This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

Ground Control is a 20-seat speakeasy-style tasting room in the lower level of The Belfry Collective at 1532 Grand Blvd, founded by James Beard Award–winning chef Celina Tio as the flagship venue for her ANNX Spirits Co. label and a platform for intimate chef’s-table dining.12

Description

Ground Control occupies the remodeled basement of the building Celina Tio has operated since 2014 at 15th and Grand in the Crossroads Arts District. The room seats roughly 20 guests around a live-edge wood table beneath white and deep-blue walls, with a portrait of David Bowie — the namesake source, Space Oddity — behind the bar. The design channels mid-century modern furnishings and the intimate scale of a private dining room.1

The venue functions simultaneously as a tasting lounge and a chef’s table. On an everyday basis, bartender John Phelps crafts cocktails exclusively from Tio’s ANNX Spirits Co. label — the only location in Kansas City where the full ANNX cocktail program is available. Every First Friday and First Saturday of the month, Tio herself leads a five-course tasting menu with beverage pairings at $120 per person. The format is reservation-required and routinely sells out; Tio has extended runs when demand warrants.123

The luxury small-plates menu outside tasting-menu nights includes a $140 caviar plate (30g Osetra Molossal), crab cakes, clam chowder, and wagyu smash burger — a menu register consistent with the fine-dining context Tio has worked in throughout her KC career.1

Ownership and history

Celina Tio is a born-and-raised Kansas City culinary figure whose career arc traces the rise of the city’s fine-dining scene across three decades. After training at Drexel University (Hotel and Restaurant Management) and working at the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia and several Walt Disney World restaurants, she settled in Kansas City to helm The American Restaurant, the city’s flagship fine-dining institution. Her seven years there culminated in the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Midwest in 2007 — the highest culinary honor in the country — alongside a Chef magazine Chef of the Year recognition in 2005. She also appeared on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters and Food Network’s Next Iron Chef and Iron Chef America.45

In 2009 she opened Julian in the Brookside neighborhood (6227 Brookside Plaza), her first solo restaurant, which ran for nearly eight years before closing in July 2017 when she did not renew the lease. Julian was known for globally-influenced comfort food and became one of KC’s most celebrated neighborhood restaurants.6

She had opened The Belfry at 1532 Grand in 2014 — a craft beer and whiskey bar in the Crossroads that she built into a substantial whiskey collection over the following decade. A developer partnership with Ken Wolf led to the activation of additional spaces in the building, adding Gerard’s Pool Hall (c. 2023) and an event space called Collection (reopened 2017 after a brief closure). The resulting multi-venue operation became known as The Belfry Collective.78

In January 2023 Tio launched ANNX Spirits Co., her own spirits label producing four small-batch products: Moon Age straight bourbon, Collection straight rye, Boat House gin, and 600 Acre vodka — all produced through individual barrel selection and blending. The name references “The Annex,” a corridor connecting the boys’ and girls’ wings of the Quaker boarding school she attended near Philadelphia, chosen to embody connection as the brand’s core idea.5 Ground Control was subsequently created as the dedicated tasting room and exclusive cocktail venue for the ANNX program, opening in the remodeled lower level of The Belfry building sometime in 2024–2025.2

Sources

Disputes

“Ground Control” vs “The Belfry” disambiguation: These are two distinct venues in the same building at 1532 Grand Blvd. The catalog entry “ground-control / the-belfry” appears to reflect confusion between the two names — they are not aliases for one concept. The Belfry (main floor) is a long-running craft beer and whiskey bar opened 2014. Ground Control (lower level) is the tasting room and ANNX Spirits lounge opened c. 2024–2025. A separate Registry page for The Belfry may be warranted if it meets the tier bar independently. The parent entity is The Belfry Collective, which also includes Gerard’s Pool Hall and Wolf Den — none of those are cataloged separately at this time.

Footnotes

  1. https://citylifestyle.com/articles/ground-control — City Lifestyle. Asserts: 20-seat tasting room in lower level of Belfry building; David Bowie portrait; mid-century modern design; ANNX Spirits program; John Phelps as bartender; First Friday/Saturday tasting menus at $120/person; caviar plate and luxury small plates menu; reservations via email/text; named after Space Oddity. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  2. https://www.belfrycollective.com/ground-control — The Belfry Collective (official). Asserts: Ground Control is the ANNX Spirits tasting room; five-course tasting menu with pairings every First Friday and Saturday; only venue for John’s ANNX cocktails; March 2026 pop-up with Christyna Sanchez / ECHO. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. https://www.tonyskansascity.com/2026/01/award-winning-kansas-city-chef-battles.html — Tony’s Kansas City. Asserts: Ground Control active January 2026; “Bits & Bytes” tasting menu Jan 22–24, 2026 at $120/person; last two nights sold out, additional date added; 22-seat capacity noted. ↩

  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celina_Tio — Wikipedia. Asserts: James Beard Foundation Award Best Chef: Midwest 2007 at The American Restaurant; Drexel degree; Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia; Disney World career; Julian opened 2009, closed July 2017; The Belfry opened 2014; ANNX Spirits launched January 2023; Top Chef Masters and Iron Chef America appearances. ↩

  5. https://kansascitymag.com/theres-more-than-meets-the-eye-at-celina-tios-restaurant-the-belfry/ — Kansas City Magazine (May 2025). Asserts: Ground Control opened “recently” (several months before May 2025 publication); ANNX Spirits created approximately two years prior (~2023); name origin from Quaker school “Annex”; The Belfry’s 10-year whiskey collection; Gerard’s Pool Hall added ~2023. ↩ ↩2

  6. https://www.feastmagazine.com/celina-tio-s-first-restaurant-julian-to-close-in-july/article_27dcd564-3c24-11e7-aca5-93e1785e2537.html — Feast Magazine. Asserts: Julian at 6227 Brookside Plaza opened 2009, closed July 2017 after lease non-renewal; nearly eight years of operation. ↩

  7. https://www.belfrycollective.com — The Belfry Collective (official). Asserts: Four venues in the collective — The Belfry, Gerard’s Pool Hall, Ground Control, Wolf Den; all at 1532 Grand Blvd; hours published; tasting events at $120/person with guest chefs. ↩

  8. https://www.feastmagazine.com/travel/kansas-city/chef-celina-tio-reopens-the-belfry-and-collection-in-crossroads/article_64b63e04-fab5-11e6-9e83-cf73b382a71d.html — Feast Magazine (February 2017). Asserts: The Belfry and Collection both at 1532 Grand; closed 45 days starting January 1, 2017, reopened February 2017; Collection is a rentable event space; The Belfry is a craft beer/whiskey bar. ↩

See also

  • Registry
  • Owner-And-History-Research-Toolchain
  • _Tier1-Non-Service-Local-Businesses
Categories
  • Locally owned
  • Crossroads