What makes a perfect Saturday? It’s simple: a day with beautiful weather surrounded by family, friends and wonderful food — exactly the kind of day I had attending Wasteland Society’s five-year anniversary party in Columbus Park.
Wasteland Society — a clothing brand specializing in hand-printed graphics — is known for using unique, eclectic fonts and having specific design motifs like the midwest, politics and movie characters in their clothing. They have been popping up at events all over KC and even have their own store front in North Kansas City, MO.
The event was hosted by Cafe Cà Phê, located at 916 E 5th St, it is Kansas City’s first woman-owned, Vietnamese-American coffee shop. The cafe brews up unique Vietnamese flavors like ube, cardamom, cayenne and sesame into what we know as traditional coffee shop items. It also prides itself on being inclusive to all customers — with messages of kindness and acceptance hung on the walls — it’s hard not to crack a smile when you walk in.
I immediately took notice of the feel good music. It’s not only the type that gets your head bopping, but the type to also get your feet stomping. I immediately turned over to the DJ table, and although it was lacking a proper dance floor, DJ BOATSS and his vibes were so positive that as I squeezed my way through merging lines I immediately felt included.
The event featured small businesses from all over the Kansas City area in booths. Although there were choices for all types of business — like various foods, clothing, artwork and jewelry, here are the two that really caught my eye.
Chamoy Boi
Spicy, sweet and sour, chamoy gummies hit on all levels, bringing a taste of the trendy treat to Kansas City.
Made from pickled or fermented fruit — such as salted plums or apricots — chamoy can take the form of a powder, paste or sticky red sauce. It’s then spiced with dried chile powder, which gives it just enough of a fiery kick to balance the sweetness of candy, paletas, ice cream and different types of fruit it is served with.
Chamoy Boi offered a variety of different candies to choose from, including many fan favorites — like gummy bears, sour patch kids and gushers. They also had a limited number of Chamoy Pickle Kits for sale so you could make them yourself. In these kits you’d get a hot pickle, a variety of Mexican candies and different types of candied sauces.
I went for the $11, eight-ounce watermelon gummies, dried mangos and a pickle kit. The gummies are a bit wet and sticky to eat and will stain your fingers red if you aren’t careful, but I think that’s why people love them. If you aren’t the type to like a sweet and savory mix with hints of sour and bitterness then this might not be for you, but if you are open to new things, Chamoy Boi has endless flavors to try.
Cafe Cà Phê
Celebrating the coffees and cultures of Vietnam, a new shop from former Broadway actor Jackie Nguyen, Cafe Cà Phê, has taken center stage in Kansas City.
Warm colors and cultural symbols depicted in a combination of vintage and modern style come from all directions inside the 1,200-square-foot cafe. Inside and out, artwork by North-Carolina-based muralist Love Letter Creative brings to life Nguyen’s vision for a vivacious showcase for the flavors and spirit of Vietnam. It makes for a perfect place to host events and although they always have a line out the door, the wait for their thirst quenching coffee is more than worth it.
I ordered one of their most famous lattes, the “Hella Good” — priced at $7. It’s offered cold or hot but is absolutely recommended to be iced. Described as sweet, creamy and purple, the drink really lives up to its “Purple Drank” nickname. The latte is a Vietnamese Espresso with ube syrup, oat milk, condensed milk drizzle and ice. It took one sip for my mouth to experience a world full of flavors. Although it was something I wanted to enjoy, the drink had been gulped in the span of five minutes, screaming at me to go back for more.
After hours of IB homework and work events, I was craving an experience just like this. The positive energy that I get from attending events with all these different businesses relieves me from the thought of the endless pile of things I need to get done. These types of events are extremely important to our community, but when they’re combined with inclusivity-driven missions, they become something to be excited about.
Related
Leave a Reply