small-batch tofu
food culture exploration
steeped in tradition
meet mofu
Notes from vietNam
shaNg tea
Inspired Local Food Culture | Midwest
feastmagazine.com | juLY 2015
east Meets MIdwest
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JULY 2015
FEATURES
56
Inspired Local Food Culture | Midwest
JULY 2015 FroM the staFF |7|
Meet OUr CONtrIBUtOrS
|8|
frOM the PUBLISher
| 27 |
This month we’re sipping frozen cocktails in Kansas City and creative – and a little bit weird – beers in St. Louis. We also catch up with brewers at two new Missouri breweries – the founders of Modern Brewery in St. Louis, and the founder of Double Shift Brewing Co. in Kansas City.
East meets Midwest.
| 10 |
dIgItaL CONteNt
What’s online this month.
| 12 |
feaSt tv
A peek at the July episode.
| 15 |
DINe This month we visit four restaurants across the region, including a new Mediterraneaninspired spot in St. Louis and a restaurant in Kansas City focused on northern Indian fare. In our monthly travel piece, Road Trip, writer Lisa Waterman Gray travels to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and shares where to dine, drink and stay this month during the kick-off of the state’s Oktoberfest season. We also talk to chefs across the region to learn how they’re cooking with eggplant this summer.
DrINK
| 37 |
shoP We visit two regional shops this month – a revamped neighborhood grocery and café in St. Louis, and an international market in Kansas City. We also catch up with Jeff Martin, owner and chief executive officer of Smallcakes: A Cupcakery, and author of the newly released cookbook, Buttercream Dreams.
| 45 |
CooK
63
| 46 | Seed tO taBLe farmer Crystal Stevens shares how to make summer gazpacho three ways.
| 48 | MyStery ShOPPer Buy it and try it: halva.
67
| 50 | MeNU OPtIONS Take a page from James Beard’s book with macerated peaches and burnt butter shortcakes.
| 52 | Sweet IdeaS Pastry chef Christy Augustin is keeping cool this summer with Vietnamese iced coffee pops.
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Of TEA SET fROM SHAnG TEA In KAnSAS CITY (P. 63) BY Zach Bauman TABLE Of COnTEnTS PHOTO Of VIETnAM (P. 74) BY Jennifer Schoemehl
70 74
brICK by brICK Dan Brewer’s from-scratch Mofu tofu, made with non-GMO Missouri-grown soybeans, is popping up in St. Louis.
hIgh tea Zehua Shang founded Shang Tea to bring loose-leaf white tea harvested in the mountains of his native China to the Midwest.
seouL FooD Chong Moore is satisfying southwest Missouri’s craving for from-scratch Korean dishes.
greeNer Pastures Echigo farm experiments with growing fresh Japanese produce in Missouri.
Notes FroM vIetNaM feast publisher Catherine neville shares a photo essay of the rich history and culture she experienced on a recent trip to Vietnam.
Magazine Volume 6
| Issue 7 | July 2015
Publisher Catherine Neville, publisher@feastmagazine.com Director of Sales Angie Henshaw ahenshaw@feastmagazine.com, 314.475.1298 EDITORIAL Senior Editor Liz Miller, editor@feastmagazine.com Managing Editor Nancy Stiles, nstiles@feastmagazine.com Associate Editor Bethany Christo, bchristo@feastmagazine.com Assistant Digital Editor Heather Riske, web@feastmagazine.com Kansas City Contributing Editor Jenny Vergara St. Louis Contributing Editor Mabel Suen Editorial Interns Macy Salama, Alex Wilking Proofreader Christine Wilmes Contributing Writers Christy Augustin, Jonathan Bender, Ettie Berneking, Shannon Cothran, Gabrielle DeMichele, Pete Dulin, Caitlyn Gallip, Juliana Goodwin, Lisa Waterman Gray, Kyle Harsha, Valeria Turturro Klamm, Laura Laiben, Brandon and Ryan Nickelson, Ryan Sciara, Matt Seiter, Matt Sorrell, Crystal Stevens, Shannon Weber ART Art Director Alexandrea Doyle, adoyle@feastmagazine.com Production Designer Jacklyn Meyer, jmeyer@feastmagazine.com Contributing Photographers Zach Bauman, Judd Demaline, Jonathan Gayman, Emily Suzanne McDonald, Anna Petrow, Jennifer Schoemehl, Jennifer Silverberg, Jessica Spencer, Mabel Suen, Alistair Tutton, Landon Vonderschmidt, Cheryl Waller FEAST TV
producer: Catherine Neville production partner: Judd Demaline of Graine Films
COnTACT US Feast Media, 900 N. Tucker Blvd., 4th Floor, St. Louis, MO 63101 314.475.1244, feastmagazine.com DISTRIbUTIOn To distribute Feast Magazine at your place of business, please contact Bill Morlock for St. Louis at bmorlock@stldist.com, Jason Green for Kansas City at distribution@pds-kc.com and Dirk Dunkle for Jefferson City and Columbia at dadunkle@columbiatribune.com. Feast Magazine does not accept unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork. Submissions will not be returned. All contents are copyright Š 2010-2015 by Feast Magazine™. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents, without the prior written permission of the publisher, is strictly prohibited. Produced by the Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis, LLC 6
feastmagazine.com
July 2015
ContrIbutors
The Art of
07.15 jonathan bender Kansas City, Writer Jonathan Bender is the founder of The Recommended Daily. He is the author of LEGO: A Love Story and the winner of the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association’s 2012 Media Person of the Year. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where has judged the American Royal World Series of BBQ, eaten sandwiches for a month and pitched grain as a brewer’s assistant – all in pursuit of learning more about what Kansas Citians eat and drink. You can find him wherever there’s a proper toddy coffee or fried-egg sandwich.
Entertaining Join Feast Magazine for an open house party at
2015 ST. JUDE DREAM HOME GRAND OPENING Ohmes Farm - The Crossings 107 Scenic Drive Saint Peters, MO, 63376 | 314-713-0838
Friday, July 31st 6 - 9 PM Payne Family Homes has been chosen to be the St. Louis St. Jude Dream Home Builder for the second year in a row. The 2015 Dream Home is built in the same amazing community as last year. The Crossings at Ohmes Farm in St. Peters. Join Feast Magazine at an open house party highlighting this beautiful home created for a wonderful cause.
Enjoy an hors d’oeuvre buffet with wine and beer pairings
cheryl waller St. Louis, Photographer Cheryl grew up in Warrenton, Missouri, and always dreamed of becoming an artist. Cheryl received her first camera from her parents when she was 15 and began photographing everything in sight. It wasn’t until her junior year of high school that she decided she wanted to be a photographer. With the support of her parents, Cheryl graduated from the University of Central Missouri in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in professional photography. She then moved to St. Louis to pursue her love of commercial photography, where she is now a freelance photographer and photographer’s assistant. In the short year she’s lived in St. Louis, she’s had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful and talented individuals. Nothing brings Cheryl more joy than the opportunity to photograph beautiful images and to work with new people every day.
zach bauman Kansas City, Photographer
TRY ONE OF THE FEATURED RECIPES BEING SERVED! Recipe courtesy of Butler’s Pantry
Black Bean Burger Yield | 6 entree size or 18 hors d’oeuvre size | BURGERS 2/3 cup quinoa, rinsed 1 1/3 cups water 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing 2 scallions, thinly sliced 1 garlic clove, minced 1 serrano chile, seeded and minced 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander One 14-ounce can black beans with their liquid or 1 3/4 cups Classic Black Beans Salt 2 tablespoons Gluten Free all-purpose flour (such as Cup for Cup) 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro SAUCE AND TOPPINGS 1/2 cup tahini 1/2 cup water 1 small garlic clove, smashed 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Salt
Zach grew up in small-town Kansas but has called Kansas City home for nearly five years. His photography can be seen in a variety of different publications and ranges from food photography to concert photography and everything in between. When not out shooting a concert or dining around Kansas City, he is probably at home listening to records and possibly drinking some whiskey. If you care to keep up on his work you can check out his Twitter at @zachbphotograph.
YOUR FAVORITE COMBINATIONS Traditional - lettuce, tomato and pickle Gourmet- drizzled sweet potatoes and avocado mash Exotic - Kimchee, cilantro and Sriracha mayo Gluten free burger buns, fresh grilled naan or whole wheat buns
MAKE THE BURGERS - In a small saucepan, combine the quinoa with the water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 17 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the scallions, garlic, chile, cumin and coriander and cook over moderate heat until the scallions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and their liquid, season with salt and simmer over low heat until the beans are dry, about 3 minutes. Stir the quinoa into the beans. Scrape half of the mixture into a food processor, add the flour and puree until smooth. Add the remaining bean mixture and the cilantro and pulse just to combine. Scrape the burger mixture into a bowl and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with oil. Form the burger mixture into 18 balls and press them into 1 1/2-inch patties. Transfer to the baking sheet and brush the patties generously with oil. Bake in the center of the oven for about 20 minutes until sizzling and crisp, flipping the patties halfway through. MEANWHILE, MAKE THE SAUCE - In a blender or food processor, puree the tahini with the water, garlic and lemon juice and season with salt.
shannon cothran St. Louis, Writer Shannon Cothran is the former editor-in-chief of Louisiana Cookin’, a national magazine about the culinary delights of New Orleans. She has also written about food for The Boston Globe’s G Magazine and mental_floss. Shannon has eaten her way through all major U.S. cities and many parts of Europe and has spent the past 18 months exploring all the yummy things in St. Louis. When she’s not cooking, eating or writing about food, she likes to have lip-syncing and air-guitar parties with her kids, dog and Captain America-look-alike husband.
Inspired Local Food Culture
July 2015
7
publisher’s letter
when asked what i’d want to eat if i could only eat one kind of food for the rest of my life,
Watch the July episode of Feast TV on PBS stations across the region to learn how to prepare a low-country seafood boil.
my answer has always been, “something Asian.” But that’s like saying you’d want to eat “something European” – the vast array of flavors, textures, ingredients and cooking techniques used in Asian cultures are impossible to distill into a single approach.
FeAst eVeNts stl
Through October, 5 to 8pm; rotating St. Louis County Parks
This weekly festival gathers great mobile eats and popular local bands in parks across St. Louis County. Get the full schedule in the Events section at feastmagazine.com.
stl
In southwest Missouri, Chong Moore is serving the folks in and around Fort Leonard Wood Army base the Korean dishes she grew up cooking. Turn to p. 67 for Ettie Berneking’s in-depth profile that has me planning a road trip for a taste of Moore’s soon doo boo stew. Writer Jonathan Bender introduces us to a man who farms tea in his native China and sells the delicate leaves in a serene Kansas City shop (p. 63). And chicken-fried tofu biscuits with rhubarb-umeboshi jam? Whatever preconceived notions you may have about tofu, abandon them. In St. Louis, Dan Brewer is making non-GMO tofu by hand. The artisan product is available in stores, but it’s at Brewer’s pop-ups that you can get a taste of what fresh, unpasteurized bean curd can become in the hands of the right chef (p. 56).
tomato explosion Multiple locations, operationfoodsearch.org
Throughout the month of July, participating restaurants will serve specially themed tomato menu items, and a portion of the proceeds from each dish sold will support Operation Food Search’s mission to nourish and educate those in need to heal the hurt of hunger.
stl
schnucks Cooks: Macerated peaches with burnt butter shortcakes Wed., July 22, 6 to 9pm; Schnucks Cooks Cooking School; $40; schnuckscooks.com or 314.909.1704
Join us in the kitchen and learn how to make macerated peaches with burnt butter shortcakes, citrus salad with peach vinaigrette, cast-iron strip steak with chimichurri, and poblano pasta salad and grilled zucchini. In this month’s class you’ll learn how to properly split and deseed vanilla beans, as well as tips on what to do with vanilla bean pods once seeds are removed. You’ll also learn how to correctly brown butter and prepare biscuit and pastry dough.
Cuisines of the Asian continent share some commonalities, but the delicious distinctiveness of the food, from the purity of Japanese flavors to sweet-spicy Korean fare, the herbal freshness of Vietnamese dishes to Thailand’s rich, complex curries, makes exploring dishes from that part of the world an utter culinary pleasure. Back in March I trekked through Vietnam and Thailand, which helped to inspire the East-meets-Midwest theme of this issue (turn to p. 74 for a photo essay of my two-week experience). But it’s not necessary to fly halfway around the world for an authentic taste of Asia. In big cities and small towns alike, local diners seeking a fresh taste of the Far East and Southeast Asia will not be disappointed.
Feast in the park
stl
4 hands Collaboration series beer Dinner with planter’s house Tue., July 28, 6 to 9pm; Planter’s House; $50; plantershousestl.com
4 Hands Brewing Co. and Planter’s House team up to host a multicourse dinner in St. Louis in which each course is paired with a 4 Hands beer, including Hugo, Passion Fruit Prussia, Super Flare and Cuvee Diable.
stl
Whole Foods Market’s st. louis VegMaster Competition Thu., Aug. 6, 6 to 8pm; Whole Foods Market Galleria
In this vegetarian-cooking competition, chefs from several local restaurants – not necessarily vegetarian in nature – will be challenged to make a vegetarian dish from Beyond Meat ChickenFree strips to sample.
MO
I hope you enjoy digging into these stories as much as I did. Just writing this letter has me craving the freshness of a shrimp spring roll with nuóc châm. And, happily, I can zip just a few blocks from the Feast office for a taste of Vietnam close to home.
Washington County home Grown Farm tour and Field Dinner Sat., Aug. 29, 10am (dinner begins at 5:30pm); Washington County Courthouse Farmers’ Market; $55; homegrownfarmtour.com
Explore farm country and celebrate the growing season in historic Washington County with a free, self-guided tour featuring 13 venues highlighting the diversity of local farms and nearly 250 years of history in Washington County.
Until next time, stl
Cat’s picks Wednesdays, 8:35am; The BIG 550 KTRS
Tune in as Feast publisher Catherine Neville chats with host McGraw Milhaven and gives her weekly picks for the best places to eat and drink in the St. Louis area.
Catherine Neville publisher@feastmagazine.com
8
feastmagazine.com
JULY 2015
@cat_neville
@cat_neville
Pairs well with
SUNS H INE Summer is in full swing and Missouri wine country calls to us. The warm temperatures and clear blue skies create the need for adventure. Make the most of your wanderlust at one of our more than 125 Missouri Wineries. Spend the afternoon sampling some of our crisp, refreshing varietals while soaking in those beautiful rays. Plan your escape at missouriwine.org.
Inspired Local Food Culture
JULY 2015
9
DIGITAL CONTENT
hungry for more?
feastmagazine.com
connect with us daily:
Facebook. Keep up with food-and-drink events across the region (like Slow Food St. Louis’ Feast in the Field at La Vista CSA Farm) at facebook.com/feastmag.
The Feed: sTL PHOTOGRAPHy By mABeL Suen
JERK SHACK: On May 21, the Jerk Shack returned in full force to St. Louis’ Venice Café, serving traditional Jamaican eats such as specialty jerk chicken with sweet dumplings, plantains and housemade Jamaican jerk sauce.
TWITTeR. Follow @feastmag for behind-the-
scenes looks at Feast TV shoots (like Bee Sweet’s cute and creative ice cream in Kansas City).
The Feed: kc
PInTeResT. Cool down with refreshing summer cocktail recipes (like the Long Summer’s Day) on our Cocktail Recipes board at pinterest.com/feastmag.
PHOTOGRAPHy By KATe GiLLiAm
PHOTOGRAPHy By SAnDRA PARK
PHOTOGRAPHy By GeOFF CARDin
1900 bARKER bAKERy & CAfE: In Lawrence, Kansas, two brothers have opened a neighborhood bakery with a top-notch coffee program and freshly baked breads in flavors like pecan-raisin.
moRe on The Feed: Keep up with what’s happening in the region’s food-and-drink scene by visiting our daily updated news blog, The Feed, at feastmagazine.com/the-feed. We recently shared St. Louis chef Josh Galliano’s plans to join Companion, tracked Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods tour around Kansas City and got into the new kitchen at Public House Brewing Co.’s St. James location. sPecIaL gIVeaWaY: Win a pair of tickets to the Schnucks Cooks cooking class on Wed., July 22, at Schnucks Des Peres. Just head to
the Promotions section at feastmagazine.com for all the details.
10
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JULY 2015
InsTagRam. Hashtag your local food-and-drink photos with #feastgram for a chance to see them in Feast! Details on p. 82.
Watch our videos and Feast TV.
youtube.com/FeastMagazine
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margarita The margarita is the ultimate summer party drink, and luckily, it’s easy to make, too. Combine 3 oz. Triple Sec, 2 oz. tequila, 1.5 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice and 1 oz. granulated sugar and chill until ready to serve. Dust the rim of a margarita glass with salt and serve with a lime wedge.
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mojito The traditional Cuban cocktail is simple to make,
but being tasty and refreshing doesn’t hurt, either. Muddle 8 mint leaves in a cocktail shaker, then add ice, 2 oz. white rum, .75 oz fresh lime juice and 1 oz. simple syrup. Strain into a glass filled with ice, stir in .5 oz chilled club soda and garnish with a sprig of mint.
tom collins When the temperatures spike,
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us on the patio
Sunday Brunch 10 A.M. – 2 P.M.
you need something that’s easy to sip. Combine 2 oz. gin, 1 oz. fresh lemon juice and .75 oz. simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Strain cocktail into a Collins glass, top with club soda and stir briefly. Garnish with a lemon peel.
strawberry daiquiri On sweltering summer
days, a fruity frozen cocktail is all you need. Make a batch of frozen strawberry daiquiris by combining 8 oz. light rum, 6 oz. fresh lime juice and 1/3 cup sugar into a blender and mixing. Slowly add a 16-oz. package of frozen strawberries, then serve.
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Inspired Local Food Culture
JULY 2015
11
FEAST TV
TV
Look for the Feast TV splat throughout the magazine. It tells you which articles are part of this month’s episode!
watch this month’s episode to:
Segment 1: Get a taste of creative comfort food like kangaroo sausage at Instant Karma Gourmet Hot Dogs in Joplin, Missouri.
Segment 2: Visit with 4 Hands Brewing Co. founder Kevin Lemp at the St. Louis brewery’s brand-new outdoor bar made from recycled shipping containers.
Segment 3: Meet Bee Sweet, a Kansas City mobile ice cream business selling push-pops in creative flavors and chocolate-dipped tacos.
In the July episode cooking demo, producer Catherine Neville shares how to make an easy and flavorful lowcountry seafood boil. Visit feastmagazine.com to find the recipe.
Segment 4: Sip away the summer heat with high-quality, specialty, boozy frozen cocktails from Kansas City’s Snow & Co.
feast tv is brought to you by the generous support of our sponsors:
12
MissouRi Wines
Whole Foods MaRket
the Raphael hotel
In July, reach for a bottle of Hermannhof Winery’s Vidal Blanc. Feast TV producer Catherine Neville pairs it with a low-country seafood boil.
Get cooking at home! Pick up the recipes and ingredients from Catherine Neville’s July Feast TV demo at the Brentwood and Town and Country locations of Whole Foods Market in the St. Louis area.
The Raphael Hotel is the official Kansas City hotel of Feast Magazine, offering luxury accommodations and dining near Country Club Plaza in the heart of Kansas City.
feastmagazine.com
JULY 2015
WATCH FEAST ON THESE NETWORKS
Hand Crafted Coffees Importing Fine Coffees from 20 Countries • QUALITY • EXPERIENCE • SERVICE
In St. Louis, tune into the Nine Network (Channel 9) to see Feast TV on Sat., July 4 at 2pm; Mon., July 6 at 1pm; Sun., July 19 at 1:30pm; and Sun., July 26 at 4:30pm. Feast TV will also air throughout the month on nineCREATE.
Full Service Coffeehouse & Restaurant Supplier Fourth Generation Family Owned Coffee Roasters Since 1930
WWW.CHAUVINCOFFEE.COM
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In Kansas City, watch Feast TV on KCPT (Channel 19) on Sat., July 18 at 2:30pm.
You can watch Feast TV throughout mid-Missouri on KMOS (Channel 6) on Thu., July 23 at 8:30pm and on Sun., July 26 at 6:30pm.
Feast TV will air in the southern Illinois region on WSIU (Channel 8) at 10am on Sat., July 4.
Inspired Local Food Culture
July 2015
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feastmagazine.com
JULY 2015
where we’re dining
bite into artful japanese-style eats on p. 18 photography by jessica spencer
trending now: jackfruit
on trend
Written by bethany Christo | photography by landon vondersChmidt
Native to countries across Asia, jackfruit provides an ideal blank canvas for building flavor. Marinated, shredded, smoked or grilled, the relatively bland-flavored-yet-hardy fruit is popping up on restaurant menus across the region. stl
banh mi
St. LouiS. long before opening Lulu’s Local Eatery’s
kc
jack reuben
brick-and-mortar café in may 2014, owners lauren “lulu” loomis and robert tucker were serving their jackfruit banh mi and bbQ Jack sandwich out of their vegan food truck. made with pappy’s smokehouse barbecue sauce, the bbQ Jack is piled high with smoked and shredded jackfruit served open-faced on a pretzel bun with slaw. “i think nonmeat-eaters really like the nostalgia of the bbQ Jack since st. louis is a huge barbecue town,” loomis says. equally popular is the banh mi – originally added to the menu simply because tucker loves the vietnamese sandwich – consisting of jackfruit marinated in a spice blend with shredded carrots, cucumber, onion, cilantro and housemade sauce on a French baguette. “We don’t consider it a meat knockoff – our philosophy is that the fruit and vegetables speak for themselves,” loomis says. “the jackfruit sandwiches are great for what they are, and our vegan customers love bringing in their friends and family to try food that’s so tasty without meat.” this summer, loomis says jackfruit will also be served in carnitas tacos and tostadas on lulu’s food truck.
kanSaS city. Four years ago, FüD chef-owner heidi belle decided to put jackfruit on the menu. after 17 years living in los angeles, eating a diet of raw foods for four years and running a mostly raw-foods café out of her home, belle had eaten the tropical fruit raw and green, but never cooked. in 2006 she moved to Kansas City, and four years later she opened her vegan restaurant, Füd, where she made jackfruit a focus of the menu in an effort to offer gluten-free options. the choice also satisfied several other missions: she knew jackfruit was a nutritious, nongmo crop that supported the asian communities she was sourcing from. the Jack reuben, made with corned jackfruit stacked with sauerkraut, vegan cheese, housemade “thrilla” sauce and coleslaw served on rye, and the Jack bbQ sandwich are the top-selling items on the menu. “Kansas City isn’t a big vegetarian or vegan community,” belle says. “people come in and eat it because they love the flavor, and it’s also a great alternative to people who want the satisfaction of their favorite comfort foods without the cholesterol. the irony is vegans often think it tastes too much like meat and order something else.”
