Prospect KC brews coffee bar collab with Messenger inside iconic downtown KC library

A reimagined coffee shop — closed during the pandemic — returns to full strength Aug. 7 thanks to a menu of pastries, sandwiches, and salads prepared by The Prospect KC culinary students in a live-training environment, as well as drinks and coolers crafted with Messenger Coffee Co.

Shanita McAfee-Bryant, The Prospect KC; photo by Phon Wills

The 1,350-square-foot coffee bar and café — dubbed The Nook — is set to open early next month within the Central Library at 14 West 10th St. in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The space is expected to be open to the public 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

“We are so excited to add The Nook collaboration, said Shanita McAfee-Bryant, founder of The Prospect KC, which launched in 2019 to serve Kansas City’s East Side, a neighborhood struggling with food apartheid, a racist and oppressive system that creates inequitable food systems.

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“It’s our second live-training space for students participating in The Prospect KC’s 16-week culinary training program,” she added. “The Kansas City Public Library provides the perfect environment for our students to practice their skills by preparing an array of menu items.”

The ultimate goal: create lasting change through programs designed to address food access, nutrition education, and culinary job training, McAfee-Bryant said. 

Off-the-Nook menu

Bibliophiles can choose items from a literary-themed menu prepared by students enrolled in The Prospect KC’s culinary job training program, a high-impact solution to empower lives, disrupt poverty and cultivate community, said Teresa Bolton, director of Central Library operations.

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“Everyone is looking forward to having coffee in the Library again,” she said, noting patrons and other visitors will understand how tasty the partnership is once they discover The Nook’s “Charlie’s Riffing Horchata Harmony,” a blend of Messenger Coffee Co. espresso and house-made horchata. The jazzy combination is inspired by Kansas City saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker.

Other highlights of the literary-inspired coffee drink and cooler menu include:

“Gordon’s Honeyed Lens Latte”

Ingredients: Messenger Coffee espresso, steamed milk, golden honey, house-made cardamom syrup; Inspiration: Kansas-born photojournalist Gordon Parks.

“Langston’s Brown Sugar Oat Groove”

Ingredients: Messenger Coffee espresso, oat milk, brown sugar syrup; Inspiration: Langston Hughes, an innovator of jazz poetry and a leader of the Harlem Renaissance, was born in Joplin, Missouri.  

“Octavia’s Cosmic Caramel Mocha”

Ingredients: Messenger Coffee espresso, caramel syrup, chocolate syrup, steamed milk, vanilla; Inspiration: Award-winning sci-fi writer Octavia Butler.

“Grapefruit Gatsby Sparkle”

Ingredients: Elderflower cordial, pink grapefruit juice, sparkling water; Inspiration: Evoking the lavish and reflective moods of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, this mocktail embodies the opulence and bittersweet tang of the Jazz Age.

“The Secret Garden Spritz”

Ingredients: Cucumber, basil, sparkling water; Inspiration: Drawing on the enchanting and rejuvenating themes of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s “The Secret Garden.”

“Whimsical Wordsmith Water”

Ingredients: Lemon, butterfly pea-infused lemonade, honey; Inspiration: Inspired by the whimsical tales and imaginative landscapes often found in children’s literature and fantasy novels.

The menu also includes:

• breakfast sandwiches made from biscuits or croissants, burritos, and pancake souffles;
• mid-day sandwiches, including “Angelou’s Caged Bird,” a free-range chicken salad sandwich with herbs, pecans, and grapes, served on a croissant, inspired by the hope and freedom in Maya Angelou’s poetry;
• salads, including a “Can’t Believe It’s A Vegan Caesar” with garlic croutons and pickled watermelon radish, or the “Brussels & Bliss Parmesan Salad,” crisp-shaven sprouts with Parmesan, dates, pickled red onion, grapes, and a flax-nut crunch tossed in a lemon-caper-Parmesan dressing; and
• daily bakery items, including croissants, cookies, muffins, bagels, and turnovers.

In addition to the Central Library, the Kansas City Public Library system consists of nine physical branches, a digital branch, and an outreach services program serving a constituency of over 250,000 in Kansas City, Missouri.