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A podcast focusing on the perspectives, lives, and stories of Kansans to provide greater insight into the state we all call home.
AAK_Ep43
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Discovering a Supercell Shelf Cloud
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[00:00:00]
Gus Applequist: So I'm scrolling through Facebook and I was like, oh, that's a cool picture of a shelf cloud. And then I read the, the title and it's a towering Supercell shelf cloud spotted over Western Kansas.
Sydney Collins: Western Kansas,
Gus Applequist: spelled like waste. With an RN on the end, Kansas
Sydney Collins: Waste, Eastern Kansas,
Gus Applequist: and I'm trying to decide if waste is like this is a wasteland or if this was just a, a, they just failed the AI got it wrong, or, or if they're trying to get our dialect because it's pretty spot on
Sydney Collins: the daily post.
I think I'm more interested in who the daily post is. also, is this picture real? Do we know?
Gus Applequist: Well, let's bring in our resident, uh, meteorologist and have him, uh, check it out. Yeah. Generally it looks to me. Um, but I'm, no,
Sydney Collins: because there's a lot, like we, it is a rainbow of colors.
oversaturated,
Gus Applequist: [00:01:00] if you're either not from Kansas and you just happen to have found this podcast or Yeah.
you don't spend a lot of time outside of a city in Kansas, this kind of view actually is possible. Yeah. Like you, you can see this. It's
Sydney Collins: very possible.
Gus Applequist: Uh,
Sydney Collins: I just, that blue is just so blue. I don't think I've ever seen something so blue in a super cell.
Gus Applequist: In my limited experience with these storms, it, it looks more green to me.
Sydney Collins: Yeah.
Gus Applequist: Usually than blue. Um, that kind of underside of the cloud. Hail. Oh,
Sydney Collins: hail. Oh,
Gus Applequist: okay. Underside.
Sydney Collins: Yeah.
Gus Applequist: Yeah.
Introducing Steven Kimmi
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Gus Applequist: Well, welcome to ask a Kansan,
Sydney Collins: a podcast where we're amplifying, connecting and uncovering stories across Kansas.
Gus Applequist: And today is something a little different
Sydney Collins: where [00:02:00] we are interviewing someone who is also. Connecting, uncovering and amplifying stories across Kansas in his own way.
Gus Applequist: Yeah. And he has a focus on food, which is kind of fun.
Sydney Collins: Yeah. Food and state parks and, just kind of like giving Kansas the boost that, it needs.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Sydney Collins: So, um, today we have Steven Kimmi on, um, and he is a influencer. A traveler that just shares his stories. I don't know what, what title to give him, but all around. Nice guy. All around, nice guy.
Gus Applequist: Very chill.
Sydney Collins: Very chill. So, um, without any further ado, here is our interview with Steven,
Welcome, Steven Kimmi
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Sydney Collins: Hello? Hello. Hey, how's going? Welcome, welcome,
Gus Applequist: set. We do have
Sydney Collins: set. We do. Feel free. Take a picture. You let us know when you smile.
Gus Applequist: Oh, smile.
Sydney Collins: Well have a seat. Yeah.
Gus Applequist: I'm always very interested in what guests wear. And so your t-shirt.
Sydney Collins: [00:03:00] Yeah, I love it.
Gus Applequist: Kansas. It's not as bad as you think.
Sydney Collins: As
bad
Gus Applequist: as you think this is. This is our shirt. Nice.
Sydney Collins: Okay, cool.
Steven Kimmi: So that's why Yeah.
Sydney Collins: Feel free to adjust this however you need to. Um, there you go. Very good. Well welcome.
Steven Kimmi: Hi.
Sydney Collins: Appreciate you coming.
Steven Kimmi: Yeah, absolutely. I've really enjoyed watching previous episodes.
Sydney Collins: Oh, thank you. Thank you.
Steven's Journey as a Content Creator
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Sydney Collins: Can you introduce yourself for our audience?
Steven Kimmi: Am I looking at you? You're looking
Sydney Collins: anywhere
Steven Kimmi: you would like to look. Look where I, sweet.
Sydney Collins: We've got
Steven Kimmi: enough
Sydney Collins: cameras. We'll figure it out.
Steven Kimmi: Yeah. So my name is Steven Kimmi.
Uh, you can find me across most social media platforms, uh, just at Steven Kimmi. My last name's K-I-M-M-I, Steven with a v. been creating social media for, uh, to celebrate Kansas, um, since the pandemic. And other than that, I'm also an educator. I've been a elementary school teacher, a principal.
Worked in a district office and [00:04:00] now I'm an assistant professor of teacher education.
Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Taste Test
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Sydney Collins: So we're gonna put you on the spot for a minute because you just posted something of my friend Cassandra in her red velvet, um, uh, semi rolls, and I brought, these are a day old. I brought these yesterday and we're like, you know what?
I need to know if Cassandras are better than mine. So these are sourdough and minerals that I brought yesterday. And if you're comfortable eating on camera, I would love, I would love to know your opinion.
