Short Orders

[ST. LOUIS STANDARDS]

Written by CHERYL BAEHR

Mimi ordo knows she might surprise customers with her response when they call in looking for authentic Italian pastries from Missouri Baking Company, but she needs to set expectations. “ eople will call in looking for cassata cake around the holidays, and they remember how their grandma made it,” ordo says. “I always tell them that ours is good, but it’s probably not as good as their grandmother’s. Really, it’s those memories that make things so special. It’s all based around tradition. That’s what makes something authentic Italian.” If tradition and memories are the cornerstones of Italian baking, then ordo and her brother, Chris Gambaro, are holding up a temple to old-world tradition at their Hill institution, Missouri Baking Company. Since 1924, this beloved bakery, located in the heart of St. ouis’ Italian neighborhood, has been serving bread, pastries and cookies to anyone searching for a sweet taste of the old country. In fact, that’s why it was founded in the first place. In the early 1920s, Missouri Baking Company’s patriarch, Stefano ambaro, was living with his family in northern Italy when he got word from St. ouis that his services were needed. respected baker,

Stefano was contacted by the owners of the iconic aravelli’s who wanted him to move to town to make bread for their booming south St. ouis cafeteria. Stefano agreed and immigrated to the United States, setting up Missouri Baking Company as a wholesale bread operation.

His work at the bakery was un-

fortunately short-lived. Stefano passed away in his s, leaving behind a wife and six young children. To support the family, the elder children quit school and worked at the bakery, eventually joined by the younger ones as they became old enough to work. hris ambaro and ordo’s father, en, may have been the youngest of the siblings, but he was no less dedicated than the older ones. arly on, he figured out that the bakery could do both wholesale and retail to meet the neighborhood’s demand for authentic Italian cookies and pastries.

“The story goes that people from the neighborhood would knock on the door and ask, ‘Could you make me a cake ’” ambaro says. “So they said, Sure, we’ll make you a cake.’ Then they’d ask for bread, then seeded cookies. More and more of that happened, and eventually, they went less and less wholesale and more toward retail.”

Because the Hill neighborhood had several wholesale bread bakers, Ben saw that Missouri Baking Company could do better as a retail shop. ventually, the bakery converted strictly to retail, and has been serving the area as a walkup and specialty order shop for decades.

Missouri Baking Company may have changed its business model, but that’s about all that is different since its founding. hen his siblings wanted to retire, Ben bought them out and ran it until he was ready to quit working. He then sold it to his children, Gambaro and ordo, who continue to run the place as close to how it was when their grandfather founded it back in the mid- s. owever, ordo notes that, even though they are committed to tradition, the bakery has had to adapt to changing tastes.

“ e’ve had to adjust with the times to meet what people are buying today,” says ordo. “I’d say probably percent of the pas-

tries we sell are those traditional Italian pastries, simply because the traditions are gone. Take panettone. We bake our own, and during the holidays, they would y off the shelves so fast that we’d have to make them two or three times a day. Now, we have those old reliables that want it for their mother or grandmother, but we don’t see young people coming in and asking for it. If you want to stay in business, you have to change.”

Still, the bakery does not stray too far from the model. s ordo explains, items like cream puffs, tiramisu, cannoli and their famous chocolate drops (their signature round chocolate-coated delicacies similar to a at doughnut) tend to be their biggest sellers, as well as their traditional Italian cookies around the holidays. owever, she has seen demand surge in recent years for traditional cuccidati, a cookie-like pastry filled with figs, raisins, pine nuts and chocolate chips and decorated with icing and colorful candies. ambaro and ordo are proud of their cuccidati — and all of their wares — but they believe the key to their staying power is much more than delicious sweet treats. They recognize that they were handed a successful business by their father, but with it, they were also given a strong work ethic, commitment to customer service and the understanding that treating their employees well is crucial for their success. They have not wavered from those ideals one bit since taking over, and they know that their children, ordo’s son oseph and ambaro’s daughter hristina, will stay focused on those when they take over the bakery someday.

“My parents trained us, and we owe everything to them,” ordo says. “ e’re so blessed to have been born into a happy family that worked hard. But they also showed us that the bakery business is a healthy environment — my dad passed away this December at 96, and my mom will be in ugust. orking hard and talking with people is what it’s all about. ur customers just feel good here. It’s a fun place.” n

Written by CHERYL BAEHR

Not long after opening Kalbi Taco Shack (2301 Cherokee Street, 314-240-5544) in 2016, Sue Wong-Shackelford knew she needed more space. Now, she’s on the cusp of getting that additional real estate as part of the forthcoming City Foundry food hall.

