Donna Kelce’s fave KC treat + Acclaimed bar’s demise
Welcome back to Let’s Dish — your one-stop shop for all things eats in Kansas City. I’m Alison Booth, an audience growth producer at The Star.
A few weeks ago, Travis Kelce’s mom — who’s now a superstar in her own right — posted online about her favorite brunch spot to stop by when she’s in Kansas City for Chiefs games. So, of course, we had to try the dish she recommended.
In other restaurant news, a Westport’s once-popular Champagne bar, which closed earlier this year but planned to reopen after renovations, is closed for good. “I failed miserably,” its owner told my colleague David.
Cinnamon rolls at Hemma Hemma
Donna Kelce recently shared that she’s a big fan of the cinnamon rolls and other homestyle fare at Hemma Hemma, an eclectic brunch spot in Waldo that celebrated its one-year anniversary this past Saturday.
“Tip for KC travelers… stop by Hemma Hemma for breakfast or lunch… you will love the cinnamon rolls,” Kelce wrote in an Instagram post in early September.
So obviously, we had to try them.
Hemma Hemma, which opened last fall, is former private chef Ashley Bare’s first restaurant. Bare initially launched the restaurant in 2023 as a cafeteria-style eatery before later switching to a more traditional counter-ordering model. What stands out most is the space, which Star reporter Natalie describes as “three restaurants in one.”
“Hemma is Swedish for ‘at home,’” Bare said. “I wanted to make a cozy, home-feeling environment.”
So, was Mama Kelce right about their cinnamon rolls? Here’s what my colleague Natalie thinks.
Westport bar shuts down for good — controversially
Ça Va was supposed to be back open by now.
After celebrating its 10-year anniversary with a weekend-long party in March, the Champagne bar planned to close for six weeks to revamp its menu and remodel its Westport space.
But apart from a couple of soft re-openings held in April, Ça Va has sat dormant ever since. It will not reopen, owner Howard Hanna confirmed this week.
“When we closed down to renovate, I knew that we were in bad shape financially, but believed that there was still a bright future at Ça Va,” Hanna told The Star this week.
But, he added, “I had never intended to be the one to handle the business side of it, and really never needed to until the last year or so. To be honest, I failed miserably at that.”
Ça Va and Hanna both leave behind a trail of unpaid bills and unhappy investors, many of whom were employees who bought equity in the bar from Hanna earlier this year and only later learned the full extent of Ça Va’s financial woes. The money’s gone, and so are their jobs.
My colleague David Hudnall has the scoop.
À la carte
✴️ For the first time in 25 years, this local, fast-casual fried chicken spot is opening a new location in the KC area. (My tip: Order the chicken wrap.)
✴️ This “no-frills Mexican-BBQ fusion cafe” on KCK’s beloved Taco Trail was just ranked as one of the best Mexican restaurants in the country by Yelp.
✴️ A former employee is suing an Independence restaurant and one its employees, alleging that she was fired after reporting that she was sexually assaulted by the employee, who held a managerial role.
✴️ A chicken salad restaurant? Apparently it’s a thing, and this Georgia-based chain is looking to bring five locations to the KC metro.
✴️ Another Whataburger has opened in the KC area, this time in Missouri. The chain is growing so fast, it’s averaging one new restaurant a week in the U.S..
My standout dish of the week
There’s a lot to like about Taco Naco, the family-owned taqueria that opened its third location in the KC metro area earlier this year after launching its first brick-and-mortar in 2021.
There’s the tacos, of course — authentic street tacos topped with bright cilantro and a wide choice of housemade salsas. There’s the margaritas — classic lime, passion fruit, mango and a slew of frozen options, too. And there’s the esquite street corn, served warm with a mouthwatering blend of crema and queso that compliments the zest of spices and zing of lime.
But the best part about my latest Taco Naco visit? The two local soccer legends who happened to be sitting, quite nonchalantly, at the table next to ours in the Westport location last weekend.
Brazilian superstar Debinha and her KC Current teammate Hailie Mace seemed to enjoy the spot, too. Just another reason for you to check it out.
Hungry for more?
- Check out all the restaurants we’ve covered in our Let’s Dish series here.
Looking for the latest industry news? Here’s what spots have opened and closed in the KC area lately.
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Happy eating! We’ll see you next week.
This story was originally published September 27, 2024 at 10:18 AM with the headline "Donna Kelce’s fave KC treat + Acclaimed bar’s demise."