
In Japan, the rice balls are sometimes dyed pink and wrapped in an edible, salted cherry blossom leaf in spring, or eaten around the New Year.Ī lot of things get mochi’d at Blackhole Bakery - from raspberry rosé to coconut guava to whatever gets cooked up on the daily.Īnd this is a crew that thrives on collaboration - John Navarre of Blackhole told us that shopkeepers across the street and down the block have worked on pop-ups together in the past, and have ideas for the future.īecause everything at the retro-inspired shop is made from scratch, certain items tend to sell out. Mochi are stretchy flavor bombs made of glutinous rice, a gluey, sticky concoction. Along with flakey croissants and cinnamon rolls, Blackhole makes the only mochi donut in Kansas City. Secondly, pastry chef Jason Provo opened the bakery in the middle of a pandemic, and his creative success is a testament to that. If you were wondering.īlackhole Bakery on Troost Avenue specializes in classic French pastries that are "out of this world."įun fact: the folks at Blackhole Bakery are out of this world.įor one, we’re pretty sure the staff believes in aliens, since they market their sweet treats as “baked goods with another dimension.”
Mochi maker full#
In addition to serving the tried-and-true pastries Francine’s is known for, Rennells puts his own spin on things, introducing flavored croissants and a full lunch service with daily salads, soups and sandwiches. Last December, Rennells set up shop in the same location after Francine retired. So it made sense for him to take over from Francine of Francine’s Pastry Parlor, the Chillicothe confectionery establishment of over 27 years.

Surrounded by sweet shops from day one - the nearest bakery was right down the block - Rennells began to see skill in the kitchen as a catalyst for success in life. I’d take it out and eat a bite every minute or so to check doneness.” “I started with an Easy-Bake Oven,” Rennells said, “but very little of the batter made it through to the other end.
Mochi maker pro#
The pastry pro - who recently competed in The Julia Child Challenge on Food Network - grew up in Chillicothe and was able to cook full dinners for his family by the age of eight.

Parlor Bakery & Cafe In addition to baked goods and sweets, Parlor Bakery & Cafe in Chillicothe, Missouri, offers flavored croissants and a full lunch service.ĭustin Todd Rennells, owner of The Parlor Bakery & Cafe, has been baking since childhood with help from his mom, grandparents and aunt. So in its honor, we compiled some of our favorite bakeries (and baked good-adjacent restaurants!) in Chillicothe and the Kansas City area, and the dishes we think they should be famous for. Listening to the podcast did get us hungry though. You can hear the whole story of how Chillicothe became the one true home of sliced bread on the most recent episode of KCUR’s podcast A People’s History of Kansas City. Since Ripley made her great discovery, Chillicothe has come to embrace its identity, throwing a Sliced Bread Day every July 7 - the date that the bread slicing machine made its grand debut. It turned out to be true: The bread slicing machine now ubiquitous in bakeries was first invented by Otto Rohwedder and premiered at a Chillicothe bakery owned by Frank Bench. Sliced bread invented in Chillicothe? Ripley had never heard of such a thing, and she “couldn’t believe something with such great importance had been forgotten.” Chillicothe Baking Co., the First Bakers in the World to Sell This Product to the Public.”

In 2001, a newspaper reporter in Chillicothe, Missouri, named Catherine Strotz Ripley came across this 1928 headline: “Sliced Bread is Made Here. Not only do these shops bake above and beyond, they also share with us family traditions and culture and make sure those delicious delicacies live on.Īfter all, even the greatest things in the world can be forgotten! No matter your craving, Kansas Citians are lucky to have access to so many delicious innovative bakeries around town - from tiramisu to strawberry shortcake to those wild cupcake-cookie hybrids at McLain’s in Waldo. You can sign up to receive stories like this in your inbox every Tuesday.

This story was first published in KCUR's Creative Adventure newsletter.
