think. Go to inkansascity.com/ innovators-influencers/people to see the photos—and the stories behind them.

JA N E B OOTH Seen and Unseen ER IC A I M A N Landmarks

Jane Booth True Love acrylic on canvas 77 x 132 inches (Photo credit E.G. Schempf)

Opening Reception and Artists’ Talk Thursday, September 6, 6–9 pm Exhibition runs through September 29, 2018

Erica Iman Divot porcelain, white & bronze glaze 4 x 12 x 11 inches

118 Southwest Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108 | 816.527.0823 | BlueGalleryOnline.com

Live your dream.

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Design Connection In KC_vFA.indd 1

8/13/18 4:22 PM

Entertaining BY

IN KC

Merrily Jackson

Email me with your entertaining questions, dilemmas, or triumphs at mjackson@inkansascity.com

Drinks Party, Cocktail Party, Whatev.

Let’s Hatch a Plan!

MERRILY OFFERS GUIDANCE FOR HOSTING THE PERFECTLY IMPERFECT IMPROMPTU COCKTAIL PARTY

M

Clockwise from above: Bet you can’t eat just one slice of the lemon cake from Cafe Europa.

Lillet should be a mainstay of your bar setup. A charcuterie tray is easy to assemble (no cooking!) and looks good too.

y friend Steven Stolman, fellow writer on the topic of party-giving (I would call us “entertaining writers” but that sounds self-congratulatory, right?) likes to say “Everything happens at cocktails.” It’s true, isn’t it? Even if you just have a few friends over for wine and popcorn, wonderful things happen over drinks. Hosting people for casual cocktails is easier

SEPTEMBER 2018

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E A T. S H O P. I N D U L G E . D I S C O V E R .

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LEAWOOD, KANSAS

Fall is in the air at Park Place! As the days get shorter and weather gets cooler, you’ll find everything you need to transition your home and wardrobe into the new season. Enjoy the crisp autumn air while jacket and boot shopping, date night dining and creating anytime fun.

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Entertaining

IN KC

A Superb September Cocktail: The Frozen Negroni

Fewer things.

Better things.

Mens. Womens. Timeless Style. www.hudsonandjane.com

SEPTEMBER 2018

In my bar, you’ll always find the ingredients for the Negroni, an unfussy libation with an easy-to-remember recipe: one part each gin, Campari and sweet vermouth.

Blend and pour over ice. My friend Gary Fabro acquainted me with the virtues of turning this iconic Italian cocktail into a refreshing blender drink, perfect for the warm days of September. He experimented with recipes and this is his favorite. You’ll note the quantities are tweaked a bit, with the Campari and sweet vermouth scaled back a bit.

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THE FROZEN NEGRONI 4½

ounces gin

2½

ounces Campari

2½

ounces sweet vermouth

3

cups ice, or more if you want it thicker Orange peel for garnish

Combine gin, Campari and sweet vermouth in an airtight container.

Place in freezer for at least 8 hours. It will not freeze because of the alcohol.

When ready to serve, add the chilled booze and ice to the blender. Blend on high speed until smooth. Pour into rocks glasses or a small wine glass. Garnish with orange peel and serve immediately.

and more affordable than it’s ever been, thanks to texting and wholesale clubs.

Speaking of Stolman, you can find his two Serial Entertainer cookbooks, packed with advice and recipes for easy party food, at The Little Shop Next Door in Westwood Hills.

But back to our cocktail party. Or should I say “drinks party” as the wannabe Brits do? No, in America it’s a cocktail party!

COCKTAILS NEEDN’T BE COMPLICATED My friends Jonathan Bowyer and Zach Loes are masters of the casual, hastily pulled-together cocktail gathering. If Friday rolls around and they have nothing scheduled, they text their friends to come by their Meyer Circle digs for drinks that night, starting at 8:30. “Adding the word IMPROMPTU to the invite is critical,” says Jonathan, “as it lets people know they are not last-minute invitees, and it lowers the expectation that we’re going to have a lavish spread.”

Impromptu, to my mind, also implies a daring, come-asyou-are dress code. Everything is appropriate: shorts, sandals, dinner jackets, opera pumps. “The after 8:30 start-time is good for people coming by following a dinner event, or for those on their way to something else,” says Jonathan.

DRINKS AND ONE CRAZY-GOOD DESSERT Eight-thirty also is late enough that you could make the invitation be for drinks and dessert, which I like to host in the summer, on my deck. I buy a tangy, delicious 12-inch lemon cake from Cafe Europa (serves up to 25, but you must order 48 hours ahead), set up a simple bar (beer, wine, and the makings for gin and tonics, vodka sodas, and rum and cokes), turn on the tunage, light the tiki torches and we’re in business. If the crowd is going to be more than about 15, I hire a bartender to keep the party humming. If hired bartenders are not in your budget, ask a capable friend or two to help with drinks, so you’re not stuck behind the bar for the whole of the fiesta.

THE AUDACIOUS GUEST LIST To get a lively turnout for any last-minute party, it’s wise to invite at least double the number of people you would like to come. Jonathan invites about 25 to his parties, with the goal of having 12 to 15 show up. Which is not by any means saying that you need that number for a lively soiree.

You could have half that, or even fewer and still have a fun, intimate gathering.

Be bold with your guest list. Mix it up; it’s just cocktails.

Invite people from different circles, or those whom you think are terrific but would have absolutely nothing in common with other guests. It never fails to amaze me how quickly people find common ground.

Jonathan always adds a line to his invitations telling people it’s fine to bring a friend or two. This achieves the dual

SEPTEMBER 2018

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Entertaining

IN KC

purpose of adding potential excitement to the guest list and allowing those who’ve made dinner plans to stop by anyway.

For any very late-notice gathering, it’s important to have a small, trusted core established—even if it’s just two people—who will commit definitely to being there.

THE PARTY-READY PANTRY You don’t need swell surroundings to host a fabulous spontaneous cocktail party. The goal is to bring your friends together for great conversation over a decent drink and some snacks.

You do, however, need a stocked larder. I try always to have some shelf-stable crowd-pleasers on hand: Pepperidge Farm Goldfish, Jalapeno Cheddar Cheez-Its (the bag will be empty once you open it) oil-cured olives, smoked almonds, honey-roasted peanuts.

Here’s a great trick to doll up potato chips. Take a bag of top-quality kettle chips and spread them out on a platter. Sprinkle them liberally with crumbled feta cheese and chopped basil. Serve with pretty salad tongs. Voila! Instant elegance. … AND BOOZE IN THE BASEMENT The great thing about liquor and standard mixers is everything keeps,

so you can always can have it in storage. At minimum I like to have on hand plenty of gin, vodka, tonic, and club soda. I am not a snob about using the jumbo-sized bottles of booze from Costco. Keep plenty of Pellegrino water and soft drinks in supply for the non-drinkers.

You will always add tone to the joint by serving Lillet Blanc, available at any respectable liquor store. The bottles are so classic-looking, and Lillet keeps forever. Lillet is delicious served chilled with an orange slice, over ice. Speaking of ice, you want to have at least a pound per guest.

ONE FINAL IDEA, THEN I’LL SHUT UP I have a creative friend who has a beautifully simple cocktail party concept you could steal; I know she wouldn’t mind. She invites people via email for “Cocktails and Charcuterie from 7ish to 9ish.” She hires a bartender and turns her kitchen table into a giant charcuterie board with salami, prosciutto, mortadella, sopressata, various cheeses, nuts, fruit, crackers and olives. Guests can either make dinner out of it or just nibble and go on to dine somewhere else. Email me for instructions on how to build a charcuterie board. I will also send you my favorite finger-food recipes, in case you’re in the mood to actually light up your stove.

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L I G H T I N G

BEFORE

Megan lost 52 lbs.

Actual Overland Park patient.

Our Man BY

IN KC

Damian Lair

dlair@inkansascity.com : @damianlair #OurManINKC

Third Time’s the Charm

R

escheduled not once, but twice, the sold-out Sprint Center roared with pent-up anticipation for Drake and Migos as they kicked off their 26-city North American tour in Kansas City. The video-encapsulated stage was unlike anything I’ve seen before—an elevated “video screen” the size of a basketball court that at points transformed from an ocean whirlpool to molten lava to a swimming pool filled with synchronized swimmers. Oh, and did I mention the flying yellow Ferrari, so close to our suite I could nearly touch?

Another bonus—the first-ever live performance of my personal fave, “Versace,”

by Drake and Migos together.

JUICY SIDENOTE: My trusted whisperer on the Drake team tells me there were no actual “production issues” days before the second postponement, but that Drizzy skipped critical lead-up rehearsals for the new show, opting instead for pickup games of basketball with part of the Migos crew.

ALSO: The über-exclusive $100k after-party at The Monarch Bar for 50 (in addition to 50 security guards) that stretched past 6 a.m., was not to be missed.

SUNSET BOULEVARDIA I’D TAKEN a few years’ reprieve from Boulevardia, but on this recent 5th anniversary I rounded up some willing friends and herded them to the Stockyards District. The cashless wristband option was a much-welcomed addition over the archaic paper tickets (and lines) of yore. Sadly, we were too late to try out the (evidently popular) Bou Lou Tech N9ne collaboration brew, but we did find plenty other bevs (and the obligatory funnel cake).

In the Makers Market, I couldn’t pass up several jewelry items from Lily Dawson Designs, proving one’s gang is never too old for matching friendship bracelets. OK—I insisted! The new “silent disco” was our absolute fave—dancing with strangers in headphones synchronized to beats from KC’s best DJs. No doubt looking like complete lunatics to passersby. We soared on the midway rides, eyes squinted, and arms outstretched enough to pretend we were Harry Potter mastering a wizardly game of quidditch. On our way out the gates, we bopped along to hits from the Bleachers—proud, one-night citizens of Boulevard nation.

SEPTEMBER 2018

OVERHEARD “Readjustments [referring to newly tight faces] abound in our city!

Homegrown or imported??”

One of the performers at Muse.

MUSINGS WHAT was supposed to be the alfresco event of the summer at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art ended up being the indoor event of the season. As thunderstorms taunted, the Bloch Building was brimming with attendees for Muse at the Museum (this year’s theme: ‘moody florals’). A midsummer evening of wonderment—there was a Mission Taco taco bar, hookah tent, and a table of Nothing Bundt Cakes that extended as far as the eye could see. (That’s a lot of cakes!) Fortunately, we danced all the cake away to The Philistines and DJ Ashton Martin.

Weekend cardio—check!

SPOTTED: Meredith Allen, Hartzell Gray, Ash Parulekar, Trinity Weatherman, Evan Andrew, Brant Stacy, Hilari Holt, Annelene Caruso, Philip Murphy, Chelsea & Quentin Templeton, Amy Guerich and Katie Vandaveer.

GETTING LIT HAVE you noticed something new, HOT GOSSIP: but familiar, twinkling downtown?

What e-comIf so, you’re not mistaken. After merce Hallmarker/ years of darkness, the completely freelance graphic designer just proposed to his 24-year partrefurbished Western Auto sign ner at Stock Hill by sneaking in is lighting up the downtown a custom-printed dessert menu cityscape once again. Reading containing the big ask? (P.S.— my mind, Lidia’s Kansas City the answer was ‘yes’.) thought the re-lighting called for a celebration (hey, I’m in!). So, at the base of the sign, with the most perfect vantage, we gathered. With wine in our hand and pasta on order we counted down in Times Square fashion. Huge loud snaps for the condo owners’ association at Western Auto Lofts for rising to this fiscal challenge and giving all Kansas Citians this dazzling gift.

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Our Man

IN KC

Buzz-worthy

I

OVERHEARD “Let’s go to Berlin!”

“Eh. It’s supposed to be cool, but I’m not that into it. Germany just doesn’t excite me.

The food sucks, beer has too many calories, and the people aren’t, like, Euro-hot.”

t’s not every day one gets to preview a new film starring one of KC’s hometown heroes—and even more rare to share the excitement with said star’s equally brilliant mother and sister. Such was the case, however, for Marvel’s new Ant-Man and the Wasp featuring the ever-charming Paul Rudd. At the risk of repeating others’ praise, I’ll just emphasize that there’s a reason it subsequently skyrocketed to the #1 movie in the world that week. If you haven’t yet seen, I’d recommend checking out Avengers: Infinity War prior—the bonus post-credits scene will leave you with an extra jaw-drop. Major claps to Gloria Rudd and Mandi Rudd for organizing (and the aforementioned tip).

SPOTTED: Jenny Kincaid & Tim Julian, Jerry Katlin, Mike Enos, Blaine Proctor, Lauren Merriman, Lee Page, Garrett Toms, and as a special surprise one o t e stars o etfli s Queer Eye.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside??

WHILE enjoying these recent weeks of the dog days of summer, fur coats have been absolutely top-of mind. Wait—what?! But, it’s so true. Pre-fall is just the time to begin preparations for that custom fur design you’ve been dreaming of.

You haaaave been dreaming of a new cocoon of toasty luxury, right? OK, perfect. With this in mind, I accompanied my dearest mother to meet up with Missy Love at Alaskan Fur to begin executing the vision for a new winter look. (Worry not, readers—I simultaneously attended to my own dire needs for fashionable warmth!) With a couple more fittings on the horizon, come late October, she’ll have a beautiful new full-length mink coat trimmed in plush fox. Plenty of time before the first breath of chill. It’s like I always say: off the rack is great, but custom is worth the wait.

