Lenexa Public Market, known for providing an opportunity for entrepreneurs in Kansas City to get their business feet wet, is proving to help emerging talent rise to the top.

Kate Smith, owner and chef of Butterfield’s Bakery & Market at the Lenexa Public Market was recently named Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the Kansas Department of Commerce’s office of minority and women business development.

The annual awards event recognizes the economic contributions of woman- and minority-owned businesses and communities throughout Kansas, honoring award recipients for outstanding their achievements.

Smith, who was also named a 2022 winner of the Kansas Department of Commerce’s NextGen Under 30 program, started out as a popup day cart vendor at Lenexa Public Market in March 2019, only selling French macarons. Three months later, she expanded Kate Smith Soiree to a stall, where she began to offer a variety of sweets. She then opened Butterfield’s Bakery & Market as an anchor tenant in the former Madman’s KC BBQ space in 2020.

“I’m so incredibly thankful for this honor,” Smith said in a release. “If I saw myself five years ago, I could never have imagined I would own two (soon to be three) businesses at the age of 27. I couldn’t have done it without my amazing team supporting me and giving me their best every day. I can only imagine what is to come if these past four years is just the start.”

Smith will be presented with her award in December in Topeka.

Lenexa Public Market Manager Tessa Adcock said in the release that Smith’s success is an example of the support the market has of the Lenexa community for local, small business owners.

The Lenexa Public Market, owned and operated by the city of Lenexa, is an 11,000-square-foot indoor food hall and market that houses a variety of local businesses, including Cosmo Burger, Red Kitchen KC, The Flower Market and Butterfield’s Bakery & Market. The Lenexa Public Market is part of the civic campus at Lenexa City Center.