Yoli Tortillería

a Westside KC maker of stone-ground heirloom-corn and Sonoran-style flour tortillas, founded in 2017 by husband-and-wife team Marissa and Mark Gencarelli. In 2023 Yoli won the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Bakery — the inaugural recognition in that category and, per local coverage, the first James Beard honor ever given to a tortilla bakery. The operation pairs a heritage-nixtamal mission with a wholesale arm, a Westside retail shop, and the Yoli Lonchería lunch counter.

| Corporate parent | None — independently, locally owned || | Notable features | Nixtamalized, stone-ground heirloom-corn masa; 2023 James Beard Award for Outstanding Bakery (inaugural winner); 2022 James Beard semifinalist (Outstanding Baker) + 2023 finalist; wholesale to ~100 KC-area restaurants; Yoli Lonchería lunch counter; featured at the KC Current’s CPKC Stadium ||

Description

Yoli Tortillería is a Westside Kansas City maker of artisan tortillas built on traditional nixtamalization — corn cooked with food-grade lime, rinsed, then stone-ground on hand-carved volcanic stone into a fine masa.¹² The result is stone-ground heirloom-corn tortillas alongside Sonoran-style flour tortillas, totopos, salsas, tamales, and aguas frescas.² The name “Yoli” (pronounced yo-lee) derives from a Nahuatl/Aztec word meaning “to live,” reflecting the founders’ focus on quality, hand-crafted food.³

Founder Marissa Gencarelli grew up in Sonora, México, in a region of rich agricultural tradition; after relocating to Kansas City with her husband Mark, the couple founded the business in 2017 to fill what they saw as a void of authentic, scratch-made tortillas in the local market.¹⁴ The company first operated as a business-to-business wholesaler under the name KCMEX, then rebranded to Yoli as direct-to-consumer demand grew.³

Yoli supplies tortillas wholesale to roughly 100 Kansas City-area restaurants,⁴ ships nationwide via its website,¹ and operates a Westside retail shop at 1668 Jefferson St. selling tortillas, salsas, prepared foods, and dry goods.⁵ Its corn-focused, sustainability-minded sourcing has included research collaboration with the University of Missouri’s agricultural program on heirloom and hybrid maize, and a non-GMO/organic Midwest corn supply.² In 2023, Yoli was named to Zero Foodprint as part of its climate-conscious sourcing commitments.⁶

The Yoli Lonchería, a lunch counter co-located with the Westside retail shop, opened after the 2023 James Beard win drove demand and expansion. Its menu centers on masa-forward plates — tlacoyos and tetelas (filled, griddled masa pockets), burritos (chorizo, barbacoa), tortas, and soups — served alongside the retail offerings.⁷

Ownership and history

Year	Event
2017	Marissa and Mark Gencarelli found the business in Kansas City to make scratch, nixtamal-based tortillas; initially operates as a B2B wholesaler under the name KCMEX
2018–2019	Rebrand from KCMEX to Yoli Tortillería (with Carpenter Collective) as direct-to-consumer demand grows
2020	Yoli’s Westside retail shop opens at 1668 Jefferson St
2022	Named a James Beard Award semifinalist in the Outstanding Baker category — reported as the first tortilla bakery nominated in any James Beard category
2023	Named a James Beard finalist, then wins the inaugural James Beard Award for Outstanding Bakery
2023+	Yoli Lonchería lunch counter opens at the Westside location; products featured at the KC Current’s CPKC Stadium

Founders and roots

Marissa Gencarelli is the public face and creative lead of the business; her Sonoran upbringing is the explicit source of the brand’s recipes and mission.¹⁴ Mark Gencarelli is her husband and co-founder. The couple are Kansas City transplants rather than KC-born — Marissa is from Sonora, México — but they founded, built, and base the entire operation in Kansas City, embracing what Yoli’s own materials call “their Kansas City home.”¹ “ Mark Gencarelli’s specific background/origin is not confirmed in reviewed sources.

Menu

Last verified: 2026-08-12 · Source: Yoli official Westside page · URL(s): https://www.eatyoli.com/westside · Confidence: High (official grab-and-go + bakery copy). No prices published. The page states the list is a representation of regular offerings and rotates with season and availability.

Heritage-corn tortillería and bakery with a Westside retail shop and lunch counter (Tue–Fri 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Sat 8 a.m.–4 p.m.) at 1668 Jefferson St. Rotating burritos are sold grab-and-go (take home or warm on site).⁸

Grab-and-go burritos

• Chorizo Breakfast Burrito — egg, caramelized onions, potatoes, Local Pig chorizo⁸
• Vegan Breakfast Burrito — scrambled tofu, chorizo-spiced mushrooms, crispy potatoes⁸
• Barbacoa Mini Burritos — spiced and braised Niman Ranch beef cheeks, Rancho Gordo beans⁸
• Rajas Burrito — roasted peppers, caramelized onions, Rancho Gordo beans, jasmine rice, tomato, carrot⁸
• Chicken Tinga Burrito — smoky braised chicken, Rancho Gordo beans, caramelized onions, salsa roja⁸
• Barbacoa Burrito — spiced and braised Niman Ranch beef, Rancho Gordo beans, caramelized onions, salsa roja⁸

