Sundry Market & Kitchen opens in the Crossroads

The Sundry Market & Kitchen is a modern-day take on the old neighborhood market.

The 3,500-square-foot store is open at 1706 Baltimore Ave., in the Crossroads Arts District.

Owners Ryan Wing and Aaron Prater plan to specialize in locally and regionally produced items — oyster mushrooms from Wakarusa Valley Farm, dairy from Shatto Milk Co., coffee from Thou Mayest Coffee Roasters, lettuce from Two Sisters Farm, apple cider from Louisburg Cider Mill & Country Store, ice cream from Glacé.

“We want to make it simple to eat good food,” Prater said. “There are so many companies doing really neat stuff, and we want to showcase these artisan products.”

But they also will offer a few national brands so customers will have such choices as Wood + Salt’s smoked and infused salt or Morton’s Salt.

The kitchen, in the back of the space, will offer a mostly seasonal menu but with a few standard items — cinnamon rolls, porridge, fresh banana bread with maple yogurt frosting, biscuits and gravy, polenta, braised beef with rosemary garlic mashed potatoes and green beans, red lentil falafel, turkey pot pie, and beet citrus soup. Monday’s red beans and rice is a nod to Prater’s New Orleans roots.

It can seat about 16 people inside and 34 on the patio.

Sundry also will make prepared items to go — house-cured smoked lavender herb bacon, fresh-cut pork chops and fresh ground beef, house-made sauces and stocks, cured deli meats, soups and pastries. Future plans call for fresh pasta, aged beef and charcuterie.

Hours will be 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with a weekend brunch served all day.

The owners also leased 1,300 square feet on the upper level of the building, where they will soon offer culinary classes from beginner to advanced, including brining a turkey and cheesemaking.

Wing and Prater worked together at Johnson County Community College. Wing had a grant to help restaurants with energy and water efficiencies. Prater is an associate professor of hospitality management. They both had an idea to create a local neighborhood market.

But doing so has been a two-year process.

They looked at many neighborhoods — focusing on ones that were more walkable, valued local products, and had a large mix of young singles and couples.

“I do think we can really help the neighborhood grow because groceries are such a basic need,” Wing said. “I think people want to eat local food, want to eat better food, but they want it to be convenient. By pairing it with the kitchen we are showing people how to cook better and how to make better food.”

Plaza caution on panhandlers

’Tis the season for giving. But the Country Club Plaza doesn’t want you to give to panhandlers, at least not aggressive ones.

Kansas City’s iconic shopping district said it has been handing out wallet-size pamphlets for several years that advise consumers to give to service organizations instead. The pamphlets, also available at the Plaza’s customer service center along with brochures on area attractions, include such comments as:

“Charity and concern for the homeless are wonderful things. But a quarter here and a dime there can add up to little more than a life of continued dysfunction and/or social isolation. Your spare change may actually be hurting a person in need by enabling him or her to delay seeking meaningful treatment and help.”

After negative media reports last week, Glenn Stephenson, vice president and division manager at Highwoods Properties in Kansas City, issued this statement:

“Often, Plaza patrons have expressed to us concerns regarding panhandling. While most panhandlers are friendly and nonthreatening, there have been occasions when that is not the case. In response to this and to carefully guide our customers and also assist the homeless, we created a pamphlet for concerned patrons that shares tips for dealing with these sometimes-uncomfortable situations, as well as provides names and contact information of 10 organizations dedicated to assisting the homeless population of Kansas City. On occasion, these pamphlets are distributed to patrons on the street when encountering panhandlers. We understand there are sensitivities involved and are re-evaluating the content and use of the pamphlet. There are not and have never been signs regarding panhandling posted on the Plaza.”

This week the Plaza issued a further statement saying its approach, “including pamphlets with similar language,” was “common among public safety and law enforcement departments here locally. However, it’s obvious to say that we’ve learned the language used on the cover of this pamphlet is upsetting to some people. That was never our intent. Our intent was to assist people who felt threatened by aggressive panhandlers and offer alternative ways to give through established organizations, as listed within the pamphlet.”

This story was originally published December 5, 2014 at 11:30 AM with the headline "Sundry Market & Kitchen opens in the Crossroads."