16 minute read
Short Orders
22
SHORT ORDERS
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[ST. LOUIS STANDARDS]
Hole Foods
At north St. Louis County staple the Donut Cupboard, customers are treated like family
Written by CHERYL BAEHR
When Robyn Dietrich talks about how much she cares for her customers, she’s not simply referring to what goes on within the four walls of her Florissant doughnut cafe, the Donut Cupboard. To her, it’s one thing to serve her guests good food while she’s on the clock, but it’s equally important that the relationship doesn’t end when they pay their check.
“There is one woman who I called the other day just to check in on her,” Dietrich says. “I asked her, ‘Doris, do you need anything?’ She told me no, because a neighbor was helping her out, but I told her, ‘Listen, I’m going to Aldi — please let me bring you something.’ She said she would really love some chicken salad, but that she didn’t want to ask me to do that. I told her that I was going there anyway and that she was on the way home. She was so appreciative, and I was happy to do it. This is pretty much my life, but I love it because these are the people who, when my parents died, have been there for me.”
Those personal touches, and the knowledge that Dietrich and her staff truly feel that their customers are family, is what makes the Donut Cupboard an essential — if under-the-radar — part of the north-county dining scene. Since 1975, the small cafe has been serving its patrons some of the est doughnuts in the area, first under the watch of the original owner, Tony Ozenkowski, and next, under Dietrich and her husband John, who bought the shop in 1983.
As Dietrich explains, her husband, who had a background in the doughnut business, planned on opening a restaurant of his own — just not the Donut Cupboard — when he bought the place 38 years ago. Instead of an independent shop, John was actively looking to run a Mr. Donut franchise in the Florissant area when he stumbled upon the Donut Cupboard opportunity. Back then, Ozenkowski was experiencing heart troubles and looking to get out of the business; though his nephew, who was a baker at the shop, seemed like the natural heir, he had no interest in taking it over, so Ozenkowski was in need of a buyer. For John, an established business with a regular clientele was just what he was looking for, so he switched course and became an independent doughnut shop owner.
When John took over the Donut Cupboard, he expanded its footprint to include the adjacent storefront, where he set up an ice cream shop. “He tried different things to see what would work out,” Dietrich explains. However, when he realized the extra space wasn’t worth the effort and rent, he consolidated the operation into its current space. Still, he felt that the place should offer more than doughnuts and, over time, he expanded the menu to include breakfast, lunch and the restaurant’s current specialty: doughnut sandwiches.
“When all the gas stations started having doughnuts, we had to figure out a way to make ourselves stand out,” Dietrich says. “We didn’t have a background in cooking — just a stove back then — but we wanted to give people a wide variety of choices. Some people can come in and get doughnuts and the other people at the table can have breakfast. It was something that we could easily do to differentiate ourselves.”
Still, doughnuts remain the Donut Cupboard’s bread and butter, even though the shop remains something of a hidden gem, albeit
Donut Cupboard hand cuts its doughnuts the old-fashioned way — one of the secrets to its staying power. | ANDY PAULISSEN
Donut Cupboard has been serving Florissant for 46 years. | ANDY PAULISSEN
e friendly sta goes out of their way to make everyone feel like family. | ANDY PAULISSEN
one sitting in plain sight. It sits in a strip mall directly on North Highway 67 in the heart of Florissant, but it’s not uncommon for Dietrich to hear people say that they never knew the place existed. However, once people try the doughnuts, they immediately understand what they’ve been missing.
“We make doughnuts like they used to make in the old days,” Dietrich says. “We mix in the mixer, throw the dough on the table, hand-roll them out with a roller and use hand-cutters to cut them. When people use machines, it makes for a tougher doughnut. We don’t feed ours through any machines, which is why they are so tender. It’s more grunt work, but I think that’s what makes them so good.”
Classic glazed and chocolate long johns are the shop’s most popular offerings, and the Donut Cupboard has a cult following for its enormous apple fritters. But Dietrich senses that the warm feel of the place and the staff’s efforts to make everyone feel welcome is why people keep coming back. Like a lot of small cafes and restaurants around town, the Donut Cupboard has its daily regulars, mostly older retired men, who come in more for the socialization than they do the coffee and doughnuts. One of the shop’s most beloved customers, a former mailman named Dan who passed away last year, is memorialized on the wall behind the front pastry case as a way to ensure his presence is still felt at the counter where he sat every single day. Dietrich says the shop has so many regulars like Dan, and she wishes that she would have started taking pictures of them from the very beginning as a reminder of every one whose lives the Donut Cupboard has touched over the years. “We had a couple of regulars who moved away, and when they came back they said they always consider us like their Cheers,” Dietrich says. “We treat everyone like we want to be treated. The girls who work here are awesome; we’re such a small group and not a franchise, so we really take pride in what we do. I think we try to make everybody feel comfortable and like they are at home. Everybody is welcome here.” n
Co ee and doughnuts are hard to beat, especially when they’re this good. | ANDY PAULISSEN
[FOOD NEWS]
Sabroso Coming Soon to St. Ann
Written by CHERYL BAEHR
St. Louis will soon be getting a new destination for traditional Mexican cuisine, courtesy of a popular longtime chef. Sabroso (11146 Old St. Charles Road, St. Ann; 314-918-5037), a restaurant from former Mission Taco Joint Director of Culinary Operations “Chef Miguel,” will open soon in St. Ann, featuring tamales, cochinata pabil, empanadas and more.