Steven Kimmi: Uh, if you watch my social media, I eat,
Sydney Collins: I,
Steven Kimmi: I eat on camera, eat on
Sydney Collins: camera quite a bit,
Steven Kimmi: quite a bit. So you made these,
Sydney Collins: I made these.
Steven Kimmi: Are they sourdough?
Sydney Collins: They are sourdough.
Steven Kimmi: Are they Cassandra's Sourdough?
Sydney Collins: They're not Cassandra sourdough. It's my sourdough that I started. So funny story is, Cassandra's husband, uh, was my brother's best man and I was a bridesmaid, so I kind of, I. Oh, so we seek ca, Sandra and and Travis all the time.
Steven Kimmi: So.
So how long has your sourdough been going?
Sydney Collins: Not very long. So it's only about two, three weeks old.
Steven Kimmi: I'm
Sydney Collins: asking questions. So it's a young sourdough.
Steven Kimmi: Yeah. I'm asking questions like I [00:05:00] have anything to do with sourdough. I do not.
It is warm.
Sydney Collins: We did, we did. Nu it for you. This is my first attempt at sourdough cinnamon rolls. So there is, this is good room for improvement.
Steven Kimmi: I enjoy this.
Sydney Collins: There you go.
Gus Applequist: He's kind filling a second bite, which I think is a
Sydney Collins: compliment. Yeah.
Steven Kimmi: I really, you, I mean it seems pretty on the nose, but I really enjoy like the sour part of the sour dough.
Mm-hmm. And what it adds to the flavor of the overall cinnamon roll. So, yeah.
Sydney Collins: Yeah. Appreciate it. Okay,
Gus Applequist: well done.
Sydney Collins: Whew.
Steven Kimmi: Take another bite though.
Sydney Collins: Oh, no, please do. You don't
Gus Applequist: want me to try to make anything for you. It would be terrible.
Sydney Collins: Which is hilarious. 'cause he used to own a bakery
Gus Applequist: where?
Steven Kimmi: Uh,
Gus Applequist: in, in Lindsburg, uh, the courtyard, uh, gallery and bakery.
Yeah.
Steven Kimmi: Okay.
Gus Applequist: Yeah, it was, it was something I picked up that somebody else had been running and had fun for a few years and then moved on, so.
Sydney Collins: So many people probably do know or [00:06:00] don't know, how did you get your start in. Being a creator or influencer or whatever title you would like to give yourself.
Adventures and Challenges in Kansas
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Steven Kimmi: Yeah, so the pandemic was really kind of the impetus of where everything started. as a school administrator at the time. I was, Just at home a lot, a lot of isolation. And I could feel it kind of start to affect my mental health. And at the same time, I had downloaded TikTok. We had a lot of staff members who were sharing tiktoks throughout the day to just keep ourselves entertained.
And I just kind of noticed how all of these, creators were romanticizing these places like Colorado and Oregon and Utah. And I thought, uh, why isn't there anybody who's doing this for Kansas? Because simultaneously there was a lot of negativity about Kansas on social media. I essentially just decided, Hey, this would be good for my own mental health to get out and go see some [00:07:00] things, and I could share that with, whatever audience is willing to watch.
And, and much to my surprise, the audience just kind of grew over time. I think it was January of 2021. I drove out to little Jerusalem, bad land State Park with the attention, the intention of, going to the parking lot and sleeping in my car and waking up and capturing the sunrise. the weather was very cold and, uh, they do close the parking lots of state parks, which I, I didn't really realize that there's a big gate, so I couldn't get in.
So I thought I would just. Sleep right next to that gate and, uh, it got too cold. So I had to drive back to Oakley, find a hotel that was open at like three in the morning. I slept for three hours in a hotel. They did give me a discounted rate, so, oh
Sydney Collins: yeah. 'cause you only used it, you know, half the time.
Steven Kimmi: Yeah.
I, I bargained with them and said, I'm, I'm gonna be out here real quick. and then drove back to the. Badlands State [00:08:00] Park and it was cloudy and overcast that morning, but still made a video and, um, still, still really enjoyed it. Obviously that was my first time going out there and I had been to the, national Park for Badlands in, in South Dakota, and it just blew me away.
You know, not quite at the scale is what you find in South Dakota, but those geographical features are very, very similar. And we have those right here in Kansas. And, found that there were a lot of people who had no idea that that was out there. You know, Western Kansas people they know.
They, they've got a couple different opportunities out there, but, The, the more populated areas on the east side of Kansas. They had no idea. So that was really exciting and we just kind of went from there.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm. Where is home base for you?
Steven Kimmi: I live in this Salina area. Okay. I live about 30 minutes outside of town.
Sydney Collins: so that was a trek for you? It's 'cause it's a [00:09:00] couple hours out there, isn't it?
Steven Kimmi: Yeah. Uh, Oakley's about about three to get to the Badlands. About three hours.
Sydney Collins: Yeah. Three hours. Okay. How often are you on the road? How much are you traveling now?
