From an early age, standing side by side with her grandmother in the kitchen, Andrea Rainey has found comfort and catharsis in her love for baking. She’d always dreamt of owning her own bakery, but cooking had only been a hobby for Rainey, who worked as both an ICU and pediatric nurse for nearly 20 years.
In October of 2025, however, her dream became a reality when she opened Morning Rounds in the Crossroads (217 W 19 Terr., KCMO). “On the surface, there may not seem to be many parallels between health care and baking, but the comfort, nourishment and community we associate with food are also core tenets of nursing and caring for others,” Rainey says.
Rainey’s pastries, like flaky almond croissants and brown butter rosemary shortbread, are on par with some of the best in the city. And she opens her bakery earlier than most (at 5:30 am, to be exact) to help serve her fellow health-care professionals, whether coming off a night shift or heading in for the day.
Morning Rounds is cozy—a space for friends and family to gather, reflect and spend time, not unlike the “rounds” that nurses and health-care professionals make to support and nurture their patients, Rainey says.
