by Melanie Deardorff on May 5, 2010
Bacon. Sausage. BBQ Sauce. OMG.
Lee’s Summit, MO, resident Jason Day seems to have found the right combination to generate a ton of buzz and build a business that’s “exploding” (more on that later) – while he’s still working his day job as a computer programmer.
By combining BBQ with bacon (which, to me, seems to be having quite a hey-day lately − there’s bacon-flavored salt and gourmet chocolate bars with bacon!) and branding it as The Original Bacon Explosion™, Jason and his partner, Aaron Chronister, have scored coverage by The New York Times, CNN.com and Good Morning America.
And this Friday, May 7, The Bacon Explosion team will be featured on The Today Show at 8:30 a.m. CT, demo-ing two recipes – “Constructing and cooking,” according to Jason. (I’m DVR-ing the entire show that day, so I don’t miss it.)
These guys are everywhere – Google, Twitter, Facebook …
Jason and Aaron’s Web site, BBQ Addicts, and blog are crazy popular. If you don’t believe me, Google Bacon Explosion and then, for extra fun, choose “Images” in the search, and you’ll see 115,000 photos of Jason, Aaron and a whole lot of Bacon Explosion in all stages of construction (creating the bacon “weaving,” rolling up the log o’ bacon and sausage, cooking the beast, etc.).
Bacon Explosion Buds Jason Day and Aaron Chronister
When I talked with Jason on Tuesday, he said that this was a big week for the business. In addition to The Today Show gig, Jason and Aaron are introducing two new Explosion flavors, jalapeno and cheese, and they have a new book out, “BBQ Makes Everything Better.” (The book can be ordered at online booksellers like Amazon.com and purchased locally at A Thyme for Everything in downtown Lee’s Summit.) Plus, Aaron and Jason have a growing Twitter fan base (nearly 4,000 followers between them) and, as of today, 4,329 Facebook fans (including me).
Bacon Explosion pizza, anyone?
I learned that Jason, who grew up here and attended Lee’s Summit North, is spreading the bacon love to another entrepreneur in our city, Next Door Pizza owner Patrick Cuezze. They’re teaming up on a Bacon Explosion pizza, which may just give Patrick’s popular meat and bacon-filled “Butcher of Longview” pizza some competition.
Have fun in New York, Bacon Explosion team! We’ll be watching you and cheering you on – and dreaming about our chance to bring home the Bacon (Explosion).
- Melanie
Lee’s Summit’s #1 Fan (and a bacon lover!)
by admin on April 24, 2010
The Bread Lady of Lee's Summit (a.k.a. Beth Smith), enjoys supporting the local charity, One Good Meal
Beth Smith, of Lee’s Summit, and I have a couple things in common. One is that 15 years ago, we were both in the same networking group for home-based business owners. Today, we share a love for Lee’s Summit. I tweet and blog about the people, places and progress in our city. And Beth promotes our city in several ways, including being the “ambassador” for the Lee’s Summit Farmers Market.
Each year, Beth – known to many as The Bread Lady – joins dozens of farmers who bring home-grown products to the corner of 2nd and Douglas. This is her 19th season at the Market.
Friday is baking day
When I e-mailed Beth to see if I could get her thoughts about the Farmers Market, which opens today, she agreed to see me yesterday. She said it’s baking day, but I was welcome to stop by.
It didn’t take long for us to get reacquainted or for me to see that Beth loves baking bread and Lee’s Summit. When I asked what makes her products special, she said she grinds her own grain and uses honey instead of sugar and canola oil instead of butter. She told me, “It’s preservative-free. I tell people to eat it or freeze it.” When I asked what she enjoys about Lee’s Summit, she said she and her husband, Bob, love going out to lunch at local restaurants and meeting other business owners. “It’s a patriotic, support-your-own feeling,” she said.
Good for local morale
The Farmers Market has another ambassador. It’s Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street, Inc. (DLMS), a non-profit dedicated to the heart of our city and its many diverse businesses and business owners. DLMS also runs and manages the Farmers Market. It establishes the dues, rules and regulations that help maintain the integrity and quality of the Market. “They never wanted it to become a flea market,” Beth told me, “and they do a good job with things.”
When I asked Beth what it means for us to have the Farmers Market, she said every town needs one and that it’s good for local morale. “This is my town. This is what I sell,” she said. “I get asked to sell my bread elsewhere, but I don’t.” Beth told me about the regular customers who come each year to enjoy the 15 different types of bread she bakes. When I asked about the #1 flavor, she said it’s stuffed garlic cheddar bread. (Yum!)
Two local treasures
In her kitchen on Friday, I watched Beth kneading the dough for her next batch – carefully measuring the perfect amount to fill the small pans she uses. “I started doing smaller loaves,” she told me, “because this way, people can get their taste of bread without having to do a whole, big loaf.”
As I packed up my notes to leave, I knew Beth was concerned about the rain in the forecast. But I could see she was excited to get out there today – to catch up with customers and fellow vendors, like Bob Jones, who brings vegetables each season, and Lisa “The Flower Lady.” I thanked her and spent the drive to work thinking how nice it is for Lee’s Summit to have the Market – and also Beth Smith.
- Melanie
Lee’s Summit’s #1 Fan
The Lee’s Summit Farmers Market is open 7 a.m. to sell out, Wednesdays and Saturdays April 24 through November 6. The Market is across the street from Lee’s Summit United Methodist Church. Say hi to Beth at the Market, or e-mail her at BethSmith.TheBreadLady@gmail.com. A Twitter shout-out: Follow Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street.
by Melanie Deardorff on April 21, 2010
McAlister's is here, Lee's Summit!
