Short Orders

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[FIRST LOOK]

A Taste of Italy

Vicini Pastaria will o er pasta, prepared foods and lunch on the weekends

Written by CHERYL BAEHR

For a year and a half, chef Dawn Wilson has been serving her handmade pasta and assorted home goods from her Lafayette Square storefront, Vicini Pastaria (1916 Park Avenue, 314-827-6150), eagerly awaiting the day she could realize her full vision for the space. Now, that e a fina co e c n ce ebrated its grand opening on November 26, offering fresh pasta, Italian-inspired prepared foods and a weekend lunch counter that promises a soulful taste of the old country.

Though Wilson has owned the n a o e c n nce January of 2020, the restaurant’s roots actually stretch back 16 years to a leap of faith and a dramatic career change. Back then, Wilson, who has degrees in biology and molecular genetics, was working as a research scientist in a lab in Chicago, but she could not shake the feeling that she was meant to take a different path. She began exploring her longtime passion for food through part-time cooking jobs around the Windy City and eventually realized that she a fin n ore f fi en fro those gigs than her science career. Ready to make a change, she left her research job and founded a private chef company that led to a partnership with Whole Foods’ cooking school.

It became apparent to Wilson that the part of cooking she loved the most was making fresh pasta, and she threw herself into perfec n er fir on er o n and eventually at a slow-food restaurant in Tuscany where she learned from masters of the craft. Her experiences in Italy were formative and made her realize that, one day, she’d like to open a business that captured what it is like to eat and drink in the small village where she worked.

“I just loved that feeling in Italy where they slow down and enjoy their food, and meals are this hours-long experience where people are just relaxing and getting together with family and friends,” Wilson says. “I wanted to recreate that relaxed, rustic, family-run spot. That’s what gave me the im e o ar c n an e o have this brick-and-mortar that was the kind of casual neighborhood spot people would hang out. It just took me a while to get there.” on fo n e c n a ar a in 2016 as a handmade pasta company while she searched for a brick-and-mortar. Having no luck fin n a orefron n cago, she decided to move back to her hometown, St. Louis, the next year and spent 2017 through 2019 traveling back and forth between the two cities for her private chef business. By January of 2020, she was fully committed to the St. Louis market and had found a building in Lafayette Square that ticked off every box she had in n for c n . e an a o get the place open by May of 2020. It was clear the pandemic would

Fresh pastas, like housemade ravioli with pine nuts, are Vicini’s specialty. | SARAH LOVETT

Vicini Pastaria brings fresh pasta, prepared foods and a weekend lunch counter. | SARAH LOVETT

Phew

Under new ownership, Kohn’s cements its legacy

Written by CHERYL BAEHR

Like anyone who regularly patronized the iconic Kohn’s Kosher Meat & Deli Restaurant (10405 Old Olive Street Road, Creve Coeur; 314-569-0727), AJ Moll had known for years that the Kohn family was looking to sell. Though their desire was never officially made public, Lenny Kohn and his sister, Rosemary Cooper, let it be known throughout St. Louis’ Jewish community that they were looking for change, a desire that became even more explicit when they put the business up for sale this past March.

Now, Moll is a minority partner in a three-way partnership that will ensure Kohn’s continues serving guests well into the future. Though he admits he never thought he’d be the person to help shepherd the beloved brand into the future, the veteran chef can’t think of anyone better positioned to do so.

“I spent 15 years in retail grocery, starting as a bagger at Schnucks and working my way up to their deli department and being part of their store opening team,” Moll says. “It gave me a baseline in the business, so I can’t think of anyone else in St. Louis that has a better base of knowledge to do this.”

A longtime culinarian who spent the last 10 years as chef at Saul Mirowitz Community School, Moll got his start in the business via combat training in the U.S. Army. Though he had originally signed up to be a combat engineer, Moll says he was terrible at it and graduated at the bottom of his class. He recognized it wasn’t his calling, so he kept volunteering for cooking duty; eventually, his superiors recognized he had a knack for the field and sent him to culinary school.

After leaving active duty, Moll returned to Schnucks (he got his start with the grocery chain while in high school) and worked his way up to a corporate trainer position before leaving the company to work as a corporate chef for Mastercard. From there, he landed at Mirowitz, where he worked for roughly a decade until the Kohn’s opportunity came his way.