Lulu’s Local Eatery, 3201 S. Grand Ave., South Grand, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.300.8215, luluslocaleatery.com
FüD, 813 W. 17th St., Westside, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.785.3454, eatfud.com
ks
saucy
jack tamales kanSaS. after stephanie shelton and shawn mock
adopted a vegan diet in 2010, they found themselves missing the flavors and textures of meat – but not meat itself. “i call vegans the macgyvers of food,” shelton jokes. their quest led to the founding of Mean Vegan Products, which uses jackfruit as the meaty, hearty base for many of its products, including the best-selling saucy Jack tamale with pulled jackfruit and vegan queso made with nutritional yeast and turmeric, wrapped in non-gmo corn masa. the pair also sell original jack tamales and Kansas City Jack bbQ at 35-plus stores in the Kansas City area and in Kansas (in the topeka and lawrence areas). “ninety percent of our clientele isn’t even interested in the vegan aspect of jackfruit,” mock says. “We’re excited to be the gateway drug to plant-based eating,” shelton adds. “so many people tell us that if all vegan food tasted like this, they would be vegan tomorrow.” Mean Vegan Products, 816.838.2457, meanveganproducts.com
OnE On OnE
kc
miranda barchers owner, morning day cafe Written by Valeria turturro Klamm
st. lou is cra ft bee r wee k
LIBERTY, MO.
photography by alistair tutton
How will the full-service kitchen expand the menu? i’ll be able to work with farmers a lot more. Without an oven, my hands [have been] tied on what i can do. With the kitchen, i’ll be able to get raw ingredients that i couldn’t utilize otherwise, like chickens and hogs from local farms. i’ll be able to bake gluten-free bread and scones and have a pastry portion to the business with cakes and cookies. We’ll also introduce brunch on the weekends, called afternoon Delight. i’m also installing a small-scale aquaponics system using repurposed materials as much as possible. Why is it important to you to serve gluten-free and vegetarian dishes? liberty was [lacking] something extremely customizable that fit the needs of people with diet restrictions and allergies. i married into a family where everybody is allergic to something. i can eat whatever i want, but i’ve been vegetarian and vegan and have traveled with those self-inflicted diet restrictions, and it’s really hard to find one space that accommodates everyone. i wanted to serve food that was as whole food, locally sourced and organic as possible so i can feed people like i’m feeding my family. What is one of your most popular menu items? the sandwich that has gotten people in the door since the first day is the Daybreak with egg, ham, sun-dried tomatoes and housemade herbed cream cheese. it was originally called the aD Daybreak after my 5-year-old son, ayden, because at the break of day, he would always wake up and say, “it’s morning day!” In the evenings, Morning Day Cafe transforms into Nite Bites. Tell us more about this concept. We do what actors do between scenes – we put away all the food from the daytime; reorganize the kitchen; and bring out our craft liquors, spirits and bitters, along with antipasti and fondue. With our full-service kitchen we’ll have more small-plate options where it will feel like an intimate dinner setting, as well, and we won’t have to close down between. the last Saturday of every month, we have arts Jam during nite bites, where we present a check to a charity. With the full kitchen, we’ll be donating the profit margin from orders of one entrée per month. We also feature local musicians and artists whose paintings hang in the café. it’s our way of combining the charitable compassion our community already has with the creative side of our artists and musicians. to date, we’ve presented more than $17,000 to charities in the Kansas City area.
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When miranda iranda barchers archers first conceptualized Morning Day Cafe,, a natural foods breakfast and lunch café located in historic Downtown liberty, missouri, she envisioned a fullservice kitchen where she could prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner. When she fell in love with a specific location for the café, however, she had to put some of those plans – including having an oven – on hold, as the tight space and funding didn’t allow for everything she had in mind. but as the café celebrates its one-year anniversary this month, barchers is planning a grand reopening to celebrate an expanded menu after she reconfigured the space to house the full-service kitchen she always wanted.
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Morning Day Cafe, 6 E. Franklin St., Liberty, Missouri, 816.883.8258, morningdaycafe.com
Inspired Local Food Culture
July 2015
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where we’re dining
mo
kulture kurry
bo lings
Kc
written by Jenny VergArA
written by Pete Dulin
Kulture Kurry, 9940 College Blvd., Overland Park, Kansas, 913.339.9511, kulturekurry.com PHOtOGrAPHy by zACH bAuMAn
PHOtOgrAPHy by MAbeL Suen
OVERLAND PARK, KS. the northern
indian fare at Kulture Kurry is unlike anything served elsewhere in the Kansas City metro area. Owner roushan Kumar’s upscale restaurant serves authentic family recipes and traditional indian dishes prepared by chef nazar Abbas. Start your meal with an order of crisp poppadum wafers with mint and tamarind chutneys; warm naan served with hummus tadka (only served during dinner service) studded with cumin seed, whole fried curry leaves and other spices in oil; and chole bhatura, which combines chickpeas, tomatoes and onions in a rich, warm sauce with puffy fried bread for dipping. next, move on to an entrée such as bater banjara (tender quail in tangy yellow curry), dry spicerubbed goat sukha or dal makhani, black lentils cooked overnight in creamy sauce. if you have questions about ingredients or any of the dishes, simply ask the friendly and knowledgeable servers.
stl
tazé written by MAbeL Suen
ST. LOuIS. the tazé Mediterranean Street Food logo depicts a bright orange flame, a nod to the fire that fuels the restaurant’s authentic tandoor oven. the red-hot oven sits beside a number of other instruments in the glistening, stainless steel open kitchen. And when guests approach the counter to place their orders, they can also watch meals come to life before their eyes. Flavor-packed menu items are influenced by popular street foods in countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Start your meal with chickpea salad and dolma (stuffed grape leaves) or couscous and balsamic-caramelized onion hummus. in the kitchen, fluffy, puffed pita bread gets paddled out from a stone hearth oven and sprinkled with an array of toppings. Choose from juicy marinated kebab meats cooked on giant skewers or seasoned gyro meat, shaved to order from rotating vertical spits.
tazé Mediterranean Street t Food, 626 washington Ave. #103, Downtown, St. louis, Missouri, 314.254.7953, tazestreetfood.com 18
feastmagazine.com
JULY 2015
PHOtOgrAPHy by JeSSiCA SPenCer
From new restaurants to renewed restaurant menus, our staff and contributors share our picks for where we’re dining across the region this month.
KANSAS CITY. People line up early for dim sum at bo lings on Saturdays and Sundays. the traditional Cantonese meal is meant to be shared with family and friends, and here, it’s always worth the wait. bo Lings has six locations across the kansas City area (three serve dim sum), but the location on Country Club Plaza is best for dim sum, as it has the largest dining room, which reduces wait times. Owners richard and theresa ng have been serving dim sum at bo Lings since 1987, and their expertise shows in the impressive selection.
Dim sum roughly translates to “the point of the heart,” and at bo Lings that translates into steamed, fried and baked dumplings, plus rolls, buns, noodles and desserts with plates ranging from $3.75 to $5.75. the dim sum push cart attendants pull lids off every dish offered, giving brief descriptions of each item. From there, you simply point or nod your head to place your order. bo lings, 4701 Jefferson St., Kansas City, Missouri, Country Club Plaza, 816.753.1718, bolings.com PHOtOgrAPHy by AnnA PetrOw
Kc
haruno sushi bar & grill written by ettie berneking
SPRINGFIELD, MO. the array of stunning
maki rolls, Japanese dumplings and bowls of spicy soups at Haruno Sushi bar & Grill in Springfield, Missouri, are partly what draws a steady stream of customers to the restaurant. the other big draw is the atmosphere: the deep red walls, oversized light fixtures, tufted booths and polished high-top tables in Haruno’s sleek, modern bar area and dining room provide an ideal backdrop for its fresh, artfully plated food and drink. Sashimi, nigiri and maki rolls are the stars of the show, with both traditional preparations and more playful Americanized fare. For example, the Oh My god maki roll comes with plump medallions of crab and shrimp tempura topped with creamy avocado – and just before it’s served, the whole thing is lit on fire and delivered to the table still smoking. For a less theatrical (yet just as complex) roll, opt for the Crazy roll filled with fresh tuna, eel, crab, cucumber, scallions and vegetables with smelt roe. Haruno Sushi bar & Grill, 3044 S. Fremont Ave., Springfield, Missouri, 417.887.0077, harunosushi.com
one on one
stl
9 5 6 8 M A N C H ES T E R R D R O C K H I L L , M O 6 3 119 31 4. 9 4 2 . 6 5 5 5 K A T I ES P I Z Z A A N D P A S T A . C O M
kevin warner
president, slow food st. louis; project coordinator, fair shares ccsa; owner, la tortilla buena Written by bethany Christo
ST. LOUIS. in February, Kevin Warner was elected president of Slow Food
photography by emily suzanne mcdonald
St. Louis, an organization with which he’s been volunteering for nearly a decade. as an advocate for local food and healthy eating, he also splits his time between organizing projects and talking with Missouri farmers for Fair Shares CCSA and hand-pressing around 2,000 small-batch, Missouri-grown organic corn tortillas each week for his nine-month-old company, La Tortilla Buena, with tortillas available in the st. Louis area through Fair shares and at Larder & Cupboard, Local harvest Grocery and City Greens Market.
Tell us about your role as president of Slow Food St. Louis. My goal is to make slow food more accessible – the whole farm-to-table movement is sometimes seen as expensive and not for everyone. We’re doing a lot of events that are free or really low cost – we do a film series at the schlafly bottleworks [for free with a $6 suggested donation] and tasting events that are $10 or $15. We push good, clean, fair food. you have to eat three meals a day. For many people, it’s a chore. but you have to eat; there’s no other option – why not make food enjoyable? When you connect the stories of the farmers and food traditions behind what you’re eating, life is better. Did you grow up around farming? not at all; i’m a city boy. i grew up with strong food traditions. My mom was a really good home cook, so i was accustomed to real food early on. When i went to college, i had a bit of a crisis being forced to eat dorm food. i started cooking for myself, making my own bread and all that. i got involved with Fair shares after college, and talking to farmers every week opened my eyes to that side of things, as well. i think love is a verb; it’s an action, not something that you’re in. if you want to show love to your family, one way is to cook for them. What role does Fair Shares play in the St. Louis food community? Part of what Fair shares offers is a connection to the farmers and the narrative behind your food. When you can connect the eater with the background of this heirloom variety, where it’s from or how to prepare the food in a traditional way, people get really excited about that. Fair shares really focuses on locality: For example, we use Midwest Pasta Co., located on Cherokee street, but we supply them locally grown pasture-raised eggs and organic flour, so we’re supporting Missourimade pasta, the egg farmer and the wheat mill, but then a tier above that is the local grain farmer for the flour and for the chicken feed. Why did you start La Tortilla Buena? i consider it a side project. it’s more about creating a really good product than financial success. i hand-crank the tortilla machine; i griddle every tortilla by hand. the tortillas are processed in a traditional aztec way that releases niacin and a bunch of other vitamins, making it much more nutritious. there is a taste difference, as well – it’s nuttier, the texture is better, the color is different, there’s just a lot more flavor there. st. Louis is unique in that if you decide you want to do something, there are very few limiting factors to doing it. When i decided to open a tortilla company, there was a local farm growing organic corn, there was a commercial kitchen available to rent space affordably, a local business made masa dough; there are so many wonderful resources in st. Louis. Slow Food St. Louis, slowfoodstl.org; Fair Shares CCSA, fairshares.org; La Tortilla Buena, facebook.com/LaTortillaBuena
Dine In • Carr yout • Catering • Boxed Lunches
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44 North Brentwood Drive Clayton, Mo 63105 314.721.9400 - www.oceanobistro.com Inspired Local Food Culture
July 2015
19
destination: Milwaukee, wisconsin
driven by byerly rv
road trip
WRITTEN By LISA WATERMAN GRAy
Milwaukee has robust German, Polish and Italian communities, but it’s the city’s German heritage that will be celebrated at the annual German Fest, held July 24 to 26. Kicking off Wisconsin’s Oktoberfest season, the 35-year-old event offers traditional German fare, from sauerbraten to strudel and, of course, beer. Enjoy plenty of live music, cultural displays and even a dachshund derby. A thriving art museum and craft-beer scene and a plethora of water activities are just a few other reasons to visit Milwaukee this summer.
sleep
eat
The Pfister
Housing one of the largest Victorian art collections of any hotel in the world, The Pfister opened in 1893 and underwent a massive renovation in 1962. Although vintage charm remains in the lobby and public areas, guest rooms showcase contemporary design. Guests can indulge in spa services or sip cocktails with skyline views at the hotel’s bar, Blu. 424 E. Wisconsin Ave., 414.273.8222, thepfisterhotel.com PHOTO COURTESY VISIT MILWAUkEE
Wood-clad walls, spare contemporary furnishings and dramatic lighting create a beautiful backdrop for dry-aged rib eye and Kobe beef filet mignon. Sides range from caramelized Brussels sprouts to butternut squash risotto. Seafood lovers will appreciate the ultrafresh tuna tartare and day boat scallops, while desserts range from donuts to pistachio cheesecake. 724 N. Milwaukee St., 414.223.2200, carnevor.com
Potawatomi Hotel & Casino The hotel at the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino offers luxury guest rooms and an on-site restaurant serving dishes made with local produce, sustainable proteins and handcrafted cocktails. In addition to the gaming and dining options, the entertainment destination has previously featured comedy acts such as Kevin Nealon and Norm Macdonald and musicians such as Ringo Starr and Boz Scaggs. 1721 W. Canal St., 800.729.7244, paysbig.com/hotel PHOTO COURTESY VISIT MILWAUkEE
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JULY 2015
This iconic terra-cotta brick building displays one of the largest selection of Wisconsin cheeses available in the state, with more than 200 varieties lining its floor-to-ceiling shelves. Sample bleu affinée, 15-year aged Cheddar, peppercornCheddar, chocolate-cheese fudge and more. 215 W. Highland Ave., 414.272.3544, wisconsincheesemart.com
Harbor House Comfortable Adirondack chairs fill out the casual patio area with water views at Harbor House, while tall windows flood the dining room with natural light. Harbor House specializes in seafood dishes, from steamed mussels to rainbow trout almondine, although meaty mains such as steaks, burgers and roasted chicken are also represented. On Sundays, the brunch buffet includes a chilled seafood and salad table, made-to-order eggs Benedict and Belgian waffles. 550 N. Harbor Drive, 414.395.4900, harborhousemke.com
Hotel Metro Milwaukee
411 E. Mason St., 414.272.1937, hotelmetro.com
Wisconsin Cheese Mart
Carnevor Steakhouse Moderne
PHOTOTOgRAPHY BY JOE LAEDTkE
Art deco-inspired and listed on the National Register of Historic Places – yet still full of modern amenities – this boutique hotel received a 2013 and 2014 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor. Eco-friendly features include bamboo and cork flooring in public areas and locally sourced restaurant ingredients. The luxe accommodations include spa whirlpool baths, saltwater hot tubs with shoulder massage machines, a dry sauna and sustainable rainwater showers. Pets are welcome, too.
local gems
PHOTO COURTESY VISIT MILWAUkEE
Mader’s Open since 1902, this family owned business is one of the nation’s best-known German restaurants, with a $3 million collection of art, armor and antiques – some of which date back to the 14th century. Housemade sauerbraten sandwiches are made with beef marinated in pickling spices for 10 days. Customers also savor braised red cabbage, lager-battered herring with turnip chips, several schnitzel dishes and its legendary pork shank with apple demi-glace. 1041 N. Old World Third St., 414.271.3377, madersrestaurant.com PHOTO COURTESY VICTOR MADER
The Pasta Tree Restaurant & Wine Bar Voted best pasta, most romantic and best Italian restaurant in Milwaukee by local publications, this restaurant also gets high marks for its scallops alla abruzzo with steamed broccoli in an extra virgin olive oil sauce, plus beef carpaccio and lobster tails. Be sure to leave room for a big slice of housemade tiramisu or Chocolate Nemesis – christened “the best chocolate cake ever” by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Colectivo Coffee Lakefront
PHOTO COURTESY OF WISCONSIN CHEESE MART
Milwaukee Public Market With nearly 20 food and beverage vendors plus a second-floor European market and café, Milwaukee Public Market has something for everyone. Locally and nationally renowned chefs (including Chicago’s Rick Bayless) have hosted cooking demonstrations in the market’s upstairs kitchen. Customers can purchase specialty fruit vinegars and premium olive oils, bulk spices and hand-dipped chocolates. Whatever your food-and-drink preferences, they’re all available here. 400 N. Water St., 414.336.1111, milwaukeepublicmarket.org
The popular coffee roaster owns multiple locations across the city. This one is situated across the street from Lake Michigan and has an expansive patio. In addition to its massive menu of coffee and tea drinks, all-day breakfast menu items include veggie-pesto burritos and potato-bacon burritos with eggs. 1701 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive, 414.223.4551, colectivocoffee.com
Usinger’s Famous Sausage Sausage-maker Frederick Usinger migrated to Milwaukee from Germany in the late 1870s. He later purchased his employer’s shop, married his boss’s niece and began selling housemade sausage. The shop is now operated by his great-grandchildren, offering more than 75 varieties of sausage amid early 1900s murals.
1503 N. Farwell Ave., 414.276.8867, pastatreemilwaukee.com
1030 N. Old World Third St., 414.276.9105, usinger.com
PHOTO COURTESY SUzzETTE METCALFE
PHOTO COURTESY USINgER’S FAMOUS SAUSAgE
After years of international travel, el,
Pastry Chef Michel Royer has decided to spend his ica retirement on the road. The wide open spaces of America called and, ever since he purchased a Tiffin Phaeton motorhome from Byerly RV, the countryside has become Michel’s backyard. As for dining in an RV? The food is delicious, always fresh, and usually prepared in the small but well ell equipped kitchen. “I like to travel the backroads, stopping at produce oduce stands, farmer’s markets and finding regional specialties,”” Michel explained. A recent trip to Kentucky resulted in a breakfast of country y ham, farm fresh eggs, Amish preserves and home baked Farmer’s Market. coffee cake – all from the Cadiz Far
Tomato Tart
Ingredients: peridge Farms, should - 1 Sheet Puff Pastry (Pep grocery store) be in the freezer section of - 4 Tomatoes - Dijon Mustard - Sliced Fresh Mozzarella - Salt & Pepper - Fresh Basil Leaves Preparation: fore, place on a wire - Slice tomatoes the day be ter rack to remove excess wa - Defrost puff pastry Instructions: tangle - Roll puff pastry into a rec ghly with a fork orou - Perforate puff pastry th ing to avoid excessive ris age instructions, remove - Bake according to pack when golden brown ghtly over puff pastry - Spread Dijon mustard sli top of mustard and on - Arrange sliced tomatoes pastry of tomatoes; be sure that s - Place mozzarella on top between mozzarella piece there is ½ inch separation - Salt and pepper to taste minutes or until 15 - Bake in oven at 350 for cheese is melted ves sprinkle chopped basil lea - Remove from oven and
Byerly RV
Hwy. 44 & 109, Exit 264 (636) 938-2000 • www.ByerlyRV.com
Inspired Local Food Culture
JULY 2015
21
june to august: eggplant
IN SEASON
Written by bethany Christo
Eggplant thrives in the summer when Midwest temperatures mirror the plant’s native Mediterranean climate. stl
eggplant mechouia
st. louis. the “middleterranean” fare at Olio in st. Louis has included eggplant prominently since opening in fall 2012, mainly stemming from owner ben poremba’s partiality to the nightshade. in fact, about seven months ago, the restaurant began spotlighting eggplant in its own section on the menu, currently featured in baba ghanoush and served with kefir and wheatberries; imam bayildi with charred Chinese eggplant, greek yogurt and pomegranate molasses; and eggplant caponata. Josh Charles, chef de cuisine at olio and its sister restaurant, elaia, says his favorite eggplant dish on the menu at olio is the mechouia in the mezze, or small dishes, section of the menu. the eggplant is grilled, which allows the skin to char while the inside caramelizes, creating a smoky flavor. the inside is then scraped out, chopped up and combined with peppers to make a dip. “i hadn’t worked much with eggplant before,” Charles says, “but now i know 25 different preparations. We’ve used it in soup, burnt purée, with or without skin, chopped – you can go anywhere with it.” When in season, olio sources its eggplant from berger bluff Farm in berger, missouri, and Charles says it usually takes up half of the kitchen’s walk-in cooler. the chefs also seek out smaller Chinese eggplant from global Foods market in kirkwood, missouri, year-round for its fewer seeds and sweeter notes.
Olio, 1634 Tower Grove Ave., Botanical Heights, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.932.1088, oliostl.com
KC
eggplant terrine
kansas city. executive chef and owner michael smith says the small-plate format at Extra Virgin in kansas City sells the eggplant dishes for him. “in a small-plate environment, diners are more willing to take risks and order eggplant dishes because they know they’ll be biting from six different plates,” smith says. “you’re not paying $15 for an appetizer that you don’t know you’ll like.” he says most diners love the eggplant specials served at his mediterranean-inspired restaurant in the Crossroads arts District, including a terrine with peeled and thinly sliced eggplant brushed with olive oil, minced garlic, fresh basil, oregano and thyme. once the ingredients are prepped, the dish is slowly baked in a mold for several hours and then cooled overnight. smith says he also enjoys sautéing eggplant slices with Lebanese spices, garlic and date syrup and then slowly cooking until candied; the mixture is often served underneath labneh cheese and rotisserie lamb with vinaigrette to cut through the sweetness. “We have a history in this country of taking eggplant, breading it mile-high thick, frying it and serving with a clump of cheese in eggplant parmesan,” smith says. “i’m not sure people order that dish for the eggplant, but rather for the tomato sauce, garlic, herbs and cheese. it’s a challenge and a test for us to present eggplant in a way that is appealing on its own.”
Extra Virgin, 1900 Main St., Crossroads Arts District, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.842.2205, extravirginkc.com photography by ©istoCk/sarsmis
cHeF’s tip “If you soak eggplant in olive oil when it’s raw, it’ll be really greasy after you cook it. But if you add the olive oil after cooking, either tossed or drizzled, it’s great. Leave the skin on, cook it on the grill just enough so that it’s soft but not falling apart, cool it, dice it up and essentially drown it in olive oil, and it’s just incredible. Then if you add chopped fresh tomatoes and herbs, you’re good to go.” –Michael Smith, executive chef and owner, Extra Virgin
one on one
mo
manya honig
smoked tomato soup with eggplant croutons
kanSaS CITY. Manya
Honig launched Bee Sweet, a mobile ice cream cart, this spring in the greater Kansas City area. Bee Sweet now vends at farmers’ markets and special events around the city, including at Boulevard Brewing Co.’s recent Boulevardia festival. Honig makes small batches of her ice cream by hand with coconut milk or local dairy and local honey. Creative flavors such as black sesame, blueberry-hibiscus and rosewater-pistachio are served in plastic push-pop containers, and Honig also makes popular ice cream-filled, chocolate-dipped tacos. With business steadily increasing, she plans to expand production in a Midtown building later this year. In 2016, Honig plans to introduce a bicycledriven ice cream cart to transport her frozen treats to farmers’ markets and events across the city.
