Kansas City News Blog

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Jonathan Bender wrote this post on Fat City earlier today.

A steering committee organized to identify the key issues around urban agriculture in the Kansas City, Missouri, metro area -- the result of an public forum on October 22 -- met for the first time on Monday night at the Nutter Ivanhoe Neighborhood Center in midtown.

"We want to revise the codes of Kansas City, Missouri, to be more supportive of urban farming and lay out a pathway that other municipalities can follow, said Katherine Kelly, director of the Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture.

Over the course of an hour and 45 minutes, 37 farmers, community activists, and residents sat down to discuss the realities of farming in Kansas City and what needs to change with regard to the current code.

"While we're talking about traffic or the potential blight of farm stands, that's not a reality yet. Nobody has seen the reality of a greener city and there might not be any issues with it. We are not advocating for industrialized agriculture in this city," said Brooke Salvaggio, co-owner of Bad Seed Farm.

​First, a disclosure, my wife and I are one of the four community supported agriculture (CSA) members at Bad Seed Farm. As such, we have a vested interest in seeing Bad Seed succeed.

Jonathan Bender wrote this post on Fat City earlier today. Since it updates Carolyn Szczepanski's post from earlier this week, we're cross posting.

Urban farmers, community leaders and city officials gathered before a crowd of close to 100 people at Bad Seed Farm's downtown market space on Tuesday night to discuss the process for potentially changing the development code in Kansas City.

"We need to look at urban agriculture as a potential solution to problems in the city, whether it's the use of vacant lots, the greening effort, or health issues," said Daniel Heryer, who runs Bad Seed Farm with his wife, Brooke Salvaggio.

Katherine Kelly, the director of the Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture, acted as moderator at the community meeting, which was designed to seek input and find community advocates willing to serve on an urban agriculture steering committee tasked with drafting an amendment to the current ordinance that governs zoning and development.

"Ideally we'll come up with templates that will serve as a model for other municipalities," said Kelly of the committee, which will have a separate subcommittee on raising livestock in an urban or suburban setting.

City officials candidly discussed the reasons why Bad Seed Farm was issued citations for violating the current development code, while also recognizing that this issue requires the code to be updated.

First, a confession: Last year, my friends and I were among the last standing staggering at Beer Fest, sucking down samples of specialty brews even as the cleaning crew was shooing us off the premises.

Photos by Nicole Reinertson

​But this year was different. 

Beer Fest is an annual fundraiser for the Kansas City Free Health Clinic and the AIDS Service Foundation. For several hours each fall the top floor of a parking garage at The Legends shopping district transforms into a brew-swilling heaven where several thousand beer fans belly up to folding tables stocked with more than 300 types of suds.

Just as in 2008, the place was packed with dudes sporting pretzel necklaces and women teetering drunkenly in their high-heeled boots on a chilly Saturday afternoon. For the first two hours, the atmosphere was festive as the golden booze flowed freely.

Alas, the tap ran dry far too soon.

By 3:30 p.m., it was already slim pickings. When I ambled over to the Breckenridge Brewery table to try their Agave Wheat, there was no sign of the Colorado company. By 4 p.m., a full hour before the end of the event, the sample tables were virtually bare.

But, unlike the other beer purveyors, Boulevard Brewing Co. showed up with a truck full of kegs. A long line formed in front of the Kansas City crew, and they kept our glasses full long after all the other options had expired. Luckily, the local hero saved the not-nearly-drunk-enough day.

Click here (or on the photo) for a slideshow of the event.

The Golden Ox got a little smoky yesterday, but the 60-year-old steakhouse didn't burn down.

Pitch food critic Charles Ferruzza reports over on Fat City that firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze and the Golden Ox suffered little damage and could be open as soon as Wednesday.

Here's a clip:

A fire in the grill tonight wafted up through the restaurant's ventilation system (a somewhat similar incident took place last February at the original Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue in Martin City).

Oh, and Ferruzza promises a review of the Golden Ox in this week's edition of The Pitch.

Flicker: Roboppy

Charles Ferruzza and Owen Morris do an excellent job with The Pitch's food blog, Fat City. It's a great read. Every week, Ferruzza recaps the week's best posts -- and we're going to start posting them on the Plog, starting this week. So here's this week's "Best of Fat City."

Charging for bread and butter

Guilty Pleasures: The Burger Joint

Cool Hand Luke can eat six saltines in a minute

Weekend vegetarian? Weekend hippie?

Tasting wine the Riedel way

Over on our sister blog Fat City, David Martin reports that the Cordish Co. is suing the operators of Bice Bistro for not paying rent and failing to pay its share of the costs to build the restaurant and adjoining cafe. Cordish wants $4.4 million, which includes rent through 2018 (the end of Bice's lease with the Power & Light District).

I walked by Bice this afternoon and thought the place was closed because it looked so dark inside. After tugging on the door, and to the disappointment of the host, I scurried off.

By OWEN MORRIS

Starbucks announced today that it plans to close 600 stores in the U.S. Starbucks is keeping mum on which stores it will close but said "70 percent of the stores to be closed were opened after the start of 2006."

What is the likelihood that your neighborhood Starbucks will go the way of the Westport Starbucks? Not very likely.

By CHARLES FERRUZZA

In an election season, a tasteful “meet-and-greet” cocktail reception or brunch for a political candidate (with ample opportunity and pens for check-writing) is practically de rigueur for Kansas City hosts and hostesses with social consciousness – and spacious living rooms.

Last Sunday, Jordan and Betty Bushman opened their beautifully appointed Plaza condominium for just such a soiree.