April 2017 Feast Magazine

Inspired Local Food Culture | M i dw e st

P. 8 9

5 FILIPINO DESSERTS P. 7 7

NOTES FROm maNILa P. 6 4

kamayaN NIghTS

feastmagazine.com |

april 2017

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Inspired Local Food Culture

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Live MuSic

on weekenDS offering thurSDay anD friDay evening DinnerS

by reServation onLy.

caLL the winery to

Make your reServationS. Serving lunches Wed-Sunday from 11am-4pm

featuring our 2 year

anniverSary Party

aPriL 21 – aPriL 23 35 minutes from South County, just a short scenic drive down Highway 21

12237 Peter Moore Lane | DeSoto, Mo 63020 | 636-586-2777 | LachancevineyarDS.coM

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Like uS on facebook

april 2017 64 72 77 89

MAnilA to the Midwest

malou Perez-nievera connects her past life in the Philippines to her experience cooking in the U.s. at kamayan night, a filipino pop-up dinner series.

pAcific riMs

from tocino to chicken adobo, kc Pinoy food truck shares traditional filipino dishes derived from closely guarded family recipes.

food tour of the philippines

Joel crespo and Brian hardesty, owners of guerrilla street food in st. Louis, share their two-week tasting tour of the Philippines.

A filipino finish

norma thayer of manila Bay Ihaw-Ihaw in kansas city shares five desserts inspired by her childhood in the Philippines.

from the staff

|8|

from the PUBLIsher

A taste of the Philippines

| 12 |

dIgItaL content

What’s online this month

| 14 |

feast tv

A look at the new season

dIne

| 20 |

on trend

Vegetable-forward fare

| 22 |

where we’re dInIng

Urban Eats, Cesar’s Old Mexico, ‘Zza

| 24 |

one on one

Tello Carreon of Nixta

| 26 |

In season

Arugula

drInk

| 32 |

on trend

Reposado

| 34 |

where we’re drInkIng

The Dark Room, Brickhouse, Minglewood Brewery

| 36 |

the mIx

Lemongrass Colada

shoP

| 46 |

get thIs gadget

An empanada fork and a luxe steam-and-poach set

| 48 |

one on one

Teddy Ivanov of YoBul!

| 50 |

artIsan ProdUcts

MO Juice cold-pressed juices and Sriracha Granada

cook

| 54 |

heaLthy aPPetIte

Crispy tofu adobo

| 56 |

mystery shoPPer

Banana leaves

| 58 |

qUIck fIx

Baked fish with tomatoes and garlic

| 60 |

sweet Ideas

Coconut bars TABLE OF CONTENTS PHOTO OF A FILIPINO CANTEEN kITCHEN (P. 77)

BY JOEL CRESPO COVER PHOTO OF kAMAYAN NIGHT SPREAD AT HIRO ASIAN kITCHEN (P. 64)

BY JONATHAN GAYMAN

Volume 8

| Issue 4 | April 2017

Vice President of niche Publishing, Publisher of feast Magazine

Catherine Neville, publisher@feastmagazine.com

sales

director of sales

Angie Henshaw, ahenshaw@feastmagazine.com, 314.475.1298 account Manager

Jennifer Tilman, jtilman@feastmagazine.com, 314.475.1205 sPecial Projects editor

Bethany Christo, bchristo@feastmagazine.com, 314.475.1244 PHOTO BY TYBEE STUDIOS

eDITORIal senior editor

Liz Miller, editor@feastmagazine.com Managing editor

Nancy Stiles, nstiles@feastmagazine.com digital editor

Heather Riske, web@feastmagazine.com Kansas city contributing editor

Jenny Vergara st. louis contributing editor

Mabel Suen editorial intern

Kaitlynn Martin

The new season of Feast TV debuts this month on PBS stations across Missouri. The first episode is focused on the various forms an urban farm can take, from a design-forward rooftop garden to a sprawling off-the-grid farmstead. In the kitchen, I show you how to make a traditional savory Italian pie with onion, Swiss chard and eggs, ingredients easily found at your local farmers’ market.

fact checKer

Lindsay Toler Proofreader

Christine Wilmes contributing Writers

Christy Augustin, Ettie Berneking, Sherrie Castellano, Joel Crespo, Gabrielle DeMichele, April Fleming, Natalie Gallagher, Mallory Gnaegy, Brian Hardesty, Hilary Hedges, Bryan A. Hollerbach, Valeria Turturro Klamm, Brandon and Ryan Nickelson, Matt Seiter, Jenn Tosatto, Shannon Weber

aRT

art director

Alexandrea Povis, apovis@feastmagazine.com Production designer

Jacklyn Meyer, jmeyer@feastmagazine.com

publisher’s letter

C

hocolate ice cream with dried anchovies. Definitely not a combination I’m familiar with, but it’s a common treat in the Philippines. And when I read that Guerrilla Street Food’s Brian Hardesty and Joel Crespo had this sweet and salty snack during a culinary research trip, I was intrigued. I had to learn more about the culinary traditions of this island nation.

contributing PhotograPhers

Sherrie Castellano, Judd Demaline, Kyndall Durkee, Jonathan Gayman, William Hess, Anna Petrow, Elaine Rohde, David Shaughnessy, Jennifer Silverberg, Starboard & Port Creative, Mabel Suen, Cheryl Waller, Brad Zweerink

FeasT TV

producer: Catherine Neville production partner: Tybee Studios

COnTaCT Us Feast Media, 8811 Ladue Road, Suite D, Ladue, MO 63124 314.475.1244, feastmagazine.com

DIsTRIbUTIOn To distribute Feast Magazine at your place of business, please contact Jeff Moore for St. Louis, Jefferson City, Columbia, Rolla and Springfield at jmoore@post-dispatch.com and Jason Green for Kansas City at distribution@pds-kc.com.

Feast Magazine does not accept unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork. Submissions will not be returned.

All contents are copyright © 2010-2017 by Feast Magazine™.

All rights reserved.

Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents, without the prior written permission of the publisher, is strictly prohibited.

Produced by the Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis, LLC

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Filipino food is very trendy right now, and that’s because it’s so unique. The flavors used in Filipino cuisine tend toward the extreme with a lot of acid and salt and sweet and bitter playing against each other for intense and contrasting combinations. We’ve dedicated this entire issue to exploring the food culture of the Philippines and where you can get a taste here at home. There aren’t a huge number of chefs cooking in this culinary tradition in our region, but those who are delving into it are doing some really interesting things worthy of your attention.

Besides a desire to book a flight so I can explore the country myself, what I took away from reading this issue was being reminded of how much food can convey a broader culture to those who are willing to sit down and give it a try. It’s almost trite at this point to say that food creates connection between people, but when you’re tasting the food of

another culture, you’re creating a direct line to that heritage and have the opportunity to gain an understanding of what life is like in that area of the world.

My father was in the Air Force when I was growing up, and so I had the opportunity to move quite a bit. The experience of food and culture in each new place pointed me toward the path I’m on today. I love to explore and I encourage you to not only read through the content within these pages, but to head out and pick up ingredients to try your hand at some of the recipes at home. Go to a Kamayan Night if you’re in St. Louis and track down KC Pinoy Food Truck if you’re in Kansas City. And, if you’re inspired to explore even more of the world through the food of other cultures, head to feastmagazine.com to read our A Taste of Home series, where we get to know immigrants who have come to call this region home and have brought the flavors of their homelands along for the ride.

Until next time,

Catherine Neville

04.17

Lake of the Ozarks CHECK LIST

kyndall durkee Kansas City, Photographer “Any day shooting desserts is a day well spent, and Manila Bay Ihaw-Ihaw did not disappoint. I felt like a part of the family working with Norma Thayer and her team for this shoot. She has such a warm, sweet and welcoming presence, and her love for her culture comes out in her food. This shoot gave us the opportunity to be really creative. The goal was to make the spread pop, so we used bold colors and patterns while styling the shots. The images were built piece by piece, almost like a drawing, in order to bring as much visual interest as possible and capture the spirit of Norma and her culture.”

(A Filipino Finish, p. 89)

bryan a. hollerbach St. Louis, Writer “I first noticed Abbey Spencer while doing informal ‘research’ at Clayton’s Craft Beer Cellar. That zymurgic oasis sits a mile or so east of the offices of Ladue News, Feast’s sister publication, where I serve as copy editor and staff writer.

Abbey worked there at the time, and that evening, she was leading a small class devoted to – you guessed it – beer.

When I learned she was going to be leaving to become the brewmaster at a new establishment just across the Missouri River in St. Charles County, frankly, I was thrilled. Based on what I eavesdropped from her class, Abbey certainly has the chops for hops – and barley and other stuff, of course – and just as important, she’s a total sweetheart. I can hardly wait till Third Wheel Brewing opens to see her again and to sample her taps!” (One on One, p. 35)

Boating

Golfing

Putt Putt

Sailing

Shopping

Go-Carts

Kayaking

Water Bars

Parasailing

Swimming

Fine Dining

Paddle Boarding

Cliff Jumping

Sunsets

Spa Time

Hiking

Caves

Boat Races

Biking

Outlet Mall

Family Time

It's all just a few hours away...

N LAKE TV!

EE IT ALL O S !

W O N S N A L MAKE YOUR P

jonathan gayman St. Louis, Photographer “The Kamayan dinner at Hiro Asian Kitchen was an exciting challenge. Usually I use props such as plates, bowls, flatware, and linens to enhance and accentuate the food in front of my lens. However, for this meal, the only plates were banana leaves and the only utensils were the guests’ hands! It was an incredible experience capturing Malou, Bernie and their team plating the unique and unexpected foods down the long table, and then seeing the excitement of the guests as they arrived and took in the sight of a 40-foot table covered with amazing food. This is clearly one of the most unique dining experiences I’ve had the good fortune to capture.” (Manila to the Midwest, p. 64)

april fleming

Wine Tasting Lunch Served Daily Private Events and Weddings Breathtaking Views

Kansas City, Writer “At first, I wasn’t sure how receptive Manila Bay Ihaw Ihaw co-owner and chef Norma Thayer would be to the idea of sharing family recipes.

