EAT THIS bakhtiari platter at ehsani’s hot kabob
January 2024
ST. LOU I S’ I N D E P E N D E NT C U LI NARY AUTH O R ITY // SAUC E MAGAZ I N E .C OM // JAN UARY 2024
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TYLER HENRY THE HOLLYWOOD MEDIUM
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January 2024
contents JA N UA RY 2 02 4
editors' picks 11 EAT THIS Bakhtiari platter at Ehsani’s Hot Kabob
features 23 ONES TO WATCH 4 food and drink pros with promise
by iain shaw
by julie cohen, heather hughes-huff, iain shaw and matt sorrell
12 HIT LIST
32 WHISKEY GALORE
4 new places to try this month
by meera nagarajan, lauren healey and michelle volansky 17 DRINK THIS Bars bringing their NA game
by matt sorrell 19 IN THE KNOW The Elsworth Supper Club
by iain shaw
Listen and subscribe to The Sauce, a weekly St. Louis restaurant podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes released each Wednesday.
Tune in to St. Louis Public Radio 90.7 FM this month when Sauce joins St. Louis on the Air.
Local bars that know their bourbon from their Bruichladdich
by bill moran 36 WINTER WARMERS A world of soups and stews to soothe the soul
by ileana martinez
last bite 40 WHAT I DO Jackie Price of Fennel Cooking Studio
by iain shaw
COVER DETAILS EAT THIS The bakhtiari platter at Ehsani’s Hot Kabob is a feast of Persian grilled meat. Learn more on p. 11. PHOTO BY IZAIAH JOHNSON
PHOTO BY IZAIAH JOHNSON
drinks made by fionna gemzon at none of the above, , p. 23
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Eat This
PHOTO BY JULIA CALLEO
The bakhtiari platter at Ehsani’s Hot Kabob is ideal for sharing, serving up classic Persian grilled meats atop a generous mound of basmati and saffron rice. The tender joojeh (chicken tenderloin) is marinated in saffron and yogurt, while seasoned ground beef and lamb are the basis for the mouthwatering koobideh. The server will offer to brighten the dish with a scattering of tart sumac and a mix of other spices. Accept both – in fact, ask to have a dish of the sumac and spices left at the table so you can add more if you so desire. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the meat and you’re ready to eat. The platter’s various sides – barbecued tomato, red cabbage, peppers, and red onions with parsley – add variety to each bite, rounding off a delightfully simple feast. 4561 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314.328.1302
January 2024
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4 new places to try this month
PHOTOS BY MICHELLE VOLANSKY
hit list
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LITTLE LAGER It’s all lagers, all the time at Princeton Heights’ newest, littlest taproom. The bar is beer industry veteran Manny Negron’s take on a cozy German- or Czech-style pub. The gorgeous, custom-built tap system features seven side-pour faucets designed to give an optimal lager pour. Try a mug of light, crispy Gold Tooth (their recent collaboration with Perennial Artisan Ales), or go big and try a “milk shot” – a glass of sweet fluffy foam meant to be chugged. A respectable roster of international and domestic canned and bottled lagers, an impressive library of amaro bottles, and delightfully silly novelties like the can’t-miss Bitter Bear (a Malort-soaked gummy bear swimming in a shot of grapefruit soda) give the glowy, cozy 22-seat space a contagious spirit of fun.
5848 Hampton Ave., St. Louis, littlelager.com
CENTURY COFFEE CO. opposite page: the bar at little lager; this page, from top: manny negron, owner at little lager; a foamy milk shot at little lager
January 2024
By popular demand, the food hall at City Foundry STL finally has a coffee shop of its own. The small, primarily order-to-go space feels open and breezy, with floor-to-ceiling windows and exposed industrial details. Coffee drinks are brewed with beans from a combination of local roasters like Blueprint Coffee, Goshen Coffee Roasters, Coffeestamp and Switch Coffee Collective, and the lineup also features a rotating guest roaster. Standard espresso beverages are elevated with your choice of seasonal, housemade syrups like honey and peppermint. There’s also a solid lineup of teas, from oolong to fruity herbal blends, courtesy of Kansas City’s Hugo Tea Co. The spicy-sweet Golden Milk is a must-try, made with brilliantly yellow turmeric, cocoa powder, a blend of maple, cinnamon and ginger syrups, and steamed milk. A pastry case carries a respectable roster of baked goods like muffins, croissants and cookies.
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clockwise from top left: milkshakes at burger champ; the champ at burger champ; the dining room at burger champ
BURGER CHAMP
In Midtown, chef-owner Elliott Brown has opened The Biscuit Joint, where buttermilk biscuits are baked fresh in-house and utilized in an assortment of interesting and unique applications. We particularly enjoyed the biscuits and mushroom gravy, which was rich and flavorful with chunks of mushroom and sage-infused gravy. The biscuits and roasted chicken sausage gravy is also delicious, imbued with a hint of paprika oil. Don’t miss the sandwiches: The GOAT features a juicy piece of succulent fried chicken and tangy bread and butter pickles along with a divinely spicy Calabrian chile aioli. Brown is also part of the team behind the Dinner at the Loft pop-up series, with the crew planning to host the first of many events at The Biscuit Joint sometime in January.
