Cole Blaise

Stories by Cole Blaise

The Cost of Our Roads | Episode 4

If you’ve ever wondered how Kansas and Missouri maintain their roadways, “The Cost of Roads | Episode 4,” looks at what’s being done to fund the roads Kansas Citians rely on everyday in the fourth of a five-part digital series looking at our city’s aging infrastructure. Public Works? The Cost of Our Aging Infrastructure is a months-long project taking you underneath the pavement…

"Public Works? The Cost of Our Aging Infrastructure. "

The Cost of Our Roads | Preview

If you’ve ever thought about the state and age of the roads you drive everyday, follow The Cost of Roads, the fourth in a five-part general overview series on our city’s aging infrastructure. Here’s a preview in advance of Monday’s Episode 4. All five overview episodes culminate in a 30-minute documentary at 7:30 p.m., March 2 on KCPT. — Follow the entire project…

"Public Works? | The Cost of Our Aging Infrastructure | Water"

The Cost of Our Water | Episode 1

If you’ve ever wondered where your water comes from, how it gets there, and what shape those pipes are in, “The Cost of Water | Episode 1 ” opens a five-part digital series giving an overview on our city’s aging infrastructure. Public Works? The Cost of Our Aging Infrastructure is a months-long project taking you underneath the pavement to tackle the…

"Public Works? The Cost of Our Aging Infrastructure. "

The Cost of Our Water | Preview

If you’ve ever wondered where your water comes from, how it gets there, and what shape those pipes are in, follow The Cost of Water, the first in of a five-part general overview series on our city’s aging infrastructure. Here’s a preview in advance of Monday’s Episode 1. All five overview episodes culminate in a 30-minute documentary at 7:30 p.m., March 2…

barbecue sandwich

Chapter 5 | Is This The Ends?

Singers have Broadway. Aspiring pitmasters? They come to Kansas City because if you can make a burnt end that makes Kansas Citians sit down and take notice, you can make barbecue anywhere. Our city’s esteem for barbecue — combined with pitmasters’ desire to perfect their craft — means that even our iconic barbecue dish is…

Cover photo for Chapter 4, "Burnt Legend"

Chapter 4 | The Quest for the Best (Remembering L.C. Richardson)

Magic in Kansas City doesn’t involve cards or top hats. True magic is what happens to brisket when smoke and fire are applied in the correct ratio and for the right amount of time. True magic is burnt ends. In Chapter 4, we dive into how and why we chase and crave that magic in Kansas…

Cover photo for Chapter 3, "Burnt Legend"

Chapter 3 | Making Ends Meat

The popularity of burnt ends created an unusual problem for pitmasters in Kansas City. Even with a ready supply of briskets, there wasn’t enough of the ends of those briskets to make the menu item known as “burnt ends.” Briskets taper at both edges — it’s the thinner parts that get crusty and crispy and deliciously charred….

Two men walking int a BBQ joint

Chapter 2 | Demand, The Myth, The Legend

Arthur Bryant’s has been luring folks, like James Beard Award-winning chef Colby Garrelts, to the counter for years with the siren call of smoke. Garrelts, the co-owner of Rye and Bluestem, has been coming to Bryant’s since he was a child, just like writer Calvin Trillin (who famously shined a light on burnt ends four…

photo of a barbecue sign with the words Burnt Legend on it

Chapter 1 | From Discard to Destiny

Kansas City is often called a melting pot of barbecue. The idea is that we’re willing to cook a lot of different meats, and that we’ve taken the time to understand how to do each one right (here’s a hint: it’s almost always low and slow). But Kansas City isn’t just an aggregator of barbecue,…

Burnt ends piled high.

Burnt Legend, our New Digital Series, Will Make You Hungry

Kansas City is known for burnt ends, those charred, crispy bits of beef that are fatty and succulent and rich and… [sorry, we just had to leave the keyboard for the second, things were getting too steamy.] And Kansas Citians know that we’re known for burnt ends. It’s the first dish we tell visitors to…