KC area farmers market favorite opens new Johnson County cafe with unique twist
For the past eight years, Kate Barker Sternberg and Andy Sternberg have been selling their organic, cold-pressed juices at farmers markets and pop-ups.
Now that Zen Donkey Farms has built a following in the area — they have more than 5,700 followers on Instagram — the couple is opening a cafe.
Zen Donkey Wellness Cafe and Juicery is coming to the historic Fairway Shops at 2812 W 53rd St. in Fairway. The new spot is slated to open sometime in the summer.
It won’t be a restaurant, by any means, but it will serve chef-created menu items, smoothies, plant-based bowls, salads and other eats. And of course, it will serve all the juices and sparkling waters Zen Donkey fans have come to know and love.
“We’re kind of entering our food era,” Kate said, adding that the grab-and-go menu items will be “farm to fork.”
Kate is keeping the menu items hush-hush right now, but she promised its offerings won’t disappoint.
“Everything is incredibly clean,” she said. “We’ll grow a lot of the ingredients on our farm.”
Zen Donkey already sells in a few select stores and delivers juices when orders are placed on its website, zendonkeyfarms.com.
But the new storefront will give the pair a chance to grow their customer base. Kate added that there aren’t many healthy or plant-based options in the area. (Though health cafe chain Toastique is making its debut in Overland Park at 6445 W. 135th St.)
“I think I’m most excited about having some really beautiful, really healthy offerings for the community,” she said. “I think we’re really gonna tap into a much-needed niche.”
Some of Zen Donkey’s existing juices: Hot to Trot (pineapple, lime, green apple, jalapeño, cilantro), Jenny’s Julep (grapefruit, green apple, mint, Himalayan sea salt) and Donkey Dreams (carrot, pineapple, orange, turmeric, ginger and lemon).
So, what’s with the donkeys?
The couple’s nonprofit, the Zen Donkey Experience, connects folks in need of mental health services with rescue donkeys to give them therapeutic interactive experiences.
A portion of the company’s proceeds go to support the nonprofit.
The Zen Donkey farm in Lone Jack, Missouri, currently has five donkeys (one of the older donkeys passed away this year) and two horses.
Donkey hides are used in a common Chinese skincare ingredient called ejiao.
“Donkeys have always gotten the short-end of the stick,” she said. “There’s this perception that they’re stubborn or stupid when in fact they’re highly intelligent.”
Zen Donkey also sells donkey-free skincare products.
Kate said she’s excited to join the Fairway Shops, where several loved retailers like Clairvaux, Hen House, First Watch and Front Range Cafe are already located. And more is on the way.
The former Houlihan’s space at 2820 W 53rd St. will soon be home to a new, upscale restaurant concept tentatively called The Fairway.
Restaurant group W. VinZant Restaurants is bringing the spot to life, though they’ve said very little publicly about the menu and look of the space.
This story was originally published April 23, 2025 at 2:13 PM.