At Burger Champ, the new sister restaurant to Maplewood neighbor Pizza Champ, Chris Kelling has created a casual, family-friendly burger restaurant that aims to please. Smash burgers are the style, but flexibility is baked in, with a build-yourown option that includes beef, turkey and plant-based burgers. However, the house specialties are the ones to try, like the mushroom Swiss, topped with Swiss cheese, dijonnaise and roasted mushrooms. Structural integrity is an asset: The mushrooms are evenly distributed throughout the burger, meaning nothing falls out when you take a bite. The white cheddar jalapeno burger was also a standout, with measured heat from a jalapeno relish tempered by a luscious white cheddar spread and aioli. Don’t miss their milkshakes for a sweet finish: Flavors like the peanut butter & strawberry jelly or the s’mores with graham cracker crumbs and toasted marshmallows are sure to impress, but the classic cookies & cream was exactly right.
2649 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 314.769.9434, thebiscuitjoint.com
2704 Sutton Blvd., Maplewood, burgerchampstl.com
THE BISCUIT JOINT
January 2024
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DRINK THIS There was a time, not long ago, when if you ordered a spirit-free drink, the most you could hope for was a little bit of grenadine in your soda. These days, though, discerning drinkers demand quality nonalcoholic (NA) options as part of their bar experience. Here are a few places around town where you can celebrate with all of the flavor and none of the booze.
A N GA D A RTS H OT E L Angad Arts Hotel serves up booze-free drinks at its rooftop Art Bar and the hotel’s restaurant, Commonwealth. Both spots offer the NonCosmo (cranberry juice, lime juice, orange juice and simple syrup), Orange Mule (orange juice, lime juice and ginger beer), and a Mock Spritz (hibiscus, cranberry juice, lemon juice and club soda). Commonwealth also serves NA cider Original Sin and a sparkling NA rosé from Gruvi. Through January, Art Bar also offers two seasonal NA sippers, including the Polar Paloma (orange, grapefruit and lime juice). 3550 Samuel Shepard Drive, St. Louis, 314.561.0033, angadartshotel.com
C H AO B A A N Chao Baan not only features authentic Thai cuisine but also an array of mocktails that take their cues from the kitchen. Check out Tokay Boomer (lychee juice, fresh lime juice, Thai basil syrup and sparkling water), These Pretzels
January 2024
Are Making Me Thirsty (housemade galangal syrup, fresh lime juice and ginger beer) and the Cranberry Ginger Fizz (cranberry juice and ginger beer with an orange sugar rim). 4087 Chouteau Ave., St. Louis, 314.925.8250, chaobaanstl.com
M I S S I O N TA C O J O I N T Mission Taco Joint offers a list of NA libations such as the Januberry Pie, made with Bare Zero Proof tequila, lime juice, strawberry, vanilla, coconut and jalapeno. Other offerings include the NA Mission Margarita, NA Paloma and NA Pina Colada, along with NA beers from Athletic Brewing Co., aguas frescas and Jarritos Mexican sodas. Multiple locations, missiontacojoint.com
T H E VA N D Y This neighborhood cocktail joint, located on the edge of the Grove, offers a continually rotating selection of spirit-free options as carefully crafted as their boozy offerings. Check out NA specialties like the Italian Orange Spritz (Lyre’s Italian Orange NA aperitif, lemon and simple syrup, topped with Topo Chico) and The Mango Murder, which includes Bare Zero Proof tequila, plus Giffard Aperitif, pineapple, lime and mango syrups. 1301 S. Vandeventer Ave., St. Louis, 314.472.5321, thevandystl.com
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IN THE KNOW THE ELSWORTH SUPPER CLUB Justin and Amelia McMillen are using The Elsworth Supper Club to sketch out and test ideas for the restaurant they hope to open one day. The McMillens run the supper club out of their former garage, which they converted to a screened-in patio before it became the Elsworth dining room. On supper club evenings, up to 10 guests gather around the table, with three bitesized morsels served as the prelude to three courses utilizing fine seasonal ingredients. For the most part, the supper club’s guests don’t know each other, but the entree course is designed to help break the ice, with sides – and sometimes even the main protein itself – served family-style. “Everyone gets a plate of protein, and then there are three to four familystyle items to pass around,” Justin said. “We thought that was a really nice way to create really natural conversation,” Amelia added. Much of the cooking takes place outdoors on the McMillens’ 4-foot hearth. “On the day of the event, everything is done outdoors on the hearth,” Amelia said.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SPENCER PERNIKOFF FOR ELSWORTH SUPPER CLUB
The menus reflect the McMillens’ experiences working in fine dining, but the ambiance and presentation is intentionally fun and casual. The couple learned a lot about striking that balance while working on the opening team at three-star Michelin restaurant SingleThread in Healdsburg, California. Before that, Amelia worked frontof-house at Gerard Craft’s restaurant Niche, while Justin was chef de cuisine at Sidney Street Café. Justin’s former roles also include serving as culinary director at Niche Food Group and kitchen supervisor at Balkan Treat Box. “We definitely want to open a place at some point and we’re keeping eyes on spaces that come available,” Amelia said. A place near their home in Webster Groves would be ideal, but they’re waiting for the right spot. “We just really want to be in the community that we’re serving,” Amelia added. The Elsworth Supper Club is taking a winter break from its regularly scheduled dinners, but the McMillens plan to return in spring 2024. Follow the supper club on Instagram to keep up with the latest event announcements. Instagram: @elsworth_supper_club January 2024
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PA R T N E R C O N T E N T
January is here once again, and it may be time to clean up your eating habits a bit after the indulgences of the holidays. These local spots have you covered.
