southmoreland
SOUTHMORELAND ON THE PLAZA
KANSAS CITY
by ELIZABETH HEY

“TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN, SIX, FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE!”

More than 200,000 people chant in unison, and, with the flip of a switch, 80 miles of lights flicker to life. Turrets glow in rainbow hues; balconies, bell towers and rooftops dazzle with color; and trees shimmer with swirls of light. Kansas City natives and tourists pose for pictures and window shop as Christmas melodies fill the air.

After the ceremony, guests, friends and family of Mark and Nancy Reichle, owners of Southmoreland on the Plaza, stroll back to the Colonial Revival inn. Every inch of the antique four-plank harvest table is covered with more than 30 pies, 18 different types in all. Partygoers mingle around the dessert buffet, talking and laughing while loading their plates with favorites such as lemon crème and the inn’s signature Harvest Pie, chock full of Granny Smith apples, cinnamon and cranberries and crowned with a buttery walnut topping.

Ten years ago, the Reichle’s followed their dream and traded corporate offices for an upscale bed and breakfast. As innkeepers, with family visiting from both coasts for Thanksgiving, the couple started a tradition that’s gained momentum.

“The first year my family came from California, we were trying to figure out how to have our Thanksgiving dinner and include our guests at the same time,” says Mark. “So we compromised with dessert.”

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Early Thanksgiving week, relatives arrive and serious pie baking begins. Mark’s sister-in-law, Bonnie, flies boysenberries in a cooler from California, and his Uncle Louis and Aunt Martha drive from Alberta, Canada, bringing special pie tins for Martha’s rhubarb pie. Nancy’s mother from Buffalo, N.Y., whips up a longstanding apple recipe, and her sister’s family from Long Island takes over the kitchen while the kids help make traditional pumpkin pies. Unofficially, the clan competes to see whose creation will be eaten first by the 100 or so people who attend the pie fest.

This year, the Reichle’s have realized another dream. Their cookbook, Tried & True: Southmoreland on the Plaza’s Recipes by Request, will be published before Christmas. When the Reichle’s bought the inn, the former owners lamented that they had not compiled a cookbook.

“I ashamedly admit that we were almost smug when we saw it on their list,” says Nancy. “We thought, after all those years, and still no cookbook?”

After taking over, Mark announced in a 1999 newspaper interview that he planned to produce a cookbook within the year.

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“He has bemoaned that overambitious statement ever since,” says Nancy. “Reality hit—customers and maintenance came first.”

That newspaper article hangs framed on the veranda wall, and, since day one, guests have asked when the cookbook would be ready. Each year, the Reichle’s thought they answered honestly when they replied, “soon, very soon. “

Until now, the Reichle’s frequently e-mailed favorite dishes to customers and talked through recipes by phone. Mid-April to mid-October, Mark spearheads a Saturday barbeque breakfast on the patio featuring molasses brine pork chops and French toast from the grill, stuffed with peaches and smothered in maple pecan bourbon syrup. In 2004, Southmoreland’s breakfast was featured twice on The Food Network’s show, BBQ with Bobby Flay.

The cookbook’s 135 recipes include a dozen pies and the inn’s traditional Christmas morning breakfast from the outdoor grill: eggs benedict with grilled salmon, homemade toasted gingerbread and grilled pears topped with caramel sauce.

“At the beginning, I didn’t realize how much we would be interconnected with our guests,” explains Mark, “but many are here year after year during the holiday season. The Plaza is magical during the holiday season, and it’s a real joy for our guests to experience it for the first time or refresh their childhood memories of the lights.”
For more information, visit www.southmoreland.com.