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High Esteem
Dave Owens’ fine confectionery background fuels his THC-infused Honeybee Edibles brand
Written by CHERYL BAEHR
Chef Dave Owens doesn’t like to use the word “passion” when it comes to his longtime culinary inclinations and how he got where he is today. However, no matter what you call it, it’s clear that he was destined for food to be a major part of his life.
“I feel like the word ‘passion’ is so overused,” Owens says. “Certainly, food was always an interest. As a kid, I was always cooking for my family and trying to make things out of whatever we had around, even if it was canned goods, like doctoring up Campbell’s soup to make it taste good. We were a big family — I was one of seven children — so there were always a lot of people around and meals at home. We never went out so much, so I think that’s where it started.”
Now four decades into his culinary career, wens finds himself at the helm of the Honeybee Edibles ship, a venture from the soon-to-open Proper Cannabis (properbrands.com) medical marijuana company. For the veteran chef, the opportunity to apply his skills in an emerging industry is something that brings him back to his early cooking days, when the culinary field looked vastly different. As he explains, when he started out in the business, there weren’t a lot of opportunities for chefs, which was why his parents dissuaded him from getting into cooking as a career.
“I always wanted to go to culinary school, but my parents told me there was no way I was going to be a cook,” Owens says. “They wanted me to be a doctor, so I went to school for pre-med and PT [physical therapy]. Once I decided I didn’t want to do that, I asked myself, ‘What now?’”
Despite his parents’ initial reservations, Owens got a job at the Sheraton hotel at Westport and enrolled in culinary school simultaneously. During school, he also participated in the American Culinary Federations’ apprenticeship program and worked under famed St. Louis chef and restaurateur Bill Cardwell, whom he credits with making everything click.
“I started at Cardwell’s in 1989, when it had been open for a year and was really the hot ticket in town,” Owens says. “He really opened my eyes to what great food can be and using farmers as a resource, as well as the things we could get from local farms. I pretty much owe all I learned to him.”
Owens worked for Cardwell’s until 2005, when he left and opened the acclaimed restaurant Terrine. After two years, he was approached by one of Terrine’s regular customers, the former owner of Bissinger’s, who wanted to bring a culinary viewpoint to the chocolate company’s operations. Intrigued, Owens accepted the offer and became Bissinger’s chief chocolatier and VP of taste, helping the storied confectioner develop new products and maintain the brand’s quality, even as it expanded.
When Bissinger’s sold in 2019, Owens looked for new opportunities in the confectionery space. Intrigued by the medical marijuana edibles market, he was in conversation with a cannabis group to join their team; when they didn’t get their license, Owens decided to go all in on his job hunt in the field, eventually landing with Proper Cannabis. He could not be more thrilled with where he ended up.
“We’ve had so many great conversations about what we can do and what we want to become,” Owens says. “They’ve invested serious money into this, and I wouldn’t have come on board if I didn’t feel they have such a commitment to quality.”
That quality is something that drives everything Owens is doing at Proper Cannabis. With his background in fine confections, wens and the Proper team are hoping to redefine what medical marijuana edibles can be by sourcing the finest ingredients and creating products that are delicious in their own right.
“It’s a great tasting product that just happens to contain cannabis,” Owens says.
Now that he is close to opening, Owens admits he has many sleepless nights. Between nailing down the recipes and navigating the state of Missouri’s complex web of medical marijuana regulations, he’s busy and stressed well beyond what a normal restaurant or confectionery opening would bring. Still, he wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.
“There’s a lot of excitement in
Chef Dave Owens is excited to bring his extensive confectionary background to Proper Cannabis. | SPENCER PERNIKOFF
DAVE OWENS
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the marketplace,” Owens says. “I haven’t sold one thing, and I already have people coming to us saying they can’t wait to get our products. They want a more diverse selection, they want to have choices, and we’re going to be able to give that to them. These are exciting times.”
Owens took a break from getting ready for Honeybee’s launch to share his thoughts on the St. Louis food and beverage community, one thing in the medical marijuana market he’d love to see and what has inspired him during the difficult past year.
What is one thing people don’t know about you that you wish they did?
I am a vegetarian of 30 years.
What daily ritual is non-negotiable for you?
Morning iced coffee.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Super strength.
What is the most positive thing in food, wine or cocktails that you’ve noticed in St. Louis over the past year?
How even under the adverse conditions over the year-plus, the food community continues to put out amazing food as well as helping others.
What is something missing in the local food, wine or cocktail scene that you’d like to see?
Cannabis cocktails.
Who is your St. Louis food crush?
My wife, Margaret Kelly.
Which ingredient is most representative of your personality?
Chocolate.
If you weren’t working in the culinary field, what would you be doing?
I think if I could work more closely with farmers, particularly those that grow cacao, that would be an awesome way to make a living.
Name an ingredient never allowed in your kitchen.
A bad attitude.
What is your after-work hangout?
Usually it’s home, but since starting work at Proper Cannabis, Global Brew has become a great spot — and you can bring your dog!
What’s your food or beverage guilty pleasure?
Probably Taco Bell. I worked there in high school and have a place for it ever since.
What would be your last meal on Earth?
With my wife, and it would include chanterelle mushrooms and tru es. n
Breakfast fare and new nighttime o erings are on the menu at the new location of Kingside Diner. | COURTESY KINGSIDE DINER
[CHESS MOVES]
Return of the King
Kingside Diner reopens in new location, brings nighttime o erings
Written by CHERYL BAEHR
The Central West End’s most prominent patio is vacant no longer. Kingside Diner (236 North Euclid Avenue, 314-454-3957), the popular daytime restaurant, is now open at the corner of Euclid and Maryland, breathing new life into the heart of the neighborhood.
