crash course

story and recipe by shannon Weber, Writer and recipe developer, aperiodictableblog.com photography by Jennifer silverberg

A well-executed pork steak, grilled and slathered in barbecue sauce, is a nostalgic sign of summer around these parts. I’m no pitmaster, but I am a St. Louis native, so I know my way around the cut. And I’m happy to delve into how this humble piece of meat became a Midwest staple.

A pork steak – sometimes sold as Boston Butt or pork blade steak – is cut from the shoulder of the pig in varying degrees of thickness. The bone-in meat has a large amount of intramuscular fat (marbling), making it especially succulent, and it has a more pronounced pork flavor than the oft-used chop.

\The St. Louis Connection

The first rustlings of pork steaks as a proper cut of meat were at the turn of the 20th century, according to food writer and culinary historian Robert F. Moss, when some butcher shops carried them as pork blade steaks and The Boston Globe mentioned the specific cut in a roundup of meat prices. Over the years, pork steaks made tracks across the U.S., popping up on menus and in cookbooks, touted as a cheap protein that could hold its own against other more expensive cuts, provided you treated it right.

Starting in the 1950s, several St. Louis columnists wrote intermittently about the understated charm of a barbecued pork steak, and all that chatter eventually found its footing in the hearts and minds of locals. Pork steaks were a natural fit for backyard barbecues and large gatherings: Hosts could slow-cook them without much hands-on work, and they could be kept warm indefinitely in sauce.

Today, pork steaks remain a practical and beloved option for home cooks and professional chefs alike. At Kenrick’s Meats & Catering in St. Louis, Steven Weinmann says they sell approximately 100,000 pounds a year. “The cost is very reasonable, and pork steaks are something that Midwesterners are raised on,” he says. “It’s just something that we’re used to, which is why I think they’re still so popular.” I’ll never knock St. Louis-style pork steaks – in fact, I can still recall piles of them simmering in vats of barbecue sauce while I lazed poolside as a kid. But it’s not our only option.

Consider brining or marinating them to achieve maximum tenderness. Brining is a great, neutral choice if you plan to soak them in barbecue sauce later, while a marinade will infuse more flavor into the meat and allow you to skip the sauce for a change. Consider building on these foundational flavor profiles:

Classic Americana

Apple cider vinegar, sweet onion, garlic, Dijon mustard, fresh rosemary or thyme and olive oil.

A Taste of the Tropics

Garlic, chiles, spices, citrus (lemon, lime or orange) and neutral oil.

Asian Inspiration

Soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, honey and sesame oil.

bIf you decide to marinate or brine them, I recommend letting them sit for four to six hours. Then it’s time to party.

A More Traditional Route / Mariah Kinkade, The Upper Cut in Kansas City

“My grandma made pork steaks pretty regularly when I was growing up because they’re economical, but they’re really good, too. So I think of them as an old-school cut, and it’s kind of funny to hear of people in their 20s and 30s learning to cook them now. A pork steak is a fattier piece of meat – it’s not real lean – so I tell people this, ‘If you like a rib eye, you’ll like a pork steak; if you only buy fillets and you don’t like much fat, it’s not the cut for you.’ I like my pork steak an inch and a half thick, which is rare; a lot of people ask for a half inch or three-quarters of an inch. And I love to grill them over indirect heat. I use our garlic butter seasoning, butter brush them with barbecue sauce and then leave them alone. I don’t put sauce on much, but I do like sauce on my pork steaks.”

procure that pork

If you live in Missouri, you can likely find pork steaks at your local butcher shop or market, but here are a few of our favorite places to get you started.

