September 2015 Feast Magazine

barrel-aged beer

smoke the competition

inside hank charcuterie

SPIRITED SUDS

COMPETITIVE ‘CUE

MAKING THE CUT

od Culture | Midwest

feastmagazine.com | septeMber 2015

feeding the fire

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SEPTEMBER 2015

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This year, avoid the

Holiday Headaches!

Book your Corporate Party NOW and let us handle all the hassle!

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SEPTEMBER 2015

Inspired Local Food Culture

SEPTEMBER 2015

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Hand Crafted Coffees Importing Fine Coffees from 20 Countries

Modern Luxury With Victorian Style The Amber House Bed and Breakfast offers superior personalized service in a relaxed atmosphere • Massage Therapy • Fireplaces • Dinner Service • Jetted Tubs • Bicycles • Private Parties

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SEPTEMBER 2015

314-772-0700

FEATURES

62

Inspired Local Food Culture | Midwest

SEPTEMBER 2015 FroM the staFF |9| | 10 |

| 31 |

Meet OUr CONtrIBUtOrS frOM the PUBLISher

Feeding the fire.

| 12 |

dIgItaL CONteNt

What’s online this month.

| 14 |

feaSt tv

A peek at the September episode.

| 17 |

DINe This month we visit four restaurants across the region, including a new Filipino-inspired spot in St. Louis and a restaurant in Kansas City focused on French-influenced fare. In our monthly travel piece, Road Trip, writer Amy Lynch travels to Danville, Kentucky, and shares where to dine, drink and stay this month during the Kentucky State Barbecue Festival . We also talk to chefs across the region to learn how they’re cooking with beets this fall.

| 41 |

DrINK

| 49 |

CooK

This month we’re sipping craft beer in Kansas City and boarding whiskey flights in St. Louis. We also catch up with brewers at two Missouri breweries – the founder of newly relocated O’Fallon Brewery in Maryland Heights and the head brewer at Kansas City Bier Co. in Kansas City.

| 50 | Seed tO taBLe

shoP

| 58 | Sweet IdeaS

We visit two regional shops this month – a neighborhood bakery in Lawrence, Kansas, and a craft beer store in St. Louis.

We also catch up with Josh Allen, founder of Companion, on relocating the bakery’s headquarters from St. Louis to Maryland Heights, Missouri.

Farmer Crystal Stevens shares how to preserve and make the most of fresh herbs.

72

sMoKe the CoMPetItIoN dOUBLe featUre: Competitive barbecuers travel across the country, spending sleepless nights attempting to skillfully smoke cuts of meat. But there’s more to it than becoming a Grand Champion.

a sPooNFuL oF sorghuM

Organic sorghum syrup produced at Sandhill Farm preserves a sweet piece of Missouri history.

| 52 | MyStery ShOPPer Buy it and try it: pepino.

| 56 | MeNU OPtIONS Learn how to easily transform cucumbers into briny, flavor-packed quick pickles.

Pastry chef Christy Augustin celebrates the beginning of fall with a rich and savory grilled ratatouille and cheese galette.

77 82

haNK gooDNess Chef Vaughn Good has created a beacon of bacon and pâté in Lawrence, Kansas, with locally sourced fare.

agaINst the graIN

Brewers explore beer’s next frontier with nontraditional barrel-aged brews.

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY OF GRILLED MEAT FROM THE BLOCK In ST. LOuIS BY Jonathan Gayman TABLE OF COnTEnTS PHOTOGRAPHY AT 4 HAnDS BREWInG CO. BY Judd Demaline

Inspired Local Food Culture

SEPTEMBER 2015

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Augusta

Magazine

A Scenic GetAwAy within ReAch!

Augusta Harvest Festival A patchwork of People, Businesses and Breathtaking Landscape

September 18 & 19 Friday, September 18

Volume 6

| Issue 9 | September 2015

Vice President of Niche Publishing 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

Concert & Picnic in the Vineyard at Sunset

Associate Editor Bethany Christo, bchristo@feastmagazine.com

(Reservations Required)

Digital Editor Heather Riske, web@feastmagazine.com Kansas City Contributing Editor Jenny Vergara St. Louis Contributing Editor Mabel Suen

Saturday, September 19 Day Town Festival with Heirloom Quilts on Display, Parade, Pony Rides, Pie Baking Contest, Food, Music, Artists & Artisans

Free to Public

Saturday, September 19 Evening Wine Makers Social Dinner (Reservations Required)

For more information or to make reservations please visit www.augusta-chamber.org or call 636.228.4005

33rd Annual Candlelight Christmas Walk

Friday December 4th & 11th 5pm-10pm  Horse Drawn Carriage Rides  Over 1000 Luminaries Linning the Streets  Roasted Chestnuts  Christmas Carolers

Editorial Intern Macy Salama Proofreader Christine Wilmes Contributing Writers Christy Augustin, Gabrielle DeMichele, Pete Dulin, Mallory Gnaegy, Kyle Harsha, Valeria Turturro Klamm, Laura Laiben, Amy Lynch, Jane McCormick, Brandon and Ryan Nickelson, Eric Reuter, Julie Scheidegger, Matt Seiter, Matt Sorrell, Crystal Stevens, Shannon Weber, Alex Wilking ART Art Director Alexandrea Doyle, adoyle@feastmagazine.com Production Designer Jacklyn Meyer, jmeyer@feastmagazine.com Contributing Photographers Judd Demaline, Teresa Floyd, Jonathan Gayman, Natalie Hinds, Aaron Ottis, Anna Petrow, Ben Pieper Jonathan Pollack, Jennifer Silverberg, Mabel Suen, Landon Vonderschmidt, Cheryl Waller FEAST TV

producer: Catherine Neville production partner: Judd Demaline of Graine Films

CONTACT US Feast Media, 8811 Ladue Road, Suite D, Ladue, MO 63124 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 © 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

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September 2015

We’re Moving !

ContrIbutors

09.15 anna petrow Kansas City, Photographer Anna’s photography is guided by her love of eating well and traveling often. Following her mantra that life is better spent in new places, Anna’s work captures the beauty of her surroundings, whether that be on the shores of the Amalfi Coast or in a Midwest diner.

Kansas City is her home, and her favorite place to shoot is the astounding culinary variety that exists in the heart of the country. She is represented by the prestigious photo agency Offset, and her clientele includes award-winning restaurants all over the nation and travel and hospitality clients all over the world. You can see her work at www.annapetrow.com.

jonathan gayman St. Louis, Photographer Jonathan is a commercial photographer based in St. Louis with a focus on food, beverage and product photography. His keen eye for light and composition fuels thoughtful and inspired photography, whether he is shooting in St. Louis, Chicago, New York or on location around the country. Jonathan is a regular contributor to many food publications including Feast, and his work has appeared in national and global publications including advertisements, marketing materials and annual reports for some of the nation’s top businesses. For more than eight years, Jonathan has been bringing his unique photographic perspective to clients all over the country.

mallory gnaegy St. Louis, Writer Mallory recently returned to her native St. Louis after living on the Gulf Coast of Florida where she was a food writer for a paper in Sarasota. After she wrestled an alligator to the ground with her bare hands and ate it, she decided she had seen it all and moved back to her hometown. Mallory attributes her honed palate to Kaldi’s, where she got her start as a 16-year-old barista, and to her mother and uncle Richard who taught her that food is an experience to enjoy with loved ones. She takes as many trips to California wine country as her liver allows and pretends to cook as well as the chefs she writes about.

I WIsh I KneW...

10 prepared dishes that are easily frozen and reheated

Written by Macy Salama

jam Freezing fresh jam made with in-season ingredients now is the perfect way to get a little taste of summer later on. You can enjoy summer fruits like peaches or strawberries for up to six months after the freezing process begins without tainting the taste. pizza dough With its few ingredients, making pizza dough might sound easy, but it’s not a quick process. Letting the dough rise takes anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

Double or triple the recipe, form extras into ball shapes and freeze for your next pizza craving. stew The delicious-yet-time consuming dish can be enjoyed on those days when you might not have the patience or mindfulness to prepare in the morning. Make extra and store the rest in the freezer for up to three months. bean burrito Burritos are perfect for the freezer. Individually wrap them for reheating as a snack, or thaw a few for dinner. A tip for cooking is to use ingredients that aren’t too wet – drained beans, shredded cheese and cooked rice are all freezer-friendly. lasagna Preparing those stuffed, meat-and-veggie laden layers is far from a quick dinner. Next time you cook up a tray, plan ahead and buy extra ingredients to prepare a second uncooked pan to freeze. When you take it out and bake it fresh, it’ll taste just like the first batch. vegetable chowder Use fresh vegetables in your vegetable chowder, and save it

for a rainy day. For the times that your favorite legumes aren’t in season, vegetable chowder is a great dish to unfreeze and enjoy with very little effort.

blueberry muffins Prepare traditional batter in muffin tins, dot with fresh blueberries and sprinkle brown sugar on top. Take these sweet breakfast treats directly from the freezer and into the oven without disrupting your morning routine.

grilled chicken breast Grilled chicken breast is a great ingredient to always

have on hand for topping a homemade Caesar salad, quickly sautéing for tacos or shredding into creamy chicken salad. Buy extra breasts when they go on sale at the store and grill all at once, then simply freeze what you don’t eat to round out later lunches and dinners.

uncooked hamburger patties Form your patties all at once and store them in the freezer in bundles separated by parchment paper inside a zip-close bag for your next grill out. Freezing patties allows you to customize your burgers depending on size, quantity, fillings, herbs and spice, that need nothing but a warmed up grill.

Homemade Greek Food Carry out • Catering Private Parties Gyros • Kebobs • Baklava oLYmPIa keBoB HoUSe aNd TaVerNa Patio Now open 7 days a week from 11am 1543 McCausland • 314-781-1299

spaghetti sauce Your garden isn’t producing tomatoes year-round, but that shouldn’t stop you from always having them on hand. Freeze your favorite homemade spaghetti sauce recipe leftovers flat in zip-close bags, and they will last 12 to 18 months.

9811 S. 40 Drive, St. Louis, MO 63124 310 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, MO 64112 St. Louis: 314-587-2433 KC: 816-627-0100 Check out our upcoming public cooking classes at lecole.edu

Inspired Local Food Culture

September 2015

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FeAst eVeNts

publisher’s letter stl

beer and barbecue. these are the flavors of fall.

As we turn the corner into cooler weather, beers inevitably become more complex, with heavier styles taking the place of summer’s light, bright patio pounders.

One way that brewers are adding complexity is by barrel aging their beers.

Some brews are aged in spent wine barrels, meaning that the flavor is neutral, the oak flavor pulled out by several rotations at a winery. These barrels impart something of the fruit character of Watch the September episode of Feast TV on PBS stations across the region to learn how to prepare gnocchi with sauce made with Volpi Foods’ pancetta. their former inhabitants, and the impact is soft and subtle. Other beers are given time in used spirit barrels, whiskey barrels being the most common (think whiskey-barrel stout). Unlike spent wine barrels, spirit barrels add a huge amount of flavor and nuance to beer. As brewers continue to experiment and push boundaries and as used whiskey-barrel availability dwindles, beers are being aged in everything from gin to rum to tequila barrels. Associate editor Bethany Christo explores beer’s next frontier on p. 82 in Against the Grain.

All that good beer deserves equally good barbecue, and it’s no secret that our part of the U.S. is well-known for serving some of the country’s best ‘cue. In Smoke the Competition, Mallory Gnaegy talks with those who have dedicated their lives to perfecting the art of smoked meat. They are passionate and focused and having a ton of fun. Turn to p. 62 for her double feature on the culture of competitive barbecue.

Rounding out this issue are features on sorghum syrup, a sweet piece of Missouri’s history by Eric Reuter (p. 72), Julie Scheidegger’s profile of Hank Charcuterie chef-owner Vaughn Good (p. 77) in Lawrence, Kansas, and our usual roundup of great places to eat and drink. September is a transitional month, with summer fading into fall by month’s end.

We hope this issue puts you in the mood for the crisp weather and comforting season to come.

Feast in the park Through October, 5 to 8pm; rotating St. Louis County Parks

Enjoy great mobile eats and popular local bands in St. Louis County parks.

KC

Midwest Flavors Cooking series: the Art of seasoning Fri., Sept. 4, 6:30 to 9pm; The Culinary Center of Kansas City; $75; cookingschoolsofamerica.com/kcculinary

Learn the art and technique of seasoning food with Kansas City’s own Wood + Salt.

KC

Festival of the lost township Sat., Sept. 5; 11am to 4pm; Raytown, Missouri; $35 in advance; festivalofthelosttownship.org

Crane Brewing Co. and the Raytown Three Trails Kiwanis Club host this inaugural craft beer festival.

KC

Art Westport Fri., Sept. 11 through Sun., Sept. 13; Westport, Kansas City; artwestport.net

The Kansas City tradition features original art, jewelry, crafts and more from top local artists.

KC

library in the park with KCKpl Sat., Sept. 12; 10am to 3pm; Big Eleven Lake; Kansas City, Kansas; free; kckpl.org

Enjoy a taco contest, great local bands, kids’ activities and a mobile library. stl

louFest Sat., Sept. 12 and Sun., Sept. 13

The two-day festival features national and local bands, great local eats in the Feast-sponsored Nosh Pit, and artisan producers and vendors. stl

March of Dimes signature Chefs Auction Thu., Sept. 17, 6pm; The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis; signaturechefs.marchofdimes.org

Sip cocktails and participate in a silent auction, as well as a culinary buffet from some of St. Louis’ top chefs. stl

Feast TV taste & see Fri., Sept. 18, 7pm; Public Media Commons; ninenet.org

Watch Feast TV segments and enjoy presentations and samples from craft breweries and charcuterie makers featured on the show. stl

the 13th Annual Wine Opener Fri., Sept. 18; 7:30pm; The Foundry Art Centre; cff.org/StLouis

Enjoy wine tastings, appetizers, auctions and more to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. stl

taste of st. louis Fri., Sept. 18 through Sun., Sept. 20; Chesterfield Amphitheater; tastestl.com

The ultimate food experience includes 35 plus restaurants, chef competitions and more. stl

MOsAiCs Missouri Festival for the Arts Fri., Sept. 18 through Sun., Sept. 20; North Main Street in Historic St. Charles, Missouri; stcharlesmosaics.org

The family-friendly event features art from 100 national artists, entertainment and more. stl

science uncorked Sat., Sept. 19, 7 to 11pm; Saint Louis Science Center; slsc.org/science-uncorkedm

Learn about the chemistry and science behind the winemaking process with 70 plus wine tastings.

Until next time, stl

south Grand Fall Festival Sat., Sept. 19; South Grand Business District; southgrand.org

Celebrate South Grand with local artists, musicians, dancers, restaurants and shops. stl

Catherine Neville

schnucks Cooks: Quick Dill pickles Wed., Sept. 23, 6 to 9pm; Schnucks Cooks Cooking School; $40; schnuckscooks.com or 314.909.1704

Learn how to make pickled onions, jalapeños, carrots and okra; tomato gazpacho; Mexican pot roast tacos; and churros with ice cream. il

praise the lard Murphysboro barbecue Cook-Off Thu., Sept. 24 through Sat., Sept. 26; 17th Street Barbecue; eat17bbq.com

Enjoy competitions, music and general barbecue education from the country’s best pitmasters.

publisher@feastmagazine.com

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feastmagazine.com

SEPTEMBER 2015

@cat_neville

@cat_neville

Saturday, September 19th FEATURING:

70+ Wines Small Plates Cooked with Wine Science Demonstrations and Lectures Live Music

7–11 pm

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Inspired Local Food Culture

SEPTEMBER 2015

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DIGITAL CONTENT

hungry for more?

feastmagazine.com

connect with us daily:

PHOTOGRAPHy by APRiL FLeMiNG

PHOTOGRAPHy by MAbeL SueN

Facebook. See where we’re dining across the region (like at Leeway Franks in Lawrence, Kansas) at facebook.com/feastmag.

The Feed: sTL TROPICAL LIQUEURS: Tropical Liqueurs has made its long-awaited debut in Soulard, serving more than a dozen fruity, fromscratch frozen cocktails.

TWITTeR. Follow @feastmag to keep up with

food-and-drink events across the region (like the Nami Ramen pop-up in Clayton, Missouri).

PHOTOGRAPHy by jeNNiFeR SiLveRbeRG

PInTeResT. Find recipes for seasonal desserts (like this vegan blueberry-peach crumb pie) on our Pies and Tarts board at pinterest.com/feastmag.

The Feed: kc PHOTOGRAPHy by TeReSA FLOyD

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 took a look at the upcoming Wild Sun Winery from former employees of Anheuser-busch and Chaumette vineyards & Winery and listed our top five favorite snow cones in St. Louis. sPecIaL gIVeaWaY: Win an exclusive dinner prepared by Aya Sofia chef-owner Mehmet yildiz with beer pairings by

Anheuser-busch brewmaster George Reisch. just head to the Promotions section at feastmagazine.com for all the details.

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s e p t e m b e r 2015

PHOTOGRAPHy by DReW KOCH

IBIS BAKERY: Since launching at a farmers’ market stall, Ibis Bakery has grown, now selling its crusty sourdough bread, flaky croissants, sugar-dusted morning buns and more at its brick-and-mortar shop in Lenexa, Kansas.

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

BArcelonA We pride ourselves in creating a traditional authentic Tapas Bar atmosphere.This includes our warm decor and the traditional hanging of Serrano hams and dried bacalaos.

Our service reflects a traditional tapas experience as you might find in Madrid, Barcelona or Sevilla. Tapas in Spain are almost always accompanied by wine. We offer a variety of Spanish wines by the glass or bottle, as well as our red or white sangria.

Come join us soon!

34 N. Central • Clayton, MO 63105 barcelonatapas.com • 314-863-9909

Bocci BAr

Our menu features small plates from Farm, Land and Sea, specially created to compliment the many wines we have to offer. Please let us help you with pairings, as we love the conversations and interactions with our customers.

We pride ourselves on serving wines at the appropriate temperatures, our reds are chilled to 55 degrees and our white wines are at 35 degrees.

16 N. Central • Clayton, MO 63105 boccibar.com • 314-932-1040

coAstAl Bistro The menu at Coastal Bistro is an exciting combination of coastal influences from low country and creole inspired items, to New England favorites, andWest Coast specialties.

Escape to the Coast in Clayton – Come to Coastal and enjoy items from the raw bar, small plates, or dinner menu, Coastal is the perfect place for date night or meeting with friends.

14 N. Central • Clayton, MO 63105 coastalbistro.com • 314-932-7377

the wine merchant

The Wine Merchant has offered excellent value, selection, and service to the St. Louis wine and spirits community since 1992. Now in a new location! Join us for open house tastings Fridays from 5-7 and Saturdays from 12-4.

Subscribe to our emails for info on sales, tastings, and events!

7817 Forsyth Blvd, clayton, mO 63105 (314) 863-6282 • winemerchantltd.com

ruth’s chris

Mouth-watering steaks, sizzling crab cakes, handcrafted cocktails and velvety wine selections—do we have you hooked yet? At Ruth’s Chris, everything is prepared extraordinary because every experience is special. Give Ruth’s in Clayton the opportunity to show you how it’s done. Find Ruth’s in Clayton at Brentwood and Forsyth.

1 N. Brentwood Blvd. ste 150, clayton, MO 63105 314-783-9900 ruthschrisstLouis.com

Avenue

Welcome to Avenue where we are open all day - every day. We’ve taken what was best about Pomme Restaurant and Pomme Cafe & Wine Bar and have combined them in one space. Avenue offers The Apple Room for private events for 45 guests seated or 60 standing. Patio seating available.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner & brunch on the weekends.

12 N. Meramec Ave., Clayton, MO 63105 • avestl.com 314-727-4141 Inspired Local Food Culture

September 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: Get a taste of modern comfort food like Nashville-style hot chicken, mac ‘n’ cheese and fried bologna sandwiches at Southern in St. Louis.

Segment 2: Stop in at Kansas City’s Q39, a smokinghot barbecue restaurant that serves up classic, low-and-slow ‘cue as well as wood-fired dishes.

Segment 3: Head to New Haven, Missouri, to learn how 2nd Shift Brewing is aging beer in gin barrels from nearby Pinckney Bend Distillery.

In the September episode cooking demo, producer Catherine Neville shares how to make gnocchi with a rich sauce made with pancetta from St. Louis-based Volpi Foods. Visit feastmagazine.com to find the recipe.

Segment 4: Explore the art of charcuterie at St. Louis’ Volpi Foods, where generations have nurtured the Old World art of curing meat.

feast tv is brought to you by the generous support of our sponsors: Missouri Wines

WhoLe Foods Market

L’ écoLe cuLinaire

In September, reach for a bottle of Windy Wine Co.’s Tyrannosaurus Red. Feast TV producer Catherine Neville pairs it with gnocchi with caramelized mushrooms and pancetta sauce.

Get cooking at home! Pick up the recipes and ingredients from Cat Neville’s September Feast TV demo at the Brentwood and Town and Country locations of Whole Foods Market in the St. Louis area.

In St. Louis and Kansas City, L’École Culinaire offers high-quality culinary education. From foundational culinary skills to management, it has programs to fit any culinary path.

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SEPTEMBER 2015

WATCH FEAST

October3 & 4

ON THESE NETWORKS

In St. Louis, tune into the Nine Network (Channel 9) to see Feast TV on Sat., Sept. 5 at 2pm; Mon., Sept. 7 at 1pm and Sun., Sept. 13 at 1:30pm. Feast TV will also air throughout the month on nineCREATE.

the premier fine art & fine craft event in St. Louis

Nathan Grubich, ceramics, Ludington, Michigan

135 artists from across the nation 9 am to 5 pm Saturday 10 am to 5 pm Sunday $7 for adults – valid both days Age 14 & under free with adult $1 off with canned food donation Flora Place & Tower Grove, St. Louis, just east of the Missouri Botanical Garden

Participant

ShawArtFair.org �

In Kansas City, watch Feast TV on KCPT (Channel 19) on Sat., Sept. 19 at 2:30pm.

�

You can watch Feast TV throughout midMissouri on KMOS (Channel 6) on Thu., Sept. 24 at 7:30pm and on Sun., Sept. 27 at 4:30pm.

Feast TV will air in the southern Illinois region on WSIU (Channel 8) at 10am on Sat., Sept. 5.

Inspired Local Food Culture

September 2015

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SEPTEMBER 2015

where we’re dining

get on board with french fare on p. 20 photography by landon vonderschmidt

trending now: guanciale

on trend

WRitten by Macy salaMa photoGRaphy by aaRon ottis

Guanciale, or cured pork jowl, is prized for its rich flavor and delicate texture.

Cured and Smoked Crispy Guanciale Recipe couRtesy RobeRt sills, savannah GRille

Yields | 5 pounds 2 2 2 1 3

|

pork jowls, trimmed and cleaned tsp freshly ground black pepper tsp chile flakes tsp fennel seeds, crushed bay leaves, crushed

5 2½ 1 1

Tbsp kosher salt Tbsp chile powder star anise, crushed Tbsp mustard seeds

| Preparation | poke all sides of jowls with a small paring knife to allow the cure to penetrate throughout. in a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and reserve about half. Rub first half of spice mixture into jowls. allow jowls to rest in refrigerator, covered, for 2 weeks, adding additional spice mixture throughout and rotating as needed. use the entire spice blend by the end of the curing process.

