Before visiting a new restaurant, do you read reviews? After visiting a restaurant or business, do you leave your own review? These reviews have a big impact on businesses in our community. Sarah, Community Manager for Yelp KC, has seen firsthand the influence reviews can have on a business. Sarah talks to Sari about her passion for Kansas City and why she loves the Yelp community. 

Visit https://www.yelp.com/elite/kansas_city to learn more about the Yelp Elite Squad in Kansas City. Follow Yelp on Instagram at @yelpkc to keep up with the latest business openings. Next time you visit a business, take a couple of minutes to hop on Yelp and leave them a review. 

Music by Victoria Ball

Logo designed by Alex Cohn

You can follow Sari on Instagram at @kcbysari 

Kate Cosentino’s appearance on national TV was a career highlight. She was on NBC’s The Voice Season 23, part of Team Niall. She talks to Sari about the process of auditioning for the show and the opportunities that followed. 

Kate partnered with Charlie Hustle to create a limited-edition KC Heart t-shirt, benefiting Art As Mentorship. As a KC native, Kate says this was the collaboration of a lifetime! She is currently working on a new song release set to come out in late July. You can find her music on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music and follow her on Instagram at @katemcosentino for release details. 

Music by Victoria Ball

Logo designed by Alex Cohn

You can follow Sari on Instagram at @kcbysari 

The beauty of fashion is that it brings people together from eclectic backgrounds and different artistic mediums to inspire others. Kansas City Fashion Week has been bringing together local, national and international designers for two runway shows a year in the Summer and Fall seasons. Teisha Barber was recently named the new owner and President of Kansas City Fashion Week. She talks to Sari about the process of selecting designers for the shows, as well as the opportunities for creatives to get involved. 

Kansas City Fashion Weekend is between July 21-23. This weekend is filled with opportunities to get involved and get inspired. Fall Fashion week is being held from September 16-23. You can purchase tickets for the runway shows online at https://kcfashionweek.com. For more information, follow Kansas City Fashion Week on Instagram at @kc_fashionweek. 

Music by Victoria Ball

Logo designed by Alex Cohn

You can follow Sari on Instagram at @kcbysari

The BBQ Renaissance in KC is giving pit masters an opportunity to share their style of BBQ with food lovers across the metro. Ted Liberda has been in the restaurant industry for over 30 years and started Buck Tui to bring together his Thai culture and love for barbecuing. Named after his childhood nickname, Buck Tui is a term of endearment, meaning chubby boy. Ted found that in both Thai cuisine and BBQ competitions, there is a sense of togetherness and community. He shares with me the importance of giving back to the community and sharing love through food.

Music by Victoria Ball

Logo designed by Alex Cohn

You can follow Sari on Instagram at @kcbysari 

At French Custard in Brookside, owners Jess and Alex want their customers to flavor the moment. With their passion for creating unique and delicious ice cream flavors, French Custard has quickly become a neighborhood favorite. During opening week, the shop completely sold out of inventory within a few days. Alex and Jess have seen an incredible amount of community support in a short time and attribute their success to making ice cream the old fashioned way with a modern twist on flavor. 

French Custard has collaborated with some big names in Kansas City such as Andre’s and Sandlot Goods. You can follow French Custard on Instagram at @thefrenchcustard or visit their website at https://www.frenchcustard.com for a list of flavors. 

Music by Victoria Ball

Logo designed by Alex Cohn

You can follow Sari on Instagram at @kcbysari 

The KC Current is the newest sports team in town, but they have made some big waves during their first few seasons. Dani Welniak, VP of Communications, talks to Sari about the process of building team loyalty and maintaining it. The team is also building its own stadium, which broke ground last year. This is the first purpose-built women’s soccer stadium in the world. Leadership is hoping it will set a blueprint for other professional women’s teams across the globe. 