“A couple of local businessmen came to me in April,” Moll says. “They are both Jewish and did not want to see an institution go away, so they said we should do this. They both have really strong business backgrounds, so this is going to work out for the best.”

According to Moll, he had been tossing around the idea of buying Kohn’s on his own prior to his partners’ offer, but it was not a financially viable decision for him and his family. Once the two silent partners came on the scene, he was able to get involved without assuming all of the risk on his own. He believes it’s a win-win for him, for the partners and, most importantly, for Kohn’s longtime customers who were terrified at the thought of losing the last remaining kosher restaurant in St. Louis.

“Everyone was nervous that it was going to close,” Moll says. “I am a humble person, so I don’t necessarily believe this, but someone even told me I’m their savior. I’m a humble person, so I don’t know about that.”

Moll, who will serve as the general manager and face of the operation, has big plans in store for Kohn’s, though he emphasizes they will take time. He says that for the first six months he does not anticipate making any changes, at least none that his customers will see. He points to a lot of deferred maintenance — a $10,000 water heater, for instance — that needs to be addressed before he can make more visible changes. However, eventually he and his partners plan to reinvest the profits from the shop and restaurant back into the business in the form of renovations and expanded hours. “Back when this opened, it was a 1960s business model where Mom stayed home and could shop during weekday hours,” Moll says. “Now, we’re all two-income households, so we want to expand our hours so that we are open when people need to shop.”

Moll also hopes to begin opening the restaurant for dinnertime hours, pointing to a dearth of kosher eateries open in the evenings. However, he emphasizes that these things will take time — which is OK as he and his partners are in this for the long haul.

“It’s great; it’s exciting; it’s a little nerve-racking. Basically it’s a roller coaster of emotions,” Moll says. n

Kohn’s will live on thanks to its three new owners. | COURTESY AJ MOLL

[FOOD NEWS]

Cry the Blues

Burger 809 will close on December 23

Written by CHERYL BAEHR

Fans of Burger 809 (1821 Cherokee Street, 314-899-5959), the delightful slider-focused restaurant owned by Tasha Smith, only have a week and some change to get their fix. The restaurant located inside Bluewood Brewing will close on Friday, December 23.

Smith shared the news in early December on Burger 809’s Facebook page, detailing the restaurant’s rise from a tiny storefront on the west side of the Cherokee Street business district into a wildly successful food counter inside the Benton Park brewery.

“Burger 809 grew from the concrete, just a dollar and a dream,” Smith wrote. “I’m just a foodie, community health worker, a woman who happened to create a brand that connected people and created some edible magic.”

Smith originally opened Burger 809 a few years ago as a catering and delivery operation that she ran while working full time as a health counselor for people living with HIV/AIDS. In 2019, she launched the brand as a brick-and-mortar eatery out of a micro-sized storefront on Cherokee Street — and realized almost immediately that the space was too small to handle demand for her sliders.

In search of a larger location, she found a welcoming situation in Bluewood Brewing, which was looking for a new food partner for its brewery following Mac’s Local Eats’ departure for the Hampton Inn near I-64 in the Cheltenham neighborhood. Bluewood saw Burger 809’s offerings as complementary and cemented a partnership that began when Smith moved into the brewery in January 2022.

In her post, Smith expressed her gratitude to Bluewood for helping her brand expand. She noted that Burger 809 remains financially well positioned and continues to do a strong business. She did not give a specific reason for her decision to not renew her lease for 2023, simply noting that she “craves a paradise that supports & nourishes every aspect of my being.”

Though Burger 809 will no longer exist in its current form after December 23, Smith did not explicitly say that this is the end of the brand, teasing that this might not be the last we hear of her and her delicious sandwiches.

“People often ask, ‘What’s new? What’s next?’” Smith wrote. “Truth is … I don’t know. I never really did. I didn’t have this intricate plan, only determination and passion.”

