Kansas Specialty foods

Kansas Specialty Foods

Kansas has many interesting specialty foods. Some are based on Kansas Agriculture, but more are inspired by the (usually) European Heritage of many of the immigrants to Kansas. This page was inspired by a wonderful meal I prepared at home using Krizman's smoked Polish sausage, Extra Inning's jalapeno mustard, and Porubsky's horseradish pickles.

Sadly, Extra Inning's no longer open. If we are going to keep these great Kansas institutions open, we must visit them often and encourage others to do the same.

Alma, Kansas - Alma Bakery and Sweet Shoppe once occupied an 1886 native stone building that had formerly housed the Wabaunsee County Bank, a general store and a barber shop. But they have since moved to a more functional, larger space up the side street. As soon as I walked through the bakery door, I knew I was going to like this place. Alma Bakery smells wonderful!
Alma, Kansas - Grandma Hoerner's Foods produces apple sauces, preserves, fruit butters, chutneys, barbecue sauces, salad dressings, salsas, and mustards in a facility that is just off of I-70 at exit 324. Grandma Hoerner's products are available through a variety of retail outlets, online, and at retail store in the Alma factory.
Bennington, Kansas - Prairie Lavender Farm grows over 4600 lavender plants including twelve varieties of lavender. The gift shop offers a wide range of lavender products including personal care, body care, specialty bath, and lavender plants, fire sticks, dried plants and buds. Culinary products include honey, tea, herbs, culinary lavender, ice cream and chocolate bars containing lavender oil, produced by Cocoa Dolce in Wichita.
De Soto, Kansas - Steve's Meat Market has been serving De Soto, Kansas and western Johnson County for 40 years. Steve's isn't just a full service meat market and deer processor, but prepares many specialty meats, including bratwurst, sausage, slim Jims, pickled pig's feet, and pickled polish sausage. They also provide a variety of fresh meat, raw bones, cooked bones and hooves for pets.
Dexter, Kansas - Henry's Candy Company was founded in Dexter in 1956. Operated by the same family for over 60 years, it was founded by Patrick Henry, the son of Tom Henry, who had the Peerless candy factory in Arkansas City, Kansas. The store moved from downtown Dexter to its current location in 1975. Henry family lore (repeated many places) is that he was the creator of the "Oh Henry Bar." There are multiple stories about the creation and naming of the early candy bar and you can choose whichever you like. Closing permamently in May 2024.
Durham, Kansas - Jason Wiebe Dairy is a family farm on the Santa Fe Trail near Durham, Kansas. They primarily sell their farm made cheese online and at assorted markets across Kansas, but will also sell the cheese at the farm by appointment. Their most popular cheese is the Cottonwood River Cheddar Reserve, an aged, raw milk cheese which contains tyrosine crystals.
Frontenac, Kansas - Pallucca's Meat Market and Deli in downtown Frontenac began as a grocery store in 1912 and the original family operated it until 2014. In addition to fresh meat, salads and deli sandwiches, Pelican's sells other prepared foods and has a small grocery area including some packaged Italian foods. House made items to take away include chili, Italian sausage, salami, meat balls, pimento cheese spread, beef stick, baked beans, ravioli, manicotti, spaghetti sauce and ham salad. We like their Italian sausage and beef sticks. My favorite item is their no bean version of the chili, which is great for chili dogs or chili fries!
Junction City, Kansas - Hildebrand Farms Dairy is a family business which started in 1930 and is operated today by the 3rd & 4th generations of the Hildebrand family. In addition to producing milk and beef, there is a farm store and tours. The farm and milk processing facility has tours on Tuesday through Saturday with advance reservations.
Kansas City, Kansas - The Bichelmeyer Meat Market in Kansas City, Kansas opened in 1946 and is operated today by Joe and Jim Bichelmeyer. In addition to being a full service butcher shop, the Bichelmeyers also raise cattle, and offer custom slaughtering, aging. and smoking. Bichelmeyer Meats smoke slim Jims, beef jerky, 12 kinds of sausage, 7 kinds of bacon , pork loin and pork chops. Open Tuesday through Saturday. 704 Cheyenne Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas 66105 (913) 342-5945
Kansas City, Kansas - Krizman's House of Sausage has been producing ethnic sausages since 1939 and supplies a number of Kansas City restaurants. Although Krizman's has a Croatian heritage, they also produce a number of other ethnic sausages and knockwurst. Open Tuesday through Saturday. 424 North 6th Street - (913) 371-3185.
Kansas City, Kansas - Spicin Foods (Originally Juan Specialty Foods) in the Rosedale District of Kansas City began production in 1997 and creates specialty sauces, salsas, snacks and dips for wholesale, retail and private label customers. There is a factory outlet store and parts of the factory can be viewed through windows near the store. Spicin Foods produces 150 of their own products and over 1500 private label products for companies throughout the world.
Leawood, Kansas - Fritz's Smoked Meats opened in 1927, and has been at this location since 1969. Four generations of Fritz Plapp's family have operated the popular store. Fritz's produces and sells many varieties of sausages, as well as hams, turkeys, brisket and ribs. Our family likes the sausages, particularly the Jalepeño Cheddarwurst, BBQ Pork and Hot Polish. They also serve sandwiches and prepare hot ribs, sausages, chicken and brisket on the smoker in front of the store. Shipping available
Lecompton, Kansas - Kroegers Country Meats & Deli is on Highway K-1029 passing through Lecompton, Kansas. Kroegers is a friendly, family run market that has been in operation for 25 years. Kroegers Country meats makes two varieties of beef jerky and several varieties of sausage. Robin Kofford grind's Kroegers own hamburger which can be purchased cooked or by the pound. Kroegers sell other sausages, bacon, smoked pork chops and ham from Fanestil Packing in Emporia. Kroegers meat products are great.