SEPTEMBER 2018

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THE VERY IMAGE OF A MODERN MAJOR GENERAL THE U.S.S. VICTORY recently docked for the Modern Gala: High Seas at the newly revitalized Pickwick Plaza downtown. Guests gathered in their best nautical attire to support the National WWI Museum and Memorial via its young friends group, The Modernists.

Temporary tattoos, games of Battleship and dancing swept the night.

SPOTTED: Taylor Smith (chair) Rachel Parrish, Megan Spilker (gala founder), Peregrine Honig and Michelle Roberts.

Not yet ready to sail home, I pulled anchor to tag along with Peregrine and Michelle to The Rieger. We noshed on the heavenly, crispy pickled potatoes and tossed back their “Down the Rabbit Hole” signature cocktails. No surprise then, that down the hole I went—waking up the next a.m. on my neighbor’s sofa—Cher music videos still on loop. Oh, if I could only turn back time! Fortunately, however, next on my agenda was (can’t make this up), a nautical-themed brunch celebrating the 5th Anniversary of my friend group’s “crossing”—our eight-day transatlantic sail from NYC to UK. Friends Terry Anderson and Michael Henry hosted. Still nautically dressed from the night prior, I didn’t miss a beat setting my compass for brunch.

Now, what social sailor is winning, hmmmm?

SAGE ADVICE

OVERHEARD “How many times is Mrs. Who going to wear those Lanvin pumps this summer?”

IF YOU’RE STILL thinking

the Crossroads District is just for First Fridays, make your way there on any other day of the month—pronto. On an otherwise sleepy Thursday, I called up my friend Shelby Herrick (owner of Shelby Herrick Salon and hair stylist to Kansas City’s most glittering women—and men) for an overdue catch-up—whilst a little shopping. Naturally. I’d been wanting to check out the still-new East + West men’s clothing store. While there, we found a nicely streamlined collection of casual, contemporary menswear, including some of the minimalist Scandinavian and American-made labels I gravitate toward when I’m having “pattern hangover.” Owner Cameron Niederhauser made us feel right at home. The proof: our stuffed shopping bags.

Overflowing bags, however, led to empty stomachs. Anticipating this exact predicament, I had smartly reserved a table for us at the newly relocated Novel restaurant across the way. Every table full (read: hot spot), we tasted a full array of dishes as if I were hired to write a review. I wasn’t. Chef Ryan Brazeal’s hamachi credo, chilled corn soup, roasted halibut, fried cauliflower, crispy potatoes, pineapple upside-down carrot cake, and key lime pie all delighted. The “Sage Advice” cocktail our waiter recommended did not disappoint either. All three of them.

SPOTTED: Wendy & Grant Burcham and Eric Negrete.

So, KC— where do you want to go? XO

HOT GOSSIP: What dinner party was nearly derailed when a same first name mi u led to a mystery guest being invited?

SEPTEMBER 2018

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bread & butter concepts new event space

Arts & Culture BY

IN KC

Charles Ferruzza

Jan Schoonover

THE ARTIST ANSWERS THREE QUESTIONS IN KANSAS CITY

A

fter three decades working and living in New York City, artist Jan Schoonover returned to her hometown four years ago with her husband, environmental scientist Ashok Gupta, to purchase her family home—built by hand by her late father, educator Eddie Schoonover. The Dutch name translates as “beautiful harbor”—and to create a new life in an old place.

After years as an educator herself, Schoonover has chosen to focus on her role as a painter. She has become a familiar figure in the historic Livestock Exchange Building for her signature red glasses and orange BMW. She’s glad to be back, particularly in her beloved childhood home: “A little frame cottage in a woodsy section of Merriam, Kansas.”

We all need our “beautiful harbor,” no matter where it may be.

INKC: You were still living in New York on September 11 and it

INKC: You really are glad to be back in Kansas City, aren’t you?

Schoonover: I’m a native. I love it here. I now work in a studio space

Schoonover: The food! There are such great restaurants now. And

had a huge impact on you.

Schoonover: I was walking home on September 11, 2001 when the

towers at the World Trade Center were destroyed. The emotional state influenced me to paint—that very night—my painting “Explosion.” I might donate it someday to a museum, or maybe KU. But I still own it.

My husband was born in Northern India. We get asked—a lot—if he experienced culture shock moving to Kansas. The answer is no. We came back here many times while we were living in New York. We love the sense of space here. My art relates to landscape. I’m abstract. I just had a show in Paris, and I have another show scheduled for there.

INKC: What has changed the most about Kansas City from when

you originally moved away?

that no one I know could afford in Manhattan. Our game plan was always to come back here. We renovated the house—for a while my studio in the West Bottoms looked much better than our house did.

We have a garden now, with a fence of fieldstone rocks that my father built by hand. It includes my grandmother’s quince bush. It’s small, but very cute. Dad built it in 1949, so when I look at it, it’s memories that I cherish.

My father was a teacher at the Pembroke Day School for 35 years, although I attended—at my mother’s wishes—public school. My mom, also a teacher, was a big advocate of public education. I graduated from Shawnee Mission North High School and the University of Kansas, before attending the Chicago Art Institute and moving to New York City.

SEPTEMBER 2018

places to find ethnic foods and spices. The best samosas ever can be found at this wonderful restaurant called Chai Shai near Brookside owned by a Pakistani family. My husband is from northern India, so we love it.

Both of us want to be helpful, and sometimes it’s easier to be helpful here in Kansas City. I’m on the Merriam Arts Council now. And on the board of the Paul Mesner Puppets, which I love.

There are wonderful art galleries here, which I think is a newer development. I love the Haw Contemporary gallery in the West Bottoms. And artist Wilbur Niewald has a studio in my building. He’s doing such great work in his 90s! Dress designer Sarah Nelson is also there. She studied in London and came back here. She did my outfit for my Paris opening.

There’s a wide variety of people to meet here. If you’re surrounded by a bigger group of people, you can always find people you like.

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Arts & Culture BY

IN KC

Charles Ferruzza

BEWITCHED

WARNER BROS.

REMEMBER the good old days? Those times when a pushy parent—determined to bring musical culture into the family unit—dressed the kids up in stiff suits and pretty dresses and whisked them downtown for a riveting musical performance of Symphony No. 8 by Bruckner or the Ring Cycle by Wagner? Alas, the kids were bored out of their minds and refused to sit through the entire thing anyway and the post-concert “treat” at Winstead’s cost a small fortune and ended with the little ones in angry tears. But who could resist—at any age—the chance to see the Kansas City Symphony play the full and magical orchestration of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Helzberg Hall of the Kauffman Center, featuring guest conductor Jeffrey Schindler.

As the 2004 movie unreels on the big screen, noted conductor Schindler conducts the Symphony’s performances of cinema superstar John Williams’ score. Four scheduled performances are set for September 5-7 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, September 9 at 4 p.m. It promises to be a truly bewitching experience. kcsymphony.org

Experience the menus, cocktails, live music, happy hours and events at Chaz on the Plaza, located inside the historic Raphael Hotel.

Historic Hotels of America 325 Ward Parkway | Country Club Plaza 816.756.3800 | raphaelkc.com | chazontheplaza.com

SEPTEMBER 2018

| 44 | INKANSASCITY.COM

WHEN YOU’RE A JET

PHOTO BY LYNN LANE FOR HOUSTON GRAND OPERA

KANSAS CITY’s Lyric Opera has had, since 1958, a spectacular tradition of producing many of the classic operas in European history—from Aida to Turandot and, more recently, newer works like the haunting Turn of the Screw and Never Lost a Passenger: Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. For the company’s 50th season, a beloved American musical—inspired by both William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy and the 1867 French opera, Roméo et Juliette, by Charles Gounod—West Side Story will receive the kind of larger-than-life staging that the creators (composer Leonard Bernstein, lyricist Stephen Sondheim, and librettist Arthur Laurents) dreamed about, also including the original choreography by the legendary Jerome Robbins. It’s an American masterpiece that transcends all musical categories. Directed

by Francesca Zambello and conducted by David Charles Abell, West Side Story will usher the Lyric Opera into its 6th decade with great style and color. Performances from September 22 through September 30. kcopera.org

C E L E B R AT I N G T H E R E N E WA L O F A N I C O N I C T H E AT E R An evening with renowned vocalist Oleta Adams T i c k e t s o n s a l e t o g e n e ra l p u b l i c o n S e p t e m b e r 7 t h

frolic S AT U R D AY, N O V E M B E R 1 7 T H AT T H E H I S T O R I C F O L LY T H E AT E R

BECOME A

SPONSOR

CONTACT: Brian Williams - Folly Theater, Director of Development www.follytheater.org/folly-frolic I 816.768.6886 I brian@follytheater.org

SEPTEMBER 2018

| 45 | INKANSASCITY.COM

Arts & Culture BY

IN KC

Charles Ferruzza

SIDE EFFECTS INCLUDE IT’S TRULY A 21ST-CENTURY DILEMMA: Are Tristan and Connie really in love—or is it a side-effect from the new antidepressant that they’re taking as clinical research volunteers? It’s a potent question for the characters in the new Lucy Prebble play, The Effect, directed by Sidonie Garrett (best known for her role as artistic director of the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival) for the Unicorn Theatre through September 30. The cast includes up-and-coming stage performers Manon Halliburton, Todd Lanker, Amy O’Connor, and Rufus Burns. Anyone familiar with antidepressants knows that side-effects, from both veteran drugs and more experimental treatments, can run the gamut—from dry mouth to weeping. Author Prebble’s concern is the sudden passion that arises between two volunteers who are either instantly infatuated or experiencing symptoms of the new drug. Two supervising physicians work at untangling the ethical quandaries as the young couple, Tristan and Connie, risk everything to be together. The Unicorn Theatre production runs September 5 through September 30. unicorntheatre.org

SEPTEMBER 2018

Lucy Prebble

| 46 | INKANSASCITY.COM

CRAZY WHEN New York-based actress Becky Barta (Les Miserables,

Radio City Christmas Spectacular) returned to her hometown this summer to serve as associate director for the New Theatre Restaurant production of the musical Always, Patsy Cline, she brings a two-decade connection to the popular show. Barta was first cast in the jukebox musical as ill-fated country singer Patsy Cline when Crown Center’s American Heartland Theatre produced it in 1995. She would go on to play the part in dozens of productions across the country over the years but stopped playing Patsy Cline—who was killed in a 1963 airplane accident at age 30—when she felt she was becoming too old for the role.

After taking on the co-starring role, as Cline’s friend Louise, Barta continued touring in the show. She even met her longtime husband, New York stage musician David Sonneborn (Million Dollar Quartet), in a touring production of the show. Sonneborn will serve as musical director for the New Theatre Restaurant version, running from September 26 through December 2, and Barta—backstage for a rare change—will let actress Christine Miles belt out the Patsy Cline repertoire. “I love being a director,” said Barta. It’s all about telling a story. When you’re onstage, you’re telling part of the story. When you’re directing the story, you get to see it from all angles.” newtheatre.com

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ANGELA DUFRESNE

Ticket Line (detail), 2018, oil on canvas, 84 x 132 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Monya Rowe Gallery, New York.

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Film + Live Orchestra

HARRY POTTER and the PRISONER of AZKABAN™ in CONCERT Wednesday, Thursday & Friday, Sept. 5-7 at 7 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 9 at 4 p.m.

Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center Jeffrey Schindler, guest conductor Kansas City Symphony Chorus Charles Bruffy, chorus director

Relive the magic of your favorite wizard in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban™ in Concert. Based on the third installment of J.K. Rowling’s classic saga, fans of all ages will experience the thrilling tale accompanied by the Kansas City Symphony as Harry soars across the big screen. From the moment Harry first uses the Marauder’s Map to when the Patronus Charm bursts from his wand, you’ll be transported back into the world you love. Tickets start at $40 for adults and $32 for children.

HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. J.K. ROWLING’S WIZARDING WORLD™ J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s18)

GOOD TIMES + GREAT MUSIC Sean Chen, Noah Geller and Mark Gibbs

Classical Series begins!

Back by Popular Demand

Special Performance

Friday & Saturday, Sept. 14-15 at 8 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 16 at 2 p.m.

Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center Michael Stern, conductor & Sean Chen, piano Noah Geller, violin & Mark Gibbs, cello

Monday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. Added Performance!

Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m.

Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center Jason Seber, David T. Beals III Associate Conductor

Saturday, Sept. 29 at 8 p.m.

Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center Jason Seber, David T. Beals III Associate Conductor

AARON JAY KERNIS New Era Dance BEETHOVEN Triple Concerto RACHMANINOFF Symphonic Dances

Rock sensation Ben Folds is back by popular demand after several sold-out appearances with your Kansas City Symphony. Hear this one-of-a-kind performance packed with fan favorites like “Brick” plus Folds’ latest orchestral arrangements. Tickets from $50.

BEETHOVEN’S TRIPLE CONCERTO BEN FOLDS with the and SYMPHONIC DANCES KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY

We kick off the 2018/19 Classical Series in style with Beethoven’s playful Triple Concerto and Rachmaninoff ’s lush and captivating orchestral masterpiece, Symphonic Dances.Tickets from $25.