Missouri, is not just beer and brats. this month, Black Walnut Bistro in Downtown hermann is serving a smoked and puréed tomato soup with fried eggplant croutons. co-owner Nick Renfroe says the dish is inspired, albeit in a roundabout way, by eggplant parmesan – eggplant is cubed and deep-fried to make croutons, the parmesan that usually tops the baked dish is crisped up, smoked tomatoes meant to evoke the marinara form the soup’s base and bacon is added for extra smokiness. “the eggplant really soaks up the sauce and the smokiness and adds a nice texture,” Renfroe says. eggplant also makes an appearance in the bistro’s pasta primavera, which is made with angel hair spaghetti (and like 99 percent of the pasta on the menu, the noodles are made from scratch). Renfroe salts the eggplant before sautéing it to avoid oil absorption and suggests keeping the vegetable whole for as long as possible to prevent browning – he cuts eggplant to order for the primavera. Black Walnut Bistro, 222 E. First St., Hermann, Missouri, 573.486.3298, facebook.com/blackwalnutbistro
Smoked Tomato Soup with Eggplant Croutons Recipe couRtesy Nick ReNfRoe
Serves | 6 | Smoked TomaTo Soup
hickory wood chips water onion, halved medium tomatoes, stems removed lb bacon, chopped cup chopped garlic cans whole tomatoes cans tomato sauce cup tomato paste chipotle pepper in adobo sauce cups chicken stock cup sugar cup heavy cream salt and freshly ground black pepper
eggplanT CrouTonS
2 3 2 1
canola oil cups all-purpose flour large eggs, whisked cups panko breadcrumbs salt and freshly ground black pepper eggplant, cubed
| Preparation – Smoked Tomato Soup | soak a large handful of hickory chips in water for 30 minutes. Drain water and sprinkle chips onto bottom of a smoker. place onion and tomatoes on perforated tray and smoke for 1½ hours. set aside.
| Preparation – Eggplant Croutons | in a saucepan, add just enough oil for eggplant cubes to be submerged and heat oil to 350°f. in 3 bowls, separate flour, eggs and breadcrumbs. season flour with salt and pepper. toss cubed eggplant in flour, then in eggs, then breadcrumbs until coated. Deep-fry eggplant in oil until golden brown. Ladle soup into serving bowls and top with croutons. serve.
photogRAphy by ANNA petRow
in a stock pot over medium-low heat, cook bacon without crisping. Roughly chop smoked tomatoes and onion and add to pot. Add garlic. Raise heat to medium and continue to cook for 15 minutes. Add whole tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste, chipotle pepper, stock and sugar. simmer for 30 minutes. using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. stir in cream and season with salt and pepper.
owner, bee sweet
WRITTEN BY PETE DulIN
Hermann, mo. Despite the city’s german roots, restaurant fare in hermann,
1 2 ¼ 1⁄8 2 2 ¼ 1 2 1⁄8 1
kC
How do you develop ice cream flavors? I have a passionate palate. I love fresh, bright, bold and spicy flavors. My raspberry sherbet has fresh lemon zest to emphasize the spark of a fresh raspberry. Sometimes I adapt other desserts. My carrot-halva flavor is a nod to an Indian rice pudding. I make a blueberry-buttermilk ice cream with maple syrup because I love pancakes. Mostly, I just want to work with one or two distinct flavors that I personally love like ginger and molasses or beets and cinnamon. What are your basic ingredients? My recipes are straightforward: milk, cream and sugar. I source locally as much as I can. If not local, then I make sure it’s organic. Now I’m sourcing local honey and herbs from various farms. I also use Shatto Milk Co. cream and milk. Eventually, I want to create seasonal flavors that coincide with peak harvests. Tell us about your plans to expand production. This fall and winter I will build out a Bee Sweet production facility with my husband. Right now I can only make 8 quarts of ice cream at a time. This limits me to weekend push pop “pop-ups” and calendar events. You can find my location on any given Saturday or Sunday through my website or social media pages. In addition to push pops and ice cream tacos, what other frozen treats do you sell? I also make heart-shaped, chocolate-dipped ice cream bars. I make a vanilla (for the faint of heart) and a beet-cinnamon I call a Heart Beet bar. I have a few more bars in development, and I really want to start making mochi ice cream balls. I recently heard that the red, white and blue Bomb Pop was invented in Kansas City, so I want to make an all-natural version next summer. What inspired the idea to launch a Bee Sweet bicycle-driven ice cream cart next summer? I’ve been excited by the mobile-food movement for a long time. I like the creativity and flexibility of a nomadic business. Bicycles speak to my core value system as a person and as a business. The bicycle cart is a gesture towards sustainability, both environmentally and in terms of personal health. Bee Sweet, 816.698.2290, beesweeticecream.com
Inspired Local Food Culture
JULY 2015
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Regional RestauRant guide 4 Hands Brewing Co.
1220 S. Eighth St. St. Louis, MO 314.436.1559 4handsbrewery.com
Aya Sofia
6671 Chippewa St. St. Louis, MO 314.645.9919 ayasofiacuisine.com
BaiKu Sushi Lounge
Klondike Café at Montelle Vineyard
Q39
Diablito’s
Lorenzo’s Trattoria
3761 Laclede Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.644.4430 diablitoscantina.com
1933 Edwards St. St. Louis, MO 314.773.2223 lorenzostrattoria.com
Sanctuaria
El Pico Mexican Restaurant
Lucky Brewgrille
Shrine Restaurant
Courthouse Exchange
113 W. Lexington Ave. Independence, MO 816.252.0344 courthouseexchange.com
201 Montelle Drive Augusta, MO 636.228.4464 montelle.com
1000 W. 39th St. Kansas City, MO 816.255.3753 q39kc.com
4198 Manchester Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.535.9700 sanctuariastl.com
3407 Olive St. St. Louis, MO 314.896.2500 baikustl.com
106 W. Maple Ave. Independence, MO 816.252.7426 facebook.com/ elpicomexicanrestaurant
Bella Vino Wine Bar & Tapas
Evangeline’s Bistro
Magpie Cafe
903 S. Main St. St. Charles, MO 636.947.3883 magpiesonmain.com
Square Pizza
512 N Euclid Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.367.3644 evangelinesstl.com
Bishop’s Post
Fratelli’s Ristorante
Mai Lee
2061 Zumbehl Road St. Charles, MO 636.949.9005 fratellisristorante.com
8396 Musick Memorial Drive, St. Louis, MO 314.645.2835 maileestl.com
Summit Grill & Bar
Gallagher’s
MaryAnn’s Tea Room
Tazé Mediterranean Kitchen
325 S. Main St. St. Charles, MO 636.724.3434 bellavinowinebarstl.com
16125 Chesterfield Pkwy W. Chesterfield, MO 636.536.9404 bishopspost.com
Café Ventana
3919 W. Pine Blvd. St. Louis, MO 314.531.7500 cafeventana.com
114 W. Mill St. Waterloo, IL 618.939.9933 gallagherswaterloo.com
5401 Johnson Drive Mission, KS 913.403.8571 luckybrewgrille.com
4732 McPherson Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.361.5303 maryannstearoom.com
442 S. Demazenod Drive Belleville, IL 618.394.6237 snows.org
208 W. Maple Ave. Independence, MO 816.461.2929 squarepizzasquared.com
4835 NE Lakewood Way Lees Summit, MO 816.795.7677 summitgrillandbar.com
626 Washington Ave. #103 St. Louis, MO 314.254.7953 tazestreetfood.com
Haveli Indian Restaurant
Mathew’s Kitchen
Tenderloin Room
Chaz on the Plaza at the Raphael Hotel
Hendricks BBQ
Oceano Bistro
Three Sixty at Hilton St. Louis
Citizen Kane’s
Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria
Cafe Verona
206 W. Lexington Ave. Independence, MO 816.833.0044 cafeveronarestaurant.com
325 Ward Pkwy Kansas City, MO 816.802.2152 raphaelkc.com
133 W. Clinton Place Kirkwood, MO 314.965.9005 citizenkanes.com
Cleveland-Heath
106 N. Main St. Edwardsville, IL 618.307.4830 clevelandheath.com
Corner Restaurant
4059 Broadway Kansas City, MO 816.931.4401 thecornerkc.com
9720 Page Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.423.7300 havelistl.com
1200 S. Main St. St. Charles, MO 636.724.8600 hendricksbbq.com
9568 Manchester Road St. Louis, MO 314.942.6555 katiespizzaandpasta.com
King & I
3157 S. Grand Blvd. St. Louis, MO 314.771.1777 kingandistl.com
The Kitchen Sink
255 Union Blvd. St. Louis, MO 314.454.1551 letseat.at/thekitchensink
5625 Hampton Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.351.1700 mathewskitchenstl.com
44 N. Brentwood Blvd. Clayton, MO 314.721.9400 oceanobistro.com
Olympia Kebob House and Taverna
232 N. Kingshighway Blvd. St. Louis, MO 314.361.0900 tenderloinroom.com
1 S. Broadway St. Louis, MO 314.241.8439 360-stl.com
Trattoria Giuseppe
1543 McCausland Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.781.1299
5442 Old State Route 21 Imperial, MO 636.942.2405 trattoria-giuseppe.com
Ophelia’s Restaurant & Inn
Truffles and Butchery
The Pat Connolly Tavern
Vintage Restaurant at Stone Hill Winery
olympiakebobandtaverna.com
201 N. Main St. Independence, MO 816.461.4525 opheliasind.com
6400 Oakland Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.647.6553 patconnollytavern.com
9202 Clayton Road St. Louis, MO 314.567.9100 todayattruffles.com
110 Stone Hill Highway Hermann, MO 573.486.3479 stonehillwinery.com Inspired Local Food Culture
JULY 2015
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Open 7 Days a Week for Dinner!
T R A T T O R I A
Heading to the Muny? Join us for dinner!
1933 Edwards St, St Louis, MO 63110
(314) 773-2223
www.LorenzosTrattoria.com
1220 S 8th Street, st. louis, mo | 4handsbrewery.com 26
feastmagazine.com
JULY 2015
where we’re drinking
catch an arctic flight on p. 32 PHOTOGRAPHy by lAndOn vOndeRscHmidT
trending now: Soju CoCktailS
on trend
WRITTeN by beThANy ChRISTO, PeTe DUlIN AND CAITlyN GAllIP PhOTOGRAPhy by JUDD DeMAlINe
Named Korea’s most popular spirit, soju is typically made of distilled rice, wheat or barley. Traditionally sipped neat throughout a meal or taken as a shot, soju imparts malt, citrus and vanilla on the finish, with an alcohol content between 16 and 20 percent. Stl
seoul-jito
uniVerSitY CitY, Mo. At Seoul Q in University
City, Missouri, sipping soju is an integral part of the traditional family-style Korean barbecue experience, according to owner David Choi. While he prefers taking shots of soju spread throughout dinner (and the restaurant sells bottles for that purpose), he realizes guests who are unaccustomed to its subtle bite might prefer it mixed in cocktails. “Our soju cocktails are refreshing rather than harsh,” Choi says. “We really wanted to incorporate things that are popular in Korean drinks – things like tea, citrus and fruit juice.” With a soju cocktail menu designed with Chicago mixologist Alexis Martinez, the current lineup riffs on classics such as the Seouljito, the Seoul Reviver No. 4 and the Choi Palmer made with soju and roasted black sesame tea sweetened with honey and fresh lemonade. Cap off your meal with Seoul Q’s “dessert” soju drink made with cinnamon cream and a kick of espresso. –B.C. Seoul Q, 6665-A Delmar Blvd., Delmar Loop, University City, Missouri, 314.863.1148, seoulqstl.com
Seoul-jito ReCIPe COURTeSy DAvID ChOI
Serves | 1 | ¾ ¾ ¾ 2
muddled mint oz fresh sweetened lime juice oz fresh pomegranate juice oz fresh ginger juice oz soju ice spritz club soda lime twist (for garnish) mint sprig (for garnish)
| Preparation | In a cocktail shaker, combine the first 5 ingredients. Shake quickly and vigorously. Strain over ice in a tall glass. Top with club soda and garnish with lime twist and mint sprig. Serve.
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JULY 2015
como
fresh fruit
cocktails ColuMBia, Mo. The seven soju cocktails served at
Kui Korean BBQ in Columbia, Missouri, come in fresh fruit flavors such as cherry, plum and strawberrykiwi-lemon, as well as Korean yogurt. The cherry and strawberry-kiwi-lemon are bright and refreshing, with the former slightly sweeter and the latter more tart. The plum cocktail has an apple juice quality to it. All of Kui’s cocktails can be ordered by the glass or pitcher and are meant to pair with the restaurant’s authentic Korean fare, including bulgogi (marinated and thinly sliced beef) and galbi (marinated short ribs). If you’d prefer to sample soju straight up, Kui also offers it by the bottle or with a pint of beer as a soju bomb. –C.G. Kui Korean BBQ, 18 N. Ninth St., Columbia, Missouri, 573.442.7888, facebook.com/KuiKoreanBbq
kc
somaek
straight up oVerland Park, kS. At ChoSun Korean Barbecue in Overland Park, Kansas, soju is offered by the bottle or in cocktails to pair with the restaurant’s Korean eats. ChoSun serves Chum Churum, one of the most recognizable brands of soju, clear and crisp with a neutral aroma and slight sweetness. It’s customary to pour soju from the bottle using two hands – and the recipient holds the shot-sized glass with both hands, too. When soju is mixed with beer, it’s known as somaek, or a soju bomb. At ChoSun, sip a glass neat or opt for one of the restaurant’s many soju cocktails, including the Sweet Ginger made with Ty Ku soju, Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur and pineapple juice, or the Ty Ku Mule, a blend of soju and ginger beer with a lime wedge garnish. –P.D.
ChoSun Korean Barbecue, 12611 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, Kansas, 913.353.5123, chosunkc.com
one on one
kc
aaron ogilvie
president and brewer, double shift brewing co. Written by Pete Dulin
KANSAS CITY. by day, Aaron Ogilvie is a firefighter in leawood, Kansas, but he spends his “second shift” brewing beer. So when it came time to name his forthcoming brewery, set to open July 11 in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District, he could think of nothing more appropriate than calling it Double Shift Brewing Co.
Double Shift Brewing Co., 412 E. 18th St., Crossroad Arts District, Kansas City, Missouri, doubleshiftbrewing.com
PhotograPhy by landon vonderschmidt
What motivated you to open a brewery? After seeing other breweries open in Kansas City and how much of an impact they had on the local beer scene, i realized opening a brewery sooner rather than later was the right move. Kansas City is ripe for new local places, not just limited to breweries. boulevard brewing Co. definitely set the scene in Kansas City. A whole generation started drinking great beer [because of the brewery], yet boulevard was the only player here for a long time. now there is a huge variety of Kansas City beer. Why do pale ales and IPAs appeal to you as a craft-beer drinker and brewer over other styles? i love how balanced a pale ale can be, yet still [have] unique character. that can be true for any beer. Personally, i love a hoppy beer, but it still needs to have balance. Saying this beer has 150 ibus is cool, but if it’s undrinkable, what’s the point? How long did it take to develop your beer recipes? i’m still not sure they’re perfect. i always think a recipe can be improved upon. Almost every time i drink one of my beers, i find something i want to change. the hardest part about recipe formulation is realizing when more changes will just hurt the beer. Many times the first or second run of a beer turns out to be the best. even if there are five more iterations, it’s best to go back to the beginning and remember what the beer was really meant to be. What was the biggest hurdle to ramping up from home-brewing to professional production? Hop usage changes drastically at a larger scale. i’ve done a lot of reading and research on how to scale up hops. Sanitization is always a concern. using equipment that takes up an entire room verses a small corner of the basement is a daunting, exciting venture. Several brewers and breweries are located on East 18th Street in Kansas City – any plans for a beer-focused street festival? Double Shift, border brewing Co. and thou Mayest Coffee roasters are definitely interested. We haven’t really reached out to anyone else yet. Hopefully that will happen this summer after we are up and running. Which of your beers would you designate your “desert island” beer? My one beer would be the white iPA Summer Session. it’s refreshing, easy to drink, a perfect summer beer. Of the five beers we’ll be rolling out, it has taken me the longest to get it where i want it.
Inspired Local Food Culture
July 2015
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the mix
Mai Tai
Story and recipe by Matt Seiter photography by Jonathan gayMan
it all started with a bartenders’ quarrel about 75 years ago. the two parties involved were ernest gantt, known as donn beach, and Victor bergeron, known as trader Vic. the two gents are credited as the founders of tiki drink culture. gantt started the craze in the mid-1930s at his Southern california bar, don the beachcomber, while bergeron showed up on the scene in 1937 when he converted his bar, hinky dinks, near oakland, california, into a tiki bar called – you guessed it – trader Vic’s. both men loved tropical-island life and wanted to bring it to their respective customers via mixed drinks. that’s where the Mai tai comes in – several sources cite gantt as the originator of the drink while others cite bergeron. current tiki-drink guru Jeff “beachbum” berry theorizes that while bergeron might have created the Mai tai, he modeled it after one of gantt’s cocktails, the Qb cooler (or Quiet birdman cooler). berry says the flavor profile of gantt’s drink is almost identical to the Mai tai, even though the two drinks only share two ingredients: rum and lime juice. in addition to those two ingredients, bergeron’s recipe only calls for three others (curaçao, rock candy syrup and orgeat syrup) while gantt’s Qb cooler requires something of a laundry list (orange
juice, honey, falernum, soda water, angostura bitters, ginger syrup and three types of rum), according to one version.
Mai Tai
however, neither of their recipes calls for pineapple juice nor grenadine, which are both used in modern Mai tais. My theory: We can thank corporate america for that one. after hawaii was granted statehood by the U.S. in 1959, tourists flocked to its islands with more frequency. bergeron also claims to have visited honolulu in the early 1950s, Mai tai recipe in tow, and helped to spread the word. as a result, bars and hotel watering holes were serving many, many Mai tais and other tropical cocktails each day. in order to reduce costs and maximize profits, i would venture to say that lime juice was replaced with indigenous pineapple juice, inexpensive rums were swapped for top-shelf bottles and to make the drink eye-catching (and needlessly sweeter), grenadine was added. the original Mai tai is brown in color, but with the addition of ruby-red grenadine, the drink was sure to get noticed.
1½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 2 3 to 4
in conclusion, i offer you the Mai tai recipe i’ve been most drawn to over the years, which combines bergeron’s recipe sans the rock candy syrup and with two types of rum.
Matt Seiter is co-founder of the United States Bartenders’ Guild’s St. Louis chapter, a member of the national board for the USBG’s MA program, author of the dive bar of cocktails bars, bartender at BC’s Kitchen and a bar and restaurant consultant.
Serves | 1 |
oz Smith & Cross Jamaican rum oz Plantation 3 Star white rum oz fresh lime juice oz orgeat syrup oz Marie Brizard Orange Curaçao cups crushed ice, plus more fresh mint sprigs (for garnish) lime wedge (for garnish)
| Preparation | in a cocktail shaker, combine first 6 ingredients and shake vigorously. pour contents into a glass, top with more ice and garnish with mint sprigs and lime wedge. Serve.
Trader Vic’s Mai Tai recipe by Victor “trader Vic” bergeron
Serves | 1 |
2 ½ ¼ ½
1
oz J. Wray & Nephew rum juice of ½ a lime oz Marie Brizard Orange Curaçao oz rock candy syrup oz orgeat syrup crushed ice lime wedge (for garnish) mint sprig (for garnish)
| Preparation | pour first 6 ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. pour contents into a cocktail glass. garnish with lime wedge and mint and serve.
Quiet Birdman Cooler recipe by erneSt “donn beach” gantt
Serves | 1 |
1 ½ ½ ¼ 1 1 1 ½ 2 ½ 4 3
oz orange juice oz fresh lime juice oz honey mix (1:1 ratio of honey to water) oz falernum oz soda water oz gold Jamaican rum oz light Puerto Rican rum oz demerara rum dashes Angostura bitters tsp ginger syrup oz crushed ice, plus more mint sprigs (for garnish)
| Preparation | in a blender, combine first 11 ingredients and blend on high for 5 seconds. pour liquid, unstrained, into a glass. top with more crushed ice and garnish with mint sprigs.
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JULY 2015
on The shelf : july PIcks Please enjoy Leinie’s responsibly. ©2015 Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., Chippewa Falls, WI
WINE
SomerSet riDge VineyarD & Winery’S traminette written by ryan SCiara
Provenance: Paola, Kansas PaIrIngs: roasted tomato tart with fresh goat cheese
Somerset Ridge Vineyard & Winery was founded by Dennis and Cindy reynolds in 1998. the couple walked away from their day jobs, and, with no prior professional winemaking experience, took the plunge – they planted their estate vineyard the same year, and by 2001 the winery was established. Somerset’s estate-grown traminette starts with bright, floral aromas of mango, honeydew and ripe pear – it’s light to medium in body, with juicy acidity and lingering notes of fresh fruit, citrus and ginger. this has the mouthwatering, sweet scent of juicy, ripe fruit and finishes dry and beautifully balanced. Somerset Ridge Vineyard & Winery, 913.294.9646, somersetridge.com Ryan Sciara has been in the wine business for more than half his life and has spent the past nine years dedicated to selling wine, spirits and craft beer in the retail market. His latest venture, Underdog Wine Co., is the culmination of 23 years of knowledge and experience all crammed into a 600-square-foot retail shop in Kansas City.
BEER
The SHANDY ThAT STARTED IT ALL
.
When the Sun's Beating Down, Our Leinenkugel's® Summer Shandy® Tastes even more crisp and refreshing. It's perfect for Summer, So Pick one up and join us out here®.
Perennial artiSan aleS’ regalia written by branDon niCKelSon
sTyle: brett saison (8.5% abV) PaIrIngs: Taleggio cheese • Seafood with citrus • Confited meats Join Us At Leinie.com & Follow Us On
Drawing inspiration from the rustic farmhouse-style saisons of south belgium, this interpretation from Perennial Artisan Ales in St. louis is brewed using barley, wheat and spelt. the beer’s rich, sturdy malt character is further refined into an array of flavors, which continue to evolve over time thanks to two Brettanomyces yeast strains used during fermentation. regalia is a crisp, lively and refreshing beer to beat back warm and humid summer afternoons and evenings. Perennial Artisan Ales, 314.631.7300, perennialbeer.com Brothers Brandon and Ryan Nickelson are available to help with beer picks and pairing recommendations at their store, Craft Beer Cellar, the only all-craft beer shop in the St. Louis area. Craft Beer Cellar is located at 8113 Maryland Ave. in Clayton, Missouri. To learn more, call 314.222.2444 or visit craftbeercellar.com/clayton.
SPIRIT
S.D. Strong DiStilling’S VoDka written by Matt Sorrell
Provenance: Parkville, Missouri (40% abV) Try IT: the sweetness of this vodka pairs nicely with a
bit of lemon juice, some simple syrup and a splash of club soda in a Vodka Collins.
S.D. Strong Distilling’s vodka is crafted in a cave some 65 feet below Parkville, Missouri, 20 minutes north of Kansas City. according to the distillery, its subterranean location provides consistent temperature and a stable environment for distilling, which improves the quality of what comes off its still. S.D. Strong vodka, made with a combination of corn, rye and malted barley, is smooth with a touch of sweetness. the distillery also produces Pillar 136 gin, and straight rye whiskey will be available this fall, with bourbon available in about a year or so. S.D. Strong Distilling, sdstrongdistilling.com When he’s not writing, Matt Sorrell can be found slinging drinks at Planter’s House in St. Louis’ Lafayette Square or bartending at events around town with his wife, Beth, for their company, Cocktails Are Go.