Finally got to try the new McAlister’s Deli at Summit Fair this week. My family and I, plus my Mom, got there around 5 p.m. Tuesday night, which was definitely before the dinner rush.
The McAlister’s gang – and there were plenty of ‘em – was friendly, and it didn’t take long to get our food after we ordered at the counter. Compared to the McAlister’s that used to be at Ward Parkway Center (and why did it close, BTW? seemed busy to me), this McAlister’s is bigger and brighter with huge, beautiful windows that look out on to a nice outdoor eating area. (McAlister’s is right next door to the new b:2 restaurant, which is set to open April 22. Can’t wait to try that place.)
Would you like a refill? Would you like another?
The McAlister’s staff, who was out and about checking on us customers, was young, friendly and predominantly male. The employee-to-customer ratio was about 2:1, because dozens of them stopped by our table. We were asked many times if we needed our pop refilled and took them up about every other time. And they also were ready to whisk our plates away whenever we were down to just crumbs. I chocked their exuberance up to the fact it’s a new place that hasn’t quite worked out its staffing. But having been a fairly regular customer of the McAlister’s at Ward Parkway, I do know the company likes to hire friendly people – and free refills were in abundance there, too. If you’re a pop drinker like me (make mine, Diet Coke, please!), you will love this.
Hello, Bacon Spud! (Item appears MUCH larger in real life!)
Bacon Spud – you’re one, big tuber!
My mom ordered a Bacon Spud – just one of the “Giant Spuds” on the menu. And when they say “Giant,” they mean a spud the size of a small canoe! It’s definitely a “potato for two,” so if you order one – consider that your meal.
My kid, who was in a carb kind of mood, only ordered a chocolate chip cookie, Dr. Pepper and a bag of potato chips. My husband and I both got sandwiches – a French Dip for me and, for him, The New Yorker™.
We all enjoyed our food, though my husband wasn’t overly impressed with his. We’ll definitely give McAlister’s another visit, though. The menu has something for everyone (soups, salads, kids’ menu, wraps, etc.), and you gotta love the friendly staff and free refills. Oh – and McAlister’s does make it easy for you to cut off the “Free refill?” question, by giving you a card to dispaly at your table saying your thirst’s quenched. It just took us awhile to figure that out.
- Melanie
Lee’s Summit’s #1 Fan
P.S. – Tried McAlister’s in Lee’s Summit yet? Share your opinion (see poll above left).
by Melanie Deardorff on April 11, 2010
- It’s Lee’s Summit or Bust, IMHO …
Eleven years ago, my husband and I were living in South Kansas City in a 30-year-old neighborhood. When we both got the urge to build a new home, my thoughts turned to Lee’s Summit — a place where I had lived in high school and also in my late 20s. My husband’s thoughts turned to Lee’s Summit and Overland Park. (“Let’s just see what our money can buy in Kansas,” he said.)
My husband’s the better money manager in our family, and I couldn’t argue his fiscal-focused logic. While I didn’t resist crossing the state line with him to check out Jo. Co.’s finest, I put my energies into a “Lee’s Summit or Bust!” campaign. This included reminding him of ALL the reasons Lee’s Summit would be a great place to live — beginning with the fact my grandmother lived at John Knox Village and ending with the great school district for our soon-to-be kindergartener. Along the way, I strategically made comments like, “I just can’t imagine myself living in Kansas” … and … ”You know — some of my family’s dear, departed relatives are buried in the Lee’s Summit cemetery” … and … ”Did I ever tell you that Bowlin Road is named after my grandmother’s grandfather?”
After checking out houses in both Kansas and Missouri, my husband and I agreed Lee’s Summit was our best choice for many reasons. And although we looked at several neighborhoods in and around this sprawling city, we chose a brand-new neighborhood on the west side of Lee’s Summit — loving everything about it and also appreciating the fact we were close to South Kansas City, where we both worked.
Flash-forward 10+ years and we’re (still) happy with our choice. We get the benefits of a great school district (thanks, LSR-7) and for almost 10 years were able to enjoy close proximity to my grandmother who lived a long, healthy and generous life until she passed away last October at 102.5 years old. Whenever I hear people are either looking for a new home in the metro or when I meet people moving into Kansas City from another state, I launch into my “You should consider Lee’s Summit” pitch. I’m such a fan of the city that almost a year ago (May 27 to be exact), I started a Lee’s Summit Scoop Twitter page solely dedicated to tweets about the people, places and progress in Lee’s Summit. (I have a personal Twitter page, too, but Scoop is reserved for LSMO news only.)
Tweeting about Lee’s Summit has brought me a lot of followers and quite a few new friends — some who I only know “socially” (as in social media), and others who I’ve now met offline.
Because I’ve had such a great time tweeting about Lee’s Summit, I decided to start this blog to give me more than 140 characters to share my thoughts. I have to admit, though, that the idea of keeping both a blog and Twitter page going (along with everything else in my life: family, work, church, volunteer activities, hobbies and more) has slowed me from pulling the trigger on this first post.
But I’m ready to take on the blog now. My goal is to share info (or at least a unique perspective) you won’t find elsewhere. And since we’re both busy, most posts will be shorter than this one.
Hope to see you back here soon.
- Melanie
Lee’s Summit’s #1 Fan
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