The restaurant is the realization of a dream for Chef Miguel (who prefers to go by his first name only), a veteran chef who has been working in the food business, in some form, since he was ten years old. Food was always a part of his life growing up in Mexico, and as soon as he was old enough to work, he got a job with a woman who ran a popular food cart in his hometown. Under her tutelage, he learned to cook a variety of street-food dishes and also honed his craft at home with his mother.
Those two experiences gave him a rich culinary background that he has drawn upon in his cooking jobs here in the United States, including his most recent position with Mission Taco Joint. For several years, Chef Miguel worked alongside brothers Adam and Jason Tilford, first at their popular upscale dining restaurant Milagro Modern Mexican and eventually at Mission Taco Joint, where he was in charge of directing the culinary side of the operations for the brand’s numerous locations.
When the pandemic forced the Tilfords to make the difficult decision of laying off Chef Miguel, he took it as a sign that it was his time to branch off on his own. With his wife, Brandi, by his side, he drew up plans for Sabroso not simply as a restaurant, but as a forum for teaching diners about the many different styles of Mexican cuisine. As Brandi explains, that education component is an important part of what they hope to do with the restaurant.
“He just loves food so much and wants to educate people about the different styles of cooking and techniques and where they originated from,” Brandi says. “That’s how the menu is set up. We’re telling people what part of Mexico a dish comes from and even give a little blip about the cooking style.
“That’s one of our missions — to educate people that there is Mexican food beyond beans and rice and fajitas. We have those things too, but what we want to give you is what you would get if you went to a grandmother’s or mom’s house.”
As Brandi explains, there is no dish that better exemplifies that sort of homekitchen comfort than Sabroso’s tamales. Chef Miguel has worked for years perfecting his masa; the restaurant has a machine that grinds the corn, and, after it’s ground, he adds in pork fat and other seasonings. She is confident that, once diners try Sabroso’s tamales, they will be awestruck.
Though there is no opening day set for the restaurant, Brandi anticipates it will be open by early October. In the meantime, they are hard at work getting everything in order so that they can soon welcome guests to show them a dining experience that is deeply personal to Chef Miguel.
“Food has always been a part of his life,” Brandi says. “For him, this has been a lifelong dream.” n
Sabroso is bringing traditional Mexican cuisine to St. Ann this fall. | COURTESY OF SABROSO
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ST. LOUIS AND SURROUNDING AREAS
Lost in the Sauce
Navin’s BBQ brings Texas- and Kansas City-style ’cue to Tower Grove East
Written by CHERYL BAEHR
Living in such esteemed barbecue areas as central Texas and Kansas City, Chris Armstrong found himself steeped in barbecue culture for a significant portion of his life. That exposure turned into curiosity, passion and, now, Navin’s BBQ (3559 Arsenal Street, 314449-1185), a smokehouse of his own that opened this June in Tower Grove East.
According to Armstrong, the push to open Navin’s was entirely circumstantial. Though he has considered himself a barbecue hobbyist for quite some time — and even helped his uncles on the competition circuit — he was enjoying a successful career as the Midwest sales manager for a Texas-based brewery. However, when the pandemic hit, the brewery had to furlough many of its employees, including Armstrong on two occasions, eventually eliminating three of the four states in his territory. Seeing the writing on the wall, Armstrong knew he needed to chart a different course.
While he took the time to figure out what his next move would be, Armstrong decided to perfect his barbecue. He needed people to test out his wares, so he enlisted the help of friends and family to help him eat all of the food he was making and also give him their feedback. Before he knew it, he was cooking for twenty-plus people every week under the name “Furlough Joe’s” — and was so pleased by the reception that he gained the confidence to look into opening a place of his own.
Once Armstrong found the former Guerrilla Street Food location on Arsenal Street, he felt ready to go all-in. Named after the main character in the movie The Jerk, Navin’s opened on June 17 to wonderful word-of-mouth success and has been growing ever since. As Armstrong explains, he’s been especially proud of their repeat business — proof that he is onto something with his barbecue.
“We’ve had quite a bit of repeat business,” Armstrong says. “Some people have come in for lunch and dinner in the same day. One gentleman in the neighborhood came in five or six days the first week we were open, and it’s not uncommon for people to come in multiple days in a row. It makes me feel that there is something here to what we are doing.”