Wong-Shackelford recently announced that she will be closing the Cherokee Street location of the popular Korean-Mexican restaurant on June 27 to go all-in on the new City Foundry space, which is slated to open in August. As she explains, the closure is bittersweet, but she is simply not able to run both locations and guarantee the quality of food that her customers have come to expect — and that she prides herself in serving.

“I want to be hands-on, and I want to keep my quality the way it is,” WongShackelford says. “I could delegate, but I don’t want to, because I want to be allin at City Foundry, and that’s going to take the majority of my time. I just can’t be at two places at once.”

Kalbi Taco Shack was one of the first restaurants to sign on to the City Foundry project when it was announced three years ago. As Wong-Shackelford explains, she recognized the vision of the development right away and knew she wanted to be a part of it. Plus, the City Foundry spot offered her business ample parking, a massive seating area and easy access to her customers, many of whom are students and workers centered around the Cortex Innovation Community.

Still, there is a part of her that cannot help but feel a sense of sadness at the Cherokee restaurant’s closing.

“We love Cherokee,” Wong-Shackelford says. “Here I am getting tears in my eyes talking about it because it’s getting closer. It’s a bittersweet decision, but one that we had to make.”

As for the forthcoming City Foundry location of Kalbi Taco Shack, WongShackelford insists that there will be no changes to the fundamentals of the restaurant. Meats, marinades, accoutrements and tacos will all remain the same. Guests can expect the same tacos, bowls and burritos they’ve come to love at the Cherokee Street spot, though she notes that the menu will have to be more streamlined.

“We’ve been told that we need to do things fast because the college kids and people from Cortex will be coming in for lunch breaks,” Wong-Shackelford explains. “We will probably need to minimize the menu and not have as much customization. We’re still seeing what we can do about some of our more time-consuming items, like the banh mi and quesadillas.”

Regarding her proximity to other eateries in the City Foundry development, Wong-Shackelord sees it as a plus. Rather than being intimidated by what many might see as competition, WongShackelford believes that a vibrant, thriving development where everyone succeeds is good for each business.

“Others tell me that now I have competition,” Wong-Shackelford says. “I tell them, no — that I welcome it. It will draw more people to come in and taste a little bit of everything. There will bee food from all different cultures. I’m excited to be a part of it.” n

Written by HOLDEN HINDES

Bolyard’s Meat and Provisions rode the pandemic wave better than most. While industrial meat plants struggled with outbreaks and grocery stores faced meat shortages, Chris Bolyard’s focus on sourcing his meat locally and transparently meant the only thing he was short on was time.

“It was just my wife and I,” Bolyard says. “We brought in as much as I could handle butchering and processing and packaging and selling. Business was really good, but there was more business than we could handle, so we had to bring in as much product and package [as] I could do and she could help me with. We have three young daughters, so throw that in the mix.”

Though Bolyard had been looking into expanding for a few years, the success he experienced over the past year prompted him to seize the opportunity to pursue a longtime dream. Last month, he and his wife opened a new, expanded Bolyard’s Meat & Provisions just down the block from the old one, allowing him to have a full-fledged restaurant inside of his butcher shop.

A trained Culinary Institute of America chef, Bolyard served as sous chef at the acclaimed Sidney Street Cafe before leaving to open his butcher shop in 2014. Though he has undoubtedly found his calling as a butcher and shop owner, he never quite left cooking behind him and was eager to get back into the professional kitchen.

The new space, which is more than double the size of the former one, allows him to do just that, offering more seating and an expanded menu. There are wooden tables inside, and metal ones outside along the sidewalk. A counter lined with leather stools faces out to the front window bay, while another, for those curious about where their meal comes from, looks into the cutting-room window. Patrons order at a counter next to a case full of a variety of meats.

The mainstay sandwiches remain on the menu, joined by a burger and a separate brunch menu. He recommends the tallow fries to everyone, but he knows the vast array of options can be overwhelming and says he is always happy to have conversations with people, which is part of the experience. He sees it as his team’s responsibility to walk people through the shop’s numerous offerings, ask questions and play detective to guide them to a decision.

Still, he says that the opening menu is just a start.

“Once we get settled in, we’re going to have fun changing the menu and adding new things,” Bolyard explains.

Beyond an expanded menu and more space, Bolyard’s now boasts a draft system featuring four beers, a hard cider and a local kombucha. The setup encourages people to come and hang out and watch the team cut.

