In case you haven’t been able to tell, we love food around here. For all the fellow KC foodies out there, good news below!
🏅 KC’s 2026 James Beard Award semifinalists
🇺🇸 Freedom Plane National Tour kicking off in KC
🍽️ The first-ever KC Daily Dinner Club is tonight
🍗 Spread your wings at WingStand
Awards
Meet Kansas City’s 2026 James Beard Awards Semifinalists
KC Daily
The James Beard Foundation announced its 2026 Restaurant and Chef Awards Semifinalists, and six local restaurants and chefs made the list:
Anjin - Best New Restaurant
Swetha Newcomb, Of Course - Best Chef: Midwest
Johnny Leach, The Town Company - Best Chef: Midwest
Helen Jo Leach, The Town Company - Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
Drastic Measures - Outstanding Bar
Diana Condori, Fern Bar - Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service
Winners will be announced on June 15 at the Restaurant and Chef Awards at The Lyric Opera in Chicago. See the full list of 2026 Semifinalists HERE.
Events
Freedom Plane National Tour Makes First Stop in Kansas City
Freedom Plane
The National WWI Museum and Memorial will be the first stop for the National Archives' Freedom Plane National Tour, featuring founding-era documents on display March 6-22.
Freedom Flies: Inspired by the Bicentennial Freedom Train that stopped in Kansas City in 1976, this new traveling exhibition brings original National Archives documents to eight cities nationwide. On display together for the first time, the collection includes an 1823 engraving of the Declaration of Independence (one of only 50 known copies), the 1774 Articles of Association, signed by all 53 Continental Congress delegates, George Washington's 1778 Oath of Allegiance, and more.
History Lives Here: The exhibition will be located in Memory Hall on the east side of Memorial Courtyard. As the Museum and Memorial celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2026, hosting this tour's inaugural stop is especially significant for honoring the ideals defended during WWI.
Learn more about the Freedom Plane National Tour HERE.
Food & Drink
The First-Ever KC Daily Dinner Club is TONIGHT!
KC Daily
The first-ever KC Daily Dinner Club is happening tonight at 6:30pm at six restaurants across the Crossroads, with an after-party at a secret location to follow.
We capped the number of seats at 72, which were booked within 48 hours. 🤯 Bummed you're missing out? No worries! Due to popular demand, we will begin offering more dinner clubs throughout the city in the very near future. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, click below to be added to the list to be the first to know about upcoming dinners. We will also announce these dinners in the newsletter and on our Instagram.
Food & Drink
Local Restaurant Spotlight: WingStand
WingStand
WingStand is Kansas City's go-to spot for fresh, never frozen wings and hand-breaded tenders all tossed in your choice of 20 signature sauces. With loaded mac and cheese, smashburgers, fries, and a fun community vibe, this local favorite delivers big flavor at small prices.
🍴 Wings, mac ‘n’ cheese, fast-casual
📍5438 Johnson Dr, Mission, KS 66205 & 119 S Mur-Len Road, Olathe, KS 66062
Football season may be over (at least for Chiefs fans), but fresh wings hit the spot any time of the year. Get your 2026 Daily Dine Card and head to WingStand soon! ⬇️
KC Daily Picks
In Other News…
🍖 ‘Que for You: Kansas City’s Museum of BBQ just earned a spot on USA Today 10Best’s Top 10 New Museums list! Visit the world’s first museum devoted to BBQ and score two tickets for $15 with code KCDAILY at checkout. Book here.*
🛬 Southbound & Down: Argentinian airline Aerolíneas is offering four nonstop flights between MCI and Buenos Aires June 14-17. Argentina will play a World Cup match in Kansas City on June 16th.
🎟️ Calling All Artists: Artist applications are now open for the 2026 Downtown Overland Park Art Fair. 100+ local artists will be on display June 12-13.
❄️ Snow Way: If you’re not a fan of cold weather and snow, don’t look at the forecast for this weekend. Wind chills are expected to reach -16° on Saturday morning.
🥩 Plaza → Northland: Gram & Dun is officially open in the Argosy Casino & Hotel in Riverside. The menu features favorites from the Plaza staple like Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Waffle, Asian Pig Wings, Australian Wagyu Steaks, and more.
📈 Tell Us About Yourself: In yesterday’s newsletter, 420+ readers clicked on a link from one of our advertising partners. Ready to get your message in front of an audience that loves Kansas City? Let’s talk.
*content is sponsored
Thanks for reading today’s newsletter! If you enjoyed it, share it with someone who loves American history.
— Nick Hageman | Co-Founder @ KC Daily
