two brothers redefine free-range
farm-fresh food with imagination
garden-to-table education
GOOD EGGS
KITCHEN KULTURE
STUDY HAUL
Inspired Local Food Culture | Midwest
In FuLL bLooM
feastmagazine.com | june 2015
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FEATURES
54
Inspired Local Food Culture | Midwest
JUNE 2015 from the staff | 7 |
Meet OUr CONTRIBUTORS
| 8 |
from the PUBLISHER
Early summer bounty.
| 10 |
digital content
What’s online this month.
| 12 |
feast tv
A peek at the June episode.
| 15 |
DINE This month we visit four restaurants across the state of Missouri (including a new spot in Columbia), and learn how an organization in Kansas City is teaching farming skills to at-risk youth. In our monthly travel piece, Road Trip, writer Lisa Waterman Gray travels to Wichita, Kansas, and shares where to dine, drink and stay during the city’s annual Riverfest festival. We also talk to chefs across the region about how tacos are increasingly taking center stage on restaurant menus throughout the country.
good eggs Two brothers in Columbia, Missouri, built the largest independent free-range egg operation in America – all before graduating from high school.
the natives | 25 |
DRINK This month we’re sipping snow cones in Kansas City and creative cocktails in Springfield, Missouri. We also travel to St. James, Missouri, to learn about Public House Brewing Co.’s new tasting room, as well as changes at the flagship location in Rolla.
| 43 |
cook | 44 | Seed to table Farmer Crystal Stevens shares how to make mulberry-cashew cream cheesecake.
| 46 | mystery shopper Buy it and try it: tomatillos.
study haul
| 48 | menu options Get a taste of the Greek isles with this fresh, flavorful Mediterranean-inspired salad.
| 35 |
61
Dedicated to ecological farming, Linda Hezel stewards a sustainable community of native and wild edible varieties that get to the root of sourcing seasonally and locally.
SHOP
This month we visit two regional shops – a new specialty foodand-drink store in St. Louis, and an eclectic indoor farmers’ market in Kansas City. Also, get insider tips on how to build an attractive and functional outdoor kitchen at home from a design industry expert.
Pastry chef Christy Augustin’s rich upside-down plum-cornmeal cake strikes the ideal balance between tart and sweet.
69
| 50 | sweet ideas
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY of prairie birthday farm’s eggs and plants (P. 61) BY Landon
Vonderschmidt
74
Table of contents photo by Billy Sukoski
At College of the Ozarks, students grow, prepare and serve farm-fresh food to thousands of customers each week as part of the school’s integrated workeducation program.
Experimental kitchen From a bustling farmers’ market stall to collaborative pop-ups, the minds behind Kitchen Kulture are as creative as the food they serve.
clean slate
82
Longtime server and entrepreneur James Martin bought Gilardi’s, one of the most well-known restaurants in Springfield, Missouri, three years ago. Now, he’s serving fresh produce grown just steps from its front door.
Magazine Volume 6
| Issue 6 | June 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, Ettie Berneking, Ren Bishop, Gabrielle DeMichele, Pete Dulin, Caitlyn Gallip, Mallory Gnaegy, Lisa Waterman Gray, Kyle Harsha, Valeria Turturro Klamm, Laura Laiben, Brandon and Ryan Nickelson, Julie Scheidegger, 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, Justine Bursoni, Kholood Eid, Judd Demaline, Teresa Floyd, Jonathan Gayman, Emily Suzanne McDonald, Anna Petrow, Jennifer Silverberg, Jessica Spencer, Mabel Suen, Billy Sukoski, 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
June 2015
ContrIbutors
06.15 landon vonderschmidt Kansas City, Photographer Landon Vonderschmidt, a Kansas City-based photographer, has a creative eye paired with hands-on experience. Specializing in the food industry, he’s had the pleasure of working with local restaurants and publications. He’s been the contributing photographer for the advertising campaign for Kansas City Restaurant Week for the past four years, a creative committee member for The Bloom Party, benefiting the Kansas City CARE Clinic, and a lead photographer for the West 18th Street Fashion Show. In his spare time, Landon likes a chilled white wine spritzer, vacationing with friends, hitting up New York City and Instagraming.
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ren bishop Springfield, Missouri, Writer A self-proclaimed faux Southern belle, Ren Bishop is a native of Springfield, Missouri. She studied magazine journalism and international studies at the University of Missouri. Upon graduation in May 2012, she became an editorial intern at Inside Columbia magazine, where she was later named editorial assistant and audience development specialist. She returned to the Queen City in 2013 to become Springfield Public Schools’ social media specialist and marry her favorite restaurant critic and best friend, Kevin. She loves exploring Springfield with her eyes, ears and taste buds. Her research on the finest cuisine in the Ozarks and central Missouri has been published in 417 Magazine, Vox Magazine, the Columbia Missourian and more.
Full Service Coffeehouse & Restaurant Supplier Fourth Generation Family Owned Coffee Roasters Since 1930
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jennifer silverberg St. Louis, Photographer Making photographs is something Jennifer has been doing since she was a young girl. Her passion for art, food, sustainability and responsible land use came much later. About five years ago she figured out how to bring those interests together in the world of food photography. Whether she’s in the finest restaurants, the corner butcher shop or the vast fields of the farm, Jennifer finds beautiful connections to food, the people who bring it to us and the animals that nourish us. Her food, portrait and lifestyle work can be seen in publications and advertisements around the world. You can follow her adventures and enjoy some general silliness on Instagram at @jennsilverberg.
laura laiben Kansas City, Writer Growing up in a small German community in eastern Missouri, Laura’s passion for the culinary arts began early, making pastry dough with her Grandmother while sitting on her kitchen counter. Laura practiced law for 18 years before jumping career tracks to design and open The Culinary Center of Kansas City. She believes in the magic that happens around the table, providing exceptional customer experiences, social entrepreneurship and a strong company culture. Laura’s extensive teaching, teambuilding, facilitating and special event planning experience has been featured in local and national media. She was featured on the cover of Family Money magazine and often speaks on the topics of small business, social entrepreneurship, business and personal mentoring, career changes and the practice of following your heart when it comes to your career. Laura has published two cookbooks: The Best Recipes of The Culinary Center – First and Second Editions. She is currently living her dream.
Inspired Local Food Culture
June 2015
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publisher’s letter
FeAst eVeNts
this issue is overflowing with the bounty of our region’s fields and forests,
stl
May to 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
At College of the Ozarks, students receive liberal arts educations tuition free, in exchange for dedicating part of their time on campus to the school’s integrated work program. Students may be majoring in psychology or nursing and then working at the school’s farmers’ market, assisting with the hog or cattle operations, or cooking for hundreds of visitors each day at Dobyns Dining Room. Read more about what The Wall Street Journal dubbed Hard Work U in Ettie Berneking’s piece on p. 69.
Meet the William Grant & Sons brand ambassadors and enjoy an afternoon of inspired cocktails, spirited stories, lively discussions, hors d’oeuvres and two musical acts. stl
Strange Donuts, Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Co., 4 Hands Brewing Co. and Feast team up for National Donut Day, with special guests Union Square Donuts from Boston and District Donuts from New Orleans and benefiting Strange Cares. stl
Art&Air, the Webster Arts Fair Fri., June 5 through Sun., June 7; Webster University/ Eden Theological Seminary; webster-arts.org/artair
Enjoy on-site food from favorite local restaurants, nonstop live performances, art demonstrations and creative activities in the heart of historic Webster Groves. stl
triple Crown series throwdown Sat., June 6, 5 pm; Sanctuaria Wild Tapas; sanctuariastl.com
Toast to the final Triple Crown race, the Belmont Stakes, with signature drinks and a unique food menu.
4 hands Collaboration series beer Dinner with Metropolitan Farmer Wed., June 10, 6:30pm; Metropolitan Farmer; $50; call 417.720.1665 for reservations
stl
stl
4 Hands Brewing Co. and Metropolitan Farmer team up to host a five-course dinner in which each course is paired with a 4 Hands beer.
schnucks Cooks: Mediterranean salad Wed., June 24, 6 to 9pm; Schnucks Cooks Cooking School, $40; schnuckscooks.com or 314.909.1704
Innovation has taken root here in the Midwest. All you have to do is dig a little to find groundbreaking, sustainable people and companies that are making a positive (and delicious) impact. When the editorial team sits down to brainstorm content, I am struck by the sheer volume of people and places to consider – and now there are two new members of the Feast team contributing to the creative process. I’d like to welcome Nancy Stiles as our managing editor and Jacklyn Meyer as our production designer. They both bring considerable talent to the magazine, and we are thrilled to have them on board.
strange Donuts’ National Donut Day Fri., June 5, 6 to 10pm; Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Co.; $10; bazaarboy.com/strangedonutday
MO
Rounding out this issue are pieces on a farmer who specializes in native and wild edibles (p. 61), a restaurateur who has turned his eatery’s front yard into a massive garden (p. 82) and a pair of friends who are impacting farmers by sourcing directly from them to create prepared foods that are then sold at the market, promoting the raw ingredients as well as the people producing them (p. 74).
William Grant & sons back bar takeover Sun., May 31, 2 to 6pm; Planter’s House; $45; plantershousestl.com
and I hope you’re as intrigued as I am with the stories we tell in the following pages. Take, for example, the Stanton brothers in Columbia, Missouri. They’ve grown one brother’s sixchick consolation prize Watch the June episode of Feast TV on PBS stations across the region to get a in first grade to a 20,000 taste of the stone-ground grits made by students at College of the Ozarks. bird operation, the largest independent free-range egg farm in the U.S. And they are only 18 and 22 years old. Turn to p. 54 to read Mallory Gnaegy’s profile of these intrepid entrepreneurs.
Feast in the park
Join us in the kitchen and learn how to make Mediterranean salad, lamb burgers with pomegranate barbecue sauce, Greek street corn-on-the-cob and Meyer lemon yogurt semifreddo with summer berries. stl
tomato explosion Throughout July; 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.
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
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JUNE 2015
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DIGITAL CONTENT
hungry for more?
feastmagazine.com
connect with us daily:
Facebook. Keep up with food-and-drink events across the region (like the Art Fair & Winefest in Washington) at facebook.com/feastmag.
The Feed: sTL PHOTOGRAPHy By mABel Suen
Pie Five Pizza: at the new location of Pie Five Pizza in Chesterfield, Missouri, each pie comes with a housemade crust topped with fresh ingredients, and it’s all assembled and cooked to order in fewer than five minutes.
TWITTeR. Follow @feastmag to check out
behind-the-scenes photos from Feast TV shoots, including BoysGrow in Kansas City.
PInTeResT. Craving veggie-focused recipes? Visit our Vegalicious board at pinterest.com/ feastmag for ideas like arugula-sorrel salad.
PHOTOGRAPHy By ViViAn HOR
PHOTOGRAPHy By APRil FleminG
NieCie’S ReSTaURaNT: in Kansas City, Niecie’s Restaurant has a simple formula to keep customers coming back: serve seriously satisfying, affordable comfort food and maintain the lightest, and quite possibly friendliest, atmosphere in town.
PHOTOGRAPHy By JenniFeR SilVeRBeRG
The Feed: kc
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 celebrated St. louis chef and restaurateur Gerard Craft’s first James Beard Award win and shared a sneak peek of The Standard Pour gastropub coming soon to Kansas City. sPecIaL gIVeaWaY: Win a pair of tickets to the 4 Hands Brewing Co. collaboration dinner at metropolitan Farmer in
Springfield, missouri, on Wed., June 10. Just head to the Promotions section at feastmagazine.com for all the details.
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InsTagRam. Hashtag your local food-and-drink photos with #feastgram for a chance to see them in Feast! Details on p.90.
Watch our videos and Feast TV.
youtube.com/FeastMagazine
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JUNE 2015
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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: Stop by boysGrow in Kansas city to learn how the nonprofit organization teaches farming skills to at-risk youth.
Segment 2: Learn how Kitchen Kulture works with vendors at St. Louis-area farmers’ markets to source ingredients for its prepared foods.
PHOTOGRAPHy by jeSSicA SPenceR
Segment 3: Visit Springfield, Missouri, where james Martin has turned the front yard of his restaurant into a garden to supply his kitchen.
At Gilardi’s in Springfield, Missouri, chef-owner James Martin sources ingredients from gardens just steps from the restaurant’s front door. In Clean Slate (p. 82), we discover how the restaurant’s supply of hyperlocal produce inspires its seasonally focused menu.
Segment 4: join students on the farm and in the kitchen at college of the Ozarks as part of the school’s integrated work-education program.
feast tv is brought to you by the generous support of our sponsors: MissouRi Wines
Whole Foods MaRket
the Raphael hotel
in june, reach for a bottle of Les bourgeois Vineyards’ chardonel. Feast TV producer catherine neville pairs the wine with hearty shrimp and grits.
Get cooking at home! Pick up the recipes and ingredients from catherine neville’s june 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.
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JUNE 2015
WATCH FEAST ON THESE NETWORKS
In St. Louis, tune into the Nine Network (Channel 9) to see Feast TV on Sat., June 6 at 2pm and on Mon., June 8 at 1pm. Feast TV will also air throughout the month on nineCREATE.
In Kansas City, watch Feast TV on KCPT (Channel 19) on Sat., June 20 at 2:30pm.
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1 Offer excludes Encompass by Pella® products. Offer excludes storm doors. Discount applies to retail list price. Valid only for replacement projects installed by Pella professionals. Only valid on select Pella® products. Not valid with any other offer or promotion. Prior sales excluded. Other restrictions may apply. See your local Pella Showroom for details. 2The Pella Windows & Doors Visa® credit card is issued by Wells Fargo Financial National Bank, an Equal Housing Lender. Special terms apply to qualifying purchases charged with approved credit at participating merchants. The special terms APR will continue to apply until all qualifying purchases are paid in full. The minimum monthly payment for this purchase will be the amount that will pay for the purchase in full in equal payments during the promotional (special terms) period. The APR for purchases will apply to certain fees such as a late payment fee or if you use the card for other transactions. For newly opened accounts, the APR for purchases is 27.99%. This APR may vary with the market based on the U.S. Prime Rate and is given as of 05/01/2015. If you are charged interest in any billing cycle, the minimum interest charge will be $1.00. If you use the card for cash advances, the cash advance fee is 5% of the amount of the cash advance, but not less than $10.00. Offers expire 06/27/2015. ©2015 Pella Corporation
Inspired Local Food Culture
June 2015
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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.
45th & O Oak, Kansas City, Missouri
l il
“Circus Flora has become a St. Louis treasure.” – Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Sponsored by: 14
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June 2015
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Corporate Cookouts Family Reunions Class Reunions Wedding Receptions
Grill On Call: 816-282-4269 Site catering@cosen�nos.com Minimum 75 people
where we’re dining
mama knows what’s best (for lunch) on p. 18 photography by jessica spencer
trending now: tacos
on trend
WRiTTen By BeThAny ChRiSTo
Tacos are everywhere. The humble Mexican street-food staple is now popping up on menus from barbecue joints to fine-dining restaurants and at a handful of taco-centered spots across the region. CoMo
to go
coLUMBia, Mo. What lindsey Spratt brings
to Columbia, Missouri, is fairly new, but it was common during her eight years living in Austin, Texas. “They have taquerias with food trucks that deliver food to bars that don’t have a kitchen at night for exposure and extra sales,” Spratt says. She doesn’t have a food truck per se, but local bars do receive hot, wrapped tacos and salsas from Boss Taco, including the best-selling green chile pork taco with tender braised pork shoulder and green chiles, queso fresco, white onion and cilantro; or the pad Thaico with marinated chicken, scallions, peanuts, serrano peppers, scrambled eggs and Sriracha. in addition to catering, Boss Taco’s rotating and seasonal cast appears weekly at logboat Brewing Co., 9th Street public house, at nearby les Bourgeois Vineyards on Thursdays and the north Village Arts district Farmers & Artisans Market. Boss Taco, 512.363.0477, boss-taco.com
kC
mexican
street style
STl
for breakfast
st. LoUis. Christian ethridge is anti-breakfast burrito.
with fresh, creative fillings make up the backbone of the Mexican-inspired tacos at Taco Republic in Kansas City, Kansas. The Taco Republic food truck has been operating since March 2013, and the brick and mortar opened later that year. The restaurant fills fresh white-corn tortillas with traditional smoked and braised barbacoa and cochinita pibil as well as fried hearts of palm, radishes and chicharrones. “The growth of authentic streetstyle Mexican food restaurants is huge right now,” says Alan Gaylin, chief executive officer of Bread & Butter Concepts, which owns Taco Republic. “We’re seeing more demand for real-deal tacos in casual, independent, notyour-standard-Mexican restaurants.”
The co-owner and executive chef of Taco Circus says the St. louis dining scene is missing the breakfast tacos that he grew up eating in Austin, Texas. “Breakfast burritos turn a lot of people off with the amount of eggs that are in them,” he says. “our breakfast tacos are smaller, and the ratio of fillings to eggs is higher.” At Taco Circus, from-scratch tacos are inexpensive and made with the spicy flavors of Texas ethridge loves. Ground beef is seasoned heavily, the chile powder and steamed jalapeño hot sauce are made fresh, and chorizo and breakfast sausage are made in-house with local Berkshire pork and grass-fed beef. The menu of build-your-own tacos allows guests to choose a tortilla, meat and filling, and great care goes into each step. “i understand that there is a shift toward nontraditional ingredients [in tacos], but that’s not what this is,” ethridge says. “This is updating preparation and bringing our flavors to the forefront.”
Taco Republic, 500 County Line Road, Westwood, Kansas City, Kansas, 913.262.8226, eattacorepublic.com
Taco Circus, 4258 Schiller Place, Bevo Mill, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.808.2050, tacocircus.com
Kansas citY, Ks. Slow-cooked, shredded meat paired
Taco Circus Spicy Ground Beef ReCipe CouRTeSy ChRiSTiAn eThRidGe
Yields | 14 tacos 2 1½ 1 1½ 1 ½ 1½ 1½ 1 ½
|
lbs 80/20 grass-fed ground beef tsp cumin Tbsp plus 1 tsp ground chile pepper tsp freshly ground black pepper Tbsp plus 1 tsp paprika Tbsp salt tsp granulated garlic tsp minced onion Tbsp Mexican oregano tsp celery salt
| Preparation | in a large skillet on medium low, brown meat to allow fat to render but not completely liquefy. once it’s almost fully cooked, add remaining ingredients. drain fat with slotted spoon while serving meat, taking care to leave some of the fat in mixture served to retain flavor. onLine eXtra
Find the recipe for Taco Circus’ jalapeño coulis courtesy of Christian ethridge at feastmagazine.com. phoToGRAphy By Judd deMAline
cHeF’s tiP “How to spice ground beef is different from family to family,” says Christian Ethridge of Taco Circus in St. Louis, “so that was one of the things that we’re proudest about in our recipe – it’s dark, earthy and rich, with the clean mineral flavor of ground beef.” Ethridge recommends adding 1 teaspoon ground chile árbol if extra spiciness is desired.
oNE oN oNE
il
wes jarrell and leslie cooperband owners, prairie fruits farm & creamery Written by Valeria turturro Klamm
PHotoGraPHy by JuStine burSoni
CHAMPAIGN, IL. Husband and wife Wes Jarrell and leslie Cooperband moved to Champaign, illinois, in 2003, where they settled into their home and small farm fewer than 5 miles north of town. Jarrell and Cooperband started Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery with four goats – three does and one buck – which grew to 50 goats by 2008. today, the pair milks 70 to 75 does each season to make their goat cheese and goat milk gelato. the farm also encompasses a 3-acre orchard and herb and vegetable garden. Prairie Fruits’ cheeses and gelato are sold at local markets in central illinois and Chicago’s Green City market, and its cheeses are also available through Fair Shares CCSa in St. louis as well as at larder & Cupboard in maplewood, missouri.