O
ur winery is surrounded by acres of vineyards overlooking the Missouri river valley, thus making our location a step above the rest. We have unique venues for Wedding Ceremonies, Receptions, Corporate Events, Reunions, Birthday and Bachelorette Parties, etc…nothing is too small or too large. Just give us a call. We look forward to helping host your next special event. 636-987-2400 www.sugarcreekwines.com | info: bmiller@sugarcreekwines.com
125 Boone Country Lane Defiance, MO 63341 Open Every Day 10:30am – 5:30pm
Live Music Every Weekend Afternoon
Fabulous Evening Concerts in our New Hilltop Pavilion
Inspired Local Food Culture
July 2015
31
where we’re drinking Check out what we’re sipping at bars, breweries, wineries and coffee shops across the region. como
phoTogrAphy By BrAd zwEErink
earthbound beer
wriTTEn By kyLE hArShA
with requisite lemon and slightly wheaty notes. For fans of darker, more brooding styles, the Belma brown ale has a nice amount of heft and a malty note that isn’t cloying. The nutty chocolate, coffee and herbal notes of the pecan-chicory stout will remind you of warming your hands by a fire. Adventurous beer drinkers should opt for the cardamom-pepper-tea blonde, with a spicy, earthy flavor, or the picklebrau, brewed with Sorachi Ace hops – Japanese hops with a dill note – which has a salinity that leaves you wanting more.
Try the gruit, a refreshing blonde ale brewed without hops. Another light, summer-friendly brew is the hefeweizen,
Earthbound Beer, 2710 Cherokee St., Cherokee Business District, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.769.9576, earthboundbeer.com
stl
cOLUMBIa, MO. John pham, co-owner and operator of Bangkok Gardens in Columbia, missouri, says the Thai restaurant’s bar program is a reflection of his 10 years of experience in the restaurant industry. pham says the food-and-drink menus capture the traditions and flavors of his heritage while incorporating more local flavors and preferences. on the restaurant’s dinner menu, highlights include thom kha kai, a tangy coconut milk soup filled with ginger, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, potatoes, onion and chicken garnished with scallions, lime and cilantro, and phat pla mhung, a curry (red or green) made with bamboo shoots, carrots, onions and snow peas.
Behind the bar, colorful cocktails include the red Siam, which combines one tablespoon of ghost pepper-infused vodka with Trinidad scorpion chiles, habañero peppers, indian ghost peppers, Sriracha, Bloody mary mix and more vodka. Far less spicy but just as creative, the refreshing Tom yang combines gin with housemade lemonade, lemongrass simple syrup and ginger liqueur. For a spicy-sweet pre-dinner sip, pham recommends the Easy Tiger, a blend of Lunazul tequila, grand marnier and ginger beer. Bangkok Gardens, 811 Cherry St., Downtown, Columbia, Missouri, 573.874.3284, bangkokgardens.com
snow & co. kanSaS cITy. Beat the summer heat with a cold drink from Snow & Co., the only place to get high-quality frozen cocktails in kansas City. named the no. 1 frozen cocktail bar in America by Paste magazine last year, Snow & Co. has been hugely popular since opening the doors of its first location in the Crossroads Arts district four years ago. Last fall, Snow & Co.’s second location opened in gladstone, and plans are in the works to open a third location in overland park, kansas.
Snow & Co. uses quality liquors in the 10 seasonal frozen cocktails (plus one nonalcoholic option) that rotate through its frozen-drink machines. Cocktails come in single and double servings, and each is served in a double-walled insulated glass to keep your fingers warm.
Snow & Co., multiple locations, Kansas City, Missouri, snowandcompany.com phoTogrAphy By EmiLy SUzAnnE mCdonALd feastmagazine.com
JULY 2015
kc
wriTTEn By JEnny vErgArA
Try the house specialty, the Elbow Sexual Chocolate, made with local Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolates’ spiced chocolate with Cointreau, St-germain elderflower liqueur and milk. if you aren’t sure what to order, opt for an Arctic Flight for samples of three, five or all 10 flavors.
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wriTTEn By CAiTLyn gALLip
phoTogrAphy By LAndon vondErSChmidT
ST. LOUIS. Tucked into a 1,000-squarefoot shotgun-style space on Cherokee Street, Earthbound Beer describes its draft offerings as, “St. Louis’s smallest, weirdest beer.” Upon entering the tasting room, it’s clear that the clientele have taken favorably to the concept, sipping samples of the brewery’s eight beers on tap from its two to three weekly brews. Earthbound’s modus operandi is to release 40 new beers per year. Some are familiar styles, and others are, to borrow the brewery’s own description, a little bit weird.
bangkok gardens
pat’s is back
UNDER ORIGINAL FAMILY MANAGEMENT
Perfect Place to Start and Finish Your Fair St. Louis Visit
Show Your Ticket MUNY GUESTS For A 10% Discount!
Private Event Room Available
The Businesses of Historic St. Charles, Missouri Come See What’s Happening This Summer Magical Gemstone Jewelry
Half Price Kids Menu Everyday with $25 Purchase! Daily Happy Hour And Game Day Bucket Specials
Welcoming Visitors for Over 200 Years!
Famous for Fried Chicken $9 Chicken Dinner Special on Saturday
Across From Turtle Park, Zoo And Forest Park
www.patconnollytavern.com 6400 Oakland Ave. @ Tamm In Dogtown (314) 647-PATS
• Mystical Incense • Candles & Crystals Metaphysical & Inspirational Books www.theenchantedatticsite.com
MAIN STREET BOOKS
Your St. Charles Independent Bookseller
FIND WALDO LOCAL
FREE Gift with Every Purchase!
Join us in July for a month-long search!
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The Enchanted Attic
304 S. Main
(636) 949-9502
25 LOCAL BUSINESSES! 25 PLACES TO FIND WALDO! THE SEARCH BEGINS JULY 1ST! 307 S. Main St. St. Charles, MO 63301 636.949.0105 www.mainstreetbooks.net info@mainstreetbooks.net
Sip, Savor and Indulge In Our Tapas With a Twist Beat the
Heat at
325 S Main St, Saint CharleS, MO 63301 www.bellavinOwinebarStl.COM (636) 724-3434 Inspired Local Food Culture
JULY 2015
33
drink destination: rayville, missouri
van till family farm winery wriTTen by PeTe dulin
rather than focus solely on farming, the Van Tills took a value-added approach, opening the winery in 2009, as well as a restaurant and event space, all located near area bed-and-breakfasts. Van till Family Farm Winery produces wine from seven frost-hardy varieties, some of which are French-American hybrids. At the restaurant, wood-fired pizzas include rosemary-pear, bacon-gorgonzola and fire-roasted apple-bacon, with each meant to pair with the winery’s dry, semisweet and sweet varietals. Van till Family Farm Winery, 13986 state hwy C, rayville, Missouri, 816.776.2720, vantillfarms.com
one on one
Written by bethany Christo
PhoTogrAPhy by judd deMAline
ST. LOUIS. since launching a year ago, a
lot has changed at Modern Brewery. as one of st. Louis’ newest microbreweries, Modern has quickly doubled its staff from just president and chief executive officer beamer eisele (pictured right) and head brewer ronnie Fink (pictured left), and it’s also tripled its beer capacity to 3,500 barrels a year. the brewery has established a solid cast of regular and seasonal “beer fusion” style brews that are approachable yet eclectic. as of this spring, Modern’s eye-catching lightbulb-shaped beer taps can be found in more than 75 st. Louis area restaurants and bars. and later this month, the brewery’s much-anticipated 50-person tasting room will open in the airy garage next door to the brewery, serving its beers on draft and making it available in growlers. What can we expect from the tasting room? it’s going to be really relaxed, and it’ll be a working space, too, so it’ll feel like you’re in the brewery. We’re going to have all of our barrels, grain and kegs lining the walls. you’ll be sitting at the tables and see the barrels aging right behind feastmagazine.com
three must-try wines | 1 | Van Till’s chambourcin is a dry red wine with intense spicy flavor and hints of cherry that’s medium in body. Aged in oak chips to deepen the wine’s flavor, Van Till’s Chambourcin pairs well with barbecued pork and grilled dishes.
| 2 | At Van Till, norton, Missouri’s state grape, is used to produce a full-bodied dry red wine with fruit-forward berry flavors that give way to spicy, earthy notes.
| 3 | Semi-sweet vignoles blooms with a bouquet of citrus, melon and floral flavors. Vignoles leans toward the sweeter side, making it an ideal pairing with the winery’s rosemary-pear pizza or to sip with a dessert made with citrus and herbs.
stl
beamer eisele
34
PhoTogrAPhy CourTeSy ellen SChoeTTger
rayville, mo. Fourth-generation farmers Cliff and debbie Van Till carved out a farm, winery and wood-fired pizza restaurant hidden in the rolling hills of rayville, Missouri. originally from California, the Van Tills left The golden State in 2001 to escape rising operating costs. They found property in Missouri just 40 miles from Kansas City where they could be stewards of the land.
JULY 2015
president and chief executive officer & you. –Ronnie Fink and of course, people can tour the brewery – it’ll be a quick tour, walking right next door – but we’re excited to show people what we do. –Beamer Eisele Why open the tasting room now? it was our goal to open the tasting room eventually. our fans forced our hand. We’d go to festivals with people telling us that this is their favorite beer, that they want to come drink it with us and asking when we’re going to open a tasting room. but then we’d hear while making deliveries that customers are asking at the restaurants and bars, too. –B.E. it’s a way to interact with people better – rather than having a bartender sell our product, we can explain what’s behind every beer we brew. –R.F. What will be on tap? We’ll have 12 to 14 taps with mostly our stuff. We’ll always have at least one barrel-aged option at all times. For the opening day, we’ll have our napa Chardonnay barrel-aged saison and La tête de Démon – a barrel-aged version of our Mon Precieux tripel. We’ll have our regular and barrel-aged version of arkham’s Finest chocolate stout in stilL 630 rye barrels made with coffee from Kuva Coffee and chocolate from rick
ronnie fink
Jordan Chocolatier. the taps will reflect the seasons and how fast we go through stock. –R.F. Tell us more about your beer program. We design every beer to what we like; we don’t design it by a certain style. originally beamer wanted to do only belgian beer, but i was like, “i can’t be part of a brewery that doesn’t have an iPa because i love hops.” –R.F. so i was like, fine, you have to be able to brew an iPa that i like, too, because i have to sell it and be 100 percent behind every beer that we’re offering. and we have – Citrapolis is not like anything else on the market. it’s not resinous or super-bitter-bite-yourface-off; it’s super fresh, balanced, and the bitterness that comes from it is almost juicy. it’s super easy to drink compared to its 7 percent abV. –B.E. How does Modern fit within the local beer scene? We’re bringing other options to styles, like with our iPa. When we started out, i was skeptical about how well we’d be able to sell our iPa or our pale ale because the market is flooded with those.
head brewer, modern brewery but as long as we’ve been able to make something different than what’s on the market in that particular style category, we can do well. i’ve been pleasantly surprised. –B.E. hops sell. –R.F. he’s right. i would’ve been screwed without this guy. –B.E. Modern Brewery, 5321 Manchester Ave. Suite E, Kings Oak, St. Louis, Missouri, modernbrewery.com
For the second consecutive year
Bibamus Et Invenio!
Join the celebration with a Free glass oF bubbly throughout the entire month oF July
Truffles & Butchery 9202 Clayton Road Saint Louis, MO 63124 E: info@todayattruffles.com • T: 341.567.9100 & 7258 @Trufflesstl @Butcherystl www.todayattruffles.com
Inspired Local Food Culture
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Benton Park Sidney Street Cafe Central West End/Forest Park Atlas Restaurant Boathouse in Forest Park Brasserie by Niche Dressel’s Public House Drunken Fish Herbie's Vintage '72 Juniper Kingside Diner Pi Pizzeria Scape American Bistro Taste Chesterfield Babbo’s Spaghetteria Bishop’s Post Pi Pizzeria Viviano’s Festa Italiano, Inc. Clayton Almonds Restaurant Avenue Restaurant Bar Les Freres C.J. Mugg’s Crushed Red Dominic’s Trattoria Five Star Burgers I Fratellini Niche Oceano Bistro Pastaria Remy’s Kitchen & Wine Bar The Restaurant at the Cheshire Wheelhouse Yo My Goodness Downtown Anthony’s Bar Bridge Tap House & Wine Bar Cielo Restaurant Drunken Fish – Laclede’s Landing HIRO Asian Kitchen Lombardo’s Trattoria Mango Peruvian Cuisine Pi Pizzeria Robust MX 360 Rooftop Bar 36 feastmagazine.com J U L Y 2 0 1 5
Imperial Frankie Gianino’s Bar & Grill Scottie’s Pub House Kirkwood/Webster Groves Big Sky Café Billy G’s CJ Muggs Crushed Red Dewey’s Pizza – Kirkwood Dewey’s Pizza – Webster Groves Five Star Burgers Milagro Modern Mexican Robust Wine Bar Pi Pizzeria PJ’s Tavern Strange Donuts Yo My Goodness
Soulard Franco Joanie’s Pizzeria Joanie’s To-Go South City/South Grand Grapeseed City Diner on South Grand South County Bill Gianino’s Frankie G’s Grill & Bar Joey B’s Food and Drink Viviano’s Festa Italiano, Inc. Yo My Goodness South Hampton Onesto Pizza & Trattoria Quincy Street Bistro
Lafayette Square Eleven Eleven Mississippi PW Pizza Square One Brewery & Distillery SqWires Restaurant Vin de Set Rooftop Bar & Bistro
St. Charles/O’Fallon Bike Stop Café Dewey’s Pizza Pi Pizzeria Prasino Yo My Goodness
Maplewood Strange Donuts
The Grove Atomic Cowboy
Midtown City Diner at the Fox The Fountain on Locust Pickleman’s Gourmet Café Small Batch
The Hill Anthonino’s Taverna Dominic’s Restaurant FIVE Bistro Guido’s Pizzeria and Tapas Joey B’s on the Hill Lorenzo’s LoRusso’s Cucina Modesto Tapas Bar & Restaurant Three Flags Tavern
Rock Hill Katie’s Pizza and Pasta
University City/Delmar Loop BoBo Noodle House Dewey’s Pizza Eclipse Restaurant The Melting Pot Pi Pizzeria Racanelli’s Pizzeria Salt+Smoke Tavolo V Three Kings Public House Vernon’s BBQ West County Candicci’s Restaurant Crushed Red Dewey’s Pizza Pickleman’s Gourmet Café – Creve Coeur Sugo’s Spaghetteria Oh My Goodness Illinois Dewey’s Pizza – Edwardsville, IL Sugo’s Spaghetteria – Edwardsville, IL
29 Locations!
global goods
paw-ruse specialty kitchen supplies on p. 42 PhotograPhy by alistair tutton
stl
PHoToGRAPHy By cHERyL WALLER
Shop here
grove east provisions St. louiS. When Barry Kinder opened Grove East Provisions in June 2014, he envisioned a neighborhood destination just for essentials and snacks. But a month after celebrating the store’s first anniversary, Kinder says Grove East Provisions has quickly evolved into a one-stop shop for locally made goods (including beer, wine and spirits) and a place to sit down for brunch, lunch and dinner.
“I don’t want to just be a restaurant,” Kinder says. “Part of the charm is that it’s an old-school bodega. And I think that adds so much warmth. That was really the original business plan.” Kinder has spent the past year observing what the community wanted and needed from his shop. The result is a comfortable and inviting place to sit, relax and enjoy a drink with a quality meal. He revamped the shop, including obtaining a full liquor license,
Three MusT-Buys and MusT-Trys aT Grove easT Provisions WRITTEn By ALEx WILKInG
introduced new items to the shop’s selection of classic American eats and is currently planning a series of in-house events – including some with latenight hours in the near future. “The idea from the beginning was to be that perfect place if you lived in Benton Park or Tower Grove,” Kinder says. “It’s just a real, local, neighborhood joint. It’s been fun for me on the cooking side because I didn’t imagine it to go in that direction.” In addition to its locally sourced retail and menu offerings, Kinder started a garden across the street to grow fresh produce for the shop. “It’s almost like a reopening,” he says. “I had a yearlong soft opening. I feel much clearer of what’s needed and wanted now.” Grove East Provisions, 3101 Arsenal St., Tower Grove East, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.802.7090
| 1 | An expanded selection of locally produced retail options focus largely on craft beer and small-batch whiskey. Kinder also wants to provide essentials such as rice, condiments and produce – either sourced throughout the St. Louis area or made in house using produce grown in the shop’s new garden – as well as whole sides of beef and meat products from Salume Beddu. | 2 | If you venture behind Grove East Provisions, you’ll immediately spot Red Fox Bakery & Catering’s gargantuan brick wood-fired oven, custom-built with Kinder’s help. The artisan bakery operates out of the back of Kinder’s shop, selling its fresh-baked breads and baked goods through the store. Kinder also uses Red Fox’s bread on all of the sandwiches sold at Grove East. | 3 | Kinder rolled out a revamped menu last month that incorporates a few fan favorites into the permanent rotation, including mahi-mahi fish tacos with mango and lime. He’s also added a new brunch menu with staples such as eggs Benedict and biscuits and gravy.
get thiS gadget
WRITTEn By LAuRA LAIBEn, “THE MAIn DISH,” THE cuLInARy cEnTER oF KAnSAS cITy, KccuLInARy.coM
This sturdy jalapeño grill rack is a fun, interactive way to make appetizers with friends and family during backyard cookouts. Simply cut the tops off jalapeños, remove the seeds and fill with cream cheese, cheddar cheese and cooked bacon, and then place each pepper into one of the holes on the rack. Place over indirect heat and then grab a beer to sip while the peppers cook low and slow. For more details or to purchase the grill rack, visit rsvp-intl.com.
PHoToGRAPHy couRTESy RSvP InTERnATIonAL Inc.
rsvp international’s bbq jalapeño grill rack
Located in the boutique Hotel Ignacio and serving the freshest fish in St. Louis flown in directly from Hawaii. Our chic Lobby Lounge with an indoor fireplace is unlike anything else in town and perfect for your next event Lunch Tuesday - Friday Happy Hour $5 Maki Rolls Kitchen Open Until Midnight Weekends DJ’s Friday and Saturday
3407 Olive Street St Louis MO 63103 Tel: 314-896-2500 BaiKuStl.com Inspired Local Food Culture
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one on one
kc
author, buttercream dreams; owner and chief executive officer, smallcakes: a cupcakery Written by bethany Christo
ArtiSAn proDuct
kc
vain foods’ vanilla extract
PhotograPhy courtesy Vain foods
written by Jenny Vergara
LeAWooD, KS. sourcing whole vanilla beans from around the world and pairing their distinct flavor with distilled spirits is what sets Vain Foods’ vanilla extracts apart from what you’ll find on most store shelves. the Leawood, Kansas-based company offers 3.75-ounce bottles in flavors such as indonesian vanilla in cane rum, Mexican vanilla in bourbon and tongan vanilla in orange vodka, available for purchase online or in Kansas City at the sundry Market & Kitchen and Pryde’s Kitchen & necessities. Vain also sells vanilla coffee drops for boosting your morning cup in flavors such as irish vanilla with irish whiskey and vanilla bean.
Vain Foods, vainfoods.com
KANSAS CITY. Cupcake bakery Smallcakes: A Cupcakery, nationally recognized for its delectable cupcakes (including a nod from USA Today as a top 10 cupcake shop), launched in Kansas City in 2008. Chef and founder Jeff Martin admits that “baking wasn’t [his] forte” at the time, but that quickly changed – by 2016, smallcakes will have 140 locations in 19 states. in May, Martin released 30 of his favorite cupcake recipes in Buttercream Dreams, including smallcakes’ top-selling red velvet cupcake and pumpkin cupcake with cardamom buttercream. the pumpkin cupcake is especially significant to Martin’s success – he made it on an episode of Cupcake Wars and accidentally left out the pumpkin (but was later invited on The View to share the full recipe). smallcakes also now serves 36 flavors of cupcake ice cream, and the cookbook shares some of these recipes, such as nutella-Wella, developed with Martin’s young son, Jax.
Has Smallcakes’ Midwest headquarters impacted the company’s growth? We always said if we could make it work in Kansas City, we could make it work anywhere. When we first started, people in Kansas City told us that $3 for a cupcake was the craziest thing they had ever heard in their lives. We really worked out all of our kinks and found out who we were because the Midwest is all about community. after starting our company that way, we’ve been involved in every community that we’re in now [across the country]. How would you describe the key to Smallcakes’ success? our stores are cute, but they aren’t the most beautiful compared to some of these stunning cupcakes shops nationwide. but our product is the best, and i believe if you have a great product, it sells itself. it starts with the cake – it’s incredibly moist. We’ve built
on that, adding about 250 flavors compared to the 10 starting out, so our offerings are a lot more in depth than they used to be, but it starts with the base of what we are – the cake. If you weren’t a baker or pastry chef, why open a cupcake bakery? the cupcake thing sounded pretty cool, and we didn’t have anything like it in the Midwest. baking’s an art, and i didn’t have the patience, so i literally had to develop that as we were baking recipes at home to open the shop. it was a lot of trial and error. We tasted cupcakes wherever we traveled and learned that the freshness made all the difference. We make cupcakes fresh every day at all of our stores, and whatever we don’t sell that day, at every single store, is donated to a charity or thrown away. it just makes such a difference. How did you choose which recipes to include in the book? the whole question behind it was whether people even read cookbooks anymore with the internet. because we’re a family company, we wanted to make it family oriented and simple for kids to read and follow the recipes. We didn’t want to use big words that unless you’re a chef, you don’t know what they mean. a lot of the cupcake recipes in the book were the ones we started with because back in the day, it was really simple and really fun and all about making easy, delicious cupcakes rather than some of the more extravagant flavors available now. With the addition of the book, it really goes hand in hand with everything else we’re offering in stores now like ice cream and treats. We’re still your cupcakery, but we’re definitely expanding our horizons. Smallcakes: A Cupcakery, multiple locations, 913.738.7653, smallcakescupcakery.com PhotograPhy courtesy andrews McMeel Publishing
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“our product is the best, and i believe if you have a great product, it sells itself.“
jeff martin
ENDS SOON—DON’T MISS! Exhibition tickets available at nelson-atkins.org Adults: $12 | Under 12: FREE | Members: FREE Curated by Brett Littman. Organized by The Drawing Center, NY. Dom Pérignon is the presenting partner for this exhibition.
