Anchor Island Coffee is located on the southeast corner of 41st and Troost. Serving specialty coffees and drinks, its menu is eclectic and there is something for everyone. One of my favorites is the Horchata Latte—a blend of espresso, vanilla, rice milk, and cinnamon. For the non-coffee drinkers, there is an array of fun drinks, […]

One of my favorite people in Kansas City is David Bandy. If you know Bandy, then you know who I am talking about. He is genuine, funny, cool, thoughtful, a great storyteller, and loves the hell out of his mom. More about that last one later. If you wine and dine in Kansas City, then […]

Located in Independence, Missouri, the historic Independence Square has experienced an evolution during the last 25 years. A once burgeoning town square, made famous by President Harry S. Truman, it became blighted over time with vacant buildings well into the late 1990s. Today, “the Square” as it is affectionally called, is flourishing with locally owned […]

The country’s culinary scene is marked by fresh fish, rice, heavy spices, plantains, bananas, casava, yams, and hearty, eclectic soups and stews. Liberian cooks implement a “snout to tail” mentality when prepping in the kitchen and nothing goes to waste – from melon seeds to fish heads, chicken feet, and sweet potato greens, everything gets […]

I have always been “anti-gadget” when it comes to stocking my kitchen tools. I went years without owning a crockpot. Having never been a fan of most recipes prepared in this midwestern kitchen must-have, I finally caved when my second child went through a phase of screaming and crying as an infant in the early […]

Jessica James recently joined the staff of The Independent as a contributing writer. She is looking forward to sharing her passion for great food and restaurants with readers. Jessica attended culinary school at Johnson County Community College. She worked in fine dining as the sous-chef at EBT Restaurant and as the executive chef at Ophelia’s […]