ANDREW BIRD with the KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY

The talented multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird delights legions of fans with a distinct indie rock style, blending swing, gypsy, calypso and folk — all delivered with astonishing virtuosity. A classically trained violinist and an expert whistler (for real!), the Los Angeles-based Bird teams up with your Kansas City Symphony for an incredibly fun evening with seating in the round at Helzberg Hall. Tickets from $35.

ORDER NOW (816) 471-0400 / kcsymphony.org

Behind the Music BY

Timothy Finn

PHOTO BY

IN KC

Calvin Hoeun

WANT MORE TIMOTHY FINN? Check out his weekly online-only content at inkansascity.com.

Every Wednesday the website publishes his list of Top 5 Not-to-Miss Concerts in the metro. er eek ou ll find his re ered rollicking reasoned reviews and commentary.

Email Timothy Finn at t nn in ansascit co

Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear THE MOTHER AND SON FOLK DUO’S NEW ALBUM, THE RADIO WINNERS, IS AN AMBITIOUS EXPANSION OF THEIR SIGNATURE SOUND

W

hen Madisen Ward and his mother, Ruth Ward, went into the studio to work on their second recording, they had one goal in mind: make their songs sound bigger and fuller, without sacrificing the duo’s unique, signature traits.

“We knew if we were going to take it to another level, it had to be something that would sound like us, something that was natural and still had a raw, organic quality, something we all felt good about,” Madisen Ward says. “That was the only way we were going to go on that journey.”

That journey involved enlisting other songwriters and producers to assist the two in giving their unconventional folk songs new dynamics and shapes—without disfiguring them or taking them into realms that felt forced or unnatural.

At journey’s end, the result was The Radio Winners, a six-track EP of new material. It’s the follow-up to Skeleton Crew, the duo’s debut, released in May 2015 on Glassnote Records.

That record’s folky, minimalist charm brought out the artful twists and quirks in the duo’s songs. It also showed them to be something much more than a novel mother-son act. The album generated lots attention from outside Kansas City, leading to gigs on Late Show with David Letterman, CBS News Sunday Morning and the BBC program Later … With Jools Holland.

But as the Wards initially started touring and playing large venues,

SEPTEMBER 2018

they realized their performances needed something heftier than two guitars and two voices. So they started bringing along a rhythm section: drummer Tom Hudson and bassist Brent Kastler.

And that movement toward a larger, beefier sound continued when they went back into the studio to record The Radio Winners, about which NPR wrote recently: “The musical settings are grander and more muscular this time around, with more galvanizing grooves, cinematic orchestration and choral-style arrangements. But the new scale of things hardly dwarfs the Wards’ dynamic.”

Madisen and Ruth Ward talked to In Kansas City recently about recording the new album and navigating a completely new sound and creative process.

You worked with two well-known producers, Ryan Hadlock, who has produced the Lumineers, and Nathan Chapman, who has produced Taylor Swift. What did they bring to the project?

Madisen Ward: I use this word cautiously, but they brought accessibility to it. We like to write very niche, or alternative, folk music. But no matter how much we love it, that might not be something that’s going to be the most palatable to the widest audience. So they found a way to take what we loved, the melodies and all the other things we were about, and find a way to blend the accessibility with our originality. They highlighted all of it with a brush that my mom and I don’t ever walk around with.

| 50 | INKANSASCITY.COM

Ruth Ward: Both producers were very respectful of Madisen and the way he saw things. It was like they got in his head and knew what he was already thinking. And they had him approve a lot of what they did.

MW: Nathan Chapman told me he was throwing out a lot of traditional songwriting techniques and methods when he was writing with me. He said he had to resort to the folky ideas he had when he started writing music with his wife years and years ago. And I love that—a songwriter who writes country songs every day was able to toss aside his stencil and really try to create something new.

RW: These different musicians would come in and play, and they’d say, “I like this. This isn’t your typical sound.” And that was pretty neat.

Madisen, you collaborated as a songwriter a lot on this record.

What was that like?

MW: At first it was very strange. I’d never really co-written things. I assumed it would be people who’d want to dictate everything based on how they see you. Instead, they wanted to hear who we are and help us become a greater version of ourselves.

Ruth, did all this extra production require anything new from you vocally?

RW: Not necessarily. I just went with the flow. I loved all the songs already anyway. So it was a matter of seeing them enhanced, which was awesome. Everyone was so respectful. It was an incredible experience.

FALL IS HERE

Did you have to try things you didn’t like?

MW: Not really. I mean, whenever you start bringing in digital percussion I can get really antsy about that. But if it’s done tastefully and it’s really adding to the live, organic percussion, then I’m not against that.

I like performing for people, performing live. So ultimately that’s what it comes down to.

So you don’t try to re-create the record live by using backing tracks?

MW: Exactly. No backing tracks. We might add another guitarist who will re-interpret some of the sounds on the album, but ultimately we want something on stage that feels real and good and tangible.

RW: We want to give a real, live performance. We do things live that aren’t on the record. And people get excited about that.

LIVE IN KANSAS CITY Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear will perform Tuesday, Sept. 25 at the Madrid Theatre, 3810 Main St. The Record Company is the headliner. Show time is 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 to $55 and are available through Ticketmaster.

A Locally Owned Men’s Apparel & Lifestyle Store www.UlahKC.com | 4707 Rainbow Blvd. | Westwood, KS 66205 Phone: 913.777.8734 | Facebook: UlahKC | Instagram: UlahKC

SEPTEMBER 2018

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Next IN KC WHERE YOU NEED TO BE

September Chalk & Walk Festival September 8–9

Kansas City Fashion Week September 26–29

kcchalkandwalk.org

kcfashionweek.com

Chalk Talk Your mama may have told you to never draw on the walls, but she never said anything about drawing on the sidewalk. This festival takes it to a whole ’nother level. Some really talented national and regional artists are participating this year as the centuries-old tradition of “street painting” is brought to life by the artists using pastel chalk as their medium and brick as their canvas. In addition to watching the artists as they create their masterpieces, there will be live entertainment, workshops, a kids’ art area, and food trucks. It’s a multi-cultural and multi-generational community-wide celebration of the arts and it’s free.

On the Runway You may be just beginning to think about what to wear this fall and winter, but local and national designers are sewing up their spring/summer 2019 collections. Kansas City Fashion Week will be showcasing the talents of 31 local and national designers, including internationally known designer Rachel Roy. For four nights, Union Station’s Sprint Festival Plaza will be transformed as models strut the runway wearing the latest looks. Roy’s collection will be featured Rachel Roy on the runway on Saturday, and it will be available to purchase at KCFW’s vendor markets throughout the week. Not familiar with KCFW? You should be. The multi-day fashion showcase is now in its 14th year.

kcparadeofhomes.com

On Parade Dream home shopping? Some of the most innovative and beautiful newly built homes in the Kansas City metro area will be on tour.

More than 330 homes by 105 builders are featured.

Whether you’re a serious shopper, checking out the latest design trends, or just dreaming, there’s something for everyone. Home prices range from $220,000 to $1.85 million. And it’s not just single-family homes; there are townhomes and villas with a variety of floor plans, too. Since the inaugural event in 1947, millions of Kansas Citians have visited homes on the tours. Admission is free and there’s even a user-friendly mobile app Parade-goers can download. The Parade of Homes is presented by the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City.

SEPTEMBER SPOTLIGHT Late Night Theatre’s Las Vegas Legends Show September 21 | latenighttheatre.com Viva Las Vegas! Since 1997, a ragtag band of misfits (and very talented folks) have been producing some of the funniest, campiest, most original theater in Kansas City. Surely you’ve been.

They parody classic TV shows and movies—but with a twist. Designing Women becomes Designed Women. The Dukes of Hazzard becomes The Dykes of Hazzard. And a personal favorite, Golden Girls becomes Golden Girls Gone Wild. Ron Megee, co-founder with Chadwick Brooks and Jessica Dressler, says “We are the bad kids of the Kansas City theater scene!” They may be bad, but in such a good way. This month, the LNT group takes over the Folly for a night of Illusion– Las Vegas Style. The annual event is a a benefit to raise funds for the shows they produce throughout the year. “We love having our Pantyhose benefit show at the Folly because it helps stretch our highheel imagination,” Megee says. From retro ’60s Vegas with “Young Cher” and the Rat Pack to modern Vegas with “Old Cher” and the Magic Mike Dancers, the performers create a night to remember—a not-to-miss.

For Kansas City’s most comprehensive calendar of events, go to inkansascity.com

SEPTEMBER 2018

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF VENUES, SHUTTERSTOCK

71st Annual Fall Parade of Homes September 22 –October 17

Support for the Museum at Prairiefire provided by: Black & Veatch Building a World of Difference Foundation - Global STEM Education partner Barton P. and Mary D. Cohen Charitable Trust - Founder, Education Center

5801 W 135th Street Overland Park KS 66223 913.333.3500 visitthemap.org

Photo Melissa & Beth Photography

All Museum Access including Savage Ancient Seas Exhibition, Discovery Room, Virtual Reality and Great Hall: $10 Adults | $5 Children 3-12 | Seniors $8 | Active Military and Veterans Free

My Essentials

IN KC

CHRISTIAN MICHEAL SHUSTER THE DESIGNER SHARES A FEW OF THE THINGS HE LOVES ABOUT LIVING IN KANSAS CITY

T

PHOTO BY AARON LEIMKUEHLER

he designer behind the ChristianMicheal label has been in love with art and fashion since he was just a kid. The Kansas City native loves KC and is a huge advocate for our town. He launched his modern menswear line eight years ago with distinctive ties, bow ties, t-shirts, and hats. Two years ago, he expanded into womenswear with his sHe by ChristianMicheal collection, where he’s best known for his coats with a dazzling level of detail.

Christians’s essentials...

PRIZED LOCAL SHOP: Lucia’s Sarto. This custom-designed clothing shop just west of the Plaza is owned and operated by my friend and designer Natalya Meyer.

She is amazing and the best in the biz. Take any and every alteration you have to her.

DATE NIGHT OUT: My lady and I are buffet lovers, and Peach Tree Buffet is our favorite. We are suckers for fried chicken and soul food.

FAVORITE COCKTAIL: I’m

a rum and Coke man, Sailor Jerry rum if you’ve got it. I can be seen ordering this every time at the Monarch Bar or Green Lady Lounge.

MADE IN KC: sHe FALL 2018 COATS:

I love to design outerwear.

Right now the military look with diamond quilted fabric is hot and matches my design aesthetic.

FUN DAY OUT: I’m a huge history

nerd, and we head out to the city’s many historic sites, monuments and museums. Two of my favorites are Steamboat Arabia and Liberty Memorial.

SEPTEMBER 2018

Hallmark Cards. I worked there for many years and loved my time working for a great KC family like the Hall family.

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MOST ADMIRED LOCAL CELEB: Matt Baldwin

of Baldwin Market and Standard Style, because he and his label are what I aspire to one day be.

Look

Susan Cannon

FALL CLASSICS

Fashion Climbing

SEPTEMBER is a great time to purchase transitional clothes that are stylish yet minimal.

Just like loyal friendships, classic wardrobe staples won’t betray you and having a handful of quality ones is all you need. Sophisticated classics with nuanced design details can bring a fresh point of view to chic and clean-lined dressing.

&

his girl of a certain age isn’t into posting selfies on social media, but I have been known to put up a few images of me taken for The New York Times by the inimitable Bill Cunningham. I got to know Cunningham, as most in the fashion industry did, because fashion was his beat. Up to the remarkable age of 87, Cunningham chronicled personal style for his “On the Street” column. He had an equal penchant for eccentrics, socialites, and regular people who expressed themselves with a certain amount of elan, and he was beloved by all. Yet he remained an enigma. So with much anticipation, his secretly penned memoir, Fashion Climbing, is due in bookstores this month. It chronicles his childhood, his time in the Korean War, his years as a milliner and, eventually, as the pioneer of street-style photography. Find it at Rainy Day Books in the Fairway Shops.

GOLD. PHOTO COURTESY OF ANAPHORA; PHOTO COURTESY OF BALDWIN

T

SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER FOR THAT PERFECT JACKET OR WHITE SHIRT

BILL CUNNINGHAM’S SECRET MEMOIR

ROMANCING THE STONES

PRETTY, DELICATE ONE-OF-A-KIND JEWELRY THAT SHINES “OPAL & GOLD is the love child of an introverted perfectionist and a talkative, self-taught metalsmith,” according to designer/owners Sadie Everblue and Lauren Foxworth, referring to their jewelry line for the millennial bohemian set.

Within their Westport storefront you can shop for earrings, pendants, cuffs, and rings made from unique semi-precious stones, such as opal, druzy, pirate, turquoise, abalone, and jasper, set in copper, brass, sterling silver, gold vermeil, or solid gold. You can also have one-of-akind pieces custom-made. Rings pictured (L-R) are druzy set in sterling and opal set in gold.

Opal & Gold Rings from $50 to $300 at Opal & Gold, 3900 Pennsylvania Ave. (opalandgold.com)

SEPTEMBER 2018

The Just Female tie-front cotton shirt from Anaphora is a classic with a twist. “We’re really drawn to simple elegance and understated details rather than bold statements,” says Anaphora co-owner Adam Pfeifer. “It adds longevity to pieces if they’re less trend-focused. We’re also thrilled by the hunt—searching through global up-and-coming collections to find the names you’re going to hear in a few years.”