When ready to smoke jowls, remove from refrigerator, uncover and transfer to a smoker filled with sugar maple wood (or your preference) for about 1 hour at 225°F. Do not clean off cure; let cured jowls rest on racks before and after smoking. after jowls have cooled, slice paper thin and serve.

mo

house-cured

laKe oZarK, Mo. at Savannah Grille in lake ozark, Missouri, chef-owner Robert sills prepares as much from scratch as possible – including sausage, bacon, tasso and cured and smoked guanciale. pork jowls are cured in a mix of spices, herbs and salt for 12 to 14 days, with sills rotating the jowls daily, until the cure has penetrated throughout. From there, jowls would traditionally be hung and dry cured to make guanciale, but sills takes a different approach; he smokes the jowls with sugar maple wood. “our guanciale is traditional but with a bit of pop and spice,” sills says. “smoking it adds another layer of flavor you wouldn’t get from dry curing; it adds a luscious flavor.” this summer, sills served his crispy guanciale with pan-roasted carolina crab cakes, a white bean and pink pea succotash, spiced fried radishes and roasted red pepper rouille.

Savannah Grille, 1622 Horseshoe Bend Parkway, Lake Ozark, Missouri, 573.365.1777, savannahgrillerestaurant.com

kC

italian staple

Kansas citY. at Bella Napoli in Kansas city, chef-owner Jake imperiale says the kitchen is focused on serving traditional italian fare – something close to imperiale’s heart and heritage, as his mother was born in italy and he’s traveled extensively throughout the country. imperiale says he isn’t surprised to see guanciale increasing in popularity in the u.s., but to him, it’s just another staple in italian cooking. “i think it’s becoming popular because italian flavors are so subtle and all complement each other so well,” imperiale says. “Restaurants are noticing that the italian ingredients don’t overpower a dish, and they want to work with them.” at bella napoli, guanciale is sourced from small producers in new york, chicago and volpi Foods in st. louis, and is served in spaghetti alla gricia along with pancetta, pecorino and freshly ground black pepper.

Bella Napoli, 6229 Brookside Blvd., Brookside, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.444.5041, kcbellanapoli.com

Stl

better

than bacon claYton, Mo. Zoë Robinson, owner at I Fratellini in clayton, Missouri, says she uses guanciale from st. louis-based volpi Foods or salume beddu in her home kitchen, especially in pasta dishes. “Guanciale is salty and richer than bacon,” Robinson says. “it goes with so many different things.” at i Fratellini, executive chef ny vongsaly incorporates guanciale into several regular menu items such as bucatini primavera with fava beans, asparagus, peas and pecorino topped with fresh mint, and gnocchi with tomatoes. in addition to sourcing some of its guanciale from volpi Foods, Robinson says the restaurant also serves volpi’s speck with bruschetta. “volpi’s meat is just so good; it’s the original sausage maker in [the st. louis] area.”

I Fratellini, 7624 Wydown Blvd., Clayton, Missouri, 314.727.7901, ifratellini.com

One On One

stl

CoMe oN DoWn tO

vince valenza & joey valenza

owner, blues city deli and melo’s pizzeria

MuRpHySbOrO FoR ThE AnNuAl

co-owner, melo’s pizzeria

Written by Macy SalaMa

ST. LOUIS. blues city Deli owner Vince

photography by judd demaline

Valenza and his son, Joey, are calling 2015 their best year in business yet. With the perennially popular St. louis deli thriving, the Valenza family decided to start a neighborhood pizza joint, Melo’s Pizzeria (named after Vince’s father, carmelo), slated to open next month in what was previously the deli’s garage. the pizzeria is Joey’s passion project; he first began experimenting with wood-fired pizzas after developing an interest in bread baking. the Valenzas describe the menu at Melo’s as influenced by their italian heritage – including one pie inspired by Vince’s grandmother, angelina – and focused around simple, housemade toppings layered on some truly killer crust.

What inspired the pizzeria? Mainly the passion i saw Joey have and just tasting his product – it’s really good. i saw him developing a passion for it, as far as getting into flour, water and yeast. He started testing wood-fired pizzas, and we thought it would be really cool to offer [them] on the same property as the deli to give people more options. it wasn’t planned; this sort of just blossomed over the past couple years. –Vince Valenza i started off making artisan breads. From there, i started getting into pizza dough – doing more traditional italian pizza. i built my own metal device to create a wood-burning oven. the process of mixing dough every day and just playing around with different pizzas is very exciting to me. –Joey Valenza Joey, tell us a little about your culinary background. i’ve been making bread for almost three years. My dad bought the building where the deli is located [from the former landlord] in november 2013. We had the garage space and were thinking of doing a bakery to bake our own bread [for the deli]. We played with that idea, and then we thought to do a pizzeria instead. We’ve added more seats on the patio in the backyard to connect the two spaces so it all meshes together.

–J.V. Tell us about your pizza. the wood-fired oven is a huge factor in the flavor in the pizza. ingredients and flavors will represent our family’s italian heritage, but we won’t necessarily be adhering to a strict pizza style – neapolitan or new york style – we’re just trying to make the best pizza we can. –J.V. We are making a garage into a pizzeria, so people are really going to be walking into the kitchen when they come in. it will be a very unique experience. you walk in, Joey will be there and your pizza will be made right in front of you. also, the wood-fired oven is almost a piece of artwork itself, made in naples. –V.V. What are a few pizzas you’ll be serving?

One will be a Margherita, made in the standard way. another will be the angelina, inspired by my dad’s grandmother who would make pizza every christmas eve. We will make it just like she did with tomato sauce, basil, garlic, oregano, olive oil and green onions. it will have an aged hard cheese, but it will not be predominantly cheesy. We’re also going to do more of an american-style cheese pizza with wholemilk Mozzarella, a sausage pizza, a pepperoni, a veggie and another meat-based pizza with something like bacon or pork belly. We’re hoping to do a special pizza of the day so we can play around with ingredients. –J.V. it’s going to be very basic on ingredients initially, and then we’ll probably introduce more unique things as time goes on. –V.V. Meanwhile, what’s happening at Blues City Deli? business has been phenomenal; it’s been the best year yet. We’re very grateful. there is nowhere to expand but the patio, which will be shared with the pizzeria. We’re just trying to improve every day at the deli. We have more housemade stuff; meatballs, roast beef and pork are all done in-house. We’re thinking of doing brisket in-house soon.

–V.V. We’re hopefully going to start making our own pastrami in-house, too. –J.V. Blues City Deli and Melo’s Pizzeria, 2438 McNair Ave. and its rear garage, Benton Park, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.773.8225, bluescitydeli.com

EaT17BbQ.CoM / @17ThStReEtBbQ / #PrAiSeThElArD 214 n. 17Th sTrEeT MuRpHySbOrO, iL 62966

618.684.8902

Open 7 days a week! happy hOur Monday thru Friday 11am – 10pm: Monday – Saturday 3pm – 6pm 9am – 9pm: Sunday reverse happy dailylunch specials hOur Starting at $6.95 Friday and Saturday 10pm to Midnight served Monday thru Friday (happy hour our Menu Only available) Made tO Order Brunch 11am – 2pm Saturday 9am – 2pm Sunday

5401 Johnson drive, Mission, ks 66205 913-403-8571, www.luckybrewgrille.com

Inspired Local Food Culture

September 2015

19

where we’re dining

Kc

From new restaurants to renewed menus, our staff and contributors share their picks for where we’re dining across the region this month.

guerrilla

WrITTeN By PeTe DuLIN

stl

street food STOry AND PHOTOS By MABeL SueN

ST. louIS. It didn’t take long for food

PHOTOGrAPHy By BeN PIePer

truck Guerrilla Street Food to gain a loyal following in St. Louis after launching in 2011. This past July, co-owners Joel Crespo and Brian Hardesty opened a brick-and-mortar Guerrilla Street Food in the South Grand dining district. The fast-casual restaurant features the same Filipino-inspired fare and quick service, dishing out hearty rice bowls and burritos as well as chicken adobo and the Flying Pig with slow-roasted pork, calamansi, hoisin, Sriracha, fried garlic, toasted black sesame seeds, scallions and a one-hour egg over jasmine rice. Another specialty, Belly of the Beast, captures the tradition of lechón (Filipino-style spit-roasted suckling pig) with a pork belly glazed in calamansi and fish sauce served over coconut milk jasmine rice.

The much larger kitchen and space allow more room to experiment, as well; get a taste of Hardesty’s culinary experience and interests by sampling daily specials, or opt for the Kamayan Feast, a tasting menu of a dozen or more shareable items served on banana leaves.

Guerrilla Street Food, 3559 Arsenal St., Tower Grove East, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.529.1328, guerrillastreetfood.com

charisse

Kc WrITTeN By JeNNy VerGArA | PHOTOGrAPHy By LANDON VONDerSCHMIDT

KANSAS CITY. About a year ago,

Jason Craine, chef-owner of the Downtown location of Aixois Brasserie, purchased the French restaurant from its other owners and reopened it as Charisse, a contemporary bistro with traditional French influences.

Named after Craine’s wife and business partner, Charisse changed hands internally and without fanfare – so much so that the restaurant might be the best-kept secret in the Downtown dining scene.

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SEPTEMBER 2015

Located north of the Kansas City Power & Light District on Walnut Street, in the heart of the financial district, Charisse is well-positioned for business lunches, but at night the restaurant takes on a more relaxed and leisurely pace. The dining room décor, created for Aixois by designer and architect John O’Brien, is stunning and captures the feeling of a modern French bistro.

Much of the food and wine offered still speaks French; entrées are where

you’ll see the strongest contemporary American influences on the menu, such as the house burger made with mâche (nutty greens), Port Salut cheese, a veal reduction sauce and grilled onions served on a brioche bun with fries, or the pulled chicken with housemade tagliatelle, peas, chicken demi glace, parsley, crimini mushrooms and ricotta.

Charisse, 1006 Walnut St., Downtown, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.474.0000, charissekc.com

brobeck’s barbeque oVERlAND PARK, KS. Doug Brobeck, original owner of Stilwell Smokehouse, was known for serving some of the best barbecue in southern Johnson County. He relocated to Overland Park, Kansas, in November 2007 and reopened the restaurant as Brobeck’s Barbeque, where meats are rubbed with a spice blend, smoked and served without sauce. A son of eastern Tennessee, Brobeck is known for his Southern-style pulled pork as featured in the popular Tennessee Porker sandwich.

Don’t overlook the burnt ends, pork rib slabs and smoked sausage – including the spicy andouille served with excellent red beans and rice on Thursdays. In addition to beef and pork, the restaurant also serves top-notch smoked hot wings and chicken, as well as salmon on Friday and Saturday nights. Dishes here have a Southern accent – ham salad dip, corn wrapped in cheese that’s breaded and deep fried and Texas Toothpicks, or breaded and fried slices of onion and jalapeños.

Brobeck’s Barbeque, 4615 Indian Creek Parkway, Overland Park, Kansas, 913.901.9700, brobecksbbq.com

slamburger

ONe ON ONe como

julie king

written by Liz MiLLer

WASHINGTON, MO. in August, the owners of the blue Duck in

festival director, roots n blues n bbq festival

washington, Missouri, transitioned their other restaurant, Smokey Duck barbecue, to a fresh and fun burger concept called Slamburger. the switch was inspired by the weekly “slamburger” specials at the blue Duck, which co-owner Chris rayburn says have been a huge hit with diners. Past slamburger experiments have included the SlamDinger, made with two burger patties topped with St. Louis slinger fixin’s (cheese, onions, housemade chili, two runny eggs and hand-cut fries) and the Sultan of Slam, which smashes three burger patties with onion rings and bacon drizzled with house Slam sauce. rayburn says everything is made from scratch at Slamburger, from the hand-cut fries and onion rings to the buns, sauces, ketchup and other condiments. Slamburger also serves a selection of hot dogs topped with creative ingredients and equally wild desserts, including milkshakes in flavors including gooey butter cheesecake (all shakes are made with a whole piece of pie or cheesecake) and ice cream sandwiches called Slamwiches made with strawberry, vanilla or chocolate ice cream drizzled with chocolate-caramel Slam dessert sauce and wedged between two waffle cookies.

Written by Valeria turturro KlaMM

COLUMBIA, MO. Sept. 25 to 27

marks the ninth annual Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival in Columbia, Missouri. the three-day festival features nearly 30 artists from the genres of roots, blues, gospel, country, bluegrass, rock, folk and soul – 2015 artists include Dwight yoakam, buddy Guy and brandi Carlile. and while the music takes center stage, a variety of food vendors make sure guests are not left hungry in between performances.

“We doubled the number of food vendors when we moved to Stephens lake Park in 2013 and have grown to nearly 30 food vendors since then,” says Julie King, festival director. “i think we’ve found a good variety for our fans.”

Slamburger, 3051 Phoenix Center Drive, Washington, Missouri, 636.432.5050, facebook.com/slamburgersteve

PhotogrAPhy by AAron ottiS

PhotogrAPhy by nAtALie hinDS

mo

How has the food component of the festival changed over the years? Since moving to the park, we’ve increased the amount of vendors and the variety of offerings. When we were Downtown, our fans used to flow in and out of the festival footprint to take advantage of the restaurants. We’ve brought some of the Downtown favorites to the park to keep the local experience alive – Glenn’s Cafe, broadway brewery and lakota Coffee Co., to name a few. it really adds to the experience. We used to host a barbecue competition but discontinued that in 2013. all our fans want [is to] eat and experience the barbecue, and the competition didn’t allow for that. In addition to restaurant vendors, the event also includes local food trucks – who can we expect to see this year? We have some pretty cool food trucks in Columbia! ozark Mountain biscuit Co. serves everything from eggs or jam or barbecue pork with slaw on delicious biscuits.

Jamaican Jerk Hut is always a fan favorite, as well as lilly’s Cantina and Columbia barbecue staple buckingham Smokehouse bar-b-Q. Strange Donuts and Harold’s Doughnuts provide the sugar fix with their crazy donut creations.

We’ve also got the usual kettle corn, funnel cakes, nachos and barbecue galore that you’d expect to find. What are your must-try foods or vendors at the festival each year? Some personal favorites that i look forward to are ozark Mountain biscuit Co., Jamaican Jerk Hut, Peggy Jean’s Pies and italian ice. you can’t go wrong, though; there are so many great ones. What’s new this year? We’re continuing to work with our vendors on green initiatives like serving out of compostable or recyclable containers instead of Styrofoam. the environment is important to our fans and to us, so we’re trying to do our part to make sure we host the most sustainable event possible.

Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival; Sept. 25 to 27; 2001 E. Broadway, Stephens Lake Park, Columbia, Missouri, 573.442.5862, rootsnbluesnbbq.com

Inspired Local Food Culture

s e p t e m b e r 2015

21

S andwiches • Burgers • S oups

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every week this summer

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FEATURES: LARGEST SELECTION OF SCOTCH IN COUNTY

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1933 Edwards St, St Louis, MO 63110

(314) 773-2223

www.LorenzosTrattoria.com

22

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SEPTEMBER 2015

WHISKEYS

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23

destination: danville, kentucky

road trip

WRITTeN BY AMY LYNCH

Bluegrass, bourbon and barbecue are what you’ll find in friendly Danville, Kentucky, located 30 miles southwest of Lexington, this month. The small town hums each September when it hosts the Kentucky State BBQ Festival, a celebration of the state’s culinary heritage. This year’s festival falls on Sept. 11 to 13 and brings together some of the most skilled pitmasters in the country to strut their smoky stuff during the championship cookoff. To learn more, visit kentuckybbqfestival.com.

sleep

eat

big events

Rub elbows with sociable locals over salads, hot sandwiches and brick oven-baked pizzas topped with locally sourced ingredients, all washed down with a cold craft beer. Specialty pies include the Mediterranean, The Mighty Meat, pesto-chicken, veggie and spicy Italian – and the breadsticks are a must-try.

The oldest legal distillery in Danville, Wilderness Trail churns out single-barrel bourbon aged within a 2,100-barrel rickhouse, along with other award-winning spirits such as rum and vodka.

Tours of the distillery are available Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Bluegrass Pizza and Pub

The Golden Lion Bed & Breakfast The Greek revival home that houses this cozy bed-and-breakfast dates back to 1840 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Beyond the several rooms and suites all appointed in period style, the inn also operates a genealogical museum and research center open to visitors.

243 N. Third St., 859.583.1895, thegoldenlionbb.com

Grace Café This brand-new Downtown eatery puts a fresh spin on feel-good food by seeking to end hunger and food insecurity for locals through philanthropy. There are no set prices on the menu; guests simply pay what they can afford (or, volunteer an hour of their time at the community-centric restaurant) in exchange for wholesome, heartwarming Southern eats.

The Farm

450 Waterworks Road, 859.583.0244, thefarmllc.com

This one-of-a-kind hideaway commands a sleek residential-style loft right in the heart of the walkable Downtown district. The two-story property can accommodate up to six guests (although you may end up arguing over who gets to stay in the gorgeous master bedroom featuring original exposed brick and a custom king-sized bed).

235 W. Main St., 859.339.9279, stayoverdanville.com

Cue on Main

Brother’s Bar-B-Que The close-knit group of men who founded Brother’s first got their start as a competitive-barbecue team before creating a catering operation. Now, they work together to grill and smoke meats for their own brick-and-mortar restaurant, from which they turn out tasty pulled pork nachos, prime rib and Kentucky cheesesteaks, often served with a side of live music.

464 S. Fourth St., 859.236.3600

You won’t find backyard picnic tables or red-and-white-checkered tablecloths here; Cue on Main applies an upscale approach to barbecue with a creative food menu and a backdrop that features handsome wood floors, brick walls and industrial-chic decor.

Maker’s Mark is the house bourbon, but the $5 bourbon pours on Tuesday nights are a good excuse to branch out and try something new.

303 W. Main St., 859.236.2400, cueonmain-hub.com

feastmagazine.com

SEPTEMBER 2015

Kentucky’s best known for its bourbon, but brewers are busy putting the Bluegrass State on the map when it comes to craft beer, as well.

Open since 2011, this intimate microbrewery is chugging right along, pouring pints of stouts, pilsners and hoppy IPAs. 107 Larrimore Lane, 859.209.4211, kybeerengine.com

Jane Barleycorn’s Market & Bar Bourbon country cache and wine country sophistication happily coexist at this artsy little eatery, where premium spirits, wine and craft beer complement a small but nicely curated selection of cheeses, cured meats, sharable snacks, entrées and desserts. If you want to take a taste of Kentucky home with you, the restaurant’s on-site market stocks plenty of edible souvenirs.

130 S. Fourth St., 859.236.9774, janebarleycorn.com

24

Beer Engine

Burke’s Bakery and Delicatessen Start the day off on a sweet note with fresh donuts, pastries and baked goods at this local landmark across the street from Constitution Square, or swing in at lunchtime for a deli sandwich made with the bakery’s own salt-rising bread.

121 W. Main St., 859.236.5661

PHOTOS COURTESY THE DANviLLE-BOYLE COUNTY CONvENTiON AND viSiTORS BUREAU

Stay Over Danville

445 Roy Arnold Blvd., 859.402.8707, wildernesstracedistillery.com

314 W. Main St., 859.236.7737

219 S. Fourth St., 859.209.2529, gracecafeky.org

This rustic retreat sits within a gracious antebellum home perched on a peaceful parcel of land and includes a working farm complete with its very own menagerie of animals. Seven charming rooms and a private cottage are yours for the taking.

Wilderness Trail Distillery

Gift Cards Available!

Try our 18oz.

Prime Ribeye

IN THE HEART OF KCMO.

waldomo.com

enhanced by a delicious Mushroom Burgundy sauce, creamy garlic mashed potatoes and Rose Bud Salad.

Conveniently located in Kirkwood Dinner Hours: Tues.-Sun. 5 p.m.

133 West Clinton Place St. Louis, MO 63122 314-965-9005

www.citizenkanes.com

Inspired Local Food Culture

SEPTEMBER 2015

25

September to November: beetS

IN SEASON

wRitten By Macy saLaMa

Hearty root vegetables with earthy, naturally sweet flavor, beets deserve to be used in more than just salads this season.

Kc

poached & salt-roasted

KANSAS CItY. Ryan sneed, corporate executive chef for kc hopps restaurant group, which includes 75th Street Brewery in kansas city, says he grew up hating beets. when he became a chef, he was motivated to create what he describes as a “dynamite beet dish.” at 75th street, that dish is poached and salt-roasted beets served with goat cheese and crispy rosemary. sneed says the beets have a distinct flavor due to the sugar, rice vinegar, rosemary and garlic added during the poaching process, which takes about two hours. “the lemony flavor of rosemary really changes the earthy flavor of the beet,” sneed says. “our beets have a lot of aromatics and a sweeter taste.” once beets have been poached, sneed salt-roasts them for 10 minutes. he recommends pairing the shareable dish with an ipa or any hoppy beer with citrusy, grapefruit notes.

75th Street Brewery, 520 W. 75th St., Waldo, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.523.4677, 75thstreet.com

Poached and salt-Roasted Beets Recipe couRtesy Ryan sneed, 75th stReet BReweRy

Serves | 12 | 6 1 8 1 4 2½

Ks

smoked beets

stl

beet purée

LAWreNCe, KS. the secret ingredient in all of the

St. LoUIS. “Beets are a meaty vegetable; they have

beet dishes at 715 in Lawrence, kansas, is sweetness, says executive chef Zach thompson. whether he’s drizzling smoked honey on beets for the restaurant’s roasted beets-and-honey dish or toasting hazelnuts for smoked beets and roasted broccoli, thompson says his goal is to preserve and enhance the root vegetable’s natural sweetness with other sweeteners.

For the smoked beets, thompson roasts and then smokes them to extract strong flavor. “smoking helps beets continue to cook and softens the texture, but then from smoking them, it also imparts a crazy level of savoriness – kind of like barbecue,” he says. “it’s a gnarly raw flavor.” the restaurant sources its red beets from Juniper hill Farms and its golden beets from Moon on the Meadow, both located in Lawrence.

a really nice bite and offer something very earthy,” says heather stone, executive chef of Taste in st.

Louis. stone says her favorite thing about cooking with beets is their versatility. her biggest tip when working with the root vegetable is patience, as the natural sweetness of beets becomes distinct once thoroughly cooked. this summer, stone served her take on a classic beet salad at taste: Beets were sliced, blanched and tossed with a spicy pickled red onion and served with avocado, pea shoots, mint and cilantro. stone says one of her other favorite ways to prepare beets is in a purée to serve with a green salad, grains and grilled meat or mushrooms. “you can purée them so smooth; it creates the most amazing velvety texture, and it’s a great dark red that is striking on a white plate.”

715, 715 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, Kansas, 785.856.7150, 715mass.com

Taste, 4584 Laclede Ave., Central West End, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.361.1200, tastebarstl.com oNLINe eXtrA

Find chef Heather Stone’s recipe for beet purée at feastmagazine.com.

cups water cup granulated sugar oz rice vinegar sprig fresh rosemary cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the side of a knife lbs medium-sized beets, tops removed extra virgin olive oil sea salt

| Preparation | in a large pot over high heat, bring water to a boil and add sugar, rice vinegar, rosemary and garlic. Reduce heat to a simmer and add beets (keep them submerged in poaching liquid). allow beets to poach for 2 hours until softened throughout (a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a beet will easily come out). transfer beets to a cooling tray and allow to cool to the touch. preheat oven to 350ºF. using a paper towel, peel beets by rubbing towel against beet skin. dice beets into small wedges and transfer to a large bowl. drizzle oil and sprinkle salt over beets and toss to evenly distribute. transfer beets to lipped baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. serve. photogRaphy By ©istock/anna kucheRova

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CHeF’S tIp “To get the best, most vibrant-colored cooked beets, cook gold and red beets separately. Keep beets submerged in water, making sure the water doesn’t boil down. Don’t allow beets to be exposed to air until fully cooked.”