How has your cheese selection changed over the years? We’ve done a lot of experimenting. We’ve always made chèvre. in our second year we started making soft-ripened cheeses. those two styles are the ones we’re most known for. the raw milk cheeses came on the scene a little bit later. We’ve been playing around with the recipes for those for a while. We introduced a goat milk feta in early may, and we also make ricotta seasonally. We try to make the cheeses that the milk lends itself to making. –Leslie Cooperband When did you begin producing goat milk gelato? because we’re seasonal, goats give the most milk in the spring and early summer, so we were looking for a product that would fit well with when our cheesery was really busy. We thought about gelato partly because we bought an italian gelato machine that included a scholarship to a gelato university in bologna, italy. We went to bologna for a week in January 2011 and learned the fundamentals of making gelato. We started making it here that spring. We’ve overcome a lot of people’s fears of goat milk. the mouthfeel is extremely creamy and smooth. We use the freshest ingredients we can find – herbs and fruit from our farm and others. –Wes Jarrell Tell us about the gelato flavors you make. the public expects chocolate, vanilla, hazelnut (we use pure 100 percent hazelnut paste from Piedmont, italy) and pistachio (we buy a pure Sicilian pistachio paste). We try to bring in local flavors, too – thai basil, lemon-thyme, chocolate-mint, honey-lavender. We steep the herbs in the gelato base so you get the full range of flavors that come from the plant. We also make honey-chèvre gelato, butter-pecan and caramel swirl with our goat milk caramel sauce. one of the favorite summer sorbetto flavors we make is cucumber-lime-mint. –L.C. and W.J. Education plays a big role at Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery. Why is that important to you? We both were academics, so it’s natural for us to want to educate people. People should have full access to knowledge of how the food they’re eating is produced and then make a decision. awareness, education and understanding are fundamental to what we’re trying to do here. –W.J. What’s coming next for Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery? We’re going to do a tasting trail with different farms every month, starting in June and into october, to raise awareness of agritourism in central illinois. Starting in late may, we’ve also been renting out a restored 1961 airstream travel trailer that will be parked next to our prairie for one- or twonight farm stays. We want to create a local food destination. –L.C. Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery, 4410 N. Lincoln Ave., Champaign, Illinois, 217.643.2314, prairiefruits.com
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Inspired Local Food Culture
June 2015
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where we’re dining From new restaurants to renewed restaurant menus, our staff and contributors share our picks for where we’re dining across the region this month.
mama jean’s natural market WRiTTEn by ETTiE bERnEKing
SPRINGFIELD, MO. missouri is one of the
top five beef producers in the u.S., so it’s no surprise that in the southwest corner PhoTogRAPhy by LAndon of the state – vondERSChmidT where the number of cows nearly matches the number of residents – you won’t find many vegetarian-friendly restaurants. That’s slowly changing, however, and in Springfield, missouri, that’s partially thanks to MaMa Jean’s Natural Market, which has three locations throughout the city. The health food market and deli serves a selection of nonvegetarian dishes, but also whips up plenty of plant-based dishes including The billie holiday panini that comes stacked with portabella mushrooms, tangy blue cheese dressing, roasted red peppers, red onion, spinach and Swiss cheese pressed onto italian bread. Each location has a fully stocked coffee and juice bar – if you’re really in need of a pick-me-up, try the classic ginger shot with a dash of cayenne.
mo
PhoTogRAPhy by mAbEL SuEn
PhoTogRAPhy by jESSiCA SPEnCER
ichiban
MaMa Jean’s Natural Market, multiple locations, Springfield, Missouri, mamajeansmarket.com
como
sushi bistro WRiTTEn by CAiTLyn gALLiP
COLUMBIA, MO. Situated between art
Kingside Diner, 4651 Maryland Ave., Central West End, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.454.3957, kingsidediner.com
Ichiban Sushi Bistro, 1200 E. Walnut St. #107, Columbia, Missouri, 573.442.3100, bemyguestbistro.com
stl
kingside diner ST. LOUIS. When it comes to breakfast, chef Aaron Teitelbaum has a strategy. At chessthemed Kingside Diner in the Central West End, he offers made-to-order flatbreads, omelets, burritos and much more from early morning until closing time seven days a week (10pm Sunday through Thursday and 1:30am on Friday and Saturday). The diner gets its name and identity from the neighboring Saint Louis Chess Campus, adopting its clean, neutral color scheme with contemporary touches. Plenty of outdoor seating is also available on its rooftop and storefront patios.
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WRiTTEn by mAbEL SuEn
PhoTogRAPhy by KhoLood Eid
The greasy spoon serves sweet specialties such as gluten-free quinoa pancakes and thick-cut, waffled French toast. Savory options include the Kingside slinger with chorizo chili, the corned beef hash topped with two eggs your way and griddle burgers piled high with customizable ingredients. Rounding out the diner’s menu are a selection of salads, hot and cold sandwiches and daily blue-plate specials.
galleries and university of missouri student housing in Columbia, missouri, is Ichiban Sushi Bistro, which changed its name from be my guest bistro in April. in the restaurant’s modern dining room, chef-owner Poppy Watthanakhonphaiboon serves a menu built around fresh ingredients that draws from a range of global influences. Watthanakhonphaiboon’s goal is to share a mix of familiar fare, such as pad Thai, sushi and pho, alongside more eclectic dishes like fresh unagi (eel) and deep-fried tofu served with a dashi dipping sauce. in addition to lunch, dinner and late-night menus, ichiban also offers specials such as kamoni ramen with stewed duck, shiitake mushrooms and bok choi, and miso cha shu men with stir-fried vegetables, roasted pork and seaweed in a miso broth.
KC
ONE ON ONE
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andy ayers
local foods wrangler, eat here st. louis WRitten by bethany ChRisto
ST. LOUIS. andy ayers doesn’t
pHotograpHy by anna petrow
grow fresh fruits and vegetables, raise meat or make food products – he wrangles them. He’s the go-to guy who connects farmers and producers in Missouri and southern illinois with the St. Louisarea chefs who want to serve local, seasonal ingredients in their restaurants. Eat Here St. Louis started in 2008, but ayers hatched the idea much earlier, after recognizing the need for a fresh-produce middleman as the former chef-owner of riddle’s restaurant in northwest St. Louis county and later at riddle’s penultimate Cafe & wine bar in the Delmar Loop, both now closed. ayers had been sourcing from local farmers since the ‘80s (“before it was cool,” he says) and reached out to his wide network of chefs and farmers to cultivate the business. His reach now extends year-round to more than 60 growers and producers and some 45 chefs, a number that expands almost every day.
room 39 written by Jenny Vergara
KANSAS CITY. when Room 39 opened in 2004, the restaurant only served breakfast and
room 39 remains popular due to its inventive and decidedly unstuffy menu and dedication to sourcing ingredients from local farmers. the menu changes weekly (and sometimes daily) and always includes a short story about one of the many farmers who supplies the kitchen. this spring, seasonal dishes include pan-seared duck breast with orange gastrique, saffron-braised leeks and radish-Manchego lavosh as well as fresh goat cheese gnocchi with lobster, local mushrooms and nettle cream. Cap off your meal with sweet and refreshing housemade hyssop-honey sorbet for dessert.
pHotograpHy by JUDD DeMaLine
lunch – that is, until regulars begged the owners to add dinner service. the restaurant was a hit from the start, not only with neighborhood folks, but also as a destination for those lucky enough to snag a seat inside the quaint little bistro. More than a decade later, ted and Jackie Habiger are the sole owners of two thriving locations of room 39, both serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. the flagship is still located on 39th Street in Midtown, with the second location in Leawood, Kansas.
What St. Louis-area restaurants do you work with? My favorite customers are the ones who try to really encompass locality and seasonality into their menu-planning all year long. Most of the things i sell are not going to be available 12 months of the year, so i’m asking chefs to be a little bit flexible. i have regular calls from some high-profile places like niche, Cardwell’s at the plaza, Vin de Set, annie gunn’s and whittemore House, and then there’s some places i work with that the casual diner may not realize are going out of their way to concentrate on local food, like Sqwires, the royale, russell’s on Macklind and Urban Chestnut brewing Co. Why are you committed to local food? i include, on every line of every invoice that comes from eat Here St. Louis, who grew it and where, which chefs can communicate to their patrons. i started buying local at my restaurant in the ‘80s; people used to tell me how hard i was making their menu-reading because i had so many details about [the] food and its provenance – people didn’t give a damn where the broccoli came from! but my own motivation as a chef was that it was better-tasting food this way. that, of course, is the primary motivation for any chef. How have you seen the local food scene change since launching Eat Here in 2008? i think a lot of people have gotten over the idea that sourcing locally is a fad. it’s mainstream, and it’s going to remain a permanent part of the restaurant scene. the whole thing is driven by customer demand; people want to know where their food comes from, and they don’t want to hear a faraway place. How do your services help farmers? the most significant thing i do to help farmers is to increase their sales by doing what many of them don’t have the time or the resources to do – market and distribute their stuff. i also try to help growers understand what it is that chefs are looking for. For example, two years ago, i first heard from chefs who were looking for green strawberries. but i couldn’t believe the response i got from growers. i’ll never forget the one old boy who said, “you want the strawberries green? that ain’t right!” but it’s a new income stream for growers that no one used to have any interest in. What type of producers do you seek out? i’m looking for hands-on, owner-operated businesses that go way out of their way to have the best-quality product. it’s encouraging for me to see a group of relatively young farmers taking over operations and putting more effort into the farms that have been in their families for decades. these are not idealistic, first-time farmers; these are people who grew up on a farm and know that it’s hard work. it’s promising for us all. Eat Here St. Louis, 7036 Bruno Ave. (by appointment only), St. Louis, Missouri, 314.518.6074, eatherestl.com
Room 39, multiple locations, Kansas City, Missouri, rm39.com Inspired Local Food Culture
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destination: Wichita, kansas driven by byerly rv
road trip
WrITTeN By LISA WATerMAN GrAy
Previously known as an aircraft and cow town, Wichita offers plenty of ways to sightsee and play. In fact, the city’s biggest event, Riverfest, takes place for nine days each spring (this year from May 29 to June 6), and draws more than 380,000 people. But there are plenty of other ways to enjoy Kansas’ largest city, too, whether scoping out art and history museums or touring its upscale riverfront. The culinary scene has also grown considerably in recent years, from contemporary fine dining to ethnic cuisine.
sleep
The Inn at Glenstrae
eat
Nu Way Cafe
local gems
This lovely bed-and-breakfast combines 1900s elegance and charm with modern hospitality, including plush robes and linens in every room. Guests can also enjoy the spacious screenedin porch, lush gardens and four sun-drenched common areas. Fresh and light breakfast options may include classic eggs Benedict, cottage cheese quiche, eggs “all-in” made with Mexican-inspired flavors or pomegranate waffles with whipped cream, as well as cups of “fancy joes” with layers of dark chocolate, vanilla and espresso.
It’s been 85 years since this iconic diner first served homemade root beer and its signature crumbled meat sandwiches with plenty of mustard, pickles and onion – and don’t even think about asking for substitutions. Sidle up to the black Formica counter and listen to classic rock ‘n’ roll while digging into Nu Way’s super long curly fries, chili (with or without beans) and chocolate malts so thick the straws stand straight up. multiple locations, 316.686.7444, nuwayburgers.com
Open since 1984, The Spice Merchant & Co. is a great place to purchase more than 60 varieties of roasted coffee beans and dozens of bulk spices and teas. Kitchen accessories include salt and pepper mills, imported teapots, specialty tea-infuser mugs and pour-over coffeemakers.
Sabor Latin Bar & Grille
1308 E. Douglas Ave., 316.263.3141, thespicemerchant.com
3342 Country Club Place, 316.631.2883, theinnatglenstrae.com
Hotel at Old Town The renovated Hotel at Old Town includes a full kitchen and 37-inch TV in each comfortable suite. Victorian Wichita is represented throughout the hotel in historically themed murals and memorabilia in its massive-yetcozy lobby. The catered hot breakfast buffet offers eggs; potatoes; bacon, sausage or ham; and more.
Located beside a sprawling plaza in Old Town, Sabor Latin Bar & Grille serves dishes with Latin American flair – from shrimp ceviche and plantain- and pumpkin-crusted mahi mahi to sirloin caribe with pineapple, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and cheese. For a vegetarian-friendly main course, try the polenta tower with roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, Manchego cheese, spicy black bean sauce and a drizzle of jalapeño crema. 309 N. Mead St., 316.201.4880, saborgrillwichita.com PHOTO BY JAMES WILLIAMS
830 E. First St., 316.267.4800, hotelatoldtown.com
The Spice Merchant & Co.
PHOTO COURTESY OF VISIT WICHITA
Connie’s Mexico Cafe Family owned since 1963, this little place is known for its old-fashioned, wood-paneled walls, welcoming atmosphere and hot salsa. King-sized burritos smothered in cheese are the house specialty, served with huge portions of Mexican rice and creamy pinto beans. 2227 N. Broadway St., 316.832.9636 PHOTO BY CARMEN RENTERIA
Ambassador Hotel Wichita Housed in a circa 1912 bank, the contemporary lobby at this luxurious boutique hotel has soaring ceilings, spacious guest rooms and a 24-hour fitness center. Breakfast at the on-site restaurant may include brioche French toast with rum custard and apricot-pecan butter or a steak omelet with smoked Gouda, while its lunch menu has items such as a balsamic barbecued salmon salad and Italian sundried tomato wrap. For dinner, classic entrées like steak, lamb or scallops have been served with sides such as pumpkin-chipotle risotto.
904 E. Douglas Ave., 316.262.5275, larkspuronline.com PHOTO BY GAVIN PETERS
PHOTO COURTESY OF VISIT WICHITA
Chester’s Chophouse & Wine Bar Bathed in leather and wood, with stone fireplaces overlooking lake views, Chester’s Chophouse & Wine Bar is the ideal setting for enjoying the restaurant’s steak, seafood and Wine Spectator-recognized wine list. Most items are made in-house, from red pepper hummus to crisp flatbreads. Dishes are creative – think maple-mustard salmon, sweet barbecued calamari and “cowboy” bone-in rib eyes. Start your meal with fresh oysters, available by the half dozen, and end it with decadent Granny Smith apple beignets or chocolate croissant bread pudding.
104 S. Broadway St., 316.239.7100, ambassadorhotelcollection.com/wichita
1550 N. Webb Road, 316.201.1300, chesterschophouse.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF VISIT WICHITA
PHOTO COURTESY OF VISIT WICHITA
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Soups like curried quinoa-tomato and salads (like the strawberry fields pictured below) are just several fresh choices at the popular Watermark Books and Cafe, which opened nearly 40 years ago. The bookstore also serves housemade scones, plus treats like red velvet Mascarpone cupcakes, muffins, cookies and more. 4701 E. Douglas Ave., 316.682.1181, watermarkbooks.com
Larkspur Bistro & Bar Tucked inside an early 1900s building, the décor at Larkspur Bistro & Bar is all about understated elegance, personified by the baby grand that entertains guests each evening. The restaurant’s dinner menu covers a range of influences – Mediterranean, French, Italian and American – in dishes like lamb T-bones, pistachio chicken or filet mignon. For lunch, try the steamed mussels, blackened tilapia tacos or housemade pasta.
Watermark Books and Cafe
Starlite Drive-In Theatre Screening drive-in movies since 1973, this popular theater opens for a new season each March. The neon-decorated snack bar serves hot dogs, malts and root beer as well as big pickles, soft pretzels and popcorn, which enhance the old-fashioned movie experience. 3900 S. Hydraulic St., 316.524.2424, starlitefun.com
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
JUNE 2015
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aPrIl To JunE: rHubarb
IN SEASON
Stl WRitten by bethany chRisto
Known as the “pie plant,” long, firm and hardy rhubarb stalks are easy to find at farmers’ markets in June. The vegetable’s tart flavor can be used in both savory and sweet recipes, including classic rhubarb pie.
Como
Peggy Jean’s Pies, 3601 Buttonwood Drive, Suite E, Columbia, Missouri, 573.447.7437, pjpies.com
Peggy Jean’s Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Recipe couRtesy Rebecca MilleR and Jeanne pluMley
Yields | 9-inch pie | 1 2½ ½ 2 2 2 1
cup flour cups sugar tsp orange peel cups chopped rhubarb cups sliced strawberries unbaked, 9-inch pie shells Tbsp butter
| Preparation | preheat oven to 425°F. Mix flour, sugar and orange peel together in a bowl. add rhubarb and strawberries. Mix well and pour into pie shell. add butter. add top crust or lattice over top. bake for 20 minutes, reduce to 400°F and continue to bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. 22
CoTTlEVIllE, Mo. Stone Soup Cottage, owned by chef carl
Mcconnell and his wife, nancy, is only open to the public three nights a week. even more special, the restaurant’s singleseating, six-course chef’s tasting menu highlights justpicked seasonal ingredients from the Mcconnells’ garden. in april, the restaurant featured a rhubarb soufflé with housemade white chocolate gelato, while in the past, the lemony root has made appearances in vinaigrettes, gastriques, tarts and crêpes. “i have wonderful childhood memories [of] going to my best friend’s mother’s house in late spring, and she would cut us slices of her amazing rhubarb pie,” carl says. “it’s easy to work with, and you can make some really delicious things with it, with very little effort.” Stone Soup Cottage, 5809 Highway N, Cottleville, Missouri, 636.244.2233, stonesoupcottage.com
strawberryrhubarb pie
ColuMbIa, Mo. “apparently rhubarb pie is a form of currency in this state,” says Rebecca Miller of Peggy Jean’s Pies. she’s not kidding – in the past, Miller has leveraged the shop’s rhubarb pie to broker deals with her hairdresser. along with best-selling strawberry-rhubarb, Miller and her mother, Jeanne plumley (who also co-owns the columbia, Missouri, pie shop), are working through quite a bit of the vegetable. Miller says fresh (and local, sourced from the columbia Farmers’ Market) is always best, though she warns the fresh stuff is a lot juicier and can lead to “soupiness” in the hotpink latticed pie, which is the original co-founder’s grandmother’s recipe dating back to the 1800s. “it’s super basic,” Miller says. “it’s flour, sugar, rhubarb and strawberry. and that’s the beauty of it; you’re not dumping a bunch of extra sugar in there because the natural sweetness of the berry balances out the rhubarb’s tartness.”
feastmagazine.com
JUNE 2015
rhubarb soufflé
CHEF’s TIP “I like to just peel [rhubarb] before I cut it and simmer it with sugar. My mother used to add a touch of lemon juice to it, as well. I find that giving it a once-over with a carrot peeler takes off some of those more fibrous strands that might not cook through.” –Carl McConnell, chef-owner, Stone Soup Cottage
KC
rhubarb pie
kansas CITy. growing up on his family’s kansas farm, You Say Tomato executive chef and co-owner Randy parks remembers spending 105-degree summer days in his grandmother’s rhubarb patch, finding the biggest rhubarb leaf and walking around using it as shade as he snacked on stalks. parks still enjoys eating raw rhubarb, but at his restaurant, he and co-owner and executive chef Mark Wingard usually chop it into ³⁄8-inch pieces and bake it into pies – and diners are grateful. one loyal customer even got weak in the knees after seeing it on the menu. “it’s an oldfashioned thing,” parks says. “Most of the younger crowd doesn’t have any idea about it, but they love to try things. the baby boomers just know what to expect – they’ve got it ordered before they think about their other food.” the restaurant sources its rhubarb from a former employee’s patch when the season hits.