Steven Kimmi: Oh, wow. Uh, that's, that's a lot. I would say about every other weekend there's, there's about a road trip, uh, that, that takes place and sometimes during the week, but maybe just not as far, uh, so yeah, at least, at least two kind of significant road trips a month.
Gus Applequist: What do you feel is like the, the furthest or the, the most you've put on the line to try to get someplace?
Steven Kimmi: I've tried to do a couple of different, um, sunrises.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Steven Kimmi: I just talked about little Jerusalem. That one was, that was a pretty unique experience. I wanted to see a sunrise at Castle Rock, um, Badlands.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Steven Kimmi: As well. So for that one, I decided to stay home and wake up. super early and, and drive out there, I would probably say that that's maybe been [00:10:00] the, the most extreme. maybe one of the funnest stories is, uh, my partner and I, we were doing a fun road trip, um, and we were gonna start, she had never been to the Badlands, so we were gonna start there and we stayed at, historic, uh, lake Scott.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Steven Kimmi: And there was a huge storm. That rolled in, and actually we had set up our tent and we were, we were watching the storm off in the distance and we thought, wow, that's so beautiful. Glad that's not here. And, as minutes rolled by, it just kept moving closer and closer. And so when we went to bed, it wasn't raining.
And when we woke up, the rain tarp had flown off the top of our tent and we have a mesh top tent. So you could watch the night sky. So it was pouring and pouring rain. We ended up moving and sleeping in the vehicle breaking down our tent as much as we could, even with it broken down. I think when we tried to empty it out the next day, there was probably like a hundred gallons of water at that tent.[00:11:00]
And that was the first night of our trip of a, like a two week trip that we were going on and. I used the Kansas guidebook by the Kansas Software Foundation for a lot of like things to go see as you're driving around. we were gonna take the back roads from Historic Lake Scott to little Jerusalem Badlands, and at the time I was driving a minivan and I was convinced it would be fine.
Uh, what a Kansas trait, right? Like no matter what the weather is, yeah, it's fine. I got this. It'll be fine. those were mostly dirt and mud roads at that time, and. I, I powered through probably a good two miles before I hit a spot that I thought I should not do this.
And, I put it in reverse and I actually was so worried I would get stuck if I tried to do like a three point turn.
I reversed about a mile and a half before I, turned around. And don't get me wrong, there's nobody else on the road. Right. So it's not like I was gonna, I was endangering [00:12:00] somebody. But that, that's probably the most treacherous and, and one of the funnest stories that we get to tell.
Sydney Collins: Do you travel with your family most of the time, or do you kind of do these by yourself?
Steven Kimmi: Uh, when I first started, a lot of this was by myself. I do have kids and they are old enough where you know, they can make a decision and say that they're not interested in being involved in stuff. And if you were to go through my profile, you'll find some videos that they're involved with.
Not a lot. And, and that's okay. So sometimes they'll go with me and just not appear in the video, but they're all like teenagers, so, you know, there's some eye rolls and oh my gosh, this is embarrassing. What are you doing? it's, it's kind of a mix.
Sydney Collins: Have their friends found you yet?
Steven Kimmi: Unfortunately for them. Yes. Yes, they have. I have a
14-year-old,
Sydney Collins: so I get it.
Steven Kimmi: Yeah. I, I have this one video where I talk about being colorblind 'cause I'm colorblind. Mm-hmm. And I've always [00:13:00] had suspicion, but I didn't really discover this until I was, working in schools and I took a school colorblind test and discovered it and I recorded myself doing it.
That video's got like 2 million views. Really serious. Wow. On it. And so. For a time that gets you a little bit of clout with your kids, that you have a video with that many views. But, uh, it doesn't last long
Sydney Collins: because of course the next one you posted and do as well, and they just, they remind you.
Steven Kimmi: Uh, they, they're actually very kind.
They don't really Oh, that's good. Don't, they don't really bring it up so much. Mm-hmm. But, uh, yeah. Yeah.
Gus Applequist: Have you, have you gotten the color blind glasses and done that? Thing yet
Steven Kimmi: I did, I got, um, some colorblind glasses from Enchroma, that they were like the sunglass type. Okay. and I'm really sad to admit that I've lost them.
Sydney Collins: Yeah.
Steven Kimmi: It's, it's an interesting experience to put 'em on. Um, your eyes do have to adjust, just like when you get a new pair of glasses and your eyes [00:14:00] adjust to those because you're, you're. Living in a colored world, and then you take it off and then it's, it's back to kind of whatever it is. I'm not completely colorblind.
so I can still see a fair amount of colors. Um, so it's not like all gray or brown or anything like that. Right. But yeah, it's an interesting experience.
Gus Applequist: How did you come to focus on food?
Focusing on Food and Small Businesses
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Steven Kimmi: So, when I first started out, it was, um, just about revealing kind of. These different things you could [00:15:00] go and, and do in Kansas.
