Woman-led

Baby back ribs from Marina 27

Taste 200 restaurants in 10 days? Why your stomach (and hungry neighbors) will thank you

By Tommy Felts / January 14, 2022

Curious Kansas City diners can step away from their kitchens for the next 10 days, teased Carlos Mortera, as chefs at 200 restaurants across the city plate their latest trending tastes during the metro’s most-anticipated culinary showcase. “It’s a big deal in Kansas City. Many of the restaurants feature items they don’t usually have on the…

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Neelima Parasker, SnapIT Solutions, speaks during an announcement event with WSU Tech and Groover Labs in Wichita; photo courtesy of WSU Tech

She’s on a mission to boost the region’s tech talent; SnapIT’s new office in Wichita is the next step

By Tommy Felts / January 14, 2022

Overland Park-based SnapIT Solutions has expanded its promise to deliver high-quality technology job training and educational services into Wichita, Neelima Parasker said, detailing a new partnership between the information technology firm and Wichita State University.  “The IT side of the tech industry is now more in demand than ever. … I want to maximize Kansas’…

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Nicole Paul (aunt), Asia Lockett (sister and co-owner), Ebony Paul (co-owner), and Stephanie Fairweather (aunt); Brown Suga Bakes

‘People eat with their eyes first’: Why pop-ups were just a sample of this new bakery’s appeal

By Tommy Felts / January 12, 2022

Brown Suga Bakes began modestly — selling cookies out of lunch bags mid-pandemic, said Ebony Paul-Harris, detailing a strategy of starting small to achieve big results. In her case: opening the oven to a brick-and-mortar bakery and storefront in Olathe. “In the beginning, we used to make really small cookies. We also had a sample…

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Juan Paredes and Sonia Sandoval, Happy Tummy; Startland News photo by Channa Steinmetz

Nothing speaks like flavor: How Johnson County’s favorite empanada stand plans to reach more ‘happy tummies’ (and where to find them)

By Tommy Felts / January 8, 2022

 When Sonia Sandoval moved to America from Venezuela, language was a barrier, she recalled. Rather than keep to herself, Sandoval found a more meaningful form of communication: food. “I started [cooking] when I was 11 years old,” said Sandoval, who co-founded the pop-up Venezuelan food concept, Happy Tummy, with her husband, Juan Paredes. “I…

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Jannae Gammage, The Market Base

She’s one of the Chamber’s biggest ‘Superstar’ success stories; Why your company could be the next

By Tommy Felts / January 7, 2022

Editor’s note: The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce is a non-financial partner of Startland News, which serves as the media partner for the Small Business Superstars program. The Small Business Superstar program did more than convert Jannae Gammage into a new Chamber member, she said; it exposed her to the power of opening doors…

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