Kingside Diner relocated from its original home just across the street and a couple of storefronts down from the new digs last week, taking advantage of the former Gamlin Whiskey House’s highly visible location and accompanying patio. The move also paves the way for the planned expansion of the Saint Louis Chess Club, with which ingside Diner is affiliated.
Fans of the beloved breakfast and lunch spot will rest assured knowing that favorite dishes like the Three Little Piggies croissant and the Meat Me in St. Louis skillet made the move across the way. However, owner Aaron Teitelbaum is especially excited that the new location allows him to offer evening hours, something he’s been wanting to do for a while.
“Over the years, many customers have inquired about a nighttime service at Kingside,” says Teitelbaum. “We are very excited to finally offer it for them. Our new After Dark menus are unlike anything we’ve done before at Kingside. We will offer familiar nighttime favorites like chicken wings, pastas and steaks, as well as an extensive cocktail list — very exciting.”
Executive chef Eric Prophete, who has been in charge of the culinary direction for both the Central West End and Clayton locations of Kingside Diner for several years, continues on in his role at the new spot. The expanded hours will allow him to offer more evening-oriented menu items like potstickers, Low Country shrimp and grits, and a Butcher’s Board featuring cheese, charcuterie and accoutrements.
The new Kingside Diner features a full bar with specialty cocktails such as the Kasparov, made with Woodford Reserve bourbon, lemon juice, honey and ice tea, and the Zugzwang Burst, which pairs blueberry vodka with huckleberry syrup, sprite, lemon and Pop Rocks. Beer and wine are also available.
Teitelbaum is as excited about the space as he is the food. He describes the inside of the restaurant as “open, bright and beautiful,” and says that it is “sexy at night.” He is also thrilled to have such a great patio, and, upon approval from the Central West End Neighborhood Association, he looks forward to bringing some really great offerings to the outdoor space.
“We felt like not doing something at night would be a waste and be a disservice to the community,” Teitelbaum says. “The setup is wonderful. What we have planned for the patio is going to be epic if we can get it through. Now, we have two of the best patios in St. Louis between this and Herbie’s. When I think of it all, I am super blessed. We can’t wait to do all of it right.”
Kingside Diner’s new Central West End location will be open daily from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. for breakfast and lunch service, then will convert to Kingside After Dark immediately following daytime service. n
The Buttery Reopens After Fire
Written by JAIME LEES
When the Buttery (3659 South Grand Boulevard, 314-771-4443) caught fire on Christmas night, everybody in town assumed the worst.
The beloved local greasy spoon had long been a favorite of latenight drunks and morning pancake lovers, both of whom loved it for its baked-in “authentic” vibe. Nobody got the sense that there was a lot of money behind that type of business, and so everybody thought that a fire might mark the end of an era.
But you can’t keep a legend down. The diner is back up and running and apparently has been for a couple of weeks now — though most people in St. Louis didn’t know because the Buttery doesn’t do advertisements and the company is firmly against keeping a social media page.
So what has changed? Well, everything and nothing, according to an employee we got on the phone. They said that the place was fairly destroyed during the process of getting the fire on the roof put out and that pretty much everything had to be gutted, from the walls to the electrical system.
But the Buttery has been rebuilt to replicate its past glory and, honestly, from the pictures we’ve seen,
e Buttery is back a er a late 2020 fire. | VIA FLICKR/PAUL SABLEMAN
the new version looks eerily like the first version. he setup is almost exactly the same, from the worn booths to the too-bright lighting.
The menu, likewise, is pretty much unchanged. The restaurant didn’t take the time away to give the menu an overhaul; it’s still almost exactly the same as it was before the fire, with just a few new items added and just a few old items removed.
The employees are the same, too, with the daytime cook who has been working there for 45 years back on the job.
The Buttery way seems to be “if it ain’t broke, don’t fi it and with the beloved diner back up and running, it’s almost like it never left. n
[LANDMARKS]
Eat-Rite Gets New Owner
Written by DANNY WICENTOWSKI
The Eat-Rite Diner is getting (another) second chance at life, and this time it’s through the ambition of local chef Tim Eagan, who announced last week that he plans to debut “a new food brand” at the squat square icon that has served generations of St. Louisans craving late-night slingers and coffee.
Shawna and Joel Holtman purchased the downtown business in 2018, vowing to renovate and revitalize the struggling landmark, but only two years later, their efforts ended in a quiet closure in December. It was just one of several devastating closures of beloved St. Louis restaurants in 2020.
But while the diner became legendary for its grungy charm, the next version could see some changes to the classic spot.
In a Facebook post, Eagan wrote that he intends the new venture to include “a brunch focused diner concept” as well as a platform for his private chef business, prepared meals and catering.
“I’m extremely excited to be a part of St. Louis history and excited to be able to share my food with all of you again,” he wrote in the post. “Here’s to the future!”
Eagan tells the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he’s targeting mid-May for reopening the diner to customers, and says that the menu will include options for “upscale comfort food” and his own takes on the classic slinger, as well as diner staples like biscuits and gravy.
Still, agan clarified that he is planning on renovating some of the physical aspects of the beaten-up little shop, telling Fox 2, “I don’t want a dive.”
Whatever happens, we’re just glad that Eat-Rite’s journey isn’t over. St. Louis just wouldn’t feel right without it. n
e longtime St. Louis landmark will embark on a new life soon. | VIA FLICKR/PAUL SABLEMAN
RIVERFRONT TIMES PRESENTS
SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 2021 • CHASE PARK PLAZA 11:30 AM-2:00 PM