The front page of Bolyard’s website announces that the business is “St. Louis’ Only Whole Animal Butcher,” meaning the shop receives a whole animal from a local farm. The pork and chicken have been coming from the same farms since the shop opened in 2014. As Bolyard explains, this allows them to guarantee the animal’s welfare and the quality of the meat, as well as to offer more variety and lesser-known cuts than other places.

Having the whole animal to work with also allows Bolyard to get creative.

“The list is pretty extensive of what we offer, whether it’s a smoked meat, charcuterie — there’s dozens of fresh sausages, deli meat, stocks,” Bolyard says. “We’ve got a line of dog treats, and we’ve even started making fresh raw dog food, which [we] weren’t able to before because we didn’t have the space.” Using the whole animal also provides cuts that customers may be unfamiliar with. “It’s fun for us and for the customer most of the time to try something new in terms of fresh cuts to cook at home.”

The pandemic forced Bolyard and his team to do things differently and, as he notes, to get uncomfortable with the way they operate. The shop took this challenge and ran with it until they ran out of room.

“I’ve told a lot of people this, but it’s like starting over,” Bolyard says. “It really is. Even though we’re doing a lot of what we’ve always done, we’re doing it on such a large scale now.”

Seeing his customers’ faces again is exciting for Bolyard. He and his team try to learn everyone’s names and get to know and engage with the regulars. He’s also excited to stay in Maplewood — a decision he insists was no accident.

“There’s a lot of people in the neighborhood, and they’re all very supportive and they love to come out, and be outside, and move around,” Bolyard says. “Maplewood has been really good to us.” n

Written by CHERYL BAEHR

Even before Major League Soccer confirmed a new team was coming to town, St. Louis SC was promising to invigorate the area’s entertainment landscape. Now, the club is showing that it’s just as serious about doing that in the stands as it is on the field.

Last week, St. Louis City SC announced that it has tapped Gerard Craft as its “flavor officer,” a role that places the acclaimed chef at the forefront of culinary operations for the team and its fanbase. Though the arrangement will make him responsible for creating the stadium’s food experience, Craft says that the role is much larger than curating refreshments for hungry fans.

“I think what we are really trying to do are things that haven’t been done before in a big way,” Craft says. “A lot of people are trying to do unique things [with the stadium food experience], but ownership may not allow that. This ownership group is allowing us to do something unique and bigger — to thread the needle through all of the cultures and neighborhoods of St. Louis.”

According to Craft, the arrangement between him and St. Louis City SC began two years ago, even before it was certain St. Louis would get an MLS team. Excited by the prospect of working in the framework of stadium food, Craft contacted the owners and offered to help them create a world-class culinary experience.

“I reached out and said that I was really interested in stadiums, and food in stadiums, but also the experience of stadiums and how they can be not just a place for sports fans going to a game, but a full experience outside of that.”

Craft told the organization that he had a lot of ideas and that they should get in touch when they were ready to begin creating their food story. His vision resonated with the owners, who were looking for something more than just the standard stadium fare.

“From the outset, the ownership group has really seen this project as something special and a catalyst to bring people together using the sport of soccer,” says Vin Ko, director of team operations for St. Louis City SC. “Soccer is a global sport, and it has the ability to bring the community together in ways others don’t.”

Craft is working alongside Levy, a stadium hospitality provider whose properties include the Enterprise Center, Barclay’s Center and STAPLES Center, to create a uniquely St. Louis experience at the stadium. However, more than simply representing St. Louis foods and restaurants for spectators, Craft is hoping that the soccer club’s food service will generate enthusiasm for the city’s culinary scene beyond the stadium.

“This is going to be more than a Niche Food Group [Craft’s company that encompasses his restaurants] stadium,” Craft says. “It will be somewhere to help bring to light so many unique spots throughout the city that people may not go to. Bosnian, Asian, Thai, South American, Mexican — we really want to bring a diverse offering that matches the soccer fan base.”

Though the stadium is still two years away from opening, Craft and Ko are hoping to have an immediate impact on the city’s culinary scene. Currently, they are searching for food partners to be a part of the project in a grassroots way, asking fans to visit their website, stlcitysc.com/ flavor, to tell them about their favorite restaurants. As Craft explains, he and St. Louis City SC are hoping to transform the way people think about stadium food, and they are searching for the off-thebeaten path places that even they might not know about to help them create a full picture of St. Louis’ vibrant food scene.

“For the next two years, we want to explore and dine at as many places as possible, and we want to use the time to pump up the St. Louis food scene,” Craft says. “We’re going to use the St. Louis City SC platform to give voices to these restaurants.” n