 Columbia

Barred owl Butcher & taBle 47 E. Broadway, Columbia, Missouri, barredowlbutcher.com

mizzou meat market 147 Eckles Hall, Columbia, Missouri, mizzoumeatmarket.wordpress.com

 Kansas City

north oak Quality meat market 7711 N. Oak Trafficway, Suite Q, Gladstone, Missouri, northoakqualitymeat.com

the uPPer cut 9769 N. Cedar Ave., Kansas City, Missouri, theuppercutkc.com

 springfield

hörrmann meats 1537 W. Battlefield Road, Springfield, Missouri, horrmannmeat.com

harter house, multiple locations, harterhouse.com

 st. louis

Beast Butcher & Block 4156 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, Missouri, beastbbqstl.com

Bolyard’s meat & Provisions 2733 Sutton Blvd., Maplewood, Missouri, bolyardsmeat.com

kenrick’s meats & caterinG 4324 Weber Road, St. Louis, Missouri, kenricks.com In this recipe, we’re skipping the barbecue sauce and using a marinade to pack these grilled pork steaks with unexpected flavor. I use black vinegar, which is common in Asian markets and keeps things light, but you can substitute balsamic vinegar for a similar flavor or apple cider vinegar for a more classic approach.

Grilled Pork SteakS with roSemary-SaGe FiniShinG Sauce

serves 4

Grilled Pork steaks ¾ cup olive oil ¹⁄₃ cup Chinese black vinegar 3 to 4 cloves garlic, smashed 2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary 2 tsp kosher salt ¼ tsp whole allspice berries ¼ tsp chile flakes 4 pork steaks, at least 1 inch thick freshly ground black pepper

rosemary-saGe FinishinG sauce 6 Tbsp ghee 6 to 8 fresh sage leaves 2 sprigs fresh rosemary 2 cloves garlic, smashed / preparation – grilled pork steaks / In a medium bowl, whisk oil and vinegar together; stir in garlic, rosemary, salt, allspice berries and chile flakes until combined. Add pork steaks to a wide, shallow dish and pour marinade over top; flip steaks until coated. Tightly cover dish; marinate pork steaks in refrigerator, 4 to 6 hours.

Remove marinated pork steaks from refrigerator and bring to room temperature prior to grilling. Meanwhile, prepare grill for indirect heat by shifting coals to one side. Remove steaks from marinade, place directly over coals and sear, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and sear, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer steaks to the other side of the grill for indirect heat; cover grill and cook, keeping heat at approximately 300°F and turning steaks occasionally, 30 minutes or until thermometer registers 145°F. Remove, loosely tent with foil and let rest, 5 minutes.

/ preparation – rosemary-sage finishing sauce / While steaks are resting, heat ghee in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in remaining ingredients and cook until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

/ to serve / Divide steaks onto plates; divide finishing sauce over top. Serve immediately.

Mike Byassee, Kenrick’s Meats & Catering in St. Louis

“I like to use a Weber charcoal grill. I season the pork steaks with salt, pepper and garlic and grill them right on top of the fire for 15 to 20 minutes per side. Then I transfer them to an aluminum pan or glass dish; I add a little apple juice or beer – whichever I have at home – cover them and put them in the oven, set at 200°F, for 45 minutes to an hour. After that, I drain the juice, sauce them up and put them back in the oven, uncovered, for another 25 to 30 minutes.”

From Thai sai oua to South African boerewors to Medieval German bratwursts, Brats of the World in Troy, Missouri, brings international flavors to the backyard barbecue.

Written by Heather Riske

Photography by Matthew Seidel

Jeff Suchland wants to help you travel the world from the comfort of your own backyard – all you need is a grill and some brats.

The third-generation farmer is perhaps best known as the face of Alpacas of Troy, a family-run operation in eastern Missouri that raises approximately 40 alpacas for fiber that’s spun into yarn or felted and knitted products. But when he isn’t hawking colorful fuzzy dryer balls, socks and felted soap made by his wife, Gita, at a local farmers’ market, he’s offering customers a taste of fragrant and funky sai oua from Thailand, slightly sweet Filipino longganisa and robustly spiced Medieval German bratwursts.

Approximately a decade in the making, Brats of the World, Suchland’s latest endeavor, offers internationally inspired sausages made from the pasture-raised goats and hogs he tends to on his farm alongside Huacaya and Suri alpacas. He initially brought hogs onto the farm to protect his alpacas against mountain lions (the hogs keep the grass low enough to deter predators) before deciding to process their meat into fresh sausages. “Every animal on my farm has a purpose, and they all support alpacas – except rabbits and sheep, which are just cute,” he says.

