OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - If you like the freshness of farmer's markets, Farm to Market Neighborhood Café serves up good coffee, great soups and fresh sandwiches, along with a sense of belonging.
They are located just beneath the clock tower in Downtown Overland Park. Stop in once, and they promise you'll never be a stranger. "Well it's probably trite to say, but I think we try to serve up a smile,” says co-owner Ed Stankard. “We try to make sure that they know that they're welcome here."Co-owners Ed and Bernadette Stankard have been married for 37-years. They say they've always gone against the grain. In the case of Farm to Market Café, they partnered with the grain. They serve up their pal Mark Friend's specialty line of Farm to Market Breads. “We use his bread exclusively,” Ed Stankard says. “And we also sell his bread in the Farmer's Market every Saturday. We'll sell in a matter of three hours as many as 300 loaves of his bread.”With recipes from Bernadette and staff, they're proud of the fact that this is not a cookie cutter operation. "They fell comfortable making substitutions and additions. And they'll ask for certain things to make it their sandwich," Bernadette Stankard says. Ed adds “Because we're not grinding out sandwiches. Each of what we do is made specifically for the person in front of us."Bernadette and Ed opened the café after years in other arenas such as non-profits and advertising. They say this just came along at the right time in life. As for what the future holds? They say they’re not sure. They’ll enjoy this for the time being. However if and when they do move on to something else, they’ll make sure they left their mark on Downtown Overland Park. “I’m a non-profit junkie,” Ed says. “I wouldn’t feel good, I don’t think, just take, take, take… I have to know what we’re doing is contributing to the betterment.”
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