Ultimately there was no need for worry – Norma is an incredibly warm, generous person who was not only happy to share her unique story and culinary knowledge, but was also committed to helping Feast get recipes correct. Because Filipino food, and particularly cooking Filipino food at home, may be unfamiliar to many readers in our region, she took the time to help me understand ingredients and techniques. Norma’s knowledge extends well beyond desserts, too – I heartily encourage diners to visit her restaurant in Kansas City to sample mouthwatering sisig and lumpia for themselves.” (A Filipino Finish, p. 89)

100 hemsath rd. augusta mo open daily 11a-5p noboleisvineyards.com 636.482.4500 Inspired Local Food Culture

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STL

Feast Your eYes at the ContemporarY art museum st. Louis Sun., April 2, 6:30pm tour, 7pm dinner; $75, $50 for members; Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, 3750 Washington Blvd., St. Louis; 314.535.4660; camstl.org/feast

CAM presents a museum tour followed by an intimate four-course meal by chef Michael Gallina of Vicia, alongside co-owner and general manager Tara Gallina. The dishes served will be inspired by four current exhibitions at CAM and will be announced in the upcoming weeks. Seating is limited; reserve your space early.

HARVESTERS 04/02

Join us for an exciting evening featuring samples of gourmet food, wine and cocktails from more than 50 of KC’s nest restaurants and beverage purveyors!

STL

aLton BroWn Live: eat Your sCienCe Sun., April 9, 7:30pm; $40 to $125; The Fabulous Fox Theatre, 527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis; 314.534.1678; fabulousfox.com/events/detail/alton-brown-live

Don’t miss television personality, author and Food Network star Alton Brown live at The Fabulous Fox Theatre. Brown’s show mixes science, music and food together into two hours of pure entertainment, plus you’ll see things he’s never been able to do before on TV.

THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 2017 6:30 - 9 P.M. Grand Ballroom at the Kansas City Convention Center

eat, drink & feed many while celebrating our city's culinary creativity! 100% of proceeds from the event support our mission to feed hungry people today and work to end hunger tomorrow.

04/09

STL

04/26

STL

sChnuCks Cooks: Baked Fish With tomatoes and GarLiC Wed., April 26, 6 to 9pm; $45; Schnucks Cooks Cooking School; schnuckscooks.com or 314.909.1704

In this class you’ll learn how to perfectly bake hearty and flaky fish at home. You’ll also learn how to make a fresh, indulgent and springtime-perfect lemon curd cake.

dininG out For LiFe Thu., April 27, all day; participating restaurants; St. Louis; 314.333.6671; stlefa.org/dofl

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW! www.forkscorkskc.com 10

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04/27

Grab your family and friends and make plans to dine out for breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee and cocktails on Thu., April 27, for Dining Out for Life. Participating restaurants – nearly 60 this year – will donate at least 25 percent of each check to support the work of Saint Louis Effort for AIDS. Find a full list of restaurants, times and donation amounts online.

04/27

KC

Forks & Corks Thu., April 27, 6:30 to 9pm; $100 general admission, VIP available; Grand Ballroom, Kansas City Convention Center, 301 W. 13th St. #100, Kansas City; 816.929.3014; harvesters.org/forks-corks-2017

Created in 1997 to support Harvesters’ hunger-relief effort, Forks & Corks is an evening of food and wine from more than 50 Kansas City-area restaurants and beverage purveyors, as well as live music and a silent auction for a variety of food, drink and entertainment packages. VIP packages are available and include early entrance, valet, an exclusive lounge and more.

04/28

STL

TasTe & ToasT Fri., April 28, 7 to 10pm; $32 in advance, $40 at the door; Moulin, 2017 Chouteau Ave., St. Louis; feastmagazine.com/events

Sample award-winning wines from across the region paired with dishes from top area restaurants at Feast’s third-annual wine social. Enjoy free pours from the best local wineries and food samples from some of the area’s best restaurants, as well as live music. Last year, the event featured more than a dozen participating wineries and a dozen participating restaurants, and this year’s event will be even bigger.

STL

sT. Louis MiCroFesT Fri., May 5 and Sat., May 6; prices vary, VIP available; Lower Muny Parking Lot, 1 Theatre Drive, St. Louis; 314.588.1186; stlmicrofest.org

Benefiting Lift for Life Gym, the 2017 St. Louis Microfest is a two-day beer-tasting festival of international and craft offerings, with more than 125 breweries pouring 600 beers. With three different sessions available, each Microfest ticket includes a commemorative tasting glass, access to cooking demonstrations and brewing discussions, live music and a silent auction. Food will be available for purchase, and VIP tickets are offered.

05/05 05/06

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this month on

feastmagazine.com the feed

PhotograPhy by aPril Fleming

We’re giving away a pair of tickets to taste & toast at moulin on Fri., april 28! Just head to the Promotions section at feastmagazine.com for the details.

KC The first Kansas City outpost of Hopcat has opened in Westport, featuring 99 beers on tap and pub fare including poutine, mac ‘n’ cheese, fish and chips and its signature Crack Fries.

PhotograPhy by ana Pierce

PhotograPhy by amanda Wilens

Lona’s Lil Eats is bringing big flavors to a humble Fox Park storefront. A native of Xishuangbanna, Lona Luo Powers grew her business from a small food stand to a booming brick-and-mortar restaurant, serving rice-paper wraps, spring rolls, handmade dumplings and more.

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Where is your favorite spot to grab a slice of pie in St. Louis? We named a few of our go-to spots, including shops serving up Key lime pie with limes and blackberries, coconut cream pie, mini cherry pies and more.

sgf CB Social House launched its new brunch menu this month, with Southern specialties like the Bubble and Squeak Benedict with poached eggs and hollandaise on a bed of potato-and-cabbage cake with house-cured tasso ham.

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May 5th

Morton’s, The Steakhouse—Dean

Christopher Trio The Libertine—Odds Lane BARcelona—Acoustik Element

May 12th

Morton’s, The Steakhouse—Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes Remy’s Kitchen & Wine Bar—Tommy Halloran Molly Darcy’s Pub—Johnny Chase

every Friday in May from 4:30–6:30pm

May 19th

Barrister’s—Musicology C.J. Muggs—Mad Beats —The Ralph Butler Band Ruth’s Chris Steak House

May 26th

Avenue—Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes C.J. Muggs—Three of a Pe rfect Pair Café Napoli—Miss Jubilee and the Humdingers

JEFFERSON CITY - COLUMBIA - KANSAS CITY - SPRINGFIELD - ST. LOUIS Inspired Local Food Culture

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the new season of

debuts this month! on our partner stations

beginning with urban farming → local wine Each vintner approaches winemaking from a unique, personal perspective. We visit some very distinct wineries, each with its own style and story to tell.

food gives back In St. Louis, tune into the Nine Network (Channel 9) to watch Feast TV Wednesdays at 7pm.

Meet the passionate and committed people behind food-focused nonprofits that have a deep and meaningful impact on the communities they serve.

feast your eyes Get inside the studios of craftspeople and artists who are making the experience more beautiful, from furniture to glassware to graphic design.

pasture to plate

The recipes featured on each episode can be found at feastmagazine.com

We begin the episode at a hog farm and follow pigs to the processing plant and then to a salumeria and restaurant where the culinary team crafts dishes paying homage to the animals as well as the producers.

the sweet life In Kansas City, watch Feast TV on KCPT (Channel 19) Sundays at 5:30pm.

Get behind the scenes with chefs and craftspeople who are coaxing deliciousness from a range of sweeteners and making pastries, syrups and even mead, a fermented honey wine.

milk it

We visit a dairy that’s been producing milk with a herd of Holsteins since 1910, plus a creamery where goat milk cheeses share the table with farm-fresh fare at a series of chef-inspired dinners.

on the hunt You can watch Feast TV throughout mid-Missouri on KMOS (Channel 6) Thursdays at 7pm.

Bundle up for day-long duck hunt and then come with us to a class hosted by the Missouri Department of Conservation where chefs teach a room full of enthusiasts how to make the most of their harvest.

bottoms up Explore our region’s cocktail culture and indulge in a drink or two with people in the drinks business who are pushing boundaries, creating new experiences and resurrecting old ones.

truckin’ From an urban food truck park to a truck turned brick-and-mortar to one that prefers partnerships, come along for the ride as we explore food on four wheels.

bread on the rise Feast TV airs in the southern Illinois region on WSIU (Channel 8).

Meet the bakers who are making amazing bread possible from crust to crumb, turning out beautiful loaves that have people rethinking what American bread can and should be.

in development Get a taste of some of the most innovative ways our region’s best chefs are playing with their food and setting the stage for what’s next on your plate.

foraged foods Check mylaketv.com to watch Feast TV in the Lake of the Ozarks area.

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Not all food is cultivated. Many foods are foraged, plucked from wild places and enjoyed during their fleeting seasons, so come along as we hunt for native nuts, mushrooms and other elusive flavors.

In this episode of Feast TV, we explore urban farming in all of its forms. We head to a rooftop farm made possible through innovative architecture, visit a compact teaching farm carved out of an urban neighborhood and explore a fully off-the-grid farm where ideals and flavorful produce thrive.

Veggie-forward cooking is taking center stage in kitchens across the country and host Cat Neville will show you a classic Italian pie that showcases farm-fresh greens and eggs.

Food Roof, situated atop a building in the heart of St. Louis, is a model of green infrastructure and modern sustainable farming.

Host Cat Neville makes a savory Italian pie with herbs, Swiss chard and egg and pairs it with Noboleis dry Vignoles.

Kansas City’s Urbavore, a pioneering 13-acre off-the-grid farm, is one of the largest urban farmsteads in the country.

feast tv is brought to you by the generous support of our sponsors:

Missouri Wines supports the more than 125 wineries operating in the state and is focused on promoting the industry’s growth and vitality.

With a focus on sustainability and great design, IKEA is your destination for affordable, innovative and high quality kitchen products.

Kaldi’s Coffee is dedicated to creating a memorable coffee experience for customers and guests via sustainable practices and education.

Ole Tyme Produce provides some of the finest produce in the St. Louis region, serving restaurants, hotels, food service and catering companies.

The Raphael Hotel is Feast’s official hotel, offering luxury accommodations and dining near Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza.

Inspired Local Food Culture

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Join Ramon’s for an

all-day event in celebration of their

APhROdiTe 2017 ReleASe NOW AVAilABle

50th Anniversary

on May 2 Starts @ 1pm After Party @ Fairmount Park Ramon’s El Dorado IL Race Track for Taco Tuesday

New

at One 19 nOrth tapas and Wine Bar Wine LOunge/

• Mariachi Band • Horse Racing • Drink Specials

1967

private event party space Rebecca Kibbler Our Executive Chef after 6 years as Sous Chef has taken over at One 19 North preparing all fresh daily specials.

Make your reservations today to enjoy the fresh entrees, the exquisite wine and light music that create an ideal atmosphere for a group of friends or the perfect date.