And so I did a lot of, uh, state parks and then, uh, a lot of like, kind of other things that weren't necessarily state parks, like Castle Rock, um, as an estate park. it's not that I necessarily covered everything in the state, but I felt like I had covered a lot. And, um, I'm gonna get a lot of hate for this. I've never been a fan of Cozy Burger, cozy Inn hamburgers. And, my partner JB said, we need to go try them again. Like, you have to give these another shot. And so we did, and we made a video about it. And at that time, on TikTok, you could add, you can still do it, but at that time they were promoting adding polls to your TikTok.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. And so I did that. The response we got, of course, because there are a lot of people who do love Cozy's Was huge. And that's really kind of what sparked it. And I thought, well this one isn't for me, but people love it, so maybe I need to find the one that I love. [00:16:00]
And, just kind of in that process, chose to focus on burgers and to make it kind of a crowdsourcing experience where.
People would recommend places and comments, and I would start to accumulate those and I would go, so the second burger that we tried was in Smith Center, Kansas, Jiffy Burger.
Which highly recommend, I know it's a ways out there, but if you're in the area, would highly recommend that Burger.
I just released my new top 10 Jiffy Burger's. Not in it, but it's close. It's, it is in the top 20. that's really kind of where that came from. At the beginning and then in the process, uh, the town that, that I live in, you know, has had this restaurant that has opened and closed and opened and closed.
And I grew up in a very small community in Kansas as well. And we've kind of had that same experience with the restaurant in town opening and closing and opening and closing. And I just kind of realized [00:17:00] the importance of. Marketing and promoting small businesses and small communities. because when you look at social media, you know, Wichita has their.
Own people who are on social media who are promoting all those businesses, Kansas City does, but there really isn't a voice or a space for all of the other communities. And while those are highly populated areas, there are lots of people who live in places outside of there who love their communities and love their.
Their businesses and their schools and, you know, my experiences growing up told me like, this would be important to help promote them and get people to stop and spend some money in those communities.
Collaborations and Future Plans
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Sydney Collins: Have you been able to partner with any of the other creators or have you partner than any other creators?
Steven Kimmi: There's a creator in Wichita, Chris Jackson. Mm-hmm. Uh, Jack Stack Eats. Yep. Uh, he and I partnered together [00:18:00] with, uh. The Kansas State Fair.
Sydney Collins: Oh, cool.
Steven Kimmi: This, this past year, it was my actual, actually my first time going to the Kansas State Fair. Really? So what an experience. Yeah. So he and I worked together to create, some food content for mm-hmm.
The different food stands that they have there. I think that's, that's probably about the only mm-hmm. Partnership that we've really done.
Sydney Collins: But you did, the River Festival this past year, right?
Steven Kimmi: Yes.
Sydney Collins: Yeah. How was that experience?
Steven Kimmi: that's really fun. So I've partnered with them twice.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Steven Kimmi: And the first year was mostly just the general experience.
Mm-hmm. And the second year was more focused on food. yeah, that's just a really enjoyable experience. I, I've been in the Salina area now for. Almost 20 years. Mm-hmm. And so the River Festival, I really didn't get into it until I'd been here for about 10 years. And you know, if you go, it's just a really fun kind of vibe to go and, and do that.
And it's really nice to be able to have [00:19:00] that kind of experience here, and not have to travel to a place like Wichita for the River Festival or to Hutch for the Kansas State Fair. All great experiences. Not saying don't go, but it's nice to have that here.
Sydney Collins: Do you have, kind of an event that you would love to partner with and do content for here in Kansas?
Steven Kimmi: Well, the Kansas State Fair was, was, uh, was a big one.
Sydney Collins: Yeah.
Steven Kimmi: for sure we were in the process of seeing if we can do something with International Pancake Day.
Sydney Collins: Oh, that'd be cool.
Steven Kimmi: Um,
Sydney Collins: that'd be legit.
Steven Kimmi: Because, you know, of course that's a fun experience.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Steven Kimmi: I, I would say kind of what would be at the top of my list right now is anything to do with the World Cup, with fifa. Yeah. Um, that would be really fun and exciting to, to do something with that. as a teacher, so many of my students played and loved soccer.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Steven Kimmi: Almost every single recess with my students, I would go play soccer with them. Mm-hmm. So I developed a love for the sport and I've been to sporting KC a couple of [00:20:00] times and I, I, I would just probably really enjoy
Sydney Collins: Yeah.
Steven Kimmi: Being a part of anything they have going on with that.
Gus Applequist: I'm curious, like as a teacher and as a, uh, creator, Does your, does your teaching experience inform the way you create and has your creation of, of content online informed the way you teach?
Steven Kimmi: I, I would probably say the biggest, uh, kind of influence has been just kind of the importance of like just being a good person and, um, representing yourself. Whether you're on camera or off camera, the way you want people, to see you.
So yeah, you can watch a lot of social media and you can hear people cussing and going on rants and, and stuff like that. You're, you're not gonna hear me do that. and my goal is to promote Kansas. So if, if I make the drive to go have a burger, and I, I really don't like the experience. I'm not gonna post about it.
