New Kansas City cafe hopes to prevent violence — one breakfast sandwich at a time

Mark Byrd’s brick cafe on Troost Avenue isn’t like the restaurants nearby.

For one, the area is a “food desert” as far as healthy options are concerned, Byrd said, making his veggie burgers and vegan wraps a neighborhood rarity. Smoothie blenders whir behind a counter while employees serve bacon sandwiches to meat-loving customers.

Behind the restaurant, tomato vines and heads of lettuce grow in garden boxes, ready to be picked and chopped into salads.

But then there’s the cemetery across the street, where five of Byrd’s friends are buried. Each was a victim of violent crime.

Their headstones are a sobering reminder of why he opened Cafe Reflections, at 7016 Troost Ave. The rising crime rate in Kansas City is alarming; with 100 homicides so far, the city is on track to record its deadliest year yet.

Manned by culinary students, the new cafe aims to reduce violence in its neighborhood and beyond.

Cafe Reflections’ launch last weekend also marked the beginning of a culinary institute, featuring classes from local chefs like Anita Moore, head chef at Soiree Steak & Oyster House in the 18th & Vine Jazz District.

The program is an offshoot of New Reflections, which has been offering classes in areas such as computer support, commercial driver’s license and construction for 13 years.

Its slogan, “Jobs not jails,” is printed on volunteers’ and staff’s T-shirts.

Born and raised in Kansas City, Byrd says his grandfather worked as a contractor. He realized from an early age that he wanted to work in construction. But the more he saw his community hurt by violent crime, the more he desired to teach others the skills he’d acquired.

New Reflections has grown, Byrd said, but the violence in the area “has just never stopped.”

He believes the culinary institute will be a turning point, attracting even more students than all of New Reflections’ other programs. Jobs in the culinary and service industries are appealing to some who can’t afford college, and many restaurants are in desperate need of staff.

“This will change lives,” Byrd said. “We hear it all the time, ‘I used to be on the streets doing crime, and now I’m paying HOA dues. … I’m in my children’s lives again.’”

And, as Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree said while touring the space ahead of its opening: “This is how you teach a person how to fish … so that I don’t have to see them.”

Its menu lists a variety of dishes, like loaded baked potatoes, breakfast sandwiches, Cobb salads and Philly cheesesteaks, which customers can purchase from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Every purchase goes back into the program, Byrd said.

The cafe occupies the former New York Bakery & Delicatessen building, which had been around for about 100 years before it closed in 2009.

The building has been vacant until now and required thorough renovations to repair the damaged structure. When Byrd’s staff began to fix up the place, the neighborhood took notice — and celebrated.

“People would just show up rubbing their bellies like, ‘We’re ready,’” he said, laughing.

Every weekday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., students in the program learn service skills and prepare delicacies, including “Mason” jar meals, a nod to Byrd’s 103-year-old grandmother named Mason (who’s doing well and still likes to go swimming, Byrd said).

Her healthy habits inspired the cafe’s menu. The plot of fruits and veggies growing by the restaurant, too, is named “Mason’s Garden.”

To promote a holistic lifestyle, YMCA members receive 10% off their orders. Cleaver Family YMCA sits right next door.

A landscaped path in the corner of the property winds up to a stone wall, with plants and a few chairs at the top, overlooking the street. The “peace wall” welcomes passersby to sit and relax.

Byrd pointed out a special menu item: the Pay It Forward PB&J. For every peanut butter and jelly sandwich purchased, Cafe Reflections will give away one to someone in need.

“We have so many teenagers that walk up and down here,” he said. “There’s not a lot of resources, but then it’s … ‘Can you afford it?’”

The culinary institute already has 60 students enrolled, but Byrd wants to see even more apply. He hopes his students go on to run the finest restaurants in Kansas City.

“We want to teach youth and adults to go out into the culinary world … and have a life,” he said.

The program offers tuition aid thanks to partnerships with organizations like KC Scholars.

To learn more about Cafe Reflections’ classes, visit cafereflectionskc.org.