Flatland and The Recommended Daily Launch a New Partnership Today A Note From RD's Founder on the Year Ahead

Hi,

My name is Jonathan Bender and I’m writing to you between bites of a pastrami sandwich and sips of iced coffee. If I can ever devise a harmonica-like device that hangs from my neck and allows me to do both, you’ll get the notice about my Kickstarter. Until then, we’ll just make do with the hands that are typing this post.

I wanted to take a moment to talk about a new partnership that officially launches today and tell you a little bit about myself. The partnership is between the Recommended Daily, a digital food and drink publication that I launched two years ago and KCPT. As part of that partnership, the Recommended Daily’s stories about the eating and drinking scene of Kansas City will appear exclusively online and on-air with KCPT, KCPT’s digital magazine, Flatland, and The Bridge in 2016.

We’ve been working together for the past year on Flatland with a weekly Friday story, as well as Today’s Special, a digital video series about the tastes and tastemakers in Kansas City. And now, we’re going to be working together in a bigger capacity to bring you, the reader, more stories about the people and places that define how and what we eat and drink. I am incredibly excited to collaborate with the talented folks at KCPT, Flatland, The Bridge, and the Hale Center for Journalism.

We’re going to tell stories in a variety of different ways and get to the heart of KC’s culinary scene. We’ll also throw a few events together. These will be engaging evenings centered on unique food and drink experiences — one of the bedrocks of the Recommended Daily.

As for me, I’ve been a journalist for 15 years (the last eight in Kansas City). I’m also the author of three books — Lego: A Love Story, Cookies & Beer, and Stock, Broth & Bowl. I’ve judged the American Royal, but have yet to tackle a plastic Kansas City Royals’ hat filled with nachos. My wedding drink is a Greyhound. I remain hopeful that one day half-sour pickles will appear on a KC menu. I also take great pride and feel fortunate to write about the place where I live.

Tell me/us what you’re hungry to read. We’ll make sure that we keep your tablets and feed full.

Cheers,

Jonathan Bender