One 19 North Tapas and Wine Bar | 119 North Kirkwood Road | Kirkwood, MO 63122 | 314-821-4119

2017

• 89¢ Tacos* • House Margarita Special * Present this ad for your free taco, $3 value Offer valid in Cantina only.

Aphrod ite was na med Kansas City’s

best local

wine

by The Pitch

Come Visit Our Winery Tasting Room Visit our

page for more event details.

1711 Saint Louis Rd | Collinsville, IL 618.344.6435 | ramonseldorado.net

29725 Somerset Rd. Paola, KS 66071

With up to 13 beers on tap, you’re sure to find one that suits you!

Follow us!

Twitter: @SquareOneBrews Facebook: Square.One.Brewery.and.Distillery Instagram: SquareOneBrewery 16

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Square One Brewery & Distillery 1727 Park Avenue ~ St. Louis 63104 squareonebrewery.com ~ 314-231-2537

Spring Travel

promotion Get out and explore all the region has to offer this season, from the rolling hills of Missouri wine country and winding paths of the Katy Trail to the bustling attractions in St. Louis and Kansas City and across the state.

take a walk on the wild side

Get wild in St. Louis: The Cheshire hotel offers a Zoo Safari Package for a full day at the Saint Louis Zoo, with two adventure passes, admission to multiple attractions within the zoo, plus a one-night stay at the hotel.

314.647.7300, cheshirestl.com

pedal and pamper tour the brewery

In Kansas City, Boulevard Brewing Co.’s new Tours & Recreation Center is a home base for free daily tours, a swag-filled gift shop and an expansive beer hall with 24 taps featuring test beers and fan favorites, plus special events.

816.701.7247, boulevard.com

The Amber House Bed and Breakfast, just a short stroll from the Katy Trail in Rocheport, Missouri, offers a first-class boutique experience with locally sourced homemade meals, professional massages and free use of bicycles. Gather a group for a private getaway in four luxurious suites.

573.698.2028, amberhousebb.com

fairway play

Roland Barkau Memorial Golf Course and The Original Springs Hotel in Okawville, Illinois, offer several springtime golf, spa and lodging packages for a weekend of pampering and making par.

618.243.6610, rbmgolf.com/golf-packages.html

for the culture vulture

Augusta, Missouri, has everything for a relaxing getaway within a day’s drive. One of the town’s biggest events, The Augusta Plein Air Art Festival, runs April 20 to 30 and attracts amateur and professional artists from across the country.

636.228.4005, augusta-chamber.org

wind down post-wine country Spring brings delicious new flavors to The Silly Goose menu. While out in historic wine country in Augusta, Missouri, round out your visit with a dinner of Southern, farm-to-table fare.

636.482.4667, facebook.com/sillygooseaugusta

rural escape

Take a short drive to Edg-Clif Farms & Vineyard in Potosi, Missouri, and visit its vintage farm, take a wilderness hike, photograph bison, tour the winery, and end with wine and beer around a fire pit.

573.438.4741, edg-clif.com

explore a city on the river

Come hungry to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, with over 130 bars and restaurants, from Cajun food with views of the Mighty Mississippi to microbreweries with seasonal specialties, cafés with locally roasted coffee and everything in between.

573.335.1631, visitcape.com Inspired Local Food Culture

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torta de force

Find authenitc Meixcan dishes with a Salvadorian touch at Cesar's Old Mexico in Springfield, Missouri, on p. 22. photography by starboard & port creative

Vicia ST. LOUIS. Vicia isn’t vegetarian; it’s vegetable-forward. Michael and

vegetable forward Fare Written by HeatHer riske

Vegetable-forward cooking has roots in noble causes, including addressing sustainability and health issues, supporting local farmers and eliminating food waste. This style of cooking rethinks the way proteins and vegetables can be used in dishes. Now, it’s making its way to the meat and potatoes-loving heartland.

Tara Gallina’s highly anticipated restaurant, which opened last month in St. Louis, minimizes its food waste by using as much of the animal or vegetable as possible, including often-discarded bits and “ugly” fruits and vegetables. That philosophy was driven home for the couple while working as chef de cuisine and service captain, respectively, at Dan Barber's renowned Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Tarrytown, New York. “It’s a way to shift the perspective of what’s happening on your plate and recognize that it doesn’t always need to be a 10-ounce piece of protein. The vegetable can be given as much attention as the protein,” Tara says. “There’s so much you can do with vegetables; the breadth is almost greater than meat.” Lunch at Vicia is casual, with counter service and a small rotating menu of tartines, soups, salads and sandwiches, while dinner is a more elevated affair with shareable snacks, starters and mains. The Gallinas use vegetables in fun and unexpected ways – think Naked Vegetables (served raw) with dips like carrot hummus, vegetable-top pesto and tahina yogurt (a sauce of tahini, garlic paste and lemon); purple-top turnip tacos with chorizo, charred vegetable molé, kale and persimmon hot sauce; roasted cauliflower covered in culatello (a type of prosciutto) or even a parsnip ice cream sandwich with buckwheat gingersnaps.

314.553.9239, viciarestaurant.com

Freshwater

816.492.6861, freshwaterkc.com

PHoto of vicia menu oPtions by jacklyn meyer

KANSAS CITY. While hosting pop-up dinners as a member of Soil Collective over the past year, chef Calvin Davis highlighted the importance of local sourcing, seasonality and using as much of a plant or animal as possible. That ethos carried over to Freshwater, the fine-dining restaurant he’s slated to open this month in Kansas City’s Midtown neighborhood. Freshwater aims to offer a fine-dining experience at a more affordable price, and its vegetable-driven dishes help make that possible. Meat still has a place on the menu – in particular, Davis is excited about the restaurant’s charcuterie program – but many of the small plates are vegetable-focused, including sunchokes served with cardoon, shallot and nasturtium. When proteins are used, it’s more for garnish and flavor – like the Malabar spinach, which features a poached egg, endive, black pepper and lardo. Davis also takes care to highlight vegetable scraps. A recent braised pork pasta dish, for instance, featured puréed, confited and roasted sunchokes; Davis also took the leftover skins from the sunchokes and fried them into chips. “So many people take for granted the food that they have and don’t even know there’s a possibility to use more of it,” he says. “At every step of the process I just try to stop and look at what I’m doing, think about it and ask myself, ‘Why not?’”

Tips from The chefs:

Won’t you be our Neighbor?

ways to reduce food waste at home ▶ Thinly slice cauliflower cores with a mandoline, marinate with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper, and throw into a salad ▶ Boil down vegetable scraps to make a stock for soups ▶ Sauté radish tops and add to salads ▶ Lightly sauté Swiss chard stems, then braise in the oven ▶ Use yogurt whey – the byproduct from Greek yogurt – as a marinade or substitute for egg whites in a cocktail

The AnTler room KANSAS CITY. There’s a simple impetus behind the vegetable-driven

dishes served at The Antler Room in Kansas City: Chef Nick Goellner, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Leslie, loves eating vegetables.

“A steak is a steak is a steak," he says. "Plants are different: There are so many different varieties and that’s just really exciting to us.” Plus, making use of the parts of vegetables that others might discard – pesto made from carrot tops, for instance – saves money. The restaurant preserves as many fruits and vegetables as possible to use throughout winter, a mission Goellner picked up while interning at the world-renowned Noma in Copenhagen, where preservation is key due to the short growing season. The restaurant also uses fruit and vegetable scraps to make oils and salts: After juicing beets, for example, the leftover pulp is dehydrated into a powder and blended with salt to make beet salt.

816.605.1967, theantlerroomkc.com

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Inspired Local Food Culture

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where we’re dining From new restaurants to renewed menus, our staff and contributors share their picks for where we’re dining this month.

Urban Café WrItten by Jenny vergara PhotograPhy by davId ShaughneSSy

KANSAS CITY. Chef Justin Clark opened his first restaurant, Urban Café, earlier this year at the corner of e. 41st St. and troost ave. in the manheim Park neighborhood. Serving breakfast and lunch only, the restaurant offers a small yet impressive chalkboard menu of breakfast sandwiches, grab-and-go parfaits, fresh smoothies, whole-grain breakfast bowls, grilled sandwiches and wraps with a commitment to sourcing organic and local ingredients. the menu always features several vegan and vegetarian dishes, like the popular chickpea tacos or balsamic grilled vegetable sandwich, in addition to more decadent dishes like a pork belly sandwich with asian slaw. Clark works with mostly raw ingredients, using only his smoker and a panini press to make creative clean eats. the café’s small dining room is sleek and colorful, with only about 20 seats, but Clark plans to add more outdoor seating on the sidewalk as the weather warms up this spring.

816.541.3603, urbancafekc.com

Cesar’s Old MexiCO WrItten by ettIe bernekIng PhotograPhy by Starboard & Port CreatIve

SPRINGFIELD, MO. Since opening at the end of 2015, Cesar’s Old

Mexico has become the lunch spot for those craving authentic mexican and Salvadorian dishes in Springfield, missouri. arrive at 12:01pm, and you’ll likely have to elbow your way to a table. the place is tiny, which is part of the charm – as are the oversized margaritas and cocktails, often garnished with fresh chunks of avocado and lime. Cesar ortiz, who hails from mexico, is mostly in charge of the kitchen, but his wife, Sandra gonzalez, adds a much-loved Salvadoran touch to the menu with pillowy pupusas. Stuffed with tender pork, cheese and beans, pupusas are an everyday dish in el Salvador; gonzalez says they have quickly become a favorite at Cesar’s old mexico along with massive tortas, sopes and more.

417.881.8252, facebook.com/cesarsoldmexico 22

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‘ZZa Story and PhotograPhy by mabel Suen

ST. LOUIS. Pi Pizzeria now has a fast-casual sister restaurant with a whole new take on pizza. ‘Zza debuted in the Skinker-debaliviere neighborhood in late February, featuring self-described “fresh casual” oblong-shaped individual pies. the oval pizzas feature a versatile thin crust with a familiar neapolitan-style chew. the 17-by-7-inch dimensions ensure that each bite retains the same resilient texture from the crust to the center. highlights include the Postrio, a pizza that pays homage to chef Cary mcdowell’s time

working under Wolfgang Puck, who is credited with inventing barbecue-chicken pizza. ‘Zza’s version features barbecued chicken, Sweet baby ray’s barbecue sauce, mozzarella, smoked gouda and cilantro. For something a little more traditional, ‘Zza also offers a margherita-style pie, a meat-lovers’ option and the rocket, with prosciutto, arugula, lemon and flake salt. despite the name, pizza is only half the focus of the menu: ‘Zza also creatively cross-utilizes its ingredients to offer a list of robust salads, including an ahi-tuna poké bowl and the Cesar, a mexican-inspired kale-Caesar salad.