Educating Tomorrow’s Leaders Today EnroLLing now. Class of 2015 $5.1 million in scholarship monies AAA Varsity Cheer Champions, MSHSAA Class 2 girls Soccer goal Keeper of the year one of the top 50 Christian High Schools in the United States
1145 Tom Ginnever Ave • O’Fallon • 636.978.1680 • www.lwcs.us
Not too fancy, just seriously fun! All se7en sweet sins $8.77 Martini Sinful Sweets - $3.50 cupcake Everyday 1 sinful sweet + 1 sweet sin = $10.00 Book your Birthdays, Baby Showers, Bridal Showers, Weddings and Corporate events with us. Specials Sunday - Thursday All Specials run from Open to Close Hours: Monday Closed Tuesday-Wednesday 11am - 11pm Thursday 11am - 12 Midnight Friday-Saturday 11am - 1am Sunday Noon - 10pm
5045 N HWY N • Cottleville • 636.244.5185
se7encupcakes@gmail.com
Inspired Local Food Culture
JULY 2015
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cuLiNARy LibRARy ShOP hERE
Food52 Genius Recipes by Kristen Miglore, food52.com
kc
written by liz Miller
since 2011, Food52 executive editor Kristen Miglore has been sharing a regular column called genius recipes on the food-focused site, each a happy discovery that reworks recipes and techniques in pursuit of more efficient, smarter cooking. Miglore shares the sum of her education in Food52 Genius Recipes, released in april. the recipes represent some of the best names in the culinary world, past and present – think april bloomfield’s english porridge; Julia Child’s gratin of zucchini, rice and onions with cheese; nobu Matsuhisa’s fried asparagus with miso dressing; yotam Ottolenghi’s black pepper tofu; and nigella lawson’s dense chocolate loaf cake. Fundamentals get “genius” upgrades – scrambled eggs made with a technique blending poaching and scrambling by Daniel Patterson and buttermilk fried chicken made with a rosemary brine – while creative meat-free main courses like ginger fried rice and spiced braised lentils and tomatoes with toasted coconut round out the roster. the same striking, full-color photography Food 52 is known for accompanies each dish, including step-by-step preparation photos for a handful of recipes.
gEt thiS gADgEt
888 international market written by Jenny Vergara PHOtOgraPHy by alistair tuttOn
OVERLAND PARK, KS. there have always
been high-quality asian restaurants in the suburbs of Kansas City, but until 888 International Market opened in a former Hy-Vee grocery store location in Overland Park, Kansas, you could rarely find all of the ingredients needed to make authentic asian dishes at home in one place. that changed when the massive asian market opened in 2009. walk through the aisles, and each will make you feel instantly transported to another country: China, Japan, Korea, india, the Philippines, Vietnam, thailand and more. the number of soy sauce and fish sauce options alone boggles the mind.
the store sells everything you’d expect – produce, meat, seafood, bulk items, baked goods, frozen foods, shelf-stable products, flowers, plants, herbs, medicine and gifts – and some things you might not expect. rice, for example, has its very own aisle. Pick up fresh shishito peppers from the produce department and dried bonito flakes to put on them once they are roasted and charred. the bakery offers a large selection of savory and sweet buns, sesame balls filled with red bean paste and flaky egg tarts. in frozen cases you’ll find mochi ice cream balls of every flavor and frozen dumplings ready to heat and eat. the shop also carries a vast array of asianinspired serveware and small appliances such as woks and rice steamers. in addition to retail, 888 houses two cafés, one serving Chinese food and the other Korean. 888 International Market, 10118 W. 119th St., Overland Park, Kansas, 913.341.8700, 888intlmarket.com
written by laura laiben, “tHe Main DisH,” tHe Culinary Center OF Kansas City, KCCulinary.COM
this sunny-hued citrus squeezer makes quick and efficient work of juicing lemons, limes and oranges – and it even filters out pesky seeds. Here’s its secret: you place the citrus fruit skin-side up in the bowl of the squeezer to ensure that you extract every drop of juice. the clever minds behind the gadget covered it in damage-resistant baked-on enamel, making it long lasting and easy to clean. For more details or to purchase the citrus squeezer, visit haroldimport.com.
PHOtOgraPHy COurtesy HarOlD iMPOrt CO.
harold import co.’s citrus squeezer
The Fabulous Fox Presents a 2015-2016 Season
hůga bars
stl written by Liz MiLLer
Hůga Foods, hugabar.com
PhotograPhy by jackLyn Meyer
CHESTERFIELD, MO. Luis Rivero’s youth spent in Venezuela and travels abroad inspired Hůga Foods, the company he launched with childhood friend Luis Mendoza in April. Rivero and Mendoza say the company’s name was derived from the Danish word hyggeligt, “which translates, roughly, to cozy moments born of good food enjoyed with good people,” according to its website. The company’s first product line, Hůga Bar, features gluten-free nutrition bars in three internationally influenced flavors: almond and honey (a play on Spanish turrón), hazelnut and chocolate (based on torta di nocciole, an Italian chocolate and hazelnut cake) and the newest flavor, dulce de leche, oat and walnut (inspired by a 10-layer Bohemian torte), which will be available later this summer.
© Disney
aRTISan pRODuCT
oct. 21- nov. 1, 2015
January 19-31, 2016
Feb. 23- Mar. 6, 2016
march 15-27, 2016
april 5-17, 2016
april 26-may 8, 2016
season tickets on sale noW! Subscribe to the six-show season ticket package and you can SWAP for ONE of these specials: Wicked • Mamma Mia! • Irving Berlin’s White Christmas • Cirque Dreams Holidaze Riverdance 20th Anniversary Disney’s Beauty and the Beast • Jersey Boys FabulousFox.com/subscribe 314-535-1700 • Fox Box office Inspired Local Food Culture
July 2015
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• Cajun Entrees • Breakfast • Appetizers • Burgers/Sandwiches • Entrees • Salads • Desserts
Drink Specials Bottle Beer Always $2.50, Well Drinks $3
Vietnamese & Chinese Restaurant A "FEAST" Favorite!
Thank You all Local Area Chefs for Making Us #1 Located in the Meridian Shopping Center at Hanley & Eager Roads behind the Best Buy.
FREE PARKING IN THE METRO LINK GARAGE Tu-Th: 11am-9pm • Fr-Su 11am-10pm 8396 Musick Memorial Dr. • 314.645.2835 www.MaiLeeSTL.com
YOUR SOURCE FOR THE FINEST
The food is Creole, St. Louis style cooking. It’s a little spicy, little different, highly seasoned, and highly desired!
• Maine Lobsters • Jumbo Lump Crabmeat • Dry-Packed Scallops • Jumbo Shrimp • Smoked Salmon • Wide Selection of Oysters & Fish
MAKING DISHES LOOK ALMOST TOO GOOD TO EAT. ALMOST. Come and visit 400 Olive Restaurant located in the Hilton St. Louis Downtown at the Arch for daily lunch specials. Perfect location for a business lunch or a casual gathering among friends. Lunch specials begin at $8.00 and vary daily. Call 314-554-7098 to get further information or visit stlouisdowntown.hilton.com
314.993.4844
255 Union Boulevard Saint Louis, MO 63108 (314) 454.1551
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8660 OLIVE IN U CITY
FRESHEST SEAFOOD IN ST. LOUIS SINCE 1978! bobsseafoodstl.com
400 Olive St. | Saint Louis | MO 63102 | USA ©2014 Hilton Worldwide
sweet ideas
chill out with vietnamese coffee ice pops on p. 52 photography by cheryl waller
seed to table
summer Gazpacho Three Ways
story and recipe by crystal stevens photography by Jennifer silverberg
summer brings the long-anticipated fruits of farmers’ hard labor. seeds were sown months ago; seedlings reached for the sun and took root in the earth. rows of crops were weeded, watered and mulched; some were trellised and some were covered in straw to suppress weeds. the rains fell softly upon the fields, and the sun’s energy worked its magic. the first tomatoes arrive in July. summer squash, cucumbers and peppers are plentiful now, too. and garlic, which was planted last fall, is also harvested this month. garlic scapes, the plant’s curling stalks, are at peak flavor just before summer harvest.
one of my favorite ways to enjoy the bounty of all this summer produce is in gazpacho, a refreshing chilled soup that makes good use of excess tomatoes and is easily tweaked with herbs and other seasonal fruits and vegetables. tangy, fresh gazpacho has evolved from traditional recipes, which call for little more than tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, cucumbers, onions, garlic and herbs to more complex flavor combinations – think spicy peppers, grapes, watermelon or cantaloupe. a few of my favorite variations include watermelon-jalapeño and cucumber-mint.
Crystal Stevens is a farmer at La Vista CSA Farm on the bluffs of the Mississippi River in Godfrey, Illinois, where she farms with her husband, Eric. They have two children. Crystal is an advocate of integrating creativity into sustainability through writing, art, photojournalism and seed-to-table cooking. Find more of her work at growingcreatinginspiring.blogspot.com, which she created to launch her forthcoming book, grow create inspire.
Garlic Scape and Tomato serves | 8 | 8 4 ¼ 1 1 3 3 1 1 1 1 3 3
large tomatoes Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided cup red wine vinegar tsp sea salt tsp freshly ground black pepper juice of 1 lemon garlic scapes, roughly chopped garlic cloves, roughly chopped large bell pepper, thinly sliced zucchini, roughly chopped summer squash, roughly chopped cucumber, roughly chopped scallions,roughly chopped Tbsp roughly chopped fresh basil
| Preparation | preheat oven to 425°f. cut tomatoes in half, place in a bowl and toss in 1 tbsp oil. transfer to baking dish and roast in oven for 20 minutes. in a food processor, pulse tomatoes, remaining oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and lemon juice until smooth. add remaining ingredients and pulse to combine. refrigerate 1 hour. serve chilled.
Jalapeño-Watermelon serves | 6 | 6 6 4 ¼ 1 1 1 1 3 1 2
cups watermelon, cubed, divided large tomatoes, chopped, divided Tbsp extra virgin olive oil cup white balsamic vinegar tsp sea salt juice of 1 lime small red onion, roughly chopped jalapeño, deseeded and minced large green bell pepper, minced Tbsp minced fresh basil tsp minced fresh oregano Tbsp honey
| Preparation | in a food processor, combine 3 cups watermelon, half of tomatoes, oil, vinegar, salt and lime juice. pulse until slightly blended. add remaining ingredients and stir. refrigerate 1 hour. serve chilled.
Cucumber-Mint serves | 6 | 6 ¼ 4 1 1 2 4 1 1 2 1 1
large tomatoes cup red wine vinegar Tbsp extra virgin olive oil tsp sea salt tsp freshly ground black pepper juice of 1 lemon Tbsp roughly chopped fresh mint cucumbers, cut into small pieces zucchini, cut into small pieces summer squash, roughly chopped garlic cloves, roughly chopped small red onion, roughly chopped large bell pepper, thinly sliced
| Preparation | in a food processor, blend first 6 ingredients. add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. refrigerate 1 hour. serve chilled.
Defining Design The Kitchen & Beyond
Newly Expanded Luxury Showroom Now Open
Portfolio K i t c h e n
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Fl a gshi p St ore 215 W. Pershing Road Kansas City � Missouri � 64108 816.363.5300
Geri Higgins
www. por tfolio -ho me. co m
Kitchen ▪ Bath ▪ Home
Inspired Local Food Culture
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mystery shopper
Meet: Halva A few bites of this Middle Eastern confection, and you’re in for one halva good time. What Is It?
Halva (also spelled helva, halwa or helava, to name a few) is a delightful mix of pulverized sesame seeds and sugary syrup cooked together and kneaded until it can be formed into bricks of crumbly candy. It can differ in flavor, texture and ingredients depending on the region it hails from, with each Middle Eastern culture offering a different take on the treat. Some stick with sesame while others incorporate semolina; nuts, honey and chocolate are common additions; and texture runs the gamut from jelly to cotton candy-style wisps. Classic halva is solid yet inscrutably fluffy, dense and spongy all at once, with an antique ivory hue.
SToRY AnD RECIPE BY SHAnnon WEBER PHoToGRAPHY BY JEnnIFER SILvERBERG
What Do I Do WIth It?
Halva-Buttermilk Cake
Eating it all by itself is a great place to start; it is candy, after all. Traditional halva can be treated a bit like lessoily nut butter; use it to impart a subtle sesame flavor in cookies, cake, quick breads, frostings and more. Like almond paste, halva is part sugar, so adjust other sweeteners accordingly. Experiment with different types of halva – halva spread, floss halva or semolina-based halva, for instance – to figure out how each could fit into your baking.
Serves | 12 to 16 |
Do not, under any circumstances, buy pretoasted sesame seeds for the following recipe, or ever: You’re just cheating yourself of their intense flavor. Rather, toast seeds in a dry pan, stirring constantly until fragrant and deeply golden.
halva-ButtermIlk Cake
1½ 2 ½ 5 ¾ 6 3 1⁄ ³
honey-ChoColate GanaChe
2 ¼
Shannon Weber is the creator, author and photographer behind the award-winning blog aperiodictableblog.com, and her work has appeared on websites such as Bon Appétit, Serious Eats and America’s Test Kitchen. She is a self-taught baker and cook who believes the words “I can’t” should never apply to food preparation and that curiosity can lead to wonderful things, in both the kitchen and in life.
cups unbleached all-purpose flour tsp baking powder tsp kosher salt Tbsp room temperature unsalted butter cup granulated sugar oz plain halva (classic brick style) large eggs, room temperature cup chilled fresh buttermilk
½ 2 2 2
oz roughly chopped 72 percent chocolate cup cocoa powder pinch kosher salt cup heavy cream Tbsp honey Tbsp firmly packed dark brown sugar Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
| Preparation – Cake | Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of an 8-inch cake pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape sides of bowl. Crumble halva in and continue to beat on high until incorporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition, scraping sides of bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in 2 parts, alternating with buttermilk; mix on low until just combined. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and bake on middle rack of oven for 30 to 35 minutes until cake is puffed and golden; don’t overbake. Transfer to cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.
| Preparation – Ganache | In a medium heatproof bowl, add chocolate, cocoa powder and salt and set aside. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk cream, honey and brown sugar until combined; heat until it just begins to bubble, stirring frequently. Pour heated cream mixture over chocolate mixture and let stand 3 minutes, whisking slowly to incorporate, increasing speed until mixture is homogenous and smooth. Allow to cool slightly, 5 minutes. Run a knife around cake to loosen from pan; remove and set right-side up onto platter. Pour ganache on top, beginning in the center and working outward. Allow to set for 2 minutes. Top with sesame seeds. Serve.
Sunday Champagne Brunch Served with unlimited champagne, mimosas & blushes Every Sunday 10a-3p
Eggs Benedict Belgian Waffles Chicken Salad Sandwiches Swedish Smoked Salmon and more!
Serving lunch everyday 11am-4pm
reservations recommended
High Tea Service everyday with 48 hour notice
Proudly serving Dilmah and Tea Forté brand teas 4732 McPherson Ave. St. Louis, MO 63108 (314) 361-5303 www.maryannstearoom.com
Fun Food, Happy People, Great Drinks! TOP 5! BISTRO & MUSIC HOUSE
Find out why we were selected a Top 5 Restaurant in Ian Froeb’s STL 100
SIGNATURE STYLE ‘NEW’ NEW ORLEANS CUISINE
106 N. Main St. • Edwardsville 618.307.4830 • clevelandheath.com Mon-Fri 11:00-close, Sat 10:00-close Offering Saturday brunch • First Come - First Serve (No reservations) Open Mon - Fri starting at 11 am and Sat starting at 10 am
512 North Euclid Central West End — 314.367.3644 — evangelinesSTL.com
THiNK StONE
Are you are remodeling your kitchen, or building a new home from scratch? Stone is simultaneously contemporary, classic, upscale, and inviting. No material makes a bolder statement than stone. With thin veneers, you can put stone anywhere. Scan the code for inspiration.
Columbia
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Jefferson City
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St. Louis
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Kansas City
www.midwestblock.com Inspired Local Food Culture
JULY 2015
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menu options
MaceraTed PeacheS wiTh BurnT BuTTer ShorTcakeS Early July signals peach, nectarine and apricot season – in other words, when stone fruits are at their peak of flavor and sweetness. Peaches are often used this time of year to make ice cream, pie, jam and preserves, but they can also be used in salsas, chutney and mostarda, barbecue sauce and sweet baked treats like upside-down cake.
The following recipe is inspired by one of my favorites by Nancy Silverton, winner of the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Chef award in 2014, and by James Beard himself. The brown butter adds caramel flavor and nuttiness, and the hard-boiled egg yolks are an addition from Beard, who believed that egg yolks enriched dough without toughening it.
chef’S tiPS chiLL out. any time you’re making biscuits or pastry crust and
a tender, flaky dough is desired, cool the dough down, either before rolling into the final product or after. Simply refrigerate
for 30 to 45 minutes, as this chills the gluten that is activated by the heat of working the dough. Gluten is what gives bread its spring when squeezed, which is definitely not desired in biscuits.
Make the Meal • Macerated Peaches with Brown Butter Shortcakes • Citrus Salad with Peach Vinaigrette • Cast-Iron Strip Steak with Chimichurri • Poblano-Potato Salad and Grilled Zucchini
Learn More. In this month’s class you’ll learn how to properly split and deseed vanilla beans, as well as tips on what to do with vanilla bean pods once seeds are removed. you’ll also learn how to correctly brown butter and prepare biscuit and pastry dough.
get hands-on: Join Feast Magazine and schnucks Cooks Cooking school on Wed., July 22, at 6pm at the des Peres, Missouri, location, to make the dishes in this month’s menu. tickets are just $40 for a night of cooking, dining and wine. RsVP at schnuckscooks.com or call 314.909.1704.
STORy aNd RECIPE By GaBRIEllE dEMIChElE PhOTOGRaPhy By JENNIFER SIlvERBERG
Macerated Peaches with Burnt Butter Shortcakes Serves | 6 | peaches
½ to ¾ cup granulated sugar 1 vanilla bean, split in half 10 peaches, peeled and sliced shortcake
6 1¼ 3 ¼ 2 ¼ 2 ½
Tbsp unsalted butter, divided cups all-purpose flour Tbsp granulated sugar cup white cornmeal tsp baking powder tsp kosher salt extra-large eggs, hard-boiled cup heavy cream, plus extra whipped cream (for garnish)
| Preparation – Peaches | In a large bowl, add sugar. Scrape seeds out of vanilla bean, add seeds to sugar and toss to combine. In another bowl, add peaches and sprinkle sugar mixture over top. Toss to coat. Set aside. | Preparation – Shortcake | Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small skillet over medium-high heat, melt 5 Tbsp butter, swirling skillet to ensure butter doesn’t burn. Butter will bubble as it browns. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until bubbles subside. Pour butter into a heat-safe container and chill until firm, about 1 hour. While butter is chilling, add flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Cut remaining 1 Tbsp butter into small pieces and add to mixture. Remove chilled brown butter from refrigerator, slice it into small pieces and add to mixture. Separate hard-boiled egg yolks from whites and push yolks through a fine-mesh sieve; transfer to butter mixture. Pulse a few times to reach a fine meal consistency. While pulsing, drizzle heavy cream into mixture until dough just comes together. Pour dough out on a floured surface and pat gently into a ball. Pat dough to ½-inch thickness and, using a biscuit cutter, cut 6 biscuits. Place cut biscuits on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, close together but not touching. Brush tops with heavy cream, cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Transfer to oven to bake for 25 minutes or until biscuits are browned. Split biscuits in half and place in bowls. Spoon peaches on half of biscuits and place other half on top. Top with peaches and whipped cream. Serve.
TV
WATCH IT ON THESE NETWORKS
In St. Louis, tune into the Nine Network (Channel 9) to see Feast TV on Sat., July 4 at 2pm, Mon., July 6 at 1pm, Sun., July 19 at 1:30pm and Sun., July 26 at 4:30pm. Feast TV will also air throughout the month on nineCREATE.
In Kansas City, watch Feast TV on KCPT (Channel 19) on Sat., July 18 at 2:30pm.
FIELD
You can watch Feast TV throughout mid-Missouri on KMOS (Channel 6) on Thurs., July 23 at 8:30pm and on Sun., July 26 at 6:30pm.
Feast TV will air in the southern Illinois region on WSIU (Channel 8) at 10am on Sat., July 4.
• Our growers meet our high standards In July, Feast TV celebrates summer. Hop on as we pedal a mobile bike cart selling handmade ice cream in flavors like black sesame, lemon gogi and chai. Sip away the summer heat with visits to a place that concocts boozy cocktails and an artisan brewery that just debuted an outdoor bar made from recycled shipping containers. Finally, nothing’s more summer than hot dogs and we bring you to a spot where classics like the Chicago dog are served alongside the unexpected like kangaroo sausage and lamb biryani dogs.
• We inspect for the best flavor and quality
IN TRANSIT
• We continuously monitor temperature for peak quality, taste and freshness
STORE
• We offer only the “Best of the Best” produce Feast TV is presented by Missouri Wines with additional support from Whole Foods Market.
• You’ll find the freshest produce in town ©2015 Schnucks
Inspired Local Food Culture
July 2015
51
sweet ideas
VIetnamese Coffee ICe PoPs A pastry chef’s best tools in the kitchen are often not utensils or gadgets, but recipes (or formulas, as we call them). A great formula is a set list of ingredients in ideal proportion to one another that can be scaled up and down as needed. Most importantly, basic recipes can be changed with the season to reflect fresh flavors. Summer is the time for simple, refreshing meals and treats to enjoy poolside and at backyard cookouts – in other words, the season of ice pops
story and recipe by christy augustin photography by cheryl Waller
and frozen treats. Most fruit-based ice pops are made with just juice and sugar, but I wanted the following recipes to have the creaminess of sherbet and to be easily modified. Sweetened condensed milk is a great base that eliminates the need to cook milk with cornstarch or eggs. Just whisk all the ingredients together and freeze – the hardest part is being patient enough to wait for the pops to solidify before eating! Feel free to mix and match many of the recipes by pouring ice pop molds half full, freezing them and then topping the remaining halves with another flavor.
Christy Augustin has had a lifelong love affair with all things sweet. After working as a pastry chef in New Orleans and St. Louis, she opened Pint Size Bakery & Coffee in St. Louis’ Lindenwood Park in 2012. She calls herself the baker of all things good and evil. Learn more at pintsizebakery.com.
Vietnamese Coffee Ice Pops Yields | 8 3-oz pops | 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk ¾ cup whole milk* 1 cup strong coffee or espresso (traditionally made with chicory coffee) 2 tsp cocoa powder pinch kosher salt *Substitute unsweetened coconut milk for whole milk for a twist on iced coffee pops.
| Preparation | Simply whisk all ingredients together and freeze in an ice pop mold. For a cool layered effect on Vietnamese coffee ice pops, first combine sweetened condensed milk and whole milk and reserve ¾ cup as is, then whisk in remaining ingredients. Add coffee mix to molds, freeze for several hours or overnight before topping off with remaining milk mixture and freezing again.
Ice Pop Extravaganza
The following sets of ingredients can be prepared in the same steps above to make ice pops in various flavors. Fudgsicles
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk* 1½ cups whole milk ¼ cup cocoa powder 1 tsp vanilla extract pinch kosher salt *Substitute a can of dulce de leche for sweetened condensed milk for caramel Fudgsicle. dreamsicles
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk 1 cup whole milk ¾ cup freshly squeezed tangerine* or orange juice 1 tsp vanilla extract (or halve, split and scrape 1 vanilla bean) pinch kosher salt 1⁄8 tsp orange flower water (optional) *Substitute Key lime juice for tangerine to make Key lime pops. PiÑa colada PoPs
1 15-oz can cream of coconut (such as Coco Lopez) 1½ cup pineapple purée* or juice 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice 2 Tbsp dark rum pinch kosher salt *Mango purée instead of pineapple would be amazing.
Free $10 Gift Card With Your To-Go Order King & I is now offering a Customer Rewards program for all take out orders. Earn a stamp on your rewards card when you order a dinner entree to go. Collect ten stamps and get a $10 gift card good for your next visit to King & I. (One stamp per Togo order)
Customer rewards card also available for dine-in lunch customers. Ask your server for details. Happy Hour starts everyday at 4p.m. Come in for drink and appetizer specials.
3155 South Grand • St. Louis • 314.771.1777 • kingandistl.com
freedom from ordinary At Dau Neu, we’re proud to offer a large selection of North American made products. During July, save up to 15% on these quality items*, including tables and chairs, bar stools, recliners, sofas, accent chairs, upholstered headboards and more. Celebrate the holiday with savings and style! *Sale applies to new orders
Scale Sofa, made in the USA
The Scale Sofa. Starting at $1625. During the sale starting at $1375.
