IHOP’s Higher Grounds becomes Café Main on Red Bridge
By D’Ann Dreiling
Photos by Kady Weddle
Are you a caffeinator, coffeeholic, cafephile or simply enjoy a good cup of coffee? Then your next stop on Kansas City’s hit parade of coffee shops is a visit to the newly opened Café Main at 3523 E. Red Bridge Rd. at the site of the former Higher Grounds shop.
Colin Dwyer, and brother Joel Friedrich
behind the counter in their Grandview
location.
Brothers Joel and Jonathan Friedrich and partner Colin Dwyer say they discovered the secret to brewing a delicious cup of roasted coffee by trial and error, working closely with Anthem Coffee Imports on research and cuppings.
Cupping is a tasting process which involves pouring hot water over fresh roasted and ground coffee beans in a cup, observing the aroma, slurping the coffee from a spoon to spread the flavor along the tongue, and then spitting into a spittoon.
“This enables us to select the best beans for our café, says Joel. “Most of our beans come from Brazil or Columbia, but that can change from month to month depending on the crop.” He says the shop’s most popular drink is the pour over, but they also offer lattes, cappuccinos, espressos and beans by the package, as well as certain teas. And if you’re interested in breakfast or lunch, the café offers an assortment of house-made pastries and sandwiches.
All three owners attended International House of Prayer University with the intention of serving in the church ministry. When the original Café Main in Grandview went on the market, however, they saw an opportunity to serve their church in a different capacity by creating a neighborhood community gathering place. They moved from Grandview’s Main Street to 12905 S. 71 Highway after two years, but still welcome their old customers. Now, with a second location on Red Bridge Road, “We’re really busy.”
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If you’d like to give your home-brewed coffee some extra zip in the morning, try adding my own seasonal flavored syrup recipe and get out the pumpkin carving knife. You’ll be ready to make a jack-o’-lantern to celebrate autumn.
Here’s the dish….
Pumpkin Spice Syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup pumpkin purée
- 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- 3 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Combine water and sugar in a small pot over medium heat until boiling and sugar has dissolved. Reduce heat and add remaining ingredients, stirring two to three minutes until well mixed. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
To serve:
Add 3 or 4 tablespoons of heated syrup to a cup of hot coffee.