The Laney Jacket by Baldwin is extremely flattering—you’ll love its perfectly nipped-in waist and beautiful wool-blend hand.

When you want your classics to be alluring, this Baldwin jacket is a game changer.

Just Female shirt, $110, at Anaphora in rairiefire (shopanaphora.com). Laney jacket, $395, at Baldwin Market on the Country Club Plaza and Town Center Crossing. (baldwin.co)

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CUNNINGHAM PHOTO BY GARETH CATTERMOLE/GETTY IMAGES. PHOTO CREDIT: INDIUM BOUDOIR, COURTESY OF OPAL

BY

IN KC

Fashion

Look BY

IN KC Beauty

MIXTURE MAN

Susan Cannon

A LOCALLY BASED COMPANY INTRODUCES A LINE OF MEN’S CARE PRODUCTS

Beauty in the Flesh FLESH TONE REDEFINED

M

ost beauty and fashion junkies are likely familiar with Linda Wells, the founding editor of Allure magazine. For 25 years in the magazine, Wells pulled back the curtain to offer honest beauty advice. Her creative team produced some of the most bold and memorable magazine images by the industry’s leading photographers, yet last year in a move that surprised those in the fashion industry, she was fired from her position.

Not one to wither, Wells now sits in the chief creative officer seat at Revlon where her bold ideas have been reinter-

(UNDER)ARM YOURSELF MAGICAL SWEAT. We might not like it but we need it. Our bodies naturally detoxify and cool off through sweating, but conventional antiperspirants interfere with this process, changing the bacterial microbiome in our underarms. Consistent use can actually make our sweat smellier due to overproduction of bad bacteria.

Sarah Preu, creator of Wildcraft Co. products, including Wild Wash Armpit Detox and Natural Deodorant, explains that making the switch to natural products is so important because commercial deodorants are classically formulated with aluminum compounds, triclosan, parabens, and synthetic fragrances that are thought to have disrupting effects on our hormone health.

preted for the beauty giant into a woke, inclusive makeup line, provocatively named Flesh, with 40 foundation colors. The Flesh mission? “To redefine the use of the term ‘flesh color’ to mean not just one but many. It is skin tones plural,” Wells says.

Flesh includes a range of highlighters, blushes, lipsticks, eye shadows, and an eye and cheek gloss—products that enhance and enrich all shades of flesh. Included are vivid colors for self-expression, because as Wells puts it, “The world isn’t monochromatic.”

Sold exclusively at ULTA

DETOX AND STAY FRESH WITH WILDCRAFT CO. “Our underarms are such sensitive areas of our bodies, with a large ratio of the lymph nodes located just under the tissue, so we need to be aware of the long-term effects of exposure to these kinds of chemicals,” Preu says.

Detoxing your underarms is useful while transitioning from conventional deodorants to natural ones.

“Wild Wash Armpit Detox is based on an old drawing-salve recipe. Apply it at night and the activated charcoal will perform as a drawing agent to pull out the toxins,” Preu says. “It also helps folks who have underarm breakouts or issues sweating through their deodorant by extracting the odors that come out during the day.”

Available at Urban Provisions (Crossroads) and Hand and Land (Leawood).

SEPTEMBER 2018

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KANSAS CITY-BASED Mixture is a premium line of candles, home, and bath and body products, as well as skin care. The products are environmentally conscious—carefully produced in small batches with naturally derived, renewable ingredients.

Its Mixture Man line specializes in shaving and beard-care wares, including hydrating shave soap, softening preshave oil, soothing shaving cream and after shave, conditioning beard oil, and beard balm, that are made with the finest essential and fragranced oils and botanically sourced ingredients. “With the huge surge in beard growth, men are realizing not only are beards cool, but they take work. Grooming, style, and comfort are three very important keys,” says Mixture co-owner Dan DeLeon.

DeLeon cites the beard balm and the beard oil as the most popular products. “The Mixture Man Beard Balm

is great for style, skin comfort, and for taming the beard hair. Apply a little to the palm of your hands and massage into the beard, making sure the balm reaches the face skin. Keeping the skin under your beard nourished is super-important to prevent itching.

“Mixture Man Beard Oil is super-charged with jojoba oil, argon oil, and grapeseed oil to completely nourish and tame even the unruliest of beards. It leaves a great shine to any beard. Our most popular men’s fragrances are Timber (cedarwood) and Peppercorn (spice and musk).”

Available at The General Store & Co. (Downtown Overland Park and Hawthorne Plaza) madebymixture.com

COMMISSIONED ART BY NIKA WINN

SALON AND GALLERY Located in the heart of the Crossroads Arts & Technology District 2009 Baltimore Ave. Kansas City, MO 64108 @flocksalonandgallery ph. (816) 656-5727 Book today!

Purveyors of ORIBE hair care products

The fountain of youth for hair

Look

IN KC

Wellness

May You Live in Interesting Times THE APOCRYPHAL CHINESE SAYING COULD DEFINITELY BE REFERRING TO HOW WE LIVE NOW. JULIA HARKLEROAD, A CLINICAL PSYCHOTHERAPIST, OFFERS ADVICE ON DEALING WITH THESE “INTERESTING TIMES”

T

BY

Susan Cannon Lately, the news has been filled with the divisive political climate, not to mention the geopolitical chaos. What is your advice beyond just turning the news off?

JH: Focus on the now. It’s the only thing over which we have any measure of control. Tomorrow and yesterday are non-controllable. If more of us focused on getting our own lives in order, the world overall would be a better, healthier place. Focus on yourself, then focus on your kids, your friends, and your direct community. Do your job to the best of your ability and be compassionate towards yourself and your neighbor.

From a practical standpoint, commit to shutting down all media an hour before bed.

here’s no denying we’re living in a stressful age, despite all the good we enjoy in life. With many societal challenges affecting our collective psyche, as well as the personal difficulties that crop up for most, it’s so important to seek guidance on ways to gain emotional wellness.

For most parents, social media platforms such as Snapchat are a challenge, taking our kids into another zone and out of healthy physical interaction.

We also know that we adults are not immune to this, yet we don’t always unplug. Help.

Julia Harkleroad: Social media is tricky. While at first glance it appears to be the thing connecting all of us—we are, in fact, the most alone we have ever been as a nation. As it stands now nearly half of all Americans rate themselves as “lonely.” How can this be when we are more “connected” through social media platforms than ever before? What the creators of Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram failed to tell us is that while being “connected” on social media does initiate the release of dopamine (feel-good neurotransmitter in the brain) which translates to that little thrill we get when we see how many “likes” our photo has gotten or when someone we admire starts to follow our account, it does not trigger the release of oxytocin (hormone that acts like a neurotransmitter in the brain) which is necessary for us to feel truly connected. Oxytocin is the binder in all relationships. The catch is that two people have to be in each other’s physical presence for it to be released. This is my theory as to why America is so “connected” and yet so incredibly lonely.

Parents also need to understand how brain development works so they can have a realistic expectation of themselves and of their kiddos.

A teenage brain is not fully developed. Therefore, a teenager, like a small child, is still dependent (just a little less so) on parents for full executive functioning. EF is housed in the frontal and parietal lobes of the brain and these are the last areas of the brain to mature. This is the part of the brain that holds the capability to make decisions about when to turn off a cell phone, when to ignore a Snapchat, when to resist cursing out a frenemy online. Monitoring social media usage is a parental must.

SEPTEMBER 2018

Facing the challenges of aging parents or ill loved ones is inevitable. How do we find a healthy balance between caretaking and self-care?

JH: I love the metaphor of the preflight safety demonstration: we are told every flight to put on our own air mask before putting on the mask of a small child or someone next to us in need. We are instructed to do this because if we run out of air ourselves, we can’t be of help to anyone else. The same is true for emotional caretaking. Set boundaries around yourself. Value yourself. Burnout happens when we become disconnected from our own needs. That’s when we grow resentful, frustrated, and lose compassion for others.

What are some other therapies that can help.

JH: I’m big on movement therapy, including teaching yoga and Kalos.

I’ve heard emotions described as motivational states. They are mobilizers. Without them we would do nothing—make no movement. We are designed to be able to move our emotions. The best, most effective way to do this is through body movement. Get up. Get out. Move. Change the energy in your body and you change the breathing and the heart rate and that changes the mindset. Start small and be realistic but move. It’s natural medicine that is grossly under-prescribed.

Learn more about Julia Harkleroad’s practice on relatekc.com.

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Living BY

IN KC

Patricia O’Dell

Written in Stone

T

PHOTO BY AARON LEIMKUEHLER

he Savoy Grill reopened with much fanfare as part of the renovation in conjunction with the 21c Museum Hotel. No one, well no one smart and interesting, would complain about one more spot to take in a little art. But one of the appealing elements of the design is that the developer kept a good bit of the old tile from the original building. If you worry when choosing tile for a backsplash, wall, or floor, it is good to remember two things: tastes change and classics endure.

WALK ON THE CLASSIC SIDE THE HALLWAYS of 21c feature an old trellis mosa-

ic made up of brick, green and gold. While there’s no good reason to argue with mosaic, encaustic tiles, like the Santa Clara tile, right, are having a moment and the color palettes are delish.

There is a long stretch in the old building that is classic terrazzo. This sometimes-subtle floor makes a big impact and—like most tile—wears like iron. Get the look with Terrazzo tile, right.

Folks are sometimes hesitant about committing to color—especially when it comes to tile—but look how well those gorgeous green tiles have held up at the Savoy. Stop worrying about resale and please yourself. Try Clamor Retro Moderne, right.

All tile available by special order through International Materials of Design, 4691 Indian Creek Pkwy., imdtile.com

Santa Clara tile by Arto

Terrazzo by Artistic Tile

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Clamor Retro Moderne in Forest Green by Tisca USA

CASTLE IN THE AIR DO TAKE TIME to stroll through the Wen-

dell Castle: Shifting Vocabularies exhibit at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Castle was an Emporia, Kansas, native who received his BFA in Industrial Design and his MFA in Sculpture from KU. His 60-year career was a groundbreaking exploration of

Conchoid Lounge Chair

The Conchoid Lounge Chair by Blue Dot looks like a cross between furniture in the Flintstone’s cave and something Tony Stark might slump into while being scolded by Pepper Potts. No need to pout; it’s available in slate or white depending on whether you’re a good guy or, well, not.

Hutch (Crossroads)

melding form and function. He created many of his pieces from stack-laminated wood and only began to see how technology such as 3-D printing would have opened up the possibilities of his work just before his death early this year. The exhibit is free and runs through January 20, 2019.

Fernando Accent Table

No bull about it, this graphic little drinks table can bring a rugged beauty to your abode.

Your phone—or martini—will never look better than resting atop it. Here’s hoping your companion is equally smart.

Crate and Barrel (Town Center Crossing)

Cassina 085 Props (table)

Not ready to write the check for the Serra sculpture you’ve always wanted? (They do take up a lot of space.) This clever table—or shelf—packs a big punch.

Museo (Midtown)

SEPTEMBER 2018

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Living

Patricia O’Dell

Return to Sanity in Good Design Not everyone can take the crowds of large vintage (or vintage-ish) market weekends even if it is only once a month.

The parking! The people! The heat! (Or the cold!) The stairs!

Still, perhaps you have a hankering for good, old barware, sculptural lamps

I

and, yes, even a little bit of kitsch. There

nterior designer and Coveted Home owner, Jaclyn Joslin, opened her shop in 2012. Ever since she’s been offering up a fresh look on interiors. While she carries new items from candles to lamps and custom upholstery, she also stocks a healthy selection of vintage furniture, gifts, and Turkish rugs.

“Bringing vintage and antique pieces into your home helps keep things from looking stale and mass produced,” says Joslin.

“It’s great if you have pieces that are handed down, but even buying vintage brings soul to a room. There’s always history and a good story behind it.”

She finds that vintage art provides a lot of interest and that handmade pottery has a timeless appeal.

“We try to avoid ‘trendy’ and bring our clients along so they can see how vintage adds texture to a space.”

are a few retailers in town whose focus isn’t vintage, but who have a little side hustle going.

NO HARD HAT NECESSARY If you enjoy the jumble and variety of a large selection, Urban Mining is one of the best vintage markets going. A pioneer in the first-weekend-of-the-month scene, Urban Mining has recently moved from their home of 12 years on Main Street to spiffy

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new digs at 31st and Gillham. There’s rarely a “miss” in this consistently good spot where most items are “real” if not pedigreed.

(New and overdone hand-rubbed edges are hard to come by. Thank goodness.) Check urbanminingvintage.com for dates.

JACLYN JOSLIN PHOTO BY ANNA PETROW

BY

IN KC

BOOMERANG While they focus on clothing, this 39th Street shop has a great selection of vintage, with a steady supply of groovy glasses and shakers. boomerang-kc.com

JACLYN JOSLIN PHOTO BY ANNA PETROW

TYLER KINGSTON Located in North Kansas City, this shop is a hip mix of old and new. A good bet for vintage stools and tables. tylerkingston.com

SWANKY! LIFESTYLE GALLERY For a glam experience, head to Swanky on Main St. in Midtown. Loads of vintage midcentury modern furnishings and accessories and oneof-a-kind art pieces. mainstreetswanky.com

SEPTEMBER 2018

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THE taste OF autumn IS BACK. Available for a limited time only at your local Roasterie café, online and at select grocers across the Kansas City area.

visit us at theroasterie.com

| INKANSASCITY.COM SEPTEMBER 2018

Walk on the Wild Side FALL FASHION

ISSUE

T KEVIN WILLMOT AN IN-DEPTH Q&A SENSATIONAL RENOVATED MIDCENTURY MODERN

IN Kansas City magazine is now available at The Roasterie Cafe.

