Growing up in KC, Max Kaniger saw food as a tool that brought people together. His father was a talented chef who owned the contemporary restaurant Venue on the Plaza before Café Trio moved in. But when the KC native began to travel overseas in his college years, he became acutely aware that not everyone had the same access to nutritious and affordable food as he did. When Kaniger returned home, he realized this wasn’t just an international problem, so he decided to do something about it. His nonprofit, Kanbe’s Markets, provides food to those who need a helping hand while also confronting another issue within our food system—the waste.
“We have too many people who don’t have access to healthy or real food, and we have too much food that’s going to waste,” Kaniger says. “So for me, the root cause is a distribution problem.”
Kanbe’s Markets is the first distribution model of its kind in the country. Kaniger and his team take donated or reclaimed produce that would otherwise be thrown away from wholesalers like Liberty Fruit Company and C&C Produce. They “triple inspect” it into a four-tiered system. Whatever is fit to be resold is mixed with other purchased produce and sold in coolers and baskets in for-profit convenience stores. In spots like Anchor Island Coffee on Troost or the Xpress Mart east of Highway 70, you can find a small corner dedicated to Kanbe’s produce. These businesses are located in what is considered a food desert, a USDA term that refers to an urban area without consistent access to fresh, healthy and affordable food anywhere within a half mile (although Kaniger says the discourse is stepping away from the term “food desert” in favor of others like “food swamp” or “low-income, low-access”).
Kaniger started Kanbe’s in 2018, selling its donated produce in four stores. Now, you can find its Healthy Corner Stores (the official name of the program) in more than 60 businesses. According to Kaniger, if he can sell his produce at over 130 locations, KC could be the first city in the nation without food deserts—a massive feat for our city and Kanbe’s sustainable model.
“It’s not that the communities that we serve need a hand out,” Kaniger says. “They need an equitable opportunity to provide for themselves. That’s what we’re working toward.”
Kaniger says working with the communities experiencing food insecurities and not against them is proving a successful model for his nonprofit. For example, Kaniger sells the produce on consignment so retailers are able to boost their bottom line, and he assumes all the risks usually associated with selling fresh food, like spoiling. Plus, inserting Kanbe’s Corner Stores into stores that already exist makes it more convenient for those who are frequent patrons and live within walking distance.
So, how can you help? Become a monthly donor through Kanbe’s website or attend an Ugly Dinner, the chef’s dinner series in which a local chef uses donated produce to create a coursed meal. And pat yourself on the back if you dined out during KC Restaurant Week: The dining event, put forth by the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association and Visit KC, picked Kanbe’s to receive this year’s charitable proceeds, a whopping donation of more than $100,000. Who says you can’t have fun while making a positive impact on the world?
Max Kaniger’s Perfect Day in KC
Breakfast: I love Mildred’s. The breakfast sandwich there is something I could eat every day. If I have a work meeting, I love Café Corazón. If I’m meeting a friend to catch up, then sitting on the sidewalk in front of Broadway Cafe is perfect.
Lunch: A perfect day wouldn’t be complete without chicken shawarma and a lemonade from Baba’s Pantry.
Fine Dining: If I’m going to treat myself, the food and the whole team at The Restaurant at 1900 is one of my favorite spots. But I also love the Antler Room. As for Café Sebastienne, I am so excited about all the new changes they are making. It was one of my first ever jobs in the restaurant industry. The new menu and team there are doing some wonderful things.
Nightcap: The Peanut on Main will always be one of my favorite spots in the whole city, but I am loving the cocktails at Fern Bar. Their crunch wrap is delicious.