Other grab-and-go

• Arroz Rojo — rice cooked in tomato sauce⁸
• Enchiladas — two varieties: Campo Lindo chicken, or vegetables from Yoli’s Huertita (urban garden) and Rancho Gordo beans, sauce, and Chihuahua cheese⁸
• Queso — American cheese with peppers, onions, tomatoes, and spices; vegetarian⁸
• Refried Beans — creamy refried Rancho Gordo beans; also offered vegan⁸
• Soup — seasonal, local produce⁸
• Tamales — filled masa in a corn husk, ready to steam; rotating fillings may include Panchita (pork), Pollo Verde (chicken), brisket, plus vegetarian and vegan options⁸

Tlacoyos and tetelas, listed on an earlier capture of this page, were not on the 2026-08-12 Westside menu.⁸

Bakery

• Coricos — Yoli heirloom masa, butter, spices (gluten-free)⁸
• Coyotas — Sonoran hand pie of Sonoran wheat filled with piloncillo, cajeta, or guava⁸
• Maizo Cookies — brown butter, fermented masa, Mexican dark chocolate, flaky sea salt⁸

Retail (tortillería)

• Heirloom-corn tortillas — stone-ground nixtamal⁸
• Sonoran-style flour tortillas⁸
• Totopos⁸
• Salsas⁸

Drinks

• Aguas frescas — rotating seasonal flavors, made in house⁸
• Tepache — fermented sweetened pineapple, made in house⁸
• Kombucha — small-batch organic from Daily Culture⁸
• Mexican drinks — sparkling mineral waters and Mexican sodas with natural fruit⁸

No prices are published on the Westside page.⁸

Operating status

Open / active. The Westside retail shop and Yoli Lonchería operate at 1668 Jefferson St; wholesale and nationwide shipping are ongoing.⁵⁷ (Manufacturing has been reported at a separate, non-public KC address — historically the East Bottoms / Bell St area; “ on the current production location.)

Links

• Website: https://www.eatyoli.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatyoli/
• Phone: (816) 708-1030 on the official Westside page (2026-08-12); older seed (816) 842-9654 is unverified against that page

See also

• mark-and-marissa-gencarelli — founders (Yoli Tortilleria)
• westside-kc
• Registry

Sources

• Status verified active 2026-06-23 via Yelp — Yoli Tortilleria, 1668 Jefferson St (updated June 2026) and official site eatyoli.com (accessed 2026-06-23). Westside retail shop + Lonchería at 1668 Jefferson St #100 confirmed operating.

Footnotes

1. Yoli Tortillería — “Our Story.”. Source for: Marissa Gencarelli’s Sonora, México upbringing; Mark Gencarelli co-founder; founding to fill an authentic-tortilla void; stone-ground heirloom-corn mission; Westside retail address 1668 Jefferson St; “their Kansas City home.” ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

2. Bake Magazine — “Yoli Tortilleria receives stellar recognition for its traditions, ingenuity.”. Source for: nixtamalization process; hand-carved volcanic-stone grinding; University of Missouri agricultural research collaboration; non-GMO/organic Midwest corn supply; product range. ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. Carpenter Collective — “Yoli Tortilleria” (brand/rebrand case study). Source for: prior name KCMEX; B2B-to-DTC rebrand; “Yoli” = Aztec word for “to live.” ↩ ↩²

4. Feast Magazine — “Yoli Tortilleria Produces Fresh Tortillas From Scratch in Kansas City.”. Source for: 2017 founding; wholesale to ~100 KC-area restaurants; founders’ KC relocation. ↩ ↩² ↩³

5. Feast Magazine — “Yoli Tortilleria’s Retail Shop is Now Open in Kansas City’s Westside Neighborhood.”. Source for: Westside retail shop opening (2020); 1668 Jefferson St; retail offerings. ↩ ↩²

6. Zero Foodprint — “Yoli Tortilleria Joins Zero Foodprint.”. Source for: climate-conscious sourcing commitment. ↩

7. Yoli Tortillería — “Yoli Westside.”. Source for: Yoli Lonchería lunch counter; tlacoyos, tetelas, burritos, tortas, soups; retail + Lonchería co-location and hours. ↩ ↩²

8. Yoli Tortillería — “Yoli Westside Menu,” (accessed 2026-08-12). Asserts: grab-and-go burrito builds; arroz rojo, enchiladas, queso, refried beans, seasonal soup, rotating tamales; bakery (coricos, coyotas, maizo); aguas frescas, tepache, Daily Culture kombucha, Mexican sodas; hours Tue–Fri 10–4 / Sat 8–4; Westside 1668 Jefferson; HQ 3119 Bell St (not public); contact 816-708-1030 / info@eatyoli.com. Tlacoyos and tetelas not listed on this date. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