Lest anyone think he was selling alpaca meat, Suchland dubbed the meat side of his operation Oak Meadow Farm, and it also offers classic pork cuts such as bacon, pork belly, tenderloins, chops and smoked ham hocks. “[Brats of the World] really started because I noticed that a lot of sausages were mainly made from the leftover parts of the hog,” he says. “When a butcher breaks down an animal, they trim up the cuts, and the trim is what’s left after you cut the animal into segments like chops and shoulder – it’s what’s left after you make the pork look good. The trim is typically made into ground pork because you can’t really do anything else with it, and that’s traditionally what sausages are made from. I don’t like waste and I realized we’ll make better sausages if we use the whole animal instead of just the leftovers. So far, we’ve been able to use every bit of the hog except the oink, which was our goal.”

With that in mind, Brats of the World sausages are all made from the whole hog, including prime cuts such as the shoulder, loin and ham. Suchland raises all of the animals on his farm in Troy, Missouri, which was started by his great-grandfather, and he feeds them a diet of acorns, nuts, weeds, alfalfa, fodder and non-GMO feed. He takes them to a nearby butcher and brings them back to his commercial kitchen on the farm to process the meat into sausages. but he decided to take a gamble on one sausage less common at your typical neighborhood cookout: boerewors. The coiled sausage, which means “farmer’s sausage” in Afrikaans, is a staple at braai, South Africa’s answer to the barbecue, where it’s cooked whole in its spiral shape. Suchland makes his with a combination of lamb and pork (when lambs are not in season, he subs in goat and beef), spices it with allspice, cloves and nutmeg and infuses it with red wine from Adam Puchta Winery in Hermann, Missouri. “All of South Africa has fallen in love with this sausage,” he says. “It’s the centerpoint of every grillout or braai that a South African has. When I make it, people come out of the woodwork to get it because I only make it about three times a year. It does take all of those different animals, and everything’s got to be timed perfectly for that.”

One such fan of the boerewors is Ryan Sherring, co-owner of Six Mile Bridge in Maryland Heights, Missouri. Born and raised in South Africa, Sherring started his brewing career in Cape Town before launching Six Mile Bridge with his wife, Lindsay, in 2015. The pair first met Suchland a couple years ago at a farmers’ market and have a symbiotic relationship with the farmer; Oak Meadow’s hogs are fed spent grain from the brewery, and Suchland hosted several pop ups at the brewery before its in-house restaurant opened.

“Boerewors is a huge point of nostalgia for me,” says Sherring, adding that he was excited to be able to find the South African staple in the St. Louis area. “Our sports revolve around rugby and soccer, and outside any stadium, there are vendors selling boerewors, so it’s a very common occurrence for us to grab one before or after a game. [Suchland’s] boerewors definitely ranks up there; it’s delicious. Maybe it’s just because I grew up eating it, but it’s way better than any other sausage I’ve had.”

Suchland describes his boerewors as a “fluke,” but it was a happy accident, and one that led him to start exploring traditional sausages from all over the world. A longtime home cook and selfprofessed Food Network devotee, Suchland also has a passion for learning about different cultures – he studied linguistics in college and worked as an ESL teacher for 20 years. “I’ve been a foodie forever, so I wanted to offer those different types of sausages that people weren’t going to come across every day so that they could experience that,” he says. “Food is really a wonderful way to travel. Whenever I go to a new country, the first thing I do is eat the food.”

Today, Suchland offers 14 different sausages from all over the world. These range from sai oua, a pork-based Thai sausage made with makrut lime leaves, lemongrass and shallots, to longganisa,

In addition to regular appearances at the Ferguson Farmers Market, Point Labaddie Farmers Market and Tower Grove Farmers’ Market, Brats of the World offers delivery within an hour’s drive of St. Louis, minus southern Illinois.

Ready to fire up the grill?

Head to feastmagazine.com for Suchland’s recipes featuring Brats of the World sausages.

a traditional Filipino breakfast pork sausage flavored with pineapple, brown sugar, garlic and paprika, to Moroccan-style merguez made with goat, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and housemade harissa. A new addition to the lineup is the Alsatian sausage, a pork sausage flavored with nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and clove that’s the centerpiece of classic French cassoulet. Of course, Brats of the World also offers several varieties of regional German brats, including an old world-style Thüringer Rostbratwurst made with fresh garlic, marjoram, white pepper, mace and caraway from a recipe dating back to 1404.

