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Recipe for a Food MeccaThe word “Mecca” usually conjures up images of devoted white-robed believers making holy pilgrimages to places of great faith and interest. Hey, wait a minute! I may have just described a “foodie!” And if Downtown Overland Park doesn’t qualify as a place of great culinary interest, I’ll eat my chef’s hat (seasoned appropriately of course). About fifteen years ago I had an idea to create a culinary arts center in an area that would be ripe for attracting business owners whose passion for all things food and entertaining was as deep as mine. I envisioned a business district that was unique, diverse and covered the culinary bases: bakeries, specialty food shops, interesting ethnic restaurants, tableware, art, linens, cheeses, wine and spirits, nightclubs and places where people could gather “round the table.” Peppered among these foodie shops would be galleries and workshops as well because what happens around a table also includes the environment within which the table is set. In short, a colorful destination neighborhood where visitors would come to be surrounded with welcoming sites, smells, sounds and general good juju in the culinary arts. Now, I don’t profess to own the superpowers to make something happen just because I conjured it, however, I do believe in that new-age idea of putting what you want out into the universe … and of course doing your homework. The homework came in the form of designing a culinary arts center that would hopefully be the anchor for this vision. It didn’t hurt that the recipe began with the main ingredient of locating where there was already a vibrant Farmers’ Market. Thus in 1998, The Culinary Center of Kansas City was born. We are located in the heart of Downtown Overland Park, where people of all levels of experience in the kitchen can gather together to celebrate the culinary arts in a variety of ways. Today I will be darned if Downtown Overland Park isn’t a beautiful example of what a “Food Mecca” can be. Go figure! The Culinary Center of Kansas City offers over 500 cooking classes each year, more than 250 interactive cooking events including private events and corporate teambuilding, a kitchen retail therapy store called “Kitchenology,” the Midwest BBQ Institute offering serious educational curriculum and catered events in the art and science of grilling and smoking, Dinners On Demand which is chef-prepared frozen dishes for sale, Tuesday Staff Lunch where our chefs show off and create the best lunch in town, and finally our newest concept, CookWell, a fresh approach to promoting wellness within companies. Come to Downtown Overland Park to get a taste of what all foodies love but, by all means, don’t stop there. Expand your daytrip when you are in Kansas City because we have some really great food and entertainment hot spots! You can’t speak of KC’s culinary scene without mentioning barbecue. Kansas City is known around the world (really!) as a barbecue mecca in and of itself. While many U.S. cities or states are known for a particular type of barbecue technique or style, Kansas City is known as the “melting pot” of barbecue since all styles of barbecue are represented around the metro. I took a few minutes to discuss the topic of best KC barbecue joints with our Midwest BBQ Institute chefs and instructors. Everyone admitted that the big boys of Gates Bar-B-Q, Arthur Bryant’s and Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue are always listed first but all of us agreed that the real gems are the small, locally owned BBQ joints that serve some of the finest examples of barbecue fare in the country. For example, a visit to the old gas station turned BBQ joint, Oklahoma Joe’s, is a must. If the line is too long, another gem is a surprise of sorts. It’s the BBQ served at the Hilton Kansas City Airport which is created by the hotel’s BBQ team Munchin’ Hogs at the Hilton. This team is the Kansas City Barbeque Society 2011 Team of the Year and has been winning top awards all over the United States for many years. If you want to step right outside the city limits you can visit Wabash BBQ and Blues Garden in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. You won’t be sorry you traveled the few extra miles. In addition to some of the best BBQ in the world, the Kansas City area boasts many well-known culinary superstar chefs as well. Chef Debbie Gold (The American Restaurant), Chef Celina Tio (Julian) and Chef Michael Smith (Michael Smith and Extra Virgin) are all James Beard winners working their culinary magic right here in our own River City. With all of these epicurean wonders at my doorstep, I’m often asked “What is your favorite restaurant?” My pat answer is “What are we going to eat? Because I have different favorite restaurants depending on what dishes or genres of food preparation we are talking about.” Bar-none, the best menu to me in town is at Le Fou Frog, where Chef Mano Rafael offers authentic French dishes prepared perfectly all served in a funky little spot in the River Market Area. You’ll swear that you just walked into a French Bistro on the Rive Gauche. It’s probably my favorite dining experience in KC. As a side note, Aixois in the Brookside area runs a very close second in my world for French fare. If you’re talking about beautifully prepared authentic Italian fare, there is no better than Jasper’s in South Kansas City. Jasper Mirabile is the most creative and passionate chef I know when it comes to keeping his craft authentic yet daring. He teaches for us at The Culinary Center once each month and his classes are always packed. Everyone loves him and his teaching style. For authentic Mexican fare (not cheesy “Tex-Mex”) there is no bar higher than at Frida’s in Overland Park. Ivan Marquez, the owner, will lovingly explain each dish to you, including its historical significance if you so choose. C’mon…where else in the City can you get Chiles en Nogada; a Mexican dish that is only prepared on special occasions in Mexico. Or another unique dish called huitlacoche (look it up, folks, it’s black corn fungus…and it’s fabulous!). There are so many other KC favorites: the BLT’s at The Peanut on Main, the St. Louis Style Pizza at Waldo Pizza, the perfectly made martinis at Capital Grill or The Drop, the music selection on the juke box at Harry’s Country Club in the River Market (whoops, that’s not food …but it makes for an exceptionally unique restaurant experience), the burgers at Knuckleheads Saloon (plus live blues), the stuffed artichokes at Carmen’s Café. Is that your stomach grumbling? As you can see, a visit to our own “Food Mecca” here in Downtown Overland Park is an excellent place to begin your journey around the entire Kansas City region. Stop by and we’ll chat it up because we make it our business to know all things culinary in Kansas City. And remember … you can’t lick the bowl watching The Food Channel! ~ Laura Laiben
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