New Roots at Juniper Gardens Training Farm

HOST FARMERS: Cultivate KC | New Roots

GUEST CHEF: Johnny Leach | The Town Company

At the training fields of Cultivate KC’s New Roots program, farming is both livelihood and bridge between cultures. Located at the Juniper Gardens Training Farm just outside downtown Kansas City, the program supports refugee and immigrant farmers as they establish sustainable small farm businesses, bringing agricultural knowledge from their home countries to Midwestern soil. Each grower tends a small plot, cultivating fruits and vegetables using organic principles while learning the skills needed to sell at markets, supply restaurants, and build independent farm enterprises. The result is a patchwork of crops, languages, and traditions—an urban farm where resilience and community take root together.

Cooking from this bounty is Johnny Leach, executive chef of The Town Company in Kansas City’s historic Hotel Kansas City. A James Beard Award semifinalist multiple years running, Leach brings a style shaped by Oregon roots, years in New York kitchens like Del Posto and Momofuku, and a deep commitment to working directly with farmers. His cooking centers on hyper-seasonal ingredients and live-fire techniques, transforming local harvests into refined, modern dishes that celebrate the Midwest’s agricultural richness. For one evening at the long table, the flavors of many homelands and the harvest of Kansas City’s fields come together in a meal rooted in place and shared possibility.