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Inspired Local Food Culture
JULY 2015
53
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| 56 |
brick by brick
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high tea
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seoul food
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greener pastures
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notes from vietnam
Dan Brewer’s from-scratch Mofu tofu, made with non-GMO Missouri-grown soybeans, is popping up in St. Louis. Zehua Shang founded Shang Tea to bring loose-leaf white tea harvested in the mountains of his native China to the Midwest. Chong Moore is satisfying southwest Missouri’s craving for from-scratch Korean dishes. Echigo Farm experiments with growing fresh Japanese produce in Missouri. Feast publisher Catherine Neville shares a photo essay of the rich history and culture she experienced on a recent trip to Vietnam.
Brick Brick BY
Written By ShannOn COthran PhOtOGraPhy By eMiLy Suzanne MCDOnaLD
Dan Brewer’s from-scratch Mofu tofu, made with Missouri-grown, non-GMO soybeans, is popping up across St. Louis
Dan Brewer faileD. Like most people, he’s probably experienced failure more than once in his life, but one particular failure changed everything; he made ramen at a pop-up event, and the noodles clumped. It was a simple defect, a small misstep, but that one failure was all it took to change Brewer’s perspective for life. Two years ago, Brewer and the small staff of his tofu company, Mofu, were toiling in the makeshift kitchen at Sump Coffee in St. Louis the night before launching their first pop-up dinner, and prep wasn’t going well. They stayed up until 4am making noodles by hand (and breaking three pasta-makers in the process). Brewer went home, slept for two hours and returned to Sump to sling bowls of ramen filled with pork and tofu. “It was going really well,” Brewer says. “But the noodles – halfway through the night, when we were all delirious – it turned out we hadn’t made them correctly. Some [customers] had bad experiences; I felt like I failed in a sense. A lot of people were really happy, but it wasn’t the best we could do. I kind of have to live with that forever. “Any time you put yourself out there, you want it to be great, and you’re opening yourself up for criticism. That’s why chefs obsess about their restaurants. I felt like before the first event we did, I didn’t really understand that.” The noodle incident was Brewer’s felix culpa, a fortunate fault, because it pushed him to improve. Several months later, Brewer asked Sump owner Scott Carey if he could host a series of Mofu pop-ups to redeem himself and his business. He felt he needed to prove to the St. Louis food community that he was able to prepare and serve excellent dishes, and to share his work with Mofu and the sum of his culinary experiences with diners. The pop-up series began in May 2014, almost a year after the first pop-up, with events on the last Saturday of each month through August. Brewer focused on broth and tofu, buying noodles from a Japanese-American company, and he hit the nail on the head. Diners loved his dishes and lined up around the block. Two years later, the pop-ups are still kicking – this past December, Brewer served 180 bowls of Mofu ramen in just two-and-a-half hours. “Like a bowl a minute,” he says. Brewer was always committed to honing his craft, but now, he says, “I take it really seriously.” After 15 years in the food industry, it took clumpy noodles at one pop-up to spur him to strive for perfection in every dish he serves. “I’m starting to find my voice in the food that I make,” he says humbly. “I feel like I’ve become confident in the decision-making process, and that first fail was a big part of that.”
The Idea Brewer is a chef and dietician as well as a professor of nutrition at Saint Louis University (SLU). He first made tofu in SLU’s shared kitchen, back when he saw it only as a substitute for meat. After making it himself, he had a revelation: It can have a flavor all its own, and it shouldn’t be thought of as only a meat alternative – much the opposite. “They’re a match made in heaven,” he says of meat and tofu. “That made me realize tofu is important. It was a turning point on how I think about it.” In 2011, Brewer founded Mofu, a from-scratch tofu company based in St. Louis that makes its tofu with locally grown, nonGMO soybeans, to share just how delicious good tofu can be. He says he’s on a mission “to change the way people perceive and eat one of the most misunderstood foods in the world.”
The Process The couple believes mechanical production is where tofu went all wrong. They say much of the tofu found in grocery stores is made to stretch margins as much as possible to turn over the largest profit. And there are very few small-batch tofu producers in the U.S. “Most tofu is the same thing as buying chicken from some giant commodity company where the main goal is to get them as fat and big as possible, with the least amount of feed and input, and then sell them to generate as much money as possible,” Brewer says. “It’s the same principle.”
His first convert may very well have been his business partner and wife, Kristin Fleischmann Brewer, who is also manager of programs at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation. “The reason I never liked tofu before is because I was only exposed to cheap, industrial tofu,” Fleischmann Brewer explains. After eating Brewer’s product, though, she now craves it.
And that’s where Mofu comes in. Brewer starts with the best soybeans. The excellence he strives for wouldn’t be possible without his farmer, Rusty Lee, owner of Lee Farms in Truxton, Missouri. Brewer and Fleischmann Brewer asked Lee to grow a non-GMO soybean with specific protein parameters, and Lee found the hybrid eMerge Genetics’ 389F.YC. Lee sprays an herbicide on the seeds before they sprout to allow the plants to grow unimpeded by weeds that would otherwise shade them and prevent growth.
Brewer echoes her sentiment: “I think people have had bad tofu experiences. I think people are texture sensitive, and when you’ve had bad tofu, the texture’s not great.”
After the initial spray of herbicide, Brewer says the soybeans don’t see anything. “No fertilizer, no herbicides, no pesticides.” Lee and his son, William, pull weeds out from around the
plants with a hoe. “The beans are beautiful,” Brewer says. “The best soybeans we’ve used. Without exceptional soybeans, you can’t get an exceptional product.” When it’s time to make the tofu, around 4,000 pounds of Lee’s exceptional soybeans arrive at the shared SLU kitchen where Brewer and his small team work, which will produce roughly the same output of Mofu tofu. They clean and soak the beans for 10 to 12 hours before removing any leftover debris and then puréeing them with water using a Robot Coupe power mixer that resembles a bazooka-sized immersion blender. After adding more water, they transfer the mixture to a tilt skillet, stirring frequently, to make soy milk. The longest step in the production process is straining. Brewer does this by hand, pouring the soy milk through a chinois and using weights to press the leftover pulp so he can achieve the richest, most flavorful milk. After coagulating the liquid with calcium chloride, it must rest for the protein to form curds. Brewer pours these into large pans and weighs them down to form large blocks of tofu. He cuts the tofu into squares and cools them instantly in ice baths. The blocks of firm tofu are then stored in cold water before being packaged and shipped to St. Louis grocery stores such as Local Harvest Grocery and City Greens Market, farmers’ markets and local restaurants
such as Mission Taco Joint and Revel Kitchen. The most important aspect of the process for Brewer is that Mofu is made by hand, unlike industrially made tofu. “It creates inconsistencies in our products; it doesn’t decrease the quality,” he says. “Every so often there’s a bean that slips through [into the final product] – I just think it’s special. It’s a sign that we’re a small company, and it’s just an indicator of small-batch production.” Brewer’s small-batch production method and made-fromscratch soy milk are two things large tofu producers usually don’t do. Good tofu, Brewer explains, is also about having the right ratio of water to soybeans. Mofu uses eight parts water to one part soybeans, while most commodity tofu is made with up to 10 or 11 parts water. The taste and texture, he says, depends on how much protein is in the soy milk used to make the tofu. “We make really thick, superconcentrated soy milk,” he says. Brewer also doesn’t pasteurize his tofu, which he believes is crucial to making a high-quality product. He says pasteurization takes all the sweetness and natural flavor out of tofu. And for Mofu, pasteurization is unnecessary because the company’s hyperlocal business model allows Mofu to be delivered to vendors and restaurants just after it’s made.
The ProducT Through Mofu, Brewer has found a way to combine his passion for food with his interest in art. He took a handful of art classes before enrolling in culinary school, and his approach to making tofu with raw ingredients is almost like a sculptor working with marble or clay.
The Business Brewer knows Mofu isn’t for everyone.
“Our main objective [when making] tofu is to find the sweet spot,” he says. “When you do that, the product is amazing. From how the curds look to the color of the whey, the smell – when you hit it, you know. I still say all the time, ‘God, this is the best tofu we’ve made in three months.’ It’s always good but sometimes you get it so right – the simple things are the hardest to get right.”
If Brewer were trying to push a margindriven business, he says he’d buy cheap soy milk or lower-quality soybeans. But, if his goal were to make a commodity product, he wouldn’t have chosen tofu in the first place. Fleischmann Brewer recalls the day Brewer told her about the idea. They were in the car, it was raining, and all she could think was, “You really want to [start] a tofu company?”
Brewer’s artistic approach has paid off. Mofu tofu has a natural beige tinge; a nutty, fresh aroma; a creamy texture; and a warm, earthy flavor. Fleischmann Brewer says she eats it raw – on salads or with a drizzle of honey – or cooked in stir-frys, with ramen or over rice. Brewer recommends using a 50:50 ratio of eggs and tofu to make quiche.
“I’m the conservative one, and he’s the risk taker,” she says. “And we were just learning to like tofu. I questioned it at first. This was 2011, and the economy sucked.” Fleischmann Brewer was skeptical but came around quickly after their friends and family rallied around them to help grow the business. They also began receiving a wave of positive response from customers at the Schlafly Farmers Market in Maplewood, Missouri, during their first season as vendors in 2011.
“Our product is two to three times more expensive than what’s already out there,” he says. “We’re not in business to compete with price. If you’re looking for a commodity product, Mofu’s not for you.”
Brewer also wants to educate home cooks about how to work with his product. Unlike most tofu, Mofu is not packaged in a pool of water, and Brewer says that due to the thickness of the curds, the final product doesn’t need to be pressed before cooking or eating. He’s developed a number of Asian- and Southern-inspired recipes that showcase Mofu tofu to serve at pop-ups and other events around town. A dish he calls danji combines deep-fried Mofu, first cooked with potato starch, and then with raw jalapeños in a simple dressing, and in another recipe, raw Mofu with charred tomatoes bathed in a corn sauce pairs beautifully with a sweet soy reduction.
As Brewer’s business partner, Fleischmann Brewer handles the bookkeeping and finances, “The stuff Dan hates but I geek out at,” she says. Their partnership has proven successful – Mofu has doubled business year after year. “I think that’s a good measure of success, especially considering it’s our part-time thing,” she says. If there were anything the couple would change about Mofu, it would be their ability to devote more time to it. “We love what we do,” Fleischmann Brewer says. “I think if I could give it more of my energy, it could be something really special. Now, it’s a cycle that ebbs and flows with the demands in our lives.”
“Asian [food paired with] Southern food makes sense,” Brewer says. “Even if I try to do other things, I go back to that. My chicken-fried tofu biscuits – they’re stupid good, crazy good.”
Not that they would give up their day jobs, either. Fleischmann Brewer’s associates at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation have been some of Mofu’s biggest supporters, and Brewer can talk for hours about his work at SLU. By maintaining full-time positions elsewhere, Mofu is supported by a community of artists and chefs, and Mofu, in turn, has the opportunity to support the community in St. Louis.
Brewer’s pride in his chicken-fried tofu biscuits illustrates that he isn’t just a successful entrepreneur – he’s also a motivated and hardworking chef. “I feel really good about my biscuit recipe, which sounds simple, but a biscuit should be able to stand on its own and be good without anything else on it,” he says. “Served with rhubarb-umeboshi jam – I take the method for making that and do it with rhubarb. I ferment the rhubarb into a pickle and purée it into a jam and spread it on the biscuit. We almost always bring this to our events. It’s hard not to because it’s so good.”
mofu ’s next pop- up 58
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“Making food and selling it to people is a lot like being an artist,” Brewer says. “If you make art, you have to hang stuff on the wall, and people come by and judge it. Making food is the same way.”
Mofu will be hosting its next pop-up at the Jubilee Speakeasy event on Sat., July 25, at Juniper in St. Louis. For more information, visit junipereats.com.
Through Mofu, Brewer redeemed himself and found his place in the local culinary industry. Dan Brewer succeeded. Mofu, wearemofu.com
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Inspired Local Food Culture
JULY 2015
59
mofu r e c i p e s Mapo Mofu
1
This traditional Szechuan dish has some kick, and it’s one of Dan Brewer’s favorite ways to cook with Mofu tofu.
clove garlic water kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Serves | 6 to 8 |
SweeT Soy SauCe
Pork Shoulder
½ cup tamari soy sauce 2 tsp white distilled vinegar 1½ Tbsp sugar
2
sugar salt freshly ground black pepper ichimi togarashi lbs pork shoulder
BraiSe
3 1 4 4 4
Tbsp canola or sesame oil white onion, finely diced cloves garlic, minced Tbsp minced ginger scallions, thinly sliced, whites and tops separated 1 cup peeled, diced turnips 3 Tbsp finely ground Szechuan peppercorns 1½ Tbsp black bean paste 2 Tbsp gochujang 2 Tbsp hot chile oil 1 Tbsp sugar ¼ cup soy sauce 3 Tbsp white distilled vinegar 1 cup chicken stock 2 blocks firm Mofu tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes 5 cups cooked medium-grain rice
| Preparation – Pork Shoulder | Preheat
oven to 250˚F. In a large bowl, combine a 3:2:1:1 ratio of sugar, salt, pepper and togarashi. Rub pork shoulder in dry mixture until evenly coated. Place pork on baking sheet and transfer to oven. Slow-roast for 5 to 6 hours or until fork-tender.
| Preparation – Braise | In a large Dutch
oven or braising pan over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add onion, garlic, ginger, scallion whites and turnips. Sauté until fragrant and translucent. Add ground peppercorn and cook for 2 minutes. Add black bean paste, gochujang, chile oil and sugar. Stir to incorporate. Add remaining ingredients except tofu and rice. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Set aside.
| To Serve | Remove pork from oven and pull into small pieces. Add pulled pork and tofu to braise and simmer for 30 minutes or until sauce is reduced and thick. Serve over rice and garnish with reserved scallion tops.
Mofu Tofu with Charred and Raw Tomatoes, Corn Sauce, Sweet Soy Sauce and Croutons This recipe is heavily inspired by classic Southern dishes with a hint of Asian flavor. Save extra corn sauce for flavoring another soup or sauce as the recipe will make extra. Serves | 6 to 8 | TomaToeS
12
1 1
sungold tomatoes extra virgin olive oil kosher salt heirloom beefsteak tomato green zebra tomato
Corn SauCe
2 2 2
60
ears sweet corn, kernels removed Tbsp olive oil Tbsp white distilled vinegar feastmagazine.com
JULY 2015
CrouTonS
3 1 2 2
Tbsp extra virgin olive oil sprig fresh thyme (plus more for garnish) cloves garlic cups bread (ciabatta or baguette) cut into ½-inch cubes kosher salt
To Serve
2
blocks firm Mofu tofu, cut into 32 pieces sprouts or microgreens (for garnish)
cornmeal shichimi togarashi BuTTermilk BiSCuiTS
2 ¼ 1 1 8
cups all-purpose flour tsp baking soda Tbsp aluminum-free baking powder tsp kosher salt Tbsp very cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes 1 cup buttermilk marinade (recipe below) 1½ Tbsp melted unsalted butter sugar salt freshly ground black pepper shichimi togarashi mayu
4 12 2 2
| Preparation – Tomatoes | Preheat broiler
in oven. Toss sungold tomatoes with enough olive oil to coat, and salt to taste. Place on sheet tray under broiler until they just begin to blister and char. Set aside until plating. Cut up remaining tomatoes.
| Preparation – Corn Sauce | In a blender,
combine corn kernels, olive oil, vinegar and garlic and blend until silky smooth. Add water as needed to adjust thickness. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to container and set aside.
| Preparation – Sweet Soy Sauce | In a small saucepan over low heat, combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Set aside. | Preparation – Croutons | In a medium sauté
pan over medium-high heat, heat oil. Once hot, add thyme and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add bread cubes and cook until golden brown and crusty. Baste continuously to prevent burning and to brown evenly. Remove croutons to paper towel-lined plate and immediately season with salt. Set aside.
| To Serve | Spoon corn sauce on a platter as desired. Arrange tomatoes and tofu on platter. Drizzle with sweet soy sauce and sprinkle croutons around plate. Garnish with fresh thyme and sprouts.
oz rayu (recipe below) oz canola oil egg yolks Tbsp Sriracha chile sauce white vinegar kosher salt
rhuBarB-umeBoShi Jam
½ ½ 2
cup rhubarb jam cup umeboshi, pits removed tsp balsamic vinegar
| Preparation – Rayu | In a small saucepot
on low heat, combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, lower heat to lowest setting and allow to cook for 2 hours or until garlic is tender. Remove from stove and allow to cool. Strain through a chinois or cheesecloth into a container.
| Preparation – Chicken-Fried Mofu | In a
medium container, combine buttermilk, soy sauce and rayu. Transfer tofu to mixture. Cover and place in refrigerator to marinate for 3 days.
Yields | 10 Biscuits | rayu
16 1 ¼ 1
oz sesame oil cup peeled cloves garlic cup Korean chile powder Tbsp ichimi togarashi
ChiCken-Fried moFu
16 6 4 2
oz buttermilk oz tamari soy sauce oz rayu (recipe below) blocks Mofu tofu, sliced into 8 rectangular pieces canola oil (for frying) panko all-purpose flour
guide BlaCk Bean PaSTe Fermented soy beans mixed with garlic and other spices to make a heavily aromatic paste used in Asian sauces. GoChuJanG A spicy, slightly sweet, dark red fermented chile paste. iChimi ToGaraShi A red-orange Japanese chile powder.
rayu Sesame oil infused with chiles and garlic. ShiChimi ToGaraShi A Japanese spice mixture including chiles, dried orange peel, Szechuan peppercorns, black and white sesame seeds, dried ginger and seaweed. SzeChuan PePPerCornS A heavily aromatic variety of pepper that is not related to black peppercorns. Tamari Japanese-style soy sauce with richer flavor, a darker color and more subdued saltiness than regular soy sauce. umeBoShi Japanese pickled plums.
Once marinated, remove tofu and transfer to a plate. Reserve 1 cup buttermilk marinade to make biscuits. Save remaining marinade for breading the tofu. Meanwhile, in a medium-sized stockpot, heat enough canola oil for deep-frying. Heat oil to 325˚F and then maintain temperature. In a large bowl, combine a 3:2:1 ratio of panko, flour and cornmeal and add togarashi to taste. Dip tofu in the reserved marinade and then quickly into breading mixture. Repeat again to double breading and then transfer tofu to a sheet tray. Fry breaded tofu until golden brown. Remove fried tofu to wire rack and allow to cool slightly.
Chicken-Fried Mofu Biscuits with Mayu and Rhubarb| Preparation – Buttermilk Biscuits | In a Umeboshi Jam medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda and “This is a great way for people to fall in love with tofu,” Brewer says. Tofu must marinade for three days before cooking.
ingredient
powder and salt into a bowl. Using your hands, add butter into dry ingredients. When you can form flour mixture into a baseballsized ball and it lightly holds its shape, it’s finished. Add reserved buttermilk marinade to bowl and mix until just incorporated. Transfer to lightly floured work surface and begin to fold dough onto itself until it just comes together. Roll dough until 1-inch thick. Take a 2½-inch circle cutter and cut out biscuits. Transfer to sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Brush top of biscuits with melted butter and dust with 3:2:1:1 ratio of sugar, salt, black pepper and shichimi togarashi. Bake biscuits until just undercooked to allow carry-over cooking, about 12 minutes. Serve immediately or allow them to cool completely and store in airtight container.
| Preparation – Mayu | In a squeeze bottle, combine rayu and oil and shake until incorporated. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks with rayu-oil combination to emulsify; do this slowly to avoid breaking the emulsion. If desired, thin with water. Add chile sauce, vinegar and salt. Transfer mixture back to squeeze bottle and refrigerate until needed.
| Preparation – Rhubarb-Umeboshi Jam | In a blender, combine all ingredients until smooth. Transfer to container and refrigerate until ready to serve.
| To Serve | Split biscuits in half. Spread a light spoonful of rhubarb-umeboshi jam on the bottom of each half. Place 1 to 2 pieces of chicken-fried tofu on each biscuit. Apply mayu as desired on top of tofu. Put biscuit back together and serve.
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HigH Tea Written by Jonathan bender
| PhotograPhy by zach bauman
“i’m not sure what to say,” Zehua Shang says as he sits down, his hands resting on a table made from thick slabs of varnished elm. “i don’t know what there is to say about me. i’m usually talking about my tea.” Shang’s tea is primarily loose-leaf white tea – sun- or air-dried leaves – packaged in canisters that line the shelves of Shang Tea in Kansas City. it comes from the neat lines of bushes in bucolic pictures that scroll across a flat-screen television on a central pole in the shop. it’s tea that, at times, Shang himself has harvested in the Fujian province of his native China. “The moisture in the air and the rains in the Fujian mountains make it one of the best tea-growing regions in China,” Shang says of Taimu Mountain (often referred to as White Tea Mountain for the proliferation of tea farms there) where his tea is grown and where he spends two months of each year.
Zehua Shang founded Shang Tea To bring loo looSe-leaf whiTe Tea harveSTed in The mounTainS of hiS harve naTive na naT ive China To The midweST
“good tea smells good and has a clean flavor with no aftertaste.” Shang pours a cup of honeysuckle white tea, one of at least two teas he drinks daily. He takes a sip, purses his lips slightly to stay in the moment of the mild sweetness and begins the tale of how exactly the son of Chinese farmers ended up traveling more than 6,000 miles to sit at a table made from the wooden timbers that once held up the roofs of the huts in the village where he was born. “Tea was the only drink with flavor in my childhood,” Shang says. “There was no juice. No milk. No coffee. i could drink hot water, cold water or tea.” Shang was born in Dao Suo Zhuang, a small hamlet of 3,000 people in the Shandong province on the Eastern coast of China. His was the hard life of a farmer. His father passed away when Shang was 13 years old,
and he had to help his mother till cotton, wheat, soybeans and sweet potatoes. There was no running water or electricity, but there was tea. First came jasmine tea. Everything was organic then because, as Shang notes, nobody could afford (or had access to) chemical pesticides to process tea leaves. When Shang was 16 years old, it was tea that gave him the opportunity to move to Shen Xian, a small city 10 miles from home, to continue schooling. “it was 2½ miles from my father’s family home to my mother’s family home. My ancestors were born there, grew up there and learned how to farm there,” Shang says. “They worked until they couldn’t work any more. And then they were buried there for more than 30 generations. i was one of the first generations from my [immediate] family to live in a city.”
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“Tea was The only drink wiTh flavor in my childhood. … i could drink hoT waTer, cold waTer or Tea.”
His cousin ran a small tea shop in Shen Xian – a pair of tables and 80 square feet that opened up the world to Shang. “I loved it,” he says. “It was where I wanted to go every morning and stay until it was late. I’d walk into the shop, and all you can smell is the tea. It’s so refreshing, so pleasant. It was a beautiful moment in my life.” He recalls watching his uncle – who swept the shop each morning and then brewed himself a cup of tea – at peace, and realized he wanted the same thing. “With the ritual of making tea, life becomes simpler and easier,” Shang says. “It might not look that different from a restaurant on the outside, but the atmosphere is different. People are more laid back in a tea shop. They talk slower.” Shang eventually moved to Beijing to work as a cultural interpreter for an English-speaking person. Some
time later, when a visiting University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) ethnography professor needed a cultural liaison, he was matched up with Shang. Because of their rapport, the professor invited Shang to come to Kansas City in 2000 and be an advisor on Chinese culture and language understanding at the university. A month after Shang arrived in the U.S., he was out of the tea he’d brought from home and went in search of leaves for his daily cup. “I bought tea from City Market [in Kansas City], and it didn’t taste the same,” he says. “In such a big city, I was surprised there was no tea shop.” Shang thought he’d stay in the U.S. for 18 months, but then he met his wife, Shannon, a student at UMKC at the time, who hailed from Kansas. Their first child – today they have three children – was born in 2007, the same year he opened his store in Kansas City’s Crown Center.
