A tortilla shop with a three-ingredient corn recipe won the 2023 James Beard Award for Outstanding Bakery. Corn, lime, and water.
That’s the whole list, and it took home one of the biggest honors in American food.
The masa gets ground on hand-carved volcanic stones. That method traces back thousands of years to Mesoamerica.
Then there are the Sonoran-style flour tortillas, made with pork leaf fat or avocado oil.
I love that this story starts with a homesick craving. One founder missed the fresh tortillas from her childhood in Sonora, Mexico.
She couldn’t find them in Missouri, so she started making them herself.
I can’t imagine a better reason to open a bakery. So what does a tortilla need to do to earn a national award?
Quite a lot, it turns out.
The Award That Put Tortillas On The Bakery Map
Tortillas rarely get trophies, which makes this one extra fun. Yoli Tortilleria won the 2023 James Beard Award for Outstanding Bakery, one of the top honors in American food.
The road there started a year earlier. In 2022, Yoli became the first tortilla bakery ever nominated for any James Beard Award, landing as a semifinalist for Outstanding Baker.
That’s a big deal for a food many people grab off a grocery shelf without a second thought. The win told the whole country that tortillas belong in the same conversation as bread and pastry.
Co-founder Marissa Gencarelli spoke from the heart when she accepted the award. She explained that the business became a way to connect with and honor her ancestors.
I believe that’s why the win feels so personal. Baking turned into a source of comfort for her, and every package carries that family history.
The award also brought a rush of new fans to Kansas City. Stock was hard to keep up with right after the win, so the little Westside shop suddenly became a true Missouri food destination.
Three Ingredients And A Whole Lot Of Ancient Know-How
Corn, lime, and water make up every corn tortilla here. Nothing else sneaks onto the label, not even gums or softeners.
The magic comes from nixtamalization, a Mesoamerican method that goes back thousands of years. Non-GMO corn cooks with food-grade lime, then gets rinsed before grinding.
Next comes the stone part, and yes, it’s literal. Hand-carved volcanic stones grind the corn into a soft masa that becomes each tortilla.
Color fans have options too. Yoli makes heirloom corn tortillas in white, yellow, red, and blue varieties, and blue corn on taco night feels like a small celebration.
A handy tip comes straight from the owner. Since these tortillas skip additives, heat them fast on a hot comal for about 15 to 20 seconds.
Microwave-and-hope won’t give you the same result. Treat them right, and you’ll taste why a tortilla with three ingredients can win a national award.
The corn tortillas are naturally gluten-free as well. Yoli opened its Westside shop partly to keep corn and flour tortilla production in separate spaces.
Pick Your Team: Pork Leaf Fat Or Avocado Oil
Flour tortillas from Sonora, Mexico, are thin, soft, and a little stretchy. Yoli Tortilleria makes them in that Sonoran style instead of the thicker Tex-Mex kind.
You get to pick your team at the counter. One version uses locally sourced pork leaf fat, while the other uses avocado oil.
Pork leaf fat is a traditional choice that brings rich flavor. The avocado oil version works nicely for anyone skipping pork.
Both styles came from a very personal place. Marissa grew up in Sonora and wanted the fresh tortillas she remembered from her childhood.
Kansas City didn’t have them, so she and her husband, Mark, decided to make them. Honestly, that’s the best kind of problem-solving.
Sonoran families often treat flour tortillas like everyday bread. Here, they get the same care as a fancy loaf from a French bakery.
Burrito lovers should note the bigger burro-size tortillas too. Those 12-inch rounds are made for wrapping up big fillings at home.
Warm one up for breakfast burritos and watch your weekend improve. A spare pack in the freezer means a good tortilla is always within reach.
Lunch Only Shows Up Three Days A Week, So Plan Around It
Tortillas are the stars, but Yoli Lonchería gives them a stage. This lunch counter runs Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Morning people get breakfast burritos with chorizo or a vegan filling. Mini burritos come stuffed with barbacoa, rajas, or chicken tinga.
Want something heartier? Enchiladas arrive in chicken or vegetarian versions, with arroz rojo and refried beans also on the menu.
Queso makes the list, and the beans come in a vegan option too. Seasonal soups rotate in, which gives you a reason to check back.
Vegans and vegetarians have more choices than you might expect. The vegan breakfast burrito, veggie enchiladas, and vegan beans make a full plate possible.
Short on time? Grab-and-go burritos make it easy to fuel up and keep moving.
Mark Thursday through Saturday on your calendar for lunch. Other open days focus on the retail shelves and bakery case.
Everything here wraps in the same award-winning tortillas sold at the counter. That means lunch doubles as a tasty preview of what to take home.
Save Room For Cookies Made With Masa
Masa in a cookie sounds like a dare, but it works. The bakery case at Yoli Tortilleria proves corn can go sweet.