–Ryan Sneed, executive chef, 75th Street Brewery

one on one

Kc

megan piel & natasha goellner owners, lanmou chocolates

WRITTEN By PETE DuLIN

KANSAS CITY. Pastry chef Megan Piel (pictured left) recently partnered with Natasha Goellner, founder of Natasha’s Mulberry & Mott in Kansas City, to launch Lanmou Chocolates.

After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in St. Louis, Piel interned at Mulberry & Mott for a month before being hired on and becoming close friends with Goellner. After 10 months in Kansas City she moved to New Orleans to work at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans and Sucré, the acclaimed Big Easy confectioner. Now she’s back in Kansas City working with Goellner to make artful chocolates in creative flavors such as barbecue, made with spices from Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que; passion fruit; whiskey, made with J. Rieger & Co.’s Kansas City Whiskey; and a coffee truffle made with coffee from local favorite Thou Mayest Coffee Roasters. Piel says she chose to become a chocolatier “because of the technique, beauty and artistry that goes into creating pastries and chocolate. Chocolate can take many forms, flavors and colors.”

How did you land on the name Lanmou? Lanmou means “love” in French-Creole.

Living in New Orleans for almost three years had a big influence on me personally and careerwise. I wanted to bring a bit of the South to Kansas City. Our logo is an alligator holding a parasol ready to celebrate in the second line. Our packaging has an alligator skin texture that we adore. –Megan Piel When did the Lanmou partnership begin? I visited Megan in New Orleans. She kept saying that she could make chocolates for Mulberry & Mott if that’s something we wanted to do. When I returned to Kansas City, I called her and asked if she wanted to start a chocolate business with me. –Natasha Goellner We wanted our company to have a Southern influence, due to my time living there and the fun Tasha and I had when she came to visit. –M.P. What is your process for creating new flavors? I like playing with ideas and flavors that you wouldn’t normally expect to pair with chocolate. I try to think about what people crave during a specific season. Inspiration also comes from the Downtown farmers’ market, the beer or cocktail I’m drinking or something out of left field. The barbecue [chocolate] was an off-the-wall idea. [But] it seemed crazy that it hadn’t been done. The smokiness of the milk chocolate ganache added another level of rich flavor and brought it all together. –M.P. What distinguishes Lanmou from other artisan chocolates? We have fun with chocolate, using bold, unusual flavors.

There are also classic flavors so there is something for everyone. We have garnished chocolate bars that are on the larger size and don’t go light on toppings or flavor.

Everything is wrapped by us. The labels are hand-stamped. –M.P. Lanmou Chocolates, 320 Ward Parkway, Country Club Plaza, Kansas City, Missouri, 913.216.4093, lanmouchocolates.com

photography by teresa floyd

Monday - Friday | Lunch & Dinner Saturday - Sunday | Dinner Only

2061 Zumbehl (Bogey Hills Plaza) • St. Charles, MO 636 • 949 • 9005 www.fratellisristorante.com

Join us for Cooking with Chef!

“It takes 2” Wine & Pizza Pairings Do pizza differently!

Here at MaryAnn’s Tea Room we don’t serve the expected - we serve the unexpected.

Experience cooking pizza, sophisticated sides & desserts with our Chef and dine with us when you’re done!

Friday, September 18 at 6:30pm $150 per “couple” This is meant to be a shared experience whether you’re a “couple” or good friends!

You’ll get all the food to prepare, complimentary wine, recipes to recreate the dishes at ecial gift home, & a special for each off you.

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108 St. Louis, MO 63108

Call (314) 361-5303 to reserve your spot today!

Space is limited.

www.maryannstearoom.com Inspired Local Food Culture

September 2015

27

Regional RestauRant guide As proud supporters of Feast Magazine, we encourage you to visit any of these fine establishments. From fine dining to fast casual to local wineries, there are an array of experiences to choose from, so support and eat local!

1818 Chophouse

Bocci Wine & Tapas Bar

Dewey’s Pizza

Hendricks BBQ

4 Hands Brewing Co.

Café Sebastienne at Kemper Museum

Diablito’s

4420 Warwick Blvd.

Kansas City, MO 816.561.7740 kemperart.org

3761 Laclede Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.644.4430 diablitoscantina.com

J Mcarthur’s - an american Kitchen

Café Ventana

Edg-Clif Farms & Vineyard

Joe Boccardi’s

El Pico Mexican Restaurant

King & i

210 S Buchanan St. Edwardsville, IL 618.307.9300

1220 S. Eighth St. St. Louis, MO 314.436.1559 4handsbrewery.com

amigoni Urban Winery

1505 Genessee St. #100 Kansas City, MO 913.890.3289 winery.amigoni.com

avenue Restaurant 12 N. Meramec Ave. Clayton, MO 314.727.4141 avestl.com

16 N. Central Ave. Clayton, MO 314.932.1040 boccibar.com

3919 W. Pine Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 314.531.7500 cafeventana.com

Café Verona

206 W. Lexington Ave. Independence, MO 816.833.0044 cafeveronarestaurant.com

Multiple Locations deweyspizza.com

10035 Edge Cliff Drive Potosi, MO 573.438.4741 edg-clif.com

106 W. Maple Ave. Independence, MO 816.252.7426

facebook.com/elpicomexicanrestaurant

Citizen Kane’s Steak House

Evangeline’s Bistro

Barcelona

Cleveland-Heath

34 N. Central Ave. Clayton, MO 314.863.9909 barcelonawinebar.com

106 N. Main St. Edwardsville, IL 618.307.4830 clevelandheath.com

Fratelli’s Ristorante

Basso

Coastal Bistro & Bar

aya Sofia

6671 Chippewa St. St. Louis, MO 314.645.9919 ayasofiacuisine.com

133 W. Clinton Place Kirkwood, MO 314.965.9005 citizenkanes.com

512 N. Euclid Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.367.3644 evangelinesstl.com

114 W. Mill St. Waterloo, IL 618.939.9933 gallagherswaterloo.com

Bella Vino Wine Bar & Tapas

Corner Restaurant

Garden Cafe ala Fleur

Bishop’s Post

16125ChesterfieldPkwyW. Chesterfield, MO 636.536.9404 bishopspost.com 28 feastmagazine.com S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5

Courthouse Exchange 113 W. Lexington Ave. Independence, MO 816.252.0344 courthouseexchange.com

117 S. Main St. Columbia, IL 618.281.6700 joeboccardis.com

3157 S. Grand Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 314.771.1777 kingandistl.com

Klondike Café at Montelle Vineyard

201 Montelle Dr. at MO Hwy 94 Augusta, MO 636.228.4464 montelle.com

Gallagher’s

14 N. Central Ave. Clayton, MO 63105 314.932.7377 costalbistro.com

4059 Broadway Kansas City, MO 816.931.4401 thecornerkc.com

3500 Watson Road St. Louis, MO 314.353.9463 jmcarthurs.com

2061 Zumbehl Road St. Charles, MO 636.949.9005 fratellisristorante.com

7036 Clayton Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.932.7820 basso-stl.com

325 S. Main St. St. Charles, MO 636.724.3434 bellavinowinebarstl.com

1200 S. Main St. St. Charles, MO 636.724.8600 hendricksbbq.com

Lanai Coffee

5300 Donovan Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.835.7446 facebook.com/ lanaicoffee

SPECiaLTiES:

524 S. Main St. St. Charles, MO 636.493.6023 gardencafealafleur.com

Nutty Hawaiian, Lulu’s Lemonade, Kona Mocha Monkey, Strawberry Eruption and more

Haveli indian Restaurant

“Moscow Hurricane,” a double shot of cold-brew coffee, Australian Bundaberg ginger beer and a splash of coconut over ice

9720 Page Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.423.7300 havelistl.com

Must Try :

Lorenzo’s Trattoria

1933 Edwards St. St. Louis, MO 314.773.2223 lorenzostrattoria.com

LoRusso’s Cucina 3121 Watson Road St. Louis, MO 314.647.6222 lorussos.com

Olympia Kebob House and Taverna

1543 McCausland Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.781.1299 olympiakebobandtaverna.com

Ophelia’s Restaurant & inn 201 N. Main St. Independence, MO 816.461.4525 opheliasind.com

Pat’s Bar & Grill

6400 Oakland Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.647.6553 patconnollytavern.com

Lucky Brewgrille

5401 Johnson Drive Mission, KS 913.403.8571 luckybrewgrille.com

SPECiaLTiES: Lacquered Skewers Black & Bleu Strip Steak Cedar Salmon Heavenly Pasta

Providence New american Kitchen 1329 Baltimore Ave. Kansas City, MO 816.303.1686 providence-kc.com

Must Try :

SPECiaLTiES: Locally sourced menu items, hand-crafted cocktails, glazed pork belly, shrimp jumbo, peach cobbler

Frisco Burger – best burger in Mission, KS

Magpie Cafe

903 S. Main St. St. Charles, MO 636.947.3883 magpiesonmain.com

Mai Lee

8396 Musick Memorial Dr. Brentwood, MO 314.645.2835 maileestl.com

Mary ann’s Tea Room

4732 Mcpherson Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.361.5303 maryannstearoom.com

Mathew’s Kitchen

5625 Hampton Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.351.1700 mathewskitchenstl.com

Must Try :

S’mores Flavors dessert

Q39

Sanctuaria

4198 Manchester Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.535.9700 sanctuariastl.com

Schlafly Tap Room

Tenacious Eats

3117 Olive St. St. Louis, MO 314.605.3684 tenaciouseats.com

Shrine Restaurant

The Dark Room Wine Bar

442 S. Demazenod Drive Belleville, IL 618.394.6237 snows.org

615 N. Grand Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 314.531.3416 thedarkroomstl.com

Square Pizza

Tom + Chee

208 W. Maple Ave. Independence, MO 816.461.2929 squarepizzasquared.com

1280 Highway K O’Fallon, MO 636.294.9800 tomandchee.com

Starrs Nosh Bistro

Tony’s Restaurant & Prohibition Lounge

1135 S. Big Bend Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 314.781.2345 starrs1.com

312 Piasa St. Alton, IL 618.462.8384 tonysrestaurant.com

Stone Hill Winery

Trattoria Giuseppe

Stur Restaurant

Truffles and Butchery

Sugar Creek Winery

Urban Chestnut Brewing Co.

1110 Stone Hill Highway Hermann, MO 573.486.2221 stonehillwinery.com

4 Club Centre Court A Edwardsville, IL 618.307.9613 sturrestaurant.com

125 Boone County Lane Defiance, MO 636.987.2400 sugarcreekwines.com

Reifschneider’s Grill & Grape

Summit Grill & Bar

Ruth’s Chris Steak House

Tazé Mediterranean Kitchen

1 N. Brentwood Blvd. #150 Clayton, MO 314.783.9900 ruthschris.com

2125 S. State Route 157 Edwardsville, IL 618.655.9595 teaspoonscafe.com

Multiple Locations schlafly.com

1000 W. 39th St. Kansas City, MO 816.255.3753 q39kc.com

Multiple Locations grillandgrape.net

Teaspoons Cafe

4835 NE Lakewood Way Lees Summit, MO 816.795.7677 summitgrillandbar.com

626WashingtonAve. #103 St. Louis, MO 314.254.7953 tazestreetfood.com

5442 Old State Route 21 Imperial, MO 636.942.2405 trattoria-giuseppe.com

9202 Clayton Road St. Louis, MO 314.567.9100 todayattruffles.com

3229 Washington Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.222.0143 urbanchestnut.com

Wild Sun Winery 4830 Pioneer Road Hillsboro, MO 636.797.8686 wildsunwinery.com

Wood Cask

10332 Manchester Road Kirkwood, MO 314.858.1085 thewoodcask.com Inspired Local Food Culture S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5 29

Hermann Location Upcoming Events

Harvest Festival - September 5 Grapes to Glass - September 12 Wedding Trail - September 13

Woof, Wag & Wine - September 27

Oktoberfest - 1�� 4 Weekends in October

Wine & Spirits - October 31 Grapes to Glass - November 7 Stash Bash - November 7 Kristkindl Markt - December 5 & 6 Beast Feast - December 11

573.486.3479

1110 Stone Hill Highway • Hermann, MO 65041 800.909.9463 • stonehillwinery.com 30

feastmagazine.com

SEPTEMBER 2015

where we’re drinking

book a (whiskey) flight on p. 36 PHOTOGRAPHy by J. POllAck PHOTOGRAPHy

trending now: Bottled CoCktails

on trend

Written by Pete Dulin PhotograPhy by JuDD DeMaline

Bottled cocktails made with spirits, fresh juice, bitters and herbs offer portable and delicious drinks for backyard cookouts, picnics, outdoor concerts or just for cracking open after a long day.

just the classics

STl

st. louis. at Planter’s House in St. louis, proprietor

and beverage director ted Kilgore says bottled cocktails are especially convenient for large groups. “it’s a good way for a group to quickly have a drink,” he says. Sidle up to the bar at Planter’s house and order a 500-milliliter bottled cocktail (serves three to four guests) or a 1 liter (serves six to eight). the bottled selection at Planter’s house includes five classic cocktails: the Manhattanite, Martinez, negroni, old Fashioned and Sazerac. each cocktail is prepared, prestirred, bottled and refrigerated at 28°F. the drink is presented with a chilled glass (on the rocks or straight up), with a garnish and an ice bucket to keep it chilled to the last drop.

Planter’s House, 1000 Mississippi Ave., Lafayette Square, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.696.2603, plantershousestl.com

The Manhattanite

The following recipe also requires a 750-milliliter bottle.

Courtesy ted kilgore, Planter’s House

Serves | 4 to 6 | 10 2½ 2½ 5 6¼

oz Rittenhouse Rye oz sweet vermouth oz Suze liqueur dashes Scrappy’s Chocolate Bitters oz filtered water ice orange twist (for garnish)

| Preparation | Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and, using a funnel, pour into a 750-milliliter bottle. Refrigerate overnight.

To serve, pour over ice or into a cocktail glass straight up with an orange twist for garnish.

32

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SEPTEMBER 2015

Mo

tableside fizz

sMitHVille, Mo. inspired by the bottled cocktails he

tried while on vacation in Portland, oregon, Justus Drugstore bar manager arturo Vera-Felicie developed his own collection of 187-milliliter bottled cocktails.

Vera-Felicie’s riff on the Paloma, dubbed When Doves Cry, combines tequila ocho Plata, Salers apéritif, housemade grapefruit soda and smoked sea salt. VeraFelicie prefers that servers open the cap tableside so the cocktail can be enjoyed straight from the bottle. “i like the idea of the pop-fizz creating a perception for the guest that they’re at an old soda fountain,” Vera-Felicie says. “Serving force-carbonated, individually bottled drinks is a great way to both ease the pacing at the bar and give guests something fun they might not have seen before.” Vera-Felicie employs different preservation techniques, such as using salts and sugars, to ensure fruits and herbs maintain freshness and flavor longer.

Vera-Felicie says he uses natural essential oils, shrubs, citric acid and ascorbic acid to achieve shelf stability while retaining or boosting fruit and citrus flavors.

Justus Drugstore, 106 W. Main St., Smithville, Missouri, 816.532.2300, drugstorerestaurant.com

KC

wine-tails

kansas City. brock Schulte, head bartender at The Rieger in Kansas City, first experimented with making bottled cocktails at Drum room lounge at the hilton President in Downtown Kansas City. he’s now brought that knowledge to the cocktail program at the rieger – the Fat boy Slim, for example, is a rosé-based bottled cocktail inspired by the restaurant’s lengthy summer rosé wine list. “it’s a type of negroni where rosé is used instead of gin and aperol instead of Campari,” Schulte says. Combier Crème de Pamplemousse rose, a grapefruit liqueur, adds a citrusy brightness to the carbonated drink, while aperol lends a touch of bitterness. “by making a large batch, you ensure consistency is on point with each cocktail,” Schulte says. “it’s delicious – and a patio pounder, for sure.”

The Rieger, 1924 Main St., Crossroads Arts District, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.471.2177, theriegerkc.com

ONE ON ONE

stl

Where the outside world ends and serenity begins.

jim gorczyca

president and chief executive officer, o’fallon brewery Written by Alex Wilking

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO. in

photography by judd demaline

June, O’Fallon Brewery moved across the Missouri river from O’Fallon, Missouri, to Maryland Heights, Missouri. the new space is more than triple the size of the former brewing facility, allowing O’Fallon to bottle and produce all of its beer in one spot. it also marked the debut of O’Bar, a taproom with a full kitchen serving lunch and dinner – something its previous location didn’t offer.

President and chief executive officer Jim gorczyca believes the move – and massive upgrade – also solidifies O’Fallon as one of the big players in the St. louis beer scene.

How will the new location impact production and bottling? it’s improved our output immensely. At our old facility, we had about a 4,000-barrel capacity. because we made more beer than that, we had to outsource a lot of our production to a brewery in Wisconsin. the new facility gives us the opportunity to do 100 percent of our beer production in Maryland Heights with a 25,000-barrel capacity and room to grow to 50,000 barrels. that improves our quality because we’re in control of all our beer and also improves our consistency. What does the new location mean for the brewery longterm? We really had a hard time connecting with St. louisians at first.

We were in O’Fallon, which isn’t the closest to Downtown. We also didn’t have a place where people could visit and get beer or lunch. the new location provides close proximity to St. louis and has the O’bar to give people the opportunity to come in and really experience what O’Fallon brewery is about.

People want to connect with their breweries and brands, and we were really missing that connection until now. Any plans for the former location? All operations at that location stopped at the end of July. We’re working with the city of O’Fallon to possibly put a brewpub in that spot that would brew and serve our beer on-site for that location only, to keep our connection to the city, but we’re still in the midst of planning that out. We actually looked for places in O’Fallon to put the new brewery but couldn’t find a site that met our needs. We think it’s the right thing to do to move all our people, resources and equipment into this one facility to make the best beer we can. Tell us about the brewery’s new food menu. the O’bar’s menu is kind of upscale-casual. everything is produced on-site; fresh salads, sandwiches and flatbreads are the core of the menu. When possible, we also try to infuse our beer into recipes. We use our Wheach beer in a vinaigrette dressing and our smoked porter in the au jus for our roast beef. What’s a best-selling menu item? We love talking about the O’bar Premium burger. Some of us refer to it as the “circle burger” because a local ranch, Sugar Creek Piedmontese, provides the beef. it uses Piedmontese cattle, which is very lean beef from northern italy. these cattle eat the spent grain from our brewing operation, so after we brew beer, the wort goes into the brew kettle and leaves grain in the mash tun, called spent grain. that grain has a high amount of protein in it because we removed all the sugars. the rancher uses that grain to feed his cattle, and then we use the beef from his cattle to feed the folks that visit O’bar. Any new beers in the works? We’re working on a brand-new beer called Westport Wheat (named for our proximity to Westport Plaza). the beer is based on our original recipe for O’Fallon Wheat, which we stopped making to focus on other beers. We’re planning to introduce it this month or next.

O’Fallon Brewery, 45 Progress Parkway, Maryland Heights, Missouri, 636.474.2337, ofallonbrewery.com

4059 BROADWAY, KANSAS CITY, MO 64111 (816)931-4401 THECORNERKC.COM

Thank You for Voting Us Favorite Butcher Shop in STL

4830 Pioneer Road Hillsboro, MO 63050 636-797-8686 www.wildsunwinery.com

2810 Sutton Blvd, Maplewood, MO 314-647-2567 • bolyardmeat.com

A single mosAIc hopped ip ipa. now available Year Round!

Inspired Local Food Culture

September 2015

33

the mix

ChiCha andina i was working on another cocktail project when i ran across a drink called chicha. popular in central and South america, the cocktail is made with vegetables and fruits. Varieties of chicha vary from country to country, and even then, within one country recipes can vary by region. either corn, rice or quinoa are the main ingredients in most of the recipes i found, with supporting flavors added from pineapple, strawberries, amaranth, bananas, plantains, potatoes and vanilla. in chile, chicha is commonly produced with apples and grapes – probably due to its rich history of winemaking. in the amazon basin, yucca root is commonly used. one chicha recipe intrigued me the most: it’s called chicha andina, from táchira State in Venezuela. there, chicha is made with corn and fermented pineapple, as well as cinnamon and

Story and recipe by Matt Seiter photography by Jonathan gayMan

cloves for additional flavor. throughout my career i’ve seen corn and pineapple paired together in corn salsas, and i’ve mixed pineapple juice with cinnamon in cocktails; i’ve made sauces out of corn and corn stock and have been to bourbon distilleries where huge vats of corn ferment on the path to becoming whiskey. despite all those experiences, i never thought about putting corn kernels in a cocktail. the corn used to prepare chicha andina makes all the difference. a majority of chicha recipes call for blue corn as it’s most abundant in central america and South america. For my take on the recipe, i used Midwest-grown sweet yellow corn, and it worked like a charm. Feel free to try different varieties of corn to your taste in the recipe. the process is the same, but the flavor will change.

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.

Chicha Andina I’ve tried this recipe with several types of rum. All are palatable, but Rhum Agricole works the best, specifically a younger aged one. Dark rums brought a fall baking spice flavor, which was a bit too sweet for my taste. White rums produced a bright cocktail, and the effects and flavors of the corn milk were too subdued.

Serves | 1 |

1½ 1 ½ ½ 1 2 1 1

oz Clément V.S.O.P. Rhum Agricole Vieux oz fresh corn milk (recipe below) oz fresh pineapple juice oz cinnamon syrup (recipe below) tsp lemon juice dashes Angostura bitters ice cinnamon stick (for garnish) piece baby corn (for garnish)

| Preparation | in a cocktail shaker, combine all ingredients except ice and garnish and shake to combine. add ice, shake once more and strain into a double old Fashioned glass filled with fresh ice. garnish with cinnamon stick and baby corn and serve.

Make Your Mixers Corn Milk Yields | 5 oz |

1⁄ 3

kernels removed from 1 ear corn cup water

| Preparation | in a blender, combine corn kernels with water and blend on high for 10 seconds. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and use immediately or bottle and refrigerate (will keep in refrigerator for 2 days).

CinnaMon Syrup Yields | 15 oz |

5 2 12 12

cinnamon sticks tsp dried orange peel oz granulated sugar oz water

| Preparation | in a pot over medium heat, muddle cinnamon sticks, orange peel and sugar until sticks break down into small pieces. add water and turn heat to high. bring to boil, reduce to simmer, and simmer for 20 minutes. remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Strain through a finemesh strainer and use immediately or bottle and refrigerate (will keep in refrigerator for 1 month).

on the shelf : september picks

WINE

Windy Wine co.’s tyrannosaurus red written by Jane MCCorMiCk

provenance: osborn, Missouri pairings: Grilled steak • Barbecued brisket • Lamb

Don’t let the lighthearted name and a label sporting the toothy grin of a tyrannosaurus rex turn you away from what is a serious – and seriously good – wine.

Windy Wine Co.’s tyrannosaurus red is a dry blend of Chambourcin and norton grapes that spends a good amount of time in american and French oak barrels, which round out the wine’s complex flavor profile and soften its spicy, fruit-forward character. this wine develops in the glass; the first sips are fruity, and as it opens up, more of tyrannosaurus red’s rich, jammy quality emerges.

Windy Wine Co., 816.675.2002, windywine.com

BEER

PRESENTING SPONSOR

ST. LOUIS REGIONAL CHAMBER ANNUAL EVENT NO. 178

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2015

THE PEABODY OPERA HOUSE

1400 MARKET STREET ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 63103

5:30P.M.