The new stadium is scheduled to top off at the end of June 2023. Be sure to follow their Instagram @kccurrent to find updates and information regarding the topping off ceremony. The completed stadium is set to open in March 2024, just in time for next season. You can find the team’s schedule for the remainder of the season at https://www.kansascitycurrent.com/schedule. 

Music by Victoria Ball

Logo designed by Alex Cohn

You can follow Sari on Instagram at @kcbysari

When Danielle Lehman started the Open Belly podcast, it was her goal to share stories of immigrant restaurant owners and diverse foods within Kansas City. Danielle uses the same passion at her marketing firm, Super Crunch Studio, previously Boxer and Mutt. Danielle uses a “no nonsense” approach with her clients - full transparency and understanding of how her team can help you. Super Crunch Studio represents some awesome businesses: King G’s, Jim’s Alley Bar, Chingu, SMOAK, GoodVets, duoFIT and so many more. 

Super Crunch Studio can be found on Instagram at @supercrunchstudio and online at https://www.supercrunchstudio.com. Danielle can be found on Instagram at @danileh. While she no longer debuts new episodes, you can still find Open Belly on all podcast platforms. 

Music by Victoria Ball

Logo designed by Alex Cohn

You can follow Sari on Instagram at @kcbysari 

Kansas City has dozens if not hundreds of cookie makers. Each baker has to find the thing that makes them unique. Ali Madden from The Heartland Cookie Co has found her groove in offering cookies of eccentric shapes. Deeming herself as the cookie “Peen Queen,” Ali says there is no theme she cannot peen. 

In this episode, Ali talks to Sari about making penis shaped cookies and how she doesn’t take herself or baking too seriously. She prides herself in making cookies that represent her values. Due to the nature of her cookie shapes, Ali has dealt with online backlash, but she still has plenty of loyal customers. To place an order for your customer penis-shaped cookies, visit https://www.theheartlandpartyco.com or her Instagram, @theheartlandcookieco. 

You can vote for Kansas City Confidential for best local podcast, here at https://vote.kansascitymag.com/city-life/best-local-podcast 

Music by Victoria Ball

Logo designed by Alex Cohn 

You can follow Sari on Instagram at @kcbysari 

Small, intimate and damn delicious, is how customers would describe Drastic Measures. This cocktail bar in Shawnee has done more than pour drinks - they pour back into the community that supports them. Their unique recipes and amazing service has earned them a nomination for a James Beard Award for Most Outstanding Bar. Drastic Measures first made headlines for hosting the first Hanukkah pop-up bar, Drastic Menches, partnering with Jewish Family Services and donating a percentage to the nonprofit. 

OwnerJay Sanders shares with Sari why he feels a responsibility to use his platform to raise awareness for human rights. Jay has been transparent on his own social media about his mental health journey. Jay urges everyone, especially business owners, to be transparent in their journey because they never know who it could help. While juggling Drastic Measures, Jay and his team are opening a second craft cocktail bar, Wild Child, set to open in June 2023. You can follow each bar on Instagram at @drasticmeasures.kc and @wild.child.kc to see the latest cocktails they are stirring up. You can follow Jay on Instagram at @jay.drinker. 

Music by Victoria Ball

Logo designed by Alex Cohn

You can follow Sari on Instagram at @kcbysari 

Having an organized space is proven to help with mental organization. Emily Aull, owner of Aull Organized, is helping individuals get organized one space at a time. As a child, Emily preferred to organize her Barbie house rather than play with the dolls. She later utilized her skill during her career as a teacher. It wasn’t until the pandemic when Emily’s friends encouraged her to turn her skill into a business. It was then she realized that if her home was needing an organization makeover, others needed it too. 

Aull Organized isn’t just focused on making rooms tidy as possible, but also beautiful. They create systems that are functional, sustainable and match the style and design of your home. Emily’s services aren’t just for homes. She has worked with small businesses as well. Need some help getting organized? Inquire at https://www.aullorganized.com or follow on Instagram at @aullorganized. 

Music by Victoria Ball

Logo designed by Alex Cohn

You can follow Sari on Instagram at @kcbysari