Smith continued:

“I have a vision inside me that I know god planted. Burger 809 isn’t just a burger restaurant. Thank you to each and everyone one of y’all for making me realize that. So, until we meet again, I love y’all.” n

Burger 809, known for its sliders, will close Bluewood Brewing location. | MABEL SUEN

Haute Dog

is $1,000 hot dog is gunning for the Guinness World Record

Written by CHERYL BAEHR

Giovanni Bacilieri remem er e fir o o a o oo e . a fro a casual restaurant in his o e o n of arran a o o a a ace no n a c for na e a er a ra a for ro o o c re. re a ran a a ca of o er a a e cen r c ea er e n arran a e en a fi e a ee n en e n er of c o ce fi e ear o ac er e e on one co ere n a ee an c nea e concoc on. c an e fe. a ca e a a a an o an fe n o e ” ac er a . er nce en e an e o a e a o o re a ran an e o r n o a o r e e e n e an n an one a e er een efore.” ac er e on a o a n a a en a ree on o re a ran Lucciano’s Gourmet Dogs (318 Mid Rivers Mall Drive, Suite E; 636-387-1090). o on a e fina rea e rea of r n n a en o o e er ence o e or ro . e er ea er e o n o ce en e ac a e or o r e or of ar a e ea r e ra a an cc ano o a o o a f e a a o e nne or ecor for e or o e en e o o . ac er e cr e e cc ano o a e a e a e o e e r ce a e ac a e or of n re en nc n a o e a e or an eef o o nf e e e o eaf an ar na e n e a a co er o e a n a e e a e o eaf a er of a ane e a ace o er e o an e a oo fin n a a co er ra . e no e a e a a rea e a ca on o nne or ecor an confi en e ec re e a ar once oe ro e re e roce o e n a a een a on e rea of . er nce a e rea e nne or ecor oo an on er a co o o e n ere ” ac er a . ne o a e o e for o e n rea o e . en oo e aro n an a o er e en e o o no ce a e n a o of o e an effor n o . e o o e ca ar an on o of a o o . ere e are n o e n o o n e an o .” ac er no e cc ano o c re re o r a ance no ce o or er a ec ac e e o ef a e a en on e eo e n o r one of ore rea ona r ce o . en o e en n re en e e e e n ro c c a e fro cra c n fre a n re en o n o e e c . o e or recor e a e oa a e rea o a e e . o area a or c a o o c a r a c a a e o er o e a e or an ca o. a a e or or ca o ” ac er a . o e a e ne. c e r n o econ .” n

Lucciano Bacci and his two-foot long Nightmare Dog. | COURTESY LUCCIANO’S GOURMET DOGS

VICINI

Continued from pg 27

e a a a a er ona ra e a co e e e e cr . a n a car acc en o a af er e o ene e o an a a ea n r c o e n a een e a e ” on e a n . o o e ac n a fe a or a ee a co e e o of co on for fi e on . en ree ear a er no f reco ere . a e c o an eca e o on no o o are o n o fee fro one a o e ne o a e o a e an n ne o e c o er con enc . o n e e can.” o ro ree an a a f ear af er er n r on a er oo a an a a e fee rea o a e on c n f force. ean a n a on o offer n e an a e a a an o e oo e een er n fro e o for e a ear on no a a ro a n e ec on of re are foo rea for fo o ra an o. o er e ec on c an e re ar e nc e a ar e of a a ra e ea can ea a aranc n an orc e a rea o ea an er e for a e c o o e coo e ea o e or . e e an e o era on a o nc e a ar er e ec on of fre a a er e o of e e ca e e reco en er ec a e c c a on an ro e noo e ar o a fa a e . n a on o er fre a a an re are foo on e c e a o r nn n c n ee en nc co n er. or no e offer a a ro a n e ec on of a a an e on a r a an n a fro a. . n . . o e an on ee n o n o an a e an er o r a e o . n e ean e e a a e can fina r n e e c n e a a rea e of an r e o e a ar of c a c o e n co n . e ne or oo a een ncre or e an o a a c o e area o e n an a ne ” on a . a n o e afa e e are.” n

Dawn Wilson is excited to share her passion for Italian cuisine with St. Louis. | SARAH LOVETT

On the Move

Clara B’s Kitchen Table is moving to a larger space

Written by CHERYL BAEHR

First, the Clara B’s food truck grew out of the commissary space, prompting owner Jodie Ferguson to open a brick-andmortar in downtown Belleville, Illinois. Now, the beloved daytime spot is yet again moving on to larger pastures, this time in partnership with a beloved local coffee brand.