I'm not in the [00:21:00] business of, of trying to call people out.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
The Influence of Social Media on Teaching
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Steven Kimmi: Uh, so I would probably say that's, that's the biggest influence I think there is. More carry over. 'cause you know, as a classroom teacher, you think I have to be engaging for my students, and that's all of what social media is. Mm-hmm. How long can you keep someone's attention?
through the use of video or photos, you can kind of approach that in different ways that you can't within a classroom. and I, I will say, uh, the feedback and the response that I get. there are a lot of similarities between trying to work with a classroom, uh, of, of people or school of people and, and the ways in which you interact with people on social media.
Handling Negative Experiences at Restaurants
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Sydney Collins: you mentioned like if you have a bad experience, have you, I'm not [00:22:00] asking to name names, but have you encountered that experience? I,
Steven Kimmi: I have.
Sydney Collins: Yeah.
Steven Kimmi: Yeah. Yeah. And it was, it was about an hour and a half drive.
Sydney Collins: Oof.
Steven Kimmi: The good news is it wasn't the only burger that we had at that time.
but it, it wasn't, uh, an experience that felt appropriate to share. and, and one thing I always try to keep in mind with that is I go to a restaurant and I either have a pizza or I have a burger.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Steven Kimmi: They might have another 70 things on their menu mm-hmm. Or 50 things on their menu. I don't want to.
You know, denounce a restaurant because of one item. One thing, yeah. And one experience on their menu when somebody recommended that because they really enjoyed it. Mm-hmm. And they, they've got an experience there. So, uh, why would I use my platform to do that?
Burger Eating Adventures
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Sydney Collins: how many burgers have you eaten in a day?
Steven Kimmi: Well, currently the, the most burgers I've had in a day is three.
Sydney Collins: Okay.
Steven Kimmi: And [00:23:00] breakfast, lunch,
Sydney Collins: dinner. Got it.
Steven Kimmi: This was very early on. At the time I, very Midwestern of me, I thought, I paid money for this. I have to eat the whole thing.
Sydney Collins: Oh.
Steven Kimmi: So what I've learned since then is yes, I've paid money for it, but I don't have to eat the entire burger.
Like I could eat half of it. So typically JB and I, we share.
Sydney Collins: Yeah, that
Steven Kimmi: makes sense. We'll, we'll split one. Uh, especially if we're going to multiple places. And, um, that was, that was kind of a rookie mistake, uh, in that process. And, and two of them were pretty good size burgers on that day. it would be fair to say that I had the meat sweats by, by the end of the day,
Sydney Collins: it feels like kind of an s and l skin for some reason.
Steven Kimmi: Yeah, yeah. It was, it was an experience.
Sydney Collins: Oh, goodness.
Content Scheduling Struggles
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Sydney Collins: Are you at to the, uh, to the point where you can like, schedule content out or you just kind of whatever feels good that day is what you're posting?
Steven Kimmi: The, this is [00:24:00] kind of an ongoing joke between JB and I because, I know that I should schedule content and we have plenty of content that I could, what I always find myself doing whenever I schedule stuff is I second guess what it is that I'm posting.
This is not a positive character trait for people who create social media. You just gotta schedule it and, and move on so you can get to the next stuff. So the, if I schedule something, I made it either the day before or that morning, and I just wanted to get it out of the way what ideally you should be doing is like scheduling multiple days out.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Steven Kimmi: Um, and I, for whatever reason, still to this point, I can't get to that level where I feel comfortable doing that.
Sydney Collins: I mean, it's worked for you so far. I mean, yeah. What, why fix something that isn't broken?
Steven Kimmi: It makes for really stressful four to 6:00 PM timeframes.
Sydney Collins: Oh, that's fair.
Steven Kimmi: cause that's typically when I post around 6:00 PM and I'm like, I gotta put this together [00:25:00] now.
Kansas Food Scene and Restaurant Gaps
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Gus Applequist: whenever a new restaurant opens nearby, uh, you know, I, I'm always like interested in what they're serving and, and sometimes it feels like they're just duplicating the same thing that's already available locally. and so I guess I'm, I'm curious from your perspective, what, what do we need more of in Kansas or, uh, if, if there is a, somebody out there contemplating opening a new restaurant and serving pizza or burgers, is there something you'd like to see them do that hasn't been done?
Steven Kimmi: That's a great question. I was in a meeting the other day and somebody had asked, 'cause they were kind of new to this area, and asked if there's a place to get a good bagel. Mm. Uh, the answer to that is no. so, uh, I would say.
Sydney Collins: I have some sourdough bagels too. There,
Gus Applequist: there
Steven Kimmi: are a couple
Gus Applequist: of egg, so I dunno.
Steven Kimmi: Grab that cream cheese, put 'em in a toaster. Uh, a bagel shop would be, I, I feel like there is a gap in the market. Mm-hmm. For, for a bagel shop, uh, around here. Gosh, outside of that, [00:26:00] that's, I wasn't prepared for that. No, that's
Gus Applequist: okay.
Sydney Collins: Here, here's what's funny. This, I don't know if this is on topic or not, but, so I went to Mochas in Wichita, to work a couple, actually, I guess, last week.