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photo courtesy of Robust Bistro & Wine Bar
Edera Italian Eatery Edera has some delightful nutritious options that will fit perfectly with your health goals. Increase your micronutrient intake with the grilled broccolini with bagna couda and Parmesan Reggiano, as well as the Brussels sprouts with pancetta, mint salsa verde, Marcona almonds and hot honey. Fill up on healthy fats with the salmon, served with a compressed tomato relish and broccolini, as well as some complex carbs from the farro. 48 Maryland Plaza, St. Louis, 314.361.7227, ederastl.com
Cardinals Nation Restaurant Bar Next time you’re at Ballpark Village, head to Cardinals Nation for the Two Birds Protein Bowl. This delicious bowl features two 6-ounce blackened chicken breasts, white rice and charred broccoli January 2024 May 2019
with a soy glaze. Cilantro cauliflower rice can be substituted for those seeking a lower carb meal for an additional $2. 601 Clark St., St. Louis, 314.345.9880, mlb.com/cardinals/cardinals-nation
Pan-Asia Supermarket Pan-Asia Supermarket is the largest Asian grocery store in Missouri with a wide assortment of healthy options. There are over 200 fresh Asian vegetables and fruits to choose from, as well as a selection of over 100 fresh meats and seafood plus live lobster, crab, tilapia and catfish, along with fresh zabiha halal meat. Choose from a large array of organic seasoning and spices, perfect to go with all the fresh ingredients to make pho noodles, pad thai, lo mein and much more. And don’t miss out on the in-house cafe and bakery options. If you’re traveling west, check out the other branches of the supermarket in Overland Park, Kansas,
and Omaha, Nebraska. 14246 Manchester Road, Manchester, 636.220.9999, panasiasupermarket.com
Robust Bistro Wine Bar The owners of Robust believe balance is the key to enjoying life’s indulgences, so they curated a line of wellness and better-for-you-beverages to help boost your immunity, reduce inflammation and support overall wellbeing. Along with a full list of “clean” wines that are not only good for the environment, but also better for your body, their new concept, Clean & Juicy, offers cold-pressed juices, housemade, infused highalkaline waters and bone broth from Butcher & Farmer. Beginning in January, jumpstart your wellness intentions with preordered and packaged juice and water cleanses, wellness shots and “Be Well” bundles. Order online for curbside pickup and home delivery or
stop in the shop from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. 227 W. Lockwood Ave., Webster Groves, 314.963. 0033, robustwinebar.com/clean-juicy
Source Juicery With Source Juicery you can enjoy the convenience of clean eating on the go. Source offers a plethora of nutritious grab-and-go options, from cold-pressed juice and wellness shots to nut milks, smoothies, smoothie bowls, salads and more. Try a one- to three-day juice cleanse with the option to add meal packs or protein packs like grilled chicken and power bites. All items are gluten-free, and there are many vegan options too. Source offers an easy online ordering system with curbside pickup or contactless home delivery to the Edwardsville area. Walk-in ordering is also welcome. 228 N. Main St., Edwardsville, 618.650.9080, sourcejuicery.com saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 21 saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 2
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food and drink pros with promise by julie cohen, heather hughes-huff, iain shaw and matt sorrell // photos by izaiah johnson
January 2024
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FIONNA Age: 30 Job title: Bar manager, None of the Above Why watch her: She’s got vision “Fionna has a vision for putting things together,” said Jennifer Masur, director of service for Niche Food Group. “In her cocktails she shows how certain components go together that you wouldn’t imagine.” “As much as I hate to use the word ‘mixologist,’ she’s an amazing mixologist. Her ideas and her creativity are unparalleled,” seconded Melinda Cooper, director of beverage and bar operations at Niche Food Group. “But at the same time, in a world of fancy aprons and bow ties and mustaches, Fionna stands out. She doesn’t have to lean on anything.”
