A Wichita bakery and lunch spot leaves its building of 15 years, opens inside Botanica

A Wichita cookie shop that had developed a reputation as a destination for people in search of a quick lunch has moved after more than 15 years in the same spot.

And now, it’s getting new customers at one of Wichita’s most popular cultural destinations.

KT Cookie Co., which opened at 1908 W. 13th St. in 2004, packed up and moved out of that Riverside spot on the last day of March. The rent was being raised, owner Ann Shaeffer said, and she decided she couldn’t stay.

In the meantime, she said, she heard from a friend that Botanica was looking for an outside vendor to take over its tiny Garden Cafe, which it added in 2015 but had run internally.

The timing worked out, Shaeffer said, and on June 8 — shortly after Botanica reopened from its COVID-19 shutdown — Shaeffer opened her business there, too.

She’s calling the new cafe, which operates just inside Botanica’s main entrance, KT Cookie Cafe & Bakery. In addition to baked goods like cookies, brownies and cinnamon rolls, it’ll also sell the boxed lunch items that became popular at the 13th Street location — things like barbecue pulled pork sandwiches, chicken salad sandwiches, smoked turkey sandwiches and burgers. The cafe also sells three different salads and offers coffee and smoothies.

It’s open any time Botanica is open, Shaeffer said, with the exception of Sundays, when the cafe is closed.

Kathy Wyatt was the original owner of the cafe, Shaeffer said, and eventually, the two partnered up. Shaeffer bought Wyatt out a couple of years ago, and that’s when she enhanced her lunch business.

At Botanica, Shaeffer said, she’ll also be baking and selling loaves of bread one day a week — probably Wednesdays — starting in July. In addition, the cafe will be open during Tuesdays on The Terrace concerts, which launch on July 7, and will be selling pizzas made on Indian fry bread and inventive ice cream sundaes. Shaeffer said she also has some special sweets planned for the holiday season, when Illuminations is up and running.

People who want to visit the cafe don’t have to pay Botanica admission, she said. They can come order food and take it to go or eat in.

Shaeffer said it’s strange not to be in her longtime Riverside spot, but she’s enjoying the new scenery and likes working at such a beautiful venue.

“I think it’s going to be good for both of us,” she said.

This story was originally published June 23, 2020 at 1:01 PM.

Denise Neil

The Wichita Eagle

316-268-6327

Denise Neil has covered restaurants and entertainment since 1997. Her Dining with Denise Facebook page is the go-to place for diners to get information about local restaurants. She’s a regular judge at local food competitions and speaks to groups all over Wichita about dining.