Green Dirt Opening East Crossroads Café, Cheese Shop in February

By Kevin Collison

Green Dirt Farm has set an opening date for its new venue in the East Crossroads and is promising a restaurant and cheese shop that should “reimagine the culinary landscape of Kansas City.”

The new Green Dirt on Oak is scheduled to open at 1601 Oak St. this February. It will include a restaurant, cheese-making operation, retail shop and this spring, a rooftop deck with views of downtown.

“We’re thrilled to bring our cheeses to our loyal fans and customers in Kansas City and create a unique experience for our community highlighting delicious mission-driven small-batch foods,” Sarah Hoffmann, Green Dirt founder and owner, said in a statement.

Feta is one of the many cheeses made by Green Dirt Farm. (Photo courtesy Green Dirt)

Hoffman started Green Dirt Farm in 2008 with a holistic approach to making cheese at her sheep dairy. She opened the Green Dirt café near Weston in 2016 to generate more business for her dairy farm.

“We’re a small, grass-based artisanal cheese maker,” she said in an earlier interview. “That fact is important, it forms the foundation of what we’re trying to do. We make truly fantastic cheese that takes care of the soil on our farm.”

The new East Crossroads venture is a collaboration between Sarah Hoffmann and Executive
Chef Oskar Arévalo, who joined Green Dirt Farm during the Covid pandemic and rapidly progressed to Head Cheesemaker, according to a press release.

The new East Crossroads Green Dirt on Oak will be located at 1601 Oak St.

Guests can enjoy a late breakfast and lunch service, a one-of-a-kind “cheese hour,” and exquisite fine dining experiences in the evenings, all of which showcase Green Dirt Farm’s renowned artisan cheeses, according to the release.

The restaurant also boasts a retail counter for locally-made items to take home and an event space for meetings and special occasions.

Guests also can witness the cheese-making process through unique viewing windows,
explore the cheese market, and even peek into the open kitchen, according to the release.

The café will seat about 70 people and will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner from 10 a.m. to close Wednesday through Friday, and 9 a.m to close Saturday and Sunday. Green Dirt will be closed Monday and Tuesday.