And have either of you seen the episode of Seinfeld where they just sell the muffin tops. They have to get rid of the bottoms of the muffins. No. So it's a whole episode about just selling the muffin tops. 'cause what's the best part about the muffin? Is the muffin top. And so they just sell the muffin top.
Well, mochas only sells the muffin top.
Gus Applequist: I wouldn't know this.
Sydney Collins: Yeah. I don't know if it's a Seinfeld reference or they just, or if it's a, it's still a thing, but
Steven Kimmi: I have to
Sydney Collins: ask bagels and muffin tops. I'm what the
Steven Kimmi: secret is.
Sydney Collins: Yeah. Game for, I think AI's
Steven Kimmi: waffles once
Sydney Collins: tried to
Steven Kimmi: do that. I don't think you can get them anymore, but I, I believe they tried.
Sydney Collins: So the whole Seinfeld episode, it's really funny because the, then they, they're like, well, what do we do at the bottom of the muffins? And so they gave them too. I think like a shelter or something like that. And the shelter's, like [00:27:00] why, why you only give us the leftovers we want the muffin tops, not the muffin bottoms.
It's a whole thing. And of course, Kramer's involved, so
Steven Kimmi: yeah.
Okay. There you go. Now that I've had a second to think. Sure. And I don't know that it really answers your question. I, I would love to see a greater variety of, Just different food cultures represented. Hmm. Uh, you know, Salina just got like an Indian restaurant Yeah.
That opened up and it's, um, delicious.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Steven Kimmi: we went to a restaurant in a great bend that was recommended to us by, the people at Earth, sky Candle Company. Hmm. Okay. Out there. And, I think that it was Thai food and it's just like in a house. On the edge of town
Sydney Collins: that didn't means, you know, it's gonna be
Steven Kimmi: good.
And it was so fantastic. And in the time that we were there, uh, in maybe an hour or so, I think there was only one other couple mm-hmm. That came in there during that time. so yeah, I, it's [00:28:00] twofold, right? We need more diversity in our food culture, but we need people to go and support that as well so that they can, continue to do business.
Gus Applequist: there's like a few meals in that I've had in my lifetime that I would say were like defining meals. Like, oh yeah. Like it, it was just like a meal. I look back on a meal that I've tried to recreate.
And I just can't because it was like the, you know, the stars kind of aligning. Mm-hmm. It was like, I was really hungry. I, I didn't get a meal when I wanted a meal. You know, maybe the weather's weird, I don't know. But, uh, but I'm curious, do you have any of those meals that stand out to you that you've had and you're just like, man, I wish I could just go back and relive that meal one more time?
Memorable Dining Experiences
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Steven Kimmi: I, I would probably call out like three experiences, but only one is in Kansas.
Gus Applequist: Okay.
Steven Kimmi: The most recent, we just went on a trip to Italy over Christmas break, and we, ate at this place that's, uh, [00:29:00] very well regarded. It was one of the coolest dining experiences, um, of that I've ever had. But the, I think it was called Lag Grisha.
DeStefano. And I picked it 'cause I had my name in it. Um, and the best pasta I've ever had in my entire life. And yeah, it was like finished it. I didn't eat the rest of the day. I thought, like, I don't wanna ruin this experience. so, there's, there's that one, we actually partnered with Fort Wayne, Indiana and they have like a farm to table restaurant there called rune And that was one of the most amazing meals. And what I, what added to the experience is like when they get. Whatever, like meat product they're working with, they use all of it until it's gone. You know, they're not just gonna make steaks and then order another cow to make steaks, they're gonna use every single [00:30:00] bit of the cow.
And it was just really inventive cooking and a way to utilize and maximize, you know, what they had available until they ran out of it. So it's, it's kind of an ever-changing menu. and it's very seasonal. So Rune would, would definitely be there as well. and then probably the last one would be, uh, in Wichita I had, um, AHI tuna.
Mm-hmm. And I'm spacing on the name of the restaurant, but it was the fir They asked me how I wanted it cooked, and I didn't realize I had an option with seafood. I, I was very young and naive. Yeah. Grew, grew up in a 300 person town. First time I had Chinese food was when I was in college. I didn't realize you could get it in America kind of situation.
So. They asked me how I wanted my tuna cooked, and I was like, what would you suggest? And I was like, rare, medium, rare, or something like that. And it was just a, really delicious meal [00:31:00] down there as well. And I feel really bad. I can't remember the name of the
Gus Applequist: restaurant. In fact, you let us know and we'll, we'll include it in the notes.
Sydney Collins: Yeah.
Gus Applequist: Yeah. Well, thank you so much for taking time. Yeah. Appreciate it. To, to come on and talk food in Kansas.
Steven Kimmi: Absolutely. Thank you for having me. Really appreciate it.
Sydney Collins: Thanks for joining us, uh, for that conversation. Uh, with Steven. I. Wish I would've, I've, I forgot one question I was gonna ask him. Mm-hmm. So at the very beginning when we had him taste my cinnamon roll the video [00:32:00] that we were referencing, um, he has a metal fork and he is eating in his car. And I really wanna know if he keeps a stash of.