Opening the retail shop was a big step for Shang, who founded the business in 2005 out of his home before moving into a 550-square-foot showroom in a local wholesale market. Back then, Shang would work 12 hour days and then go home and make calls to China to talk about sourcing and farming for another hour or so. Prior to 2007, Shang purchased his tea leaves from farms in the Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, but he was frustrated by the fluctuations in quality.
and asked his family in China to help with the harvest. And each April and September, he travels to the farm to oversee the process of picking tea leaves and drying them in the sun. “They are the kind of tea leaves that you pick and chew and swallow,” Shang says, speaking of their high quality.
“Tea is not like Coke or Pepsi where every batch is the same formula,” Shang says. “Every day’s pickings are different. It depends on who pulls the tea leaves. You can have two cooks, and they can cook the same thing, and it comes [out] with different flavors.”
Shang will move his operation to a new farm in 2016 – 5 to 7 acres in the Fujian province, where he will harvest white and green tea plants. It marks a shift in lifestyle for Shang, whose previous farm spanned more than 12 acres. He’s downsizing because he recognizes that operating businesses on two continents is challenging, and it leaves him more time to focus on his store in Kansas City, which moved from the third to first floor of Crown Center in February 2014.
So, Shang took a dramatic step in 2007, deciding to invest in his own farm in Fujian. He found a local partner
While the third-floor location was a tea shop, Shang’s space on the first floor is more of a teahouse. The space is a mix
of warm wood and white – clean and quiet. It feels miles, not a few hundred feet, from the main floor of Crown Center where children wheedle their parents for a cup of frozen custard or pose for a picture with the oversized LEGO minifigure statue promoting the LEGOLAND Discovery Center across the street. “I sit down with those new to tea and enjoy a cup of tea; we always start with pure white tea,” Shang says, explaining that this is because it has the cleanest flavor. “From there, we move on to jasmine because it has a good fragrance, or something like a honeysuckle white tea.” White tea is the most popular in Shang’s shop – it’s air- or sun-dried on bamboo racks, whereas green tea is steamed or roasted over high heat – followed by red tea (what Americans call black tea), or the leaves of white tea plants that have been fermented.
On Shang’s farm in China, the tea bushes, arranged in rows, are at the end of a long, steep, rocky trail, some 2,600 feet above sea level. With white tea, the tea leaves and buds are hand-picked on Taimu Mountain in early spring in order to create mellow and bright cups of brewed tea. White Peony King is golden in color and earthy, while Silver Needle King (named for the hairs on the leaves that turn silver when they dry) has a hint of melon. Shang also ages tea, as much as seven years, to bring out wood or complementary notes. “High-quality teas age well, and in China, it’s a tradition to age tea,” Shang says. “After tea leaves have been harvested and dried, they’re stored in a clean bamboo bucket or ceramic jars for at least one year. The most ideal aging period is between three to seven years for the best flavors.” Thanks in part to Shang and his business, love for tea seems to be
brewing in Kansas City. The first-ever Midwest Tea Fest occurred on Sat., June 6, in the J.C. Nichols Auditorium Lobby of the National World War I Museum and Memorial. “I’ve been to tea conventions like this all over the world,” says Shang, who sampled his Tangerine Blossom Red and White Peony King teas. “But it’s really exciting to have an event like this in the Midwest that brings together tea-drinkers in Kansas City.” The shop has evolved over time as Shang gained regular customers and discovered that the experience of drinking tea is as important as the leaves themselves. He’s designed his own line of porcelain teapots, mugs and drinking cups. “I love specific things,” Shang says. “Our [cups] have a big handle because people love cups with big handles. The cups are not too straight or too curvy. They feel really safe.”
3 QuICK TIPS TO Perk UP YoUr Tea Be consistent and precise. Add a
Use filtered water. Shang says the
heaping tablespoon of loose-leaf white tea (½ to 1 tablespoon of green, jasmine or red tea) per 8 ounces of water that has been heated to between 195°F and 205°F. Let the tea steep for one to two minutes, or longer if you prefer stronger flavor.
chlorine and fluoride in tap water destroys the pure, subtle flavor of tea. If you’re a regular tea-drinker, consider investing in a reverse osmosis filter.
Use a porcelain teacUp. Porcelain
holds temperature, and when you brew tea in glass or metal, Shang says you can taste a difference.
The varnished elm tables in the shop, with wide legs and thick tops, also bring Shang back home to China and bring a little bit of his home to Kansas City. The wood is from huts built in the 1920s and 1930s in his village and the surrounding towns in the Shandong province. Family members went to nearby villages and brought the heavy logs back by donkey and three-wheeled motorcycle carts. A friend who owned a carpentry factory in his hometown then fashioned the tables according to Shang’s own specifications. He leans back in a chair made from the same wood and thinks about the life that tea has made for him. “I still have a strong passion for tea leaves,” he says. “I never think about quitting my business. Even if I didn’t make money, I would do this.” Shang Tea, 2450 Grand Blvd. #106, Crown Center, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.421.2588, shangtea.com
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It’s 5:30 in the evening, and the gravel parking lot outside Cafe Korea is full. WRITTEn By ETTIE BERnEKInG BERnEKI PHoToGRAPHy By JonATHAn GA GAyMAn
Chong Moore is satisfying southwest Missouri’s craving for from-scratch Korean dishes
Inside, customers are slurping bowls of spicy, bright red soon doo boo stew, and tables are littered with banchan served in tiny white dishes filled with kimchi, bean sprouts, pickled radish and more. Back in the kitchen, owner and head chef Chong Moore is running the show. A little more than 5 feet tall with a friendly, throaty laugh, Chong is far from intimidating. But her unflagging determination and prowess in the kitchen have made her a heavyweight in St. Robert, Missouri. Home to some 5,000 residents, the small town in southwest Missouri is the gateway to Fort Leonard Wood Army base. Chong’s husband, John, is a retired Army serviceman, and there are salutes to the military throughout the restaurant. There are also photo collages taped to the walls. Each collage is from a different year and displays photos Chong snapped of smiling customers. She loves pointing out the ones who eat lunch at Cafe Korea every day. Chong has been serving her customers authentic Korean food since she opened the restaurant in 2010. Within the first two years, the cozy restaurant doubled in size, but the small kitchen remains the same. There’s barely room for the giant dishwashing station, the two prep tables and the 12-burner gas stove. It doesn’t help that everything is lower to the ground to better accommodate Chong’s diminutive stature. She even had the stove legs chopped off a few inches to bring it down to her height. Add the two other KoreanAmerican cooks who help Chong, and the small kitchen suddenly feels even tighter. Chong just laughs about the close quarters. “I wanted it this small,” she says. “I’ve worked in larger kitchens, and with all the running around, I got so tired.” There’s hardly room to turn around, but Chong and her team know the layout by heart. “We have good teamwork,” she says. The tight-knit group of female cooks first met at church, and, as a result, the tiny kitchen is constantly filled with laughter. “It has to be fun,” Chong says. “If I don’t like cooking, I don’t have a reason to open this restaurant.” A smile spreads across her face and she lets out a warm, friendly laugh. HOME COOKING Growing up in the small town of Jinju, South Korea, about 20 minutes from the coast, Chong learned to cook by watching her mother. Every day, her mother would make lunch for the bankers who worked next door. When Chong got home from school, she helped wash dishes and clean the house, which was also owned by the bank. Eventually she also began helping her mother cook meals. “There were probably 20 people during lunch,” Chong says, remembering afternoons filled with soft, sticky rice, hot fish and a seemingly endless array of pickled veggies, kimchi and braised
potatoes. To make sure the meals were profitable and sustainable, Chong’s mother eventually began charging for lunches at the beginning of the month. This way, if some of the bankers didn’t show up one day, she wasn’t out any money. Just like at Cafe Korea, the family’s kitchen was small. There wasn’t room or money for a freezer, so every day the ice box had to be refilled. It was in this kitchen that Chong learned to make giant vats of tender rice and how to properly chop vegetables. “When I was a little girl, we only had one knife,” Chong says as she mimics a rapid and precise chopping movement. “We chopped everything by hand.” Even today, you won’t find a knife set in Chong’s kitchen. Each of the three cooks has her own knife, including Chong, who protects hers by hiding it in the restaurant when not in use.
Bee
Years later, Chong met and married John, who was stationed at an Army base near her aunt’s home in Korea where Chong lived during college. The couple eventually moved to the U.S. where they raised their three children who are now in their 20s. Chong still jokes about how marrying John was her answer to the Korean social system. “In Korea, the bride’s family has to spend thousands of dollars on gifts for the groom,” Chong explains. Chong’s family didn’t have much money, so true to her independent spirit and character, she decided to buck tradition and marry an American. “I’m very lucky I married my husband,” she says as a smile cracks across her face. “I didn’t have to pay any money!” In the early days of their marriage, on John’s nights off, Chong cooked him dinner and slowly began introducing him to her favorite Korean dishes: Spicy kimchi pancakes and braised short rib soups were the norm. It was just what Chong wanted – a captivated audience who enjoyed her cooking. “Meals in Korea are social events,” John says. “The rice is yours, and the soup is yours, but the rest is shared.” In no time, Chong had John hooked on kimchi and kimbap. “He’s not picky,” Chong says. “And since he can’t cook, he eats mostly Korean food now.” That also elicits a big smile from her. MIDWEST BOUND After bouncing around to a few different U.S. Army bases, Chong and John ended up in St. Robert. By the time they settled there, Chong had spent about 10 years working in restaurants as a server, a partner at two restaurants and owner of another, so when the opportunity came about to open a new place – a place to cook and share the Korean food she loves so much – she didn’t hesitate. But not everyone in St. Robert was ready for the spicy, largely unfamiliar Korean fare she dished out. For those customers, Chong developed and added a selection of popular Chinese and Japanese menu items including 68
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Piping hot bowls of soon doo boo stew.
Beef bulgogi at Cafe Korea.
Beef Bulgogi
sweet-and-sour chicken, fried rice, broccoli stir-fry and the popular yaki soba. This savory noodle dish is a customer favorite thanks to the special sauce Chong uses in it. There are some 20 ingredients in the sauce, but like all of her sauce recipes, it’s a secret. Despite the Americanized dishes, the majority of hungry customers who line up for lunch each day are craving Korean food. For those unfamiliar with, say, kimchi, Chong says it only takes one order to win them over, “Once they eat it, they’re hooked.” To ensure her customers leave happy and full, Chong has made a few changes to the recipes her mother taught her all those years ago in Jinju. She sometimes changes the spice levels, and she’s added more meat to the menu – dishes like beef teriyaki, chicken yaki soba and even hot wings. “In Korea, you would usually get fried fish, rice and tons of sides,” she says. “But in the States, you have to have meat.” She even changes up the banchan depending on who is ordering it, and since Chong knows just about everyone who walks in the door, she has come to know her
Chong Moore prepping beef for bulgogi.
customers’ preferences. Some want extra spice, some want salty-sweet and others – mostly Korean-American customers – just want something that tastes like home. MADE FRESH For an authentic taste of Chong’s home, order the bulgogi. Just like everything served at Cafe Korea, the bulgogi is made fresh every day. First, giant chunks of beef are trimmed of excess fat and then placed in the freezer for one day. When the meat is ready, Chong hauls it over to the meat slicer. This is her toy, as she calls it, and no one else is allowed to touch it. Once the blade is running, Chong pushes the block of frozen meat back and forth, and thin slices of beef fall onto a tray below. The sliced beef is pushed into a massive bowl that’s about 3 feet across, and the 10-gallon bucket that sits nearby is opened to reveal the bulgogi sauce. The top is an opaque layer of pulverized fruit and vegetables. (The key to the semisweet flavor and wonderfully tender beef is kiwi.) With one swipe of a wooden spoon, Chong
Yaki soba with shrimp, chicken and beef.
parts the mixture to reveal liquid the color of molasses beneath. A bowl is used to ladle the sauce over the sliced meat, and sesame oil and sugar are added. Chong pulls on thick, red rubber gloves that reach her elbows and gets to work mixing everything together by hand. The bulgogi is then packed into a container, covered with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for one day to allow flavors to marinate before it’s ready to cook.
eggroll). Even the customers join in on the fun. If it’s slow enough, Chong has them pull up a chair and demonstrates how to wrap the delicate parcels of cabbage, carrots, rice noodles and ground beef. Chong loves doing this and laughs about the number of times she’s taught customers how to make sushi. Most chefs don’t regularly invite diners into their kitchens, but Chong’s kitchen is always open – even despite its cozy size. When a customer asks how she makes bulgogi or bibimbap, she invites them in for a lesson and loads them up with to-go boxes before they leave.
“If we cook it like this, it’s no good,” Chong says as she opens the fridge to reveal tomorrow’s bulgogi, wrapped and ready to go. This is what Chong loves – to pass along her mother’s recipes and share her passion for Every day is like this in the kitchen at Cafe cooking and Korean food with people. For Korea. Chong wakes up at 6am and heads Chong, it all comes back to the communal to the grocery store to get what she will style of cooking and dining in Korea. need for the day. Once at the restaurant, everyone gets to work chopping vegetables “Korean people love to eat,” Chong says. “Any for bibimbap, soups and stir-frys. place you go, people will be hanging out and talking…but they’re always eating.” When the lunch rush dies down, the cooks congregate at a table in the dining room and Cafe Korea, 839 VFW Memorial Blvd. assemble the yaki mandu (a fried appetizer #9, St. Robert, Missouri, 573.336.3232, that’s kind of the Korean equivalent of an cafekorea.net Inspired Local Food Culture
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G
reener
pastures Written by Juliana GoodWin PhotoGraPhy by Jessica sPencer
Echigo Farm experiments with growing In the belly of Missouri’s Old Order Amish country, Japanese crops are flourishing. Fuzzy, bright green edamame pods grow in clusters; Japanese cucumber vines snake over the fertile earth; anpan, a Japanese sweet roll stuffed with bean paste, bakes in the commercial kitchen. Echigo Farm (pronounced etch-e-go) is owned by Mark Frank, a Missourian, and his wife, Kumiko Nagai, a Japanese native. They founded Echigo nearly five years ago with the mission to introduce Japanese produce to Missouri. In that time, they’ve grown 70 varieties of Asian vegetables on their land in Seymour, Missouri, and taught classes on fermentation as well as how to traditionally cook fresh edamame. The farm may never have existed if it weren’t for sake. In 2001, Frank, a Southwest Missouri State University graduate (now called Missouri State University), was living in Japan when he won prefectural and regional sake-tasting competitions for his ability to taste and judge sake, which qualified him to move on to nationals. Frank had been cultivating an appreciation for sake since moving to Japan in 1997 to teach English. 70
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To prepare for the national tasting competition, he immersed himself in the ancient brewing practice, even working at two breweries. Sake is made from fermented rice, so after seeing how breweries made it, his curiosity led him to rice paddies in Japan. Next he learned how to grow Japanese vegetables.
of Niigata where Frank and Nagai met, a region in northern Japan known for its sake and edamame production. Edamame is their farm’s flagship crop, and in the summer, they haul fresh edamame to the Farmers Market of the Ozarks so customers can taste the sweet, nutty soybean at its peak. Like corn, edamame is at its best the day it’s picked.
is a Japanese mustard green with a mild, peppery flavor similar to arugula. Bekana, a loose Japanese cabbage, is more lettucelike in flavor and texture.
Lane McConnell, executive director of Farmers Market of the Ozarks, says Echigo has brought a rich new tradition to the region.
When deciding what to grow, Frank plants what he likes to eat and what he thinks will adapt to the southwest Missouri climate. The greens are nurtured in unheated high tunnels from the fall through the spring. Echigo’s Asian greens salad mix, which includes the aforementioned greens, has always been one of its biggest sellers.
“I first felt the joy of eating when I moved there,” he says. “What impressed me were the patterns of living, the rhythm of the seasons, the craftsmanship, the traditions, the freshness.”
“They added to the farmers’ market an expansive diversity of Japanese vegetables and fermented products, which are not common in the Ozarks,” McConnell says. “In addition, consumers are learning of new vegetables to include in their diet.”
Japanese cucumbers, which are crunchier, more flavorful and more thinskinned than their popular relatives, have been one of the farm's most successful summer crops. Daikon has also done well in the farm’s soil.
Shortly after moving to Japan, he met Nagai. The two built a friendship and married two years later.
Some of Echigo’s best-selling products include greens like komatsuna, wasabina, mizuna and bekana.
With no prior experience farming commercially, Frank was eager to share what he had learned. So in 2009, he packed up his knowledge and his family and brought them to his childhood home in the Ozarks.
In Japan, komatsuna, sometimes labeled as Japanese mustard spinach, is often salt-pickled, but it can also be used in salads or stir-frys. Komatsuna has a mild flavor with hints of turnip and a spinachlike texture. Wasabina is a small mustard green with serrated leaves and a spicy, almost wasabilike flavor. Mizuna
For some, like Mika Logan, a Japanese native who lives in Springfield, Missouri, Echigo’s products have been “a fountain in a desert” offering a familiar taste of home.
“I enjoy eating first,” Frank says. “Cooking comes from that, and farming from cooking. That was the natural progression.” Japan was a palatable awakening for him.
Echigo is the old name of the prefecture
Homegrown Food and MaMa Jean’s Natural Market in Springfield also carry Echigo’s produce and fermented products. Occasionally, you’ll see the farm's kimchi featured in a special dish at a local restaurant.
fresh Japanese produce in Missouri Since opening the farm, Frank and Nagai have battled high costs and the challenges of introducing seeds to a different climate. The couple have found an especially limited customer base for fresh edamame. They haven’t had luck selling it to restaurants, partially because of the cost and short window to serve it. Several factors influence the cost, but the largest is the hand harvesting and careful handling once crops are harvested. Frank says an acre of his edamame crop takes about 400 hours of hand-labor. Although many people have embraced the farm’s products, it hasn’t proven enough to sustain the business. Recently, Frank and Nagai put the farm up for sale. They plan to continue their operation through the end of the year. “The vegetables are not that difficult to grow in southwest Missouri, but there needs to be an accompanying food culture to support their introduction and growth,” Frank says of the impending sale. For now, Frank and Nagai are still hard at work harvesting crops on the farm and cultivating relationships with customers.
UNDERSTANDING EDAMAME It may seem logical to grow soybeans in Missouri since the state ranks seventh in nationwide production, but edamame is far more labor intensive.
what most vegetable farmers use, but drip irrigation is not common in soybean production. This is because edamame is grown more like a vegetable than a conventional row crop, Frank says.
dedicated to all crops, with ¼ acre dedicated to edamame. While some varieties are being adapted to the climate of the Ozarks, Frank and Nagai import their seeds from Japan.
“Edamame is a specialized soybean,” says Patrick Byers, regional horticulture specialist with the University of Missouri Extension Greene County office. “It's harvested by hand and has to be handled carefully. Machine harvesters are available but expensive. Dry soybeans have a long shelf life; edamame is fresh and perishable. It’s fairly expensive to grow.”
Edamame requires moisture at two stages: when the flowers are blooming and when the small pods are filling out. If there is not enough moisture during the flowering stage, the flowers will fall off without forming pods. If there is not enough moisture during the filling-out stage, there will be many empty, half-full or misshapen pods.
Over the years, they’ve dabbled with 18 varieties of edamame trying to find the best match. Now, they focus on three: early- and middle-stage varieties that are light and sweet and have late harvests, which can be picked through October. The variety is not as popular, as it has more oil and less sugar, but it’s creamier and richer.
“We find that it’s worth the extra effort and expense to provide varieties of vegetables that people in southwest Missouri may not be familiar with; it has become a niche and one of the hallmarks of our farm’s approach,” Frank says.
Edamame requires pinpoint management of irrigation, which is why Frank and Nagai prefer drip irrigation. The crop has a four-day window for harvest. If that window closes, the amino acids combine to form protein and the sugar decreases.
Nagai says the traditional method of preparing edamame starts with rubbing salt all over the edamame pods to remove the fuzzy fibers and to enhance the green color of the pod. Next, water is heavily salted and edamame is then boiled for four minutes. The pods must be removed and quickly cooled but cannot be dunked in an ice water bath because, Frank explains, that would defeat the salting process.
“There are differences in climate, but we see this as an enjoyable challenge rather than an insurmountable obstacle.” Frank and Nagai grow edamame in the traditional method: Seeds are handplanted in seed trays to germinate and then grow for 10 days. They are then transplanted and watered with standard drip irrigation similar to
In Japan, edamame is harvested and sold the same day. That’s not always possible at Echigo, so the goal is to get it to consumers within two days. “Time is of the essence,” Frank says. “Sugar decreases by 50 percent within 24 hours. It’s impossible to maintain the level of freshness.” Two acres of the 18-acre farm are
Frank and Nagai quickly spread the still-warm edamame out on the kitchen table and cool it with Japanese fans. Then, edamame is salted once more and refrigerated for a couple of hours before it's ready to eat. Inspired Local Food Culture
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GROWING TOGETHER Frank and Nagai met at a party in Japan in 1997 and decided to exchange English and Japanese lessons. Their friendship budded into romance. They married in 1999 and moved to Shibata, a city surrounded by agricultural regions where Frank studied traditional farming and fermentation practices. He started a school garden at the local college growing crops like moroheiya, a highly nutritious sticky green that thrives in the heat of summer, and he also taught students how to brew sake. When Frank mentioned moving to the Ozarks, Nagai was shocked, as neither of them had much experience in farming. “We were going to buy a house in Japan,” Nagai says. “He said, ‘[Missouri is] a good place to raise a family.’” They have two children: a son, Kouta, 11, and daughter, Momoko, 8. During their first year in Missouri, they lived with Frank’s parents in Nixa while searching for land to buy. When an 18-acre farm in Seymour (about 40 miles away from Nixa) came up for
sale, they purchased it from an Amish family. Frank and Nagai had to completely renovate the house, including adding electricity, wiring and plumbing. Over the years, they’ve added two high tunnels to extend their growing season. Last year, they opened a commercial kitchen in a 20-by-20-foot building that the previous owner used for meat processing. “He had a butchering business and processed meat using professional equipment powered completely by two draft horses and a complex system of pulleys,” Frank says. “It was quite a thing to see in operation.” In the kitchen, Frank and Nagai produce miso, which is made from soybeans, koji (a malted rice) and sea salt. Miso is a staple in Japanese cooking used in marinades, seasoning, sauces and, of course, soup. While miso traditionally takes six to 12 months to ferment, Frank and Nagai have found a way to speed up the process using heating pads to raise the
temperature. Their miso takes about two months to produce. Anpan, a sweet roll filled with red-bean paste, is one of their bestselling products, and they also make kimchi. The four most popular varieties are: long cut, which includes long-cut napa cabbage brined in a shrimp-anchovy sauce; vegetarian, with the seafood sauce replaced with shiitake mushroom broth; daikon, cubed daikon with the same seasoning as the long-cut kimchi; and white kimchi, which is made without red pepper and has a milder flavor. Echigo’s version is vegetarian and includes napa cabbage, dates and apples. Their fermented products have been successful, and the couple would like to continue making those after selling the farm. Frank has a degree in literature and hopes to write about fermentation and continue to teach people how to make fermented foods. Although they don’t expect whoever purchases the farm to carry on the traditions they’ve established, the land
will likely appeal to someone with a similar vision. The drip-irrigation system used for edamame is desirable for many crops, as it conserves water, and the new commercial kitchen adds value to the property. They describe their time on the farm as rewarding. The couple loves interacting with customers at the farmers’ market. Nagai says it's her one opportunity to socialize each week. Teaching people about farming and food production is especially meaningful to Frank. They agree that the customers are what they’ll miss the most. Frank notes that there are an increasing number of vendors introducing Asian produce to the region; he suspects the trend and growing interest will likely continue. The couple has mixed emotions about moving on – they’ve been mulling over the decision for more than a year. “I want more economic stability for my family,” Frank says. “It’s been a challenge, but it’s been rewarding.” Echigo Farm, 417.849.4000, find Echigo Farm on Facebook
PICTURED CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Echigo Farm’s fermented products including kimchi, koji and daikon; the farm uses local rice from McKaskle Family Farm for its sake; Nagai holding young edamame plants; Mark Frank, Kumiko Nagai and their children.
want to try
echigo products? Products from Echigo Farm will be available through the end of the year. You can find them at the Farmers Market of the Ozarks, Homegrown Food and MaMa Jean’s Natural Market in Springfield, Missouri.