Coricos come first on my wish list. These gluten-free cookies are made with heirloom masa, so they connect straight back to the tortillas.
Sweet tooths with gluten concerns get a real win here. Coricos give them a cookie that doesn’t feel like a compromise.
Then there are Coyotas, the Sonoran-style hand pies. Fillings include piloncillo, cajeta, or guava, depending on what’s available.
Piloncillo is an unrefined cane sugar with deep, caramel-like flavor. Cajeta is a thick, sweet caramel made from goat’s milk.
The Maizo Cookie sounds like a late-night idea that turned out brilliant. It combines brown butter, fermented masa, and Mexican dark chocolate, then finishes with sea salt.
I like how these treats stretch the bakery label in a clever way. They remind everyone that the award said Outstanding Bakery for a reason.
Pick up a few for the drive home. Or accept now that they won’t make it past the first red light.
Chips And Salsa That Deserve Their Own Fan Club
Totopos are crispy corn tortilla chips, and Yoli turns them into a full lineup. Flavors include Sea Salt, Macha Morita, and Chamoy.
Sea Salt keeps things classic. Chamoy brings a tangy, sweet-and-spicy twist that’s famous in Mexican snacks.
Morita chiles are smoke-dried jalapeños with a fruity kick. That gives the Macha Morita flavor a deep, smoky edge.
Salsa macha is an oil-based salsa packed with dried chiles. It’s more of a drizzle than a dip, and it can wake up almost anything.
Two macha choices on one shelf make a fun side-by-side tasting at home. Pair one with Sea Salt chips and see which team you join.
These make great gifts for the food lover who has everything. A bag of chips and a jar of salsa beats another candle any day.
Stock up when you visit. Your future snack self will thank you, probably around 9 p.m. on a weeknight.
Swing By The Westside Before 4 P.M.
Kansas City’s Westside is home to the Yoli retail shop. You’ll find it at 1668 Jefferson Street, Kansas City, MO 64108.
Timing matters here. The shop opens Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday and Monday are closed, so skip the Monday taco run. Saturday’s earlier opening is great for early birds.
Shelves stock tortillas, chips, salsas, and bakery treats. A cooler of homemade aguas frescas rotates through seasonal flavors, alongside Mexican sodas.
Aguas frescas are light fruit drinks that taste like summer in a cup. A cold one pairs nicely with a mini burrito at lunch.
Good to know: the main manufacturing headquarters sits elsewhere and isn’t open to the public. Jefferson Street is the place to shop in person.
Fresh goods can sell out, so earlier is smarter. Arriving early gives you the best shot at your favorites.
I like that this neighborhood shop feels like the heart of the whole operation. It’s where Missouri fans can see the award-winning tortillas up close.
No Kansas City Trip Planned? The Tortillas Can Travel
Distance doesn’t have to stand between you and a great tortilla. Select Yoli products ship nationwide, so fans far from Missouri can stock up.
The packaging gets thoughtful treatment too. Back in 2020, Yoli switched to compostable shipping materials after customers raised concerns about waste.
That kind of listening says a lot about a business. It also means your tortilla box won’t leave a mountain of foam behind.
Out in Kansas, Yoli shows up at the Overland Park Farmers’ Market. Look for the booth on Saturdays from April through November.
Soccer fans have a tasty option as well. Yoli is a restaurant partner at CPKC Stadium, home of the Kansas City Current.
During events, the stadium menu includes totopos, nachos, and quesadillas. Watching a match with a Yoli taco sounds like a pretty great afternoon.
Shipping is also a smart gift move. A box of heirloom corn tortillas makes a fun surprise for a cooking-loving friend in another state.
Freeze extras when they arrive. That way a fresh-tasting taco night is always ready to go.
A Name That Means To Live, And A Mission To Match
Yoli is an Aztec word meaning to live. The founders tied it to a big idea: living adventurously as seekers of authentic, handcrafted foods.
The business began in 2017 as KCMEX Tortilleria. Marissa and Mark Gencarelli wanted to fix what they called a tortilla desert in Kansas City.
In early 2018, they renamed it Yoli Tortilleria. The new name better reflected the traditional nixtamal process at the heart of everything.
The Yoli icon honors Marissa’s mother, an American with a deep love for Mexican culture. I find that a sweet tribute baked right into the logo.
Sustainability matters here too. In 2024, the Westside shop partnered with Zero Foodprint to help local farmers build healthy soil and restore carbon.
Yoli also supports groups like the Girl Scouts and Girls on the Run. The goal is to inspire future women leaders, which fits a business co-founded by a determined baker from Sonora.
Local Midwest ingredients and seasonal flavors show up across the shelves. Put it all together, and this Missouri tortilla shop earns every bit of its shiny award.
