The Artist Behind the Bar: Laura Clark's Coffee Journey

A Familiar Face in Kansas City Coffee

Laura Clark is a fixture in Kansas City's coffee scene. You might spot her by the window, sketching while her coffee cools, or behind the counter with a smile, ready to take your order. She could also be competing in a latte art throwdown, chatting with yet another friend from the coffee world. With her warm smile and relentless curiosity about coffee, Laura embodies much of what makes the local coffee community special.

Laura works as a barista trainer for two Kaldi's Coffee locations in Kansas City, a job she loves. Outside the bar, she creates playful, colorful illustrations inspired by artists such as Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein. Recently, she has been making personal gifts for friends—like the detailed phoenix she is drawing for Jeff Taylor, co-owner of PT's and a new father. As both an artist and a barista, Laura contributes happily to the KC coffee scene, though her path into the industry was not easy.

From Youth Group to Culinary School

Back in the Kansas suburbs of Kansas City, Laura spent time in coffee shops with her church youth group and decided she wanted to open a coffeehouse. In high school, she completed a two-year culinary arts program accredited by the James Beard Foundation, aiming to offer a quality food menu in her future shop.

Coffee, however, can be an exclusive culture despite its global popularity. Laura applied at nearly every coffeehouse in Kansas City, showing up with her hopeful smile, but never gained traction. When her previous job at a frozen yogurt shop led to an opening at the first frozen yogurt/coffeeshop hybrid for the national chain Scooters, she seized the chance. At last, she was serving coffee—and she fell in love with it.

An illustration by Laura Clark.

Finding a Coffee Family at Homer's

Laura became a regular at Homer's, one of Kansas City's most iconic second-wave coffeehouses. When a friend who worked there quit, Laura joined the staff and found what she still describes as a large, coffee-centric family. "I still see the regulars—they ask how I'm doing, I ask about their grandkids . . ." she says.

Competition and a Trip to Melbourne

While at Homer's, Laura entered the 2013 Big Central Barista Competition for the first time. She brought a whipped cream charger filled with cream infused with Guatemala La Voz espresso from local roaster E.F. Hobbs, candied ginger, and cherries, then topped the cream with sparkling water and an orange peel—a nod to her culinary training. She did not place, but she did go to Melbourne (see below). The following year, competing for her new company, Kaldi's, her drink was simpler but still ginger-centric—a fascination she credits to her mother's Korean heritage. On stage, she reduced a simple syrup with ginger, brown sugar, Madagascar vanilla, and dried figs. She pulled Panama Elida Estate espresso directly onto three grams of the reduction and offered the judges a cinnamon stick to stir the drink.

In 2013, Laura was humble enough to fill out every part of Natvia's bingo card during the barista competition, when many baristas did not bother. She won big: an all-expenses-paid trip to the World Barista Championship in Melbourne, where she coincidentally watched fellow Kansas Citian Pete Licata secure the WBC title. She still recalls the thrill of a stranger recognizing her there by her Instagrammed shoes—white TOMS she had partially dyed in coffee and inscribed with "Melbourne" and "Australia." Her irrepressible hope and joy carved out a place for her among the swirl of world coffee people, and she returned home newly inspired for her coffee career.

Building a Unique Place in Coffee and Art

Laura is crafting a unique space for herself, and she is open about hoping to open her own coffeehouse someday. For now, she stays busy with coffee and art: menu boards for the new KC shop Crows Coffee and for her Kaldi's locations, a Caffeine Crawl poster collaboration with designer Jason Burton of The LAB, and art gifts that travel across the states, bringing joy wherever they land. Her simple philosophy, "everyone loves art," applies to the cups of coffee she serves daily, the work of art she is shaping from her own life, and the art she grows increasingly confident in creating.