Cutlery, like in a center console.
Gus Applequist: Full disclosure, I do this, I have, I have
Sydney Collins: metal cutlery though.
Gus Applequist: It's not metal. Okay. It's plastic.
Sydney Collins: Plastic.
Gus Applequist: But it's a, it's like a fork on one end and a spoon on the other. It's like a camp fork thing. And I eat, I eat more fast food than I'm willing to admit on camera. Uh, and they often forget to gimme a fork.
So, yeah.
Sydney Collins: Good
Gus Applequist: to know. So you too could join the fork in the car
Sydney Collins: club. I too could join. Mine's the napkin. I always have napkins, but I always have kids. So,
Gus Applequist: Hey, if, if you'd be willing, tell us about, uh, your favorite food experiences in Kansas. Yes. Uh, what restaurants or, or food stand out to you.
Sydney Collins: Yeah, pizza, beer.
He's also not a wine guy, but he goes to a lot of wineries, which is even more fun. So. Um, those videos are kind of fun to watch.
Gus Applequist: Does he do the thing I see some food in influencers do where they [00:33:00] order like everything on the menu?
Sydney Collins: No, he, he's, he's a burger pizza. Yeah. Or if they're visiting like a white local winery or he'll try a couple of the wines and that's about it.
Gus Applequist: I don't understand. Like these people in, I see it in a lot in New York City. Yeah. Where they'll order like 15 dishes and I'm like,
Sydney Collins: how do you taste all that and how do you not like just.
Gus Applequist: Yeah.
Sydney Collins: Get soul full. You explode.
Gus Applequist: No, I totally agree. Totally agree. Well,
Sydney Collins: anyway,
Gus Applequist: I do have a segment for you today.
Sydney Collins: Oh, man.
Uh,
Gus Applequist: this is, this is going, uh, a little different direction. I, I've thought, we've been doing a lot of
Sydney Collins: quizzes,
Gus Applequist: um, quizzes and so I thought I would just throw a little change up at you. The
Sydney Collins: VGAs.
Gus Applequist: Yes. The VGAs. Contribution.
Sydney Collins: Contribution.
Gus Applequist: And so, um, okay. There's a lot happening.
The Volga Germans and Kansas Wheat
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Gus Applequist: What do a German Empress. The Kansas prairie and a meat filled pastry pocket have in common.
Now the answer is a remarkable story, um, from American history [00:34:00] about immigration and why Kansas became the bread basket of the world. Act one. Uh, the invitation. So our story begins in 1760s Russia, where Empress, Catherine the Great had a problem. She just acquired vast territories along the Volga River in southeastern Russia.
It was beautiful land, but it was largely unsettled. Now Catherine, who was herself German, had an idea she could recruit German peasants to settle these remote steps, and her offer was extraordinary for its time. She said, come to Russia and you'll get 75 free acres per family. Wow. Free transportation, complete religious freedom.
And this was the big one. Exemption from military service forever.
Sydney Collins: Oh wow.
Gus Applequist: So thousands of German families accepted, and between 1763 and 1768, more than 25,000 Germans packed up their lives and headed to Russia, and they became known as the Volga Germans. Uh, life wasn't easy at first. These settlers literally lived in [00:35:00] holes in the ground.
While they have built their commu, while they built their communities, they faced harsh winters, floods and bandits. But within a few decades, they'd established over a hundred thriving communities. Is this like sinning up any like bells of familiarity as I'm reading this, it
Sydney Collins: kind of like feels like.
Western Kansas, like how Kansas was settled. But I also just keep staring at Reich, which is my maiden name.
Gus Applequist: Oh, yeah, yeah.
Sydney Collins: Right there on the page. And I'm
Gus Applequist: like,
Sydney Collins: oh.
Gus Applequist: So yeah, this, this is a map of, of Eastern Russia and that red spot, uh, Catherine the greatest is pointing at is the area that the Volga German settled in.
So for over a hundred years, the Volga Germans prospered. They maintained their German language, their customs, their distinct culture, including their food traditions. One of these was a portable lunch called a beer rock,
Sydney Collins: right?
Gus Applequist: Ground meat, cabbage and onions wrapped in a soft bread dough.
Women would make these for their husbands to carry to the fields, and a hardy, it was a hardy filling meal that traveled [00:36:00] well.
Sydney Collins: You can
Gus Applequist: do it. The Volga Germans also became master wheat farmers. They perfected a variety called Turkey red, a hard red winter wheat that could survive brutal Russian winters.
Sydney Collins: Mm. Next slide please.
Gus Applequist: But everything changed after.
Sydney Collins: Why are you so angry? Why does he have angry eyebrows
Gus Applequist: after Russia's defeat in the Crimean war? So, Catherine, the great passed, you know, passed away. And, uh, in the 1870s, Czar uh, Alexander II revoked the privileges that Catherine had promised. And the breaking point for the Volga Germans was he began drafting them into the military.
