local food

Drawing on his Alabama roots, Thomas “TC” Clark started selling loaded baked potatoes out of his apartment four years ago. His popular food truck is one of 30 businesses taking part in Kansas City's Black Restaurant Week — and after the birth of his first child, Clark is dreaming even bigger.

The cattle trade brought big business to Kansas City, and a history of barbecue shaped our culture. Now, local butchers are carving out a niche for high quality meats and specialty items, whether you're putting together a charcuterie board or preparing for a neighborhood cook-off.

Kitty’s iconic dish recently earned recognition from The New York Times, which called it “possibly the most delicious fried pork sandwich in the United States.” The Midtown restaurant was originally opened in 1951 by a Japanese-American couple who settled in Kansas City.

Midtown is home to many of Kansas City’s best-known restaurants and bars, but it has its fair share of hidden treasures to offer, including cool coffee shops, neighborhood dives and family businesses.

Laura Comer, executive chef of the Kauffman Center, has come out victorious from both Hulu's "Chef vs. Wild" and the Food Network's "Guy's Grocery Games." She's just the latest Kansas City chef to be featured in national cooking competition shows.

After going viral for trying the crab rangoon pizza at Old Shawnee Pizza, Nguyen has grown her audience to millions for restaurant reviews, original recipes and eating challenges. Her soaring popularity allowed her to quit her day job in 2021.

Laura Norris opened the Italian comfort food joint in 2013 with recipes handed down from her mother. After surviving through the pandemic on carryout-only, Norris expanded last year with Enzo, a Mediterranean bistro, in the River Market.

Wild Child will open in Shawnee, Kansas, this month with a focus on nonalcoholic drinks. The business will join the list of bars, restaurants, and liquor stores across the metro shifting more of their attention to a new type of consumer.

City councilmembers now will consider whether to make the chicken rules permanent and whether to reduce or drop the minimum land requirement. Overland Park's animal control department noted there have been no documented complaints on properties with chicken permits since the pilot began in March 2022.

As summer creeps in, so do heaps of fresh produce at local farmers markets. KCUR's food writers are back with ideas for where to find fresh, at-home ingredients, and where to grab a meal made with locally-sourced produce.

A former Betty Rae's scooper himself, Alec Rodgers bought and reopened the ice cream shops in 2021 following misconduct allegations against the original owners. Now he's selling the business to Matt Shatto of Shatto Milk Company, who has ambitions to expand to new locations across Kansas City.

At the end of April, Carlo Mortera announced his decision to permanently close his popular Mexican barbeque restaurant, Poio, in Kansas City, Kansas. But there's still a franchise location open inside the new Kansas City International Airport terminal.