When it came time to take on None of the Above, Gerard Craft’s swanky new speakeasy located beneath City Foundry STL, Gemzon was the obvious choice for everyone involved. “I said, ‘Fionna, this is yours,’” said Cooper. “Make this space yours. No one is going to tell you what to do.” And she did. From the paper stock the menu is printed on, to the delicate glassware that feels like an extension of your hand, Gemzon’s influence at None of the Above is evident far beyond the cocktails themselves – and the care with which she mulls over details is apparent.
Gemzon’s cocktail In the Mood for Love, which she created for the debut house cocktail menu at None of the Above, is a case in point. The drink combines rye and sotol with a black sesame oil fat wash and a cumin-coriander syrup to create a perfectly balanced drink that is both surprising and crave-worthy.
“She even makes the coolest playlists,” added Masur, explaining how Gemzon’s musical selections not only create the perfect atmosphere and mood for the space in which she’s working, they also somehow anticipate what both the staff and guests want to hear before they even know it.
Gemzon attributes her unique palate in part to her Filipino heritage. “It’s given me a lens of tasting,” she said. “A lot of the food there has high acid with that sweet and sour. A lot of my cocktails have a tendency to lean that way.” But she also finds her creativity from simply spending a lot of time experimenting behind the bar. “The research and development stuff is most interesting to me – learning what ingredients work well with each other,” she said.
Gemzon’s seemingly innate sense of taste and balance also extends to who she works with. “She’s a natural leader, and a lot of people want to work for her,” said Masur.
Yet, when Masur referred to Gemzon’s vision for combining things, she wasn’t just talking about her ability with ingredients; but rather her vision for, well, everything.
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GEMZ
Gemzon is as thoughtful about team dynamics as anything else she takes on. Sometimes she’ll work extra shifts herself rather than hire someone she doesn’t think is the right fit for a given role. “She’s careful,” said Cooper. “She understands how one person can tank the culture of a space.” And where might Gemzon take her vision next? She doesn’t know. Or maybe she does. “She’s mysterious,” said Masur. – JC
January 2024
ZON
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RANDI KRANZ
Age: 41 Title: Co-founder, Paper Crane, and bartender, The Vandy Why watch her: She seeks out a challenge – and thrives
For some bartenders, the starting point for creating a cocktail is an ingredient, a riff on a classic, or a notion of how a combination of flavors might work together. That’s not Randi Kranz, who operates the Paper Crane pop-up with collaborator Tyler Baublitz and also makes cocktails at The Vandy.
their responsibilities do overlap to some extent: Baublitz usually contributes at least one cocktail per event, while Kranz gives valuable input on the food. “She’s much better at making things pretty than I am,” Baublitz said. In the week building up to an event, Kranz said it’s not unusual for her to work 40 hours on the pop-up, in addition to her regular job.
The seed for Kranz’ invention is typically visual. “It usually starts out with something very simple,” she said. The cue might be a color, or something she’s seen that day. “I could be looking at a plant and the way it’s growing out of cracks on a concrete wall,” Kranz said. She then reverse-engineers the drink from that picture in her mind, identifying, then putting together, the pieces of the puzzle.
Baublitz was managing the bar at Mission Taco Joint’s Central West End location when Kranz started working there in 2016. In Kranz, Baublitz saw a fast learner whose drive compensated for her lack of experience. “I taught her everything that I knew, and then she just took off from there and got much more talented than I am,” he said.
The results are beautiful, intricate cocktails that astonish Kranz’ peers as often as they do guests at Paper Crane. “She finds inspiration in just about anything,” Baublitz said, praising Kranz’ ability to “pull the essence” of an idea and present it in a novel way. Jello shots are a Paper Crane signature, but Kranz’ jello shots can take many forms, from a prize-winning gin jello shot with an oolong tea sidecar to shots shaped like mini hamburgers. Kranz and Baublitz started Paper Crane in 2021 as an outlet for creative fulfillment, but their pop-ups are only made possible by discipline and hard work. Kranz does most of the work on the cocktails, while Baublitz takes the lead on cooking, though
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Kranz attributes her flair for visual aesthetics to her artistic background – she was an art major in college – and talks about creating cocktails the way a writer drafts and redrafts a story. “It’s definitely experimentation, trial and error, and just not being afraid for it to fail the first time,” Kranz said. Kranz’ stubborn streak is another important component of her creative process. “Instead of seeing it as a failure, I’ll just be like, ‘Let me learn this from it, let’s tweak it and then try it again,’” Kranz said. Out of this painstaking ritual come drinks like Autumn Morning in Osaka: Teeling Irish whiskey, Pierre Ferrand dry Curacao, lemon, a basilginger syrup and Japanese sweet potato puree, garnished with a basil leaf, a dollop of purple yam and a tea biscuit.