Chef Michael Miller, who co-owns Kounter Kulture, Songbird and the prepared foods brand Field to Fire in St. Louis, met Suchland while vending at the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market “I didn’t want [customers] to take the sausages home and pour ketchup and mustard on them,” he says. “For certain sausages, like the Filipino longganisa, that would just ruin it.”

As a farmer, frequent traveler and all-around food-lover, Suchland is passionate about not just making these sausages but using them as a vehicle to help people explore other cultures. Buying a package of brats from his tent at the farmers’ market is more than purely transactional; it’s an educational experience where he’s just as likely to wax poetic about how the spice trade influenced his modern German brat as he is to share a recipe for a tangy slaw he thinks would be perfect with the sai oua you’re taking home with you.

and quickly became a fan of his products – especially the sai oua. “I’m a huge fan of Asian flavors, so I was blown away by his Thaistyle sausage,” says Miller. “What I like most about it is how he has mastered the balance between the fragrant aromatics and delicious funky flavor this sausage is known for. [Suchland] truly has a passion for the sausage he makes, and the story he tells through each of his creations really resonates with me as a chef and as a lover of all things edible.”

Since many of these sausages aren’t what you’d find at the average supermarket, Suchland often prepares a dish to serve at the farmers’ market to show customers how to best use the sausages at home. He might serve a rich, slow-cooked French cassoulet with his Alsatian sausage, for instance, or a Moroccan merguez and couscous tagine another day. bratsoftheworld.com

Looking foranew recipe? Findour best bitesat:

STLtoday.com/food

Nothing says summer like a road trip, and after a year of quarantines and restrictions, many of us are ready to hit the road. That doesn’t mean you have to spend countless hours behind the wheel in search of adventure, though; Missouri’s diverse landscape offers picturesque places to hike, bike, paddle and more.

One of the best parts of traveling is enjoying the local food, so we’ve compiled a list of unique spots to stay where you can also get a real taste of the Midwest. Savor fresh goat milk caramels in a refurbished grain bin or sip a smoothie after a night sleeping in the trees.

With so many special places throughout the state to eat, sleep and explore, we suggest you follow your gut when deciding where to go first.

The Inns at Overlook Farm

History: The Inns at Overlook Farm is tucked into the pastures and hillsides of an operating 310-acre farm run by fourth-generation owner Nathalie Pettus. Built in 1842 by a dashing young riverboat captain, one of the inns is the oldest B&B in Missouri. Today, there are five freestanding inns in total, each with its own personality and breathtaking view.

Eat: Recognized for its grass-fed beef, pasture-raised pork and free-range chicken and duck eggs, this is a farm-to-table establishment, and many of the ingredients that make up the menus are raised and grown on-site. Guests can savor a continental breakfast, a charcuterie board, take-and-bake housemade pizzas, chocolate truffles, wine and Champagne. Pettus also grows fruits and vegetables, from cherries to black raspberries and pears to rhubarb, which make exquisite jam for your morning croissant.

slEEp: All five inns are spread out over the land, and they house between one and seven suites. Each inn has a hot tub or a swimming pool, and every suite has a Jacuzzi.

ExplorE: Take a walk or go on a picnic with the bluffs and the Mississippi River as your backdrop and further engage your senses in Pettus’ lush gardens. You can also venture off the property to play a round of golf or meander through the sculpture park at Saint Louis University’s Lay Center for Education and the Arts in Louisiana, Missouri.

Go: 16095 Highway W, Clarksville, Missouri; overlookfarmmo.com

ClarksvillE

Old Caledonian Bed & Breakfast

CalEdonia

History: Situated on four grassy, wood-lined acres on the main street of Caledonia, Missouri, the Old Caledonian Bed & Breakfast resides in the grand Ruggles-Evans-Dent House, which was built in 1849 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The B&B opened in May under new ownership, and with partners Michael Amen and Frank Ugolini at the helm, the experience is even more memorable.