314.696.8585, zza-pizza.com

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michael conti

Now featuriNg

executive pastry chef, firefly grill

q&A

a New

expaNded

Written by Kaitlynn Martin

food meNu

eFFInGHAM, IL. in December, Michael Conti took on the role of executive

PHOtOGraPHy by MaDalaine MCDaniel / laKeSiDetable.COM

pastry chef at Firefly Grill in effingham, illinois. after culinary school at Chicago’s le Cordon bleu, he was executive pastry chef at OaK at Fourteenth in boulder, Colorado, as well as at acorn and brider restaurants in Denver. He cannot eat 90 percent of what he creates because he’s gluten-, dairy-, tree nut-, soy- and alcohol-free, yet Conti’s love for all things sweet finds an outlet in his takes on classic desserts at Firefly Grill.

What sparked your interest in baking? When i was a child, my mother held baking classes at our local yMCa that my nonna and i would attend. i remember really enjoying that experience of working in the kitchen with them, and it has carried through to what i do today. When you are making pastries, they can be very unforgiving, because when you mess something up you’ve wasted a lot of time. there’s a lot of lessons to learn when it comes to pastry-making, and i think i really need that, to keep learning. With pastries and desserts, there’s not just steps in the process, but real meaning to everything.

How has your experience at Firefly Grill compared to other places you’ve worked?

Firefly is an unbelievably supportive place to bake. i have never been in a kitchen before where there is so much genuine teamwork. the culture we generate through our cooking and baking is building a community that feels very much like family. Tell us about your dessert menu. i’ve put together what i like to call petite sweets. they are six different desserts served in small Martini glasses. i really like to use the glasses because they allow me to play around with presentation and the desserts themselves.

So far the petite sweets include a passion fruit, cookies and cream and strawberry no-bake cheesecake, plus chocolate espresso, s’mores and butterscotch-pudding mousses. you can order them individually, or all six as a dessert flight. What else are you working on? i am excited to work on some cocktails and create some old-fashioned drinks like cream or orange sodas for Firefly. For a hobby, i make my own cheese. this is something i came to really enjoy when i worked in Colorado. i would love to have my own dairy cow one day and make some cheeses for the restaurant. What inspires you? a lot of it comes from my 3-year-old daughter. She is always asking me to make combinations of food i would have never thought of.

What’s your goal at Firefly? i want to take [diners] somewhere else, [like] when they were 8 years old, eating a dessert their mom made. i want to help them go back to a memory tied to delicious food.

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Duke’s Crab Cakes Benedict

217.342.2002, ffgrill.com Inspired Local Food Culture

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tello carreon executive chef, nixta

q&A

Written By nancy StileS

|

PhotograPhy By judd demaline

ST. LoUIS. Ben Poremba is one of St. louis’ most prolific restaurateurs, so of

course his latest spot, Nixta, was highly anticipated. after his fried-chicken joint, old Standard, closed last july, Poremba worked closely with elaia chef de cuisine tello carreon on a new, elevated mexican concept, which opened in the space in november. the dishes are inspired by carreon’s hometown of guanajuato, mexico, from pepita guacamole and tuna tostada with a lime-white soy glaze to seared-sturgeon fajitas with esquita, parsnip and cashew-black garlic salsa, plus carreon’s signature dish, molé negro de Abuelita Concepcion (pictured below left).

How did the idea for Nixta come about? i was sous chef [at old Standard before i joined the team at elaia]. i just didn’t adjust – i told [Ben], honestly, this just isn’t my type of cuisine. So i started prepping at elaia and worked my way up to chef de cuisine. [after old Standard closed,] i said, “What are you gonna do with that place?” and i just threw it out there – what about a mexican place? i’d been wanting to open a restaurant myself, the concept of mexican cuisine, but different. i get disappointed when i eat mexican food somewhere else, because the flavors are just not there. So we started thinking about that, and at the same time i’m like, “Why did i open my mouth?” and eventually it became a reality. all this was not a sit-down conversation – just standing around talking as we were plating dishes at elaia. Ben calls me papi – “hey Papi, what do you think? Should we do this? Should we do that?” everything else was just creating the menu, which i did in pretty much one day, and that was it. Tell us about your molé. i give a little bit of a twist to what my grandma used to make with plantains; obviously, she used all mexican ingredients. it’s still the same recipe, still the same base, but i give it a little twist as far as my flavors. it’s very complex – i get these middle eastern dates [instead of plantains] that give a sweetness to the molé. i use different nuts – pepitas, sesame seeds, almonds, pecans, cashews, sunflower seeds – that i cook almost to the point that they’re burnt, which brings a lot more texture, color and earthiness without being too bitter. it’s been a great hit; you can just dip tortillas in it. just the sauce itself has enough flavor – the heaviness but a light and smooth finish – that you don’t need much [else]. What’s your goal for Nixta? i think people should cook with the heart, and that’s what my mother told me. you cook the way you feel. i always remember that because she said if you cook with anger, your food is gonna resemble that. if you cook with passion, happiness, love – that’s gonna show. and that’s what i try to teach my cooks. that’s what i want people to know: i treat food with respect from beginning to end.

314.899.9000, nixtastl.com

photography by jacklyn meyer

private dining  Intimate destination for special gatherings  Seating up to 40

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314.394.3366

10701 Watson Rd. Saint Louis, MO twistedtreesteakhouse.com Next door to Holiday Inn St. Louis SW

Urban Crafted goodness is coming soon to EDWARDSVILLE! Getting hungry yet?

Catering available.

222 E. Park Street, Edwardsville, IL 62025 crushed-red.com

Inspired Local Food Culture

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in season: early spring and fall

ArugulA Written by nancy StileS

Arugula – also called rocket – is a favorite in salads for its peppery bite and vibrant green color. It’s a relative newcomer in America (the word first appeared in 1960) but has been cultivated in Italy since ancient Roman times. Chefs use it for its ability to stand up to bold flavors and add a bit of spice.

the mixx kansas CiTy. “arugula is my favorite green, hands down,” says The Mixx chef-owner Jo Marie Scaglia. “it has a nice, bold flavor. it’s kind of pungent, a little spicy, and it holds up well. it’s a sturdy green.” Scaglia uses arugula in several salads and sandwiches at the Mixx's three locations in country club Plaza and Power & light in Kansas city and Overland Park, Kansas. this spring, it will show up on two featured seasonal dishes: trail Mixx salad and fresh tuna sliders. “the salad is kind of a take on things you might find in a trail mix, and we’ll do fresh tuna sliders with a little arugula, pickled red onions, a chef’s tartar sauce and brioche mini buns,” she says. For breakfast, available at the Overland Park location, you’ll find arugula on the Sunrise blt with griddled eggs, bacon, tomato, cheddar and garlic aïoli on a toasted grain roll.

multiple locations, mixxingitup.com

tony's sT. loUis. at one of St. louis’ most venerated

fine-dining spots, Tony’s, chef Vince bommarito is upping the arugula ante. “We’re having a local farmer grow some arugula sprouts for us,” he says. “We have to be careful with those because they’re really, really peppery.” this spring, bommarito is sautéing arugula with salsify, a root vegetable, and ramps, when they’re available, to go with whatever fish he can get. He says the smooth, clean taste of salsify pairs well with peppery arugula; the sprouts sit on top as a garnish. “i’ve always liked arugula.

We do arugula salad on our chicken Milanese at [sister restaurant] anthony’s bar,” he says. “i like the cold salad on the hot, crispy chicken. i just think it’s a great way to put a little pepper into a dish without using pepper.”

314.231.7007, tonysstlouis.com

broadway brewery ColUmbia, mo. beer is the star at Broadway Brewery in

CHef’s Tip “For simple pasta dishes, I like to toss [arugula] with homemade roasted tomato sauce with fresh basil, garlic and shallots, and a nice cheese on top. It adds a nice flavor and pretty color. I’m Italian, so I like that a lot!” –Jo Marie Scaglia, chef-owner, The Mixx

columbia, Missouri, but items like rosemary buffalo wings, trout hushpuppies and meatloaf patty melts are a close second. arugula tops lamb sliders on the dinner menu, along with pickled red onion, Feta and tzatziki sauce. “it’s kind of spicy and peppery, and the lamb itself is kind of sweet, so we feel that’s a good contrast,” says executive chef chris Pender. “it’s just an interesting green overall. it stands up to many things, whereas lettuce is just kind of watery and bland.” broadway brewery sources its arugula locally whenever possible; currently co-owner Walker claridge is growing it himself on his farm. you can also find arugula in the brewery’s steak salad, which is marinated flank steak on a bed of arugula tossed with dried cherries, blue cheese, tomato, thinly sliced radishes and a maple-cider vinaigrette; Pender uses fried arugula on top of pecan-crusted trout as well. the chef says he’s seen an uptick in interest in arugula in the past few years. “but i see more interest in all kinds of greens,” he says. “the old iceberg-romaine blend isn’t cutting it anymore.”

573.443.5054, broadwaybrewery.com

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bryan bevel owner, the pitch pizza & pub

q&A

Written by Kaitlynn Martin

SPRInGFIeLD, Mo. after five years as managing partner of Springfield brewing Co., bryan bevel has decided to change up the pace. bevel bought the Springfield brewery in 2011 with some friends and teammates from Springfield rugby Football Club. the club had introduced him to beers beyond bud light: "because with rugby, after playing, you get handed a Guinness or something you’ve never heard of. So that led me to craft beer." he says. bevel felt he was missing a more intimate approach to his work, and has spent the past two months turning a former Panera bread into his vision of a restaurant and pub that captures the feeling of friends, family, great food and delicious beer. He opened The Pitch Pizza & Pub late last month, serving pizzas, sandwiches, pastas and pub fare, including fish and chips and an english breakfast.

Farmers’ Hour

Homemade food, local ingredients

... carefully prepared.

everyday 3-6pm

2620 S Glenstone Ave, Springfield, MO 65804 (417) 864-6994 farmersgastropub.com

816-474-8333 thehomesteadercafe.com

Get away without going far away and enjoy a taste of Cape – More than 130 restaurants from Irish and Indian to Pan-Asian and Cajun, including unique dining options you won’t find elsewhere.