2801 Holmes St., Union Hill, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.756.5097, yousaytomatokc.wordpress.com photogRaphy by Fotogal/bigstock.coM
one on one
kc
john gordon jr.
ee Gluten fr st u cr a z piz ilable! now ava
executive director and founder, boysgrow g s bratin usines ly cele2 years in b 3
Proud
Written by Pete Dulin
FEATURING DAILY SPECIALS FEA
KAnSAS CITY. based in Kansas City, BoysGrow teaches inner-city male youth
about entrepreneurism through farming and agriculture. throughout the nonprofit organization’s two-year program, boys aged 12 to 15 learn how to run a small, 10-acre farm and produce and market items such as ketchup and salsa, which are then sold in local grocery stores and restaurants. We caught up with executive director and founder John Gordon Jr. (nicknamed “the gentleman farmer”), who founded the program in 2010, to find out what’s in store for boysGrow this year.
photography by teresa floyd
How does BoysGrow use an applied learning model? We tell our boys that everything they learn will be directly applied to their time with the program. We created a “Farmers Handbook,” an eight-week course that deals with farming concepts and language that the boys use during their time on the farm. it’s geared toward their age and our farm. the youth learn certain business tools, like a SWOt analysis, and then apply them when they are developing their products. the public speaking classes we teach are usually followed by events [where] the boys speak in public. Who works with the youth? Farm manager and “tomato boss” Joshua Anderson runs the farming side of the program. every summer, we hire a culinary instructor, a construction crew leader and an assistant farm manager. We also hire two junior staff who are former graduates of the program. Why two years? it’s designed to be a two-year program so younger youth will have the opportunity to be mentors to the new class coming in. We think there are really good things that can come out of when one of our boys is expected to teach something he learned only a year earlier to the next class. the confidence that can develop by having the expectation to teach and lead is huge and hopefully will leak into other areas of their lives. What crops do you grow? We put in an apple, peach and pear orchard last year along with some cherries and blackberries. We typically grow tomatoes, a variety of greens, beets, garlic, peppers, squash, carrots, eggplant and more. We will try to grow anything we may or may not succeed at. We’re in the process of gaining our organic certification from the uSDA and are starting to do some contract growing with Kansas City Canning Co., along with our core restaurant customers like the rieger Hotel Grill & exchange, novel and Café Gratitude. What BoysGrow original products are currently available to purchase? Salsa orgullo, agave ketchup and bGQ barbecue Sauce are our current products, sold year-round, as well as our 2015 exclusive tzatziki-style salad dressing. they can be purchased at area stores including Pryde’s Kitchen & necessities in Westport, little Freshie and Kansas City-area Hy-Vees.
Monday-Friday Lunch & Dinner / Saturday-Sunday Dinner Only Special Appetizers and Drink Prices During Happy Hour 4pm - 7pm Mon- Fri in the Bar.
Fine Italian Cuisine from Family Recipes! 2061 ZUMBEHL (Bogey Hills Plaza) • ST. CHARLES, MO Follow us on
636-949-9005 • www.fratellisristorante.com
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Visit feastmagazine.com to learn more about the BoysGrow program.
BoysGrow, 773.793.5056, boysgrow.com
Inspired Local Food Culture
June 2015
23
restaurants.
United. Join todaY
Providing
expert advice, education, and discounts for our members
Promoting and Protecting
Showing
the economic interests of the Missouri restaurant industry
strength in numbers by coming together with a united voice
morestaurants.org | 877-413-7029
EXPERIENCEOPERA.ORG
(314) 961-0644
SUBSCRIPTIONS START AT $82. SINGLE TICKETS START AT $25. ALL OPERAS ARE SUNG IN ENGLISH AND PERFORMED WITH MEMBERS OF THE FAMED ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY.
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE “Bright, beautiful, funny, relatable, awe-inspiring, and extraordinarily entertaining” – PHILLY NOW
LA RONDINE Starring Corinne Winters “An outstanding actress… a singer of extraordinary grace and finesse” – THE NEW YORK TIMES
Two lovebirds. One wingman. A close shave.
Fly away to a land of dreams and sunlight.
JUNE 4, 6, 10, 14, 17, 27
JUNE 3, 12, 18, 20, 24, 28
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JUNE 2015
RICHARD THE LIONHEART Starring Tim Mead “Vocally and dramatically outstanding” – GRAMOPHONE
Chaos reigns.Love prevails. JUNE 7, 11, 13, 20, 24, 26
EMMELINE ”Sensational, satisfying” – THE TIMES OF LONDON “Continuously gripping” – WALL STREET JOURNAL
Secrets at the end of innocence. JUNE 13, 17, 19, 21, 25, 27
CENTER STAGE OPERA’S GREATEST HITS. ONE NIGHT ONLY! FEATURING OTSL’S GERDINE YOUNG ARTISTS AND GADDES FESTIVAL ARTISTS JUNE 23
where we’re drinking sip a snow cone on p. 31 PHOTOGRAPHy by AnnA PeTROw
trending now: Barrel-aged Beers
on trend
mo Written by Alex Wilking
Aging beer inside used spirit barrels imparts characteristics of the barrels – and of its past boozy inhabitants. Breweries across the region are slowly expanding their barrel-aging programs beyond bourbon and wine barrels to create some truly spirited suds.
mother’s
brewing co. sPringField, Mo. At Mother’s Brewing Co. in Springfield, Missouri,
the newly released tequila barrel-Aged D’lila is a spin on D’lila, one of the brewery’s staples. the beer came about when brewmaster brian Allen decided to age D’lila in tequila barrels and finish it with bergamot tea and orange and lemon peels. Mother’s is expecting to release the beer in early June. “i think it’ll be pretty unique,” Allen says. He describes the anticipated flavor as having a mellow body with a hint of tequila and characteristics of fruit zest and light spice – ideal for summer. Allen says the brewery is also considering giving its existing tequila barrels another spin. “rather than fill all of them with D’lila for next year, i think we’ll put other things into some of these second-use barrels and see how it goes,” he says. Mother’s Brewing Co., 215 S. Grant Ave., Springfield, Missouri, 417.862.0423, mothersbrewing.com
kc
martin city
brewing co. Kansas CitY. bourbon barrels are some of the most popular vessels for aging beer – so popular, in fact, that supply couldn’t meet demand for Martin City Brewing Co. brewmaster nick Vaughn. “everyone’s trying to do bourbon-barrel stuff, and we can’t find bourbon barrels,” Vaughn says. “So we started looking for other things.” the pursuit led to From belgium with rum, a belgian imperial stout aged in rum barrels for three months. Vaughn says the barrels add notes of wood and fruit to the beer and give it a smooth-yetstrong alcohol finish. the brewery has released several barrel-aged beers, and Vaughn says more are in the works – including a tequila barrel-aged belgian quad made with agave nectar.
Martin City Brewing Co., 500 E. 135th St., Martin City, Missouri, 816.268.2222, martincitybrewingcompany.com
stl
alpha
brewing co. st. loUis. Alpha Brewing Co. owner Derrick langeneckert and head
brewer tony Halsey launched beta brewing Program, the brewery’s barrel-aging program, as a way to experiment. through beta (an acronym of barreled, esoteric, tart and abstract) Alpha has created a number of brews, including a tequila barrel-aged dark ale and braün, an oud bruin-style imperial brown aged for nine months in red wine oak barrels. langeneckert says beta beers assume the flavors of each spirit barrel in distinct ways – braün, for example, is mellowed by the red wine barrels, which impart date and raisin notes more than oak. With a 40-barrel operation built in fewer than two years, Alpha plans to continue expanding its program. langeneckert sums it up: “it’s growing like fire, man.” Alpha Brewing Co., 1409 Washington Ave., Downtown, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.621.2337, alphabrewingcompany.com 26
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PHOtOgrAPHy by HeMerA teCHnOlOgieS/ tHinkStOCk.COM JUNE 2015
one on one
kc
adam roberts
co-owner, tapcade at screenland crossroads Written by Pete Dulin
KANSAS CITY. in March, Tapcade at Screenland Crossroads opened its doors, featuring arcade games, a movie theater, food and craft beer, much like its sister location, Screenland Armour in north Kansas City. Owners and operators Adam roberts and brent Miller designed tapcade to diverge from Screenland Armour in at least one big way: tapcade serves a full restaurant menu, while Screenland Armour only serves snacks and sandwiches.
What was the inspiration for Tapcade? the inspiration came from the growth and ceiling we hit at Screenland Armour. We originally took over the Armour location in September 2012 and have since added 120-plus craft beers in draft, bottles and cans. We created two successful festivals. i’ve always been a forever child of the ’80s and ’90s, from the music to the 8-bit classic [video games] and films. these concepts began nearly immediately at the Armour location. their success led us to expanding the celebration of “geekdom” through beer, great food and a full arcade [at tapcade]. How much craft beer is on tap at Tapcade? We offer 48 beers on draft. the focus is on American craft with nearly all handles on rotation. We have year-round favorites that will move in and out more often than others, but our focus is to have something new daily for our regulars. What beer events are hosted at the venue? We do tap takeovers about every other week from different breweries. We’ve had Perennial Artisan Ales, nebraska brewing Co. and Cinder block brewing invading our taps. We held our second Firkin Fest in early May. the free festival is a two-day celebration of the firkin, offering 10 different firkins paired with some of our favorite video games. Who created the bar’s cocktail menu? We reached out to Dark Horse Distillery. We said, “We want to support local, and we love your products. let’s create a fun drink menu together.” What followed was an afternoon of mixing, shaking, stirring and drinking until the menu was born. For us, it’s a no-brainer to support a gold medal-winning local craft distillery that makes killer spirits. What lessons from Screenland Armour did you apply to Tapcade? tapcade is an all-encompassing experience that features all of our favorite things rolled into one location. From the moment you walk in, you see Han Solo in carbonite on the wall and hear Hadouken from across the room as you head into the movie theater to be served craft beer with a burrito stuffed with french fries. We both would want to hang out, eat and drink in this place, or watch a movie, play games and catch sports on the huge lobby tV screens. tapcade is our love letter to the city and geeks of all types. We hope to be a Kansas City staple for years to come. Visit feastmagazine.com to read an extended interview about the food menu and arcade games at Tapcade. Tapcade at Screenland Crossroads, 1701 McGee St. #200, Crossroads Arts District Kansas City, Missouri, 816.492.6577, screenland.com PhotograPhy by zach baumann Inspired Local Food Culture
June 2015
27
the mix
Margarita there are times when i’ve searched for the origins of a cocktail, only to wade through seemingly endless marketing mumbo jumbo until its true roots are uncovered – and the Margarita is one of the best examples. Jose cuervo would have us believe that the somewhat-classic cocktail was “created” in 1948 by a well-known socialite named Margaret “Margarita” Sames while hosting a party at her acapulco holiday home. cuervo legend goes that the drink was named after its creator, and then quickly gained popularity across the world. although that story is extremely convenient, my research points to a different origin. in the late 1920s, the U.S. was in the middle of the noblest of failed social experiments: prohibition. around that time, just outside of tijuana, Mexico, a casino, hotel and racetrack opened called agua caliente – a great place just across the border for
Story and recipe by Matt Seiter photography by Jonathan gayMan
americans to go indulge in gambling and booze. agua caliente had a cocktail menu, and one of its drinks was a beverage called the tequila daisy, a cocktail many bartenders of the era would be familiar with. the origins of the daisy are well-documented in the late 1800s: it’s a mixed drink consisting of a spirit, citrus juice, orange liqueur and sometimes sparkling water. in this instance, the spirit used was tequila. (coincidentally, the Spanish word for daisy is margarita.) i’m going to go out on a limb and hypothesize that in a Spanishspeaking country, the word “daisy” would not be used to describe the drink, just as we here in the U.S. don’t refer to french fries as pommes frites. thus, the classic daisy was made with tequila, and its name was lost in translation – forever after to be known as the Margarita.
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.
Margarita Serves | 1 |
2 2 ¾ ¾ ¼
lime wedges kosher salt oz blanco tequila oz Cointreau orange liqueur oz fresh lime juice oz agave nectar or simple syrup ice
| Preparation | Squeeze 1 lime wedge to release some of its natural juices. rub the rim of a tall glass with wedge. on a flat surface, pour a thin layer of salt. dip rim into salt and hold for a few seconds before setting glass upright. Set aside. in a cocktail shaker, combine all remaining ingredients and shake for 15 seconds. Fill prepared glass with fresh ice and strain in drink. garnish with lime wedge and serve.
Margarita Must-Haves Tequila. i prefer blanco tequilas in Margaritas, as they have more natural agave flavor and taste cleaner in the cocktail. Using aged tequila (reposado or añejo) is up to personal preference. While those styles of tequilas are great for sipping on their own or used in other cocktails, i think Margaritas should be crisp, bright and refreshing, and aged tequilas are too smooth and rich. that’s just me though – use whatever tequila you like. Orange liqueur. i recommend cointreau above all other orange liqueurs for the same reason i prefer blanco tequila: cointreau is drier than other orange liqueurs and offers crisper, brighter orange flavor. lime Juice. Fresh is best. Leave
manufactured Margarita mixes on store shelves. addiTiOnal SweeTenerS. Using ¼ ounce agave nectar or simple syrup is just enough to keep a Margarita bright and refreshing while still balancing the acidic bite of the lime juice. i wouldn’t use more than that, however. SalT. only use kosher salt, as iodized
salt is too fine and overly salty compared to kosher.
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JUNE 2015
on The shelf : june PIcks
WINE
röbller VineyarD’s 2011 le troMpier noir written by ryan SCiara
Provenance: new Haven, Missouri PaIrIngs: artisan cheese and charcuterie with crusty French bread
Röbller Vineyard recently celebrated its 24th anniversary as a family-operated vineyard and winery. the estate covers 18 acres and is planted with a mix of mainly French-american hybrids. le trompier noir is a field blend of Chambourcin, St. Vincent and Villard noir, inspired by the great Pinot noir wines of burgundy. the three varietals are fermented together and aged in neutral Missouri oak barrels for 13 months. you detect the smoky cherry and red plum aromas first, with background notes of savory spice. the palate features even more juicy cherry character, combined with raspberry, fresh earth, cedar and vanilla on the silky finish. Röbller Vineyard, 573.237.3986, robllerwines.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
2nD shift brewing’s Katy written by brandon niCkelSon
sTyle: brett Farmhouse ale (5.4% abV) PaIrIngs: Spicy, rich foods and funky cheeses
let’s face it: Sour beers are currently seeing their moment in the sun, as brewers from kansas City to St. louis are making big waves with tart beers. and in new Haven, Missouri, 2nd Shift Brewing’s katy is no exception. katy is the brewery’s staple Brett beer, made with the Brettanomyces strain of wild yeast that gives it a funky and sometimes quite sour flavor. katy is a gorgeous beer, lightly tart and dry, and amazingly drinkable. Sours are on the upswing, and katy is one of our favorites. 2nd Shift Brewing Co., 573.237.3421, 2ndshiftbrewing.com
I WIsh I KneW...
more about the most basic cooking techniques
sear When you sear something, you use high heat to form a caramelized crust, which develops a deep flavor and contrast in texture. Think of the crispy, brown crust on iron skillet-seared pork chops, lamp chops or pan-seared scallops.
poach This is a very gentle cooking method in which a delicate food, such as fish, fruit or even chicken, is submerged and then simmered in a liquid like wine, broth or milk to infuse flavor and moisture. Wine-poached pears are a classic example of this type of cooking.
braise Typically, a classic braise is used to cook a large cut of meat. The meat is first seared to create a caramelized crust and then cooked gently in liquid that only covers 2/3 of the surface. This is a wet-dry method that allows for long, slow cooking of tough cuts of meat like spare ribs or a pork shoulder.
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.
blanch Typically used when cooking veggies (think green beans) or fruit, this is a quick cooking method in which the ingredient is put into rapidly boiling water for a short period of time and then plunged into ice water to stop the cooking.
SPIRIT
Crown Valley Distilling’s Missouri Moonshine written by Matt Sorrell
Provenance: Ste. Genevieve, Missouri (50% abV) Try IT: Pour 2 ounces into an iced glass with homemade
lemonade and top with club soda
Crown Valley Distilling’s Missouri Moonshine was one of the first regional white whiskeys to make a splash in the market. it’s a double-distilled malt whiskey made with a blend of rye and barley, and while the term “moonshine” connotes a raw and almost fiery spirit, this one has a surprising sweetness. although a hearty 100 proof, it’s silky smooth with no alcohol burn. it can definitely be sipped neat but makes for a solid cocktail base, as well. For those who prefer some added flavor, Crown Valley also produces elderberry and peach-cream varieties.
roast This is a dry, high-heat cooking
method that ups the flavor of meats and veggies through caramelization. Think you don’t like Brussels sprouts? Roast them to bring out their natural sugars and give them another try.
