Local Eats

LOCAL EATS Maize & Wheat Colombian Cafe

By Mabel Suen

For traditional Colombian fare, guests have been flocking to Brentwood’s Maize & Wheat Colombian Cafe since it opened in November for arepas (cornmeal cakes), empanadas (sealed, deep-fried pastries), tropical juices and other dishes.

The eatery comes from Claudia Marcella Niswonger, a native of Bucaramanga, Colombia, who moved here 14 years ago because of her husband’s career. Thereafter, Niswonger established El Fogón Colombian – an endeavor she began in 2017 with her daughter, Gerly, and late son, Jhon, as a way to introduce the food of her native land to the metro area at local festivals.

After receiving ample encouragement from an eager customer base under the El Fogón name, Niswonger decided to give her popular arepas and empanadas a bricks-and-mortar home with her own café, where she hopes to offer even more traditional Colombian fare.

“I’m very excited because this is the first time there is a Colombian restaurant here,” Niswonger says. “It’s my gift to St. Louis. I would like to have a huge variety of food and tropical juices showcasing Colombian food. I really want to change the image many people have of my country.”

Made-to-order arepas – a staple of the menu – feature house-made yellow or white corn-based dough that’s grilled and stuffed with savory fillings. Breakfast options include the Colombian arepa stuffed with yellow plantain, corn, mozzarella and Colombian sausage, while lunch options include the arepa special, with chicken, mushroom and mozzarella.

Niswonger recalls learning how to make empanadas with her caretaker, or “Nona,” to sell as street food while growing up. Her favorite today remains the favorite of her youth: shredded beef seasoned with freshly ground cumin, garlic, onion and tomato, all in a fried pastry shell with rice and mozzarella.

Additional menu highlights include stuffed potatoes – a traditional Colombian breakfast dish made of breaded and fried mashed potatoes with a hard-boiled egg, chicken or beef – served with aji, a spicy sauce of onion, tomato, vinegar and lemon. However, the café’s bestseller so far has been a fruity concoction not from the food menu but from the beverage menu: coconut lemonade.

According to Niswonger, visitors can’t get enough of her tropical juices, and she intends to add many more to the menu, including lesserknown flavors like lulo (also known as naranjilla), a refreshing fruit with notes of pineapple, citrus and kiwi – in addition to such food options as Colombian soups and tamales.

“People are asking for more and more items,” Niswonger says. “This is such a nice location with such nice people. I wanted to have a simple menu, but they want more, and I’m happy to make it for them.”

Maize & Wheat Colombian Cafe, 1912 S. Brentwood Blvd., Brentwood, 314-749-4778, maizeandwheat.com