Mm. For these Mennonite families who were pacifists. This was a real deal breaker. So once again, the Volga Germans faced a choice, stay and compromise their beliefs or pack up and find a new home, and they chose to leave. So in 1872, a Mennonite Miller named Bernard Entine traveled to the United States looking for land that resembled the Russian steps.
And when he reached Kansas, he knew he'd [00:37:00] found it. Hmm. Uh, so he set up a mill and began working with the railroads to recruit them to move to Kansas. And this is his mill. I think this is probably. Years later, but so the land was cheap, just two to $3 per acre. And Kansas officials promised religious freedom.
So the first major wave of immigrants arrived in 1874 in Ellis County Catholic. Volga Germans established communities like Hays in Marion County. Mennonite families settled near Gossel, and crucially, they didn't come empty handed. Family legend tells of Mennonite mothers carefully packing kitchen crocs and traveling trunks with precious Turkey red wheat seeds.
Before leaving Russia, that wheat was about to change Kansas forever. So this is a map of Oh wow, where, uh, in North America, honestly, these Volga German settlements. Happened. And uh, the dots on the map are, are like the black dots are settlements, and then [00:38:00] the yellow shows where, uh, this wheat really came to play.
So Kansas farmers had tried growing spring wheat before wheat planted in the spring and harvest in the summer, but it failed in Kansas' climate. But Turkey red was different. It was planted in the fall, laid dormant through winter, and was harvested in the late spring. I think that's kind of changed over time, but
Sydney Collins: yeah,
Gus Applequist: I'm guessing that's what it was like.
It had deep, complex roots that could pull nutrients from poor soil. It resisted diseases that killed other varieties, and it had a higher protein content producing better flour within a gen, within a generation Turkey red spread across the Great Plains. And by 1919 it made up 82% of all wheat planted in Kansas.
Wow. The state that had struggled to grow wheat became the nation's top wheat producer. A title Kansas still holds today. And here's the remarkable thing. If you look at the genetics of modern Kansas wheat, about half of today's varieties can trace their lineage directly back to those seeds.[00:39:00]
The vgo Germans carried from Russia.
The Legacy of Volga German Cuisine
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Gus Applequist: Meanwhile, those beer rocks have become a Kansas staple today. You can get them at drive-throughs in Wichita, at church fundraisers in Western Kansas and at German restaurants across the state. Ellis County remains one of the last strongholds of Volga German culture in the world. So next time you bite into a beer rock or see golden wheated field stretching into the horizon, remember, you're experiencing the legacy of a people who crossed an ocean, survived hardships in several different countries with holes in the ground, and who brought gifts that transformed the Great Plains.
I.
Sydney Collins: You had way too much fun with GBT on these
Gus Applequist: Oh, yeah, yeah. This last slide, if you're, if you listen, you should check it out. Yeah. We've got a terrified, uh, Czar Alexander ii. We have a, uh, Catherine the Great in love with wheat, and we have our, uh, what was his name? Benjamin? Benjamin Entine. Mm-hmm. Something like that.
Uh, yeah. He is, uh, tasting some really
Sydney Collins: tasty, some bierocks.
Gus Applequist: Yeah. [00:40:00]
Sydney Collins: That's so
Gus Applequist: funny.
Sydney Collins: Also, whoever puts ketchup on their beer rocks, please stop. Stop doing that
Gus Applequist: now. Stone ground mustard.
Sydney Collins: No,
Gus Applequist: no mustard.
Sydney Collins: These were made to go handheld into the field. Stop putting crap on 'em.
Gus Applequist: I have, I have to disagree with you. I, I enjoy a good Dijon mustard with my beer rock.
Yeah. But have you been to AZA in Nebraska?
Sydney Collins: Yes.
Gus Applequist: What did you think of the experience?
Sydney Collins: Eh,
Gus Applequist: it was
Sydney Collins: mid,
Gus Applequist: yeah. Nebraskans are like hardcore about their za. Oh yeah. They, they call them Za, which I think is kind of sacrilegious, but
Sydney Collins: Yeah. They're not bare rocks or zas.
Gus Applequist: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So come on. If you're from Nebraska, come on down and try a, a Kansas bierock.
Sydney Collins: Yeah. Tanner used to have to bring him back frozen for some of his family. You can get fro, you can get them frozen.
Gus Applequist: I didn't know that.
Sydney Collins: Yeah, I'm pretty sure.
Concluding Thoughts and Upcoming Features
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Gus Applequist: Well thanks for tuning into another episode of Ask A Kansan.
Sydney Collins: Yes. So make sure to like, and [00:41:00] subscribe, follow us, leave a review. Um, also go over to Steven Kimmi's, uh, profiles and make sure to subscribe and like him as well.
Gus Applequist: One last thing before we go, I just wanna give you a brief teaser for those of you that stuck around to the end, coming up in March.
Mm-hmm. We are featuring, uh, filmmakers throughout the month, and so we have several exciting conversations lined up. Uh, and if, if you're like filmmakers in Kansas, well we have a lot to, to show you.
Sydney Collins: There's more than you think.
Gus Applequist: Yeah. So thanks for tuning in.