Purchase a copy at any of our eight area locations and The Roasterie will donate a portion of the sales to Variety Children’s Charity of Greater Kansas City. visit us at theroasterie.com

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN JOIN US AT THE ADORN FASHION SHOW: AN EVENING AT MEIEROTTO’S SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH FROM 4-7 PM A BENEFIT FOR HARVEST BALL SOCIETY, THAT WILL RAISE MONEY AND BRING AWARENESS TO THE GROWING NEEDS OF THE NORTHLAND.

A MEMORABLE NIGHT OF HIGH FASHION AND SHOPPING ALONG WITH APPETIZERS AND COCKTAILS.

A NIGHT YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS. MEIEROTTO JEWELERS 1900 DIAMOND PARKWAY NORTH KANSAS CITY, MO 64116

SAVE THE DATE | HARVEST BALL: A 50S PROM | SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2018 | SHERATON CROWN CENTER

IN CONVERSATION WITH

Kevin Willmott WORDS BY

Cindy Hoedel

PHOTO BY

Cameron Gee

K

Kevin Willmott’s life was saved by a Molotov cocktail—one he didn’t throw.

It was 1975, the exhilarating peak of the Black Power movement.

Confronted with open racism at his Junction City high school, Willmott felt compelled to act. He and friends began “terrorizing” the school, setting off fire alarms and lighting firecrackers in the cafeteria. He was expelled when authorities discovered a homemade bomb in his locker.

In a nuanced take straight out of one of his films, Willmott believes the incident could have destroyed his life, but he doesn’t regret it, because his desire to act saved his life by getting him to a school where people cared about his future.

At St. Xavier Catholic High School in Junction City, Willmott met

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SEPTEMBER 2018

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How does that inform your identity as a black man? a white priest, Father Frank Coady, who not only allowed, but required That’s the first time anybody has asked me that straight up. him to talk about race and all the struggles he had been holding inside.

Junction City, where I grew up, was a white town, but it was also Fast forward 33 years and Willmott is still talking about race and a multicultural town because of the Army (at Ft. Riley) and the war still feeling compelled to act. His films are arguably more incendiary brides. Everybody was biracial in my neighborhood, except us. My than Molotov cocktails, and the blast zone of his latest, BlacKkKlansfather looked white, but he wasn’t white. And it made me kind of man, is international. understand that race matters and that race doesn’t matter.

The film, co-written with Spike Lee and directed by Lee, is a true tale of a black cop infiltrating the Klu Klux Klan How does it matter and not matter? in the 1970s laced with real footage of last year’s It doesn’t matter because we are all just human beracial violence in Charlottesville. Beautifully acted ings, but it matters because you have to know who and endowed with a lush, funky period soundtrack, you are, and you have to be proud of who you are, BlacKkKlansman received a 10-minute standing and you have to kind of be aware of who you are. ovation at the Cannes Film Festival and took home And one of the things that I saw a lot of growing the Grand Prix.

You know, when you’re up is that white people want to make you them.

The film opened nationwide August 10th to creating a satirical critical acclaim and hauled in $11 million the Everything will be fine if you act like us. first weekend. joke, you look at the Yes, and “I can be your friend, and you’re kind of Willmott, who earned a bachelor’s in drama truth of what it is, and like me already, Kevin.” from Marymount College in Salina and an MFA in dramatic writing at NYU, has collaborated with you examine that and And that’s cool that you’re kind of like me.

Lee since 2004, when Lee contacted him after try to be as honest as That’s cool. seeing Willmott’s searing mockumentary C.S.A.: Confederate States of America. Most recently, the you can about it, and Because you’re not like those black black two worked together on the 2015’s controversial you find the absurdity people. and critically successful Chi-Raq. A guy actually said to me in college: “There’s nigShortly before flying off to attend premieres in it, and then you try gers, Kevin, and then there’s you.” And he thought of BlacKkKlansman in New York and Los Anto find the best way to he was giving me a compliment. geles, Willmott sat down with In Kansas City inside the vaulted living room of his home, a expose that.

What did you make of that? former church in a leafy, brick-streeted neighThe first time it happened it left me stunned. The borhood in Lawrence. next time, I made a sarcastic joke like, “That’s very Leaning back on the couch with the open, rewhite of you.” laxed posture of a man who is comfortable in his skin, as the French say, Willmott speaks in a soft As a filmmaker who’s been making films about race for baritone, punctuated by unexpected bursts of ringing laughter. His genmore than 20 years, you are kind of a historian. What is tle demeanor soothes as his raw, unflinching answers shock. This ability your take on the recent history of race relations in America to provide a calm space in which discomfort can reverberate endlessly is and where do you think we are headed? a hallmark of Willmott’s films.

You can’t talk about race and get into those issues without it being With surgical precision over the course of an hour, he dissects race history. Even as a kid I was really into history. I should tell you one relations in America, the imperative to act in response to injustice, his little quick story. high-profile protest of Kansas’ concealed-carry law, and the question he believes was hanging in the air above the applause at Cannes.

Sure, please.

I think this played a big part in it. When I was in 4th grade, I was at home in the evening playing with army men on the floor and a news You live in a very, very white town… bulletin came across the TV: Martin Luther King had been shot.

(Laughing) Yes, I do!

My mother goes crazy. She starts screaming and hollering, crying, she goes out on the front porch and she wants to go to Memphis and You were born in a very white state… kill this man (who shot Martin Luther King), and I’m just like, “What’s (Laughing) I was born in a very white state. going on here?”

A neighborhood man had to calm my mother down and get her You went to a pretty white college… in the house, and then I turned to my big brother and said, “Who’s (Laughing) I went to a very white college! I haven’t been able to get away Martin Luther King?” from white people.

“ ”

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FOCUS FEATURES

thrown the government at this point?” (Laughs.) I mean, how can we Now, I was the current-events kid at school, because my mother keep tolerating this mess? When did it become the thing to do to always made us watch the news before we went to school—we’d watch tolerate it?

CBS Morning News. And so I raised my hand in school the next day and said, “Martin Luther King was killed last night.” And, the teacher said, Are you optimistic? Do you detect any signs of awakening?

“We won’t be talking about that today.”

There are times when it seems like everybody is pissed and ready, and First time she’d ever said that. And of course, you know what hapthen there’s times where I don’t know if we’re ready or not. And you pens when you tell a young person, “We won’t be talking about that”— worry about how insane things have become normalized. And that’s that’s all you want to talk about after that. really bad for a nation. Because it’s always gradual. Segregation didn’t I think that was when I really learned what it was to be black. I start in one day. It was like, this law got passed, and then this law got discovered Ebony magazine, and I took it to school and the teacher said, passed and then, “Oh, they’re “What is this?” and I said, “Evgoing to segregate Washington, erybody’s black in the magazine.”

D.C. OK.” And then, the next So I was educating my teachthing you know, half the country ers in the 4th grade about race. is segregated.

And it was kind of bizarre, beBut part of me thinks we cause I was educating myself. have a profound opportunity beWhen you’re a kid, you don’t fore us to not just take the nation know who you are until someback but maybe make it what it body tells you, “This is the way should be. the world works. There’s black people and there’s white people, What should it be? and you’re black, and he’s white It should be the United States and he’s a Mexican.” of America. But we go back and And this is 1968, too, so in forth. I use the metaphor that Junction City, soldiers are going America started out as C.S.A. to Vietnam, they’re coming back (Confederate States of America), from Vietnam, and the Black and then Lincoln says, “I think Power thing is starting to hapwe’re going to make it the United pen. The older guys in the neighStates of America.” And then bad borhood—I didn’t know what things happen, and we become they were talking about, but I Adam Driver and John David Washington in BlacKkKlansman.

C.S.A. again. We get segregation, was listening to them. One time which I call “slavery light.” And they talked about how there were then Obama happens, and it’s like, tanks in Lawrence, and about “Looks like we’re going to become the United States of America again!” how tanks were going to come to Junction City and get us (laughs).

And then, what happened was like in the ghetto: Obama was turnIt was a good time to grow up in the sense that even young guys were ing the lights on, and the house is infested with roaches, and they all run talking about those things. off to hide. And now you’ve got the Roach Whisperer, and he’s called all the roaches to come out again. So now the question is, can we take it It was a very awake moment in time. back, again, to the United States of America?

A very awake moment, and that had an effect on me, where I just expect people to talk about things.

On Facebook, you refer to the president as “King Tang.” Did you wrestle with whether you should be respectful since he is And then the awake-ness went away in the late 70s and the 80s. president?

People quit talking about racism and the thing to do was pretend I don’t think you have to be respectful at all to leadership that is abusive. we were past all that.

And he is abusive on every level. He’s abusive to the world. And the Yeah, and the reality is I’ve never stopped talking about it. And one other thing is, he’s a fascist. I don’t know that he is smart enough to thing that connected me with Spike is that he has never stopped know that he is a fascist, but he’s selfish and greedy and mean and he talking about it. People our age, we got to see what it could be. And doesn’t care about people. And it’s important with fascist leaders that we got to see how it should be, right? And that expectation of response you don’t use their name. is a big part of it.

It’s not okay to not be awake.

Right. The most frustrating thing about what’s going on right now, if you’re from our generation, is you’re saying, “Why haven’t we over-

Why? Because they want that. They are authoritarians. He loves the sound of his name and he loves the sound of “President” in front of his name. So you CONTINUED ON PAGE

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106

HEAR ME ROAR Wild Honey sweater, $59.99; Wild Honey python slacks, $64.99. Both from Adorn by Jewelry Girl in Threshing Bee (Prairiefire).

Tassel necklace, $24, from Mended Wing in Threshing Bee.

Animal Magnetism ONCE AGAIN FOR FALL, ANIMAL PRINTS COME ROARING BACK INTO STYLE Kenny Johnson Molly McPheter Roots & Branches Salon

PHOTOS BY HAIR & MAKEUP BY

ALL EARS Tart Collections jacket, $174; Bailey 44 leggings, $233; Heather top, $118; Diane Cotton necklace, $540. All from Miriam Garvey (The Fairway Shops).

SEPTEMBER 2018

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SPOT ON Jeffrey Campbell booties, $175, from Halls Kansas City (Crown Center).

SEPTEMBER 2018

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WILD THING Dizzy Lizzie vest, $137; Krazy Larry slacks, $148.

Both from Trapp and Company (Midtown). 360 Cashmere sweater, $276, from Clique Boutique (The Prairie Village Shops).

TAKE A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE Badgley Mischka trench, $660; Etro jeans, $1,295; Eileen Fisher top, $178.

Stuart Weitzman pumps, $455. All Halls Kansas City.

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BORN FREE Rainraps poncho, $65, from Terrasi Living & Scandia Home (Country Club Plaza).

HANG TIME Elie Tahari blouse, $298; Paige jeans, $250; B-Low the Belt belt, $145. All from Clique Boutique (Prairie Village Shops).

EYE OF THE TIGER Boz Eyewear sunglasses, $639.89, from Romanelli Optix (Brookside, Hawthorne Plaza, Leawood). Kendra Scott earrings, $95, from Halls Kansas City.

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HOLDING PATTERN Jérôme Dreyfuss handbag, $795, from Clique Boutique.

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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Vintage Havana sweater, $88; Free People jeans, $78.

Both from Alysa Rene Boutique (Park Place).

FOR A PRAIRIE VILLAGE COUPLE LOOKING FOR A LARGER HOME IN THEIR BELOVED NEIGHBORHOOD, A MIDCENTURY-MODERN HOME IN NEED OF A REFRESH WAS THE PERFECT ANSWER

What’s Old is New Again

Above: Lore sectetur adip molestie quis

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words by photos by

Patricia O’Dell Aaron Leimkuehler

In the living room, the matching sofas and leather-and-chrome club chairs are from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. Shull had the red brick fireplace painted white. The teak parquet floors are original.

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A

mie and Mike Shull loved their Prairie Village neighborhood. It was the perfect spot for them and their three children, but more than four years ago they were ready to make a move. Their radars were up, but the right house eluded them. Sometimes a seemingly perfect house would have a “sold” sign up before the couple even knew it was for sale.

“Then one day I was running down this street,” remembers Amie Shull. “And there was an estate-sale sign in the yard. I called my husband and said, ‘You need to get over here.’”

What Shull, who is an interior designer, could see was good bones and big potential. The midcentury modern with its pitched entry and carved, double front doors, had been well-cared for, but not updated. This meant that many of the original design elements were still in place.

As the couple walked through the estate sale, they noticed that the

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Left to right: Livi, Logan, Luke, Amie and Mike Shull. Opposite, top left: Shull had the exterior of the entry walnut double doors painted bright orange. Opposite, top right: The original to the home Poulsen Artichoke pendant now hangs in the foyer.

Opposite, bottom: all chrome floor lamps are from Trapp and Company; the blue-topped brass side table is from Wilson Lighting. Flower arrangement from Randy Neal Floral Design.