The Vandy’s beverage director, Patrick Gioia, admits he was initially bewildered by Kranz’ approach, but describes working with her as “astounding.” According to Gioia, her influence has changed the way The Vandy garnishes cocktails, and Kranz sets an example that inspires colleagues to learn and grow. “She’s kind of in her own echelon of ability,” he said. “She is among the crème de la crème of bartenders that I know, on even a national scale. I’ve only met a handful that can do what she can do.” Kranz regularly competes in – and often wins – cocktail contests, almost in spite of herself. “[I take part] because I don’t want to,” she said. “I’m incredibly shy, I’m a very introverted person.” The constraints imposed by competition give Kranz a problem to solve, and she thrives under such circumstances. “I run headfirst toward things that are difficult,” she said. For now, Kranz and Baublitz intend to keep evolving Paper Crane, which she said is “starting to blur the lines between cocktail party and immersive art exhibit.” They would love to open a brick-and-mortar bar, but it would have to be a small place where Paper Crane’s expansive creativity would remain sacrosanct. “I love Japanese micro-bars. I like really tiny, intimate spaces, but those aren’t always the most profitable, because you don’t have high volume,” Kranz said. A conundrum, sure, but one Randi Kranz will, in her own good time, run headfirst at. – IS January 2024
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TREVOR JOHNSON Age: 27 Job title: Bar manager, Wright’s Tavern Why watch him: He’s obsessive about the details Trevor Johnson has been around. Among other gigs, he’s worked the bar at the Missouri Athletic Club and served as the daytime dough prep guy at Louie. He spent a bit of time in Nashville working both front- and back-ofhouse jobs at Adele’s before coming back to St. Louis, where he worked at Parker’s Table before going on to help to open natural wine bar ‘Ssippi in 2022. Johnson is currently Wright’s Tavern’s bar manager, a position he’s held since the eatery opened in December 2022. In that role, he’s put together a drink list that gently twists and tweaks classic cocktails to complement the restaurant’s steakhouse bill of fare. Johnson’s cocktails are the ones he would want to drink if he was dining at Wright’s. “I enjoy classic cocktails, always, and I think we’re in a time right now where they’re back at the forefront,” Johnson said. “At Wright’s, I think you need a pretty straightforward, simple cocktail list, because this food is classic and traditional.” For inspiration, Johnson looked to comparable spots in other cities, like Dante in Manhattan’s West Village and Red Hook Tavern in Brooklyn. “He wants things to go well and he’s willing to do the work to make it be that way,” said Wright’s Tavern owner Matt McGuire. “He
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goes the extra mile in every regard, and it really shows in what he’s putting out. I think he’s probably making some of the best drinks in town.” Though he’s a self-described “restaurant nerd,” it took Johnson a while to commit to the industry. “I didn’t want to submit myself to [the restaurant industry] for a while,” he said. “I tried to hold off for a long time. I was in and out, I had a couple of corporate jobs, but I’d always come back to restaurants.” Once he took the leap though, he was all in. “I love [restaurants]. I spend all day on Instagram scrolling, looking at interiors and glassware,” Johnson said. “If I go out to eat and like a plate, I’ll flip it over and see who makes it. I’m into all of those sorts of details. I’ve always wanted to learn as much as possible about the entire restaurant so that one day I can open my own place.” McGuire believes Johnson has what it takes to do just that, whether solo or collaborating with like-minded partners. Success in the restaurant industry is “a long race,” McGuire said, and creativity has to be allied with motivation, discipline and structure. “There are a lot of people who are intellectually curious about things, which is great, but you have to have the motor to do it,” McGuire said. “Trevor has that motor.” – MS January 2024
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FLYNN EDGERTO Age: 29 Title: Wholesale production manager, Sump Coffee Why watch him: He makes chocolate with passion and pragmatism Sump Coffee was incorporated as a coffee and chocolate company in 2011, but apart from a few small-scale experiments, it never produced or sold chocolate regularly until 2023. So, what changed? Meet Flynn Edgerton. Edgerton came to Sump after serving as head chocolate maker at local chocolatier Honeymoon Chocolates. Before that, he trained in the apprenticeship program of San Francisco’s famed Dandelion Chocolate. Sump co-owner Scott Carey was excited the minute he read Edgerton’s resume: He knew he could be the key to finally producing bean-to-bar chocolate at Sump. But Carey also knew that if Edgerton was going to make a chocolate program possible, he’d have to build on everything he learned at Dandelion and Honeymoon and level up his skills even more. “He’s very balanced,” Carey said. “I think that’s important – especially in this business. … You can enter the market with a lot of euphoria and fanfare and Instagram followers, but that doesn’t mean the economics you set up are going to keep you going for 10 years.” A lot of mornings, Edgerton is at the shop even before Carey arrives. He’s a problem-solver, and his instincts for processing and flavor development
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reflect Carey’s own. It’s clear they see themselves in each other. “Scott’s like me: He’s very opinionated and he trusts himself first,” Edgerton said. “The more I’ve been able to prove myself in this role, the more he warms up and trusts me.” Carey trusts Edgerton not only for his skill, but also his pragmatism. Edgerton is a realist when it comes to chocolate’s notoriously unprofitable nature. It’s what makes Carey think Edgerton could build his own successful business eventually, though that won’t be for a while. “The setting at Sump is the best-case scenario for trying to build a beanto-bar arm of a business,” Edgerton said. “It’s really difficult to even break even in a chocolate company, but to take a specialty business and add another specialty product makes a ton of sense.” And don’t let the practicality fool you. Get Edgerton talking about the chocolate-making process and numbers give way to magic. If his enthusiasm and dedication weren’t already evident, the man is getting tattoos: first a cacao flower, then coffee cherries. “He’s in it,” Carey said. “It’s like putting your partner’s name on you – he’s making a statement.” – HHH January 2024
ON
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WHiSKEY
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GALORE BY BILL MORAN
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like the whiskey sour, Old-Fashioned and the restaurant’s take on its namesake cocktail, but try something from the restaurant’s “favorites” list like the Big Poppa (bourbon, mezcal, tamarind syrup, mint syrup and lime juice). Also, keep an eye out for Blood & Sand’s spirit pairing dinners, which typically feature a five-course tasting menu with at least one matching whiskey pour or cocktail served with each round of food. 1500 St. Charles St., St. Louis, 314.241.7263, bloodandsandstl.com
The last decade has seen huge growth in demand for whiskey, leading to inflated prices and a secondary market for bottles that were once reliably easy to find. Fortunately, the St. Louis area has several bars where you can purchase a pour of hard-to-find bourbon, sample a flight, or even buy a bottle of whiskey from a barrel that was hand-selected by the bar. Every whiskey bar has a huge list of bourbons, but a few boast offerings that help them stand out from the pack. Here are six places you can rely on for a great whiskey experience.
