It’s the mid-week pick-me-up, Shawnee Mission!
☀️ Today’s forecast: Sunny and slightly warmer. High: 37, Low; 22
🚨 One thing to know today
In case you missed it, the recently unveiled list of semifinalists for prestigious James Beard Awards not only includes two Johnson County establishments but two other Kansas City area culinary stars with Johnson County ties.
The Post reported last week that Drastic Measures cocktail bar in Shawnee and The Restaurant at 1900 in Mission Woods were both up for awards.
What you may not have known are the JoCo connections two other semifinalists have.
For the second year in a row, Kansas City-based Yoli Tortilleria has been short-listed in the Outstanding Bakery category.
Yoli’s wider visibility has blown up in recent years, but co-founders Mark and Marisa Gencarelli have been selling their wares at the Overland Park Farmers Market since 2017.
“We really believed in that market and we really love all the vendors, that was like the main reason we wanted to be there,” Marisa Gencarelli told the Post after their Beard nomination last year.
Meanwhile, Pam Liberda, the executive chef at Waldo Thai in the Waldo area of Kansas City, has also been named a semifinalist in the Best Chef Midwest category.
While Waldo Thai has been a hot dining ticket for years, Liberda and her husband, Teddy, recently ventured into Johnson County, opening Buck Tui BBQ in Overland Park last year.
Buck Tui quickly earned plaudits, landing on Eater’s list of “14 Best Barbecue Joints in Kansas City” last summer.
🗓 Public meetings Wednesday
- Mission Community Development Committee, 6:30 p.m. [View agenda]
- Overland Park Community Development Committee, 7 p.m. [View agenda]
- Mission Finance and Administration Committee, 7:30 p.m. [View agenda]
🚀 Post’s top Tuesday stories
- Rare twins born at Overland Park Regional Medical Center
- JoCo Notes: 4 teens charged with Blue Valley High vandalism
- Merriam nixes some key elements of downtown plan
- New KCI Airport terminal will open in less than a month
- Student ‘permanently removed’ after Bishop Miege threat, police say
📰 Other local news
- The city of De Soto has selected a nonprofit engineering firm that includes Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog as a board member to help monitor the planning and construction of a new EV battery plant. [Kansas City Business Journal]
- Kansas Citians will get a sneak peak at the new terminal at KCI Airport with an open house planned for Saturday, Feb. 18, more than a week before the highly anticipated $1.5 billion project officially opens. [Kansas City Star]
- An Overland Park woman says her estranged husband took their three-year-old son with him to Dubai without her permission and is now looking for an attorney to take up her complaint. [KCTV]
🐦 Notable tweets
The city of Lenexa wants nominees for the city’s Volunteer Hall of Fame.
Know someone who makes Lenexa a better place by offering a helping hand? Now is the time to let them know you notice and appreciate their efforts. Nominate them for the Lenexa Volunteer Hall of Fame by Feb. 17 at https://t.co/5rGMDZnkEn. pic.twitter.com/ydhGQMipaz
— City of Lenexa (@cityoflenexa) January 31, 2023
There’s a bit of road work to navigate in Mission today and tomorrow.
🚨Road Closure Alert: 67th Street from Beverly Street to Lamar Avenue will be closed to traffic beginning today through February 2, 2023 for a sanitary sewer connection. Please drive safely and follow detour signs. Thank you!#Roadclosure pic.twitter.com/qd7cVhs1yO
— City of Mission, KS (@CityofMissionKS) January 31, 2023
Barnacles! SM East Theatre is getting set for one magical undersea adventure.
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea here in Lancer Nation? It's SpongeBob SquarePants! Cast and crew putting on a great show for SME elementary students! Get your tickets for the shows and swim your way down to Bikini Bottom for some fun! Thursday, Friday, or Saturday! pic.twitter.com/RfNQarep6L
— SME Lancers (@SMEastLancers) January 31, 2023