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“ ”

We really don’t mind a project.

Looking back now it seems like everything happened so fast.

- Amie Shull

REN SEN SENSATIONAL TOUR he

th annual eno ation Sensation our

hich benefits

the Shawnee Mission East SHARE program, this year features three stunningly renovated Mission Hills and Prairie Village homes, including the Shulls, plus a Leawood transitional newbuild with cutting-edge features. For more information, visit smeastshare.com

SEPTEMBER 2018

floors of the entry and the double doors were walnut. The original Louis Poulsen Artichoke pendant hung overhead. Still, the house needed serious updating.

“We tackled the renovation in three stages,” says Shull of the rambling ranch. The couple approached the basement, where their twin boys’ bedrooms and casual living space would be, and the north end of the house, which would hold the master bedroom and their daughter’s bedroom, first.

Once the first phase was complete, they were able to set up a temporary kitchen in the basement so that they could begin the kitchen and living room updates on the main floor. The delay in renovating the kitchen and living room allowed the Shulls better perspective of how the house would work for them.

“We really thought we would expand the kitchen,” says Shull. “But when we used the old kitchen as we were finishing the basement, I realized we didn’t need more square footage.”

Instead, the couple decided to move a wall and open up the living room and dining room. With the height of the pitched ceiling, the first floor becomes almost loft-like.

Shull was committed to keeping as many of the original elements Top left: Cole & Son “Circus” wallcovering brightens up the powder room.

Top right: Removing the wall between the kitchen and the hallway and the dining room o ened u the floor lan. Opposite: In the den, yellow gourd lam s rom ell ill s flank the so a. he co hide rug is rom kea and the copper pendant originally hung in the family room. | 86 | INKANSASCITY.COM

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The dining room wallcovering is from Katie Kime. Dramatic leaf and orchid arrangements from Randy Neal Floral grace the Room and Board dining table.

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Above: A trio of airy Octo pendants by Secto Design hang above the white Cambria countertops in the sleek kitchen. Right: A hidden door (far right, above) leads to a spacious pantry.

of the house as made sense. She had already fallen in love with the walnut floors and built-in planter in the entry; they were keepers.

The walnut-paneled wall in the den with its unexpected slant provides depth to a room rich in color and texture. The remaining den walls are painted a deeper turquoise than the house would have known from its original era. Brass and chrome add sparkle while ethnic-inspired fabrics deliver complexity.

In addition, Shull was lucky that she could use most of the original overhead lighting in the house. Along with the Poulsen pendant in the entry, the den’s fixture is original. Some of the lights did find themselves in new rooms.

After much consideration she decided to keep the teak parquet of the first floor. “Each piece was laid by hand. I just couldn’t rip it out,” she says. Linear sofas and the bold geometric pillows and rug run no risk of overwhelming in the double height room.

There were nondescript decorative beams in the living room that were not difficult to do without. The painted brick of the fireplace adds texture and delineates the living and dining room, which is further defined by its graphic black-and-white palm-print wallpaper.

The shelves along the dining room wall were made from birch trees that were removed from the backyard to make way for a new patio.

Shull designed a tile transition between the old floor and the new CONTINUED ON PAGE

108, PHOTOS CONTINUE THROUGH PAGE 91

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Above, left: Shull found the vintage Paul McCobb dresser at Retro Inferno. Flower arrangement from Randy Neal Floral.

Above, right: In the master bedroom, Arc wall sconces from umens flank the gray-linen upholstered bed from Nell Hill’s.

Left: floor to ceiling glass panel cleverly separates the shower area from the vanity in the master bathroom.

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Livi’s bedroom is the most colorful room in the house. Bedding is from Kate Spade, and Shull found the Saarinen Tulip chair in its original upholstery at River Market Antiques.

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A Man & Woman for All Seasons Ron Berg Arlen Wickstrum Flock Salon and Gallery MAKEUP BY Nick Jenkins Flock Salon and Gallery PHOTOS BY

OLDER WOMAN, YOUNGER MAN ASIDE, THIS SEASON’S BEST LOOKS ARE AGELESS

HAIR BY

SWEATER WEATHER Raquel Allegra sweater, $495, from Finefolk (Crossroads).

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COME TOGETHER On her: Lela Rose turtleneck, $790; Alice + Olivia skirt, $375; Gucci sneakers, $690.

On him: Etro 41 shirt, $375; Peter Millar vest, $165; Peter Millar pants, $145; Ferragamo sneakers, $530. All from Halls Kansas City (Crown Center).

STAND BY ME On her: Baldwin Winona sweater, $325; Baldwin Eva skirt, $225; horn necklace, $124. On him: Baldwin rust plaid shirt, $195; Baldwin Henley jeans, $245. All from Baldwin Market (Country Club Plaza).

IN FULL SWING On him: Giannetto shirt, $297; Marco Pescarolo linen/ cotton pants $315; Barba leather bomber, $1,275.

All from Hudson & Jane (Crestwood Shops). On her: Seventy sweater, $290; Seventy pleated skirt, $335.

All from Hudson & Jane (Crestwood Shops).

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POWER COUPLE On her: Amanda Uprichard top, $138; Ontwelfth pants, $48; Endless Rose coat, $258; Prada booties, $930.

On him: Peter Millar shirt, $125; Etro jacket, $1,515; Hudson jeans, $195; Donald Pliner sneakers, $145; Etro scarf, $370. All from Halls Kansas City (Crown Center).

ARM CANDY On him: Michael Bastian buffalo plaid shirt, $128; Zanerobe pants, $99; Billy Reid sport coat, $595. All from Ulah (Westwood). On her: Funnel neck Autumn cashmere sweater, $368; Ecru jeans, $156; Avila earrings, $154. All from Miriam Garvey (The Fairway Shops).

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FINE LINES On her: A.P.C. sweater, $235; Brochu Walker slacks, $354. Both from Clique Boutique (Prairie Village Shops). On him: Norse Projects sweater, $180; Rogue Territory jeans, $240; Carhartt vest, $114.

All from East + West (Crossroads).

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LEAN IN On him: Michael Jachs shirt, $119; Raleigh Denim jeans, $209; Perfecto jacket, $785; National Standard boots, $325. All from Houndstooth (River Market).

On her: Ronen Chen top, $185; Ronen Chen pants, $275; Jet Couture necklace, $722; Kaanas mules, $175.

All from Webster House (Crossroads).

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OPEN SPACES TWO INNOVATIVE IDEAS MERGE INTO ONE GRAND EXPERIENCE HAPPENING OVER 62 DAYS THROUGHOUT KANSAS CITY WORDS BY

Charles Ferruzza Tom Styrkowicz

PHOTOS BY

O

ne of the biggest draws to lure new residents to settle the frontier west of St. Louis in the 18th-century were the magic words “wide open spaces.” For both newly arrived immigrants and native-born Americans settled in more congested (and expensive) urban areas in the Eastern states, the promise of wide swaths of uninhabited land seemed like a dream. Such a potent dream, in fact, that songs have been written about it, and the idea has inspired books, movies, and plays.

The “Open Spaces” concept has now lent itself to something completely new and different in Kansas City, the historical (and some would say literal) heart of the country: Open Spaces 2018 is a collaboration between the City’s Office of Culture and Creative Services and a private arts initiative led by Kansas City philanthropist Scott Francis. Rarely given its full due as a national hub of arts, culture and creativity, the time has finally arrived to celebrate Kansas City as a very special place for creating beauty and expression (one of ten goals included in the city’s Arts Convergence Plan, adopted by Kansas City Mayor Sly James and the City Council in 2013) in the visual and performing arts. The city, after launching Open Spaces 2018, may never be the same.

The collaboration between Scott Francis, Susan Gordon, Mayor James and an impressive Founders Circle of large donors and arts leaders is a rare public-private partnership that concludes years of intense discussion and planning among community arts leaders, artists, civic leaders, private donors, and foundations.

Scott Francis, the scion of the local family that founded the company originally known as Puritan Bennett in 1913 as a medical gas supplier, is an arts supporter and world traveler who was inspired with the idea of a city-wide arts event while touring several European metropolitan areas in 2002.

Francis discovered the famed Documenta arts event while in Kassel, Germany, that year.

“Kassel is a city that was decimated in World War II,” Francis says.

“As a way of rebuilding the city, a community-wide arts project—Documenta—was created and was, immediately, hugely successful.”

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The vision of artist, teacher, and curator Arnold Bode, the first Documenta was launched in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau (the Federal Horticultural Show) in Kassel as a vehicle to “bring Germany up to speed with modern art, both banishing and repressing the cultural darkness of Nazism.”

Francis was impressed enough by the citywide event—scheduled for every five years—to want to bring a variation of the project to his own hometown of Kansas City.

“It integrated performing arts with visual arts, not unlike the Prospect New Orleans event—also a citywide triennial of contemporary art—that promotes New Orleans as a vital, vibrant arts community,” says Francis.

Francis and and his partner, Susan Gordon, began a dialogue three years ago with local visual artists and arts patrons (including collectors John and Sharon Hoffman and gallery owner Sean Kelley) leading to discussions with California-based Dan Cameron, the man ultimately hired to curate the first event, launched last month, as Open Spaces 2018.

Cameron learned of Scott Francis’s event ideas by talking to friends of his in Kansas City’s arts community. He was already familiar with the city’s own Arts Convergence Plan and eventually brought the two leaders together.

“I came to Scott Francis when I heard he wanted to do an idea like this,” says Cameron. “I knew he had been blown away by the Documenta in Germany. It is, in the art world, the center of the art world during the time it’s taking place. It was revelatory to him.

“Scott’s an artist at heart,” Cameron says. “He’s been waiting a long time to do something like this. I had been talking to Scott and Susan, but then I heard from the Mayor’s office and it dawned on me. The pivotal movers and shakers involved were basically thinking along the same lines.”

The city’s Arts Convergence Plan introduced ten goals and accompanying strategies including “enhancing leadership and funding for Kansas City’s arts and culture sector,” enhancing existing public arts

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From left to right: Scott Francis, Dan Cameron, Mayor Sly James.

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OPEN SPACES CONTINUED

“

programs, improving access to arts education for every student and adults of all ages, to enhance neighborhood arts and cultural opportunities, to This will bring enhance services and opportunities, to facilitate the development and a new appreciause of facilities, venues and spaces tion for Kansas for diverse arts activities through the metropolitan area, to showcase and City, particularly develop the creative potential of Kanwith professional sas City’s new technology platform, to create a signature festival focused on opinion-makers the region’s artists and cultural orgaand influencers. If nizations, highlighting the city’s arts, culture and creativity, increase support people have litfor economic development of the cretle perspective on ative sector, and to provide more comprehensive information to residents Kansas City—that and workers about available arts and will all change. cultural activities and resources.

“Both ideas had similar goals. I - Dan Cameron thought the plans could easily mesh if we brought in a lot of different influences,” says Francis. “It all came together.”

James agrees: “The plans meshed very well. One of the ten goals of the Convergence Plan is specific to an arts festival.”

While the original vision was for a three-day festival, both James’s and Francis’s concepts recognize Kansas City as a national art center because of existing arts organizations, artists, and creatives and the national and international presence that many of them have. “The public-private partnership,” says James, “allowed for the expansion of the footprint and time frame of the festival.”

James told In Kansas City that few artistic accommodations were necessary to meld the two ideas that later became Open Spaces: “The plans meshed so well, in fact, that the few compromises made occurred in the expected adjustments related to budget parameters for this unprecedented event.”

“My main job with Open Spaces—working as a team with Susan Gordon—is to raise funds from the philanthropic community,” says Francis. “We really had to sit down and think it through. It’s a huge job and we had to agree to commit ourselves to it for two to three years.”

Other American cities of comparable size host arts events, including Chicago (EXPO Chicago is an international contemporary and modern art exhibition held each year in Chicago, Illinois. “It’s famous, but mostly a dealers’ show,” says Cameron), Cleveland, Ohio, and Charleston, South Carolina.

“We’re bringing something that’s pretty startling in its scope,” says Cameron. “It’s a way to showcase what we’ve done in the city. It’s time to light another fuse, as it were.

“An arts event of this size in the Midwest is pretty rare, but things are starting to happen here.”

Cameron immediately latched onto the Arts Convergence plan for utilizing Swope Park as a major component of a city-wide festival.

”

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When James was asked if the decision to utilize Swope Park’s site was a pivotal one, he says, “Even prior to Scott’s involvement, Swope Park was seen as one of the few locations that could logistically accommodate the vision and scope of the original three-day festival. Swope Park is an exciting, vibrant location that bridges neighborhoods, cultures, and communities throughout the city. This played perfectly into Scott’s concept of ‘Open Spaces’ inspired by his attendance at international art biennales that embraced the entire city through public art and programming that’s accessible to residents and visitors.”

Cameron elaborated further on the growth of Open Spaces from idea phase to the opening night kick-off: “This started as a general idea,” he says. “At first, it didn’t have much meat on it. The first real meeting in May of 2017 was to discuss an outdoor sculpture project.”

That “general idea” grew quickly as different city leaders joined the staff, including Cheryl Kimmi, co-founder of the Kansas City Fringe Festival, who was hired on as project manager, and Kelli O’Neill, longtime producer of the Kansas City Irish Festival, who was brought on as producer.