THE CABIN AT JUDY CREEK
Located in Glen Carbon, Illinois, The Cabin at Judy Creek offers a nice beer selection, an impressive wine list and a simple yet delicious food menu. The interior is decorated with rustic elements inspired by the owner’s family cabin, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. If you like whiskey, you’ll love the option to create your own flights. Unlike most bars, The Cabin allows you to build your own flight, enabling you to customize and explore different flavors and profiles. Simply choose one of three price tiers, then select three samples from the
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this page, from top: the bar at cabin at judy creek, blood & sand; opposite page: the bar at midwestern meat & drink
relevant whiskey list. If you’re out for a cocktail, try the house Manhattan, made with Minor Case rye, sweet vermouth and bitters, served over a single ice ball. 3730 S. State Route 157, Glen Carbon, 618.205.8556, thecabinatjudycreek.net
BLOOD & SAND
Complementing Blood & Sand’s impressive range of both cocktails and wine, the restaurant’s incredible whiskey selection features over 280 different bottles. The list includes American bourbons,whiskeysand ryes, but also features selections from Ireland, Mexico, Sweden, India and Japan. Scotch plays a big role too, with selections from the Highlands, Speyside, Lowlands and Islay. The cocktail list includes classics
City Park Grill is among South City’s top spots for whiskey fans. The bar’s list of over 150 different bottles is certain to offer something for you, whether it’s an old favorite or a new discovery. However, the big draw here is the variety of flights: The Wheat Your Whistle option includes a selection of four wheated bourbons, while the Car Starter is a sampler of barrelproof whiskeys. A flight called It’s Not How You Start, It’s How You Finish includes whiskeys finished with toasted French oak staves or in rum, sherry or Armagnac barrels, a process that imparts additional flavor to the whiskey. The selections within each flight are regularly rotated, so your favorite flight may be updated from one visit to the next. Another attraction is January 2024
BLOOD & SAND PHOTO BY LAURA MILLER; CABIN AT JUDY CREEK PHOTO BY DAVID KOVALUK
CITY PARK GRILL
City Park Grill’s “tasting hour,” with discounts offered on a select list of whiskeys from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. 3157 Morgan Ford Road, St. Louis, 314.899.9338, citypark-grill.com
PHOTO BY ADAM ROTHBARTH
VENUE ON MAIN
Venue on Main sits on the quiet side of Main Street in downtown Belleville. The building, constructed in 1879, has been renovated to restore its original brick walls and wood floors, creating a comfortable, rustic setting. Owners Bill and Conni Tilley have a passion for January 2024
bourbon and wine, a detail that is borne out by a great wine list and a collection of about 160 different bottles of whiskey. That selection includes some whiskeys not typically found in the St. Louis area; for example, the bar’s Nulu Whiskey Co. barrel pick, finished in amburana barrels. Another reason to visit is the connection the Tilleys have with Nashville musicians, including a number who have appeared on shows like The Voice. All this makes Venue on Main one of the only places in the bi-state area where you can discover an up-andcoming artist while
simultaneously sipping on your new favorite whiskey. 202 W. Main St., Belleville, 618.920.3846, venuebelleville.com
STUBBORN GERMAN BREWING CO.