Crown Valley Distilling, 573.756.9700, missourimoonshine.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. Inspired Local Food Culture
June 2015
29
where we’re drinking Check out what we’re sipping at bars, breweries, wineries and coffee shops across the region. mo
missouri spirits written by ettie berneking
scene in springfield, Missouri, recently welcomed a new player – Missouri spirits. the distillery has been in operation since 2011, but as of january, its vodka, corn whiskey and bourbon finally have a tasting room to call home. nearly everything served here is made in-house, from coffee vermouth to maraschino cherries, which are soaked in two parts 120-proof neutral grain spirit and one part 30-month bourbon. and its bartenders are just as creative when it comes to developing cocktails. one of its most popular drinks, bill’s bullet, is made by mixing bourbon with lemon and apple-tobacco shrub – which adds serious depth on its own – but the real kicker is smoked ice. as the ice melts, the flavor of the cocktail changes into something smokier and a little sweeter. another draw is the space itself, which formerly housed a paint booth for the autobody shop across the street. the tasting room is huge, with a metal garage door in front that is cranked open to let fresh air in.
photography by jessica spencer
Missouri spirits, 507 w. walnut st., springfield, Missouri, 417.501.4674, missourispirits.com
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feastmagazine.com
PHOtOGraPHy by eMily suzanne MCDOnalD
SPRINGFIELD, MO. the cocktail
grapeseed
stl written by Kyle HarsHa
ST. LOUIS. when a wine-shop manager whom i hold in high regard told me
that he was impressed by the wine, cocktail and beer selection at Grapeseed, my ears instantly perked up. after some investigation, it turned out that he was correct. Owner ben anderson and his staff have created a program that is approachable and well-priced, with selections to suit beginners and connoisseurs alike. the restaurant’s unpretentious approach to cocktails is refreshing – try the Double Freedom rocket, a cherry-infused take on a Manhattan, or the maple-bourbon smash. the restaurant’s wine list is thoughtful, organized by varietal and includes domestic selections as well as those from France, australia, Germany, italy, austria and spain. try a glass of albert bichot Chardonnay with an order of turkey leg nachos, and then move on to a glass of enrico santini Poggio red blend with the restaurant’s stupendous burger. the service is friendly, knowledgeable about the menu and helpful in providing guidance. Grapeseed, 5400 Nottingham Ave., Southampton, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.925.8525, grapeseedstl.com
JUNE 2015
little freshie
WrITTen By Jenny VergArA
KANSAS CITY. When Lindsay Laricks decided to turn her wildly successful Fresher Than Fresh food truck into a brick-and-mortar café called Little Freshie, it was, literally, a walk in the park. Laricks was lucky enough to snag a cute storefront right across from the green space where she had formerly stationed her retro Shasta trailer to serve all-natural snow cones on Saturdays at the corner of 17th and Summit streets.
Laricks has retired her food truck for now, as she needs every extra minute to tackle the day-to-day operations of Little Freshie, her hand-crafted-soda fountain and espresso bar. The shotgun-style storefront is light and airy, with gleaming white subway tile that matches the silvery shine of the soda fountain and coffee equipment behind the bar. The front window is lined with a warm wood countertop and stools for perching with a coffee made from Oddly Correct beans, a snow cone or float made with natural, hand-crafted syrups, or a specialty soda in flavors like spicy ginger fizz or raspberry-rose. In addition to drinks, Little Freshie serves baked goods, sandwiches and macarons by local Au Bon Macaron, ideal for a light and lovely lunch.
BISTRO & MUSIC HOUSE SIGNATURE STYLE ‘NEW’ NEW ORLEANS CUISINE
512 North Euclid Central West End — 314.367.3644 — evangelinesSTL.com
Little Freshie, 811 W. 17th St., Westside, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.287.1444, littlefreshie.com
KC
phOTOgrAphy By AnnA peTrOW
O P E N D A I LY 1 2 P M T O 6 P M
4 blocks south of the ballpark. 1220 S 8th street, st. louis, Mo, 63104 Inspired Local Food Culture
June 2015
31
drink destination: st. james, missouri
public house brewing co. wrITTeN By ALex wILkING
st. james, mo. The past eight months
PHoToGrAPHy By BrAd ZweerINk
have included two landmark events for Public House brewing Co. Not only did the brewery, based in rolla, missouri, launch statewide distribution of its four flagship beers, but in November it also extended its operations into St. James, missouri, where its second location now resides next door to popular St. James winery. The new brewery is much larger than the rolla flagship, which opened four years ago, and its proximity to the winery has already led to collaboration. “most breweries are doing that at a distance,” says co-founder and co-owner Josh Goodridge. “we’re next door. we can visit [St. James winery’s] lab; we can talk with the winemaker; we can test barrels.”
Public House’s expansion came after talks and meetings with the folks at St. James winery, which eventually turned into a partnership. The new location, which celebrated its grand opening in February, has a full kitchen serving a robust food menu, an outdoor beer garden and an event space. Although larger, the cozy, pub feel of the original location hasn’t been forgotten. Goodridge says the rolla brewery is now focused on branching out from its session offerings. And if the new beers are wellreceived in rolla, you can expect to see them soon in St. James. Public House brewing Co., 551 state route b, st. James, Missouri, 573.261.3333, publichousebrewery.com
three must-try brews | 1 | Breaking stride as one of the brewery’s only nonsession offerings, elusive ipa is a typical IPA made with atypical execution. Goodridge says it’s harder for breweries as small as Public House to obtain commonplace hops without contracting, so they played around with a few lesser-known varieties for about six months. The result is an American-style IPA true to Public House’s roster – it’s balanced, clean and smooth, with distinct flavors of orange peel and tangerine.
one on one
| 2 | A staple since Public House opened in 2010, revelation stout has notes of coffee and chocolate but doesn’t include either. The roasted dark malts used to make the full-flavored dry stout give it a distinct flavor that’s been a hit with customers for years. The stout’s popularity has also been recognized outside of the brewery’s tasting room – in April, it won gold in the Americanstyle stout category in the 2015 Los Angeles International Beer Competition.
| 3 | Named after the now-head brewer of the St. James location, rod’s cream ale is made with flaked maize. Public House wanted the brew to remain balanced throughout, so it isn’t too sweet, malty or strong. The result is a surprisingly clean and refreshing session beer with a dry finish. The beer recently won a gold medal at the 2015 Best of Craft Beer Awards for in the Cream Ale category.
stl
troika brodsky ST. LOUIS. beer has been a part of st. Louis’
Dna for more than 175 years, and for the first time in almost a century, the city and surrounding metro will soon be home to the same number of breweries the area claimed before Prohibition. The St. Louis Brewers Guild, a nonprofit organization founded in 2012, exists to unify those breweries and promote the city’s beer scene as a destination for locals and
executive director, st. louis brewers guild
tourists alike. Leading that charge is troika brodsky, the group’s new executive director, who came on board at the beginning of 2015 after 13 years at the saint Louis brewery (schlafly beer) – the last seven of which were spent as the brewery’s communications director. now, instead of spreading the good word about one brewery, he’s cheerleading for 35.
was stepping away from schlafly to focus on [other projects] because i still wanted to keep a foot in the community. i was interested in seeing if we could build this thing up a little more, and the board was excited about it and understood the need for someone who was already plugged in. What resource does the Guild provide to the community? st. Louis’ breweries are already doing the heavy lifting – creative releases, expanding, collaborating – the Guild is just the connective tissue, with the potential to bolster the entire community. at schlafly, the work i enjoyed the most was getting to cheerlead for the city and getting to talk up everything amazing in our city, whether it’s our food or our beer. the opportunity to get to wave the banner for the entire beer scene through the brewers Guild is really exciting. that’s the potential: to get people excited about our city and to tell really cool stories. it’s my firm belief that st. Louis absolutely is beer City, Usa. What really differentiates us is that we have the history. it’s not just that we have these amazing breweries that are kicking a** right now – through the ’70s we had the two largest breweries
in the country. in 1840, st. Louis’ adam Lemp is credited with creating one of the first lagers in the country. this was the beer capital of the country for a long time. that’s part of who we are, and we’re just now grabbing back onto that. through my time at schlafly, i’ve seen what a single brewery can do to get its community excited. imagine the kind of stuff we can start doing with 35 breweries. What changes can we expect to see at the Heritage Festival happening in Forest Park this month? We are bringing back the daytime session on saturday, which is something we used to do but got rid of last year. there won’t be any sort of ViP ticket, but there will be 500 earlyentry tickets to get you in an hour early. the actual footprint of the festival will be larger, as we’re spreading out more into Central Field in Forest Park. We also invited our brewery members to work together on special collaborations and a new Homebrew Village. the idea of there being something for everybody is a bit of an understatement. St. Louis Brewers Guild, stlbg.com
PHoToGrAPHy By emILy SuZANNe mCdoNALd
How did you get involved with the St. Louis Brewers Guild? i had been volunteering with the Guild for a few years, along with a handful of people from other breweries who thought our city and beer scene needed a marketing force to speak for everybody and help put st. Louis on the map, which is the Guild’s purpose. We’re three years in, and we have managed to host the Heritage Festival each June, as well as the Harvest Festival for the first time last fall. those have been the only two things that the Guild has done since it’s existed. it’s not for lack of caring – it’s more that it’s been run by people who have full-time jobs at breweries. i approached them when i
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June 2015
snack time
dessert reaches new heights on p. 41 PhotograPhy by anna Petrow
ArtisAn product
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country bob’s sauces and seasonings PhotogrAPhy by JAcklyn MEyEr
WrittEn by liz MillEr
centrAliA, il. When Bob Edson developed his barbecue sauce recipe in
1968, he had no idea it would one day find its way onto grocery store shelves across the country. Based in Centralia, Illinois, Country Bob’s produces a range of products in addition to Edson’s sauce that started it all, including seasoning salt, barbecue marinade, all-purpose sauce and specialty sauces in flavors like apple-chipotle, spicy hot and honey-habanero. To learn more or to place an order, visit countrybobs.com.
dine on design
PhotogrAPhy courtEsy Mosby building Arts
outdoor kitchens kirkwood, mo. As temperatures rise,
so does interest in outdoor entertaining. “Everybody wants to be able to open up his or her doors and just walk outside and extend the party or gathering to another location,” says Jill Worobec, planner and designer at Mosby Building Arts. We caught up with Worobec to learn what’s in style for outdoor kitchens and entertaining this season. Mosby Building Arts, 645 Leffingwell Ave., Kirkwood, Missouri, 314.909.1800, mosbybuildingarts.com 36
feastmagazine.com
JUNE 2015
WrittEn by AlEx Wilking
outdoor AppliAnces. convenience trumps all for the busy party host. Worobec says people are now adding dishwashers and refrigerators into outdoor kitchens, mostly for ease of cleaning. “A lot of people don’t want to leave the party to clean up,” she says. “they’d rather be part of the party so they can clean up and still remain outside with their guests.” underthe-counter fridges are also a popular way to keep food and drink chilled and within grasp. Worobec says stainless steel is best for outdoor appliances, as they weather the elements well.
cerAmic grills. When it comes to outdoor
neutrAl colors. Worobec says
cooking, Worobec says many customers want a charcoal-fueled ceramic kamadostyle grill. ceramic grills are incredibly durable against rain and ultraviolet rays, making them ideal for outdoor cooking. size also plays into how the grill is incorporated into your outdoor kitchen – Worobec says the larger models like the ones made by big green Egg have to be built into the countertop for safety, while smaller options can remain loose and mobile.
the biggest outdoor kitchen trend is integrating the design of exterior spaces with interior living spaces. to achieve this effect, she recommends using materials like granite or stone in neutral colors, which usually complement the interior surfaces or the home’s exterior. if you’re looking to add color, she says trendy options include teal, coral and earthy tones.
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badseed
wriTTEn BY JEnnY VErgArA
KANSAS CITY. Every Friday night, you can find Brooke Salvaggio and her husband, Dan
Heryer, opening the garage door to their funky, fun and fabulous urban farmers’ market, Badseed, which takes places from 4 to 9pm in the heart of the Crossroads Arts District. Since launching in 2007, Badseed has brought the din of music and laughter to the city’s urban core. You hear casual conversations happening between the local organic farmers as they answer market-goers’ questions and the shuffle of residents and commuters alike as they cross off shopping lists for the week. Stepping into the market and making your way through the space, you will pass by baskets overflowing with fresh, seasonal and locally grown vegetables, fruits, flowers, herbs, breads, meats, cheeses and more. The couple also operates Urbavore, a 13.5-acre urban farm located in the heart of Kansas City that they opened in 2011. Here, they work side by side growing organic, sustainable and biodiverse fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers along with raising hens for eggs. Salvaggio and Heryer sell the farm’s haul at Badseed and City Market, and can usually be spotted answering questions at the market with their young son, Percy, in tow. Badseed, 1909 McGee St., Crossroads Arts District, Kansas City, Missouri, 913.522.3458, badseedkc.com
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one on one
kc
geri higgins
president and owner, portfolio kitchen & home
Written by alex Wilking
KANSAS CITY. geri Higgins says that everything
starts with good design. as president and owner of Portfolio Kitchen & Home, that motto has guided her company, which celebrates 10 years of award-winning kitchen and home construction this year. in 2011, the company moved its longtime location in south kansas City to 215 W. Pershing road inside the Pershing building, across the street from Union Station. this spring, Higgins welcomed the company’s milestone anniversary by expanding services and doubling the firm’s showroom space from 7,000 square feet to almost 15,000. this growth includes a new luxury collection of state-of-the-art appliances and an expanded cabinetry selection – with its own signature line introduced this year – along with other tools made to modernize your next home renovation.
get this gadget
chef’n looseleaf kale and green stripper PhotoGraPhy Courtesy Chef’n
written by Laura Laiben, “the Main Dish,” the CuLinary Center of Kansas City, KCCuLinary.CoM
Tell us about some of Portfolio’s new signature products and services. as far as new products, we’ll have everything that’s state of the art. We have designer faucetry, integrated coffeemakers – all kinds of appliances that really work for you beyond the kitchen. We’re also getting more and more consultations of new construction review and doing the general design layout for all rooms in one’s home, along with all the specifications of products. Do the expanded services make it easier to personalize work for clients? Our products are beautiful and very forward, but also super
functional – and they really do elevate one’s life experience and how to organize one’s life. Once we define the scope of the project, we then will optimize that project through great design. Once the design is established, we will elevate it through specification of great materials. What can customers expect from the expanded showroom? it’s a very interactive home experience. you’ll feel like you’re walking through different components of a home. it’s a great environment to show clients how products are applied and utilized. With the expansion, how does the role of the designer change? this is just an addition to the core things that we do. the showroom empowers designers and clients to not only experience a concept, but also to interact with new materials that are for the whole home. team Portfolio has expanded, but our core values have stayed the same, and our signature style of how we approach design and the client experience has stayed the same. How does it feel to look back on the company’s success over the past 10 years? We feel very fortunate; we feel like we’re definitely a Midwest success story. We wouldn’t have been successful had it not been for the community supporting our services. Our growth has been amazing, and we have tons of support in the Midwest and beyond for what we do. Portfolio Kitchen & Home, 215 W. Pershing Road, Downtown, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.363.5300, portfolio-home.com
Just when you thought every kitchen gadget had been invented, a simply designed tool comes along that makes you think twice about why you didn’t file the patent application yourself. Go ahead – you can either take the time to carefully cut off the stems of hearty greens and herbs, or you can simply pull them through one of the eight differently sized holes in this little plastic wonder. For more details or to purchase the gadget, visit chefn.com.
“Once the design is established, we will elevate it thrOugh specificatiOn Of
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JUNE 2015
PhotoGraPhy Courtesy of PortfoLio KitChen & hoMe
great materials.”
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.
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Chicken Dinner Sundays Now Serving on Our Renovated 3rd Floor! 2015 Voted #1 BEST FRIED CHICKEN by St. Louis Post-Dispatch Critics & Readers
114 W. Mill St. • Waterloo, IL • 618.939.9933 • gallagherswaterloo.com
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 with every take out order. Collect ten stamps and get a $10 gift card good for your next visit to King & I. Customer rewards card also available for dine-in lunch, good for a $10 gift card that can be used for your next visit to King & I. Happy Hour starts everyday at 4p.m. Come in for drink and appetizer specials.
3155 South Grand • St. Louis • 314.771.1777 • kingandistl.com
Mayhem in Mayberry Welcome to the annual “Miss Mayberry” contest. YOU decide who will walk away with the crown as the contestants are chosen from the audience. They will be judged on beauty, poise, cookin’ skills and a new category this year - hog callin.’ Join Sheriff Andy, Deputy Blarney and Aint Bee for a night of merriment and murder in this interactive comedy mystery served with a 4-course meal to DIE for! Call for reservations today at 314-533-9830 Bring this in for $10 off per person Coupon valid through June 2015. Not valid for groups.
4426 Randall Place • St. Louis • 314.533.9830 • bissellmansion.com Inspired Local Food Culture
JUNE 2015
39
ShOp here
stl
spring center gourmet written by bethany Christo
ST. LOUIS. a series of soft openings with
live music and wine tastings were the only indications that Spring Center Gourmet had opened in st. Louis in January. but the quaint, 850-square-foot deli and retail shop is expecting big jumps in traffic soon – partly due to patio season, as its shaded, twinkle-lit, 20-person outdoor area is situated just off 10th street in soulard.
the back wall is stacked with wine and spirit bottles, and hanging wooden wine crates are filled with products such as red caviar and white truffle cream. Plus, coolers are filled with local and domestic beer and desserts to round out your meal. Spring Center Gourmet, 1862 S. 10th St., Soulard, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.899.9707, springcentergourmet.com
PhotoGraPhy by CheryL waLLer
inside, the bright space is filled with a dozen seats at large wooden tables against exposed brick walls that were once covered with drywall. Upon entering, your eyes are immediately drawn to the left, where the backlit deli case and ordering counter tempts you with charcuterie boards filled with berkshire, venison, wild boar and other salamis, as well as prepackaged deli meats, bresaola and housemade regular and candied bacon. “i get the pork bellies in fresh,” says co-owner Patrick McGinnis.
“we cure them for seven days and smoke them to 150 degrees.” the tangy, peppery candied bacon is served on the side with all of the deli’s made-to-order hot and cold sandwiches, which were developed by co-owner Jeff Dexheimer. special offers are rotating options like duck confit, frisée and brie or shrimp salad on a croissant. the shop also serves green salads, rotating “bites” such as salmon or smoked baconwrapped venison, plus two soups made daily and from scratch.
Three MusT-Trys aT spring CenTer gourMeT
| 1 | the game board serves two to three people, combining duck breast prosciutto, wild boar salami, cured duck salami, various award-winning artisan cheeses and truffled cream topped with red caviar.
| 2 | spring Center’s hot sandwiches are made to order, and many of the ingredients used are available for purchase at the deli. the brisket sandwich and prime rib with horseradish on a toasted garlicbuttered hoagie are the two best sellers, served with sides like potato salad or coleslaw.
| 3 | “i’m kind of a bourbon geek,” says co-owner Patrick McGinnis. he’s compiled a small-butmighty retail selection of whiskey and bourbon to complement the shop’s wine, beer and spirit offerings. his favorite whiskey is the highly sought after high west whiskey’s bourye.
geT ThIS gadgeT
norpro meat shredders written by LaUra Laiben, “the Main Dish,” the CULinary Center of Kansas City, KCCULinary.CoM
For more details or to purchase meat shredders, visit norpro.com. 40
feastmagazine.com
June 2015
PhotoGraPhy CoUrtesy norPro
these shredders come in handy for several reasons, but their most obvious application is also their best: these babies make quick work of shredding pork, beef and chicken for your favorite pulled-meat recipes. other uses for the shredders include transferring roasts and turkeys from pans to serving platters, tossing salads or as part of a bear costume for halloween (think about it).
