Food ‘worth traveling for’ in every state? KCMO bakery makes the cut — but for Kansas

Conde Nast Traveler set out to identify chefs and cuisines that have had a distinct impact or reflect a noteworthy community in each state.

“50 States, 50 Cuisines: The Food Worth Traveling for in Every State” highlights Kansas as the home of Volga German cuisine, especially bierocks — buns usually stuffed with ground beef, onion and cabbage.

The trouble is, one of the places mentioned is in Kansas City, Missouri, not Kansas.

“All across Kansas you can order these uniquely American inventions at drive-thrus (Wichita’s M&M Bierock), bakeries (Kansas City’s Bloom Baking Co.), beer gardens (Wichita’s Prost), and brewpubs (Gella’s Diner in Hays).

While Bloom Baking Co. is in Missouri, its owner said customers do make the trip from Western Kansas to the City Market to stock up.

“Bierocks are kind of a pain to make but they are very good. They’re very popular,” said Sarah Darby, the bakery’s owner.

For Missouri, Conde Nast Traveler focused on Bosnian cuisine in St. Louis in this year’s list.

In 2018, the publication set out to identify each state’s signature dish — from Arizona’s Sonoran hot dogs to Wisconsin’s cheese curds. For Kansas, “50 States, 50 Dishes: America’s Favorite Foods and Where to Get Them” highlighted the Z-Man sandwich at Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. For Missouri, gooey butter cake, a St. Louis specialty, got the nod.

This story was originally published September 16, 2020 at 5:00 AM.