TO RESERVE TICKETS, PLEASE VISIT STLREGIONALCHAMBER.COM/EVENTS OR CALL 314.444.1109

Jolly PumPkin artisan ales’ la roJa

PROGRAM

style: Sour red ale (or Flanders red ale) (7.2% abV) pairings: Salads with vinaigrette dressing • Grilled beef •

8:00P.M. CELEBRATION & RECEPTION

Strong cheeses such as Camembert

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, 734.792.9124, jollypumpkin.com

PRE-EVENT REGISTRATION

7:00P.M.

written by branDon niCkelSon

nothing says funky like the beers made at Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales. Don’t let the name fool you, though – Jolly Pumpkin isn’t about pumpkin beer. (although it does make one, and it’s amazing.) instead, the brewery is well-known for its rustic saisons and funky sours. la roja is one of the brewery’s flagship sour beers, and it’s a true delight. the beer has a deep amber color and gives off hints of spice and notes of tart fruit.

ATTIRE COME AS YOUR BUSINESS SELF

pat’s is back

UNDER ORIGINAL FAMILY MANAGEMENT

Brothers Brandon and Ryan Nickelson are available to help with beer picks and pairing recommendations at their store, Craft Beer Cellar, the only all-craft beer shop in the St. Louis area. Craft Beer Cellar is located at 8113 Maryland Ave. in Clayton, Missouri. To learn more, call 314.222.2444 or visit craftbeercellar.com/clayton.

SPIRIT

Pinckney Bend distillery’s cask-Finished Gin written by Matt Sorrell provenance: new Haven, Missouri (46.5% abV) try it: in a traditional negroni.

in recent years there has been a movement to put gin in oak for a time to soften some edges and add layers of flavor and complexity. Pinckney Bend Distillery’s cask-finished gin – which took home a gold medal at the 2015 San Francisco world Spirits Competition – starts with the distillery’s awardwinning gin made with nine different botanicals, which is then aged in charred second-use Missouri white oak barrels. the brightness of the base gin is toned down somewhat after some time in the barrel, producing a mellow, smooth spirit that’s great in cocktails or by itself with an ice cube or two.

Pinckney Bend Distillery, 573.237.5559, pinckneybend.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.

Great location for The Great Forest Park BALLOON GLOW and RACE Sept. 18-19 Private Event Room Available

Half Price Kids Menu Everyday with $25 Purchase!

Live Music

Irish - 2nd & 4th Wednesdays Jazz - 1st & 3rd Thursdays

Famous for Fried Chicken $9 Chicken Dinner Special on Saturday

Across From Turtle Park, Zoo And Forest Park

www.patconnollytavern.com 6400 Oakland Ave. @ Tamm In Dogtown (314) 647-PATS Inspired Local Food Culture

September 2015

35

where we’re drinking Check out what we’re sipping at bars, breweries, wineries and coffee shops across the region. stl

the bbq saloon written by Kyle HarsHa

ST. LOUIS. barbecue and whiskey are everywhere right now, with chefs and restaurateurs pairing the two inherently smoky items together in restaurant concepts across the region. One such recent addition to the st. louis food-and drink scene is The BBQ Saloon, located in the space formerly occupied by the Majestic restaurant & bar at euclid and laclede avenues in the Central west end.

PHOtOgraPHy by J. POllaCK PHOtOgraPHy

when the Majestic closed in april 2014, Phil and tracy Czarnec, owners of the venerable wild Flower restaurant & Catering located across the street, jumped at the chance to take over the space. the bbQ saloon opened just over a year later, and one thing was immediately clear: the Czarnecs take whiskey very seriously. the bar carries more than 500 different whiskey options, organized by region and nationality: domestic, irish, scottish, Canadian, etc. almost more impressive than the number of options is that the bar provides brief descriptions for each selection. you’ll learn, for instance, that bird Dog whiskey has notes of wood, grains, honey and maple, while the highly soughtafter Orphan barrel whiskey Distilling Co.’s lost Prophet conjures the flavors of banana bread, vanilla, cinnamon, green apple, leather and espresso.

The BBQ Saloon, 4900 Laclede Ave., Central West End, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.833.6666, bbqsaloonstl.com

kate’s coffee AUGUSTA, MO. Just a few minutes

PHOtOgraPHy by natalie HinDs

from the Katy trail, in the heart of the lush augusta, Missouri, wine region, sits Kate’s Coffee. the coffee shop and café is located inside a cozy home built in 1905 and is one of several retail shops on the grounds of Oaks Crossing, a conference and event center owned by randal and Marjorie Oaks. the café serves breakfast and lunch items made with fresh ingredients – many of which are sourced locally – with a focus on coffee, coffee drinks (flavored lattes, mochas and frappés) and espresso, as well as tea, fresh fruit smoothies (in flavors such as peach-pineapple and strawberry-banana) and hot chocolate. Popular breakfast items 36

feastmagazine.com

SEPTEMBER 2015

mo written by liz Miller

include pecan mini muffins, ham croissants and the quiche of the day, which might be sausage and kale one day and ham and mushroom the next. a selection of salads, wraps and sandwiches, including roast beef on toasted whole grain ciabatta, are served for lunch, as is a rotating Memphis-style barbecued pulled pork sandwich (served on a pretzel bun) or barbecue plate special. Order hand-dipped ice cream for dessert and enjoy it in the café’s charming outdoor courtyard.

Kate’s Coffee, 5525 Walnut St., Augusta, Missouri, 636.482.4022, oakscrossing-augusta.com

PhOtOgraPhy by LanDOn VOnDerSChMiDt

Kc

the standard pour written by Jenny Vergara

KANSAS CITY. David Sederholm makes his living managing the financial portfolios of

others by day and is enjoying being hands-on with his own investment at night as the owner of The Standard Pour, a new watering hole located in Kansas City’s west Plaza. the neighborhood gastropub opened this summer in the former boozefish wine bar location on westport road. the space has been beautifully remodeled and feels completely different, inside and out. the back patio has been transformed with a dramatic fountain creating a space that makes you want to sip a beer and linger. inside, the walls shine with a fresh coat of sage paint and tall leather banquettes for guests to enjoy food and drinks while watching the game on one of 10 flat-screen tVs, with belt-driven ceiling fans providing a gentle breeze.

Chef-driven neighborhood cuisine for all tastes in Lee's Summit & Waldo Patio Parties Every Wed. in Lee’s Summit Steak Night Every Mon. in Waldo

the Standard Pour lives up to its name with a house cocktail list of 11 appealing drinks and an extensive beer list. Local taps include beers from boulevard brewing Co., Martin City brewing Co., torn Label brewing Co., Kansas City bier Co., Free State brewing Co., Cinder block brewery and bur Oak brewing Co. you’ll also find a nice wine list; it’s small but has something for everyone. talented Kansas City chef Joe Shirley consulted on the food menu at the Standard Pour, which he has now handed over to chef travis Meeks. the food menu is focused around classic and hearty pub fare – try the reuben sandwich or the 72-hour fried chicken, with Sunday brunch debuting later this month.

The Standard Pour, 1511 Westport Road, West Plaza, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.531.7687, thestandardpourkc.com Inspired Local Food Culture

September 2015

37

drink destination: spring hill, kansas

red crow brewing co. wRITTen By PeTe DulIn

| 1 | Made with a blend of Hallertau Blanc, Citra, Centennial and Bravo hops, louise is a solid, subtle and drinkable IPA. The beer has floral and citrus flavors with an aroma of passion fruit, mango and white grape from the hops.

| 2 | Blended rye and roasted malt define elaine, a rye porter. Rye malt adds a spicy, velvety character that builds on the roastiness and creates a bold and highly drinkable dark beer.

| 3 | isabelle, a Belgian blonde, is made with barley and wheat malt.

The addition of coriander imparts a fruity, spicy flavor, and the beer finishes dry and crisp.

PHoTogRAPHy CouRTeSy ReD CRow BRewIng Co.

spring hill, ks. This month, when red Crow brewing Co. celebrates its grand opening, craft beer drinkers in olathe, Kansas, and the surrounding region will have reason to toast. owners Chris and Mistie Roberts and Mistie’s parents, Joe and loretta Fisher, will establish and debut the brewery in Spring Hill, Kansas, after an exhaustive real estate search around Johnson County.

three must-try beers at red crow brewing co.

Red Crow is located in a 3,200-squarefoot building that houses its seven-barrel brewhouse, cold room, offices and taproom that will open to the public. Head brewer Chris has developed complex flavors in familiar styles (think Belgian blonde, pale ale and American wheat), each dubbed with a different woman’s name. red Crow brewing Co., 20561 S. lone elm road, Spring Hill, Kansas, redcrowbrew.com

one on one

Kc

karlton graham KANSAS CITY. Karlton Graham’s interest in home brewing eventually led him to hone his skills in the master brewer program at the Siebel institute of technology in Chicago, where he also studied at Doemens Akadamie in Munich, Germany, for four months as part of its six-month program. While there, he happened to spot a brewer job listing for kansas City Bier Co. Graham was hired to manage the brewery’s production by brewery founder Steve Holle in 2012, and he’s been living in Kansas City ever since. Holle says the brewery focuses on making American interpretations of traditional German styles, including dry-hopped and oak-aged beers.

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all German malt and hops. the water is treated the same way as we would when making German beer. it was allowed to mature longer and at colder temperatures than a typical farmhouse ale, which is a normal German technique. this is the first farmhouse ale made in this way that i have ever heard of. the result is a cleaner, less funky beer that is still quite high in alcohol and flavor. How does the brewery plan to grow in the next year?

We’re making as much beer as we can with our current tanks. We’ve had four new tanks arrive; two of these are double the size of our current tanks. together, this should increase our production capacity by at least 50 percent. We will install a bottling line in early 2016 that will allow us to distribute our beer in stores around town. this will require even more tank space because packaged beer tends to be consumed at an even faster pace than draft. Do you have a preferred style of German beer? Helles represents the perfect balance of malt, hops, crispness and cleanness with just enough sweetness

Written by Pete Dulin

to keep you wanting more. in my opinion, you must drink a full glass of Helles to get the whole experience. i strongly suggest people find it on tap or come to the brewery and get at least a half-liter pour. How would you describe German beer styles? German beermaking is obsessed with perfecting rather than changing things. Although the recipe is important, the process in terms of how you produce the wort on brew day and handle the yeast pitching, as well as the temperatures and pressures involved in fermentation and maturation, are just as critical to achieve just the right flavor. When did you begin making beer for Oktoberfest? i began making Festbier in mid-July for the festival on Sat., Sept. 19 and Sun., Sept. 20. it takes about six weeks to mature in the tanks to taste right. Festbier is a clean, crisp, easy-to-drink lager with more maltiness and hop bitterness than a

traditional bavarian lager. this is the traditional beer served at Oktoberfest in Germany. What events are planned for Oktoberfest this year? Activities include a judged competition of the best German costumes, live music, food, kids’ activities and the Masskrugstemmen, a competition to see who can hold a full glass of 1 liter of beer straight out from his or her body the longest.

Kansas City Bier Co., 310 W. 79th St., Waldo, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.214.8691, kcbier.com

PHoTogRAPHy By AnnA PeTRow

Tell us about your Der Bauer beer. Der bauer is my first beer to be produced on a large scale and distributed all over Kansas City, though i’ve produced eight to 10 limited-release or tasting room-only beers before. this is a German interpretation of a beer style that is not traditionally 34 feastmagazine.com JULYoriginates 2015 German: a farmhouse ale that in southern belgium. Ours is made with

head brewer, kansas city bier co.

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SEPTEMBER 2015

39

Whether you’re taking in a dramatic view or driving along one of our tree-lined country roads, Missouri steals the scene every time. Guess that’s why we’ve been named one of “The 5 Best Places to See the Leaves Change Color This Fall.”

Enjoy the scenery.

Plan your fall getaway at VisitMO.com

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Top of the Rock, Ridgedale

S O M E T I M E S, T H E S C E N E S T E A L S I T S E L F.

shop here

find a one-stop hop shop on p. 44 PhotograPhy by cheryl Waller

shop here

kc

LAWreNCe, Ks. Coffee and bread: These

are the two fundamentals for many of us in the morning, and that is exactly what Taylor Petrehn, a talented baker, and his brother, Reagan, an experienced and skilled barista, are offering at 1900 Barker – Bakery and Cafe in Lawrence, Kansas. The bakery, located in a repurposed laundromat in the Barker neighborhood, opened for business this summer, and immediately the brothers

PhoTogRaPhy CouRTeSy LouiSBuRg CideR miLL

ArtIsAN prodUCt

42

realized they needed to hire additional staff and add more seating.

When doors open for business at 7am Wednesday through Saturday, you’ll find metal trays resting on rolling baker’s racks lined with sweet galettes, savory tarts and breakfast quiche. Pair your breakfast with an excellent cup of coffee made with beans sourced from various nationally acclaimed roasters, which

kc

louisburg cider mill’s sparkling cider WRiTTen By Jenny VeRgaRa

LoUIsBUrG, Ks. When a brisk crispness hangs in the air, you know the seasons

have officially changed – and in Kansas City, thoughts turn to apple cider donuts and hot apple cider from Louisburg Cider Mill & Country Store in nearby Louisburg, Kansas. The mill also makes a refreshing nonalcoholic, all-natural sparkling apple cider. Sparkling cider is sold in four- or 12-packs of 12-ounce bottles in apple, apple-cranberry and apple-pomegranate flavors.

Louisburg Cider Mill & Country Store, 14730 Highway 68, Louisburg, Kansas, 913.837.5202, louisburgcidermill.com

feastmagazine.com

SEPTEMBER 2015

PhoTogRaPhy By anna PeTRoW

1900 barker-bakery & cafe

WRiTTen By Jenny VeRgaRa

rotate seasonally. Fresh bread starts to come out of oven between 2 and 3pm, right in time to pick up on your way home from work. Four different loaves are usually on offer, each made with locally sourced flour, seeds, nuts and fruits.

The Petrehns did much of the construction work on the space themselves, and they did an amazing job transforming the formerly flooded old

laundromat into an airy and open bakery.

From the gorgeous exposed wood rafters to the white subway tile walls to the raw concrete counters, the Petrehns have created a comfortable place to start your day with pastries and coffee and pick up fresh bread for the week.

1900 Barker – Bakery & Cafe, 1900 Barker Ave., Barker, Lawrence, Kansas, 785.424.7609, 1900barker.com

Cleveland heath Fun Food. Happy People. Great Drinks.

Come in for one of the best dinning experiences you will have, in a great environment, surounded by happy people , awesome drink, and fun food.

We hope everyone will share in our imagination and desire for creative cooking. Let’s Eat! 106 north Main St., edwardsville, Il 62025 618-307-4830 www.clevelandheath.com

Stur

Handcrafted cocktails with a signature twist.

Inspired by celebrity mixologist Brian Van Flandern, these made-from-scratch, never pre-mixed, fresh cocktails will keep you wanting more. Relax in our sophisticated lounge accompanied by live music. Need a bite to eat?

Enjoy our small plates of new American cuisine with an emphasis on fresh ingredients

4 Club Centre Ct, Edwardsville, IL 62025 618-307-9613 www.sturrestaurant.com

Dewey’s Pizza

Located in historic downtown Edwardsville, Dewey’s Pizza is an upscale pizzeria which offers unique craft beers, boutique wines, and gourmet pizzas and salads.

Top-notch service and value makes Dewey’s a great spot for your next lunch outing. Stop in for dinner when you are going to the Wildey Theater, or to the “Arts in the Park”. Whether you want to dine-in or carry-out, Dewey’s Pizza in Edwardsville, is the perfect place for your next dining experience! Edwardsville has earned a spot on Family Circle’s “Best Cities for Families”, and Dewey’s carries the charm of the community with its family oriented atmosphere.

Teaspoons cafe

Come in and enjoy a fresh variety of nearly 50 loose leaf teas by-the-cup or by the pot, brewed just for you. Or, order one of our fine coffee, cappuccino or espresso selections.

Join us for breakfast or lunch and choose from our completely made-from-scratch menu of gourmet pastries, sandwiches, wraps, soups, salads and more.

2125 state 157, edwardsville, IL 62025 618-655-9595 www.teaspoonscafe.com

GinGham Buffalo

A Home Decor Retail Store which specializes in Home Furnishings, Furniture, Lighting, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, Lotions, Jewelry & Handbags. In addition to the products in our store we offer outside design services as the Gingham Buffalo Home Outfitters. Our services offer clients several options of Interior Design of their homes such as Home Staging, Home Re-Styling, Furniture Research, Interior Painting and Full Remodel Projects. Whether you just want advice or your whole home remodeled, we have got you covered. We have recently expanded our store to our website to offer select items via our E-commerce Store. The Gingham Buffalo is hoping to have our NEW Location open by Christmas 2015 on Main Street in Edwardsville.

6620 Center Grove Road, Edwardsville, il 62025 618-656-8700 www.ginghambuffalo.com

1818 Chophouse Extraordinary dining experience with progressively innovative cuisine.

Located in Downtown Edwardsville.

This Casual Yet Elegant Steakhouse Has it All! Finest House Butchered Steaks, The Freshest Seafood Around and AWESOME Happy Hour Specials Tuesday-Friday from 4:30-6:30!

210 south Buchanan street, edwardsville IL 62025 618-973-6973 www.1818Chophouse.com

112 e Vandalia st, edwardsville, iL 618-656-2200 www.deweyspizza.com

Inspired Local Food Culture

SEPTEMBER 2015

43

shop here

stl

saint louis hop shop

written by aLex wiLKing

st. LoUis. Justin harris is always on the lookout for new craft beers, but living in north

st. Louis, he says he found it difficult to find the selection he desired. in an effort to bring a broader variety of brews closer to home, harris teamed up with friend ryan griffin to open Saint Louis Hop Shop on Cherokee street in May. the duo’s goal was to establish a microbrew destination that not only embodied the city’s craft-beer movement, but would also add to the neighborhood’s growing food-and-drink scene.

“Cherokee street was one of the first locations we looked at, and we were fascinated with it,” harris says. “we see what it’s becoming, and we feel that we represent the spirit and culture of st. Louis. it was a good vibe from the first time we stepped over there.” the shop focuses on local craft beer but carries more than 100 brands and styles from across the country. Customers can build their own four- or six-packs, snag a cold 22-ounce bomber bottle or try something on draft at the shop’s four-tap bar. saint Louis hop shop is also working with local breweries to host tastings and events in the store each week – in september, it will host events with Kirkwood station brewing Co., goose island beer Co., new belgium brewing Co. and sonoma Cider. “we want to break the idea that good beer has to mean expensive beer,” harris says. “that’s not the case – good beer means well-crafted beer. if it doesn’t cost us a lot, it’s not going to cost you a lot, and that’s our philosophy and motto.”

Saint Louis Hop Shop, 2606 Cherokee St., Cherokee Business District, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.261.4011, facebook.com/saintlouishopshop

ThREE MuST-BuyS aT SainT louiS hoP ShoP

PhotograPhy by CheryL waLLer

| 1 | when you step inside the shop, the first thing you’ll see is a wall of options for a build-yourown four- or six-pack. each bottle is individually priced, and the shop puts everything it carries on the wall for optimum mixand-match possibilities.

Combine two 22-ounce bomber bottles with a few local ciders or choose different styles from one brewery to customize.

get this gadget

microplane spiral cutter written by Laura Laiben, “the Main Dish,” the CuLinary Center of Kansas City, PhotograPhy Courtesy MiCroPLane

KCCuLinary.CoM

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feastmagazine.com

Microplane’s spiral cutter maintains through wear and tear, primarily because its blades are made of surgical-grade stainless steel. easy to use and available in either black or green, the spiral cutter makes beautiful ribbons out of thick vegetables like carrots and squash for tossing into pastas, salads or a stir-frys.

For more details or to purchase the spiral cutter, visit us.microplane.com.

SEPTEMBER 2015

| 2 | saint Louis hop shop has a four-tap bar offering rotating brews and a tV to watch the game after work. the bar also allows the shop to get more exclusive, one-off beers that don’t see bottles or cans. harris says local favorites such as those from Modern brewery and the Civil Life brewing Co. are only available on draft, making them ideal candidates for the bar. the store also hosts tasting events at the bar.

| 3 | harris is hoping to quickly grow a collection of gadgets to enhance the beer-sipping experience.

Keep an eye out for more hop shop-branded bottle openers, keychains and holiday beer-themed gifts later this fall. Local artist Mwanzi Co. created a reusable six-pack holder using refurbished local wood to make your next beer run eco-friendly.

The Shrine reSTauranT

German Menu STARTERS Bratwurst Bruschetta | German Potato Pancakes ENTREES Pork Schnitzel Duet | Sauerbraten Cabbage Rolls | Chicken Schnitzel

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tickets now on sale oct. 21-nov. 1, 2015

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SNOWS.ORG/REST presents

What:

3rd Annual Brew in the Lou & Fine Wine Too

When:

Saturday, October 17, 2015 1-5PM

Where:

Koburg Hall at Concordia Seminary 801 Seminary Place, St. Louis, MO 63105

Wristbands are $30 each, now through October 1st ($40 after October 1st) and includes tastings of beer, spirits, wine, coffee, and food, along with a commemorative glass.

Proceeds benefit the students served by the

L E SA

Lutheran Elementary School Association Serving Lutheran Elementary Schools, Families & Communities

For more information or to purchase a wristband,please call: 314-268-1525 or visit LESA’s website at: www.LESAstl.org.

Wristbands can be purchased at www.LESAstl.org or at these participating restaurants:

Season Ticket Six-Show Packages!

Call Now: 314-535-1700 Groups of 15+ Call: 314-535-2900 FabulousFox.com/Groups Inspired Local Food Culture

SEPTEMBER 2015

45

one on one

stl owner and founder, companion

Written by Alex Wilking

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO. After 22 years baking fan favorites like rustic olive bread,

rye and brioche, Companion recently closed its doors in Dutchtown to relocate to a larger facility in Maryland Heights, Missouri, slated to open this month. the move is bittersweet for Companion owner and founder Josh Allen, though he says he’s been waiting to expand the business for years. in June, Companion announced that James beard semifinalist Josh galliano would be leaving his post at executive chef of the libertine in Clayton, Missouri, to oversee operations at Companion as its bread production manager. the location will roll out a number of new offerings at the combination bakery-café-baking school, including a revamped retail selection of breads, pastries and sweets, an expanded café menu, baking classes and the capacity to host large events.

RENDERING Of THE NEW COMpANION fACILITY

artisan product

stl

barrel-aged hot sauce

written by Liz miLLer

st. louis. late last year, John Perkins, chef-owner of Juniper in the

Central West end neighborhood of St. louis, launched a foodfocused gift bag program called Gift Horse to share a collection of packaged goods made and served in the restaurant. gift Horse bags come in three collections (the biltmore bag, the traveler bag and the Scout bag), each containing a different collection of products and set at differing price points. items include housemade pound cake, pimento cheese, apple butter and barrel-aged hot sauce, all of which can be purchased individually at Juniper or at restaurants and shops in and around the St. louis area, including Annie gunn’s, Parker’s table and tower grove Farmers’ Market. the barrel-aged hot sauce is made with four simple ingredients – peppers, salt, sugar and vinegar – which are fermented in-house to achieve just the right amount of heat and savoriness.

Gift Horse by Juniper, junipereats.com/gift-horse PhotograPhy by jason b. james, courtesy juniPer

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How does it feel to close the doors in Dutchtown? My family has owned that building since 1952. When they sold their business, they sold the building in 2004. So we’ve had a family connection in that area for more than 60 years. it’s been great, and we certainly didn’t look to leave. We were just looking for an opportunity to grow our business, and [Maryland Heights] is where that presented itself. We’re sad and excited at the same time – it’s like going off to college. What were you looking for when searching for the new space?

We’ve been looking for the right space for almost three years. this particular building is 41,000 square feet, more than double our current space in South City. it’s in an area that is a little bit of a food desert, too, so we have an opportunity to bring breakfast and lunch to an area that’s a little underserved outside of Westport Plaza.