“What began as a three-day arts festival,” says Kimmi, “morphed into a two-month event. It’s a very ambitious project and I’ve been juggling the opening with this year’s Fringe Festival. It’s stressful, but I’ll sleep in November.”

A multi-dimensional project with visual arts (42 renowned and emerging local, national and international artists were selected for the

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exhibition component of Open Spaces 2018 to be displayed through October 28), live performances (including noted singer and actress Janelle Monáe, who is originally from Kansas City, Kansas) and dance, theater, film, poetry, and the culinary arts all come together. The multiple locations at Starlight Theatre, Swope Park, and “The Village” based in Swope Park, will create a fresh new cultural center for Kansas City audiences— and visitors—to appreciate the city in an exciting new light.

The potential success of Open Spaces 2018 is encouragement enough for future Open Spaces events, including possible tributes to another Kansas City native, composer Virgil Thomson (1896-1989).

“He will play an important role in a future Open Spaces,” says Cameron.

“This will bring a new appreciation for Kansas City,” Cameron says, “particularly with professional opinion-makers and influencers. If people have little perspective on Kansas City—that will all change.”

“The first question that most people get about Kansas City,” says Kimmi, “is about barbecue. Open Spaces will prove, through its art, that there’s a lot happening here in Kansas City that’s worthy of attention.”

That attention, the mayor says, would hinge on the success of bringing the public and the arts community—local, national, and international—together in a particularly vibrant manner.

“Open Spaces is the continuation, and perhaps even the expansion, of the process that began with the Convergence Plan that brought the Kansas City community together to have a say in the future of the local arts sector,” James says. “Open Spaces is an exciting partnership between the city, the non-profit organization KC Creates, and the founders of Open Spaces that brings art to the community’s doorstep, so there is a low barrier of entry to visit and gain insight and enrichment from these extraordinary artists and their work.”

Complete information about the events, performances, and exhibits in Open Spaces is available at openspaceskc.com

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SEPTEMBER 2018

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Are you an INnovator or INfluencer?

Do you know someone who is?

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WILLMOTT CONTINUED FROM PAGE

71

“

You can’t always respond in the way you want, but you respond in some way. You don’t ignore it. You don’t accept it.

”

How do you calibrate how far you can go in a Facebook post?

I always think about it before I post something. I kind of measure what’s the best approach to getting people to understand your point. And that’s the same thing you do in screenwriting. You know, when you’re creating a satirical joke, you look at the truth of what it is, and you examine that and try to be as honest as you can about it, and you find the absurdity in it, and then you try to find the best way to expose that.

class. Did you worry about whether you would face repercussions for that?

It’s the thing we were talking about before— if you’re of my generation, a response is required. That’s why I got thrown out of high school. You can’t always respond in the way you want, but you respond in some way. You don’t ignore it. You don’t accept it.

Wearing the vest is a constant reminder that this is what’s really going on. Because they are hoping we’ll just fall asleep. My collegues have been supportive but my criticism is, for us to win this fight, more people have got to step up. I’m not saying you’ve got to wear a vest, but you’ve got to do something.

If you don’t, it’s not going to go away.

You are engaged in an ongoing protest of a Kansas law allowing concealed guns on college campuses by wearing a bulletproof vest every time you teach a

What was it like getting a 10-minute standing ovation at the screening of BlacKkKlansman at the Cannes Film Festival and winning the Grand Prix?

can’t give him that. And it’s not just me, but people all over the country have found names for him. Spike calls him Agent Orange.

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INKANSASCITY.COM SEPTEMBER 2018

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It was very surreal. We were staying in this great hotel, the Carlton, across the street from the beach. And when it’s time to go to the theater, this motorcade pulls up, and I’ve never ridden in a motorcade.

And there’s the red carpet, and I’m just a writer, so it’s not like I’m the movie star or director, but I’m on it, so that’s cool. And it’s just a crazy beautiful theater. But the big, big thing was how much the audience loved the film. Laughing out loud in places and stunned silence in others.

And at the end, you look up and here’s all these people in the balcony cheering, and I have to say I got pretty choked up. You have this moment where you think about Junction City and you think about your whole ride and all the stuff that got you there. I’m probably being way too corny about it, but it was the first moment I’ve ever had anything like that. And what made it even more powerful was it was the world saying in a way, “We’re with you.” The world is sick of this. The world is ready to respond and the question is, are we ready? The ovation, as much as it was about the movie, it was also about the fight. m Spike Lee, left, and Kevin Willmott at the Chicago premiere of Chi-Raq in 2015, a movie they co-wrote before teaming up again to write BlacKkKlansman, which opened Aug. 10.

SEPTEMBER 2018

Interview condensed and minimally edited for clarity.

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WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN CONTINUED FROM PAGE

Dine often and dine well.

89

one in the kitchen. “I just didn’t want to use another wood,” she says.

Created within the existing footprint, this contemporary kitchen is right at home in its modern house. Walnut cabinets that also front the refrigerator and a sleek island are enhanced by the crisp Cambria quartz countertops. The long picture window reflects the home’s origins and offers subtle natural light and a gracious view of the backyard.

As is not always the case, the family’s private rooms received the same attention as the public spaces. In the master bedroom the couple wanted to take advantage of the raised ceilings.

“There are some crazy angles here,” remembers Shull. “But we just went with it and dry-walled everything.”

The crisp black-and-white palette of the spa-like bath is a welcoming oasis. The serenity here is a contrast to their daughter’s bold lilac room with bursts of fuchsia.

Now that everything is in place, Shull is certain that the mess and noise of living through a renovation were worth it.

“We really don’t mind a project,” she says.

“Looking back now it seems like everything happened so fast.” m

Opposite, top: In the backyard, Shull replaced a small atio ith fi e e ansi e seating areas. Opposite, middle: he orange di ider as originall inside the house. Shull had it re aired ainted and installed outdoors. Opposite, bottom: Si la n chairs rom oom and oard encircle the fire it.

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Flavor

IN KC

In the Kitchen BY

Cody Hogan Aaron Leimkuehler

PHOTOS BY

O

kay, this may be a tough one for some people.

Even my food-savvy editor—not a Southerner—questioned my choice of ingredient. But okra is delicious! As a boy from Arkansas, I have wonderful memories of tasty fried okra, lightly coated in cornmeal and cooked until crunchy. People in warm-to-tropical climates around the world—think the Caribbean, parts of Africa and India—love this plant.

Unfortunately, those unaccustomed to the subtler qualities of this versatile vegetable think of it as “slimy,” the quality that makes okra valuable as a thickener (as in gumbo), a characteristic resulting from its richly mucilaginous nature. These people are simply the victims of culinary abuse from the hands of an inexperienced cook.

Okra is a plant that thrives in the heat when other vegetables simply give up. Its origin (African, Middle Eastern?) is still up for debate. Its value as a crop cannot be ignored. Like flax seed (another mucilaginous plant), okra is exceedingly good for you. It is loaded with fiber and other components that aid digestion. Okra comes in a number of varieties, like the simpler ones I grew up with, to the beautiful and more exotic varieties I now grow—the brilliant Red Burgundy and the geometri-

SEPTEMBER 2018

cally intriguing Star of David. The flower of an okra plant is stunning, like its close relative the hibiscus, an elongated velvety bud that spirals open to reveal a dramatically contrasting interior. The foliage can be quite large, similar to that of an overly ambitious cannabis plant, and can compete in any landscape. But its true value is in the edible seedpod.

Only a few years ago I had a revelation in an Indian restaurant— pakoras. Pakoras are essentially garbanzo bean flour-coated vegetables that are fried. Both the French and Italians fry garbanzo bean (chickpea) paste, so it wasn’t that far outside of my culinary experience. A little internet search lead me down the chickpea-encrusted rabbit hole and I never looked back. Okra is also delicious when rapidly sautéed naked at high temperatures with a few spicy peppers, cherry tomatoes, and garlic.

My weakness is still okra, fried. If you’re a skeptic, I’m convinced this recipe will make you a convert. Hope you enjoy!

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OKRA FRITTERS Approximately 1 pound smaller okra, tops and tails removed, sliced either lengthwise or on the bias, about 1/3 inch thick 1 jalapeño pepper, sliced thinly (optional) ½ onion, sliced thinly (optional) One small handful cilantro leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped, plus some for garnishing cup ar an o- ean flour calle Middle Eastern groceries)

esan in

ta lespoons se olina flour 1½ tablespoons corn starch ½ tablespoon chili powder ½ tablespoon garam masala (or other favorite curry blend—optional) 1 teaspoon sea salt ½ cup water, or as needed Vegetable oil for frying, 2-3 cups

Combine the vegetables in a bowl and sprinkle lightly with salt. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Mix them thoroughly, smashing with a spoon to eliminate any lumps. Sprinkle approximately ¼ cup water over the dry mixture and combine, smashing the mixture together to again eliminate any lumps. Drizzle with the remaining water and combine again to form a pancake batter-like mixture. Add the vegetables and any liquid that has accumulated in the bottom of the bowl. Stir/ squash the mixture, preferably with your fingers, until everything is combined and a little on the pasty side. Set aside for a few minutes. Heat a deep fryer or deep skillet with vegetable oil to 350 degrees. Carefully drop clusters of vegetables into the oil a few at a time. Fry until golden on one side then flip and continue to fry on the second side

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until they reach a deep golden brown. As they finish, remove the fritters to a second plate, continuing to fry in batches until all of the mixture is cooked. Serve immediately, while warm, with a spicy ketchup or hot sauce, preferably one with a little sweetness.

Notes on the recipe: Of all the recipes I know for fried vegetables, this is possibly the most versatile. For a gluten-free version, substitute more garbanzo flour for the semolina; for a more Middle-Eastern flavor, add more curry/spices; no corn starch—no problem—try potato starch or more garbanzo flour. No okra—use a different vegetable! It is so flexible—just write down what you use (and which version you like the best) so you can remember exactly how to cook yours the next time.

Flavor

IN KC THE WILD EAST from Lifted Spirits

Cody Hogan PHOTOS BY Aaron Leimkuehler BY

In Your Cocktail

2

ounces Lifted Spirits vodka

¾

ounce lime juice

½

ounce rich syrup*

¼

ounce jalapeño shrub**

1

jalapeño slice (for garnish) A few cherry-wood chips for smoking the glass

Twenty-four hours before making the cocktail, prepare the jalapeño shrub and the rich syrup.

Next, smoke a glass by lighting the cherry-wood chips with a small torch and covering the flame with your glass. It’s easier than it sounds! Add all the liquid ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice, then shake. Lift your glass off the wood chips and add fresh ice before straining your cocktail into the smoked glass. Grasping the jalapeño slice with tongs, lightly torch it as well to bring out its wonderful smoky, roasted flavor. Garnish the drink with the slice and serve.

O

n the wild, wild eastern frontier of the Crossroads sits an unassuming distillery facing an unruly grass-covered lot that could—if neglected for a summer—easily revert to a bit of open prairie. The rustic tasting room could just as easily be a saloon filled with goldminers and gunslingers. The spirits and cocktails, however, belong somewhere much more sophisticated. Opened more than a year and a half ago by president Kyle Claypool and head distiller Michael Stuckey, Lifted Spirits is producing some truly delicious distillations. The grains for their neutral spirits are selected and grown

specifically for them in nearby Wellsville, Kansas, are then transformed into vodka, their “Bright” gin (referring to the brighter notes of the botanicals), whiskey (slated to be released this fall), and most recently, absinthe. They are all delicious straight-up and make fascinating cocktails like The Wild East. Says mixologist Devin Clay, “The Wild East cocktail is rooted in the familiar flavors of sweet/sour/spicy, but the smoked glass and the freshly toasted jalapeño pull all of the flavors together.” He couldn’t be more correct. No matter your mood, Lifted Spirits will certainly lift yours. 1734 Cherry St. liftedspiritskc.com

*For the jalapeño shrub: Combine equal volumes (say two cups each) chopped jalapeños and sugar in a large bowl or jar. Stir or shake frequently until the peppers release their juices, keeping the mixture refrigerated. This can take as little as 24 hours or up to four days. When all of the sugar has dissolved (or if you can’t wait, drain off part of what has dissolved to make your cocktail), strain out the jalapeños and combine the syrup with an equal amount of white vinegar. Shake well and refrigerate indefinitely. **For the rich syrup: Combine 3 1/3 oz. sugar (by volume) and 16 2/3 oz. water in a pan and heat to dissolve the sugar. Store covered in the refrigerator. It will last several months.

In Your Pantry

HOMETOWN HOT SAUCE Srirach-AH Ketchup by Original Juan

Ketchup with a kick.

Take your favorite fries to a new level with this adult version of everyone’s favorite condiment.

Available at Original Juan’s Outlet at 111 Southwest Blvd. and many local retailers.

Boys Grow Avocado Hot Sauce

Vinegary and mellow, with a subtle creaminess. Made by inspiring young entrepreneurs, and good for the more sensitive palate.

Cosentino’s Market and better grocery stores.

SEPTEMBER 2018

Born with Seoul Korean Gochujang Sweet & Tangy Made with nutty fermented soybeans and red peppers, this intriguing sauce is perfect for dipping. Look for it while exploring the new Whole Foods in Brookside.

