Feeding the Feed Meet the 2025 Kansas City Restaurant Association’s Influencer of the Year finalists
Kansas City’s restaurant scene has never been better, and a talented group of local creators is making sure to get the word out. Each year, the Missouri Restaurant Association’s Kansas City chapter recognizes content creators who help capture our city’s thriving dining scene. Their feeds, brimming with genre-bending dishes, chef spotlights and mouthwatering video roundups, are fueling our city’s culinary revolution. Each creator brings something unique to the table, and they’re shaping the way food lovers experience KC, one post at a time. Get to know the nominees before the winner is announced at the Missouri Restaurant Association’s Blues & Brews Gala on January 3.
From Wichita, with Taste: Annie Bui
When Annie Bui moved to Kansas City from Wichita in 2018, the biggest issue wasn’t finding good food. It was finding space on her phone. “I was always a person that loved taking photos of my food,” she says. “My storage was just filling up with all of these new places. I was like, ‘You know what? I kind of want to put these somewhere,’ and that’s how my Instagram was created.”
Like many content creators who started posting pre-2020, the art of short-form video transformed everything, and that’s how Bui found her stride. Today, her content strikes a balance between what’s trending—from viral fruit pastries to Dubai chocolate brownies—and her personal passion for Asian-American cuisine, though she’s never afraid to branch out.
What Bui loves most about Kansas City’s food scene is its duality as a barbecue hotspot and as a hub for culinary creativity. “We have such a diverse food scene that’s always growing in combination with great traditional, family-owned spots.”
Current favorite: “Slow Rise doughnuts in Overland Park. I don’t mind waiting in line for them. I’m excited to see them open their brick-and-mortar.”
Wander and Dine: Neyan Babani
For Neyan Babani, Kansas City’s food scene looks even better through the lens of a seasoned traveler. While her Instagram account initially focused on her adventures abroad, her audience had other ideas. “When I would share local stuff, I would get so many questions,” she says. “‘Where is that? Can you share more?’ The message was clear: My followers wanted to see Kansas City.”
Her globetrotting perspective has sharpened her appreciation for what makes Kansas City special. “There’s a huge sense of pride from chefs and owners,” Babani says. Along the way, she has discovered plenty of connections between travels and home. Her approach keeps her exploring even familiar corners of the city while focusing on elevating the under-the-radar gems. “I love supporting local businesses and new concepts, especially when they’re different or new or they’re an overlooked spot.”
Current favorite: “Noka. When I visited Japan, the food there was absolutely amazing. So when I came back here and I tried Noka… Oh, my goodness. It was very similar to Japan. It was even better.”
Table for Two: Date Night KC
The start of Megan and Quentin Harrison’s foodstagram was more strategic than most. When Quentin’s virtual graduate program at the University of Southern California required a capstone project, he saw an opportunity to turn a shared passion into something bigger. Together, he and Megan created Date Night KC, which was part passion project (to document their favorite date spots), part academic case study in digital media management.
At the same time, their friends were constantly asking for restaurant recommendations, and the couple realized there was a gap to fill. “We felt there was something missing with the information on the videos that we were seeing of some restaurants,” Megan says. “So we wanted to give a more comprehensive picture of how the service was and label the food.”
The duo dives deep into Kansas City’s dining scene, spotlighting the chefs, bartenders and concepts that make each restaurant stand out. They also praise our city’s ability to go outside the box that the Midwest often lives in. “So many people have always thought of Kansas City as a barbecue community, which is phenomenal,” Quentin says. “But now we have so much more.”
Current favorites: “Baccaro Primo is definitely one of my favorite spots. Their pastas are always off the charts and so fresh,” Megan says. As for Quentin, “Scratch Gourmet Kitchen has really elevated within the last year. They brought in Sage Monet from Drastic Measures, and she’s done an amazing job transforming the cocktail list.”
Home, Reimagined: Katie McLiney Wiewel
When Katie McLiney Wiewel graduated from the University of Arkansas a semester early, returning to her hometown of Kansas City felt like a temporary setback. “None of my friends were back here yet, and I didn’t really want to be here,” she admits. “The place where you grow up, in your mind, is always the most boring place in the world.”
Instead of counting down the days until she could leave, Wiewel challenged herself to make the most of it and see her hometown with fresh eyes. She began posting about what she loved here on Instagram, and before she knew it, a decade had passed.
“There is just something about Kansas City, this entrepreneurial spirit that’s really embedded in the entire city,” she says. “Once you spend any amount of time here, it’s hard to want to leave.”
Her nomination for Influencer of the Year is especially meaningful in a city full of talented creators. “Kansas City has such a vibrant community of influencers, and being recognized among them feels like a true honor,” she says.
Current favorite: “The Easy Inn in Strawberry Hill. My grandparents met there in the ’60s. Their burgers are unbelievable.”
Mikita, Unfiltered: Mikita Burton
Mikita Burton’s content creation career started back in the mommy blogging days. “I started way, way back before social media, when you’d actually have to type the text and do the blogging,” she jokes. What began as chronicling kid-friendly activities around the city has evolved into being one of our most trusted food voices.
Burton’s approach sets her apart in an era of curated feeds and polished posts. “I am what you call an honest influencer,” she says. She tells it like it is, no sugarcoating. That authenticity, combined with her knack for spotting hidden gems, has earned her a loyal following. She also credits KC’s entrepreneurial spirit for fostering such a vibrant food community. “We have room for everyone,” she says. “If you have a dream, you can probably do it with a food truck or a pop-up.”
Her nomination for Influencer of the Year came as a surprise, but it means a lot. “It’s an honor because that means my little corner of the internet and my little world of Kansas City is reaching people, and they like to see it,” she says.
Current favorite: “Governor Stumpy’s has the best chocolate cake in the world. That’s literally what I’m having for my birthday next month.”
From Plans to Platform: Brenda Cortes
Brenda Cortes has always been the friend with the plan. For years, she’d been the one crafting weekend itineraries and scouting new restaurants for visiting friends. But it took a nudge from her now-fiancé to realize her gift could reach beyond her inner circle, prompting her to start sharing her experiences on TikTok.
The journey wasn’t always smooth. “I did give it up for a little bit just because I was getting no views,” Cortes says. But her persistence paid off—not just in followers but in the impact she’s had on the local dining scene. She often receives messages from restaurant owners crediting her viral videos with driving business booms and expansions.
Those success stories fuel Cortes’s passion for the evolving foodscape, and her mission goes beyond her feed. “It’s more than just posting content,” she says. “It feels like I am supporting my community, which is an incredible thing to do with a platform.”
Current favorite: “Chambre Coffee is a new matcha spot in Westport. I think they’re one of the best matchas I’ve had in Kansas City so far.”
The post Feeding the Feed Meet the 2025 Kansas City Restaurant Association’s Influencer of the Year finalists appeared first on Kansas City Magazine.
Recent Posts
GET MORE INFORMATION