And it’s on 4½ acres, so we can expand if necessary. it certainly checked off the most boxes of any space we found.

What kinds of classes will be taught at the baking school? initially, it’s going to be bread-centric – that’s what we do and that’s what we’re excited to teach. it’ll be a combination of specialty bread classes, savory classes, pizza, brunch and those sorts of things. it’s going to be focused on the serious home baker and then also some kids’ classes and stuff during the holidays. We’re excited to share our craft and knowledge with the community. Will the offerings be similar to what was available in Dutchtown? the bread and pastry offerings and presentation will be more expanded than in our current cafés, mainly because of space. A lot of breads will go straight into the café as they

come out of the oven. the breakfast and lunch offerings will mirror that of our existing cafés [in ladue, Missouri, and Clayton]. How will the new location impact distribution? this gives us the production capacity and capabilities to meet demand. We’re growing regionally and nationally into frozen products, so we’re baking our same bread and freezing it. We haven’t bought a new oven in 17 years, so this also means an all-new oven system for us. We’re getting our bakery out of the early ‘90s and into the new millennium.What will Josh Galliano bring to the Companion team? Josh is a passionate, driven and very humble guy. We’re looking for great leaders every day, and Josh and i have had a mutual appreciation for each other [in regards to] baking. Just through a handful of conversations, it led to the opportunity for him to join our team. i’m not sure anyone would turn down the chance to grab somebody like him. We’re having a lot of fun, and he’s a great addition to what we’re trying to do.

Companion, 2331 Schuetz Road, Maryland Heights, Missouri, 314.352.4770, companionstl.com

PhotograPhy courtesy comPanion

“We’re getting our bakery out of the early ‘90s and into the neW millennium.“

josh allen

culinary library

The 100 BesT BarBecue resTauranTs in america

by Johnny Fugitt, barbecuerankings.com written by bethany Christo

Johnny Fugitt went whole hog, literally, in the research for his The 100 Best Barbecue Restaurants in America, published in May. he visited 365 different barbecue joints in the lower 48 states (his record being eight stops in atlanta in one day), ranging from texas brisket to Kansas City burnt ends to vinegar-heavy pulled pork in the Carolinas. his goal was to create a local barbecue guide from someone who has personally tested signature items from each spot. Fugitt is neither a trained chef, restaurateur nor barbecue judge, but he has visited and documented more barbecue restaurants across a greater geographic area more quickly than anyone else. the resulting list ranks his top 25 from his year-long trip (Kerlin bbQ in austin, texas, took the no. 1 spot), with the remaining organized by region including the south and Midwest. (texas has its own section.) the barbecue tome also includes a guide to regional barbecue styles, smokers and tips on how to make rubs, sauces and sides.

get this gadget

kolder salad dressing mixer written by laura laiben, “the Main dish,” the Culinary Center oF Kansas City, KCCulinary.CoM

we often recommend this item to customers at the Culinary Center of Kansas City as it acts as a mini cooking class on how to make various styles of vinaigrette. the sides of the clear shaker bottle are stamped with measurements for salad dressings such as honey mustard, Greek, Caesar and more. Just fill it with ingredients as indicated on the outside of the bottle, then shake and serve.

For more details or to purchase the salad dressing mixer, visit minimeasure.com.

PhotoGraPhy Courtesy Kolder

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SEPTEMBER 2015

Geri Higgins

menu options

get into a pickle on p. 56 photography by jennifer silverberg

seed to table

HerB-Infused OlIve OIl and Butter story and recipe by crystal stevens photography by Jennifer silverberg

there is nothing more pleasant than walking through an aromatic herb garden. herbs are vibrant and colorful; some are sweet and some are savory, and they’re all flavorful and fragrant. september is an excellent time to preserve fresh herbs either grown in your own garden or sourced at your local farmers’ market, as they’re thriving this time of year and are at their peak flavor and freshness.

i typically dry a variety of fresh herbs in a food dehydrator each fall. once dried, i mix different combinations of herbs together in Mason jars. but drying is only one way to preserve herbs – some of my other favorite options are infusing extra virgin olive oil and vinegars with herbs like oregano, rosemary or basil, as well as making herb-infused butters with fresh parsley, sage, rosemary or dill.

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.

Herb-Infused Olive Oil Yields | 12 ounces | 12 4

oz extra virgin olive oil sprigs fresh thyme (or oregano, rosemary or basil)

| Preparation | fill a clean Mason jar with oil. gently place herbs, one sprig at a time, in oil. be sure herbs are submerged. seal Mason jar lid tightly, label with name of herb and date and allow to steep for at least 1 week before using. hardy herbs such as rosemary and thyme may stay in the jars. remove leafy herbs such as basil after 1 week of steeping. Use within 6 months of jarring.

Herb-Infused Butter For every one stick of butter, use two tablespoons of fresh herbs.

Yields | 8 ounces | 2

sticks unsalted butter

4

tbsp minced fresh herbs (parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary or dill)

| Preparation | in a saucepan over medium-low heat, soften butter and add herbs. pour butter and herbs into a large glass mixing bowl and whisk until herbs and butter are combined. label small jars with name and date and pour in mixture. stir as butter cools. once butter has cooled, refrigerate. if you desire whipped butter, simply whip melted herb butter in a food processor and store in jars in the refrigerator. if you prefer a butter roll, wait for the butter to harden just a bit and then place the butter in a piece of plastic wrap. sculpt butter into a roll and place in refrigerator. butter rolls allow you to cut nice slices that are perfect to serve with dinner rolls, whereas butter stored in jars is more convenient to use when cooking.

Frozen Herbs Extra fresh herbs can be frozen and saved for future use. Drop them into soups, stocks, stews or sauces.

Yields | 1 ice tray of frozen herbs | 12

tbsp minced fresh herbs (for each ice tray) cold water

| Preparation | firmly pack the reserves of an ice cube tray with herbs (roughly 1 tbsp herbs per space) and top with cold water. freeze overnight. place frozen herb cubes in labeled freezer bags. reserve for future use.

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Inspired Local Food Culture

SEPTEMBER 2015

51

mystery shopper

Meet: PePino Tastes like a melon, acts like a melon and smells like a melon, yet it isn’t a melon at all.

What Is It?

Pepinos are card-carrying members of the nightshade family, similar in size and appearance to the Thai eggplant. Once exclusive to the Andes highlands, the subtly sweet fruit gravitates toward the coastal climates of South and Central America, New Zealand, western Australia and, on smaller scales, California and Hawaii. Pepinos are commonly referred to as pepino melons, melon pears or pepino dulce – Spanish for “sweet cucumber” – a colorful array of names far less concerned with scientific accuracy and more with flavor. It’s an apt description of the latter: Notes of cantaloupe, honeydew, cucumber, pear and kiwano melons intermingle in its flavor at various stages as the fruit ripens. At its peak, the pepino is texturally similar to a firm plum, with a creamy golden exterior shocked with streaks of aubergine.

STOry ANd rECIPE By SHANNON WEBEr PHOTOgrAPHy By JENNIFEr SILvErBErg

What Do I Do WIth It?

First and foremost, don’t mess with them too much: Like actual melons, simple preparations are key to retaining their beauty. Add pepino to salads; delicate slaws; or sprinkle them with salt, some fresh herbs and a little spice; work them onto a charcuterie platter with prosciutto. For a sweeter take, top a yogurt and granola parfait with cubed fruit, or poach them just as you would a pear and serve them with feta or blue cheese as a dessert course.

Although not technically a melon, pepinos have the flexibility that most melons possess. One of the best – and easiest – ways to maximize its flavor is in this salsa, which plays up its melon-y sweetness by contrasting it with spicy and savory notes that come together with a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Try it on whitefish, chicken or pork alongside a simple green salad, or serve it on crostini topped with a little cheese as a bruschettalike appetizer.

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.

Pepino Salsa

Feel free to play around with ingredients here: If you’re not that into mint, switch it out for fresh parsley or basil leaves. Use walnuts, pistachios or almonds – toasted, please – as a standin for pecans. Adjust this to coordinate with the other components of your meal and to suit your individual taste.

Serves | 4 to 6 | ¼ 2½ ½ 2 to 3

½ 1⁄3 2

½ 10 to 12

cup clover or orange blossom honey tsp balsamic vinegar tsp chile flakes ripe pepinos, flesh scooped from skin, seeds removed, chopped into ½-inch cubes cup seedless red grapes, halved lengthwise cup quartered dried black Mission figs scallions, white and light green parts only, sliced into thin rings cup toasted and roughly chopped pecans fresh mint leaves, sliced into very thin ribbons sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

| Preparation | In a small bowl, whisk together honey, balsamic vinegar and chile flakes. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, add pepino, grapes, figs, scallions and pecans and stir to incorporate. Add fresh mint to taste; add honey-balsamic mixture, toss to coat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

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here, there’s always something neu Dau Neu Furniture offers the latest design trends and the freshest selection. We bring in new items almost every day. So if you haven’t seen us in a while, chances are you’ll find something new and exciting.

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One example is the Iris Table paired with the Bow Tie Chair. Made of solid maple, it’s sturdy, sleek and customizable in a variety of sizes and finishes.

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Get ` Hitched’ to a Red Neck or Die Interactive Comedy Murder Mystery

Ma and Pa Red Neck are invitin’ all the kinfolk for vittles after the Weddin’ rehearsal of their son Bubba and fiance, Billie Jean. Will Bubba, an undercover agent for the FBI, solve the case before he gets hitched or will it be a shotgun weddin’?

Join Ma & Pa, Bubba and Billie Jean and get served up a heaping helping of our hospitality - Red Neck Style!

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JOIN Catherine Neville and L’École Culinaire Program Director, Nicole Shuman in Feast Magazine’s Newest Production

Learn cooking techniques from two culinary experts.

Airing now on feastmagazine.com

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SEPTEMBER 2015

55

menu options

Quick Dill Pickles As summer gives way to early fall this month and vegetables such as cucumbers, onions and okra ebb out of season, make use of what’s left over with quick pickles. Quick pickling differs in many ways from traditional canning methods, but the major difference is stability: When produce is quickpickled, it must be refrigerated through the life of the product, as it’s not shelf stable.

STORy AnD RecIPe by GAbRIelle DeMIchele PhOTOGRAPhy by JennIFeR SIlveRbeRG

Technically all you need to make pickles is water, vinegar, salt and sugar, but adding spices and herbs to the brine will yield more flavorful results. For dill pickles, fresh dill and dill seeds are required, but I also like to add mustard seeds, coriander seeds, garlic and three types of vinegar to the brine.

Then, once I’ve placed the cukes and brine into a jar, I add a cinnamon stick for an extra dash of sweetness and spice.

chef’s tiPs ABOVE PAR. you can pickle almost any vegetable; some just need to be parboiled (or partially cooked) before pickling, such as beets, carrots and okra. you will need 1-quart jar for every 12 ounces of vegetables.

HERB ENHANCERS. Fresh herbs will change the flavor of your

pickle, as will the type of vinegar you use for your brine. Try tarragon with quick dill pickles, oregano with broccoli stems and marjoram with okra.

the menu • Pickled Onions, Jalapeños, carrots and Okra • Tomato Gazpacho with Pickled Okra Garnish • Mexican Pot Roast Tacos with Cabbage, Pickled Onions and Jalapeño Salsa • churros with From-Scratch Ice cream

LEARN MORE. In this class you’ll learn how to pickle a variety of vegetables including onions, carrots and okra. you’ll also learn how to make churros with from-scratch ice cream.

get hands-on: Join Feast Magazine and schnucks Cooks Cooking school on Wed., sept. 23, 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.

Quick Dill Pickles Pickles can be refrigerated in an airtight container for three to four weeks.

Yields | 4 quarts | 3 5 2½ 1 1½ ⅓ 1⁄3 1½ 1 1 1 1 6 4 4

lbs pickling cucumbers, trimmed, sliced into spears tsp kosher salt cups water cup distilled white vinegar cups white wine vinegar cup light brown sugar tsp mustard seeds tsp coriander seeds tsp dill seeds cup coarsely chopped fresh dill onion, very thinly sliced cloves garlic, sliced in half lengthwise cinnamon sticks quart-sized jars with lids, cleaned, sterilized and dried

| Preparation | Place cucumbers into a colander, add salt and toss to mix well. Allow to sit in the colander over a large bowl for 10 minutes.

While cucumbers are resting, add water to a large saucepot over high heat and bring to boil. Add vinegars, light brown sugar and seeds to boiling water to make brine, stirring until sugar is fully dissolved. Remove brine from heat and allow to cool.

Once cucumbers have set for 10 minutes, rinse off salt. In a large bowl, add cucumbers, toss with fresh dill, onion and garlic. Pour cooled brine over mixtures and stir to coat.

Place cinnamon sticks in each of the 4 prepared quart-sized jars and spoon cucumbers into jars equally. Distribute brine between jars until cucumbers are covered. Wipe down jars with clean wet cloth, tightly screw on lids and place in refrigerator. Rotate pickles top to bottom daily for 4 days. Pickles can be enjoyed 5 hours after placing in jars but will develop full flavor after 4 days.

Serve cold.

TV

WATCH IT ON THESE NETWORKS

In St. Louis, tune into the Nine Network (Channel 9) to see Feast TV on Sat., Sept. 5 at 2pm; Mon., Sept. 7 at 1pm and Sun., Sept. 13 at 1:30pm. Feast TV will also air throughout the month on nineCREATE.

In Kansas City, watch Feast TV on KCPT (Channel 19) on Sat., Sept. 19 at 2:30pm.

The

MEAT

MASTERS!

You can watch Feast TV throughout mid-Missouri on KMOS (Channel 6) on Thu., Sept. 24 at 7:30pm and on Sun., Sept. 27 at 4:30pm.

Feast TV will air in the southern Illinois region on WSIU (Channel 8) at 10am on Sat., Sept. 5.

In the September episode of Feast TV, you’ll get a taste of southern-fried goodness at Southern, a new fried chicken restaurant in St. Louis serving up modern comfort food like Nashville-style hot chicken, mac ‘n’ cheese and fried bologna sandwiches. Plus, we stop into Q39, a smoking-hot barbecue restaurant in Kansas City that serves up classic low-and-slow ‘que as well as woodfired dishes. Barrel-aged beer is trending, and we will head to 2nd Shift Brewing in New Haven, Missouri, to see how they are aging beer in gin barrels from nearby Pinckney Bend Distillery. Then, we explore the art of charcuterie at St. Louis’ Volpi Foods, where generations have nurtured the Old World art of curing meat.

Feast TV is presented by Missouri Wines with additional support from Whole Foods Market.

At Schnucks, we’re proud of our Meat Masters! Our butchers will cut your fresh steak, pork chop or chicken to order and wrap it for you. They make our loaded burgers, chicken and beef kabobs and artisan sausages fresh in-store – just for you!

©2015 Schnucks

Inspired Local Food Culture

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sweet ideas

Grilled Ratatouille and Cheese Galette

story and recipe by Christy Augustin Photography by Cheryl Waller

Galettes are a classic French pastry that anyone can tackle; they are simply free-formed, open-faced pies. An ideal light meal, afternoon snack or dinner party dessert, galette fillings can be sweet or savory – apples tossed in cinnamon sugar, ham and Swiss with an egg, fresh berries or sweet potato and sausage.

They can be put together with minimum effort, especially at the height of harvest season. Try spreading the dough with your favorite jam or hearty Dijon mustard before filling.

The following recipe can be easily doubled to make an extra galette – or simply freeze the second batch of dough, which will keep for a month. Baked galettes will keep at room temperature for a day. For a sweet galette, only roll dough in flour and toss two cups of sliced fruit or berries with one tablespoon cornstarch and two tablespoons brown sugar for the filling. Sprinkle finished sweet galette with raw sugar after the egg wash.

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.

Grilled Ratatouille and Cheese Galette Serves | 6 | Galette Dough

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour ½ tsp kosher salt pinch granulated sugar 1⁄3 cup cubed cold unsalted butter ½ cup heavy cream

Filling

¾ cup goat cheese or ricotta 1 Tbsp fresh herbs ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper ½ tsp sea salt ¾ cup grilled or roasted ratatouille ¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1 egg (for egg wash)

| Preparation – Galette Dough | In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar. Add butter, working it into flour by hand until a cornmeal texture forms. Gently toss heavy cream in using a fork to create a rough, shaggy dough. On a lightly floured work surface, smear dough with the heel of your hand, ball it up and repeat once more until a cohesive dough forms. Form into a round disc, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours before rolling out.

| Preparation – Filling | Grill or roast fruits and vegetables to make ratatouille. I make ratatouille with an onion, Roma tomato, eggplant, zucchini and bell pepper (1 each, roughly chopped and tossed in olive oil with salt and pepper). Capers or olives are great additions, too.

In a large bowl, combine goat cheese, herbs salt and pepper and stir to combine. Set aside.

| Final Assembly and Baking | Preheat oven to 400ºF. Remove chilled dough from refrigerator and place on parchment paper. Roll dough in grated ParmigianoReggiano and flour, and then roll dough into a circle ₁⁄₈- to ¼-inch thick and 12-inches round. Dock center of the circle with a fork. Spread cheese filling in the center of dough, leaving 2 inches uncovered around the edges. Top filling with ratatouille. Fold edges of dough over filling, overlapping as you go to create a pleated look.

Lightly beat egg and brush egg wash over top of dough. Transfer galette, parchment paper and all, to a sheet tray or pie tin and bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the top is a toasty brown. Remove from oven and serve.

Welcoming Visitors for Over 200 Years!

The he Businesses of Historic St. Charles, Missouri Come See What’s Happening What’ This Summer

Main Street Books

Your St. Charles Independent Bookseller 2nd Annual Writer’s Workshop

3 Local Authors Invaluable Writing Advice Your Questions Answered!

Participating Details: Place: Main Street Books Authors: Date: September 24th Ann Hazelwood Time: 7:00 pm Brad R. Cook Cost: $20 at the door Bring your questions!

Stephanie Bearce Space is limited- sign up EARLY!

Visit our website for more information: : www.mainstreetbooks.net Contact us: Phone: 636.949.0105 Email: info@mainstreetbooks.net 01 307 S. Main St. :: St. Charles, MO 63301

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Soups, Cheesecake and Cheeseball Mixes.

Sauces, Mustards, Jams & Jellies, Butters, Dip Mixes, Cocoa Mixes, Coffees, Teas, Spices & Seasonings

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Come in and sample the Shortbread!

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Friday, September 18th 4 - 9pm Saturday, September 19th 11- 9pm Sunday, September 20th 11- 5pm

Children’s Village & Art for Youth Saturday, September 19th 12 - 5pm Sunday, September 20th 12 - 5pm The Children’s Village & Art for Youth Gallery are sponsored by Mercy Kids.

Entertainment

Air Lifter Brass, Connor Low & Race Simmons, Coyote Variety Band, The 4th Street Band, Jessie Phillips & Danny Simms, St. Charles Jazz Band, St. Charles High School Orchestra (SCORCH), 2nd Gear, The Blanchette Trio www.stcharlesmosaics.org Mosaicsartfestival@gmail.com

Spice up the Summer...

Bella Vino Brings the Heat with a Variety of Tapas

325 S Main St, Saint CharleS, MO 63301 www.bellavinOwinebarStl.COM (636) 724-3434 Inspired Local Food Culture

SEPTEMBER 2015

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| 62 |

Double feature: smoke the competition

Competitive barbecuers travel across the country, spending sleepless nights attempting to skillfully smoke cuts of meat.

But there’s more to it than becoming a Grand Champion.

| 72 |

a spoonful of sorghum

| 77 |

hank gooDness

| 82 |

against the grain

Organic sorghum syrup produced at Sandhill Farm preserves a sweet piece of Missouri history.

Chef Vaughn Good has created a beacon of bacon and pâté in Lawrence, Kansas, with farm-fresh fare.

Brewers across the region go against the grain with nontraditional barrel-aged beers.

phOtOGraphy OF tOMatO SaLad FrOM hanK CharCuterie (p. 77)

By Ben pieper

competitive barbecuers travel across the u.s. and spend sleepless nights attempting to skillfully smoke cuts of meat at competitions. but that's not all it takes to be a grand champion.

WRITTEN BY MALLoRY GNAEGY

at the low-lying junction of the missouri and kansas rivers rests kansas city's West Bottoms district. In the late 1800s, the West Bottoms was historically home to the Kansas City Livestock Exchange and Stockyards. A little more than a century later, it completed the circle of life as host of the self-proclaimed largest barbecue competition in the nation – the American Royal World Series of Barbecue.

Each year, makeshift canopy cities form overnight full of every type of competitor.

They’ve traveled here from 32 states and five different countries. And you see as many good ol’ backcountry boys wielding $200 Weber Kettles in the beds of rusting pickups as you do sponsored, third-generation teams rolling in with RV mansions and toting $20,000 custom grills. Some competitors are in it for fun and others for publicity; some are able to make a living out of the prize money, and some of these weekend warriors just use it to cover costs for the next competition. Every end of the barbecue-enthusiast spectrum is represented. Yet, each team has an equal chance in the eight-point scaled blind judging.

What competitive pitmasters have spent years perfecting isn’t what you’ll typically eat in a restaurant. At The American Royal and most other competitions, meat that falls off the bone is considered overcooked. Meat must be served in an unmarked Styrofoam container with no garnish other than green lettuce, parsley or cilantro. Sauce cannot be served on the side. And competition ‘cue is considerably better, as it should be, with cooks focusing on just enough meat to feed six judges, compared to the 5,000 pounds some restaurants dole out daily.

Wafting from the barbecue mecca is a veil of thick, sweet smoke. It’s the kind of aroma that triggers star-spangled ancestral memories of families and friends sitting out by the grill or barbecue pit. For the competitors, it’s the scent of equal parts camaraderie and cutthroat perfectionism, plus the chance for glory.

The barbecue competition began in 1980 as a fundraiser for the American Royal programs, which mostly benefit youth, scholarship and education. The American Royal traces its beginnings to 1899 when it began as The National Hereford Show. It consists of two competitions: the invitational and the open. To qualify for the invitational, a team must be named a Grand Champion, the highest honor, in an American Royal-sanctioned contest.

The Kansas City-based competition has grown so large that the American Royal leadership has moved the World Series of Barbecue from the West Bottoms to the Truman Sports Complex at Arrowhead Stadium this year. (All other American Royal events will still be held in the West Bottoms.) The West Bottoms is a 36-year tradition, yet it can only fit approximately 562 teams in its limiting 85,000 square feet (about a football field and a half) and there’s really no place for noncompeting fans to witness the action or eat barbecue. It’s a bittersweet but needed move, says the American Royal's fiveyear outgoing president and chief executive officer, Bob Petersen.

“Everyone we’ve talked to has been very positive about it,” Petersen says of the move.

“In any community you have those who don’t like change, but as we visit with people and explain the reasons behind the move, we’ve received warm and enthusiastic support.”

As of early August, 580 teams had already registered for this year’s World Series of Barbecue, with more calling to register every day, Petersen says. The relocation symbolizes and underlines the growth of competition barbecue happening in cities across the country.

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bringing the full-time heat For most, the competitive barbecue season runs from March through November, but Leawood, Kansas-based Rod Gray and his wife, Sheri, compete in approximately 35 competitions year-round. He’s one of only a handful of full-time competitors. Gray makes enough money through sponsorships and winning Grand Champion prize money to support his family.

Since 2001, his team, Pellet Envy, has swept 58 Grand Champions at competitions across the country. Gray took the 2009 Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) overall Team of the Year (and 2010 runnerup), known unofficially as winning the national championship. He won $50,000 as the whole-hog champion of the season four finale of television show BBQ Pitmasters on the Destination America channel. He teaches sold-out barbecue competition cooking classes around the Kansas City area – he’s taught nearly 2,000 people from around the world. And he has a line of sauces and rubs, Eat Barbecue, with his face on it. Put that in your pit and smoke it.

