A new bakery from one of Kansas City's most decorated culinary couples opened its doors August 11 at Mission Farms in Leawood. Cornflower Baked Goods, the solo pastry venture from James Beard semifinalist pastry chef Megan Garrelts, held its grand opening at noon, offering scratch-made sweets, coffee, and grab-and-go lunch items at 10555 Mission Road.
The bakery marks Garrelts' first dedicated space built entirely around her own creations, according to KCTV. It sits right next to Rye, the Midwestern comfort-food restaurant Garrelts co-owns with her husband, chef Colby Garrelts, and it does double duty as the central production hub supplying Rye's pies, cinnamon rolls, and pastries. Cornflower's menu includes pies and cinnamon rolls.
A Menu Built on Nostalgia and Technique
Diners can expect chocolate devil's food cake, lemon meringue and strawberry rhubarb pies, strawberry shortcake cinnamon rolls, banana bread, spring berry chantilly, signature brownies, seven-layer bars, and raspberry almond apricot tarts, per KCTV's reporting. The bakery has said it blends familiar comfort with refined technique for daily rituals and special occasions. Savory options include everything scones with creamed leeks, seasonal quiches, and grab-and-go lunch sandwiches.
Beverage offerings round out the shop, with a drink menu featuring Arkansas-based Onyx Coffee & Tea alongside curated retail items and canned cocktails. That coffee partner, per KC Daily, was named the top coffee shop in the world in 2026. Cornflower is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and weekends from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
From Chicago Kitchens to Kansas City's Dining Scene
Megan and Colby Garrelts first crossed paths in Chicago while working at the fine-dining restaurant Tru, where Colby was a sous chef and Megan worked in the pastry kitchen, according to Andrew Zimmern. Megan hails from a Chicago suburb and recalled picking cherries as a child.
The couple went on to open Bluestem, an acclaimed fine-dining restaurant in Kansas City's Westport neighborhood, which they ran for 17 years before closing it for good in December 2020, per background from Wikipedia. During its run, Megan Garrelts received a James Beard Foundation semifinalist recognition in 2008, while Colby Garrelts won Best Chef: Midwest in 2013 and was named a Top 10 Best New Chef by Food & Wine back in 2005.
Rye's Roots and a Growing Local Footprint
The Garreltses opened Rye in Leawood's Mission Farms in December 2012, then expanded with a second location on Kansas City's Country Club Plaza in late 2017, according to Rye's own history. Beyond the restaurants, their culinary work includes the cookbook bluestem, the cookbook in 2011 and Made in America: A Modern Collection of Classic Recipes. In October 2022, they were also named official chef partners for the Kansas City Current NWSL soccer team, consulting on food and beverage concepts at CPKC Stadium.
Cornflower Baked Goods now extends that footprint with a standalone retail storefront built around Megan Garrelts' pastry vision, giving Leawood shoppers and Rye regulars alike a dedicated stop for scratch-made sweet and savory items just steps from the restaurant that made the Garreltses local staples.