Eat: Each stay includes a two-course breakfast featuring hearty farmhouse cooking and homemade desserts such as cobblers and crisps with seasonal fruits, chocolate mayonnaise cake and tart lemonade pie. The owners raise chickens, which produce all the eggs for dishes such as omelets, frittatas and baked goods, and Amen and Ugolini grow approximately 10 types of heirloom tomatoes, fresh herbs and other veggies on-site. At dinner, Amen dazzles diners with everything from beef tenderloin to sun-dried tomato chicken to meatloaf, and he and Ugolini also make their own handcrafted cheeses for the different plates. Guests can order a picnic lunch to take on a hike as well. slEEp: The four guest suites offer vintage luxury in a Victorian setting, and the property also includes a hot tub, sauna and yoga studio.

ExplorE: On the property, Amen and Ugolini have set up a petting zoo for kids and adults alike. Outdoor activities abound in this area, too. Elephant Rocks State Park, Taum Sauk Mountain State Park, Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park and Mark Twain National Forest are all within 25 miles of the B&B.

Go: 116 S. State Highway 21, Caledonia, Missouri; oldcaledonian.com

Tiny Homes at Baetje Farms

History: Baetje Farms has been slEEp: Baetje Farms offers five “tiny making its award-winning goat cheese for home” suites that range in size, but in total, the more than 20 years. It all started when property can accommodate up to 17 people. Each co-founders and previous owners Steve named after a different Baetje goat cheese – and Veronica Baetje bought a single goat; Amoureux, Bloomsdale, Coeur de la Crème, now, you can find an entire herd of the fuzzy Miette and Vallée – the suites might heroes behind the cheese. be “tiny,” but they don’t lack luxury. BloomsdalE Go: 8932 Jackson School Road, Bloomsdale, Missouri; baetjefarms.com Eat: It’s no surprise that cheese is always within arm’s reach at Baetje Farms. Like a mini bar in a typical hotel room, you’ll find cheese for purchase in your room here, and you can also have a charcuterie board ready for you when you arrive. For something a bit heartier, purchase a ticket to one of Baetje’s full brunches, featuring many dishes that incorporate the signature goat cheeses, which is served in the farm’s venue, The Artisan. ExplorE: If you let them know your itinerary ahead of time, the team at Baetje Farms can take you through the entire cheesemaking process on the same land where you sleep. Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, is also a short drive away – hike through Pickle Springs Natural Area or Pere Marquette State Park, grab a glass of wine at one of the many local wineries or take a free walking tour through the historic district.

Dawt Mill

tEcumsEH

History: Located in the heart of the Ozarks on the North Fork of the White River, Dawt Mill dates back to the 1860s. In 1995, Dr. Edward Henegar purchased the mill and began a major renovation and restoration of the surrounding property, including the construction of the Cotton Gin Inn, which is one of the lodging options available to guests today.

Eat: At The Chef’s Table, available by reservation only, chef de cuisine Brandy Barstow serves her choice of seasonal takes on a selection of dishes – think Brussels sprout Caesar salad and beef shoulder tender with grilled garden vegetables grown on-site. Barstow also takes requests and accommodates dietary restrictions so that everyone leaves her dining room completely satisfied. On Fridays and Saturdays from Memorial Day through Labor Day, guests can also grab burgers, chicken strips, hand-cut fries and other bar food from a food truck parked on the property. slEEp: The family-friendly rustic resort has rooms that sleep two, four or six people, plus four standalone cabins that sleep two people each. There are no TVs here, but that’s all the more reason to get outside and explore the area.

ExplorE: Add swimsuits to your packing list – Dawt Mill’s location is ideal for water sports, including kayaking, canoeing, rafting and tubing, and the resort provides all the equipment you need for an additional fee.

HErmann

Tree House Bed and Breakfast

History: A modern abode, this spot hasn’t been around for too long, but the backdrop of Hermann, Missouri – one of the state’s historic wine regions – makes for a charming locale.