He prefers his KCBS Team of the Year award to Grand Champion wins at any of the big four competitions: Memphis in May, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s World’s Championship Bar-B-Que, Jack

Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue and the American Royal.

The KCBS is the most well-recognized governing body for competitive barbecue.

The group created the rules a little before 1986 and today it oversees the sanctioning and judging of nearly 500 competitions throughout the world.

Carolyn Wells, one of the founders, says the KCBS started as a group of hardcore competitors. People would call her to see where and when the next competitions were, and out of need, a group was founded.

“To take it seriously [back then] was grounds for eviction,” she says. “It obviously got more serious.”

It’s grown up since the early days, according to Wells. Today it’s an art form that has its own culture.

The KCBS tracks teams and top 10 sanctioned competition scores for the calendar year, and the accumulated points determine Team of the Year, announced at the awards banquet each January.

“It doesn’t sound as sexy,” Gray says, “but it’s the award that every serious competition team wants to win. It doesn’t mean you got lucky one time; it means you were good

enough to be consistent for an entire year.”

That’s why when he’s determining his contest lineup each year, he evaluates which events can maximize his points. Other important selection considerations are contests that treat the cooks well and those that pay bigger prizes – after all, he does have to make a living.

Before smoking meat became his job, Gray owned his own business rebuilding charred, fire-damaged property. He didn’t grow up with barbecue other than getting a Weber Kettle from his parents for Christmas one year. But something clicked when his former office manager invited him out to the first-ever, now-shuttered barbecue contest at the Kansas Speedway her father was hosting in 2001.

“It felt like 110 degrees on the asphalt, but the teams were all having a blast,” he says.

“They were having parties; there were kids’ pools filled with water and children; I talked to guys on Food Network the night before – it was all amazing.”

Gray went home and stayed up all night researching. The next day he bought a smoker. In 2002, he got serious about it and cooked in 25 contests. He ended up qualifying for the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue, or

“The Jack” as folks in the circuit call it, that year. The Jack only takes 60 to 70 domestic teams. To put this into perspective, there are about 21,000 KCBS members in the world, so it’s the stuff of rookie dreams. He’s been invited six times since.

“No one is unhappy when they’re cooking barbecue, eating barbecue or talking about barbecue,” Gray says. So, when he decided to close the doors of his business, where he had to deal with unhappy people whose houses burned down, he never looked back – this is his happy.

Unlike many competitors, Gray doesn’t change his recipes or processes depending on the judges and region. (Different judges prefer different flavor profiles.) He knows that flavor profiles are distinct across the country. For instance, Carolina-style pork can lean toward a more vinegar profile, whereas in Kansas City, there’s a tradition for a glaze of thick, sweet tomato-based sauce. Gray believes, though, the judges travel as much as cooks do. Plus, many competitors in the circuit mention a recent nationwide trend of sweeter palates, and “layers of flavor” seems to be a buzzword across the country.

“It shouldn’t matter where I am,” he says.

“Adjusting your profile to different parts of the country is suicide.”

photos to left and on this page provided by the american royal

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September 2015

Storied Career Doug Worgul sets something straight – meat drenched in sauce is not what makes Kansas City barbecue Kansas City barbecue. Sure, there might be a light glaze, but that’s no different than anywhere else. He thinks the misconception might have something to do with the ubiquitous KC Masterpiece barbecue sauce found in grocery stores nationwide.

The professional writer, whose career has a focused barbecue theme, is an expert on Kansas City 'cue.

As a former editor at Star Magazine, he covered the barbecue scene. He has since written The Grand Barbecue, a history of Kansas City barbecue, and Thin Blue Smoke, a fiction novel based in a Kansas City barbecue joint.

Plus, he’s now the director of marketing for Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. Its owners, Jeff and Joy Stehney, got into the biz via the competition route as multiple Grand Champion-winning team Slaughterhouse Five. Many restaurants’ origins point back to competition, including Kansas City restaurant Q39.

Kansas City is known as one of the barbecue capitals of the nation, in no small part because of the American Royal. Texas is known for brisket and sausage and a bolder, spicier sauce; the Carolinas for pulled pork and whole hog (known as pig pickin’) with a mostly vinegar-based sauce; Memphis for dry ribs and a tomato-and-vinegar-based sauce – and Kansas City is a melting pot embracing all meats in an eclectic style specializing in burnt ends and a tomato-based sauce laced with molasses. Like Kansas City, St. Louis barbecue is eclectic. And, although St. Louis doesn’t have an established barbecue sauce, it’s the only city with a cut of ribs carrying its name.

Henry Perry, often known as the father of Kansas City barbecue, is the reason the local restaurant scene took hold. The Tennessee-born man worked on a riverboat traveling up the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, eventually settling in Kansas City.

He served his Southern smoked meats to Garment District workers from a barbecue stand, which, with success, eventually turned into a group of restaurants, though not all in his lifetime.

Kansas City BarBeCue soCiety MeMBership: $35 average CoMpetition entry Cost: $200 to $500 sMoKer: $250 to $20,000 Meat and supplies: $100 to $700 (Whole hogs Can Be $600 to $700 on average, and a Wagyu BrisKet Can Cost anyWhere froM $70 to More than $400.) prize Money: $31,300 for the aMeriCan royal invitational and $56,000 for the open, $100,000 for MeMphis in May and $10,000 for the JaCK *Numbers don’t factor in space fees, travel, lodging or meals. photo provided by the AmericAn royAl

Perry left his business to Charlie Bryant, whose brother, Arthur, eventually purchased it, resulting in the legendary Arthur Bryant’s that continues to serve beloved barbecue today. And one of Perry’s pupils, Arthur Pinkard, helped George Gates found his empire, Gates Bar-B-Q. Both have refrained from competitions, as neither well-established staple has needed the clout competition bestows.

Aside from its rich regional history, Worgul thinks barbecue makes a great metaphor for life: “It’s made from tough cuts of meat that really wouldn’t [be] edible if they weren’t cooked over a low fire for a long time. You take a tough situation, and with patience and faith over a long period of time, it becomes bearable or likeable.”

Plus, barbecuers make the best characters for his fiction writing. Worgul says competition barbecue is full of colorful people, bigger than life, who are convinced their barbecue is better than yours.

And, as he says, competition of any kind brings out people’s egos and personalities, which not only adds color to his writing, but also adds to the show.

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FINE ART

FINE FOOD

An evening of fine art deserves an equally wonderful culinary experience. Here are some of Feast's favorites for the month of September.

Webster House Kansas City Symphony Don’t miss what is sure to be an impressive season opener at the Kansas City Symphony. Sept. 18 to 20 is the opening weekend for Ravel's Boléro and Symphonic Soloists. The opening weekend concerts feature musicians in three virtuosic pieces performing in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Located next door is the Webster House, a perfect pairing for your night on the to town. Choose from innovative and fresh flav flavors on their menu for a quintessential dining e experience.

Art Westport Ça Va Top artists will line the streets of Westport showcasing original art, unique jewelry and fine crafts on Fri., Sept.

11 through Sun., Sept. 13. After a day or an evening at Art Westport, sip on your favorite sparkling drink and get a smattering of delicious snacks from Ça Va. On the menu, you’ll find wines from France, Italy, Spain and even some domestic choices. The food offerings are rich and include simple charcuterie and local cheese plates or a more substantial croque madame.

artwestport.net | 816.531.4370 cavakc.com | 816.255.3934

kcsymphony.org | 816.471.0400 websterhousekc.com | 816.800.8820

Ruth's Chris

Movie Tenacious Eats A special presentation of the movie Airplane! will take place at Creve Coeur Airfield Sept. 19 at 7pm. By integrating film and food, Movies for Foodies creates an original experience, a feast for the senses, an event that brings food and film, chefs, and diners together. Tenacious Eats works with only locally produced food, creating a new menu specific to the story, with each dining experience being different because each film is different. Seating is limited and is based on a first-come, first-served basis. $75 per person, $95 per person day of event.

feastmagazine.com

SEPTEMBER 2015

kemperart.org | 816.753.5784 | 816.561.7740

Taste

ary Art Join the Contemporary Museum on Fri., Sept. 11, for f the xhibitions, featuring opening of fall exhibitions, f Hurvin Anderson, Sheila Hicks, Wyatt Kahn and Marilyn ent lasting from 7 to 9pm, you’ll have Minter. With the event 9 or an early or late dinner at Taste, named one of time for Feast Magazine’s most romantic restaurants. Hand-crafted cocktails and a menu of small plates make it the perfect pairing for a night at CAM.

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Currently on display at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art is the Autumn Twilight, Dwelling Among Mountains, inspired by the eighthcentury Chinese poet Wang Wei. Just as the w words of Wei’s poem elicit images of a landscape, the selected works orks on vie view show the artists’ attention to light and composition.

Located inside the museum is Café Sebastienne, offering seasonal dishes, an eclectic wine selection and a truly unique dining experience. Peruse the beautiful galleries and treat yyour date to dinner with a vie view of Kansas City’ City’s most impressive contemporary art collection.

Best known for his supremely popular hits like “Chances Are," "It's Not For Me To Say" and "Misty,” Johnny Mathis will be perfomring at the Fabulous Fox Theatre on Sept.

19 at 8pm. Before taking in the Grammy-nominated singer, treat yourself to a USDA prime steak from Ruth's Chris Steak House in Clayton. They boast an award-winning wine list, with a spacious bar and multiple dining rooms – an ideal environment for a date night.

Dinner

Dark Room Wine Bar and Photo Gallery

Café Sebastienne

Contemporary Art Museum

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ParTners in Pork

Half-THe-Time Cook

Friends and business partners Walter “Skip” Steele and Mike Emerson are two of the biggest barbecue personalities this side of the Mason-Dixon. Both can often be found trolling for laughs in the long, often 30-minute lines outside their establishments. So far, their ownership group, Mothership, has opened the wildly successful Pappy’s Smokehouse and Bogart's Smokehouse in St. Louis, The Notorious P.I.G. BBQ in Missoula, Montana and Boogies BBQ in Nuremberg, Germany (Germans love the American food – the smoked burgers have been a big seller since the restaurant opened in 2012), just to name a few. This summer, within two weeks the partners also opened a hot chicken and sandwich spot, Southern, in Midtown St. Louis, and another barbecue restaurant in the greater St. Louis area, Dalie’s Smokehouse, in Valley Park, Missouri.

Tim Scheer has been driving around his hometown of New Haven, Missouri, all day preparing for an upcoming barbecue competition. So far, he’s hit five different independently owned grocery stores to get various meats: chicken, ribs and pork (he orders his Wagyu brisket online). Scheer has become good friends with local meatdepartment managers who help him order exactly what he needs.

Steele remembers his grandfather, Joe Dalie Wells (for which the new joint is named), sitting out by the grill for hours cooking a chicken low and slow. A few years later, 14-year-old Steele was making 50-gallon grills from old propane tanks he found at the Memphis junkyard where he worked.

His competitive-barbecuing history dates back to 1987. In his first competition, Steele finished 13 out of 14 because he didn’t know the lay of the land – and also because the 14th team never arrived.

“We were just a bunch of rednecks who showed up,” he says.

Since then, at Memphis in May, Steele has won the whole-hog category, claimed 11 top-six finishes out of 15 competitions and, this year, took second in whole hog with Salty Rinse BBQ out of New York. He’s also placed in the top 10 at the American Royal. Now, he’s approached by restaurant owners in New York City to compete under their name – because competition wins give barbecue joints street cred.

Steele had already been competing for more than a decade when Emerson, his notyet-business partner, decided to tag along for Memphis in May. Years earlier, they became friends over a mutual love of hunting and camouflage. At the competition, there’s both a blind judging and a presentation judging, where you introduce your process to judges in a tasting.

“We made it to the finals, and the judges were sitting at the table, and one of them, very seriously, asked Skip, ‘How did you guys all meet?’” Emerson says. “And he very seriously looked at her and [deadpanned,] ‘In prison.’”

Although the duo doesn’t compete as often as they used to, they like to spend their time keeping St. Louis barbecue on the map through various events around the nation, including Big Apple Barbecue Block Party in New York City, where 140,000 people showed up to eat barbecue from the best pitmasters in the country.

Years of competing inspired Emerson to help launch Q in the Lou, which takes place for the first time this month, from Sept. 25 to 27, at Memorial Plaza at Soldiers’ Memorial Military Museum in Downtown St. Louis. The event will feature local favorites such as Salt + Smoke, Pappy’s and Sugarfire Smoke House cooking alongside some of the nation’s best: John Stage of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Syracuse, New York; Carey Bringle of Peg Leg Porker in Nashville, Tennessee; and Scott Roberts of The Salt Lick in Driftwood, Texas, to name a few.

“I felt St. Louis wasn’t getting the recognition,” Emerson says. He thinks it’s about time the city be appreciated for making some of the best barbecue in the U.S.

HoPeful CHamPion

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY RIB STARS BBQ

This year, Mike Johnson, chef-partner of Sugarfire, bet Steele a friendly $100 that his team would place higher than Steele's at Memphis in May – and they didn’t. Johnson won first place in seafood and eighth in exotic (he cooked lamb chops) this year, third place in poultry in 2014 and 14th in whole hog in 2013.

Coming from a chef's background, Johnson takes a different approach to barbecue.

He got his first smoker without intending to compete. It was a La Caja China, a Cuban-style whole-hog roasting box, to smoke pork butts. He says barbecue is a lot harder than anything he’s done before, and he admits that although he owns successful St. Louis barbecue joints (with three soon-to-open locations), he hasn’t fully figured out how to do well in competitions just yet.

“There are all these secrets no one will tell you,” Johnson says about his wellseasoned competitors. “Then you get all these guys partying, drunk and spilling their guts. So, this year we picked up a few things.”

Johnson won’t say what specific tips he picked up in Memphis, but he’s confident Steele will soon repay him the $100 he lost.

“It’s one of the cool things about being from a small town,” he says.

Scheer grew up nearby on a hog farm “cookin’ pork” – ‘cue street slang for barbecuing. In 2010, he decided to enter a local amateur competition and took fourth.

He went home, bought a $4,000 smoker and was hooked. So far, he’s won the 2014 American Royal open brisket category and the 2012 American Royal open rib with Shake ‘N Bake BBQ. He travels most weekends with his wife, Terri, and his three daughters – they now have friends around the country.

“It’s addicting,” he says. “The cool thing about barbecue is that everyone is willing to help one another out.”

Once, Scheer’s teammate dropped their bottle of competition sauce, and it shattered all over the ground. Many teams pitched in ingredients to help them recreate it. Scheer ended up winning the Grand Championship that year.

Scheer has turned his hobby into a career.

He’s a part-time competitor who makes his full-time living selling Gateway Drum Smokers brand barbecue equipment and Blues Hog dressings, stemming from one night during competition season when a fellow competitor and friend, Jeff Brinker, came to his house.

“He said he was going to make me the best ribs I’ve ever had in two hours in a trash can, and I told him he was crazy,” Scheer says. But it worked. They used the ugly trash can as a model for Gateway Drum Smokers, which are now customizable with streamlined seams that keep them airtight and two- or three-grate cooking levels, plus a whole line of other accessories. A year later, in 2012, they won first place in ribs at the American Royal open. It just goes to show, low and slow isn’t the only route to a Grand Champion win – hot and fast works, too, which is why Scheer predicts it’s an upcoming trend as more people catch on.

He lovingly refers to the guys who cook with drum smokers as the “Insane Can Posse” because they show up at the last minute, cook and “wreck the party.” Scheer says people have a lot to say about their methods – particularly when pork butts that typically take 12 to 14 hours are turned out in three and a half.

“But, when you have an American Royal trophy on your shelf, they have a hard time arguing with that,” he says.

Inspired Local Food Culture

SEPTEMBER 2015

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Munchin’ hogs Rob Magee also knows a thing or two about trophies. The shelves at Q39, his Kansas City restaurant, are filled with many of them. He’s won the KCBS overall Team of the Year twice, and he also won KCBS Team of the Year in both chicken and brisket categories. He took third in the 2011 American Royal open contest overall and placed fifth overall in The Jack – twice.

These are only a few of his high honors.

Magee was a full-time hotel chef and barbecued as a hobby under the team name Munchin’ Hogs – until his success as a ‘cue circuit competitor allowed him to open Q39.

Magee graduated from culinary school in 1986 but worked as a chef for many years before that, picking up different hobbies in every city he cooked in: waterskiing in Charlotte, North Carolina, motocross and

snow skiing in Denver and barbecue in Kansas City. It’s a hobby that has stuck for 12 years.

What’s rare about Magee is that he does everything in his restaurant exactly like he does it during competition: brine the meat, smoke it for seven to eight hours, wrap it in foil, etc. He also uses a two-fold process of smoking meat and finishing it via a wood-fired grill. Some traditionalists have considered the method as not true barbecue, but at competitions, Grand Champions are king, and many have won the title finishing on a wood-fired grill (such as a pellet smoker). Plus, the sleepless and methodical work doesn’t happen on its own.

Magee arrives at competitions between 1 and 3pm Friday, sets up and starts the two- to three-hour process of preparing his meat – trimming, brining, marinating and seasoning. Every type of meat has a

different process. For instance, he brines his pork and chicken for six to eight hours and seasons his brisket and ribs.

Between 11pm Friday and 1pm Saturday he mans the smoker. His slow-cook brisket (burnt ends) is on by midnight, pork is on no later than 1:30am and fast-cook brisket at 4am. Between 7 and 7:30am, he puts on his ribs, wraps the pork and brisket in foil and takes the chicken out of the brine. By 10am his chicken goes on, and his ribs that have smoked for three hours get wrapped.

Around this time he also has a Bloody Mary.

with Q39 barbecue sauce before putting them back on the smoker and adding another log of cherry wood. He drains the pork, removes the solidified fat and uses the remaining liquid for au jus, which he uses to keep the meat moist. He coats the pork in this liquid, a little Q39 pork rub, a light sauce and seasoning salt. He creates a similar au jus for the brisket and coats it with seasoning salt and a light sauce, as well. By the time everything is handed off to the judges, Magee has a beer. If it’s a good day and he’s ready for awards, he’ll have a Scotch instead.

“If you don’t have the perfect Bloody Mary, you won’t win,” Magee says.

And he does it all the same way in his restaurant.

Between 11am and 1:30pm he concentrates on finishing the meats and getting them to the judges by the designated times. Each meat is different: He coats chicken and ribs

“If I’m going to hang a blue ribbon, I have to give my customers exactly what I gave those judges,” he says. Even though, he says, it definitely costs more.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY KANSAS CITY BARBECuE SOCIETY

The Mills in Murphysboro After taking four World Champions and three World Grand Champions at Memphis in May and the Grand Champion at The Jack in 1992, Mike Mills retired from competing in 1994.

He focused on the competition he founded in 1989, the Praise the Lard Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-Off, which is still thriving today.

Between he and his daughter, Amy, they have two Illinois locations of 17th Street Barbecue; Amy owns two Memphis Championship Barbecue restaurants in Las Vegas, and Mike inspired and helped open Blue Smoke with St. Louis native Danny Meyer in New York City.

Along the way Bon Appétit named his ribs the best in America, and Vogue has featured his barbecue on four separate occasions.

A few years into retirement, however, Mike decided he wanted to get called to the stage one more time. He’s one of the old guards and co-captain of his third-generation team. Amy and her 24-year-old son, Woody Tunnicliffe, make up their team, Apple City Barbecue.

Technically, barbecue has run in their family for four generations. Mike says that when his father barbecued in the backyard, he could smell the smoke from his crib and used to cry until his mother would take him outside. His father cooked low and slow, and when he passed away when Mike was 9-years-old, Mike told his mother, “I’ll do the barbecuing now.”

When Mike got older he worked as a full-time dental technician while also operating a bar that served barbecue. When he started to compete, he says the style, equipment and perception of the scene were drastically different than they are today. In fact, a few years ago when the team first returned to Memphis in May, Amy said he made a big to-do about barbecuing the old way and ranked 27th in ribs.

“They’ve always been first, so that was a little hard to swallow,” she says.

Yet the camaraderie is still the same. So is the thrill of winning. But, Apple City Barbecue had to adjust its old-school methods for more modern styles to keep up with the competition – they swapped competing in the ribs category for whole-hog, and eventually worked their way up to ninth in the category, but Mike’s still determined for first.

“The flavor profile in today’s competition barbecue is very sweet with a bit of heat at the end,” Amy says. “It’s all about getting an explosion of flavor in just one bite. Ribs are often cooked using foil and slathered with squeeze ‘butter’ and brown sugar. There are several sauces that the majority of teams use, and those are doctored a bit to help with flavor and shine. When Apple City Barbecue reentered the fray, we cooked ribs without any of those methods. Instead, we cooked the way we did 18 years ago. We used the pit built out of an old propane tank, and cooked directly on the pit with no foil. The ribs were fantastic – but they did not earn a call to the stage.”

Amy once wanted nothing to do with barbecue after a childhood spent surrounded by it, but she says age and time made her eventually acknowledge her part in the family legacy. Now she helps market the restaurant for a living and hears the stories she’s been listening to her entire life with new ears – she hears them with pride. She’s even written a James Beard award-nominated book full of family barbecue stories, Peace Love, and Barbecue.

“I certainly don’t think we hang on to tradition for tradition’s sake,” she says. “We change with the times a little, but we really try to honor and pay homage to the people who came before us. It’s such a uniquely American style, and we don’t want to lose sight of how we got to where we are today.”

Inspired Local Food Culture

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“World Famous” Obenheimer Express Contagious (Friday) That 80’s Band (Saturday) Joe Dirt (Sunday) Clydesdales Pumpkin Chuck’n Yard Games

Skip Steele’s Ubons Special Steele says this is a favorite Friday-nightof-competition drink.

Recipe couRtesy skip steele

Serves | 1 | 1 2 7 4

part Sprite parts pineapple juice parts whiskey pineapple wedges, divided

| Preparation | combine first 3 ingredients and 2 pineapple wedges in a pint glass and stir. Garnish with remaining pineapple wedges and serve.

Mike Emerson’s Slaw Recipe couRtesy Mike eMeRson

Serves | 8 to 10 | Slaw

1 1

head cabbage, shredded finely large onion, sliced finely

DreSSing

7⁄8 1 ¾ 2 1 1

cup sugar cup vinegar cup salad oil tsp salt tsp celery seed tsp dry mustard

Sweet Soy Sauce

½ cup tamari soy sauce 2 tsp white distilled vinegar 1½ Tbsp sugar

| Preparation | in a large bowl, layer cabbage and onion, ending with cabbage. set aside. in a medium saucepot, combine all dressing ingredients and heat to boiling. pour hot dressing over cabbage. Do not stir. cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. stir before serving.