This Waterloo, Illinois, venue describes itself as a brewery with a whiskey problem: Yes, Stubborn German makes some amazing beers, but they also have an incredible whiskey menu. With a selection of around 150 different bottles offered at the bar, including around 30 of their own barrel picks, you’re sure to
find something that suits your style. Most whiskey bars offer flights of three or four pours, but Stubborn German goes above and beyond with some flights including as many as six samples. Alternatively, check out the bourbon of the week, which is a 1.5-ounce pour offered at half the regular price. Stubborn German also features one of the area’s best bottle shops, so if you find a whiskey you love, you may be able to purchase a bottle for your home bar. 119 S. Main St., Waterloo, 618.504.2444, stubborngerman brewing.com
THE MIDWESTERN MEAT & DRINK
Coming in at around 300 unique bottles, The Midwestern’s whiskey selection is among the largest in the region. However, there’s much more to this place than the sheer volume of choice available. The list is categorized by distillery, with further categories for Missouri, Irish, Scotch and Japanese whiskeys. There is also a section for the restaurant’s private barrel picks, which currently includes over 20 whiskeys exclusively available at The Midwestern. These single barrel
picks can be purchased by the pour or by the bottle. The food at The Midwestern is barbecue-focused and includes items like BBQ nachos, brisket mac ‘n’ cheese, and the Buffalo pulled pork dip, which is served with corn tortillas, candied jalapenos and lime. 900 Spruce St., St. Louis, 314.696.2573, midwesternstl.com Bill Moran is the creator behind the Instagram account @ st.louis_taverns, where he anonymously reviews bars throughout the St. Louis area.
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WINTER W BY ILEANA MARTINEZ // PHOTOS BY DAVID KOVALUK
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WARMERS doenjang jjigae at joo joo restaurant & karaoke
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GUMBO AT WHO DAT SOUTHERN FOOD BAR & GRILL
The kitchen at Who Dat prepares its gumbo with shrimp, chicken sausage, turkey neck and chicken gizzards in a luscious, lip-smacking broth, served over a bed of white rice. Regardless of whether you order the large size or the small, you’ll reach the bottom of your bowl aching for more of the gumbo’s addictive blend of flavors and textures. Complement your gumbo with any of Who Dat’s New Orleans staples, including red beans and rice, jambalaya and po’ boys. Or pay attention to the weekly special: Many regular patrons hold out for the etouffee, offered either with shrimp or shrimp and crawfish. 4247 S. Kingshighway Blvd., St. Louis, 314.202.8068, whodatstl.com
DOENJANG JJIGAE AT JOO JOO RESTAURANT & KARAOKE
gumbo at who dat southern food bar & grill
Comforting, easy to make and nutritious – it’s no wonder that soups and stews feature prominently in most of the world’s cuisines. Thankfully, you don’t need to pack your bags to embark on a global tour of iconic soups and stews: Here are five brothy bowls hailing from a variety of culinary traditions.
PEANUT SOUP AT HOUSE OF JOLLOF
If the upbeat music videos reverberating around House of Jollof’s dining room don’t lift your spirits, the scent of warming spices will. The restaurant’s peanut soup is vegan, but it can also be ordered with your choice of goat, beef or chicken, and an optional side of white rice, jollof rice, waakye or fufu. Choose between three spice levels: mild, hot and extra hot. The broth is simultaneously light and fragrant, with flavor from traditional West African spices. The melt-in-the-mouth chicken variation of the soup would be devoured in minutes, if not for the accompanying fufu. This West African staple is made from a starch such as cassava, yam or plantain. House of Jollof’s fufu is made January 2024
from a mix of green plantains and cassava which is boiled, pounded and shaped into small pillows with a bouncy texture reminiscent of mochi, only less glutinous. Use your fingers to pinch some of the fufu, then dip it directly into the soup. Don’t be shy – the fufu is served along with a bowl of water for rinsing your fingers after each bite. 503 Paul Ave., Florissant, 314.384.9153, myhouseofjollof.com
JAHNIJA AT TASTE OF BOSNIA
Joo Joo dedicates a full page of its menu to soups and stews. The doenjang jjigae arrives at your table vigorously boiling in an earthenware pot, and the enticing aroma of this fermented soybean paste stew is sure to whet your appetite. As you poke around, you’ll find the broth is packed with seafood, zucchini, onion and tofu. Flecks of gochugaru, Korean chile flakes, are speckled throughout, adding color to the broth while avoiding the sweat-inducing spice that many Korean stews are known for. Enjoy every sip with a spoonful of rice to temper the potent broth and you’ll quickly feel stuffed from this hearty combination. 12937 Olive Arcade Plaza, Creve Coeur, 314.469.1999, joojoo.us
SOPA DE POLLO AT MERENDERO LAS CATRACHITAS
Elvira Ahmetspahic, the owner of this inviting, quickserve homestyle restaurant, said Bosnian cuisine uses spices in moderation, relying on long cooking times to extract maximum flavor from meat and vegetables. Taste of Bosnia’s jahnija, a slow-cooked stew of beef, lamb, onion and basic spices, is one such dish. The restaurant serves the stew either with rice or two scoops of slightly chunky mashed potatoes, a pairing that is pure, homey comfort. A thick slice of baked-in-house white bread on the side helps you sop up those precious meat drippings, preventing any flavor from going to waste.
