Something new is rising in Leawood, and it begins with butter, flour, and a story years in the making. This late spring, Mission Farms will welcome Cornflower Baked Goods, a bakery from James Beard Award–winning pastry chef Megan Garrelts that blends Midwestern nostalgia with a deeply personal point of view. For a community that has embraced Rye as a favorite, this next chapter feels like an exciting addition.
For Garrelts, this new venture reflects both a natural progression and a long-held idea. “Opening a bakery has honestly been in the back of my mind for a long time,” she shares. “As a pastry chef, that side of the kitchen has always been really important to me, and not every restaurant is built to fully support it.”
After more than a decade in Leawood with Rye, the need for a dedicated bakery space became clear. “We kept running into the same good problem, we simply didn’t have enough space to keep up with the demand for our desserts,” she says. When the space next door became available, the timing felt right. “Leawood made perfect sense because it’s already home for us. Cornflower is really an extension of that.”
Like her other concepts, Cornflower draws from the natural beauty of the Midwest. “Cornflower felt like a perfect fit for the bakery,” Garrelts explains. “It’s such a beautiful prairie flower, and it also holds a personal connection for me, it was part of my wedding bouquet.”
The bakery is designed as a grab-and-go space with limited seating and a small patio, creating a lighter, more casual experience. “The experience is meant to be a little quicker, but still warm and welcoming,” Garrelts says. An open kitchen invites guests to see the work behind each pastry. “It’s hard work, but it’s truly a labor of love.”
Recognition from the James Beard Foundation has helped shape her perspective as she builds this next chapter. “It’s always brought the focus back to intention and consistency, understanding what makes Midwestern desserts so special and how they make people feel,” she says. That idea continues to guide the menu at Cornflower, where familiar flavors are handled with care and precision. “We’re committed to high-quality ingredients, thoughtful execution, and creating desserts that feel both familiar and elevated.”
Guests will find signature pies, cinnamon rolls, and rotating seasonal offerings. Some items carry deeper meaning. “I’m especially excited to share our 7-layer bar, which comes from my mom’s recipe book,” Garrelts says. She has also developed a new brownie and what she describes as “the perfect blueberry muffin, oversized and stuffed full of bursting berries.”
Savory options will sit alongside the sweets, rounding out the menu with a mix of offerings. Milk bread will appear in several forms, along with scones and a small selection of sandwiches. One standout is “Madi’s Chicken Pesto Salad on our house-made focaccia,” named after her daughter. Even her son has weighed in on what should come next. “He’s been very clear that we need something with Nutella or peanut butter on the menu,” she says.
Seasonality continues to guide Garrelts’ approach. “Things just taste better when they’re in season, and that naturally guides how we build our menu throughout the year,” she explains. Local farmers and producers play an important role, with ingredients like heirloom peaches and local honey shaping both sweet and savory offerings. “It’s all about celebrating what’s around us and letting those ingredients shine.”
Garrelts also collaborated with local female artists and designers to bring Cornflower to life, incorporating custom details that reflect her personal aesthetic. “I love working with creative women, and having their artistry woven into the space makes it feel really personal,” she says.
As Cornflower Baked Goods prepares to open its doors, it feels destined to become part of Leawood’s everyday routine. Whether it is a morning coffee or grabbing something sweet or savory to go, the space is designed to welcome guests in with ease. With Garrelts’ thoughtful approach behind every detail, Cornflower is sure to become a place the community returns to again and again.