KC
Please enjoy Leinie’s responsibly. ©2015 Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., Chippewa Falls, WI
ArTISAN produCT
au bon macaron written by Jenny Vergara
KANSAS CITY. Barbara Shaw, owner and creator of Kansas City-
Au Bon Macaron, 816.289.1894, aubonmacaron.com
PhotograPhy by anna Petrow
based Au Bon Macaron, combines her baking skills and love of all things French to create gorgeous macarons in whimsical flavors. Crunchy on the outside and soft and rich on the inside, Shaw’s macarons come in 50 flavors, including coconut, basil-lime and blueberry-hibiscus. Ideal for picnics, tea parties or wedding showers, her macarons are sold at retailers in Kansas City and online to Kansas City area residents at aubonmacaron.com.
The SHANDY ThAT STARTED IT ALL
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When the Sun's Beating Down, Our Leinenkugel's® Summer Shandy® Tastes even more crisp and refreshing. It's perfect for Summer, one up and join us out here®. Pick So
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Evening
SPECIALS CulINArY lIbrArY
Tuesday – Sunday 4 – 8 p.m.
Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen, molliekatzen.com
TWO FOR $20
written by bethany Christo
Mollie Katzen wrote the first iteration of her Moosewood Cookbook in 1974, a spiral-bound, hand-penned and hand-sketched cookbook brimming with creative vegetarian dishes that celebrated garden- and orchard-sourced ingredients. in 2014, the edition is no longer spiral bound, but the recipes are as interesting and appealing as ever, including hungarian mushroom soup, savory phyllo pastries and sri wasano’s infamous indonesian rice salad, filled with fresh pineapple, red pepper, scallions, sprouts, peas, raisins and more. Fifteen years in, Katzen took another look at the recipes, lightening up the dairy products on some, streamlining others and adding 25 new ones that reflected a broader produce selection; however, she was pleasantly surprised to see that the vegetarian zeitgeist remained largely the same. to this day – 40 years after the original publishing – Moosewood Cookbook has never been out of print and is ideal for those whose passed-down copies are perhaps dog-eared, missing a cover or taped together – or for home cooks just seeking healthy, timeless flavors.
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Yankee Pot Roast | Mediterranean Tilapia Seared Pork Tenderloin | Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin | Chicken Henri Fried Chicken | Chicken & Spinach Crepes Chicken Trebbiano | Chicken Volos Chicken & Dumplings
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Inspired Local Food Culture
June 2015
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The Webster Arts Fair
June 5
6p 10p
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11a 10p
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noon 5p
Freshly made!
2015
Webster Groves @ Lockwood & Bompart facebook.com/artandair twitter.com/artandair ENJOY TASTY LOCAL FARE AT FEAST MAGAZINE’S RESTAURANT ROW, BROUGHT TO YOU BY THESE EXCEPTIONAL CULINARY ARTISTS:
Completely Sauced Bombay Food Junkies Milagros Russo's Tivinov Catering Straubs Serendipity
Original Artwork by Sergey Cherep
webster-arts.org
Spring into Summer Fresh ingredients & Fresh products. Freshly made at Bella Vino Wine Bar & Tapas
Official Culinary Partner of Art&Air
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Come Enjoy the Finest Flavors of India
Weekdays Lunch Buffet: Tuesday thru Friday 11:00 am to 2:30 pm
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 42
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Weekend Lunch Buffet: Saturday & Sunday 11:30 am to 2:30 pm Dinner Buffet: Sundays & Tuesdays Only: 5:30pm to 8:30 pm
Ala Carte Menu: Tuesday thru Sunday: 5:00pm to 9:00 pm Menu Always Available Closed Monday all Day 10 minutes from Clayton Plenty of Parking
Call (314) 423— 7300 for Reservations | Or Stop By at 9720 Page Ave Overland, MO 63132
menu options
get a taste of the greek isles on p. 48 photography by JENNIFEr SILVErbErg
seed to table
mulberry-Cashew Cream CheeseCake
Mulberries stir up nostalgic childhood memories for me in the same way catching fireflies or playing in sprinklers do for some folks. i remember my sister and me collecting wild mulberries in the summertime, our fingers and lips stained deep purple from the bittersweet fruit, and how its floral aroma lingered in the summer air. Mulberry trees can be found in nearly every neighborhood in the U.s. different species of the mulberry tree are found growing around the world. the origins of different varieties can be traced to asia, africa and north america; they typically grow well in warmer climates. traditionally, mulberries have been used to flavor jam, jelly, pie and wine. the fruit is usually dark purple and even sometimes
story and recipe by crystal stevens photography by Jennifer silverberg
black when ripe. there are also white mulberries, which are white when ripe. to prevent bruising the fruit, harvest it by pinching and twisting the stem with one hand while holding the branch with the other. Mulberries are highly perishable, so use them right away or freeze them for future use. outside of foraging for wild mulberries, you can purchase dried mulberries online through sites like navitasnaturals.com and nuts.com. With my summer mulberry haul, i like to make honey-mulberry jam, ice pops, smoothies, popovers and chocolate-covered mulberries. one of my very favorite ways to use the berries is in a decadent raw “cheesecake” made with a fig-almond crust and mulberry-cashew cream filling. if you’d prefer to substitute blueberries for mulberries, they are in season now through august.
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.
Mulberry-Cashew Cream Cheesecake serves | 12 | Crust
2 1½ 1 1
cups raw almonds cups dried mission figs, stems removed, chopped cup almond flour tsp coconut oil
Filling
5 ¾ 3 1½ 3 1
cups raw cashews cup plus 2 Tbsp honey, divided juice of 1 lemon Tbsp vanilla extract cups coconut milk cups mulberries, divided Tbsp coconut oil
| Preparation – Crust | in the bowl of a food processor, blend almonds on high until a flourlike consistency has formed. add figs and almond flour and blend until mixture forms a sticky ball. grease a glass pie pan with coconut oil. Using your hands, press almond-fig mixture firmly into the base of the pie pan, flattening and expanding as you go until mixture is evenly distributed to form a crust. set aside.
| Preparation – Filling | in the bowl of a food processor, blend cashews until a fine-powder consistency has formed. add ¾ cup honey, lemon juice, vanilla extract and coconut oil to processor and process on high until smooth and creamy. divide cashew-cream mixture in half, reserving half in a small bowl and leaving remaining half in the bowl of food processor. add 2 cups mulberries to the mixture in the food processor and continue to blend on high until creamy. remove ½ cup mulberry mixture to another small bowl and set aside. transfer remaining mulberry mixture to prepared crust, spreading it evenly over crust to form the first layer of the filling. add reserved cashew cream to filling and spread evenly over mulberry mixture. then, spread remaining reserved mulberry mixture in the center of the top layer. Using a toothpick, slowly move mulberry mixture on top from center of the cake to the edge in a swirling motion. drizzle remaining 2 tbsp honey on top of cake and garnish with remaining cup mulberries. cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. serve chilled.
Ultimate Design
Newly Expanded Luxury Showroom Now Open
The Portfolio Experience Continues
Port folio K i t c h e n
&
h o m e
Fl a gshi p St ore 215 W. Pershing Road Kansas City Missouri 64108 816.363.5300
Geri Higgins
www. p ortf oli o - home .c om Inspired Local Food Culture
JUNE 2015
45
mystery shopper
Meet: toMatillos With summer on the horizon this month, meet tomatillos, the ideal nightshade for sunny weather. What Is It?
A taut-skinned relative of the tomato, the tomatillo is an ancient food – technically a fruit, often referred to as a berry – thought to have been prized by the Aztecs and Mayans and is still essential to Mesoamerican cooking today. The tomatillo is so desired, in fact, that nature surrounds it with a papery outer husk and sticky film to ward off insects and vermin. Make your way past its protective covering to reveal a brilliantly green (or occasionally purple or yellow) fruit, which, when cut, smells faintly of unripened prickly pear with the slightly spongy texture and soft crunch of an apple.
SToRy And RECIPE By ShAnnon WEBER PhoTogRAPhy By JEnnIFER SIlvERBERg
What Do I Do WIth It?
Savory Tomatillo Crumble
Tomatillos have a crisp, citrus-tinged freshness and relatively firm interior; chop them into salads, curries and guacamole with ease (and without the pulpy mess tomatoes can leave behind). Use them to build brilliantly flavored sauces, salsas and gazpachos, or blend them into a marinade with garlic and fresh herbs. Cooking tomatillos only amplifies their applelike tendencies; a subtle sweetness emerges, and the fruit softens while retaining a smooth individuality. Tomatillos are available year-round at most well-stocked grocery stores; no need to search international markets, although you may have a larger selection to choose from. Select fruit with a dry, crispy outer husk, and avoid damp, dull fruit. Stickiness around the stem is normal; give the dehusked tomatillos a quick rinse before using.
Savory crumbles are a fantastic addition to your side-dish routine, especially in the summer when produce is at its peak. The fresh breadcrumb topping really does the heavy lifting here: A nice variation in crumb size means lots of satisfying crunch in your finished dish.
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.
Serves | 8 | 5
Tbsp olive oil, divided (plus more for oiling baking dish) 1 French baguette, torn into chunks 2 garlic cloves, minced 5 oz grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese ¾ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves 2½ lbs tomatillos 1½ plum tomatoes 1 tsp kosher salt ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp granulated sugar
| Preparation | Preheat oven to 400°F and coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish lightly with oil. In the bowl of a food processor, add baguette in batches and pulse until large, coarse crumbs form. Add 3 Tbsp olive oil, garlic, cheese and cilantro to the bowl and pulse until herbs and cheese are evenly distributed with crumbs. Transfer to a medium bowl. Set aside. Slice tomatillos horizontally into ³⁄8-inch thick rounds, discarding stems. Repeat with plum tomatoes; place both in a large bowl and toss gently with remaining olive oil, salt, pepper and sugar until evenly coated. Spread evenly into prepared baking dish, shifting slices around until evenly distributed. Using your hands, distribute breadcrumb mixture evenly over top of tomatillo mixture. Bake in the center of oven until breadcrumbs are deeply browned and crisp, and tomatillo mixture is bubbling, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
| To Serve | Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool down slightly and allow juices to settle, 20 minutes. Serve warm.
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Prices shown not eligible for any other discount or offer. Offer expires June 28, 2015. We reserve the right to correct any ad errors. Prior sales excluded, please ask for details. Inspired Local Food Culture
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menu options
Mediterranean Salad In early summer, when temperatures begin to spike and fresh fruits and vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers are at their peak, it’s easy to prepare a flavorful meal without turning on the oven. The gorgeous natural colors, cooling flavors and pleasing aromatics of this light-yet-satisfying Mediterranean salad will transport you halfway across the world – specifically,
story and recipe by Gabrielle DeMichele Photography by Jennifer Silverberg
to the white-sand shores of the Greek isles. The following recipe is meant to serve four to six as a full meal but can also be prepared to serve six to eight as a side salad. Whatever the serving size, I recommend placing your serving bowl in the refrigerator prior to assembling the salad to keep it cool and crisp until you’re ready to serve.
chef’s tips Oil Options. Did you know olive oil will coagulate when cold but
returns to a liquid form when brought to room temperature? Alternatively, grapeseed oil has no flavor, a high smoke point, will not coagulate when cold and has many of the same health benefits as olive oil.
Brine Time. Capers are the flower buds of the caper bush, which
grows in the Mediterranean. Capers are often brined or salted and used in many Mediterranean dishes, especially Italian ones. When using capers, it’s important to balance their briny flavor; in this salad, the chickpeas and feta provide balance.
Make the Meal • Mediterranean Salad • Lamb Burgers with Pomegranate-Spiked Barbecue Sauce • Greek Street Corn on the Cob • Meyer Lemon Yogurt Semifreddo with Summer Berries
Learn More. In this month’s class you’ll learn an easy trick for
slicing cherry tomatoes and the versatility of cooking with English cucumbers. You’ll also learn the proper way to chiffonade tender herbs and leafy greens.
get hands-on: Join Feast Magazine and Schnucks Cooks Cooking School on Wed., June 24, 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.
Mediterranean Salad Serves | 4 to 6 | Vinaigrette 1½ tsp pressed garlic
1 1½ 2 2 1 ½ 2
tsp Dijon mustard tsp honey juice of 1 lemon Tbsp white wine vinegar tsp sea salt tsp freshly ground black pepper cup olive oil or grapeseed oil sprigs fresh oregano, minced (or 1 tsp dried)
Salad
2 large English cucumbers, halved, seeded and chopped 2 packages cherry tomatoes, halved 1 small red onion, thinly sliced and quartered 3 cups baby arugula 6 cups romaine lettuce, cut into 1-inch strips 5 sprigs mint, sliced into ribbons 5 sprigs basil, sliced into ribbons 3 tsp capers 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed ¾ cup pitted kalamata olives 4 oz crumbled whole milk feta warmed pita bread
| Preparation – Vinaigrette | In a small bowl add first 7 ingredients and whisk to combine. While whisking vigorously, drizzle in oil to emulsify. Stir in oregano and transfer to refrigerator to set for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to develop. | Preparation – Salad | In a large serving bowl, combine all ingredients except feta and pita bread and toss to distribute evenly. Slowly drizzle half of vinaigrette over salad and toss to evenly combine. Continue to toss ingredients until all romaine is coated in thin layer of oil. Add more vinaigrette as desired, but be careful not to overdress salad. Sprinkle feta over top and serve immediately with warmed pita bread.
TV
WATCH IT ON THESE NETWORKS
In St. Louis, tune into the Nine Network (Channel 9) to see Feast TV on Sat., June 6 at 2pm and on Mon., June 8 at 1pm. Feast TV will also air throughout the month on nineCREATE.
FLAVOR!
SCHNUCKS STOREMADE SAUSAGE
In Kansas City, watch Feast TV on KCPT (Channel 19) on Sat., June 20 at 2:30pm.
You can watch Feast TV throughout mid-Missouri on KMOS (Channel 6) on Thu., June 25 at 8:30pm and on Sun., June 28 at 6:30pm.
Feast TV will air in the southern Illinois region on WSIU (Channel 8) at 10am on Sat., June 13.
With summer upon us, Feast TV sets out to explore what’s new and notable in the field. First, we stop by BoysGrow in Kansas City to learn how the non-profit is teaching and reaching at-risk youth through farming. Next, we see how Kitchen Kulture works with vendors at St. Louis’ Tower Grove Farmers’ Market to turn raw ingredients into creative prepared foods. Then, we visit Springfield, Missouri, where James Martin has turned the front yard of his restaurant, Gilardi’s, into a garden to supply his kitchen. Finally, we join students on the farm and in the kitchen at College of the Ozarks as part of the school’s integrated work-education program.
FRESH MEAT GROUND IN-STORE
HAND MIXED WITH SPICES
MADE WITH SIGNATURE RECIPES
NO PRESERVATIVES OR MSG
Feast TV is presented by Missouri Wines with additional support from Whole Foods Market.
©2015 Schnucks
Inspired Local Food Culture
June 2015
49
sweet ideas
uPside-down Plum-Cornmeal Cake Crunch just might be the most underappreciated aspect of any good dessert. Pastry chefs add it to desserts in many different ways: ground nuts, caramelized sugar, crispy baked edges, cookie crumbs and even cornmeal. Oftentimes, adding cornmeal to an otherwise great recipe can yield a dry, crumbly mess, but the batter in this upsidedown plum-cornmeal cake is deliciously higher in fat and sugar than standard cornbread and has the important addition of egg yolks. Tart red plums help to balance the
STORy AnD ReCIPe By ChRISTy AUgUSTIn PhOTOgRAPhy By CheRyl WAlleR
sweetness of the brown sugar and create a beautiful color in the overturned cake. The recipe fits perfectly in a 9-by-9-inch round cake pan, but a springform pan (if you wrap the bottom in foil) or even your favorite cast-iron skillet work just as well. I recommend serving the upside-down plum-cornmeal cake with sour cream ice milk – visit feastmagazine.com for my recipe – or lightly sweetened whipped cream.
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.
Upside-Down Plum-Cornmeal Cake Yields | 9-by-9-inch cake | Brown Sugar Mixture
3 3 ¾
Tbsp unsalted butter Tbsp heavy cream cup brown sugar
Cake
3 ½ ¾ 1⁄3 ½ 3 4 ¾ ½ ¼ ½
cooking spray red plums cup plus 1 Tbsp room temperature unsalted butter cup granulated sugar cup plus 1 Tbsp brown sugar tsp kosher salt whole eggs egg yolks cup unbleached all-purpose flour cup plus 1 Tbsp fine cornmeal tsp ground ginger tsp plus 1⁄8 tsp baking powder
| Preparation – Brown Sugar Mixture | In a small saucepot over high heat, melt butter into cream. Whisk in sugar until smooth. Set aside.
| Preparation – Cake | Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare a 9-by-9-inch cake pan by spraying the bottom and sides with cooking spray and lining the bottom with parchment paper. Spread brown sugar mixture evenly across the bottom of paper. Slice plums into ¼-inch slivers and fan them in 2 circles on the bottom of the pan, pressing firmly into mixture. Refrigerate while preparing cake batter. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed, cream butter, sugars and salt until light and fluffy. In a small bowl, combine whole eggs and yolks, then slowly add them to mixing bowl, scraping often. Continue creaming mixture until combined and smooth. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients and stir. Add dry ingredients to wet, on slow speed, in 2 additions. Finish mixing by hand, scraping edges and bottom of bowl to make sure batter is evenly mixed. Spread batter on top of plums in prepared cake pan. Bake on top of a sheet tray (don’t place cake directly on oven rack) for 40 to 50 minutes until a medium golden brown crust forms, the cake springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not underbake. Allow cake to rest for 5 minutes, then invert a cake plate onto the cake pan, hold together tightly and flip over. Carefully remove cake pan. Serve. 50
feastmagazine.com
June 2015
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find out how trees protect our water - www.TREESWORK.org 52
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good eggs
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the natives
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study haul
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experimental kitchen
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clean slate
Two brothers in Columbia, Missouri, operate the largest independent free-range egg farm in America. Linda Hezel stewards a sustainable community of native and wild edibles on her land near Kansas City. At College of the Ozarks, students grow, prepare and serve food to thousands of diners each week through the school’s work-education program. From a bustling farmers’ market stall to collaborative pop-ups, Kitchen Kulture is as creative as the food it serves. In Springfield, Missouri, James Martin has transformed the front yard of his restaurant, Gilardi’s, into a garden to supply the kitchen. pHOTOGrApHy OF CHICKenS AT STAnTOn brOTHerS FArM (p. 54) by JennIFer SILverberG
Good EGGs Two brothers in Columbia, Missouri, built the largest independent free-range egg operation in America – all before graduating from high school. Written by Mallory GnaeGy
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PhotoGraPhy by Jennifer SilverberG
A
tall, bespectacled man pushing a baby stroller approaches Stanton brothers eggs at the Columbia farmers’ Market in Columbia, Missouri. it’s a booth right near the entrance clearly designated by a plastic-coated, chicken-patterned tablecloth and two large, plush chickens affixed to the top corners of its canopy. he speaks quickly: “Do you feed your chickens corn? i know corn is often genetically modified.” his matter-of-fact tone suggests he’s ready to write off the eggs completely, as if he’s assuming an answer other than what Dustin Stanton, 22, gives him. Dustin politely explains that his chickens are fed milo, or grain sorghum. he and his younger brother, austin, 18, grow and mix it themselves. Milo isn’t genetically modified. the customer is sold. he’ll take a dozen. Dustin makes casual conversation as he makes change, while austin quickly replaces the just-sold eggs with a new dozen. Going on nine seasons, the young men have it down to a science. “We appreciate your business,” Dustin says to him. he says it to every customer, but it’s more genuine than robotic, a trait he says he gets from his mom, Judy. their father, andrew, stands with his arms crossed over his Stanton brothers logo polo nearby. Some might incorrectly assume he’s the owner and operator of this business. in reality, his sons are running the show. Inspired Local Food Culture
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“People always joked that we’d be working for them, but now it’s legitimate,” Andrew says in his rural Missouri accent. The soybean, wheat, corn and cattle farmer is unfazed by his sons’ successful business. “Now, farming is just my hobby – this is my full-time job,” he jokes. Dustin and Austin lay claim to operating the largest independent free-range egg business in the nation. They currently raise 20,000 birds, sell roughly 42,000 eggs a week and farm 400 acres of milo. The recognizable blue-cartoned eggs can be found at most grocery stores in Columbia: Hy-Vee, Schnucks, Lucky’s Market, Natural Grocers, Clover’s Natural Market, etc. The Stantons also sell to Columbia College and the University of Missouri Campus Dining Services, plus
consolation prize. The following spring, Andrew bought him 25 egg-laying young hens, known as pullets. He sold the eggs to family, friends, church members and neighbors.
a handful of restaurants in Columbia such as Bangkok Gardens, Sycamore, Broadway Diner and Cafe Berlin. Altogether, the Stantons sell to 40 clients across mid-Missouri, St. Louis, Columbia and Jefferson City.
flavors since then. Cookie dough sells the best, and coffee does well during early farmers’ market mornings, but the brothers were surprised the Snickers flavor didn’t take off. Their dad says he’ll eat any flavor.