Lenora, Kansas - Stephanie and Doug David, of Bow Creek Ranch, raise Angus cattle, yak, and long haired heritage pigs. They sell meat by appointment at the ranch, but primarily sell the meat and yak hair/hide clothing at shows and online. Our favorite item was the yak sticks.
LeRoy, Kansas - Luther's Smokehouse is one of Kansas' fairly little known gems. A restaurant & convenience store in a fun old building, and a modern smokehouse next door. Luther's smokehouse produces several varieties of beef, buffalo & turkey jerky, buffalo sausage, and pemmican (lean buffalo roasts ground tender & dried - preserved with raisins).
Manhattan, Kansas - Call Hall on the Kansas State University campus has housed the KSU Dairy Processing Plant since 1964. It also has the Dairy Bar where ice cream, milk, cheese, meat and sandwiches are sold to the public. The Call Hall Dairy Bar carries 40 different flavors of ice cream, but only about half are available at a given time. One of the popular flavors in Purple Pride, which is named for K-State University and is actually blueberry ice cream. My personal favorite is Irish Cream. The meat section has beef, pork, and lamb plus seasonal items such as smoked turkey, smoked hams, summer sausage, barbeque beef, barbeque pork, wildcat loaf and cheese & meat boxes.
Merriam, Kansas - Russell Sifers Candy Company produces just one product, Valomilk chocolate cream cups. The Sifer family began making candy in Iola, Kansas in 1903. It takes a little effort to purchase Valomilk, but it can be found at Cracker Barrel restaurants, Price Chopper & Hen House grocery stores, the nearby Merriam Hardware and several online sources.
Mission, Kansas - Werner's Specialty Foods has been selling their own handmade sausages since 1973. The market offers a variety of German and Scandinavian style, or imported grocery products. The market is open Monday through Saturday. On Saturdays, Werner's grills several of their own sausages outside the store sells them on a bun. On Thursday's at lunch time they grill just one of them, rotating which one each week.
Overland Park, Kansas - Andre's Confiserie Suisse and Rivaz Tearoom in Overland Park, Kansas makes high quality chocolate candies, French pastries & tortes and service light authentic Swiss lunches. Andre and Elsbeth Bollier immigrated from Basel, Switzerland to Kansas City in June of 1955, and opened typical a Swiss Confiserie south of the Country Club Plaza at 5018 Main Street in Kansas City, Missouri in October of that year. Andre's quickly became a Kansas City tradition. Andre's daughter Brigitte and husband Kevin opened Andre's Confiserie Suisse in Overland Park, Kansas in 2002.
Overland Park, Kansas - After 5 years of selling hand crafted sausages from their Wiener Wagon mobile cart at the Overland Park Farmers Market, husband & wife team, Dave Derr & Jessica Rush opened Wiener Kitchen at the end of 2017. The menu is limited with 4 breakfast items and 7 sandwiches, plus chili and specials. Breakfast is served until 10AM, but the sandwiches are available anytime the Wiener Kitchen is open.
Sawyer, Kansas - Family Food Store is a combination bakery, deli, specialty food store operated by the Wolf family, who are members of the Old German Baptist Brethren. This is a good place to get a meal and a great place to fill a cooler to take home items such as pie, candy, take-and-bake casseroles and pizza. Get there early to try the day's freshly homemade ice cream.
Topeka, Kansas - Little Russia Chili Parlor opened in November 2022 in the space which was the home of C.W. Porubsky Grocery and Meats from 1947 until May 2022. The new owners have discontinued the market, but tried to keep much the same deli menu. They do not have Porubsky's recipes, but have their own take on the popular items such as chili, pickles, ham salad and pimento spread. None of the products would be mistaken for the old, but I enjoyed all of them.
Topeka, Kansas - Rees Fruit Farm and cider mill, near Topeka, Kansas, has been operated by the Rees family since 1901. They grow 24 different varieties of apples which are hand picked. Rather than select a combination of apples that they believe will produce the finest cider, they change the mix of apples through the season and Rees apple cider tastes different at different times through the season. The Rees family grows asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries, gooseberries, tomatoes, raspberries, cherries, blackberries, squash, peaches, nectarines, peaches, apples, grapes and pumpkins. They also distribute honey, preserves and baked goods.
Whitewater, Kansas - Grazing Plains Farm is a 5th generation Mennonite dairy farm, southeast of Newton with two artisan cheese makers. It is a working farm, but customers are welcome to carefully look around while not disturbing the workers. The farm has its own dairy store, a closet sized room with a refrigerator and freezer where they sell cheeses and raw milk. It is not staffed, so customers calculate the the amount owned and leave the cash in a sealed metal milk can.
Wichita, Kansas - The Nifty Nut House was established in 1937 and is currently run by the third generation of the Jahn family. The Nifty Nut House moved across the parking lot in 2018, expanding the size of the store to 10,000 square feet. The Nut House is known for making their own fudge, roasting their own nuts, and selling several hundred products in bulk by the quarter pound or more, as well as having the walls lined with favorites like Moon Pies and candy cigarettes. You will find candies that you haven't seen for years.
Williamsburg, Kansas - Pome on the Range Orchard and Winery near Williamsburg, Kansas has a country store which offers produce, fruits, cider, their own wine, products from Kansas producers such as, nuts, jams, and Alma Cheese. During the season, there is also pick your own vegetables and fruits. Just off I-35 at Exit 176 .
Yoder, Kansas - This small farming community south of Hutchinson is largely made up of Mennonite and Amish families. Yoder Meats is best known for many unusual cuts and types of meats, but they also sell other locally produced Amish candies, cheese and baked goods. Open Monday - Saturday 8 AM - 8 PM - (800) 952-6328

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