Eat: The menu at the B&B changes every day, but you’re always guaranteed a sweet treat, a savory protein and a smoothie packed with fruits and veggies. You might find a “volcano” French toast filled with cinnamon butter, an apple bread pudding, a gluten-free banana pancake or a frittata. Plus, ingredients are locally sourced whenever possible for a farm-totable feel.

slEEp: This B&B offers three treehouses – Sunrise, Sunset and Moonlight – plus a cabin for you to stay in. With typical amenities such as Wi-Fi, a microwave, mini fridge and relaxing bonuses, including a hammock and outdoor picnic tables, this forest escape makes for an ideal respite. And no matter who you are, it’s possible to get up in the trees: These treehouses are kid-friendly, and thanks to an incline, the Moonlight treehouse is wheelchair-accessible.

ExplorE: When you head down to breakfast, the staff can help you plan your itinerary, given that they are knowledgeable about pretty much every spot in town. You’d be remiss to skip Hermann’s wineries, but the town is also known for its 19th-century brick architecture, shopping and nearby outdoor adventures.

Go: 1185 Highway H, Hermann, Missouri; hermanncottage.com/ tree-house-bed-and-breakfast

GrEEn ridGE

The Silos at Prairie Vale

History: Located just minutes from Sedalia, Missouri, The Silos at Prairie Vale is situated on a 14-acre former dairy and grain farm. Doug and Wendy Needy bought the property in 2011 and later converted two of the eight grain bins into small apartments, creating a farm stay like no other in the state.

Eat: Start the day with a farm-fresh breakfast with housemade options such as quiches, seasonal muffins and pancakes – think cinnamon-apple Dutch pancakes. Wendy is also known for her delectable casseroles, including the blueberry French toast topped with housemade blueberry syrup, and she leaves fresh goat milk caramels in everyone’s refrigerator as a final touch.

slEEp: Affectionately dubbed “Lil’ Silo on the Prairie” and “Farm Punk Silo,” each of the refurbished grain bins sleeps up to four guests and is outfitted with a full kitchen, on-site bathroom and all the amenities. The original apartment has a more rustic feel, while the Farm Punk Silo has an industrial farmhouse style.

ExplorE: Many guests take advantage of the bicycles at the main house to pedal down the nearby Katy Trail, but there’s also fun to be had on the farm. Grab a fishing pole and hit the stocked pond right outside your door or feed, pet and play with the farm’s

Nigerian Dwarf goats, miniature donkeys, miniature horse, Katahdin sheep, chickens and cows. Wendy also has a small shop where she demonstrates how to make goat milk soap, and the firepit is perfect for making s’mores into the night. Go: 29300 Highway 127, Green Ridge, Missouri; thesilosatprairievale.com

The Gobblers Roost

History: Tucked away in rural Nevada, Missouri, The Gobblers Roost will give you a glimpse into Missouri small town life as it’s been for decades.

Eat: The Gobblers Roost Restaurant is elegant, intimate and exclusive – dining is by reservation only, and those reservations have been even harder to come by amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The menu centers on beef, given that owners Kent and Kathy Abele have been raising cattle on the surrounding land for years, but you can also make fish, pork or another protein the star of your five-course meal. Other dishes on the prix fixe menu could include baked basil-infused gnocchi, seafood chowder or Italian lemon cream cake.

slEEp: The owners describe The Cabin at The Roost as a chance to escape. The loft sleeps up to six, making it perfect for any occasion, from a rustic honeymoon to a girls’ weekend getaway. Plus, it’s only steps from the restaurant.

ExplorE: Stop by The Gobblers Roost if you have an event at its space, 3 Cedars, or make a day of it by first visiting the Nevada Vernon County Farmers Market for fresh produce or the Bushwhacker Museum and Jail to learn about the penal system of yesteryear and the role Nevada played in the Civil War.

nEvada

Go: 24327 E. Old Town Road, Nevada, Missouri; gobblersroostrest.com

The Brinkmann Farmstead

owenSville

HiStory: Cool Cow Cheese owners Tom and Martha Blatchford purchased the 80 acres of land home to M&T Farms in 2011; two years later, they hosted their first guests at The Brinkmann Farmstead Bed and Breakfast. Since then, they’ve had so many repeat guests that they started a rewards program: If you spend 12 nights, you get the 13th night free.

eat: Breakfast starts with fresh fruit, granola, yogurt and a meat and cheese tray followed by one meat, one egg and one pastry dish. Occasionally, Tom uses his mother’s recipe to make cinnamon rolls, too. He and Martha have also been sweettalked into making light suppers for guests in the past – Martha says her husband makes a mean grilled cheese. If you buy wine in nearby Hermann, Missouri, Tom will even help you pair it with varieties of the housemade cheese such as the creamy Gouda and the slightly sweet Havarti.