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Zim’s Nuksas Hot Sauce

Don’t let the sweet molasses notes fool you—this one’s got a kick that will sneak up and surprise you—and it screams for chicken wings!

Available at Better Cheddar at both locations.

Flavor

IN KC

CAFFETTERIA

In Culinary News

JO MARIE SCAGLIA has done it again, and this time in the sunny heart of the Prairie Village Shops. Those who are fans of The Mixx, her fast-casual, made-from-scratch, soup-salad-sandwich shop, will love Caffetteria, an Italian-influenced eatery where foodstuffs are ordered at a counter and delivered freshly prepared to your seat. The sleek space is bright, open, and inviting and the food is fresh, healthful, and colorful. You’ll feel better about yourself just looking at everything! Featuring: toasts, grains, bowls, salads, pizza, sandwiches, coffee, wine, artisan iced tea, and kombucha. caffetteriamoderncafe.com

UNTIL THERE’S A

cure

, THERE’S GSP.

Good Samaritan Project provides inclusive, holistic, and integrated health and wellness services to individuals living with HIV & other STIs, LGBTQ communities, and those seeking

gsp-kc.org

a welcoming and affirming health and community center.

SEPTEMBER 2018

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Good Food.

FLAVOR! G re a t C a u s e.

LLooking ooking

to add some FLAVOR! into

your world? Tickets are on sale now for FLAVOR!, a series of culinary events taking place in some of the city’s most fascinating residences and spaces. The region’s newest signature event, FLAVOR! raises critical funds to support Good Samaritan Project’s programs and services for people living with HIV. Visit flavorkc.org for more information and to get your tickets.

www.gsp-kc.org

Flavor

IN KC

BLACK DIRT FOR THOSE who wished to sample the flavors of

In Culinary News

Jonathan Justus but didn’t have the stamina (or sobriety) to drive all the way to Smithville for a many-course dinner, Justus has an outpost in the vibrant South Plaza/Brookside neighborhood at 51st and Main Street. The fare is classic new American, the crowd represents all age groups, the vibe is casual, and the drinks are delicious.

Stop by for small plates with friends after work or construct a multi-course meal that will occupy an evening, Justus style. Open seven days a week for lunch, dinner, and everything in-between. Outdoor dining, weather permitting. You won’t regret a moment of it. 5070 Main St. blackdirtkc.com

“It’s my great pleasure to assist clients in achieving the environment they’ve dreamed of by creating a place where they feel comfortable and inspired, truly at home.”

- Jan Kyle

SEPTEMBER 2018

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NOMAD’S COFFEE AND COCKTAILS

In Culinary News

TUCKED away on the west end of 39th Street is a

bohemian den filled with coffee, pastries, cocktails, wine, and beer. Stimulate your fantasies over a coffee from KC’s Messenger Coffee Co. or let your mind wander while sipping a selection from one of the local beers on tap, a glass of wine or cocktail. If you can’t decide between coffee or a cocktail, have the unctuous Espresso Martini and cover both bases.

Not too sweet, it’s sure to inspire your nomadic tendencies. Pastries both savory and sweet are provided by Kansas City Baking Co., and the cheese plate showcases offerings from Green Dirt Farm in Weston, MO. 1804 West 39th St. nomadskc.com

Pear Tree

303 E 55th Streeet Kansas City, MO 64113 816-333-2100 Open—Mon-Sat 10-5pm PearTreeDesignAntiques.com

SEPTEMBER 2018

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Flavor

IN KC

Reservation for One THE SAVOY AT 21C BY

Judith Fertig Aaron Leimkuehler

PHOTOS BY

T

he Savoy at 21c sails between two worlds—heritage and vogue.

When first walking into the bar, ducking through plush curtains, you still see the heritage—all dark-wood bar, vintage green tile, stained glass windows, and murals of pioneers at Westport Landing. In the dim light, it could be 1903 again, when cattle and lumber barons once washed down prime rib and oysters with bourbon.

But it feels different. The layout is more open, less speakeasy and more rave, where after-work singles sip Mer-tinis flavored with seaweed and clam juice.

Gone is the fusty and dusty. The re-energized, reimagined, refreshed Savoy is part throwback and part fun.

In the adjacent restaurant, light floods in from street-side windows. Underfoot are the original marble-tiled floors, above, the restored and freshly ornate plaster ceil-

SEPTEMBER 2018

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E

SEPTEMBER 2018

S

TA

8

ings. “It took three months to redo them,” a young man at a nearby table comments, his dinner companion sporting silver-tipped hair and a thigh tattoo.

Floating panels give a peekaboo view of those plaster ceilings and also turn the colors of a Kansas City sunset throughout the evening. A swimming-pool blue penguin, the mascot of the 21c chain of contemporary hotels, pops up here and there around the large and airy dining room.

So how successfully does the dining experience navigate between old and new?

The Savoy Sour starts the evening off. Made with apple brandy, it’s a softer, more rounded and much more drinkable version of its brash bourbon-and-lemonade ancestor. A sophisticated Art Deco Savoy logo floats on the foam.

The escargot tortellini in maître d’hotel butter are so good, you are tempted to lick the plate. The snails are meaty, the pasta perfectly al dente, the butter sumptuous, and no one has to pry garlicky snails out of their shells using tiny forks. People have enough to do checking their Twitter feeds these days.

“Mmmmm. I’d just like two plates of that.” The conversation drifts over from a table of family members, three generations all sharing bites. When they leave, the table is reset for a group of business colleagues, celebrating with a lumber baron’s wine, perhaps the $350 bottle of a Grand Cru French burgundy or a very dry $9 Prosecco by the glass.

Caesar salad can be tricky. A restaurant can’t go too far out on a limb, so the executive chef, Joe West, plays it subtle. It’s everything you expect in a really good Caesar—crisp greens on a chilled plate, gutsy flavors, white anchovies—but with an indefinable crunch.

Although the prime rib, slow-roasted for eight hours for a great crust and a perfect medium-rare, did look fabulous, the Scallops Meuniere called my name. The plump shellfish, crusty from searing in a hot skillet, were drizzled with a browned-butter sauce and a squeeze of lemon juice. As a side dish, the Crum’s heirloom creamed corn tasted like summer in a white bowl, gently poached to tender deliciousness.

For dessert, the Baked Alaska is one of those vintage dishes that deserves a comeback now that chefs can caramelize coils of Italian meringue with a kitchen torch. With every bite, you get flavors of lavender and lemon ice cream over a disc of yellow cake.

The see-through sauce with a hint of orange marmalade or yuzu is just bitter enough to bring out the sweetness in everything else.

And shouldn’t every meal end with a flourish of pool-blue cotton candy in a copper mug?

Yes.

BLI

19 SHED

9

JOIN US

Enjoy the culinary delights of Chef Lidia Bastianich at Lidia’s in the Crossroads Art District MAKE A RESERVATION TODAY 816.221.3722 | LIDIAS-KC.COM 101 W. 22ND ST. KCMO 64108

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Faces

IN KC

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BLAQOUT KC

BlaqOut KC Luncheon DAVID BRIDGEFORTH, JR., the

publisher and editor of DBQ Magazine, was the keynote speaker at the 2018 BlaqOut Empowerment Summit and Report Release luncheon held at the Kauffman Foundation Conference Center.

6th ANNUAL

Thanks to our Brew at the Zoo & Wine Too partners!

Enjoy an evening of live music and a variety of beer and wine from local breweries and vineyards.

21 and over event.

Rain or shine, no refunds.

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Get your tickets today!

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The Kansas City Zoo, a private, non-profit organization is operated in agreement with the Kansas City, MO Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners, partially funded by the Zoological District in Jackson and Clay Counties in MO, and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

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Faces

IN KC

Kemper Block Party THE FOURTH ANNUAL family-friendly event was a

fun-filled free evening featuring music, food trucks, family activities, exhibition tours, and was topped off by an outdoor screening of The NeverEnding Story.

PHOTOS BY J. ROBERT SCHRAEDER

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KANDACE SPRINGS

All shows start at 8 PM

September 27 RAMSEY LEWIS October 12 LARRY CARLTON QUINTENT January 18 THE YELLOWJACKETS February 15 KANDACE SPRINGS March 9 KURT ELLING QUINTET April 11 JOSHUA REDMAN QUARTET April 27 ARTURO SANDOVAL

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Faces

IN KC

Muse at the Museum IT WAS a midsummer evening of wonderment in the

Bloch Building at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Hosted by the Young Friends of Art, guests enjoyed creative cocktails, live music, and small bites.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE NELSON-ATKINS MUSEUM OF ART

SEPTEMBER 2018

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This Month

IN KC

THOSE WERE THE DAYS KANSAS CITY’S rich architectural heritage is celebrated in architectural historian Michael C. Kathrens’ new book, Kansas City Houses 1885-1938.

As Kansas City transitioned from a rough-and-tumble boom town to a

RENDERING BY HELIX

RENO REFRESH IT’S NO FOLLY that the Folly Theater renovation is being completed in record time. After closing on July 2, the $2.5-million-dollar update began in earnest on the completely redesigned main lobby and upstairs private-event space. The renovation is an important piece of the Folly 2020 campaign—an effort to bring the Folly into the next century and preserve its legacy for generations to come. The design revitalizes

MAKING IT FROM its modest beginnings in 2015 with the launch of the first pop-up store in Prairiefire, representing 13 Kansas City-based artists and makers, to the recently opened Made in KC Marketplace on the Country Club Plaza, which features work from more than 200 local artists and makers, Made in KC is expanding

the lobby and dramatically improves functionality. According to Gale Tallis, the executive director, “We want to provide an engaging new ‘Folly Experience’ that creates comfort and excitement for our patrons while maintaining the historic integrity of the 118-year-old Louis Curtiss design.”

Job done. And done in time for the Ramsey Lewis and the Urban Knights jazz concert on September 27. follytheater.org

at a dizzying rate. The Plaza location is the latest addition to the other concept stores in Briarcliff, Corinth, the Crossroads and Prairiefire, including the Made in KC Cafe that opened downtown. The Plaza marketplace is unique PHOTO BY ANNA PETROW in that several maker contributors have shops within the shop.

Sew KC, Christopher Elbow and Ampersand Design Studio are just a few of the vendors for whom this will be a permanent location.

Like the downtown location, there’s a coffee shop. Unlike the downtown location, there’s also a taproom and food hall. Plan on plenty of time to explore. You can spend hours here. madeinkc.co

SEPTEMBER 2018

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fashionable city, lumber barons, oilmen, and businessmen built mansions fit for their new-found fortunes. Forty superb residences, including some long gone and some still standing, are documented with archival photos and newly commissioned photographs, drawings, and floor plans. Most of the homes were done in revival and Beaux Arts styles. The book includes William Rockhill Nelson’s Oak Hall, which was built where the Nelson-Atkins Museum stands today; Corinthian Hall, the home of minerals magnate August Meyer, now the home of the Kansas City Museum; and several houses

by Mary Rockwell Hook, one of the first women to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. It’s a treat for architectural scholars and enthusiasts alike. The book can be pre-ordered at kansascityhouses.org.

AT THE CROSSROADS RUMORS have been swirling for nearly three years about the new Crossroads Hotel at 2101 Central Avenue (home to the former Pabst Brewing Company bottling and distribution plant). Recently the owner, Aparium Hotel Group, unleashed its plans for the industrial-chic hotel opening in October. The four-story, 131-room boutique hotel will feature three restaurants and bars, including: • Percheron, an indoor/outdoor rooftop beer garden that offers glorious views of the cityscape.

• XR in the hotel’s lobby area will feature artisan pizzas and various small plates straight from the eatery’s wood-burning oven. Think casual. Think on-the-go.

• Lazia, a dinner-only restaurant. It’s one-part steakhouse, onepart Italian bistro. Plan on being wined and dined in an intimate setting as the restaurant seats a mere 78 guests.

Local flavors of the Crossroads District will be an important part of the mix. Messenger Coffee Company and J. Rieger & Co. are partnering up with the venue to serve their products in the hotel’s restaurants and bars, as well. The hotel had hoped to open nearly a year ago, but—as Kansas Citians can attest—patience is a virtue. Now buzz is at a frenzied peak—

including a recent article in Condé Nast Traveler spotlighting the hotel.

Oh—and in case you were wondering: Yes, it’s pet-friendly. Yes, there’s complimentary Wi-Fi. And yes, there’s also a whopping 9,000-squarefeet of event space if you’re inclined to throw the ultimate wing-ding.

Crossroads never had it so good!

THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE CALENDAR IN KC ART GALLERIES DANCE THEATER SOCIAL EVENTS MUSIC

INKANSASCITY.COM/EVENTS SEPTEMBER 2018

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Found

IN KC

IT’S NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS ANYMORE “THIS TIME OF YEAR,

toffee is perfect on a bowl of vanilla ice cream,” says toffee-maker supreme, Teresa Spies. She goes on to say, “It’s wonderful at night with a glass of wine. It’s perfect with your morning coffee.” We have to agree. Her toffee, Cedar Street Toffee, might be the most addictive thing you’ll find in the metro. Currently available as semi-sweet or dark chocolate, Spies hinted at some upcoming super-secret new flavors in development. Prices range from $11.95 for a quarter pound to $27.95 for a pound.

Available at various Hen House Markets or online at cedarstreettoffee.com

SEPTEMBER 2018

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