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Written by catherine neville PhotograPhy by catherine neville and Jennifer Schoemehl
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hanoi
It was dark when we touched down at Noi Bai International Airport. More than 24 hours after leaving St. Louis, we had finally arrived in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. We were exhausted, but the minute we reached the Golden Cyclo Hotel in the city’s Old Quarter, we dropped our bags and set out to explore the ancient city’s twisting, dark streets. Almost all of the stores had closed up shop by that time of night; just a few women were out, sweeping the day’s detritus from gutters. Around one corner, though, an electric glow emanated from a small storefront. There were a few people sitting on short plastic stools gathered outside. We went inside, perused the beer selection and emerged with bottles of Tiger Beer, 333 Premium Export Beer, Bia Saigon Special and Bia Hà NÔi in tow, along with a bag of shrimp-flavored crackers. Such were the first two hours of our two-week journey through Vietnam and Thailand. coffee. Vietnamese iced coffee is famously sweet and rich, like the most intense coffee ice cream imaginable. The style that is specific to Hanoi, egg coffee, layers a strong espresso-style brew with an egg yolk that has been whipped with sweetened condensed milk until frothy and custardy. It’s even richer than typical Vietnamese-style java, and Cafe Giang is one of the best spots in Hanoi to indulge.
ho chi minh mausoleum. On Sept. 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh, chairman of the Communist Party of Vietnam, read the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence in Ba Đình Square. He died in 1969, and in August 1975, his mausoleum was officially inaugurated on the same ground. His body lies in quiet repose in this cool, dark space. Visitors file past in a silent line, two by two, and are able to look at his well-preserved body, which is sent to Moscow once a year to be freshened up before being put back on display.
traffic. The streets of Hanoi hum with
the sound of motorized scooters. Entire families pile onto one scooter – small children standing in front, babies on laps, groceries hanging off anything available. The first bit of advice we received on arrival in Hanoi was, “Keep going.” If you’re crossing the street, don’t lose your nerve and stop for an oncoming scooter. The driver watches your pacing and determines how to, essentially, dance with each pedestrian to ensure safe passage for those on two wheels and those on two feet.
vietnam museum of ethnology.
There are 54 officially recognized ethnic groups in Vietnam. This museum is dedicated to exploring and preserving the traditional ways of the country’s ethnic peoples.
one pillar pagoda.
Originally built in 1049, destroyed in 1954 by the French as they exited the country after the French Indochina War and since reconstructed, One Pillar Pagoda is an iconic Buddhist temple in the center of Hanoi. Emperor Lý Thái Tông built the temple as a symbol of gratitude to the goddess of mercy, Quan The Am Bo Tat, on the birth of his heir.
trÂn quÂc pagoda. The pagoda was
completed in the year 545. It has been moved once, renamed several times and has seen numerous repairs and restorations over the centuries. The tower has 11 floors and is six sided, with a statue of Buddha in each opening representing a different stage in his life.
temple of literature. Built in 1070, the Temple of Literature, which is also known as the first university of Vietnam, was constructed as a place of learning for the nobility and elite members of society. A Confucian temple, the university operated until 1779, when a new imperial academy was established in the city of Huê, home of the Imperial City.
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halong bay Roughly 1,600 lush limestone islands dot Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ha long translates to “descending dragon” (while hà nÔi translates to “rising dragon”). According to legend, when Vietnam was under attack at some point in the very distant past, a family of dragons descended on what is now Halong Bay
and spat out jewels and jade. This created the many islands, the structure of which confused the enemy and caused its ships to crash and sink. Humans have inhabited this hauntingly beautiful place for tens of thousands of years, and it is densely populated with a delicate and biodiverse ecosystem of flora and fauna.
suburbia in vietnam. About 112 miles (180 kilometers) from Hanoi, the drive to Halong Bay offers a glimpse of suburban life in north Vietnam. Three-story houses dominate the landscape. According to our guide, north Vietnamese men are successful when they have one wife, two children and a three-story house. The third story is typically used as a place of worship, with living quarters on the floors below.
Shops and restaurants are situated very close to the street, and they open completely to passersby. When opening up shop, the front wall, like a garage door, is rolled up and then rolled down in the evening. floating villages. One of the excursions during our one-night cruise was to see one of the four main floating fishing villages that call Halong Bay home. There are approximately 400 floating households on the bay with about 1,600 people living and working on the azure waters. This way of life, which began in the early 19th century, is increasingly threatened by rising seawaters, pollution from the area’s growing economy and the villagers’ need for modern education and health care, which they must travel many kilometers to towns onshore to receive.
con son pagoda.
snack time. While on the road back to Hanoi to catch our plane to HÔi An, we stopped
to buy bánh đa kê, a huge, round, crisp bread made of rice flour and coated in black sesame seeds that’s eaten as a snack.
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A stop at the 13th century Con Son pagoda allowed us to stretch our legs. We hiked up many – but not all! – of the 600 steps that take visitors to the shrine that sits atop the mountain and passed a number of vendors along the way offering grilled sausages, eggs and potatoes cooked over hot coals, along with musical instruments, trinkets and cigarettes for sale. At the nearby Giêng Ngọc well, visitors can make a wish and have their fortunes told.
hôi an The ancient city, situated on the South China Sea, at one time boasted Southeast Asia’s
largest harbor. This created great wealth for the Champa Empire, which used Hôi An as its commercial hub and controlled the Asian spice trade from the seventh to the 10th centuries. Later, the Vietnamese, along with Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Dutch,
used the area as a center for maritime trade. Today, a visit to Hôi An allows visitors a glimpse of what life would have been like in a 15th-century Southeast Asian trading port. Here, cultures melded to create the canalfilled ancient city that is now a UNESCO
World Heritage Site. Of particular note is the 16th-century Japanese Bridge, built to connect the Japanese community with the Chinese quarter on the other side. There is a temple to Tran Vo Bac De, the god of weather, in the middle of the covered bridge.
village of vegetables. Tra Que, known as the “village of vegetables,” is a multiacre organic farm that is managed collectively by a number of families. Seaweed from the Co Co River is used to fertilize the soil, and the crops on the farm – mint, basil and other greens and herbs – are all worked by hand.
rice flour pancakes. Bánh xèo is a crispy rice flour pancake with tiny shrimp, bits of
pork and bean sprouts that is then wrapped with fresh lettuce and herbs in rice paper and dipped into nuóc châm, a traditional, intensely flavored, sweet-sour dipping sauce.
Nuóc Châm Yields | 1½ cups | 2 to 3 2 ½ ¼ 1⁄3 2 2
garlic cloves, minced Tbsp sugar cup warm water cup Vietnamese fish sauce cup freshly squeezed lime juice Tbsp white vinegar red Thai chiles, thinly sliced
| Preparation | In a small bowl, mash garlic
and sugar into a paste. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. You want the flavor to be very assertive with a balance of tart and sweet with heat from chiles and garlic. Allow mixture to sit for at least 1 hour at room temperature so flavors can combine.
tan ky house. This 200-year-old Phung
Hung Chinese-style trading house, known as the Tan Ky House, has been preserved and inhabited by seven generations. A central courtyard allows light and air to enter the space, and Japanese and Chinese architectural details can be seen on the richly decorated walls and ceilings.
fujian assembly hall. Built in 1690,
this Chinese-style temple was originally an assembly hall known as the Fujian Assembly Hall. The temple is dedicated to the worship of the sea goddess, Thiên Hau, who provides protection to sailors.
the three friends. Pork, shrimp and fresh mint wrapped in a spring onion make up
this popular dish.
morning glory. Trinh Diem Vy is the woman behind a number of restaurants in Hôi An,
including Morning Glory Restaurant, which specializes in street foods and family recipes. Besides rice, morning glory is the most widely consumed food in Vietnam. The plant, which is topped with a small flower, is known for its resilience and ability to thrive in harsh conditions. At this, Vy’s fifth culinary business (along with restaurants, she owns a cooking school), the white rose dumplings brought shrimp steamed in light, thin, rice-flour dough. The shredded papaya salad was served with crispy sesame beef, herbs and chiles. In one of her “daily food from family home” dishes, squid is stuffed with minced pork, shrimp, wood ear mushrooms and mung bean vermicelli and served with a rich, sweet sauce and scallions. Inspired Local Food Culture
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huê
worship. It’s part of Vietnamese
tradition to worship one’s ancestors, a practice introduced by the Chinese more than 2,000 years ago. Almost all buildings in Vietnam have some small altar devoted to ancestor worship through gift-giving and incenseburning. The Vietnamese believe their ancestors continue to live on in another realm and need the support of living relatives to meet their needs. Paper effigies of objects – anything from money to an iPhone – are offered on the altar and then burned, the smoke from the fire delivering the object to the ancestor in the spirit realm. On a festival day, like the day we were in Huê, you’ll see fires burning in the streets, smoke hanging in the air across the city.
Once the imperial capital of Vietnam, Huê, located along the Perfume River, is now considered to be a cultural capital of the country. During the Vietnam War, Huê was situated very close to the border between North and South Vietnam, and the scars of war are still very evident in the old part of the city. For many years, the historic buildings that had been destroyed sat untouched, but today, the Imperial City is being painstakingly restored.
historic tomb. Emperor Tu Đuc built this tomb complex during his lifetime (in the mid-19th century) and chose to use its comfortable surroundings as his main residence. Although Tu Đuc had more than 100 wives and concubines, he was unable to produce a male heir, so he wrote his own epitaph, which is inscribed on a monumental piece of stone that took more than four years to transport from the quarry where it was made. The emperor lived in the tomb complex during his final years, but he wasn’t buried there. The 200 workers who buried him were all beheaded so they could not disclose the body’s location, and to this day no one has found Tu Đuc’s final resting place. dinner on the river. As the sun
begins to set, vendors set up shop along the banks of the Perfume River. Small plastic stools are arranged around tables and become filled with families and groups of friends sharing steamed dumplings stuffed with pork; fried minced-meat skewers; rice with tiny river clams, herbs and pork skin; and bowls of bún bo Huê, the style of beef vermicelli soup found in and around Huê, flavored with annatto, lemongrass, tons of chiles and shrimp paste.
imperial citadel. The Imperial Citadel
is a 2-square-kilometer (roughly 1¼ miles) fortification surrounded by water that protects the Imperial City. Inside the Imperial City rests the Purple Forbidden City, where the Vietnamese emperor lived until the middle of the 20th century.
saigon
On the edge of the Mekong Delta lies Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, the name our guide, Tam, preferred we use. A bustling metropolis, Saigon’s architecture blends Chinese, French and Vietnamese influences. Prior to the Vietnam War, regions of Vietnam were occupied by the French from the late 1800s until 1954 (the country was also ruled by China for almost a thousand years, from 111 B.C. to 938 A.D.). Nearly 13 million people call the city and its suburbs home, and the streets are packed with speeding scooters. rice paper. Just about every café and restaurant serves some version of a spring roll, where thin sheets of bánh tráng (rice paper) are offered along with fillings such as poached shrimp or pork sausage grilled on sugar cane. You pile the fillings onto a piece of rice paper, wrap everything up and dunk the wrap in nuóc châm or hoisin sauce with peanuts. Rice paper is made by mixing rice starch with water and salt, forming a thin, round sheet and allowing the sheet to dry.
classic cuisine. Quán Bụi, a four-story
restaurant in the heart of Saigon, offers Vietnamese classics, such as beef salad with lime, fried garlic and herbs, served on handformed pottery you can buy to take home.
underground city. We boarded a
independence palace. In 1954, Vietnam was divided along the 17th parallel, according to the Geneva Agreements of 1954. The north was controlled by the communist Viêt Minh under Ho Chi Mihn in Hanoi, and the south was governed as the State of Vietnam (later the Republic of Vietnam) in Saigon from what is now known as the Reunification Palace, but at the time was known as Independence Palace.
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boat and sped up the Saigon River to the tunnels of Cu Chi, a haunting place that was the site of intense combat during the Vietnam War. It’s here that the Viet Cong built a multilevel underground city from which they waged guerrilla attacks against the South Vietnamese and American forces. Below ground, daily life happened in rooms that were reached by tight, small, hand-dug tunnels. Air for those living underground was supplied by hollow bamboo stalks that stuck up above ground into the jungle.
mekong delta Located at the country’s southern tip, the Mekong Delta defines southern Vietnam’s landscape. Waterways meander through dense tropical forests past rice fields and villages. Fishermen cast bamboo traps and goods float up and downriver, piled high onto longboats cutting through the brown,
coconuts. Coconut is a key component in the local economy, from coconutactivated charcoal factories to a coconutprocessing workshop where the coconut’s fibers, shell, meat and milk are separated and then turned into various products such as bowls carved from coconut shells, coconut wine (yes, coconut wine) and coconut candy.
silty water. More than half of the country’s rice production takes place in the Delta’s flatlands, and its waters supply the majority of Vietnam’s seafood. This is the land of floating markets and fresh-caught fish. We boarded a boat here to travel through the Delta toward the city of Can Tho.
water coconuts. Water coconuts hang heavy in the trees lining the river. The man
driving our boat and his young son, along with our guide, Tam, hacked the water coconuts from trees and then slammed the coconut cluster against the boat, freeing individual fruits, which were then split open with a machete. Inside, a small, sweet, translucent nugget of coconut meat waited to be popped out by running your thumb under the edge.
can tho
Can Tho was the last stop in our tour of Vietnam, which extended from the capital city, Hanoi, to this, the country’s fourth-largest city, nicknamed the country’s western capital. As the city is situated in the heart of the Mekong Delta, it’s perfectly positioned to benefit from the bounty of the agricultural production surrounding its bustling streets.
a st. louis connection. St. Louis’ first Vietnamese restaurant, Mai Lee, is owned and operated by the Tran family, who emigrated from Vietnam in the 1980s. Lee Tran opened Mai Lee in 1985, and she is in the kitchen each day with her son, Qui, who is well known in the St. Louis culinary scene for his generous spirit and dedication to delicious food. On any given day, you’ll find the city’s best chefs bellied up to the bar at Mai Lee, enjoying a bowl of pho bo vien, the traditional beef noodle soup, or deep-fried shrimp wrapped in rice paper with herbs and nuóc châm. When Qui found out we were heading to Can Tho, he reached out to his aunt, Phuong Vo, who was living in Can Tho and has since moved to St. Louis. We were invited to have dinner in their beautiful home, and in between toasts of Heineken (“Mot, hai, ba, yo!” or “One, two, three, yo!” was our toast that evening before each sip of cold beer), we feasted on food fresh from local rivers and fields. Head- and tail-on shrimp steamed in beer, sweet-andsour catfish soup, a simple chicken dish made with chicken raised only on rice and caramelized catfish were served alongside steamed rice and fresh fruit.
lunch break.
Once back on land, we hopped on a xe loi, a kind of motorized rickshaw. Bumping along country roads, we stopped for a lunch of fried elephant-ear fish spring rolls and river shrimp with lemon juice and pepper at an open-air restaurant surrounded by fish ponds and palms. After lunch, a wooden sampan boat took us through numerous narrow canals, delivering us back to our car for the drive to Can Tho.
floating market. Early the next morning, we met at Ninh Kieu Quay and boarded a boat to head out to the floating markets of Cai Rang.
On our way, we ordered a couple of iced coffees from a floating vendor, who poured, mixed and presented the coffees while balancing on her small boat before motoring off to the next customer. Cai Rang is a wholesale market – the products each vendor sells are affixed to tall bamboo poles that sway above the river and allow shoppers to easily find what they are seeking. Around dawn each day, hundreds of floating vendors in the wide river sell fruit, veggies and prepared dishes. Many of the vendors live on their boats. open-air market. On land, just beyond the bobbing wholesale boats, is Cho An Bình, an open-air market where vendors sell practically everything needed for classic Vietnamese cooking: chicken, eel, shrimp, fish and live frogs. Vibrant produce of every type, eggs and tofu line the sidewalk, and tiny turtles can be purchased to inhabit rice fields until they are large enough to eat.
check out
feastmagazine.com for Tran family recipes including Vietnamese-style garlic shrimp and caramelized catfish.
From Can Tho, we headed to Bangkok, Thailand, to continue our exploration of Southeast Asia. Just a short flight from the close streets and vibrant waterways of Vietnam, Bangkok glittered with high rises and flashing lights, its avenues packed with people and its street food rich with coconut milk and singing with spice. Days were spent exploring temples, ducking into alleyway restaurants and sipping Singha beer. But that’s another story. Inspired Local Food Culture
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HERE’S THE SCOOP. To beat the summer heat, we’re grabbing ice cream and frozen treats at shops and restaurants across the region. We invited our Instagram followers to share photos of classic cones and boozy milkshakes as well as colorful snow cones and ice pops by using the hashtag #feastgram. For a taste of Bee Sweet push-pops in creative flavors such as blueberry-hibiscus and rosewater-pistachio, turn to p. 23. Then, flip to p. 32 to cool off with high-quality frozen cocktails at Kansas City’s Snow & Co. If you’d rather make your own treats, turn to p. 52 to find recipes for refreshing ice pops in flavors such as Vietnamese iced coffee and piña colada.
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| 1 | anna newell @urban.apron Cheers to summer! @WhiskSTL #StrawberryBasil #LavenderLemonade #CucumberLime | 2 | Pattie tierney @ollapodrida Avocado gelato is a frozen dessert that will shock you. #Recipe #OllaPodrida |2|
| 3 | jessica armstrong
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@fooddrunk Strawberry-balsamic @PTsCoffee and blackberry-chocolate flake @GlaceIceCream
| 4 | tracy coble @tracycoble In honor of #WineWednesday, I’ve got a boozy new post up #OnTheBlog today. #Wine #STL #AStudyInChic #STLBlogger #Summer | 5 | alfred jones @awjones70 Exploring the Westside isn’t complete without a trip to Little Freshie. @Little_Freshie #SupportLocal #Westside #KCWestside #SnowCone #KansasCity #KCMO | 6 | we eat stuff @weeatstuffstl Butter pecan #STL #Foodie #Food #STLFoodScene #Dessert #IceCream
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| 7 | mai + john @coffeesundays Wildberry lavender + pistachio honey. @JenisIceCreams #JenisSTL
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| 8 | stefani Pollack @cupcakeproject After two-plus hours and making lots of new friends, we made it to the front of the line at #JenisSTL. Worth the wait! #IceCream #GooeyButterCake #STLFood | 9 | PoPPy’s ice cream @poppysicecream Rainy weather and the work-day blues got you down? Come watch the storms with us and try our cold-brew toddy ice cream in shake form for a taste of summer. #ThePoppysLife
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| 10 | eric Pogue @blackarmorzero #OldFashioned / #Manchego with #Truffles. Served by the wonderful ladies over at @ClementinesCreamery!
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Want to see your photos in the August issue of Feast? Next month, our focus turns to food trucks across the region. We want to see the sweets you’re buying from local trucks, from decadent cupcakes to cripsy funnel cakes as well as savory tacos, sandwiches, burgers and more. To submit your photos for consideration, simply include the hashtag #feastgram and tag @feastmag on your Instagram photos beginning Wed., July 1.
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PhOTOGRAPhy COuRTESy INSTAGRAM uSERS
#feastgram
promotion
Kuna streamlines operations by offering a full line of Home grown local produce Kuna Foodservice has been serving the Midwest since 1918. Kuna started as a small family owned butcher shop, in south St. Louis. The focus on customer service, attention to detail and quality products has lead to strong customer loyalty and steady growth. The products have changed, as well as their reach, but they remain true to the core values. Now under the third generation leadership of Dan Bippen, Kuna continues to be a family owned and operated company. They’re the largest independent, privately owned foodservice company and steak processor in the St Louis area. Kuna takes pride in providing exceptional service to independent restaurants, regional chains and national account partners. Recently, Kuna Foodservice partnered with local farmers to bring you the freshest Missouri Homegrown Produce. Because they are a locally run business, they understand the importance of supporting other local businesses. They make it their mission to support the small local farmer, restauranteur and business owner.
Missouri Home Grown
Kuna Foodservice has partnered with Missouri farmers to bring you “Missouri Homegrown Produce.” The produce is sourced from Mennonite farmers out of Syracuse, MO. Grown with the greatest of care, Missouri Homegrown Produce is exceptional in quality, taste, and appearance. Kuna offers a full line of seasonal produce from these farms; visit their website to view the full list.
Gibron Jones-Burchett has been working as an urban farmer and educator within the local St. Louis area helping to teach self reliance and self sufficiency in low income areas. In 2010, Gibron formed the company HOSCO, which is an employee owned and operated cooperative company that helps teach about sustainable farming and healthy eating in the St. Louis City. HOSCO is committed to developing highly nutritious foods using botanical seed oils and other natural extracts that enhance health and quality of life. They specialize in aeroponic, aquaponic and hydroponic growing systems.
Keller Farms is a family-owned farming operation in Collinsville, Illinois and Charleston, Missouri. The farm produces a variety of grain and specialty crops such as their famous sweet corn. They work closely with agricultural specialist from Illinois universities and other related farm and government agencies. Keller Farms provides university test plots for the development of enhanced crop varieties and resilience to environmental conditions. They take a very educated approach to maintaining soil fertility, controlling weeds and insects, providing added plant nutrients, preparing seedbeds, cultivating, and harvesting to maximize commodity production.
Keller Farms
Nestled in the hills of Southern Illinois’ Shawnee National Forest is Rendleman Orchards. Since 1873, Rendleman Orchards has been committed to growing quality peaches, nectarines, apples and vegetables. Rendleman Orchards is proud to be an Illinois Centennial Farm; celebrating their 142nd year of family farming!
Gibron Jones
Rendleman Orchards
Visit kunafoodservice.com for a full list of seasonal home grown produce. Inspired Local Food Culture
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Shop Schnucks for the best locally grown produce! During peak season, we get deliveries from local farmers every day.
Š2015 Schnucks
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