Rob Magee’s Best Chicken Wings on the Planet Recipe couRtesy Rob MaGee

Yields | 18 wings | MarinaDe

1 ¼ 1½ 1½ ½ ½ 1

cup salad oil cup white vinaigrette tsp granulated garlic tsp onion powder tsp white pepper tsp cane sugar Tbsp salt

chicken wing rub

½ ½ 1¼ ½ ½ ¼ ¼ 1 1 1 1

cup plus 1 Tbsp cane sugar cup plus 1 Tbsp dark brown sugar cups salt cup plus 2 Tbsp garlic salt cup Israel paprika cup freshly ground black pepper cup chile seasoning Tbsp plus 2 tsp dry mustard Tbsp plus 2 tsp cumin Tbsp plus 2 tsp ancho chiles Tbsp plus 2 tsp chipotle chiles

chicken wingS

18

chicken wings cherry wood (for smoker)

Sauce

1½ 1 1 1½

cups Q39 Classic BBQ Sauce Tbsp chipotle purée with no seeds Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro tsp apple cider vinegar

| Preparation | in a large bowl, combine all marinade ingredients and mix together well. set aside. in another large bowl, combine all rub ingredients, mix thoroughly and sift through a china cap. cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

Richard McPeake’s Sticky PB&J Wings Recipe couRtesy RichaRD Mcpeake

Yields | 3 pounds | chicken

For each wing, cut wing tip off and separate wing from drummette. toss trimmed wings in marinade, cover and place in refrigerator overnight, 12 to 20 hours. When ready, remove marinated wings to a colander, wash off marinade but don’t dry. lightly sprinkle rub on wings and let sit while starting a fire in a smoker. transfer wings to smoker and smoke on indirect heat with cherry wood at 225ºF. turn wings after 30 minutes and continue cooking.

While wings are cooking, prepare sauce. in a large bowl, combine all sauce ingredients and mix together well. after wings have smoked for 1 hour and reached 160ºF, lightly coat in sauce, reserving some. place wings in disposable pan in 1 layer and wrap tight with aluminum foil. continue cooking wings until they reach 185ºF to 190ºF. When wings are almost finished cooking, start heating coals in a charcoal grill and heat until coals turn white. Finish chicken wings by grilling them directly over charcoal and basting with sauce. serve.

3 1 1 1 ½

lbs chicken wings Tbsp ground chile powder Tbsp paprika Tbsp garlic salt tsp cayenne pepper

Pb&J Sauce

1 ½ ¼ 1

cup grape jelly cup creamy peanut butter cup red wine vinegar tsp Asian chile sauce

| Preparation | in a large bowl, add chicken

wings and spices and toss to coat well. let marinate for at least 30 minutes. in a separate bowl, combine all sauce ingredients and mix thoroughly. set aside. preheat grill with a medium heat and indirect heat zone. place wings on grill over direct heat. turn wings every 2 minutes. Grill until wings are ¾ finished and then move them to indirect heat zone. baste wings with pb&J sauce, reserving rest for serving.

Finish cooking until wings reach internal temperature of 165ºF.

Mike Davis’ Lotta Bull Shrimp

Tim Scheer’s Shake ‘N Bake Barbecued Pulled Pork

Recipe couRtesy kansas city baRbecue society (RepRinteD FRoM its cookbook

Recipe couRtesy tiM scheeR

Yields | 10 to 15 shrimp |

Serves | 16 | 8 1 1 1

lbs Boston butt Blues Hog Dry Rub Seasoning, to taste stick butter cup brown sugar cup Blues Hog Tennessee Red or Blues Hog Original (to serve)

With peRMission)

6 1 3 1

Tbsp TryMe Tiger Sauce cup mayonnaise Tbsp Lotta Bull BBQ Bull Buster steak seasoning lb shrimp, peeled and deveined barbecue skewers

| Preparation | preheat grill to reach | Preparation | Rub meat generously with dry medium to hot heat. rub and transfer to a Gateway Drum smoker at 275ºF for 3 hours. after 3 hours, wrap meat tightly in aluminum foil with butter, brown sugar and barbecue sauce. place back on smoker for additional 2 hours or until meat reaches an external temperature of 205ºF. let rest for 30 minutes. pull pork and serve with a 1:1 ratio of tennessee Red sauce and blues hog original.

Sugarfire Smoke House Rub Recipe couRtesy Mike Johnson

Yields | 10 cups | 1 1 1 ½ ½ 2 1 4 ½ ¼ 3 2 3 2 2

cup paprika cup kosher salt cup garlic powder cup onion powder cup chile powder Tbsp cayenne cup freshly ground black pepper cups sugar cup dry mustard cup cumin Tbsp cinnamon Tbsp coriander Tbsp oregano Tbsp allspice Tbsp ginger

| Preparation | in a large bowl, combine all ingredients and use as spice rub for your favorite barbecue or grilling recipes.

in a large bowl, add sauce, mayonnaise and steak seasoning and mix to combine. Dip shrimp into mixture and then place shrimp on skewers, about 5 each, alternating head or tail, and leaving a small space between each. place skewers on grill and cook until done, 1½ to 2 minutes per side. Do not overcook. serve.

Doug Worgul’s Basic Barbecue Seasoning Recipe couRtesy DouG WoRGul

Yields | 2½ to 3 cups | 1 ½ ½ 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

cup raw sugar cup sea salt cup smoked paprika Tbsp Worcestershire ground pepper Tbsp garlic powder Tbsp onion powder Tbsp freshly ground coffee (dark roasted beans, very fine grind) Tbsp chipotle powder Tbsp lemon pepper Tbsp granulated garlic tsp ground allspice tsp celery seed tsp dry mustard

| Preparation | in a large bowl, combine all ingredients and use as spice rub for your favorite barbecue or grilling recipes.

Many competitive barbecuers keep their secrets, and recipes, to themselves. on the contrary, richard McPeake is a kansas city-based american royal grand champion winner-turnedbarbecue-educator who has taught more than 21,000 people. he teaches at the Midwest barbecue institute at the culinary center of kansas city as well as Smoke ‘n’ Fire bar-b-Que, and Fire Place, both in overland Park, kansas, but also offers an on-site class at the american royal, which is special because students learn to cook ‘cue as they compete. he says there’s no right or wrong way to cook barbecue. you have to learn why people have certain techniques and decide if they’re right for you. “For instance, when you soak your wood, it smolders, and you get a heavier flavor, but i prefer a clean-burning wood flavor, so i don’t soak my wood,” he says. in a competition, you present meat symmetrical and neat – ribs must be cut evenly, etc. “a big mistake is putting sauce on way too early or basting with sauce,” McPeake says. he also recommends basting with a mop (such as with vinegar and apple juice). your rub, smoke and sauce should all complement the meat. and, even if we couldn’t get them to give away all their secrets, other competitors have tips to share: “if meat falls off the bone, it’s overcooked. the meat should stay on the bone except where you bit it off. also, if the bone turns white as soon as air hits it, that’s another indication it’s overcooked.” –Mike Mills, 17th Street barbecue “ribs are done when you can tear ‘em with your hand. if you pick them up in the middle lengthwise with a pair of tongs and give ‘em a pop, they’ll crack – if they don’t crack, they ain’t done.”

–Skip Steele, bogart's Smokehouse “you can always add back flavor, but you can never add back moisture; that’s why we wrap it in foil.” –rob Magee, Q39 “Do what people have been doing for hundreds of years: time, smoke, patience and a bit of seasoning. Make sure to buy the highest quality meats and good wood.” –Mike Johnson, Sugarfire Smoke house “i have no secrets: we use west coast offense rub, blues hog sauce and a gateway Drum Smoker. with good equipment and products, you can still be a mediocre cook and [win] like us.”

–tim Scheer, Shake ‘n bake bbQ

What would you do without sugar?

SPOONFUL

WRITTeN BY eRIC ReUTeR PHOTOGRAPHY BY jONATHAN GAYMAN

organic sorghum syrup produced at Sandhill Farm preserves a sweet piece of regional history

This was a very real question for Missourians and their neighbors in the late 1850s. In the years leading up to the Civil War, Northerners became increasingly concerned with finding a source of domestic sweetener that wasn’t linked to the South, where sugar was produced and shipped up the Mississippi River. The answer was found in a new use for an old crop: sorghum syrup. You can still taste this piece of regional history today through the work of sorghum syrup producers across the Midwest, including Sandhill Farm, a certified organic producer in northeastern Missouri.

Hold a jar of sorghum syrup up to the sun, and you’ll see liquid that flows like honey, with a color between rye whiskey and porter. Twist off the lid and inhale the sweet and complex aroma, and then spread it on a biscuit and savor its rich, grassy flavor. Although the modern sorghum plant dates back to its first use as a grain crop in Africa 4,000 years ago, it was also the flavor of the Missouri frontier: Grown, harvested, processed and preserved on family farms throughout the Midwest, sorghum syrup was both cash crop and pantry staple.

Self-sufficient spirit permeates the culture at Sandhill Farm, a 135-acre egalitarian agricultural community founded in 1974. Members share the work and rewards of their independent rural lifestyle, raising much of their own food. The farm sells excess seasonal produce locally and value-added products (such as salsa, mustard and sorghum syrup) throughout the region; several members also work off-farm to augment the community’s income, which is shared among all members. Mica Wood, who became a member in 2007, describes the current group of six adults and one child as “experimenting with sharing resources like a family. We share values of connecting closely with each other personally and relating to the land.”

Stan Hildebrand, a member since 1980, recounts how Sandhill’s founders learned to make sorghum syrup in 1976: Upon seeing steam rising from a nearby farm, they ventured over to investigate and found an elderly couple making sorghum syrup. Their curiosity piqued, they helped them produce syrup that season and began making it themselves the next year.

Back in those days, Hildebrand says, “Oldtimers would come and buy five to seven gallons,” once a year. As the local market changed over the years, Sandhill learned to promote its sorghum syrup to a wider audience: consumers who care about where their food comes from. Today, Wood and Hildebrand manage sorghum syrup production at Sandhill, a key source of income for the community, which is sold in local grocery stores, at regional festivals and through its website.

GrowinG Sweet SorGhum Sweet sorghum seed comes from the plant, which must be cultivated until harvest, from which comes seed: The cycle of agriculture is not easily divided for narrative convenience. But hold some seed in your hand, like a mound of light-colored peppercorns, and try to envision each reaching for the sun through a thick stalk with a height beyond your reach. Farmers in Africa traditionally raised sorghum plants for their seeds, a nutritious and hardy cereal used in baked goods, fermented porridges and in brewing. Sorghum reached America in seed form before the 19th century, an Old World grain competing with New World maize as a cheap staple food for people and farm animals alike.

Yet it was also known that sorghum plants could be bred to encourage production of a sweet liquid within its thick, canelike stalks. New plant varieties were introduced into American agriculture in the mid-1850s and became a lifelong obsession for St. Louis agricultural engineer and businessman Isaac Hedges.

Sorghum syrup appears sporadically in references prior to the 1850s, but “Old Sorghum” Hedges, as he was nicknamed, was a visionary who worked to develop new cultivation methods and equipment needed to consistently grow, extract and convert raw sorghum juice into finished syrup. Hedges relied on Missouri farmers to test his ideas, and the result was widespread adoption of sweet sorghum production just in time to carry Midwestern farmers and consumers through the Civil War. Today, Sandhill Farm has developed its

own approach to sorghum cultivation. Each spring, the farm starts an early batch of seeds indoors (saved from the previous year’s crop) floating on trays in a covered pond to keep them moist. They transplant the seedlings into the fields in early May, when the soil has warmed sufficiently for the heat-loving crop. About one-third of the farm’s 5 to 6 acres start this way due to the size of the pond, with the rest seeded directly into the fields. The transplants are spaced more uniformly than direct-seeded plants, making later cultivation and harvesting more timeefficient, as weeds are a far greater issue than disease or pests.

An organic farm, Sandhill avoids artificial nitrogen fertilizer in favor of crop rotation and uses no herbicides during cultivation or harvest, relying instead on modern approaches to ecological farming. “[Some] people think of us as throwbacks, like that’s what our grandparents did, the way we’re farming,” Hildebrand says. “They don’t see it as innovative.”

ProducinG SorGhum SyruP After a summer spent managing the crop with tractor and manual cultivation, the 30-day arc of harvest and processing begins in late September as the threat of the first frost hovers in the morning chill. Mature sweet sorghum resembles a tall corn plant topped with a bushy seed head. Much of the mature plant is useful; the seeds can be consumed or replanted, and the seed heads can be used as fodder for farm animals. Yet the real treat lies hidden within the plant: its sugary juice. The Sandhill community spends up to three weeks in autumn

harvesting the fields for it.

sap tastes like faintly flavored water.

“It’s beautiful here,” Wood says. “It’s not usually sweaty-hot because it’s fall. The cutting of the cane … people love it.

There’s something about being part of this crew with machetes working their way down the field that’s really satisfying.”

Sandhill’s sugarhouse sits downhill from the mill, nestled in trees and overshadowed by a two-year supply of stacked firewood. Inside, raw juice is poured into one end of a large metal pan and then moves slowly through a maze of dividers, as a wood-fired furnace produces steam that runs through pipes in the dividers and drives evaporation to concentrate the syrup. Toward the end of the process, great care must be taken to avoid scorching syrup while it reaches the proper consistency.

Each morning, seed tops are cut and leaves are stripped from the tall stalks, leaving a palisade of canes. In the afternoon, canes are cut near the ground with a large knife and stacked in the field to cure. “As soon as you cut the cane,” Hildebrand says, “there are enzymes inside the stalk that change some of the starches into sugars so you actually get a higher yield. And then you’re letting it evaporate water, not sugar.”

Once canes have been cut and cured, it’s time for the juice to be extracted.

Traditionally, this process involved a horse- or mule-powered mill turning large cylindrical rollers set close together; today, tractors power gears that run the mill. As bundles of cane are fed through and crushed, sorghum juice runs out into a collection system below the mill.

Anyone who’s seen a maple sugarhouse will recognize the next step: boiling down raw liquid to concentrate it into syrup.

Maple syrup producers who are used to getting this far by sticking a tap into a tree might shake their heads at the work involved in sorghum cultivation, yet sorghum has one advantage over maple sap: The juice is far richer, only needing a 14:1 reduction compared to 40:1 for maple.

Wood describes raw sorghum juice as “green, frothy and sweet,” while raw maple

Finished syrup is tested on an angled plate; if it barely runs, it’s done. Syrup then passes through a water-cooled heat exchanger to arrest cooking, lowering its temperature from 230ºF to 150ºF, after which it’s decanted into large barrels for storage and bottling. Finally, rows of neat jars stand ready, a trophy case of the year’s achievement; Sandhill generally produces between 500 and 800 gallons annually. cookinG with SorGhum SyruP In the kitchen, sorghum syrup substitutes easily for other thick, liquid sweeteners: It’s more local than molasses, a vegan alternative to honey and less processed than corn syrup. Sorghum isn’t defined solely by its sweetness, which is just one, rather than the dominating, element of its distinct flavor. Mix syrup into cookie or cornbread batter; add it to the base of a meat braise or to baked beans; drizzle it over oatmeal, winter squash or freshly baked biscuits; or use it to sweeten cocktails (sorghum syrup pairs especially well with rye whiskey).

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Although sorghum syrup is often referred to as molasses, the comparison is mistaken: Molasses is a byproduct of sugarcane refining and thus follows a very different production path. The syrup is extremely shelf-stable, easily lasting more than a year at room temperature. Handle it just like honey: If it begins to crystallize, just reheat it gently until the crystals melt back into liquid.

Hildebrand says he and the Sandhill team take great pride in producing sorghum syrup and describes the fall harvest as a time to connect with locals and cultivate community over the crop. “[During] fall harvest, we get a lot of people… coming together; [friends of the farm] come from far away to take part,” Hildebrand says. “People are looking for ways to connect with real food and people who are [making] it in a real way.”

Wood echoes Hildebrand’s passion for the work they do at Sandhill.

“When people buy our sorghum, I think of it as being a local food and a whole food, and those things are valuable,” Wood says. “We’re part of a big movement that’s happening right now; there are a lot of people starting to farm on a smaller scale, getting into local foods and sharing resources. Sandhill is unusual because it’s been around a long time doing those things with success. I think we’re an example to other people who are looking for inspiration.”

Old-Time Sorghum Cookies This simplified version of an early 19th-century recipe produces simple cookies using only a few ingredients to show off sorghum syrup’s flavor. Using whole-wheat flour adds a rich, rustic flavor. The cookies can also be treated as small biscuits and topped with sorghum or other spreads.

Recipe adapted from Abraham Lincoln in the Kitchen (2013)

by Rae Katherine Eighmey, whose recipe was adapted from an 1828 source.

Yields | 3 dozen | ¾ ½ 2 1½ ½ ½

cup sorghum syrup cup milk or water cups white flour cups whole-wheat flour tsp baking soda cup cold butter

| Preparation | Preheat oven to 325ºF. Grease a cookie sheet

and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine sorghum syrup and milk, and stir until blended. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.

Using a pastry blender, cut cold butter into the dry mixture, or work it in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Dough should be moist but not especially sticky.

Moisten hands with a little water to keep dough from sticking to palms. Form dough into balls with 1-inch diameter. Place balls of dough about 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheet. Cookies will not spread much during baking, so shape them as desired: Leave rounded, flatten with a fork or make a thumbprint, and, when cookies have cooled, fill them with sorghum syrup.

Bake for 13 to 16 minutes, or just until cookies begin to brown on the bottom. Remove from oven and serve.

Look for Sandhill Farm’s sorghum syrup at stores in St. Louis, Kansas City and across Missouri in Columbia, Springfield, Kirksville and more, as well as at select locations in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan. To find the full list of retailers that carry Sandhill’s sorghum syrup or to purchase it online, visit sandhillfarm.org. The farm also vends at regional festivals and fairs, including Best of Missouri Market & More at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis from Oct. 2 to 4.

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chef vaughn good has created a beacon of bacon and pâté in lawrence, kansas, with farm-fresh fare and a midwestern sensibility It would be an understatement to say Hank Charcuterie, situated on the corner of 19th and Massachusetts streets in Lawrence, Kansas, is known for its sausage and bacon. Yes, owner and chef Vaughn Good sells tons of both, but he’s just as interested in making and selling charcuterie – something that was previously missing in town before he opened shop last July.

For the past 14 months, Good has processed and experimented, refined and risked, to offer nine different sausages and a regular rotation of charcuterie and cuts of meat including liver mousse pâté; lamb and pork terrine; duck rillettes; pastrami; sous terrine; hickory-smoked bacon; tasso; smoked and country ham; smoked pepperoni and even jars of pickles and kimchi.

Good admits the word charcuterie was a

hurdle for some customers at first, but when they realized it came with cases full of sausage and bacon – call it what you want. “Business picked up when we kind of decided we’re just going to do what we want and see if people engage, and they really did.”

These days the shop is a neighborhood mainstay. On Thursday evenings, Good’s sous chef, Juan Carlos Tovar-Ballagh – simply “Jay” to his brother in charcuterie – enjoys sitting on the shop’s patio and drinking a beer as patrons stroll down the street from the weekly farmers’ market at Cottin’s Hardware & Rental to finish their shopping at Hank. He likes that the butcher shop’s location isn’t “Downtown enough to be Downtown.”

And on Sundays, Good opens the doors for brunch and folks pack inside the small dining room. The walls are painted the

familiar hue of a Midwestern storm cloud, and there’s an energy like the buzz that comes from a roll of thunder. Good turns up the music and enjoys the vibe.

pâté and pickles “I’ve always been interested in meat fabrication and charcuterie,” Good says.

After working in restaurants in Lawrence throughout college, Good went to culinary school. He spent a stint at Johnson County Community College before heading east to attend The French Culinary Institute, now the International Culinary Center, in New York. There, he picked up culinary side projects with a professor who shared his interest in charcuterie.

After graduation, he returned home to Lawrence and landed a job as sous chef at the now-shuttered New American restaurant Pachamamas. After three

years working in the restaurant’s kitchen, Good was ready to strike out on his own and knew exactly what he wanted to do. “I did a lot of butchering as a chef, but being a restaurant chef, you don’t get to focus on one thing to do really well,” Good says. “I wanted to focus on [charcuterie] and hone my skills.”

He tapped Tovar-Ballagh to be his sous chef; like Good, Tovar-Ballagh grew up in Lawrence, but he headed west to Seattle to work in catering before returning home to work as a pastry chef alongside Good at Pachamamas.

Meat fabrication wasn’t Tovar-Ballagh’s specialty before helping to open the butcher shop, but he did his homework.

Three weeks before Hank Charcuterie opened, Good brought in a bunch of whole animals (two hogs, a lamb and a goat, to be exact), and he and Tovar-Ballagh broke

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“that’s what’s so great about being a butcher [shop] and restaurant,” good says,“more ways to use your leftovers.”

hank charcuterie Board

them down together. “[The animal] breaks down itself in your mind,” Tovar-Ballagh says. “Five steps and an animal is broken down into parts you can recognize.”

Even the shop’s name is a nod to the craft of butchery – a hank is a coil or loop of sausage casings. Leading up to opening day, Good and Tovar-Ballagh brainstormed, created and tweaked what would fill the cases at Hank Charcuterie. Good knew sausage and bacon would sell, but it was the “risks” that he enjoyed watching customers discover. “I was really surprised when we first opened [to see customers embrace] pâté liver mousse,” he says.

“Pâté, by far, is one of our best things.”

“The first couple months, it was pâté and pickles,” Good says. At the time, he and Tovar-Ballagh joked, “We should shut this [place] down and just make pâté and pickles – that’s it.”

But it makes sense, Good says, “It’s the only place you can get craft versions in Lawrence.”

burger on a sh*tty bun

It wasn’t long before folks started walking into Hank Charcuterie around lunchtime asking for sandwiches. “We were just going to be a butcher shop,” Good says. “[But] they would walk out and not buy anything.”

That changed late one night, around 2:30am, when Good texted Tovar-Ballagh with an idea. “[He said,] tomorrow we’re going to do sandwiches,” Tovar-Ballagh says. “And we just started. We came in and picked some stuff out of the case.”

The pair made sandwiches with the ingredients they had on hand: banh mi, ham and cheese, and pastrami, as well as burgers. There was only one problem with the burgers the first day – Good says they couldn’t find a quality bun in all of Lawrence. Strapped for time, they settled on grocery store buns and announced it unashamedly on the chalkboard menu: “Burger on a sh*tty bun.” The customers loved it.

To keep themselves entertained, Good and Tovar-Ballagh constantly rotate items on and off the menu, so when they tired of cooking burgers, they stopped.

Today, the duo shoot from the hip a little more often and pitch customers everything from smoked pork loin with cured foie gras to smoked lamb burritos and porchetta di testa. And sandwiches and burgers are no longer served on sh*tty buns – instead, Hank sources freshly baked ones from Farm to Market Bread Co. in Kansas City.

To make the porchetta di testa, Good rolls the pig’s head up in cheesecloth, seasons it, vacuum seals it and cooks it for 16 hours. Then it’s sliced thinly like deli meat. “We season the inside with Cajun spices, honey and housemade hot sauce made with ancho and guajillo chile peppers,” he says. “It’s served with spicy mustard slaw and fried green tomatoes.”

The nose-to-tail butcher mentality has informed popular lunch menu items at Hank as Good blends butcher shop and restaurant. A prime example of his “waste not, want not” approach is the pastrami

sausage sampler

burger. Good cures and smokes his own pastrami, and when slicing it, he would be left with a seemingly worthless end piece. He saw something else, though, and began grinding it down and mixing it with beef chuck and a spice blend to make burgers. “That’s what’s so great about being a butcher [shop] and restaurant,” he says, “more ways to use your leftovers.”

He says his customers also want to know where their food comes from. “They want their food to come from an ethical source,” he says. Even the plates used for service at Hank were created and hand-fired by local artist Michael Crouch.

And to get through the long, cold winter months, Good plans to can summer produce before season’s end.

25 pounds of pork cheeks

This harkens back to Good’s childhood when he would shuck corn and prep green tomatoes and okra with his grandmother for the freezer. “She’d go to farm stands and get a bunch of produce,” Good says.

“She’d freeze it so we could pull it out any time we needed it.”

Soon, lunch at Hank Charcuterie gave way to brunch and a full dinner menu on weekends. Friday and Saturday guests might find foie gras, bone-in pork chops or cured pork belly. Unsurprisingly, local pork producers love Hank.

