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ASE Coffee is a locally owned specialty coffee shop and cocktail bar at 1800 Highgrove Road in Grandview, Missouri (south KC metro), opened January 4, 2025 by chiropractor Nate Thomas (with his wife and fellow chiropractor Kara Thomas). Built out of a former Masonic lodge / Christian school that also houses the couple’s Precision Health practice in its lower level, the 3,500-sq-ft “Brooklyn speakeasy”–styled café pours coffee from Peregrine Coffee Roasters, serves Caramelo-tortilla breakfast burritos and Fox & Bull pastries, and added a batched-cocktail bar program in 2025. The name “ASE” plays on the “-ase” enzyme suffix and the Hebrew name Asa (“healer”) — the shop’s stated aim is to be “a catalyst for action in our community, like an enzyme is in the body.”

Description

ASE Coffee bills itself as a neighborhood specialty-coffee café and cocktail bar in Grandview, Missouri, positioned as a local alternative to national chains for south-metro communities including Grandview, south Kansas City, Belton, Raytown, and Lee’s Summit.1 The 3,500-square-foot space is designed around a “Brooklyn speakeasy” aesthetic — deep green walls, high ceilings, a large marble coffee bar as the focal point, and a stage for live music.23 Owner Nate Thomas designed the build-out himself.3

The coffee program is built on beans from Peregrine Coffee Roasters (Westcliffe, Colorado); Thomas has said the shop chose Peregrine for consistency, quality, and shared values.23 ASE is a coffee shop and bar rather than a roaster — it does not roast its own beans. Food includes house-made breakfast burritos using Sonoran-style Caramelo tortillas, with pastries sourced from fellow Grandview business Fox & Bull Baking Co.3 A bar program launched in 2025 after the shop received its liquor license, featuring batched cocktails on tap (e.g., cold brew martinis, spiced peach margaritas) developed in collaboration with Christian Moscoso and Stephen Montez of The Monarch Bar.23

The shop’s stated mission emphasizes “elevating each experience, brewing great coffee, and grounding ourselves in humility,” with a motto to “exceed, excel, and stay humble.”4 Local coverage frames ASE as a community catalyst and gathering place, tying its hospitality concept to the owners’ background in holistic health.56

Ownership and history

PeriodOperator / milestone
~2011 (est.)Nate Thomas, a chiropractor, begins envisioning a coffee shop — a vision he describes as roughly 14 years in the making before opening5
2014Dr. Nate Thomas in chiropractic practice (Precision Health, operated with Kara Thomas)7
Pre-2025The Thomases discover and purchase the 1800 Highgrove Rd property — a former Masonic lodge and Christian school — and build it out, relocating their Precision Health practice (previously in Waldo) to the lower level56
Jan 4, 2025ASE Coffee Shop & Bar holds its grand opening2
Feb 2025Liquor license received; cocktail bar program launches2
2025–presentOpen and operating; expanded into a full coffee-and-cocktail destination with live music63

Nate Thomas is the owner-operator; sources describe ASE as co-owned with his wife Kara Thomas, with both being chiropractors who own and operate Precision Health (which shares the ASE building).67 Thomas is a Grandview chiropractor and father of two who has been in practice since 2014.7 The founding is explicitly faith-driven: Thomas describes the venture as “prayer-built,” saying the property “became available, and we were able to purchase it and build it out” after years of prayer and patience, and frames the space as “a beacon of light, a place where people feel at home.”5

The name “ASE” carries layered meaning per the owner: it references the “-ase” suffix used to name enzymes (proteins that catalyze reactions in the body), the Hebrew name “Asa” meaning “healer,” and a general pursuit of excellence — Thomas wants the shop to be “a catalyst for action in our community, like an enzyme is in the body.”5 Note: the seed’s hypothesis that the name derives from the Yoruba word “àṣẹ” is not supported by available sources; the owner’s stated etymology is the enzyme suffix plus the Hebrew “Asa.”5

The business is independent and locally owned with no corporate parent or franchise affiliation.31

See also

  • Registry

Sources

Footnotes

  1. ASE Coffee official site — locally owned Grandview café; positioned as alternative to chains for south KC / Belton / Raytown / Lee’s Summit. https://www.asecoffee.com/ ↩ ↩2

  2. Kansas City Magazine, “ASE Coffee Shop & Bar Opens In Grandview” — grand opening Jan 4, 2025; 1800 Highgrove Rd off Hwy 71; 3,500 sq ft; marble bar, deep green walls, live-music stage; Peregrine Coffee Roasters; Fox & Bull pastries; liquor license expected Feb; cocktail menu with The Monarch Bar’s Christian Moscoso and Stephen Montez. https://kansascitymag.com/ase-coffee-shop-bar-opens-in-grandview/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  3. HERE Kansas City, “Ase Coffee Grandview – A New Coffee Spot” — location/contact, hours, Peregrine Coffee Roasters (Westcliffe, CO), Caramelo Sonoran-style tortillas, Fox & Bull pastries, phone (816) 237-5621; independent/locally owned. https://www.herekansascity.com/ase-coffee-grandview/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  4. ASE Coffee official site, “Our Story” — owner/operator Nate Thomas; GM Ali Chamander; mission (“elevating each experience, brewing great coffee, grounding ourselves in humility”; “exceed, excel, and stay humble”). https://www.asecoffee.com/our-story ↩

  5. Startland News, “Prayer-built coffee shop brews holistic healing with fuel from Grandview father’s faith” (June 2025) — owner Nate Thomas, Grandview chiropractor and father of two; former Masonic lodge / Christian school; ~14-year vision; faith/prayer origin; name meaning (enzyme “-ase,” Hebrew “Asa” = healer, excellence; “catalyst” concept). https://www.startlandnews.com/2025/06/ase-coffee/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  6. Martin City Telegraph, “ASE Coffee Shop and Bar enhances coffee experience in Grandview” (March 19, 2025) — Nate and Kara Thomas, both chiropractors who own/operate Precision Health (moved from Waldo to the ASE building); opened early January 2025; “Brooklyn speakeasy” vibe designed by Nate; Peregrine Coffee; batched cocktails on tap. https://martincitytelegraph.com/2025/03/19/ase-coffee-shop-and-bar-enhances-coffee-experience-in-grandview/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  7. Precision Health (owners’ chiropractic practice) — Dr. Nate Thomas in practice since 2014; Nate and Kara Thomas. https://www.precisionhealthkc.com/about ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  8. ASE Coffee Instagram (@asecoffeekc), Grandview, MO. https://www.instagram.com/asecoffeekc/ ↩

See also

  • Registry
Categories
  • Kansas City–owned
  • Coffee
  • Grandview