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VisitCape.com/Eat

Tell us about the space and the vibe you’re trying to capture at The Pitch. We’ve done a complete remodel and changed [the space] into a pub on one side and a restaurant on the other. at Springfield brewing Co., we ran out of high chairs on Sundays because we had so many families in for our brunch, and i am really proud of that; that led to a really nice family atmosphere. i hope to have that here. How has rugby influenced the restaurant? i named the place the Pitch, because no matter what, when you’re done playing rugby, you’re family. rugby introduced me to beer other than the regular beers that you would be introduced to as a 21-year-old. Why did you decide to focus on pizza? i’ve always been a pizza connoisseur – [traveling] in europe and around the country – so we’re doing the best [pizzas] from what i’ve seen during my travels with rugby. i wanted to do something a little more intimate; this allows me to come in and make dough in the morning and sausage in the afternoon, and be able to mingle with my customers. Tell us about the menu. We serve a neapolitan style with imported flour from italy. We’ve got a 50-item menu including sandwiches, salads and handmade pastas. We’re also smoking our own meats; we have a buffalo chicken pizza with chicken that comes straight from the smoker. We’re also bringing in our own prime rib and shaving it to make a Philly cheesesteak pizza. and then there are classics like artichoke and mushroom, and a Margherita pizza with fresh basil and tomatoes. What’s your goal for the restaurant? i want [guests] to walk away and think of us as a neat [addition] to the neighborhood. i want to be the default cook for folks when mom is tired, it’s a thursday night and she’s coming home from soccer practice. Can she call the Pitch and have a lasagna waiting for her? absolutely! i think we’ve put the time in to bring Springfield a gem that they didn’t know they needed, and something they won’t be able to live without.

C A P E G I R A R D E A U Âť Just 90 miles south of St. Louis

417.368.0277, facebook.com/pitchpizzapub Inspired Local Food Culture

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Regional RestauRant guide

28

4 Hands Brewing Co. 1220 S. Eighth St. St. Louis, MO 314.436.1559 4handsbrewery.com

Boundary 7036 Clayton Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.932.7818 boundary-stl.com

Duke’s 2001 Menard St. St. Louis, MO 314.833.6686 dukesinsoulard.com

Helen Fitzgerald’s 3650 S. Lindbergh Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 314.984.0026 helenfitzgeralds.com

Aya Sofia 6671 Chippewa St. St. Louis, MO 314.645.9919 ayasofiacuisine.com

Bur Oak Brewing Co. 8250 Trade Center Drive Columbia, MO buroakbeer.com

Edg-Clif Farms & Vineyard 10035 Edg-Clif Drive Potosi, MO 573.438.4741 edg-clif.com

Herbie’s 8100 Maryland Ave. Clayton, MO 314.769.9595 herbies.com

Balducci Vineyards 6601 S. Highway 94 Augusta, MO 636.482.8466 balduccivineyards.com

Castelli’s Restaurant at 255 3400 Fosterburg Road Alton, IL 618.462.4620 castellis255.com

Eleven Eleven Mississippi 1111 Mississippi Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.241.9999 1111-m.com

The Homesteader Cafe 100 E. Seventh St. #100 Kansas City, MO 816.474.8333 thehomesteadercafe.com

Basso 7036 Clayton Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.932.7820 basso-stl.com

Chaz on the Plaza at the Raphael Hotel 325 Ward Parkway Kansas City, MO 816.802.2152 raphaelkc.com

Farmers Gastropub 2620 S. Glenstone Ave. Springfield, MO 417.864.6994 farmersgastropub.com

Jackson Street BrewCo 106 N. Jackson St. Perryville, MO jstreetbrewco.com

Beast Craft BBQ Co. 20 S. Belt W Belleville, IL 618.257.9000 beastcraftbbq.com

Cleveland-Heath 106 N. Main St. Edwardsville, IL 618.307.4830 clevelandheath.com

Favazza’s on The Hill 5201 Southwest Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.772.4454 favazzas.com

Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Co. multiple locations kaldiscoffee.com

Bella Vino Wine Bar & Tapas 325 S. Main St. St. Charles, MO 636.724.3434 bellavinowinebarstl.com

Cork & Barrel Chop House and Spirits 7337 Mexico Road St. Peters, MO 636.387.7030 corkandbarrel.com

Fox & Hounds Tavern 6300 Clayton Road St. Louis, MO 314.647.7300 cheshirestl.com

Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria 9568 Manchester Road Rock Hill, MO 314.942.6555 katiespizzaandpasta.com

Bier Station 120 E. Gregory Blvd.

Kansas City, MO 816.548.3870 bierstation.com

The Corner Restaurant 4059 Broadway Kansas City, MO 816.931.4401 thecornerkc.com

Fratelli’s Ristorante 2061 Zumbehl Road St. Charles, MO 636.949.9005 fratellisristorante.com

King & I 3157 S. Grand Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 314.771.1777 kingandistl.com

Bissell Mansion Restaurant & Dinner Theatre 4426 Randall Place St. Louis, MO 314.533.9830 bissellmansiontheatre.com

Crushed Red multiple locations crushed-red.com

Gallagher’s Restaurant 114 W. Mill St. Waterloo, IL 618.939.9933 gallagherswaterloo.com

Klondike Café at Montelle Vineyard 201 Montelle Drive at MO Highway 94 Augusta, MO 636.228.4464 montelle.com

Boulevard Brewing Co. 2534 Madison Ave. Kansas City, MO 816.701.7247 boulevard.com

Drunken Fish multiple locations drunkenfish.com

The Grille at the Mansion 1680 Mansion Way O’Fallon, IL 618.624.0629 mansionsteakhouse.com

LaChance Vineyards 12237 Peter Moore Lane De Soto, MO 636.586.2777 lachancevineyards.com

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Regional RestauRant guide La Chata Mexican Cuisine 3891 Mid Rivers Mall Drive Cottleville, MO 636.477.6228 facebook.com/ lachatamexicanrestaurantbar

One 19 North 119 N. Kirkwood Road Kirkwood, MO 314.821.4119 one19north.com

The Silly Goose 5501 Locust St. Augusta, MO 636.482.4667 sillygoosemo.com

Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. 3229 Washington Ave. 4465 Manchester Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.222.0143 urbanchestnut.com

Lucas Park Grille 1234 Washington Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.241.7770 lucasparkgrille.com

Pappy’s Smokehouse 3106 Olive St. St. Louis, MO 314.535.4340 pappyssmokehouse.com

Somerset Ridge Vineyard & Winery 29725 Somerset Road Somerset, KS 913.491.0038 somersetridge.com

Villa Antonio Winery 3660 Linhorst Road Hillsboro, MO 636.475.5008 villaantoniowinery.com

Mai Lee 8396 Musick Memorial Drive Brentwood, MO 314.645.2835 maileestl.com

Point Labaddie Brewery 1029 Thiebes Road Labadie, MO 636.742.2861 pointlabaddiebrewery.com

Square One Brewery and Distillery 1727 Park Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.231.2537 squareonebrewery.com

Vin de Set 2017 Chouteau Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.241.8989 vindeset.com

Mary Jane Burgers & Brew 102 N. Jackson St. Perryville, MO 573.547.6279 maryjaneburgers.com

Porter’s Steakhouse 1000 Eastport Plaza Drive Collinsville, IL 618.345.2400 porterscollinsville.com

St. James Winery 540 State Route B St. James, MO 800.280.9463 stjameswinery.com

Missouri Beer Co. 22 W. Industrial Drive O’Fallon, MO 636.294.6672 mobeerco.com

The Preston at The Chase Park Plaza 212 N. Kingshighway Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 314.633.7800 chaseparkplaza.com

Stone Hill Winery 1110 Stone Hill Highway Hermann, MO 573.486.2221 stonehillwinery.com

Molly Darcys 26 N. Meramec Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.863.8400 mollydarcyspub.com

Public House Brewing Co. 600 N. Rolla St. B 551 State Route B Rolla, MO | St. James, MO 573.261.3333 publichousebrewery.com

Syberg’s multiple locations sybergs.com

We encourage you to visit any of these fine establishments as proud supporters of Feast Magazine. From fine dining to fast casual to local wineries, there is an array of experiences to choose from, so support and eat local!

BY Region: St. Louis St. Charles County

Mother’s Brewing Co. 215 S. Grant Ave. Springfield, MO 417.862.0423 mothersbrewing.com

PW Pizza 2017 Chouteau Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.241.7799 pwpizza.com

Three Sixty 1 S. Broadway St. Louis, MO 314.241.8439 360-stl.com

Kansas City Columbia, Missouri

The Muddled Pig Gastropub 2733 Sutton Blvd.

Maplewood, MO 314.781.4607 themuddledpig.com

Ramon’s El Dorado 1711 St. Louis Road Collinsville, IL 618.344.6435 ramonseldorado.net

Trattoria Giuseppe 5442 Old State Route 21 Imperial, MO 636.942.2405 trattoria-giuseppe.com

Mid-Missouri and Southern Missouri Southern Illinois

Noboleis Vineyards 100 Hemsath Road Augusta, MO 636.482.4500 noboleisvineyards.com

Schlafly Tap Room and Schlafly Bottleworks 2100 Locust St. 7260 Southwest Ave. St. Louis, MO | Maplewood, MO 314.241.2337 schlafly.com

Twisted Tree Steakhouse 10701 Watson Road St. Louis, MO 314.394.3366 twistedtreesteakhouse.com

Winery and Vineyard Brewery Inspired Local Food Culture

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Wineries

• augusta winery • Balducci vineyards • Belmont vineyards • chaumette vineyards & winery • cooper’s hawk winery • lachance vineyards • montelle winery • noBoleis vineyards • stone hill winery • villa antonio winery • wild sun winery

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2017

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visit feastmagazine.com for a current list of vendors sponsored by 30

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a pr i l 2 0 1 7

• favazza’s • olivino • ruth’s chris steak house • silly goose • southern

& more!

pints and pies

Try Cape Girardeau, Missouri, favorite Minglewood Brewery on p. 34. photography by elaine rohde

reposado Written by nancy StileS

|

PhotograPhy by Starboard & Port creative

Mezcal has snagged the tequila spotlight lately, but more bartenders are using smooth, briny reposado tequilas in cocktails.

Reposado – which means “rested” in Spanish – is tequila that is aged for between two and 12 months; blanco is unaged and añejo is aged for more than a year. Bartenders like reposado for its perceptible flavor that doesn’t overpower a drink.

Pro tiP “Typically if I’m just drinking tequila I prefer blanco; tequila is unique because it’s made out of agave and that tastes like nothing else.