Plus, they recently started producing and selling their own line of ice cream made from honey instead of sugar. The idea started when an older couple stopped selling ice cream at the farmers’ market. Initially, the brothers thought it would be a frugal way to use their egg by-product, but Food and Drug Administration regulations prohibit them from using their own eggs to make ice cream. They stuck with the idea anyway.
ChiCken Before the egg Dustin does most of the talking – Austin appears more comfortable working in the background, but he will occasionally abandon monosyllables when it’s something he really cares about.
His father intended to teach him work ethic by investing in something his son would have to take care of every day. When Austin entered first grade, he joined his brother in the business.
Dustin says the business started out as a lesson in work ethic: He helped incubate six baby chicks for a 4-H Club project back in first grade. Because he humbly begrudged the lotterywinning classmate who took home the chickens, his uncle bought him six nonegg-laying Cornish hens as a
In 2007, a member of their church who was selling produce at the farmers’ market encouraged the brothers to begin selling their eggs there. They sold a half dozen in the rainy first week, and it only went downhill as the weather progressively worsened the next three weekends. They’ve now stuck it out
“That was my allowance,” Dustin says.
The ice cream business was fully approved for commercialization in March 2014, and they have made around 40
PICTURED: Dustin Stanton pours out milo for the chickens to eat.
for nine seasons. Dustin says he never expected their stand at the market to grow into a fully operational business that would help him and his brother earn college scholarships. Dustin received a scholarship to the University of Missouri where he studied agricultural business. He forewent dorm life to live at home and work on the farm when he wasn’t in class. He even graduated a semester early. While the rest of his peers were partying, bingewatching movies and TV shows on Netflix or complaining about 8am classes, Dustin chose a different path; his family doesn’t own a television, and he actually wished classes were offered earlier. He does occasionally stay out late with
friends cosmic bowling or doing other normal 22-year-old activities.
raising chickens and selling eggs over the years.
But, even when he stays out late, his lifestyle doesn’t let him sleep in. “His dad also wouldn’t let him,” Andrew says about himself with a laugh.
Austin says many farmers must have nonfarming jobs in order to supplement their incomes, but luckily, this is not true for the Stanton brothers.
Austin is paving his way down a similar road – albeit in cowboy boots rather than the sneakers Dustin wears. In high school, he was the state vice president and District Six president of Future Business Leaders of America and a member of the National FFA Organization, and he has also earned his own scholarships to the University of Missouri where he will begin classes this fall. Although both young men value education, they could be teaching what they’ve learned about
Egg BEforE thE ChiCkEn Dustin and Austin have never been far from the coop – agriculture is in their blood. In fact, Dustin’s been farming since his first day home from the hospital, when his dad held him as he was grinding hog feed on his tractor. The brothers’ ancestors were Irish potato farmers, and they are fifth-generation producers. Their great-grandfather sat on the porch of his Centralia, Missouri, farm
– near where their operation is located today – and watched battles unfold during the Civil War. Andrew has also been farming since he was a boy. Their mother, Judy, doesn’t come from an agricultural or farming background, but her tractor-driving skills convinced Andrew she was the one. Today, Judy is the main egg-washer and processor. And while the men are busy selling eggs, she’s back at the farm’s headquarters, unloading a semitruck filled with seed. It’s an all-hands-on-deck operation between the gathering, washing, grading, packaging, refrigerating and delivery of eggs as well as farming the milo. The Stantons divide the business in three parts: production, processing and sales and marketing.
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PICTURED LEFT TO RIGHT: Dustin and Austin Stanton on the farm.
Although the brothers split the work equally, Austin is the hands-on, manuallabor man who prefers production. Dustin is better at sales and marketing. Because of this, Austin always tries to out-produce what Dustin can sell, and vice versa. The brothers say keeping up the family farm gives them their sense of purpose; it’s what drives them to maintain the long hours, to balance school, life and their workloads. They agree that their shared dream is to always be on the farm. More eggs in the Basket The brothers are frugal and repurpose whatever they can to put back into the business. Dustin says they started the business with a used chicken coop and grew it into a hog building and an old cattle barn. At the farmers’ market, regulars drop off foot-tall stacks of recycled blue egg cartons that the brothers use to redistribute eggs. “We hate waste,” Dustin says. In 2010, Dustin bought the materials for a 60-by-60-by-20-foot building. And in the summer of 2014, they expanded the space 58
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to include an 8,000-square-foot climatecontrolled chicken house to raise 4,000 more birds – although it can hold up to 7,200. To maintain their work in the spring through the fall, they go to bed at 1am and get up no later than 5am every day.
know your producers. Even if the brothers diversify and grow their operations as they plan, their chickens will still have freedom to roam where they please.
Austin is particularly excited about expanding into the potato business. “It’s just the lifestyle,” Dustin says of the Instead of buying himself a truck he’s long hours. As the main coffee-drinker in had his eye on – a common dream for any his family, he says that if he still has a cup teenager – he spent all of his earnings of coffee glued to his hand after noon, he on potato-farming equipment. The idea asks his family take it away from him. started when Dustin began studying the financial production of potatoes for an The Hy-Line Brown and Bovans Brown agricultural-business class. Inspired, chickens raised on the farm are open range Austin delved into research of his own, and as opposed to free range. The birds are the future project is now his baby. Austin allowed to explore the whole 1,200-acre would also like to move into the “pop milo” property. Andrew jokes: “Why does the market – which is a lot like popcorn, only chicken cross the road? Because it goes the feed is smaller, sweeter and doesn’t wherever it wants.” get stuck in one’s teeth. Dustin explains that chicken labeling allows for lots of gray areas. The Department of Agriculture suggests free range means the birds are allowed access to the outside. But, he says free range can mean birds are free to roam really tight outdoor cage quarters. The Stantons advise that the only way you can really know the chicken conditions is if you
“It’s good for little kids,” he says. In addition to potatoes, pop milo, ice cream and eggs, the brothers hope to begin selling chicken meat in 2015. “As long as they stick together, they can grow the business up,” their father says with pride.
good eggs No one at the farmers’ market asks why the Stantons’ eggs are brown and speckled as opposed to lily white. It means they aren’t bleached like mass-produced eggs. And in fact, Dustin says it’s the earlobe that determines the brown shade of the egg: Chickens with red earlobes commonly lay brown eggs, and chickens with white earlobes commonly lay white eggs. Customers also no longer ask how many roosters they have (because, of course, roosters don’t lay eggs). Dustin thinks this is because they’ve helped educate their regulars – and there are a lot of them. In fact, on several recent trips to Staples to buy office supplies, the brothers have been recognized as “the egg guys.” One of their regulars, a man with a wife and toddler, comes up to the booth to buy eggs. Dustin says he’s seen customers go through college, get married and have kids – there are a few regulars like that. “I do enjoy that,” Dustin says. “They’ve seen us grow up, and we’ve seen them.” Stanton Brothers Eggs, 573.682.2842
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Contact NutriMost Missouri at 844-STL-MOST for more information or to schedule your free consultation with Dr. Deloney www.nutrimostmissouri.com | Simply Health |126 Hilltown Village Center, Chesterfield MO 63017 Inspired Local Food Culture
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The NaTives DeDicateD to ecological farming, linDa Hezel stewarDs a sustainable community of native anD wilD eDible varieties tHat get to tHe root of sourcing seasonally anD locally written by Julie scHeiDegger
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PHotograPHy by lanDon vonDerscHmiDt
There are no straight rows at Prairie Birthday Farm. These natives, these wild things, know nothing of rank and file. Anywhere else but here, many of these savage edibles are overlooked, cast off, eradicated. Linda Hezel asks the untamed to be nothing but what they are. Useful, unruly and unique. She’s spent 20 years purging a third of her land of green fescue and rebuilding rural Clay County’s once thriving tallgrass prairie. Now, roots of native grasses entangle deep into the subsoil, and dandelions unashamedly bloom to the bees’ delight.
PICTURED: Young poppy buds ready to bloom at Prairie Birthday Farm near Kansas City.
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Birth of a farm f Early on Tuesday and Friday mornings, Hezel harvests. “I try to get out there before the dew dries,” she says. She forages her land, guided by the shadows of the trees. It’s the perfect time: moist, fresh and cool.
wild violet bronze fennel
Hezel says the dew holds the fragrances of her blooming fruit trees and herbs as she collects 20 to 30 different varieties of greens – wild arugula, bedstraw, wild bee balm, chickweed, wild chicory, clover, bronze fennel, daylily, deadnettle, hyssop, lovage and wild violets, just to name a few. She harvests and delivers on the same two days of the week to some of the most acclaimed chefs in Kansas City. When she and her husband bought the property in 1993, her mission did not include a business plan. It was simply a way to feed her young family home-grown food and to have a place for her horses to live. Her oldest son, then 3, helped as she planted the first orchard trees while her second-oldest son watched from his stroller. Hezel grew up on a small farm outside St. Louis. “My parents were great growers,” she says. “We had great food.” And that’s where it began. But her passion for ecological farming was bolstered by her career in nursing. She was a 10-year tenured professor in the nursing school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a masters in community health and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction when she decided to commit herself full-time to food and family. In the 1970s she was teaching and studying health and ecology, including the connection between environmental contaminants and illness. That knowledge, combined with her farm heritage, created her dedication to the sustainable, natural farming method at Prairie Birthday Farm.
bloody dock land cress
scorzonera
the one rule The only rule for the farm’s agricultural inhabitants is simple and steadfast. “If they can’t live here without poison, they can’t live here,” Hezel says alluding to the chemicals used in industrial agriculture and farming. It’s a win some, lose some perspective that allows nature to do its thing. “I totally get using poisons,” Hezel says. “It would be so much easier.” Instead, she arms herself with knowledge, vigilance and keen observation. “I’m steward over this small spot while I’m here; I’m definitely not in charge,” she says. “I’m a student of the ecosystem. You really have to pay attention to it.” Hezel experiments and introduces an endless variety of native plants. She allows them to be communal, to meander about the 5 acres she devotes to food, to find where they thrive. She seeks out perennials with multiple uses, diverse plants that bear across the season. Hezel enjoys the resilient nature of the wild varieties – she wants survivors. 62
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dandelion
clover
She also embraces the edibles in her native habitat. Right now, her yard would send most suburbanites screaming from the property, but dandelions are in season. “People might think it’s a wreck – I think it’s gorgeous,” she says. “I cultivate dandelions because they’re such a great food.” Dandelion roots, leaves and blooms are edible and the blossoms are bees’ first nectar sources. “We shouldn’t be killing dandelions,” she says. Her goal is to teach people to eat well, be well and learn how to grow their own food. “The more I read about wild things – they really are nutrient dense,” she says. “There are micronutrients we probably don’t even know about.”
lavender
Hezel often eats poached eggs over stinging nettles. “It’s a great spinach substitute,” she says. “It’s really a super food – a weed.” This same goal extends to the insects and animals within her habitat. Hezel considers herself a bee hostess. “I don’t keep them,” she says. “I try to find the best possible environment, habitat and food sources for them and then get out of their way. I want the girls so drunk on the nectar here they don’t go anywhere else.” And when her chickens and ducks aren’t grazing in the prairie grass, they have their own raised organic garden, filtered water and special organic whole grains – and Hezel says the eggs show it. The birds’ garden has clover, oats, wheat, forage kale, chickweed, violets, nettle and whatever wild stuff moves in. “It’s their salad bar,” Hezel says.
ss onion chives
Student and teacher Her research and discovery of native and wild varieties is ceaseless, and she believes her customers value her knowledge about diverse and unfamiliar foods. She reads agriculture books – many old and out of print. “My bedtime reading is scanning catalogs and botany texts,” Hezel says. In fact, the name Prairie Birthday Farm comes from a 1949 A Sand County Almanac entry titled “Prairie Birthday Essay.” It reads, “Tell me of what plant birthday a man takes notice, and I shall tell you a good deal about his vocation, his hobbies, his hay fever and the general level of his ecological education.” Hezel is a voracious learner. Being highly educated with the practicality and resourcefulness that farmers – and nurses – embrace led her to reach out to her first chef in 2003: Liz Huffman, then at Blue Bird Bistro, now executive chef at The Majestic Restaurant. Now, her weekly email list sends to a “who’s who” of Kansas City chefs from restaurants including The Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange, Novel, The American Restaurant, Bluestem, Port Fonda, Ça Va, Happy Gillis Cafe & Hangout and Heirloom Bakery & Hearth.
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june 10th @ 6:30PM 5 beers with 5 courses Passion Fruit Prussia chared cauliflower, shaved carrot, tarragon pickled duck egg salad Contact High circle b ranch cottage bacon croustade, terrell creek goat cheese, white balsamic Reprise Centennial Red crispy skin walleye, spicy green onion kimche, roasted radish Cast Iron Oatmeal Brown 12 hour olive oil poached lamb chop, barley risotto, lamb demi glace, grapefruit curd tart, thyme ice, coriander brittle, chared cauliflower, shaved carrot, tarragon pickled duck egg salad Bona Fide grapefruit curd tart, thyme ice, coriander brittle tickets available at metropolitan farmer or call 417.720.1665 $50 per ticket tap takeover after party upstairs at barley, wheat & rye
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Attached to each email is a three-page product availability list, but that’s really just a jumping-off point to the multitude of items she might have to offer. Seasonal availability is limited to weeks rather than months. The time for some plants – like wild violets – is fleeting. Hezel admits that, at first, pitching her small quantities of distinct and often unusual edibles to high-profile chefs was intimidating. Yet, because her offerings are wild varieties many chefs have never seen or worked with before, Hezel’s background as an educator took over. She never presents her discoveries and produce simply as products. “My reputation is such now that they know I’m bringing them opportunities,” she says. Alex Pope, owner of Local Pig, a Kansas City butcher shop dedicated to local farms and humanely raised meats, and its accompanying sandwich stand, Pigwich, as well as Local Pig’s second location in Westport and the newly opened Cleaver & Cork, has worked with Hezel’s produce in the past and enjoys the challenges it presents. “Last year, she gave us buds from the maple tree,” Pope says. “When they’re young, you can eat them.” He pickled them. “We trust that she knows what she’s doing, and she does.” Pope says everything Hezel sells is good. He looks forward to the edible flowers and the pawpaw fruit, which he uses in jam. Hezel’s wild persimmons are coveted, as well. The fruit was one of Huffman’s first purchases at Blue Bird Bistro, used to create a sauce for duck. Hezel also recalls Howard Hanna, chef-partner of The Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange and Ça Va, once presenting her with a “beautiful” wild persimmon soup. Hezel’s business thrives on introducing her produce to chefs, and her wild and native offerings inspire them. It takes willing participants. That’s why she loves having chefs out to the farm. “I always give my customers tours,” she says. “I love waitstaff and kitchen staff to taste, see and communicate that to their own customers.” Capturing terroir Before weekend diners fill the cozy, dimly lit booths at Voltaire in Kansas City one April day, chef-owner Wes Gartner and sous chef Ryan Holopter get their first delivery from Hezel. She says deliveries are a time to get to know chefs, what they like – and what they don’t – and to educate them about products. Ever the teacher, she takes them through the myriad of edible greens in a bag. Next are containers of dandelion blossoms and buds, Egyptian walking onions and wild hop shoots. Gartner is going to make dandelion fritters from the blossoms – something he’s never done before. Hezel suggests using elderberry blossoms for a sweet fritter when those are in bloom.
Questions free flow as the chefs look over the parcels. It’s like present time at a birthday party. Gartner asks about the dandelion buds, “Can you sauté them?” “I would encourage you to play with them,” Hezel says. She pickles them. “But I eat a lot of weird stuff.” “This is going to be awesome,” Gartner says. “I’m excited.” Holopter digs into the containers. “Trying to keep it seasonal is really tough this time of year – this is going to be great,” he says. He touches the tendrils of hop shoots. They have no idea what they’ll do with them. The native hop shoot is one of Hezel’s “opportunities” she found along a roadside. “They’ve been on the scene for a while, but not here,” she says. She’s lightly sautéed them in butter. “It was delightful,” she says. “It really tasted like a very mild asparagus.” Gartner takes the onions back to the kitchen. He returns to report the sweetness they impart at first bite, a small awakening that winter has passed. “You come into spring, and it’s really exciting, especially when you have new things – vegetables that you’ve never used before,” Gartner says. He says having something like hop shoots contributes to the creative process by challenging him. “To be able to utilize what she’s offering – local and extremely unique wild varieties – is getting back to the earth and the local flavors,” he says. After some thought, Gartner comes to one word: terroir. Food that captures a sense of place – the expression of geography, geology and climate in the singular genetic makeup of its bounty. And just as Hezel feels a responsibility to the living things on her land, Gartner feels it, too. “It puts a sort of burden – a neat burden – to treat these foods in a really responsible way, to not diminish that terroir,” he says. “I feel lucky to have met you,” he tells Hezel. He says it’s a great time to be in the Kansas City culinary scene, with so many talented chefs looking to use local, native food – “to keep it real.” And Hezel’s customers aren’t limited to restaurant chefs. She collaborated with St. Louis-based brewery 4 Hands Brewing Co. on a beer made with her persimmons and wildflower honey last year. Hezel says Kansas City bartenders, including Andrew Olsen of Cleaver & Cork and Ryan Maybee and Brock Schulte of The Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange, are now taking stock of her seasonal produce. Bartenders are expressing interest in trying her fruit in a bottle. Hezel says she attaches a bottle to a tree branch, allowing young fruit to mature inside. When it’s ripe, it drops in the bottle and she can deliver it to bartenders who then add liquor. She says it’s tricky, “All the stars have to line up.”