Poultry farmers also enjoy supplying the shop with chicken and duck livers, lesser sought out products. Good says one farmer finally asked, “What are you doing with it?” His answer: “Making tons of pâté.”

For Good, working directly with farmers is one of the highlights. He buys nearly a dozen ducks a week from HoneyDel Farm, which is just 15 minutes from the shop. “[The farmer is] doing a lot more duck this year to keep up with our demand,” Good says. A 5-pound batch of duck liver pâté can sell out in one day on weekends.

For Good, sourcing from farmers goes hand in hand with operating a neighborhood butcher shop – what was old is new again. “It’s just the way you should eat,” Good says. “It’s how our grandparents and great-grandparents did it – people are just getting back to that.”

Good’s favorite childhood memories of food come from spending time at his grandmother’s lake house in the summer.

His grandmother, Laura Good, now 83, doesn’t cook as much today, but he says memories of her standing over her electric skillet are always fresh in his mind.

He vividly recalls her okra, dredged in buttermilk and cornmeal, her silverware – old rustic farmhouse utensils with blue handles – and the aroma of her peach cobbler. “She would do a slow-cooked pork shoulder in sauerkraut and serve it over mashed potatoes with garlicbuttermilk dressing,” Good says.

Her Southern and Midwestern accents influenced him a lot, and you can see it in his food. Good cooks what he likes to eat, like pork roasts on Sundays. “Our dinner menu has that feel,” he says. “What my grandma cooked, just a bit more refined.”

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eat breakfast late Sunday brunch at Hank Charcuterie carries the same principles as those summer suppers at his grandmother’s lake house all those years ago and the notion of bringing everyone together to eat. “I definitely think it’s developed into that – it’s organically happened,” Good says. Maybe that’s what slow-cooked pork shoulder does to folks.

“It’s relaxed, and people are there to have fun and enjoy themselves; no one’s in a hurry,” Good says. “They want to hang out.”

ReCIPe CouRTeSy VAuGHN Good

Grits with Jowl Bacon, Pickled Garlic Scapes and a Fried Egg

And in a college town like Lawrence, Hank is packed on Sundays. “Lawrence is definitely a big brunch town,” he says. “I don’t know why, but it’s just been crazy.”

Bloody Marys and cocktails are served in Mason jars. There’s a vibe, an energy, a good mix of families and young people.

Some people ask if he’ll start opening earlier than 11am, but he doesn’t believe in that. “Sundays you should sleep in and eat breakfast late,” he says.

Vaughn Good recommends serving grits and pickled garlic scapes with Bossa, a washed-rind sheep’s milk cheese made at Green Dirt Farm near Kansas City, though any high-quality cheese will work well.

Serves | 12 | Pickled Garlic ScaPeS

SMoKed porK SHouLder SandwiCH

6 6

Good designed the kitchen at Hank to be open and transparent so people could see everything he and his kitchen staff were doing. “We want people to know where their food is coming from – to carry that on, we kept it wide open,” Good says.

“People are more than welcome to come up and watch and ask questions.”

¼ 3

“I don’t want to grow too much or too fast,” Good says. “We take a lot of pride in doing things well and putting care into every step. I don’t want to lose any of that.”

Hank Charcuterie, 1900 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, Kansas, 785.832.8688, hankmeats.com

oz coarsely ground grits cups filtered water, divided kosher salt tsp freshly ground black pepper Tbsp butter fried egg (to serve) cooked jowl bacon (to serve) high-quality cheese (to serve)

| Preparation – Pickled Garlic Scapes | In a nonreactive pot, bring vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil to make a brine. When mixture comes to a boil, turn off heat.

Still, he and Tovar-Ballagh admit to feeling a little self-conscious when circled by onlookers while breaking down a whole animal at the shop’s 6-foot processing table. “We’re sawing, and there are elbows going everywhere,” Good says.

The mammoth smoker lives just outside the kitchen at the back of the shop’s newly renovated and expanded patio.

An herb garden, planted in a large agricultural water trough, will eventually separate the smoker from where Good hopes neighborhood regulars will gather on benches and tables to hang out and have drinks in the covered side yard.

cups distilled white vinegar cups sugar cup kosher salt lbs fresh garlic scapes

GritS

success is a bigger smoker

Inviting people into the kitchen became standard policy when business grew too busy to schedule the butchery classes the duo once envisioned hosting at the shop.

Success brought an 8-foot-tall smoker to Hank Charcuterie in May, as well. “It’s really helped us out,” Good says. “We had a really small one when we started.”

Now, they can do in one day what used to take three. That includes making Good’s smoked goat meatloaf and experiments in barbecuing.

5½ 1½ ½ 5

Transfer garlic scapes to a large bowl and pour brine over garlic scapes. Allow to cool to room temperature and then transfer mixture to a glass jar or other nonreactive container and refrigerate. Allow scapes to pickle for 6 to 7 days before serving.

| Preparation – Grits | In a heavy-bottomed saucepot not placed over heat, add grits and 3 cups water and stir. Allow mixture to settle, then skim off chaff and hulls and discard. Allow grits to soak overnight, covered, at room temperature.

HaM HoCK

When ready to cook, bring saucepot with grits and water up to medium heat and let simmer for about 6 minutes, constantly stirring mixture. Reduce heat as low as possible and cover saucepot.

In another saucepot, heat remaining 3 cups water. every 10 minutes or so, stir grits and add heated water as needed. Allow grits to cook until tender but still able to hold shape, about 45 to 50 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add butter.

Serve grits with a fried egg, crispy jowl bacon, cheese and pickled garlic scapes.

B S R E R E W AC R E H

AGAINST GRAIN O T S S R E GIO N G O

Written by bethany christo

| PhotograPhy by Judd demaline, landon vonderschmidt and cheryl Waller

all beer is made from four essential ingredients: water, barley, yeast and hops.

flavorful magic and where time in a barrel makes something extraordinary with new characteristics and complexities.

but brewing beer is more involved than simply combining these four ingredients. From this foundation, brewers can head down one of many rabbit holes, to various Wonderlands where beer styles can transform with the addition of fruits and spices during fermentation, where bacteria and wild yeast can work

brewers can get caught up in these worlds of infusing and barrel-aging beer, adding and tinkering and experimenting, to create truly special suds. the realm where many brewers have recently turned their focus is a subset of an already popular practice – aging beer in barrels.

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EARLY DAYS OF BARREL AGING for hundreds of years wine barrels have served as successful aging vessels for beer – especially sour styles where flavors are predominantly developed by wild yeast and bacteria rather than the oak of the barrel itself. more recently, used whiskey and bourbon barrels have become the front-runners for aging beer, used to impart the spirited flavor of past inhabitants. twenty-three years ago, goose island beer co., based out of chicago, first released bourbon county stout, the dark and boozy beer aged in bourbon barrels that is often credited as the first bourbon barrel-aged beer.

branded barrel from side project brewing

in 2006, phil wymore began working as a brewer (and later cellar manager) at goose island. wymore was involved in producing some of the brewery’s most popular barrel-aged beers, including madam rose, a belgian-style brown ale fermented with wild yeast and aged on cherries in wine barrels. in 2010, wymore took the knowledge he’d gained in chicago and moved to st. louis, where he opened perennial artisan ales a year later in the south carondelet neighborhood. the first person to join wymore at perennial was cory King, who was impressed with wymore’s concept and business model of a brewery focused on belgian ales and barrel aging. after collaborating with wymore for a couple of years as head brewer at perennial (and releasing highly popular wine- and whiskey-barrel aged beers, chief among them barrel-aged abraxas, an imperial stout aged in rittenhouse rye barrels with ancho chiles, cocoa nibs, vanilla beans and cinnamon sticks), King launched his own barrel-aging enterprise, side project brewing, in 2013. side project brews in the same facility as perennial, but as of late last year, fans of its sour belgian-inspired saisons, barrel-aged stouts, barleywines and belgian quads can visit its tasting room, the side project cellar, in maplewood, missouri. as the workload at side project has increased, King has recently transitioned from head brewer at perennial to director of oak, managing the brewery’s barrel-aging program. side project is a 100 percent barrelaging brewery that produces smallbatch ales with limited distribution – its beers are only sold at the tasting room – but unlimited creativity. the

brewery is well-known for its sour beers – which comprise 90 to 95 percent of its releases, according to King – primarily aged in american and french oak wine barrels that share aging space at perennial. but, ever the adventurer with an insatiate scientific approach to brewing, King also ages beer in unconventional spirit barrels. He’s been aging an imperial milk stout in a ron Zacapa aged caribbean rum barrel for the past year, waiting for the sweeter, caramel notes he’s tasting to round out and meld with the stout. the last stouts he released, derivation blend no. 1 and no. 2, were aged in a blend of bourbon barrels for nearly two years. “picture me pouring a glass of imperial stout and a shot of whiskey, and then pouring the whiskey into that beer and drinking it,” King says. “when you put beer in a bourbon barrel, that’s exactly what it tastes like – at first. but beer is a living thing. with time and oxidation, beer starts soaking into and out of the oak and pulling out the vanilla and roundness that it adds – it’s why whiskey and other spirits are aged in oak in the first place.” in june, side project released a different kind of nontraditional brew: Unblended no.

40, an american wild ale fermented with only missouri yeast and bacteria and aged in missouri oak chardonnay barrels sourced from crown Valley winery in ste. genevieve, missouri.

King normally blends aged beers together to achieve a specific flavor profile, but he knew the characteristics of this particular barrel, no. 40, needed to be highlighted on its own. “[the beer] was so citrus-fruit forward that i was like, ‘i have to bottle this like it is,’” King says. “there was nothing that could be done to make it better. it was the best barrel to come out of the brewery so far. people thought i was lying – they could swear there were lemons and limes and oranges added. there was no fruit; it was all from the barrel, yeast, bacteria and time.” with 220 barrels currently in rotation at side project and around 200 at perennial, King has experience working with many types of barrels. His second barrel-centric beer, Unblended no.

25, a big, malty traditional old ale aged with Brettanomyces yeast and Lactobacillus bacteria will be released this month, aged in a blanton’s bourbon barrel. around the same time wymore

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boulevard brewing Co. barrel-aging Cave

was learning the ropes at Goose Island, another of the region’s largest craft breweries, Boulevard Brewing Co. in Kansas City, was pushing forward with its own barrel-aging program. In 2009, the now 25-year-old brewery had maybe a dozen small projects aging in barrels, according to Dustin Jamison, head brewer and lead of barrel operations.

Bourbon-Barrel Quad, Boulevard’s best-selling barrel-aged beer, was first produced in limited quantity in 2008, and an imperial stout followed later that year. In early 2010, Rye on Rye, a rye ale aged in Templeton Rye whiskey barrels from the Iowa-based distillery, was released. In 2011, Boulevard began growing the number of barrels for aging.

NECESSITY VERSUS CREATIVITY

The increased clamoring for used whiskey and bourbon barrels has led to dwindling supply across the country. For some local breweries, the need to source other types of used barrels is driven by necessity, yet for others, it’s driven by an effort to create new and interesting beers.

Jamison says Boulevard’s barrel-age program has progressed naturally in the four years since the first big release. “At first, the thought of doing a 100-barrel run of Bourbon-Barrel Quad seemed like a huge undertaking,” he says. “Now, we’re doing four or five times that on all of the brands.”

It was the former situation that Martin City Brewing Co. co-owners Matt Moore and Chance Adams found themselves in while trying to get their Kansas City brewery off the ground. Within six months of its February 2014 opening, whiskey barrel-aged beers were served on tap. Moore and Adams say their reasoning was two-prong: one, due to their mutual love of whiskey-aged stouts and porters and two, the need for the nascent brewery to “make more noise” in the burgeoning craft-brewery market. However, they soon encountered a familiar struggle: By the end of 2014, they could no longer find used bourbon and whiskey barrels consistently. They managed to get their hands on a few dozen brandy barrels and, without knowing what they would get out of them, created a brandy barrel-aged Belgian tripel that became a year-round, best-selling staple. The brandy adds grapey, fruity characteristics and a sweet dessert-wine aroma that balance out the spicy clove notes from the Belgian yeast used during fermentation.

Boulevard has experimented with aging beer in nontraditional barrels, but so far the brewery hasn’t released one –Jamison says a rum barrel-aged version of its Imperial Stout X series was in the works this past year, but the idea has been shelved until Boulevard can find quality rum barrels.

Martin City’s 150-barrel program has also pumped out an imperial stout and barleywine aged in brandy barrels, a rum barrel-aged imperial stout, as well as a tequila barrel-aged agave quad that’s currently aging (the sweetness of the agave meshes with the tropical tequila notes more than, say, honey would), plus port barrels are on the way.

From that initial handful, Boulevard’s program has grown to more than 2,200 barrels, which are now housed in an underground, 20,000-square-foot limestone cave near the brewery. Organized in stacks of eight, rows of barrels stretch up to the cave’s 16-foot ceiling. There are 531 barrels of Rye on Rye aging alone.

beer aging in whiskey barrels at boulevard brewing Co.

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4 hands brewing co.’s barrel-aging room

“We’re a new guy in this game, too, trying to make our mark,” Moore says. “The little breweries have an advantage in our flexibility to do whatever we want, even if we don’t know what impact the barrels will have on flavor.”

While Martin City employed brandy, tequila, port and rum barrels out of necessity, other brewers are seeking them out for experimentation.

Crane Brewing Co., which plans to open its doors in October in the Raytown suburb of Kansas City, intends to devote nearly half of its brewing facility to barrel aging from the very beginning.

“The nature and focus of our brewery is Belgian farmhouse ales, all beers that have traditionally been, for the past hundreds of years, involving Brettanomyces aged in barrels,” says Chris Meyers, co-owner and vice president of Crane, about why the brewery has devoted so much space to barrel aging.

The brewery’s namesake and owner, Michael Crane, is a prominent figure in the

home-brew scene: His sour beers and wild ales have won many home-brewing awards across the U.S. in the past five years, and anticipation for his production brewery and tasting room is widespread.

As part of its barrel-aging program, Crane received two brandy barrels from Nebraska Brewing Co. that were previously filled with Nebraska’s aged imperial stout, Sexy Betty, and released three separate beers aged in them: The first was Saison de Trois Sauvage, a saison made with three different Brettanomyces yeast varieties, which was then emptied and filled with a Brettanomyces and sour yeast rye saison, Wild Rye, which head brewer Steven Hood preferred. “Wild Rye was more tangy – it helps to have an extra layer of funk and complexity from wild or souring yeast to add contrast to the spirit character of the brandy,” he says.

The second brandy barrel was filled with Illmatic, a sour mango quad, where Brettanomyces and other souring bacteria spent 18 months getting busy, reacting to the brandy barrel’s compounds in a way that Hood says imparted tropical fruit and

caramel notes to create a tart and rich beer.

STANDOUT STYLES Many breweries use barrel brokers to source barrels, who scour the worldwide barrel marketplace and relay its everchanging availability to brewers. Typically, very little information about the history of barrels is provided, and with increasing competition in the industry, breweries are sometimes forced to take barrels in lessthan-ideal conditions.

Used rum barrels, across the board, seem to arrive in the roughest shape, partially because many began as whiskey barrels before being repurposed for aging rum. The lush, smoky richness of a stout is strong enough to hold its own against the spirit, so when breweries purchase rum barrels, they often first use them for aging a stout before attempting riskier styles.

For example, Springfield Brewing Co. in Springfield, Missouri, chose to age its Russian imperial stout, Tsarry Night, in two separate barrels before combining the two batches to make the final beer. One batch

was just aged in a rum barrel sourced from Colorado-based Montanya Distillers while the other batch was aged in a stainless steel barrel on currants and raisins to play off the vanilla and coconut flavors imparted by the rum barrel. The beer, named Signet 17, was released for the brewery’s 17th anniversary at the end of 2014.

“We didn’t want it to taste like a boilermaker,” says brewer and director of sales Colin Laursen. “Barrel-aged beers don’t all have to be over-the-top, kick-youin-the-teeth boozy flavor. We really liked how the coconut aspect from the rum barrel and the sherry notes from the fruit lent a rich, island feel to the beer.”

In St. Louis, 4 Hands Brewing Co. is using Caribbean rum barrels to age its fourthanniversary beer, a wheatwine (made with wheat malt) rather than a stout, with an anticipated January release. Each of 4 Hands’ previous anniversary beers were barrel-aged, and Caribbean rum barrels happened to be available right around the same time the wheatwine was being developed, according to 4 Hands brewery manager Martin Toft.

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“It’s our first time using rum barrels, and we’re hoping to impart some of those coconut, raisin, caramel and spicy notes from the barrel,” Toft says.

popular chocolaty version of a rum barrelaged stout, Muscovy. Of the 14 taps at its Downtown tasting room, seven or eight are barrel-aged beers, which constantly rotate.

The brewery is also aging its Opus Belgian saison with Earl Grey tea and orange peels in a gin barrel from Journeyman Distillery, as well as its imperial porter and Belgian dubbel in apple brandy barrels. These are just three beers being produced as part of the brewery’s 264-barrel program, which Toft says focuses heavily on wild and sour yeast projects.

For owner and head brewer Derrick Langeneckert, experimenting with barrel aging is an addictive creative outlet, whether making a tequila barrel-aged imperial stout with notes of lemon, lime and chocolate, a Belgian dark ale Pear Cuvée aged in rum and bourbon barrels or a refreshing, lemony gin barrel-aged gose.

Elsewhere in St. Louis, at Alpha Brewing Co., the barrel-aging program (dubbed BETA, an acronym for barreled, esoteric, tart and abstract) has produced 50 projects in 40 barrels in just two years, including its

LIFE CYCLE OF A BARREL The lack of used rum, tequila and brandy barrels on a reliable schedule and in manageable condition has some breweries turning to local distilleries.

For two Missouri breweries, this has led to collaboration wherein the barrels are then cycled back to the distillery, and the process continues. The finished beers and spirits have more character because the barrels are being reconstituted with, rather than stripped of, flavor.

Case in point: 2nd Shift Brewing’s special release Hibiscus Wit is aged in gin barrels from acclaimed Pinckney Bend Distillery, both located in New Haven, Missouri.

“They give us the empty gin barrels the day they’re emptied,” says 2nd Shift co-owner Libby Crider. “What I love about Pinckney Bend’s gin is that it has a spicy and floral flavor, rather than sweet. The gin aging takes away a bit of the sweetness of our witbier and adds a spicy depth.”

The tart and refreshing Hibiscus Wit, made with orange peels and Curaçao, plus coriander and hibiscus flowers, was a top seller on its own, but the gin-barrel version was a huge success. Crider and her husband and brewery co-owner, Steve, have developed a program with Pinckney Bend where, after 2nd Shift’s beer is aged in the gin barrels and emptied, the brewery returns the barrels back to the distillery to produce a hibiscus gin. Once the gin is emptied, the barrel is then given back to 2nd Shift, and the cycle starts over. The partnership is currently on its third round.

In Springfield, a similar system of recycling barrels is happening at Mother’s Brewing Co. Its barrel-aging program is composed of five different projects in 150 barrels, and the brewery has a similar back-and-

barrels at 4 hands brewing co.

whiskey barrel at 4 hands brewing co.

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beer at boulevard brewing co.

forth relationship with nearby Copper Run Distillery’s whiskey barrels to make its hopped-up unfiltered wheat, Sandy. “[We’re always experimenting with] smaller draft-only batches of this and that,” says Mother’s brewmaster Brian Allen.

David Soper, cellarman and cooper at Mother’s, says two of the coolest barrels used thus far were rum barrels from Nicaragua that were local in a roundabout way. The barrels previously housed whiskey, and each nail was engraved with “MO,” as they were made by Independent Stave Co. in Lebanon, Missouri.

“It was crazy to think about the barrels’ path from when they were made about an hour away from us in the early ‘90s, shipped around the world and now coming

full circle back at our brewery,” Soper says.

In 2011, Mother’s created its first barrelaged beer – a barleywine called Foggy Notion aged in sherry barrels sourced from Missouri wineries. The brewery has since used tequila, local port, brandy and other barrels for aging beer, including the fourth release of Squashed, a rum barrel-aged porter made with chocolate from Missouri producer Askinosie, butternut squash and pumpkin spice, coming out next month.

show

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1751 wo odl awn

The process of aging beer in wooden barrels allows breweries another creative outlet for experimentation, another rabbit hole to explore, another world of character and aroma and complexity. Each develops its own microenvironment, its own microbatch, unpredictable and magical.

2nd Shift Brewing, 1401 Olive Road, New Haven, Missouri, 573.237.3421, 2ndshiftbrewing.com

4 handS Brewing Co.

, 1220 S. Eighth St., LaSalle Park, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.436.1559, 4handsbrewery.com

alpha Brewing Co.

, 1409 Washington Ave., Downtown, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.621.2337, alphabrewingcompany.com

Boulevard Brewing Co., 2501 Southwest Blvd., Greater

Downtown, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.474.7095, boulevard.com

Crane Brewing Co., 6515 Railroad St., Raytown, Missouri, 816.352.6782, facebook.com/CraneBrewCo

Martin City Brewing Co., 500 E. 135th St., Martin City, Missouri, 816.268.2222, martincitybrewingcompany.com

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LICENSE TO GRILL. From juicy burgers and classic hot dogs to fall-off-the-bone ribs, grilling and barbecuing are quintessential summer activities. This month, we invited our Instagram followers to share photos of backyard cookouts, finger-licking barbecue and side dishes at restaurants across the region by using the hashtag #feastgram. To learn about how pitmasters in Kansas City and St. Louis compete in barbecue competitions across the country, turn to p. 62. Then, flip to p. 77 for a taste of the creative ready-to-grill products (like pastrami burgers) found at nose-to-tail butcher shop Hank Charcuterie in Lawrence, Kansas.

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| 1 | Spencer pernikoff @whiskeyandsoba The @BolyardsMeat lunch specials just can’t be missed. I got this week’s beef hot dog with chowchow and peach ketchup on a @RefectionSTL brioche bun for lunch, which means I probably ate better than you. | 2 | AnnA newell @urban.apron Porch shrimp kabob action. #CentralWestEnd #Grilling

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| 3 | TwiSTed belly bbQ producTS @twistedbelly This brisket turned out awesome!

The right amount of smoke and perfect amount of flavor! #Brisket #BBQ #GetTwisted #Grill #KCBS | 4 | Tom mcgill @tmcgill66 Sexy burger time. #Foodie #STLFoodScene #WildChefs #FoodSpotting | 5 | kAyli dice @kaylidice Grilled fig flatbread with fresh herbs, walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette. | 6 | STAcy mccAnn @stacyeltblog Trio of sliders at Q39 in Kansas City. The hype is well-deserved! #Q39 #KansasCity #Barbecue #KansasCityBBQ #BBQ

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| 7 | mAllory ubbelohde @m_ubb Grilled corn with smoked sea salt. #HatcheryMade

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| 8 | guS guS fun buS @gusgusfunbus Wings! #OpenPit #Fire #ChickenWings #OutdoorCooking #Barbecue | 9 | eAT & drink wiTh AnnA @eatanddrinkwithanna Enjoying a homemade meal, a glass of @CharlesSmithWines #Syrah and a deliciously #Crispy #Chicken leg quarter over a fresh #Summer #Salad! |6|

| 10 | chowchief @chowchief Holy smoke. (at Pappy’s Smokehouse)

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Want to see your photos in the October issue of Feast?

Next month, our focus turns to Southern eats and drinks. We want to see the crispy fried chicken, flaky buttermilk biscuits, fried green tomatoes, collard greens, low-country boils and other dishes you’re digging into at home and at restaurants across the region. To submit your photos for consideration, simply include the hashtag #feastgram and tag @feastmag on your Instagram photos. beginning Tue., Sept. 1.

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