I really love the flavor of fresh agave, but I prefer reposado tequila for cocktails because of its rounded edges.” –Zac Snyder, bar manager, The Westside Local

GoLden GirL rum cLub SPRINGFIELD, MO. Obviously, Golden Girl Rum Club in Springfield,

Missouri, is known for its rums. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give something else a try, says co-owner and chief bartender Rogan Howitt.

“We like to do something a little bit weird that no one else is doing in the area,” he says. Howitt’s Down in Mexicali, for example, is a play on chamoyada, a Mexican street snack. The result is a savory, tart cocktail, with some bitter chile notes. Howitt mixes Tapatio reposado with dry curaçao, ancho reyes liqueur, chamoy, passion fruit, pineapple and lime juices, with a Tajin rim – dehydrated lime and chile powder. “Tapatio is a delicious, delicious tequila,” he says. “People want flavors instead of just mixers [now] – something that actually tastes like something, which is perfect. That’s what needs to be happening.” Golden Girl also has a hibiscus Margarita using housemade hibiscus syrup, Creole shrub, reposado and lime; it’s rimmed with Howitt’s own hibiscus sugar-salt infusion. “Reposados are just way smoother: They’re really full-bodied, rich-flavored tequilas,” he says. “You get a lot of floral notes and the big tequila flavors you want in a cocktail, especially when it’s a drink with a lot of ingredients. The tequila is still able to shine through.”

417.425.5162, thegoldengirl.com

circLe 7 ranch BALLWIN, MO. Circle 7 Ranch in Ballwin, Missouri, uses reposado in

several of its Margaritas, but you’re going to want to ask for the avocado-mango. Avocado and mango are muddled with housemade lime juice and mixed with reposado and a mango liqueur. “It was a recipe we had at El Borracho, and it was our most popular Margarita,” says manager BJ Baker, referencing the now-shuttered Mexican spot run by Circle 7 owners Pete Ferretti and Buddy Coy, where Baker was also general manager. “Reposado pairs well with the mango and kind of evens it out; if you used a blanco, the flavor disappears.” Reposado is also used in the house Margarita with Cointreau and Grand Marnier, the hibiscus Margarita and the strawberry- jalapeño Margarita. Baker says the use of reposado highlights the diversity of cocktails at Circle 7. “We get caught up in being a sports bar at times. The tabletops are always a topic of conversation,” he says, referring to the much-touted self-serve beer taps at the tables. “But the mixology and the talent we have behind our bar – I think it’s still a secret to a lot of people. It’s usually a surprise when they find out about that.”

636.220.9707, circle7ranch.com

The WesTside LocaL KANSAS CITY. At The Westside Local in Kansas City’s Crossroads

Arts District, bar manager Zac Snyder was surprised that his cocktail Take It To The Limit was such a hit last summer. Such a strong anise component is usually make-or-break for customers. Snyder started with the concept of a Blood & Sand with tequila, but he didn’t want smoke – like in mezcal – to be the focus. “I wanted it to be that combination of fresh fruit juice, tart cherry and anise, so the reposado was a really good vehicle for it,” he says. “Reposados have always been very good for me in cocktail usage because they’re bright like blancos, but they don’t have very much barrel on them; the edges are rounded off.” The drink is almost equal parts Tapatio reposado tequila, Leopold Brothers cherry liqueur, fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice and Kübler absinthe. This spring, everyone on the bar team is coming up with a few cocktails each, which Snyder says allows them to take more ownership of the menu. He’s not sure if there will be a reposado cocktail on the menu, but he just might make you a Take It To The Limit. “We try to keep things fun and creative, but really approachable,” he says. “In the past, we haven’t been a place that’s particularly known for cocktails, but in the last two years I’ve really tried to change that here and I think I’ve had some pretty good success [with that.]”

816.997.9089, thewestsidelocal.com Inspired Local Food Culture

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where we’re drinking Check out what we’re sipping at bars, restaurants, breweries, wineries and coffee shops.

The dark rooM Story and photography by Mabel SUen

ST. LOUIS. lovers of the arts have a new and

improved place to enjoy a glass of wine while throwing the local creative community a dime.

The Dark Room, which now operates under the umbrella of the nonprofit Kranzberg arts Foundation, moved just around the corner from its former home into the renovated historic grandel theatre in February. the overhaul features expanded hours and revised menus including the addition of lunch and brunch. While maintaining its established identity as a refined experience for both wine enthusiasts and photography fans alike, the concept seeks to pique the interest of neighborhood passersby with embellished offerings that accompany in-house programming. enjoy exhibits and live entertainment alongside a progressive wine program featuring more than 100 unique wines, an international beer program and elegantly prepared Mediterranean-inspired eats.

314.531.3416, thedarkroomstl.com

Minglewood Brewery Written by Kaitlynn Martin photography by elaine rohde

Brickhouse Written by Jenny Vergara photography by anna petroW

KANSAS CITY. the Union hill neighborhood of

Kansas City welcomed a new canned-beer bar and restaurant, Brickhouse, in February. longtime Sol Cantina bar manager tyler humar bought the space from Kansas City restaurateur Chris ridler after barrel 31 closed, and flipped it into a more casual

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restaurant and sports bar. humar thought the name brickhouse fit with the handsome exposed-brick walls he inherited with the space. he has added a solid menu of 20 to 25 canned beers with a focus on Kansas and Missouri brews, in addition to having local beer on tap. the menu features a nice selection of shareable appetizers and juicy cheeseburgers, grilled cheese and other specialty sandwiches.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO. a former Masonic lodge, originally built in 1891, today houses a southern Missouri destination for craft beer called Minglewood Brewery. owner Stuart Matthews opened the brewery in January 2015; a seven-barrel system brews original recipes that Cape girardeau locals have come to love. one beer Matthews says he is most proud of is the Kentucky Common, Common Sense. the style is a dark cream ale that was popular from the 1850s until prohibition. along with its ipas and pale ales, Minglewood is also known for Fat Monk, a cross between a belgian and a bock. “We’ve had it on tap for almost two years now,” Matthews says. “it’s rich-bodied, sweet and a little bit sticky with a 6.2 percent alcohol content.” Minglewood also incorporates grains from its brewing process to make its house pizza dough. don’t miss the sausage and goat cheese pizza, with italian sausage, portobello mushrooms, spinach, caramelized onions, a five-cheese blend, goat cheese and its signature pizza sauce, or the taco pizza, with refried beans, beef crumbles, a five-cheese blend, lettuce, crushed nacho-cheese tortilla chips, pico de gallo, thinly shredded Cheddar and taco sauce.

816.255.3912, brickhousekc.com

573.803.0524 minglewoodbrewery.com

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abbey spencer brewmaster, third wheel brewing

q&A

Written by bryan a. HollerbacH

ST. PeTeRS, Mo. abbey Spencer passed the winter in a slacker fashion, doing

PHotograPHy by judd deMaline

almost nothing – except, of course, planning her own September wedding and the projected late-april launch of Third Wheel Brewing. Spencer, who’ll serve as brewmaster at the St. charles county brewery, bubbles like a grand cru when discussing the roughly 10,000-square-foot “gut” retrofit of the quasi-warehouse property. “our tasting room will be about half of the space,” she says. “We’ll have a large horseshoe bar that will seat 30, plus lots of tables and high-tops for a total of 140 seats.” the tasting room also will feature games like air hockey and darts, with the kitchen plating “a short-list menu of shared items and beer-inspired fare such as cheese plates, pretzels and a few sandwiches,” adds Spencer, a certified cicerone through chicago’s cicerone certification Program.

What beers will Third Wheel offer? i brew beers that i love to drink. typically these tend to be traditional styles with a little bit of a personal touch. For example, our first beer will be ophelia’s Wit, a belgian Wit with orange peel, coriander and rosemary. the rosemary won’t be the dominant flavor – just a touch on the nose. it’s a super easy but very unique drinking beer. the others in the initial lineup will be an iPa, stout, berliner Weisse, american brown and Pilsner. Do you plan to expand the beer list? i’ll start to push out some fun seasonal beers and other year-round offerings. i’m a hop fanatic, but just behind iPas and pale ales, lagers are my go-to. they aren’t the easiest style to brew, but i’m going to tackle a hoppy amber lager [with] a Vienna lager base, an imperial oktoberfest – i just might leave this on year-round because it’s one of my very favorite beer styles – and a dry-hopped saison. i think we’ll eventually end up with around 10 year-round options and eight to 10 rotating beers. the rotating taps will be seasonal and special releases. Everyone’s favorite question: Will you do barrel-aged stouts? absolutely – we’re going to do an amazing barrel-aged stout. What distinguishes Third Wheel’s offerings from other metro-area breweries? education, accessibility and variety. We’re going to be that brewery that will have at least one beer for everyone. i adore specialized breweries, and i do think this is the way the industry is going – breweries with a very specific focus on very specific beer styles. For now, we’re going to offer a wide range, and that’s mostly because i drink just about all styles of beer and get bored pretty quickly if i drink the same thing every day. i want a beer to fit my mood, the weather, the location, and that’s why we’ll have such a range of beers. We also will have an emphasis on education. i want people to know what they’re drinking and what it takes to make it. What sort of pressure have you felt (if any) as a female brewmaster in a field so dominated by men? it’s a fair question. My biggest concern is my physical strength.

My fiancé is a competitive weightlifter, and he’s put me on a “brewer’s weightlifting workout plan.” i know that my first few months are going to be brutal, and i’m ready for it. i know i’ll have to ask for help at times, and i’m not afraid to do that. there really isn’t anything else i can say that sets me apart from the rest of the guys. i have felt extremely welcomed to this community, and the support has been overwhelming. everyone has extended their “if you need anything,” but not because i’m a girl – because I’m a brewer. i like to think it’s because they remember it’s 2017, and that’s a thing now: women who brew. thirdwheelbrewing.com

ity C s a s Kan f o t Bes e h ce t n e i r e p x E

Historic Landmark Hotel Historic Landmark & Iconic Country Club Plaza Hotel

& Country Club Plaza raphaelkc.com/Packages

Steaks & Seafood

by Chef Joe Cizek chazontheplaza.com

Romantic Getaway & Celebration Packages

KC Jazz Nightly & Classic Kansas City Restaurant & Lounge Weekend Jazz Brunch Live KC Jazz Nightly & Weekend Jazz Brunch

raphaelkc.com/Event

325 Ward Parkway I Country Club Plaza I 816.756.3800 I raphaelkc.com Inspired Local Food Culture

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Story and recipe by Matt Seiter photography by Jonathan gayMan

Lemongrass CoLada I recommend Appleton or Smith & Cross Jamaican rum.