Timing is everyThing Hezel’s reputation for specialty, ultraseasonal, ultraregional fare is spreading. “They’re calling me now, which is pretty fun,” she says of her customers, both longtime and new. “I’m really grateful to the food scene. Kansas City’s food-awareness emergence has coincided with me learning more and growing more.” Hezel’s work is not easy, but it’s congruent with her belief in exquisite and healthy food. “It’s shockingly hard work,” she says, but in the same breath asserts it’s absolutely worth it. “It’s more than 60 hours a week, but I’m having fun because it’s learning – it feeds into that.” To see what people create with her food is also a treat. “There are so many great chefs whom I work with,” Hezel says. “How they approach it or interpret the flavor – the experience that they bring to it… I like teaching the chefs, and I like learning from them. It’s very rewarding to have them interested in what I’m doing.” For Hezel, building those relationships is everything. “It’s all about relationships – to the land, other species, the customers,” she says. It’s a partnership, a trust that she’s bringing her customers something exceptional. “I can find stuff to bring to them that isn’t necessarily outrageously rare,” she says, “but I’m willing to experiment and teach myself, and they’re willing to give it a try.” Editor’s Note: Hezel also sells to the general public in the Kansas City area by appointment only. OnLine eXTrA
Find Linda Hezel’s recipe for rose petal ice cream at feastmagazine.com.
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June 27-28
c u l t iva t e k c . o rg /u r b a n g ro w n t o u r EXPLORE URBAN FARMS AND GARDENS AND DISCOVER WHAT’S GROWING IN KANSAS CITY. THIS SELF-GUIDED TOUR IS YOUR CHANCE TO VISIT AND LEARN FROM THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CHANGING THE WAY OUR CITY EATS. Glean ideas for your own garden Learn what it takes to run a farm business in the city Get inspired by neighbors working together to feed each other
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Race and Event Schedules 2015: Race Week May 30th through June 7th 2015 Saturday May 30 - Lake Race 5k Run on the Bagnell Dam Strip Registration | Sponsorship - Lake Race Firemen Fun Run (poker run) Friday June 5th - Lake Race Street Party on Historic Bagnell Dam Strip Sat. June 6th - Powerboat Racing Sun. June 7th - Powerboat Racing Detailed 2015 Schedule Coming Soon!!!
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STUDY
HAUL At College of the ozArks, students grow, prepAre And serve fArm-fresh food to thousAnds of Customers eACh week As pArt of the sChool’s integrAted work progrAm Written by ettie berneking
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PhotograPhy by billy SukoSki
the skies overhead threaten rain, but students in the garden at College of the ozarks are hard at work. between rows of carrots just starting to pop out of the ground, three students are busy pulling weeds. behind them, black and white holstein cows graze along the hillside, and not far off, more students are gathered around a majestic dairy cow that towers over even the tallest among them. College of the ozarks isn’t a culinary school (though it offers a culinary arts degree), and this isn’t a meeting of the 4-h Club – in fact, none of the students are majoring in anything related to agriculture. their responsibilities in the garden are part of their work programs for the semester. those carrots they’re tending will end up at the college’s weekly farmers’ market and in the kitchen at Dobyns Dining room at the keeter Center, and milk from that cow will be used to make ice cream at the school’s on-site creamery. in exchange for their work, students’ tuitions are paid in full.
located near branson, Missouri, on 1,000 acres of bucolic countryside, College of the ozarks is home to 1,500 students, and none of them pay tuition. their free education is thanks to the school’s integrated work program, which assigns students to various jobs around campus based on their top five choices. Students tend to the landscape, weave baskets, run admission to the school’s museum, grind grain in its mill to make products like stone-ground grits and whole wheat flour, milk the 60-plus dairy cows, raise the school’s hampshire and hybrid hogs, run the weekly farmers’ market, tend to its garden beds, wait tables in Dobyns Dining room and even work in its kitchen. total, there are more than 80 work stations on campus. even more surprising than, say, the fact that the pork guests order in the dining room was raised, butchered and processed by students, is that those students often aren’t even majoring in a degree related to the school’s hog farm.
rylan hill, a junior, has been working in the school’s gardens for two semesters, but his major is in wildlife conservation. When hill first began taking classes, he worked in the school’s custodial program; now he labors in the gardens and at the farmers’ market and has swapped mops for garden hoes and hand spades. “My garden at home now seems so small,” he says with a grin. “you look at these gardens and think they look easy, but so much work goes into them.” all that hard work has been recognized on a national level – in 1973, The Wall Street Journal dubbed College of the ozarks “hard Work u” in a front-page story about its integrated work-education program. College of the ozarks was founded in 1906 as a grammar school. by 1965, it had grown into a four-year liberal arts college – but the school’s trade of work hours for tuition is as old as the college itself. one of the school’s
earliest claims to fame was fruitcake – the dense cakes laced with sugary candied fruit that seem to only make an appearance around the holidays – which became a year-round goldmine for the college. it all started in 1934 when a home economics professor decided to mail fruitcakes to see if there was consumer interest. if the school made a profit, the administrator promised to buy the home economics department its first electric stove. Some 80 years later, College of the ozarks is still shipping more than 30,000 fruitcakes each year. if you’re on campus, stop by the fruitcake and jelly building – yes, building – to snag a sample and meet the students who bake each cake. as the college has grown, the emphasis on producing, growing and raising food has become even more central to its mission. Just make lunch reservations at Dobyns Dining room at the keeter Center, and you’ll get a firsthand glance at how the school’s gardens and farm are being put to good use.
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Clad in white service coats and black dress pants, students dash around Dobyns carrying silver serving dishes that teeter on large trays. Braeden Johnson, an accounting major, is busy waiting on several tables during the lunch rush. Back in the kitchen, Kaleigh Long, a history major, is running the expo line. She checks off tickets as orders are completed and plates of beautifully arranged food slide onto the line. Orders of fried green tomatoes encased in cornmeal (milled on campus, of course) are whisked out to the dining room. Many restaurant kitchens don’t look or sound this calm – 70
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and they’re not staffed with students. The environment in Dobyns’ kitchen is friendly and respectful. “There’s no yelling or cursing,” says executive chef and assistant professor of culinary arts Robert Stricklin, the maestro in charge of conducting the well-orchestrated operation. Stricklin oversees all 110 students who work in the kitchen. That might sound like a lot of people, but each student only works four hours at a time for 15 hours a week, with shifts staggered at different times throughout the day. Case in point: Students
who start their day in the kitchen at 8am hand everything over to the second shift of students at noon. Stoves may be filled with food and half-finished orders, but their classes are calling, and Stricklin’s first shift of cooks, dishwashers and servers are headed out the door. If having the entire kitchen staff turn over during the lunch rush isn’t daunting enough, imagine working with a kitchen full of people who have zero experience. “We specialize in first-semester freshmen,” Stricklin says. “We have a culinary arts degree program and a hotel and restaurant
management program, but total in both is about 55 students.” That means there are probably just three culinary arts students working in the kitchen at any given time. The rest are majoring in criminal justice, accounting, elementary education… you name it. These students aren’t training to be chefs. This is just their work station, and they’ll feed about 300 people lunch each day. Surprisingly, his students’ overwhelming lack of experience doesn’t cost Stricklin any sleep. This kitchen is impressive. On Easter, Dobyns served more than 1,000 people
lunch, and Sunday brunch has become so popular that reservations are required. But it’s not the restaurant’s success or the number of students who go on to become chefs themselves that fills Stricklin with pride – it’s teaching his students how to use every part of the chicken. “What’s rewarding for me is if I have an elementary education student who comes back after graduating and tells me he or she still uses what we learned in his or her own home,” he says. Stricklin says much of the food served at Dobyns is made from scratch, grown in the
school’s gardens or raised on its farms. When he makes a dish with chicken, every part of the chicken is used. “We bring in a whole chicken, cut the breast off, roast the carcass in the oven, pull the meat off the legs and thighs for pasta and boil the bones for chicken soup,” he says. “These students learn to make six to eight meals with one chicken.”
of the massive prep tables is dusted with flour, and a pillowy mound of dough is being punched into what will soon become the restaurant’s cranberry-cinnamon biscuits. Slathered in homemade apple butter, these biscuits are akin to taking a big bite out of the Ozarks – homey, warm, stick-to-yourribs, good old country cooking with plenty of farm-fresh flavor.
Farther back in the kitchen, past the grill station and the giant dishwasher, is Stricklin’s prep area. Racks of homemade granola bars are stacked and ready to be packaged, while rows of biscotti are cooling for tomorrow’s banquet. Off to the side, one
“What does the rest of the country think of as the cuisine of the Ozarks?” Stricklin asks. For Stricklin, it’s the fresh food served at Dobyns, and it’s his mission to share that with students and diners.
Join students on the farm and in the kitchen at the integrated work program at College of the Ozarks in the June episode of Feast TV.
In late April, rows of kohlrabi, kale, onions, carrots and peas are just starting to sprout in the school’s gardens, which are a relatively new addition to the campus. In 2009, the college’s president requested a farmers’ market be opened on the property, and the next year, the agriculture department planted six garden plots. Before the growing season ended, six additional plots were planted, and in 2013, eight plots were added – for a grand total of 20 – as was a pumpkin patch. Each week, the market buzzes with activity inside the school’s sale barn where shoppers stock up on fresh produce and items such as peach preserves and biscuit and scone mixes. Back in the gardens, Lori Simmons, manager of the gardens and farmers’ market, teaches students how to successfully harvest the tiny carrots that are barely sprouting above the soil. Just like students in the kitchen, students who work in the gardens don’t always arrive with much know-how. Many are total novices when it comes to gardening. “Not all of our students know the difference between kale and broccoli plants,” Simmons says. “But we don’t want them to feel embarrassed. This is their chance to learn.” To make sure broccoli is planted in the correct beds, Simmons started drawing pictures of the plants on rocks that are used to mark each bed. “We have one student, for example, who is an early education major, and she’s a herdsman in the dairy,” Simmons says. “That means she pretty much runs the show.” When the student first arrived on campus, she didn’t know how to drive a tractor, and now she runs the operation. Near the vegetable gardens are apple trees, blueberry and blackberry bushes and rows of sprawling strawberry plants. It’s beautiful out here even as the sky threatens to storm overhead. But the clouds don’t worry the group of students pulling up weeds in the garden. They’re too focused on not accidentally uprooting their newly planted bounty. College of the Ozarks, 1 Industrial Place, Point Lookout, Missouri, 417.334.6411, cofo.edu 72
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exp e rimental
kitchen From a bustling farmers’ market stall to collaborative pop-ups, the minds behind Kitchen Kulture are as creative as the food they serve Written by HeatHer risKe
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pHOtOGrapHy by emily suzanne mcDOnalD
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The Tower Grove Farm ers’ Market is about routine. For about two hours after the market opens each Saturday at 8am, the serious food shoppers buzz around the stalls in Tower Grove Park. They walk briskly and determinedly, clutching a set list of what they need – eggs from Three Rivers Community Farm, a loaf of rustic olive bread from Companion or perhaps some produce from Biver Farms. When Kitchen Kulture, Michael Miller and Christine Meyer’s company selling T-shirts and prepared foods, first set up its stall at the market in 2012, it was not part of the routine. “For the first two hours, people just kind of walked by us and stared,” Meyer says. “They didn’t know who we were. We were like, ‘Oh, crap.’” Fast forward to a typical Saturday morning this summer, and you’ll find a completely different scene. Shoppers don’t just stop by Kitchen Kulture’s booth – they make a beeline for it. First, they do a quick once-over of the hand-drawn chalkboard displaying this week’s roster of prepared dishes, divided into pantry items, soups, sides and proteins. Then, they load up wicker baskets and reusable shopping bags with everything from white kimchi, basil-almond pesto and Sump Coffee-roasted carrots to lemon-thyme ruby trout, kofta beef meatballs and three-chile pork tamales. Once their purchases are secured, shoppers stroll over to Kitchen Kulture’s shiny silver “The Kart,” where they catch up with Meyer and place an order for a freshly prepared breakfast sandwich. The TGFM Classic – with aged white Cheddar, a Live Springs Farm egg and applewood-smoked bacon atop Companion sourdough dusted with sea salt – is the reward for an accomplished shopping trip. The Tower Grove Farmers’ Market is about routine. And quickly, Kitchen Kulture has become a part of it.
Radish Salad Salad of raw and roasted radishes, radish-top pesto, feta, herbs and edible flowers
“We went to the market with the idea of selling shirts, and the food took off.”
Meyer and Miller first met while working at the now-shuttered Monarch in Maplewood, Missouri, though in opposite roles – Meyer worked in front-of-house operations and Miller was in the kitchen. When the restaurant closed for three months for renovations in 2011, the pair, who had quickly become friends, wanted to find a way to continue working together. Meyer invited Miller to join her in landscaping for the summer while the two tossed around ideas for a project that would play on their culinary strengths and allow them to continue working together while also maintaining their full-time jobs. In 2012, Meyer and Miller launched Kitchen Kulture, what was then a line of comfy, kitchen-themed T-shirts geared toward chefs. “We would all go out after a really busy service, and a lot of cooks would wear their coats out – not just because they didn’t have anything else to wear, but because it was a pride thing,” Miller says. “They wanted to be recognized as a chef, but it’s actually kind of dirty because you end up smelling like a hamburger. If you had a nice T-shirt, you could do the same thing and be a little more stylish.” The shirts were sold at Bertarelli Cutlery on The Hill and Local Harvest Grocery, and Kitchen Kulture soon acquired a booth at the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market. In an effort to broaden their customer base, Meyer and Miller considered cooking and selling food on-site. They approached Patrick Horine, the market manager and co-founder (and co-owner of Local Harvest) with the idea, and he suggested they instead sell prepared foods, which would help differentiate them from other vendors. “There just wasn’t anybody doing anything like that,” Horine says. By the end of Kitchen Kulture’s first market season, the T-shirts had taken second stage to the prepared foods, which focused heavily on seasonal sides, vegetarian dishes, fermented greens and smoked meats. “It developed a life of its own that we were not expecting,” Meyer says. “We went to the market with the idea of selling shirts, and the food took off.” Kitchen Kulture’s prepared dishes struck a chord with market-goers by taking the ingredients found at the market one step further. Quite literally, take just one step – or two – from the booth, and you’ll find the very farmers selling the fresh produce, meat, bread, eggs and cheese incorporated in its dishes. Look to the left of its booth, and you’ll spot Buila Family Farm out of Cobden, Illinois, whose bright red radishes are used in today’s radish salad with pistachio and feta pesto. Down a few stalls is La Vista CSA Farm out of Godfrey, Illinois, whose fresh greens are pickled into Kitchen Kulture’s popular kimchi. The menu doesn’t just incorporate fresh, seasonal ingredients – it’s driven by them.
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“Every time they do a pop-up, it’s always some new cr eation, and that’s p r e tty hard to do. That s p eaks to the breadth of their skill set in terms of the genr es of food they’re willing to work in.” “Even at the market, people sometimes still don’t really understand the connection between the product and food availability,” Meyer says. “If you’re at a restaurant and you order something, it just appears. People will start asking in April if we’ll have a certain soup, and we’ll say, ‘No, not for a couple months when the tomatoes are in season.’” The market’s offerings dictate each week’s menu, so as soon as the market ends at 12:30pm, Meyer and Miller begin talking to the farmers to see what’s left and trading and bartering for any extra items they haven’t sold. Many vendors will trade their leftovers, as many chefs have already been through the market. Companion might have extra bread for sandwiches, or Buila Family Farm might have extra tomatoes for miso gazpacho. Leftover carrots from Three Rivers Community Farm in Elsah, Illinois, are used to make carrot-ginger vinaigrette.
“It’s reciprocal,” Meyer says of their relationship with vendors and farmers. “We try to embody really elegant cuisine with the menu, and we treat those ingredients with the utmost respect.” The following Sunday or Monday, Meyer and Miller will email wholesale farmers to see what they have available or meet up with smaller farmers individually at the Schlafly Farmers Market in Maplewood on Wednesday. They’ll build the menu around those fresh ingredients, and then begin production on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. By sourcing nearly all of their ingredients from local farmers, Kitchen Kulture also hopes to show customers how to cook with familiar seasonal ingredients in creative, unfamiliar ways at home – think squash used to make kimchi and Thai curries, or spinach as the foundation of Japanese ohitashi (a cooked salad) served with fermented ponzu sauce.
“I’m inspired by foods that I find rewarding to eat – in the sense that I feel healthy and rejuvenated after,” Miller says. “We do a lot of Asian cuisine because I find that that style of food gives me those rewards. Asian cuisine is more condiment-driven whereas a lot of Western cuisine is meat-forward, and then there’s some stuff on the side. I like using the fewest amount of ingredients to create the biggest flavor explosion.” In addition to Kitchen Kulture’s relationships with farmers, the business has a devoted following of regulars. Through connections forged at the market, Meyer and Miller began receiving numerous catering requests for events. The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, for instance, started working with Kitchen Kulture after a board member – and frequent market customer – recommended the pair. Meyer and Miller were catering events around St. Louis while appearing at the market each Saturday, and yet the two were both also working full-time – or as Miller calls it, full-time and a half – elsewhere. Miller was the executive chef at Dressel’s Public House in the Central West End, and Meyer was serving at Blood & Sand in Downtown St.
- Sump Coffee owner Scott Carey
Louis. When the 2014 market season rolled around, Meyer and Miller decided to take the leap and make Kitchen Kulture their full-time focus. “We started this idea with the hopes to grow a sustainable business for ourselves,” Miller says. “Through the years, we were able to create and develop a really loyal customer base and establish an impeccable reputation. With that comes a lot of requests for catering and events here and there. We got to the point where we were turning away more business than we were able to do. It seemed counterproductive to get to that point without being prepared to take it to the next level.” That summer, Kitchen Kulture introduced its affectionately named The Kart, a mobile cart acquired when The Big Cheese, an artisan grilled cheese company, decided to close its stand at the market and move to New York. “We had people who we wanted to work with but couldn’t offer much work because we didn’t have a full-time business,” Meyer says. “If we had this cart, we could employ them.” The Kart, described by Meyer as a “tricked-out hot dog cart,” also allows Kitchen Kulture to cook on-site, just a few stalls down from its main booth at the market. Breakfast is served here, and, just like the prepared foods, the offerings are constantly changing based on what’s in season. A farm egg frittata one week includes mixed greens from La Vista CSA Farm and organic and cagefree eggs from Live Springs Farm in Carrollton, Illinois, as well as caramelized cauliflower and aged Cheddar. The BLT, a standby throughout the market season, features fresh, thick-sliced heirloom tomatoes, crispy applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce and bacon mayonnaise on Companion sourdough.
