Hen House Celebrates Kansas City Area Store Opening with Cheese Carving Event

Hen House Market, based in Kansas City, Kan., celebrated the grand opening of its 75,000 square-foot flagship store at 11721 Roe in Leawood with a three-day cheese carving extravaganza with Sarah Kaufmann of Sarah Kaufmann Sculptures. Known as The Cheese Lady, Kaufmann holds the Guinness World Record for carving the largest cheese sculpture, weighing in at 925 pounds. She created sculptures from a 300-pound wheel of Wisconsin cheddar cheese, in addition to sculpting several 75- and 40-pound wheels. Designs included the Leawood City Seal and a Royals-themed carving.

Kaufmann, a Wisconsin native who has studios in Cincinnati and San Diego, was situated in Hen House Market’s new International Cheese Shop Aug. 31–Sept. 2. The department boasts the area’s largest variety of cheeses from around the world, say company officials, including Kansas City-area cheeses from artisans like Green Dirt Farm, Borgman’s Dairy Farm and Jisa’s Farmstead Cheese.

Hen House Market, which has received national recognition for its “Buy Fresh Buy Local” program that launched in 1998 and promotes significant health, environmental and economic benefits, sells fresh product from more than 150 local family farms. In season, fruits and vegetables from area growers are delivered to stores within 24 hours of being harvested.

“We literally have a farmers’ market in our stores across the metropolitan area seven days a week,” says Hen House Market and Ball’s Food Stores president David Ball. “This initiative goes back to the roots of my family’s store, which was started by my grandparents in 1923. My grandfather, Sidney, went to area farmers to purchase the freshest produce available. We continue that tradition today with Buy Fresh Buy Local.”

Other features of the Leawood Hen House Market include a full-service meat department stocked with dry-aged artisan beef and Certified Hereford Choice beef, exclusive to Hen House, and the area’s largest selection of poultry, pork and other meat products; the area’s largest ocean-fresh seafood selection, including product direct from fishing vessels each day; and Kansas City’s only fully kosher bakery.

Ball’s Food Stores, which includes 28 Hen House and Ball’s Price Chopper stores throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area, employs more than 3,200 teammates who are dedicated to providing the best products, including many from local growers, producers and food artisans and the highest level of customer service.