ServeS | 1 |

LemongrASS-ChILe SyruP ¾ cup chopped lemongrass 1 siling mahaba chile, sliced 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger 2 cups packed brown sugar LemongrASS CoLADA 1½ oz coconut rum ½ oz Jamaican rum 1 oz lemongrass-chile syrup (recipe below) 1 oz fresh calamansi lime juice ½ oz pineapple juice ½ oz heavy cream pineapple wedge (for garnish)

| preparation – lemongrass-chile syrup | in a medium saucepot with 2 cups water, add all ingredients. Whisk to dissolve sugar and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved. reduce heat and simmer, 30 minutes. remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, squeezing solids to drain liquid. discard solids and use syrup immediately, or refrigerate for up to a month.

| preparation – lemongrass colada | in a cocktail shaker with ice, combine all ingredients except garnish.

Shake vigorously, 15 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled collins glass. garnish with pineapple wedge and serve.

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Lemongrass CoLada Spicy, sour, fragrant, juicy, sweet, tart: The flavors found in Filipino cuisine – ginger, coconut, lemongrass, chiles and calamansi limes, to name a few – lend themselves incredibly well to cocktails. These notes are often found in Tiki drinks, as well, and are perfect for warm spring and summer days.

This recipe gets a bit of spice from the siling mahaba chile, also known as a finger pepper, one of two chiles native to the Philippines. (Bell peppers are also grown in the country.) If you can’t find one, an Anaheim pepper will work as well. Be sure to use the seeds when making the syrup. For a more intense lemongrass flavor, use a smaller dice.

Matt Seiter is co-founder of the United States Bartenders’ Guild (USBG)’s St. Louis chapter, a member of the national board for the USBG’s MA program, author of The Dive Bar of Cocktail Bars, bar manager at BC’s Kitchen, and a bar and restaurant consultant.

WINE

SomerSet ridge Vineyard & Winery’S traminette ProvenAnce: Paola, Kansas PAIrIngs: Pork loin • Spicy Thai dishes • Grilled vegetables

Somerset Ridge Vineyard & Winery uses traminette grapes from its 19-year-old hillside limestone vineyard to create this dry and fruitforward wine. it has deep floral aromas with a touch of citrus, melon and honey. Flavors of pear, starfruit and peach lead to notes of honey mid-palate and a full, rich mouthfeel. winemaker dennis reynolds says he preserves the wine’s delicate characteristics by fermenting at between 55°F and 60°F in stainless steel tanks. somerset’s traminette is available at select retailers and restaurants in Kansas and Missouri and at its tasting room in Paola, Kansas.

913.491.0038, somersetridge.com Hilary Hedges is a former newsie whose passion for wine led her out of the newsroom and into the cellar. She is currently director of sales and marketing and assistant winemaker at Amigoni Urban Winery in Kansas City.

prairie artiSan aLeS’ phantaSmagoria written by brandon niCKelson

sTyle: double iPa (8% abV) PAIrIngs: Pork steak • Sharp Cheddar • Carrot cake

the reigning king of beer styles, iPas outsell all others by a staggering margin. and for good reason: iPas are a wakeup call to the adventureseeking palate. the style showcases massive additions of hops to achieve ranges in flavor and aromatics from citrus and tropical to pine and spice. one of my favorites is Phantasmagoria from Prairie Artisan Ales out of tulsa, oklahoma. this double iPa strikes a wonderful balance between lightly sweet malts and a hoppy explosion of bright citrus and pine. Phantasmagoria has become so popular for Prairie that it’s now available year-round.

918.302.3003, prairieales.com Brothers Brandon and Ryan Nickelson are available to help with beer picks and pairing recommendations at their store, Craft Beer Cellar, a craft beer shop located at 8113 Maryland Ave. in Clayton, Missouri. To learn more, call 314.222.2444 or visit craftbeercellar.com/clayton.

SPIRIT

alex merrell owner, hammerhand coffee

written by Hilary HedGes

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on The shelf : APrIl PIcks

Lifted SpiritS’ Bright gin written by Jenn tosatto

ProvenAnce: Kansas City Try IT: in a classic Clover Club

816.866.1734, liftedspiritskc.com You can find Jenn Tosatto at the helm of the new bar program at Kansas City’s Q39. She also loves donating her skills to many charity events around the city, as well as working private events.

written by ettie berneKinG

lIBerTy, Mo. if everything had gone according to plan, Hammerhand Coffee in liberty, Missouri, would be celebrating its one-year anniversary this May. Unfortunately, two weeks before co-owner alex Merrell and his team of baristas were scheduled to move in their equipment, the building collapsed, and the Hammerhand team was forced to relocate temporarily to another storefront on the historic square. despite the unimaginable delay, Hammerhand opened this past october, and Merrell says the setback wasn’t all bad.

How did you stay positive and keep the business moving forward? the silver lining is this gave us time to test the market and learn what’s not going to work. Besides the location change, you also changed your branding. the collapse gave us more time to develop our brand. we originally planned a mix of black and darker industrial looks. instead, we painted the walls white, and our graphic designer came up with the teal color as part of our branding, and we love it. What has the customer response been like? we opened at the worst time of the year – it’s usually not advisable to open right before winter – but customers have been excited and eager to learn and excited to get to know us. our experience has been almost all positive so far. You’re hoping to be back in the original location next year. Why not just stay put? as close as it is, the original building is in a better location. we will be next to rock & run brewery and Pub, so we can bounce business off each other; it’s [also] next to City Hall and the entrance to the courthouse. this is a great location, but it was not built to be a coffee shop. we were going to have beer taps but don’t have the space [right] now. we also talked about doing more hot foods like biscuits and waffles [in the future]. Tell us about your pour-over system. it’s the automated pour-over system seraphim. if you imagine what a coffee brewer would look like on the starship enterprise, [this is] what it would be. it frees up my employees to do other things. we pay quite a bit higher than the industry average, so it’s important to use our employees’ time efficiently. they can be making an espresso drink at the same time they’re making two pour overs. You spent four years as a barista in Philadelphia. What similarities or differences do you see in the two markets? this seems like a weird thing for me to notice, but we go through almost no cream here. People drink their coffee black. in Philly, we got a ton of people requesting special orders – like they would try to dictate exactly how we pulled a shot. People here don’t do that; they’ve been oK ordering things the way we do them. they’re eager to see how we do things and why.

PHotoGraPHy CoUrtesy HaMMerHand CoFFee

in the heart of Kansas City, in a former 19th-century stable on Cherry street, you’ll find Lifted Spirits. it melds traditional distillation with some modern, scientific twists – thus, its bright Gin. the gin is made by vapor-distilling 10 botanicals to preserve their delicate aromatics, yielding a, yes, bright spirit that will satisfy traditional gin lovers and adventurous palates alike. the juniper is slightly muted, letting the hibiscus, elderberries and orange peel really come through. although not the most cocktail-friendly gin on the market, it works very well in drinks with fruits and berries, lending a beautiful floral note that enhances the experience.

q&A

816.476.2556, hammerhand.coffee Inspired Local Food Culture

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Get back to

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midwest breweries to know Craft beer has become a passion for many in our region. In cities and towns and rural areas alike, unique, high-quality beer is waiting to be discovered and enjoyed. In the following pages, we celebrate some of the best craft breweries that the Midwest has to offer. In the ever-growing and ever-changing beer scene, breweries large and small consistently offer up fresh creations. We share our picks for where to check out this month.

Boulevard Brewing Co. Last June, Boulevard Brewing Co. opened its 20,000-square-foot Tours & Recreation Center in Kansas City, right next to its brewing facility. Founded in 1989, Boulevard has grown to become the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest, known for favorites like Unfiltered Wheat Beer and Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale. The Tours & Rec Center features free daily walking tours with complimentary samples; a gift shop with specialty swag, local goods and beer to go; and a beer hall on the second floor boasting test beers, limited releases and fan favorites. Come for the beer from the 24 taps, but stay for the pretzel dogs and charcuterie boards, the balcony overlooking Downtown, the Shasta trailer photo booth and the foosball table. Special events and tappings are announced on Facebook and Instagram at @blvdtoursandrec.

a hub for craft-beer lovers and KC visitors

Mother’s Brewing Co. a beer for every taste Mother’s Brewing Co. in Springfield, Missouri, brews creative craft beers sure to satisfy any type of beer-drinker. Hop-heads reach for Lil’ Helper, an IPA showcasing the big pine and citrus character of American hops. MILF, a 10-percent ABV imperial stout, has flavors of roasted malt, chocolate and raisin with aroma imparted from 11 months in bourbon, rye, brandy and rum barrels. April brings the release of a reimagining of traditional German gose, with tart acidity brought on bright kaffir lime leaves, lime zest and salt, as the latest installment in its Backyard Beers can series. In May, along with its seventh-annual Mother’s Day Festival anniversary party on May 20, beer-lovers can look forward to the release of Blush, a subtly fruity and quenching Belgian wit brewed to stand up

to summer’s swelter, and all-new Snapback IPA, a dry and drinkable West Coast-style IPA with resinous and citrusy hop aromas.

The bocce ball league returns this spring with live music and food trucks, as well as a summer kickball league – games you can play with a beer in one hand.

417.862.0423, mothersbrewing.com

816.701.7247, boulevard.com

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william k. busch brewing co. real American lagers with hallmark quality and drinkability

Brewer of Kräftig brands, William K. Busch Brewing Co. was launched by Billy Busch shortly after InBev acquired his great-grandfather’s brewery, Anheuser-Busch, in 2008, to continue the 150-year-old family tradition.

With that weighty legacy, Busch developed signature American lagers, Kräftig Lager and Light, in accordance with Reinheitsgebot, the early-16thcentury German beer-purity law mandating that beer can only contain water, malt, hops and yeast. Kräftig is made only with imported Hallertau hops, two- and six-row North American barley, a proprietary yeast and water from one of the purest sources in the country. Compared to other domestic beers in the style, Kräftig

Home Brew Block Party 4.0 The arT T of home brewing

Lager and Light provide fresh hop aroma and malt flavor while maintaining excellent balance and a clean finish. These qualities make Kräftig brands a favorite with both mainstream drinkers and craft enthusiasts.

After five years on the market and considering customer feedback, Kräftig’s packaging got a new look: Replacing the dark greens is a refreshing, lighter palette of whites, silver and gold, as well as descriptions of its heritage story and correct pronunciation (KREHF-tig). Next on the horizon is a St. Louis brewery, which has been Busch’s vision from the company’s inception.