There are just four main components to Merendero Las Catrachitas’ sopa de pollo (chicken soup): chicken, whole potato, carrot and broth. However, take one sip and you’ll find this is a complete meal in itself. The starchy potatoes thicken the broth, but the two chicken drumsticks are the star of the show, with soft, tender meat that falls off the bone. For sides, you’ll receive warm corn tortillas and Honduran rice. The latter is cooked in chicken broth, lending the rice a rich, buttery texture and golden-yellow hue. Add lime juice to brighten the dish and you have a wellbalanced meal that will transport you straight to an abuela’s kitchen.
3970 Union Road, Mehlville, 314.329.6223, tasteofbosniastl.com
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PHOTO BY VIRGINIA HAROLD
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L A S T B I T E // W H AT I D O
JACKIE PRICE FOUNDER, FENNEL COOKING STUDIO
By the time Jackie Price hit her teens, she had already fallen in love with cooking. Price’s Food Network obsession soon led to cooking for herself and her family, as well as working in restaurants through her high school years before going on to culinary school. However, Price worked as a caterer, dietician, baker, personal chef and recipe developer before realizing her true culinary calling: teaching others how to cook. She opened Fennel Cooking Studio in Midtown in September 2023 and hasn’t looked back. Here, she tells us about her path to opening Fennel and the joy she experiences from seeing uncertain, reluctant cooks leave her classroom feeling accomplished and empowered with new skills ranging from knife techniques to pasta making. – Iain Shaw
“I always feel very grateful for my parents. They trusted me with most things from a very young age, and so when I took up an interest in cooking, they were like, ‘Alright, cook whatever you want, whenever you want. How can we support you?’ I would plan our meals for the entire week starting when I was 13. I’m sure I made things that were bad, but I would see someone make something on Top Chef or Food Network and say, ‘That’s what we’re having for dinner tomorrow night.’” “I worked in restaurants, back of the house, all throughout high school. That’s where I really fell in love with cooking and knew that I wanted to go to culinary school. By the time I went to culinary school, I didn’t think that restaurants were the industry for me, but I loved food.” “I got an offer to come back to St. Louis University as an employee and I ran their school lunch program. SLU used to have a school lunch program where we made meals from scratch for local elementary and middle schools with local produce and things like that. I really enjoyed that, and then I got an opportunity to teach some of the
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culinary classes at SLU. Then I was like, ‘Oh, this is what I want to do.’” “I taught the intro to cooking class for sophomores at SLU. I really just found myself coming alive. It was an 8 a.m. class, I should have been so dead tired, but I was so energized, I was connecting with students and I found that anytime they had a question, I had so much knowledge to share that I didn’t even realize was tucked away back there.” “After several years of that, I honestly just got a little tired of the academic setting. I wanted to do this my way, in a fun, vibrant environment. So I started dreaming up Fennel.” “Fennel is a space for community to come together through cooking classes and for people to come in and feel empowered and excited by cooking. [I want people] to say, ‘Wow, this is so delicious, and I know how to make it and I can make it at home.’ Every time I run a class, I hear people say that without prompting, and it feels wonderful, it’s very emotional.” “A lot of people come on their own, but a lot of people come in pairs or
larger groups. A lot of times the pairs of people are friends, or couples, or parents and kids, and they’re in that same space where one person’s like, ‘Oh, I love to bake and I cook all the time at home,’ and one person is like, ‘I’m nervous about it, but I’m here to try something new.’ It becomes a really fun place for people to bond and to experience new things.” “There are definitely some people who come to us and say, ‘I have no idea what I’m doing,’ or, ‘I’m worried that I’m going to mess everything up.’ It’s fun to work with those people and have them in class because I can make it a more accessible environment and less scary.” “While I was in culinary school, I also studied abroad in Florence, Italy, and worked in a restaurant there. I learned a lot of Italian food there, it’s some of my favorite food to cook and so I offer those classes a lot. People love making homemade pasta. Everyone’s familiar with pasta, but it’s such a level up to make it yourself. People might not always make it themselves all the time at home, but it’s a fun thing to understand how it works and to maybe do it sometimes.”
“Cooking with local mushrooms is another one of my favorite classes to teach and it’s one of the most popular classes. I think it demystifies things. There have been countless times I’ve seen people at the farmers market with their bags and they come up to me and tell me they bought lion’s mane mushrooms and they’re going to make the recipes from class. That’s what I aim for. What I love hearing and seeing is people at the market interacting with farmers and growers and buying things that they ate in class and now understand how to use.” “I think there’s a lot of need for connection right now. People are feeling the aftermath of not meeting new people in person for a while and wanting to connect with new people or just have somewhere to go that’s out of the house. [At Fennel] they can be around a group of like-minded people, where you’re not just going to a bar by yourself and being like, ‘I hope I make 16 new friends.’ When you come to a cooking class, you get to chat with all the people in class and meet new people.” 3043 Olive St., St. Louis, 314.200.5410, fennelstl.com
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