Go: 1613 Tschappler Road, Owensville, Missouri; coolcowcheese.com Sleep: There are two suites and three deluxe rooms – each with its own designated farm animal décor – in the 3,000-square-foot hayloft above the dairy processing area. Mismatched furniture sits below 18-foot ceilings with exposed wood beams, creating a charming atmosphere amongst modern conveniences.

explore: The Brinkmann Farmstead is at the end of a long gravel road and over a creek – literally – but there’s plenty to do on the working farm. Milk the pure-bred Jersey cows and learn about the steps that go into making Cool Cow Cheese, or sit on the porch with a glass of wine and a good book while the kids play with the cats. Tom also hosts hands-on mozzarella-making classes upon request, after which participants get to take home 2 pounds of fresh mozzarella.

How a persistent patch of mint inspired Rachel Burns to launch

BOLD SPOON CREAMERY, a line of small-batch ice cream in St. Louis.

achel Burns cannot recall how many times she walked past the small ice cream maker that was tucked away in her basement. It’s not the number of trips by the old Cuisinart that has her stumped; the appliance was simply so insignificant, it failed to register with her. Likening it to a value-pack of paper towels, Burns passed it numerous times on her way to do laundry, having no idea just how much that forgotten machine would change her life.

“Really, it sat on a shelf next to the other stuff we didn’t use, and I paid it no attention,” Burns says. “We moved into that house in 2012, and it sat completely untouched until 2017 after I planted mint in the dirt instead of a pot. It’s crazy because it was such a simple action that you’d think would have no impact. Now, here we are.”

That old Cuisinart might have been instrumental in the founding of Bold Spoon Creamery, the artisanal ice cream brand Burns launched in the St. Louis area in 2019, but it would likely still be sitting on the shelf in her University City, Missouri, basement had she not made a fateful gardening mistake. Not thinking about how much it would grow, she planted a patch of mint in her small backyard directly in the dirt rather than in pots as her friends suggested. It didn’t take long for the prolific plant to take over a sizeable chunk of her yard, and no matter how much she and her husband struggled to find a use for it, they failed to put a dent in the growing bush. Even neglecting the plant could not deter it; Burns stopped watering it and pruning it, hoping that would slow it down, but the mint was simply determined to live. Five summers ago, Burns got to thinking about uses for the mint – beyond the Mojitos she and her husband had been making –when it struck her: Why not make mint ice cream? Recalling the ice cream maker, she brought it up from the basement and got to work researching recipes and experimenting with different batches on the friends and family who’d come over to use her small swimming pool. Before she knew it, the ice cream became a condition of their visits.

“We had a fair amount of visitors who would come over in the summer, and every time they came, I’d give them the mint ice cream,” Burns says. “It went from a surprise to something they required.”

Elizabeth Jourdan was one of those visitors who became enamored with Burns’ frozen handiwork. A friend and neighbor, Jourdan vividly remembers the first time Burns pulled the Tupperware containers filled with mint ice cream out of her freezer, knowing then and there that her friend was on to something special.

“I’ll never forget the first time I tried her mint ice cream,” she recalls. “It was just a normal backyard party, but the ice cream was so delicious. The flavor really popped, and we were all saying to her that it was just incredible and better than any other ice cream we’d ever had. After that, we all guilted her into making more.”

The more mint ice cream Burns made, the more obsessed she became with the endeavor. Although her days were filled working as a financial consultant, she spent every bit of her free time learning all she could about the craft of making ice cream. From academic books on the science of frozen desserts to those more geared toward the casual home cook, she soaked up every bit of information she could until she realized this was more than a pastime; it was a calling.

“I told my husband that I was thinking about this way more than just a casual hobby and that I thought I’d like to make it a business,” Burns says. “Looking back now, I hardly had any information, because I only knew what I knew, and that was the teeniest bit. Unbelievably, he said OK.”

