James Beard Award winner will open a Kansas City lunch spot. Here’s what to know

Yoli Tortilleria, the James Beard Award-winning tortilla bakery on Kansas City’s West Side, is opening a new concept in its 1668 Jefferson St. space: Yoli Loncheria.

“I’ve always been personally drawn to the little lunch spots you see all over Mexico, whether it’s a fonda or a loncheria,” said Marissa Gencarelli, who founded Yoli with her husband, Mark, in 2017. “I wanted to do something fun and traditional here in Kansas City that I felt represented that culture.”

The masa-centric menu will vary, Gencarelli said. She mentioned tlacoyos (“It’s like a pupusa, filled with beans and cheese — it will probably be a regular vegetarian or vegan option”) and tetelas, which are similar but triangle-shaped. Burritos (chorizo and barbacoa), tortas, and soups will likely also be in the mix.

The Jefferson Street location currently functions as a retail space for Yoli (the flour machines for the tortillas have been moved to the company’s manufacturing facility at 31st and Bell streets). A quick redesign will make room for a small bar and two tables — enough for about eight seats, plus a few more spots on the patio. Customers will be able to get lunch to go as well.

It could be the start of something more ambitious for Yoli, though. Gencarelli said that in the longer term, she’d eventually like to transition the Jefferson Street location into a space for comida corrida, a three-course midday meal with roots in Mexico’s work culture in the early 20th century.

“It’s a seasonal, set menu where you always get some sort of soup, some carbs like rice or beans, and then a main,” Gencarelli said. “In Mexico, lunch is our main meal, and (comida corrida) is made to taste kind of like mom or grandma cooked it.”

Gencarelli said she expects Yoli Loncheria will open at the end of September. Hours to start will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday through Saturday.

“Once we get the hang of things, we’ll expand which days we’re open, and eventually hours too,” she said. “It all depends on the reception.”