Jonathan Bender
Reporter
Jonathan Bender is a former KCPT Food Content Editor and the founder of the Recommended Daily. He is the author of "LEGO: A Love Story," "Cookies & Beer" and "Stock, Broth & Bowl." He lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where has judged the American Royal World Series of BBQ, eaten sandwiches for a month, and pitched grain as a brewer’s assistant — all in pursuit of learning more about what Kansas Citians eat and drink.
Stories by Jonathan Bender
Element Ice Cream Wants to Make Science Delicious
Water vapor rolls around Ben Myers’ forearms, a puff of white clouds that subconsciously draws people toward the window of the light blue trailer parked in the parking lot of Breakout KC. “This was always a show stopper in class,” Myers said. “I love watching people get pulled in by the show. The teacher in…
Louisburg Cider Fest & Other Weekend Possibilities
The Louisburg Cider Mill is hosting its 39th annual Ciderfest from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. You can learn to make cider, eat cider donuts, take a hay ride, or try to beat a corn maze. The fest continues next Saturday and Sunday. It’s not just pumpkin beer season. It’s also time for pumpkin…
Chef Joe West leaves Stock Hill to Pursue Kusshi
The sizzle of a modern steakhouse concept drew executive chef Joe West into helping to open Stock Hill (4800 Main St.) on the Country Club Plaza last December; but nine months in, West has left the kitchen. “We couldn’t do 20-ingredient dishes [at Stock Hill]. You have to create dishes that are easy to replicate…
Boys Grow Fall Farm Festival & Other Weekend Possibilities
The Boys Grow Fall Farm Festival is this Sunday with special guest chef Lidia Bastianich. It’s noon to 4 p.m. with a beer garden, petting zoo, and bounce house on the 10-acre farm that helps urban youth learn about agriculture and entrepreneurship. Novel, Shatto Milk, Local Pig and KC Canning Co. will be among the restaurants…
KC Soda Co. Pops Bottles at The City Market
“What is this place?” asks a young woman as she walks through the door of the KC Soda Co. in the City Market (20 E. Fifth St.). She’s right to wonder, as 700 bottles — free from the confines of a vending machine — are stacked on metro shelves that line a space roughly the size of…
Midwest Tea Fest & Other Weekend Possibilities
The third annual Midwest Tea Fest is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Ararat Shrine Temple (5100 Ararat Drive). Cozy up to a warm cup via a series of tastings (white tea, herbal blends, or matcha) or learning sessions (growing tea in the United States,…
Order Up | Donut King’s Peanut Butter Donuts
Order Up is a regular series that takes a layered look at drinks and eats across Kansas City. Got a dish you think we should feature? Drop us a note below or on Twitter @FlatlandKC.
The American Royal & Other Weekend Possibilities
Find your inner fire with Port Fonda’s (4141 Pennsylvania Ave.) second annual Hatch Chile Festival from 9 a.m. Saturday to 1 a.m. Sunday. The block party features an outdoor bar with Hatch chile margaritas and micheladas, as well as fire-roasted hatch chiles. They’ll also have live music starting at noon with The Grisly Hand. Colony (312 Armour…
Jazz History Tour & Other Weekend Possibilities
The Jazz History Tour ($25) begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Chuck Haddix leads the walking tour in two parts that revolve around spots that were instrumental in jazz icon Charlie Parker’s life. There’s also a 2 p.m. chicken feed featuring fried chicken, Parker’s favorite food, at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center. The Lawrence Beer Co. (826 Pennsylvania…
Home Plate: Play Ball
In the fourth and final episode, rediscover the magic of sandlot baseball during a visit to Sam and Ana Beckett’s neighborhood game, and see how the Urban Youth Academy is helping revive baseball’s future in Parade Park, a place of baseball’s past. Call of The Sandlot takes you back to the time when kids played until…