Burns knew just the right person to take her from a home hobbyist to a professional ice cream-maker. Her brother, Brad Burns, is a veteran culinarian and has been the executive chef of Lorenzo’s Trattoria for the past 21 years. He became an invaluable resource to her and, with his help, she was able to nail down her base and scale her recipes – even if he wasn’t initially on board with her newfound endeavor.

“The first time she said something to me about it, I told her, ‘You already have a great day job. Why do you want to take this on? The restaurant business is terrible,’” he says. “I have a much different understanding of it than she does, but she kept bringing it up, and I could see how serious she was about it. That’s always been her: When she decides she wants to do something, it’s going to happen, and it doesn’t matter what anyone else says.” If her brother was instrumental in helping her with the professionalization of her craft, her friends were key to her research and development. Calling themselves The Spoons, her inner circle, which includes Jourdan, would regularly come over to her house to taste test her recipes and different flavors. As Jourdan recalls, it was a serious affair; there were questionnaires and forms, blind tastings and in-depth discussions, all leading up to the launch of Bold Spoon Creamery in 2019.

“I think what she’s done really resonates with people,” Jourdan says. “It’s so brave of her to launch this business. She’s extremely smart and has a successful finance career, but she found this thing that she has such a passion for. It’s been such a pleasure and delight to watch her explore it.”

With The Spoons’ feedback and her brother’s scaling skills, Burns was emboldened to let her creativity soar. Well beyond mint, she began concocting unique ingredient combinations, such as goat cheese with fig jam, Brie with spiced honey, salted chocolate and lemon curd. True to her company’s name, Burns wanted to create ice creams that went beyond typical offerings – a move that has gained her a following as a food-lover’s ice cream brand.

STL Foodworks, a commissary kitchen and culinary incubator, was also instrumental in helping her bring her vision to life. From assistance with licensing and certifications to health inspections and kitchen space where she was free to create to her heart’s content, Burns used STL Foodworks as a way to launch her business with a straightforward plan: She would make ice cream out of its commissary kitchen to sell to restaurants around town. She purchased equipment to do so, had her business plan all sketched out and was in the process of receiving her equipment – and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “We took delivery of our commercial equipment in March of 2020, right when all of the restaurants were closing down,” Burns recalls. “I couldn’t exactly go into them and ask them to start carrying my ice cream in the midst of so much uncertainty. I didn’t have that as an option, and I didn’t have the farmers’ market channel because those were all shut down too. However, I knew I had to do something, so I set up an online shop, packed up a bunch of ice cream and walked around my neighborhood giving out free samples.”

Burns’ pivot worked. Before she knew it, she was getting orders for her ice cream, at first from people she knew, but then from those she didn’t. She remembers jumping up and down in her living room with her husband and son when the first order came in. It was just $40, but she felt like it was a million because it gave her the validation she needed to see that her endeavor could work. Even in the midst of a pandemic, Burns has managed to expand her business from a small outfit serving her neighbors out of a wagon into a growing presence in the area. She’s still fulfilling online orders, but Bold Spoon Creamery is now available at St. Louis-area stores including Schnucks, Straub’s Markets, The Annex, The Smokehouse Market and The Woman’s Exchange.

Burns and her husband recently took a major step to continue to grow the company. The pair moved to a farm in Park Hills, Missouri, where they built out a commercial kitchen of their own; they’re also in the process of planting gardens and fruit trees to source ingredients for the ice cream. This will allow Burns to turn Bold Spoon Creamery into a true farm-to-scoop company, wherein she will use as much of her homegrown ingredients in the ice cream as possible. It’s a much larger operation than plucking leaves from an unwieldy mint plant and spinning them in a once-forgotten ice cream maker, though she sees a clear line between where she’s been and where she is now – a path that has given her more fulfillment than she could have ever imagined.

“It’s funny to think that such a simple action you think would have no impact turns out to be so significant. You have to be open when opportunities come your way and seize them, because never in a million years can you realize what can happen.”

boldspooncreamery.com

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48 feastmagazine.com / november 2020