Culinary Center cooking with plans to expand from Overland Park into Northland shops
July 9, 2025 | Joyce Smith
After nearly 30 years in downtown Overland Park, The Culinary Center of Kansas City is expanding with a second location.
It plans a late 2025 or an early 2026 opening in the former Ombra small plates + librations spot in The Village at Briarcliff, 4161 N. Mulberry St. in the Northland. The space will be remodeled.
“It is a wonderful location, right next to all the highways, just a wonderful little shopping area in a bustling community that continues to grow,” said Darren Palmet, owner of the center with Joe McConnell. “It has businesses that look like ours, that bring people together like Pinot’s Palette, and Fred Astaire Dance Studios — other experience-based businesses.”
The Culinary Center of Kansas City opened in mid-1998 at 7917 Foster St., taking a third of an historic Overland Park barrel-roof building that was once a buggy barn. It offered cooking classes along with hosting private dinners and events.
By 2008 it had expanded into the rest of the building for a total of 5,900 square feet, adding a retail shop and switching to the 7920 Santa Fe Drive address.
Palmet and McConnell purchased the business in October 2023.
Palmet earned a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University, an MBA from New York University, and an MFA from The City College of New York. He worked in marketing and sales for such companies as Campbell’s, Prestige Brands Inc. and Unilever. He also served as chief marketing officer and head of human resources for locally owned Nolan Living.
Joe McConnell, The Culinary Center of Kansas City
Darren Palmet, The Culinary Center of Kansas City
McConnell has a bachelor of science in engineering from Princeton and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. His background is in operational, financial and human resources for such companies as LinkedIn and McKinsey & Company, and was COO of a Nolan Living, a large multifamily real estate company.
They both like to cook.
“We had a broad vision for a company, especially coming out of the pandemic, that would bring people together,” Palmet said. “The kitchen is where a lot of magic happens.”
Since buying the culinary center, they have increased social media marketing, streamlined operations and focused the retail more on essential kitchen tools including some that participants use in the classes and then want for their own kitchens.
“Beyond that, don’t mess with the formula too much,” Palmet said. “It is such a great business, people really love these classes.”
Classes include An Elegant Dinner of the Amalfi Coast; Knife Skills: An Essential Class for Cooks; and Cocktail 101: A Mixology Class. It also has kids camps and classes.
Joanna Shawver of the Shawver Group handled the lease negotiations for The Village at Briarcliff; Erin Johnston of Copaken Brooks handled lease negotiations for The Culinary Center of Kansas City.
Alice Scooper’s Ice Cream also recently opened in the Village at Briarcliff.
Startland News contributor Joyce Smith covered local restaurants and retail for nearly 40 years with The Kansas City Star. Click here to follow her on Bluesky, here for X (formerly Twitter), here for Facebook, here for Instagram, and by following #joyceinkc on Threads.
Featured Business
2025 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
White Castle invented sliders (and the playbook for fast food); then the Kansas-fried chain vanished from its home state
Editor’s note: The following story was originally published by KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR member station, and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for KCUR’s email newsletter. For more stories like this one, subscribe to A People’s History of Kansas City on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. The White Castle chain began in 1921…
DevStride founder finds himself ‘locking arms with frontline customers’ in bid to catch their mistakes early
Implementing and monitoring complex software cycles is a tedious process, Phil Reynolds said, which is why he and his team are working to drive better project management principles and improve outcomes through their software solution. “We are really trying to transform the way that teams go about implementing and managing agile software development cycles. Our…
Deep Rooted plants new store at busy Troost shopping hub; Here’s how the streetwear brand is growing
A Kansas City streetwear brand is extending its roots on the city’s east side, said owner Donnell Jamison. Deep Rooted — which Jamison launched in 2018 out of the trunk of his car — has a new home in the shopping center at Troost Avenue and Emanuel Cleaver Boulevard. “We just want to be that…
‘More than a thrift store’: Goodwill’s efforts to close digital divide sell an expanded mission — upskilling workers
Editor’s note: The following is the first in a series of stories focused on digital inclusion efforts in Kansas City, and is presented by Google Fiber. Ron Carr’s retirement made him restless, he shared. Wanting to be a valuable player in Kansas City’s economy once again, Carr enrolled in Goodwill’s Digital Skills Training program. “With…