Page "Kansas City, Missouri" Paragraph 61

The classic Kansas City-style barbecue was an inner-city phenomenon that evolved from the pit of Henry Perry from the Memphis, Tennessee, area in the early 20th century and blossomed in the 18th and Vine neighborhood.

Arthur Bryant's was to take over the Perry restaurant and added molasses to sweeten the recipe.

In 1946 Gates and Sons Bar-B-Q was opened by one of Perry's cooks.

The Gates recipe added even more molasses.

Although Bryant's and Gates are the two definitive Kansas City barbecue restaurants they have just recently begun expanding outside of the Greater Kansas City Area.

Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue is well regarded by many both locally and nationally.

In 1977 Rich Davis, a psychiatrist, test-marketed his own concoction called K. C.

Soul Style Barbecue Sauce.

He renamed it KC Masterpiece and in 1986 he sold the sauce to the Kingsford division of Clorox.

Davis retained rights to operate restaurants using the name and sauce.