Though Navin’s draws inspiration from both Texas and Kansas City barbecue traditions, Armstrong is not married to particular styles. Instead, he sees the restaurant as more of a hybrid style that celebrates barbecue tradition in its entirety. He is particularly proud of his brisket, which is Texas style and sliced off the flat, but is equally excited about his Kansas City burnt ends.
Chicken wings, which are Navin’s most labor-intensive item, are another specialty that he perfected through customer feedback during his time as Furlough
Joe’s, as are the pork-belly burnt ends, which are one of the more popular items. And though he understands that many may see the smokehouse as a meat-centric operation, Armstrong also serves vegetarian options, including smoked collard greens and a smoked portobello mushroom, that appeal to a wide variety of diners. Navin’s is fast casual, so diners order at the counter and wait for their food to be brought out to them.
Currently, the restaurant does not offer alcoholic beverages, though
Armstrong hopes to have his liquor license soon. In the meantime, he is just happy to be doing what he loves and is thrilled with the validation he has received from the community. “I probably wouldn’t have taken the leap if it wasn’t for the furlough, so this is very situational,” Armstrong says. “I’d always loved barbecue and took it seriously, but with St. Louis being such a strong, historic barbecue community, I always felt like a nobody and thought people would think, ‘Who is this guy?’ It always held me back, but the support so far has been great. We’re still small and still growing, but we’re just trying to build this one sandwich and plate at a time.”
Navin’s BBQ is open Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. or sellout. n
Navin’s BBQ is serving up smoked wings and other outstanding ‘cue in Tower Grove East. |Phuong Bui
Secret Ingredient
Botanica brings a stylish vibe and American South-Italian cuisine to Wildwood
Written by CHERYL BAEHR
When Ryan Sherring stands in the middle of Botanica’s (2490 Taylor Road, Wildwood; 636-821-1233) dining room, he can’t help but marvel at the transformation. Gone are the mustard-yellow walls, red ceiling and dark pub tables that characterized the former Llywellyn’s pub; in their place, the white tin ceiling, exposed brick, green plants, Pop Art and gray concrete bar give off a sleek, modern vi e with light filling the space from the building’s numerous windows. It’s a chic, but still welcoming atmosphere — one he knows will quickly become the neighborhood gathering spot and dining destination for the residents of Wildwood and beyond.
After announcing his plans for Botanica less than two months ago, Sherring opened the highly anticipated restaurant this past Saturday, bringing to life his vision for a place that will appeal to a wide variety of diners. Part of the draw is the space itself, including a lush outdoor (dog-friendly) patio and bar, as well as a topnotch beverage program put together by beverage director Chris Figeroa that includes new interpretations of classic cocktails.
However, much of the Botanica buzz has surrounded the exciting menu from the highly regarded chef Ben Welch, who joined Sherring’s growing Six Mile Bridge team this August (Sherring and his wife, Lindsay, also own the Maryland Heights brewery and restaurant). For Botanica, Welch has created a menu that represents his longtime prowess with Italian cuisine, with nods to the American South, which is a style of food that has both personal and professional connections to him.
“This is your Italian grandma and Black grandma cooking for you,” Welch says. “And what do they cook with? Love. That’s the connection. It’s big pots and sugo and biscuits and gravy and just cooking with love. I love creating outside of what is expected, and I don’t like being put in a box.”
Botanica’s menu is pizza-forward, with Roman-style pies that include a classic Margherita, a potato, featuring rosemary, pork jowl, béchamel and mozzarella, as well as a sweet-potato version with speck, gorgonzola, Saba, candied pecans and ricotta. The menu is not limited to pizza, though. The restaurant also offers three different pasta dishes, including a gnocchi with artichoke, lemon and roasted cauliflower, as well as entrees such as roasted chicken with peperonata, olives, capers, bacon and thyme, and short ribs with salt-and-pepper grits and roasted vegetables.
Botanica offers several starters, ranging from whipped lard to crab zeppoles (similar to an Italian beignet). Desserts, including a tiramisu and peach cobbler, round out the menu.
Sherring and Welch plan on rolling out lunch and weekend brunch service over the next several weeks, but, in the meantime, are thrilled with the direction the food has taken. They are eager to show it off to guests and bring a little something different to the area — and from what they can tell, the dining public is equally excited.
“We’ve had an outpouring of people super excited about coming here,” Sherring says. “We feel that we are bringing something unique to St. Louis with Italian and American Southern fusion. The only thing we don’t make here is the wine; we make the food, the cocktails, the beer, and everything is tailor-made for our guests so it feels unique. We’re just looking forward to bringing people together, because that is what this is about.” n
Renovations of a former pub have turned Botanica’s dining room in Wildwood into a polished, comfortable space, good for all occasions. | PHUONG BUI