Gr een Tea Soba Noodle S alad with roasted Mofu tofu and mushrooms
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With the acquisition of The Kart, Kitchen Kulture was also able to stay open in the market’s off-season, and Meyer and Miller were able to get their “fix” cooking on the spot. Each Thursday, The Kart rolls into Sump Coffee in south St. Louis city for street food-inspired lunches, born out of two seasons of winter brunches inside the coffee shop. The dishes are internationally inspired and easy to eat on the go, but that’s about as far as the comparison to typical street food goes. In keeping with Kitchen Kulture’s creed, each week’s menu features a few dishes made with fresh, seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. Tom kha, a Thai coconut soup, features St. Louis-based Mofu tofu and foraged mushrooms; masalaspiced Missouri beef meatballs are served over cumin-scented basmati rice in kofta curry with chopped mint and cilantro; and Kitchen Kulture’s take on a Hot Brown is served on bread from Red Fox Baking & Catering in St. Louis. “To some extent we always feel there’s a level of concern that we’re handing you food in a boat, and we want the food to exceed the packaging,” Meyer says. “With street food, no matter how I hand it to you – in a napkin, wrapped in paper – you’re going to view it as different from the packaging.”
In the spirit of collaboration, Sump Coffee owner Scott Carey says Kitchen Kulture has always made a significant effort to have the shop’s coffee play a role in the food served at the weekly lunches, whether through coffee-crusted porchetta, tamales with coffee-infused mole sauce or sweet-andsour coffee-braised rib tips with sticky rice and wax beans. The menu changes every week – barring the time Carey begged them to repeat one of his favorite items, coffee-crusted pastrami steamed buns.
PICTURED TOP LEFT: Amy Cloud of Three Rivers Community
Farm with Christine Meyer. PICTURED CENTER LEFT: Drew Wells of Biver Farms. PICTURED BOTTOM LEFT: Michael Miller
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“Every time they do a pop-up, it’s always some new creation, and that’s pretty hard to do,” Carey says. “That speaks to the breadth of their skill set in terms of the genres of food they’re willing to work in. This isn’t them just coming and doing cold cuts for two and a half hours – this is
them really innovating and doing highconcept stuff for lunch and [doing so] in an environment that doesn’t have a full kitchen.” When Sump briefly closed its back room (where Meyer and Miller cook) for renovations earlier this year, Kitchen Kulture didn’t waste any time. They quickly set up shop Tuesday and Wednesday nights at Local Harvest Cafe & Catering in the Tower Grove neighborhood for a 10week series of Asian-influenced dinners. Inspired by Japanese and Korean traditions, Meyer and Miller encouraged diners to pass and share their dishes. “A lot of times the mindset of the traditional diner is to order an appetizer and entrée or soup and two appetizers,” Meyer says. “We just wanted it to be about the plates and the flavors.” Noodle dishes and fermented vegetables play heavily into the prepared foods offerings at the market, which Meyer and Miller thought would translate easily into an Asian-themed menu. The bacon dumplings, which made a few repeat visits throughout the dinner series, were served with a red-eye soy sauce (their take on red-eye gravy) made with Sump’s Colombian brew. Mofu tofu played heavily into the dishes, including futomaki and oshinko sushi rolls and buckwheat soba. “What strikes me is Mike’s repertoire and how versatile he is with different cuisines,” Horine says. The goal of Kitchen Kulture is twofold: to make diners think about local ingredients in a new way and to make those local ingredients more accessible to the average shopper or home cook. “In one dish we might source from four different farms,” Meyer says. “You’re not going to buy enough product to be able to incorporate that much into your weekly routine. By buying or eating that one dish from us, you’re still supporting four or five farms that you might like to shop from.”
Red Miso Gaz pacho with pickled basil seeds, cucumbers and sprouts
Learn how Kitchen Kulture turns farm-fresh ingredients into creative dishes in the June episode of Feast TV.
By connecting both shoppers and diners with seasonal, farm-fresh products in a new way, Kitchen Kulture has developed and maintained a dedicated band of regulars. They buy Kitchen Kulture’s smoked apple-sorghum mustard in bulk to freeze and use throughout the year. They drive out of their way to pick up lunch for the office at Sump. When they host a party or event, they know whom to call. “They have a really loyal following, and that’s mainly just because of the quality of their product,” Horine says. It’s that very following that ensures Kitchen Kulture will be part of St. Louis’ routine for years to come. Kitchen Kulture, 314.277.3881, kitchenkulture.co
Inspired Local Food Culture
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Clean Slate Longtime server and entrepreneur James Martin bought Gilardi’s, one of the most well-known restaurants in springfield, missouri, three years ago. Now, the so-called “head dishwasher” is serving fresh produce grown steps from its front door. Written by Ren Bishop
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Photography by jessica spencer
Tall sunflower stalks climb up to the sky. Hummingbird moths fly overhead, and rabbits scamper to their leafy green hideaways. Luscious tomatoes bask in the sun, and basil, parsley and thyme breathe in the afternoon air. And 10 feet away, a tall man in a green chef’s coat and hat plucks a green pepper from its branch, placing it gingerly in a stainless steel pot. “I call my front-yard garden Springfield’s largest billboard,” says owner James Martin. “When you are driving down Walnut Street, you see beautiful Victorian home, manicured lawn, beautiful Victorian home, manicured lawn and then people say, ‘Oh, my god, what are they doing in their yard?’ It definitely gets their attention.” Gilardi’s is changing the world one date and one plate at a time in Springfield, Missouri. Located on Historic Walnut Street just steps from Downtown, Martin is serving sustainable, savory fare sourced from gardens just steps from his tables.
Legacy of LocaL
Gilardi’s has been serving northern Italian fare to discerning diners for almost two decades. The restaurant’s namesake, Nicola Gilardi, opened the restaurant in 1997. The petite space had 12 tables, white tablecloths, white napkins stuffed in oversized goblets and a menu featuring traditional recipes that Gilardi brought with him from the old country. Gilardi and his restaurant earned a reputation for serving fresh, homemade pastas not found anywhere else in the Queen City. It quickly became one of the top restaurants in Springfield, and it caught the attention of one of Springfield’s top servers. “I was a server at all the best restaurants in Springfield when they were the best restaurants,” Martin says. “I was 22 when I first started serving here in 1997. I remember chasing around Nicole’s middle son when he was a toddler here. I knew Nicole well.”
master gardener Two of James Martin’s earliest memories are working alongside his grandmother, Darlene Weeks, in the kitchen and in the garden. He is an entirely self-taught farmer, who has learned over years of bad harvests and great tomatoes what to do and not to do in his gardens. “Some people are natural runners or dancers, I’m just naturally good in the garden,” Martin says.
Martin also knew when he was a young server that he wanted to open his own restaurant. He kept serving tables and kept trying to secure a loan to open his own space. Three failed attempts and 10 years later, Martin waited tables for Gilardi again, this time at Gilardi’s newly opened second Italian restaurant, Nicola’s. One night after his shift, Martin was drinking cocktails with Gilardi and his wife, Monica. “I had just found out that day that my loan was denied again, and Nicole looked at Monica and said, ‘Why don’t we just sell him our place?’ And I was like, ‘OK, let’s try it again,’” Martin says. “Nine months later, I purchased the restaurant and property.”
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Martin purchased Gilardi’s and the Victorian home and event center in front of it, Grey Gables on Walnut, in 2013. The restaurant had a lot of what Martin calls “goodwill,” or a great reputation, which helped the novice restaurateur navigate being a first-time owner after decades in the hospitality industry. Diners would continue to arrive and eat the restaurant’s flagship dish, its Gilardi Pasta, as Martin navigated the testy waters of acting as head chef, front-of-house manager and lead server at the restaurant. But Martin’s property on East Walnut was also a great location to put down roots.
A Growin GrowinG EntErprisE
As soon as the ground thawed after that first winter, Martin began tearing up the manicured lawn in front of the restaurant and planting seeds. He was going to make the old restaurant new again by uprooting its business model in favor of sustainable, locally sourced ingredients. “When I first bought the place, my neighbor [came] up to me and said, ‘James, what the hell are you doing?’” Martin says. “I said, ‘I’m growing a farm!’ And he said, ‘Rabbits are going to eat all of it.’ People thought I was crazy, but I knew it could work. I knew I could grow my own food here, on my property, and serve it in my dishes at the restaurant.” Martin rolled up his sleeves and began growing and harvesting his own ingredients in the gardens surrounding the restaurant. He had been working in and out of gardens for years and grew up watching a master gardener, his grandmother, reap the benefits of the hard work required to grow great produce. He hired staff that understood his vision, and they began harvesting ingredients in the afternoons, before the restaurant opened six nights a week at 5pm. “I help pick parsley before my shift,” says Avery Ragsdale, a server at Gilardi’s. “All of us help with the gardening, depending on what it requires. If the chefs are wanting to make rosemary-cream sauce, then I’ll go help pick rosemary. I love being that hands-on here.” Daily specials and seasonal menus revolve around what’s being harvested from the garden. Martin and his lead chef Shawn Hill work together to develop menu items with flexibility, like the tomato-ofthe-week appetizer. Depending on what ingredients are freshest, this appetizer could be a caprese salad, bruschetta or stuffed tomatoes, Hill says. “We don’t like to overharvest,” he says. “We take what we need on a daily basis, and it makes work exciting, knowing that I’m using produce that we’ve grown ourselves. That gives you a large sense of pride in this business, when oftentimes 90 percent of the food people serve comes from a food supplier or a grocery store.” 84
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Grey Gables on Walnut Gilardi’s chef-owner James Martin manages another property on Walnut Street, the Grey Gables on Walnut event center. Located just off the street and steps from Downtown Springfield, Martin allows local and national nonprofits to host fundraisers and gatherings in the Victorian house at no charge. “I hope that in 20 years, people can say that community change happened in that old house,” Martin says.
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visit gilardi’s Gilardi’s is open from 5 to 10pm Monday through Saturday, but the space is available for private events during lunchtime and on Sundays. Reservations can be made at 417.862.6400. To view the eatery’s current menu, visit gilardisonwalnut.com.
The harvesT
This spring, Martin began harvesting at his own new urban farm, Queen City Farms, yielding produce for his restaurant. The 1,500-square-foot venture located less than a mile from Gilardi’s supplies 50 percent of the produce served at the restaurant, with another 30 percent sourced from the gardens at the Walnut Street property. Ingredients not grown by Martin or his staff are sourced from as many local suppliers as possible, including frequent trips to Springfield’s farmers’ markets. Urban Roots Farm, also located in Downtown Springfield, provides much of the restaurant’s needed extra produce, and Hill and Martin buy most of their proteins from Ozarks ranchers. “The freshest produce and food just tastes better,” Hill says. “Vegetables always look the same at the grocery store; our tomatoes look weird because they’re real tomatoes. People are used to that almost fake taste, so when they get the real thing, like real butter or real kale, they go, ‘Wow!’ There’s a big difference, and it makes the food taste better; it makes the presentation of the food better.”
Hill and his staff of prep cooks honor their ingredients by having a great attention to detail in the plating and presentation of dishes. But Hill encourages his staff to be creative. No dish will ever look alike, and the seasonal vegetable medleys vary plate by plate, but the natural flavors and freshness remain the same, he says. One of the restaurant’s best dishes, the Stinco di Agnello, is lamb shank braised in large hotel pans, and as the meat browns, the pan begins to hold the richness of the lamb’s flavor. Then, chefs add just-picked onions, celery and carrots, cook them gently and then shock the pan with cold Burgundy wine. “When you do that, it brings all that flavor out of the lamb shank and then brings it all back,” Martin says. “It’s delicious and usually served with polenta we make ourselves. It’s definitely my favorite.” The restaurant’s Locavore Salad is another fresh favorite. This spring, a head of Boston bibb lettuce growing in a pot sat on Gilardi’s bar. Diners kept ordering the salad that featured the plant, later dressed to impress as a play off a Waldorf wedge salad. The organic and hydroponically
grown lettuce was served with crispy bacon pieces, blue cheese, housemade croutons and red onion marmalade. The delicious combination of flavors reinforced how truly fresh the food is at Gilardi’s. “Everyone gets really excited when I start talking about how fresh and local everything is on the menu,” Ragsdale says. “They love hearing that we get our goat cheese from Terrell Creek Farm in Fordland, Missouri, or [that we buy local] cream. But when I tell people that the lettuce in that salad on the menu comes from our garden, they want that salad.”
reaping rewards
By the end of 2015, Martin says that sales are on track to be up 60 percent from 2012, the year before he purchased the restaurant. But that’s not the only percentage the self-described “head dishwasher” hopes to increase in the months and years to come – Martin’s goal is to own 100 percent of his restaurant’s supply chain by 2030 with his Queen City Farms project, through a series of six locations within a 3-mile radius. “Ultimately, we’d like to culminate in
having our own ranch where we would have our own chickens, our own pork, our own beef and then we’ll open a food preservation facility, where not only am I picking my own tomatoes, but I’m also canning my own marinara,” he says. “I’ll can my own garlic cream sauces with garlic that I grow and dairy from our dairy herds, so I own that whole supply chain. I know I can, and I will.” And when he’s not busy in the garden, Martin is out in the community educating people about his restaurant’s sustainable dining practices. He hopes to inspire diners to join him in a community change, where food culture and choices align with healthy, fresh foods produced locally. “We can all do our little tiny part,” he says. “But right now, it’s not just me – it’s my employees, it’s their families, it’s my customers. They’re buying into the idea that local food is better food in every way. You become a leader of a movement by simply being who you are. In the meantime, I’ll be in the garden.” Gilardi’s, 820 E. Walnut St., Springfield, Missouri, 417.862.6400, gilardisonwalnut.com
Visit Springfield, Missouri, to learn more about Gilardi’s and Urban Roots Farm in the June episode of Feast TV. 86
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on the menu Recipes couRtesy James maRtin, GilaRdi’s
Meatballs
May 24 - August 2, 2015
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Yields | 120 meatballs | 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 10 5
cup oats heavy cream cup fire-roasted red bell peppers cups chopped carrots cups chopped onions cups chopped celery Tbsp basil Tbsp oregano lbs local ground beef lbs local sausage
REPRESENTING LABOR: THE COLLECTIONS OF BARBARA AND BRUCE FELDACKER AND THE ST. LOUIS MERCANTILE LIBRARY
| Preparation | Preheat oven to 400°F. Soak oats in just enough heavy cream to coat for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients, plus reserved oats, to form meatball mixture. Roll mixture to form 2-oz meatballs, transferring to an ungreased sheet pan as you go. Place meatballs in oven and cook for 35 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool and serve.
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Yields | 8 shanks | 8 1½ 1½ 1½ 6 2 2 1½ 4 2 2
lamb shanks cups diced celery cups diced yellow onions cups diced carrots oz marinara Tbsp beef base Tbsp chicken base cups red wine quarts water Tbsp oregano Tbsp basil salt and freshly ground black pepper
| Preparation | Preheat oven to 350°F. In a 4-inch deep oven-safe or cast-iron pan over medium heat, brown lamb shanks. Remove shanks and add celery, onion and carrots over high heat. Cook until soft. Add marinara and bases and cook for 2 minutes. Add wine to deglaze pan and reduce by half. Add browned lamb shanks back into pan and add water, herbs and spices. Stir ingredients to ensure everything is evenly combined. Transfer pan to oven to cook for 6 hours. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Tiramisu Serves | 12 | 8 1 2 2½ 2 ½ 60
egg yolks cup sugar cups heavy cream lbs mascarpone Tbsp coffee cup Brandy ladyfingers
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Jacob Lawrence, (detail) Builders #3, 1974, color lithograph. Collection of the St. Louis Mercantile Library at UMSL and the Bruce and Barbara Feldacker Labor Art Collection.
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WEED ‘EM AND REAP. In celebration of the summer growing season, this month we looked to farmers’
markets across the region. We invited our Instagram followers to share photos of fresh spring and early summer produce and artisan food-and-drink products made by farmers and producers by using the hashtag #feastgram. To learn how Prairie Birthday Farm near Kansas City supplies restaurant chefs with farm-fresh ingredients, turn to p. 61. Then, flip to p. 74 to discover how Kitchen Kulture uses ingredients sourced from St. Louis area farmers’ markets to make creative prepared foods. To incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables into your own cooking, turn to p. 48, where we share a recipe for a flavorful Mediterranean-inspired salad.
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| 1 | Kate gilliam @kateheartscake Obligatory strawberry carton photo. #EatLocal #TowerGroveFarmersMarket #MorningsLikeThese | 2 | alfred jones @awjones70 Can’t go wrong with farm fresh. #RiverMarket #FarmersMarket #KCMO #KCOriginal #SupportLocal #BuyLocal
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| 3 | mob farms @mobfarms Who would ever want white eggs? ! #MOBFarms #Eggs #Fresh #FarmersMarket #Farmers #FarmFreshEggs #FarmFresh | 4 | organic stl @organicstl Check out the small-but-growing Creve Coeur farmers’ market every Saturday from 8am to 12pm at the Westgate shopping center! #Local #FarmersMarket #Fresh #CreveCoeur | 5 | sasha Yan @sashayan18 This week’s #FarmersMarket find. #STL #BringOnSpring | 6 | anna newell @urban.apron Oh kale yeah. #TowerGroveFarmersMarket #StLouis
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| 7 | eric pogue @blackarmorzero #TGFM presents Sunday breakfast! A one-act show! Starring @MarcootJerseyCreamery #Tipsy #Cheddar, @Naked_Bacon_ #Jalapeno edition
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| 8 | lauren aiello @laur_aie Saturday mornings are for farmers’ market trips with @bnmiles26 | 9 | columbia farmers’ marKet @columbiafarmersmarket #Beets#TheSaladGarden #COMOFarmersMarket #NoFilter
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| 10 | martha davis
@theperfectable Grow, blueberries, grow! Spending the afternoon at MOB Farms in Edwardsville #FarmersMarket #FarmToTable
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Want to see your photos in the July issue of Feast? Next month, our focus turns to ice cream and frozen treats across the region. We want to see the sweet treats you’re buying from local restaurants and shops, from classic cones to boozy milkshakes to colorful snow cones. To submit your photos for consideration, simply include the hashtag #feastgram and tag @feastmag on your Instagram photos beginning Mon., June 1.
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CHEERS TO CRAFT BEERS!
For a list of our Certified Beer Servers, visit
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And, follow Certified Beer Server Chris Wong @SpiritsSipsSuds and Certified Cicerone® Chris Kline @SchnucksBeerGuy!
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We’ve got it all from craft beers to microbrews including an impressive selection brewed right here in St. Louis! In fact, we partner with Schlafly for our exclusive seasonal beers like Culinaria Schlafly Raspberry Coffee Stout. We’re proud to carry beers from some of the most respected brewers including 4 Hands Single Speed, Schlafly Summer Lager and New Belgium Ranger IPA.
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