In a December 5 Facebook post, Ferguson announced she has secured a new restaurant space for Clara B’s Kitchen Table less than a mile down the road from the current Belleville storefront. The new digs will not only represent a larger real estate footprint for the restaurant; it is also the beginning of a new partnership between Clara B’s and LongStory Coffee, a Belleville small batch, artisanal coffee roaster founded by former c a re er r c . r a ca e e ac n the day and said that he really wanted a restaurant like Clara B’s n ere en e fir ec e e was going to open his cafe,” Ferguson tells the RFT. “He thought there was no way, but now we are going to be set up where we provide the food and he provides the coffee.”

Ferguson knew that Clara B’s would have to expand almost the moment she welcomed in her fir e . e e a n e originally signed the lease on the downtown Belleville space thinking she would do mostly carry-out business. However, it quickly became apparent that her customers wanted a dine-in experience, forcing her to dedicate more of her precious real estate to a dining room. That, coupled with increased demand for catering and special orders, made space a tight constraint.

er n ar e o n up, and we didn’t have the space for our stuff, let alone the food truck and anything else that came along,” Ferguson says. “We recognized right away that we needed something bigger and thought about building out this space, but it was too expensive for a building I do not own.” e a enefic a arrangement with LongStory solves those problems for Ferguson. For starters, the kitchen will be roughly double the size of her original oca on an e o fi e with additional equipment that will allow her to increase capacity. She is looking into buying a walk-in cooler — something that’s been a dream of hers since she started the food truck in 2020 — and she will have a full hood system, steam tables and heating implements that will transition her setup from something that feels like a catering operation into a ona fi e re a ran .

The increased capacity means that Ferguson can expand the Clara B’s menu. She notes that guests can expect the same favorites that they have come to know and love, but she will be adding some country-style dishes that have been on her mind for quite a while. Plus, those in the know can cheer the addition of one dish, in particular, that is sure to become her signature offering.

“Pancakes,” Ferguson says with a laugh. “People have been on me to put these pancakes on the menu, and now that we have a griddle, I can do that.”

Though she emphasizes she and Busch are at the mercy of inspections and suppliers, Ferguson hopes to open the new Clara B’s sometime the week of January 23, 2023.

The original location closed down when Ferguson’s lease ended last month, so she is taking the not-so-downtime to put her full attention toward setting up the new place and putting together holiday orders — and reveling in what a phenomenon she has created.

“It just took off,” Ferguson says. “On the one hand, I am so happy, on e o er efin e a en on a life of its own. I just roll with it.” n

Fans will soon have a larger space in which to enjoy Clara B’s eats. | MABEL SUEN

[FOOD NEWS]

Slices of Heaven

e Pizza Passport is the gi that every St. Louisan wants under the tree

Written by JAIME LEES

Sure, socks are nice, but pizza is the best gift of them all. And in this case, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

If you have a pizza lover in your life, the greatest gift you could give them for the holidays is a Pizza Passport. What is it? It’s a cute little postcard that arrives in the mail before Christmas that gets them 50 percent off at dozens of local pizza places.

Brought to you by the Pizza Connoisseurs of St. Louis Facebook group and the STL Square Off Pizza Festival on the Hill, the Pizza Passport was invented way back in 2020 as a way to show support for local restaurants that were struggling during that terrible year.

But the Pizza Passport has now morphed into just another way to celebrate St. Louis’ delicious and diverse pizza scene. For just $30, one passport gets you 50 percent off of pizza at many of your favorite spots. The passport basically pays for itself after using it twice, and it’s valid from June 15 to October 15, 2023.

Because Pizza Passport season doesn’t kick off until the summer, the restaurants involved next year haven’t been announced yet. But it’s safe to say that you’ll find tons of local places to try. Last year the pass gave pizza fans half off at 30 different area restaurants including classics like Frank & Helen’s Pizzeria, Monte Bello Pizzeria, Nick & Elena’s Pizzeria, Guido’s Pizzeria and Tapas and Pizzeoli.

You could wait a few months and buy your pass closer to Pizza Passport season, but why wait? Passports are limited, and they’re expected to sell out, so you might as well buy one or gift one now. And if you order yours by Monday, December 19, it’s guaranteed to show up in time to stuff stockings.

Visit Eventbrite for more information, to secure a Pizza Passport as a gift or to grab one just for yourself. After all, you are a gift to the world, and you deserve pizza, too. n

e pass gives fans half o local restaurants such as Frank & Helen’s. | ANDY PAULISSEN