314.932.7911, kraftig.com

square one brewery and distillery neighborhood brewpub with seasonal selections For 11 years, the 10-barrel brewhouse that is Square One Brewery and Distillery has made a name for itself with both Lafayette Square regulars and out-of-towners stopping by for fresh suds in a creative range of styles.

The St. Louis brewpub has a robust food menu and rotating, seasonal tap selections: In April, keep an eye out for Spicy Blonde,

a spring and summer favorite that’s a twist on a traditional Belgian wit with lemongrass and ginger in place of coriander and orange peel, resulting in citrus-herbal notes kissed with a hint of ginger spiciness. The Session Porter will also debut this month, brewed as a traditional London-style Robust Porter but with a tweaked gravity and alcohol content that together create a complex, yet thirstquenching dark ale meant to be enjoyed during a “session” with friends. With spring comes the reopening of Square One’s patio, a perfect place for patrons to relax with a freshly brewed beer and pub fare during happy hour, lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch.

314.231.2537, squareonebrewery.com

Saturday, may 6 at 12-4p | mary Jane burgers & brew $20 admission Ticket Sales: www.eventbrite.com

All proceeds benefit Perryville Downtown revitalization Committee

Perryville, mo | maryjaneburgers.com

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St. Louis Pride.

4 Hands Brewing Co. strives to be a positive force in the St. Louis community. With every purchase of City Wide APA or City Wide Pils they donate a portion of the proceeds to a local non-profit or collaborative work space. By doing so it helps raise awareness on the variety of local programs, missions and innovative projects founded within St. Louis. The 2017 organizations are each quarterly recipients of the money raised during that time period. Thanks St. Louis for continuing to help our city thrive!

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4 hands brewing co. MIssouri Beer Co. rooted in St. Louis with a spectrum of styles

ales and lagers from experienced brewers

Fresh off its annual Lupulin Carnival, where 60-plus breweries met up at St. Louis Union Station in Downtown St. Louis to celebrate all things hop, 4 Hands Brewing Co. is plunging full steam ahead into the spring and summer seasons.

St. Charles County has seen a number of new breweries opening and is becoming a craft-beer destination in its own right.

The latest on the horizon is Missouri Beer Co., slated to open its doors soon in the old O’Fallon Brewery space in O’Fallon, Missouri. Owners Dan Stauder and Dave Johnson have both brewed professionally for more than a decade at several local breweries and will focus on brewing ales and lagers, including traditional American, German, British and Belgian styles, in cans, bottles, growlers, crowlers and kegs for wholesale distribution. According to Johnson, who serves as brewmaster, popular Missouri Beer Co. beers at past festivals have been a

The craft brewery has had some exciting updates, most recently in February with the debut of its new food menu in collaboration with James Beard-nominated chef Kevin Nashan and Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co. – with favorites like a brisket po’boy, peel-and-eat shrimp and mussels now served at the brewery. Last summer, 4 Hands expanded the tasting room, opening an additional 4,000 square feet upstairs with an additional bar and triple the seating, plus free video games, Skee-Ball and board games. Since then, 4 Hands doubled its brewhouse capacity to a 30-barrel brew batch system that can brew the same amount of beer in half the time – aka more production time for more beer.

mango-hibiscus pale ale, Berliner Weiss and English Mild. Sound tasty? Give them a try before the official opening at local festivals, including at Shamrocks Pub & Grill in St. Peters, Missouri, on April 22 for St. Charles County Craft Beer Week.

636.294.6672, mobeerco.com

And 4 Hands has made quick work of the extra capacity, introducing City Wide Pils in March as an extension of its top-selling City Wide APA that released last spring. The APA has a medium body and a citrusy, slightly spicy hop finish and has become the go-to beer for St. Louisans with its iconic city flag on the 16-ounce can. City Wide Pils is sure to be a hit with its smooth, crisp and clean taste. A portion of each beer’s proceeds go to a local nonprofit or collaborative work space, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri, CIC St. Louis and Nebula.

Returning this month is Contact High, a fan-favorite hoppy wheat ale brewed with fresh orange zest. A new spring beer making its debut in the market is Guava King, a slightly tart and crisp wheat ale fermented with guava, and Dakine, a tropical IPA brewed with pineapple, honey and mandarin zest. No matter the season, however, 4 Hands brewers are always trying to push the envelope – from the light and crisp new pilsner to aromatic IPAs to big-bodied stouts and barrel-aged beers. Stop by before or after a baseball game this season – the tasting room is less than a mile from Busch Stadium – to try one of these offerings or any of its other 14 beers on draft.

Craft Beer LoCaL food Live MusiC

314.436.1559, 4handsbrewery.com

Brewery Night Live at Bur Oak Brewing Upcoming (end of) April Event Like us on

for event date & more details

Columbia, MO | Buroakbeer.com

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#BreweryNightLive

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Bur Oak Brewing Co. brewed at the intersection of craft and community Residents of Columbia, Missouri, will recognize the inspiration behind Bur Oak Brewing Co.’s beer names like Big Tree IPA and Boone County Brown, and all craft-beer drinkers can identify with its mantra: Live Well Crafted. With a focus on clean yet bold flavors, Bur Oak aims to bring communities together with the connection of craft and flavor. Its taproom is popular for live music (dubbed Brewery Night Live) and as an event venue, as well as for afternoons playing bags, ping-pong and life-size Jenga.

With about a dozen offerings throughout the year, Bur Oak’s spring seasonal is Lily, an ale infused with orange and raspberry. buroakbeer.com

point labaddie brewery unfiltered traditional and modern beers on the pasture Located on 17 acres of pasture and woodlands in Labadie, Missouri, Point Labaddie Brewery focuses on brewing flavorful classic and modern styles like farmhouse ales, other Belgian styles and IPAs using only traditional ingredients whenever possible. Brothers Rob and Andy Grimm first opened its doors this past September. This summer, the brewery is doubling its taps from eight to 16 at the barn-style tasting room and expanding its beer garden and outdoor seating this spring – all only a 35-minute drive away from Downtown St. Louis, heading southwest on Interstate 44. Stop by this month for live music on Saturdays and a bluegrass band every Sunday from 3 to 5pm.

636.742.2861, pointlabaddiebrewery.com

public house brewing co.

Public House Brewing Co. is known for being the first brewery in Rolla, Missouri, and for its continuous R&D into new styles, unique fermentation approaches and distinctive flavor profiles. Its new 20-barrel sister location in St. James, Missouri, is also worth a visit for tours of the brewery and bottling line, scratch kitchen and live music.

(Tours, food and live music are also offered in Rolla.) Head to either location to taste the newly released Frisco 1501 Historic Lager – a copper-colored, lightly fruity beer with toasted caramel notes that’s named

creativity and experimentation flow in rolla and st. james

after a steam engine that rumbled through Rolla. The first beer in the innovative CampusWerks Series will debut this month, as well. The limited-release beers are inspired by a partnership with St. James Winery. The first brew is Soest Road circa 1995, a rich and malty Belgian-style dubbel with hints of caramel and dried fruit. Stay tuned for the second Taproom Sampler variety 12-pack and Farmstead Peach Ale releases in May. 573.261.3333, publichousebrewery.com

Jackson Street embark on a beer adventure BrewCo among like-minded company It wasn’t a tough equation: Beer plus pizza is a winning combination. So devised those behind Jackson Street BrewCo in downtown Perryville, Missouri. Brewers Matthew Ruesler and John Sadler joined owner Carisa Stark – who also owns the popular Mary Jane Burgers & Brew a few doors down – to open a successful neighborhood brewery focused on providing well-rounded beers from its 3-barrel brewhouse. The eight taps in the tasting room rotate often, from year-round favorites such as JStreet Honey Kolsch and JStreet Cream Ale to just-tapped seasonals including JStreet Shooter Stout or Pear Pressure, a pear saison released this month. Along with live music, weekly trivia and a “Sushi + Brewskis” special on Wednesdays in April, the tasting room is a culinary destination in its own right. The menu includes a variety of pizzas (think options like the Chicken Mole Pie with grilled chicken mole, charred onions, queso fresco and pumpkin seeds or an apple streusel pie made from spent grain), as well as sandwiches and small plates like a local artisan meat-and-cheese board. After an afternoon or evening in the tasting room, fill up a 32-ounce growler to enjoy JStreet suds at home. jstreetbrewco.com Inspired Local Food Culture

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kitchen culture

Find chic, local kitchen items at Delaney & Loew Kitchenalia in Kansas City on p. 50. photography by anna petrow

Red RoosteR tRading Co. wriTTen by KAiTlynn mArTin

phoTogrAphy proviDeD by reD rooSTer TrADing Co.

BIBLE GROVE, MO. Tucked away in rural northeast missouri is a husband-and-wife team determined to create high-quality, handmade products that are not only beautiful, but functional. At Justin and britta burrus’ Red Rooster Trading Co., shoppers can find anything from pepper grinders and cutting boards to unique furniture made from reclaimed lumber from local barns. but what kickstarted the business was their Camano Coffee mill. in 2010, Justin started building the manual burr grinder, which is secured on a jar instead of a heavy box.

The product became a success, garnering orders across the country and even from Japan and Australia. “we wanted to create a grinder that could produce the most flavor in your cup,” Justin says of the Camano. “you load the beans in and can adjust the grind setting for everything from super fine for Turkish to coarse for French press.” with everything they sell, Justin and britta try their best to keep products as American-made as possible. red rooster Trading Co. has a woodshop and offices in bible grove, missouri, and its goods are sold in coffee shops and boutiques across the u.S., and all over the world – although most purchases are done online, and can be shipped worldwide.

660.883.5730, redroostertradingcompany.com

wriTTen by nAnCy STileS

uncommon goods empanada fork

williams-sonoma calphalon elite nonstick steam and poach set

yes, you can seal empanadas with a regular

A wire-rack steamer is a must for cooking many Filipino dishes (turn to p. 89 for steamer-friendly dessert recipes). This luxe version from Calphalon comes with a five-quart Dutch-oven base and a dual-function wire-rack insert. Steam foods above simmering water, or flip over the insert to poach items in liquid. The nonstick surface was specifically designed to sear.

fork, but this specialty tool will give you perfect stamps and crimps every time.

The stainless steel empanada fork will seal stuffed empanadas, turnovers, hand pies and more.

For more information or to purchase the fork, visit uncommongoods.com. phoTo CourTeSy unCommon gooDS

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For more information or to purchase the steamer, visit williams-sonoma.com. phoTo CourTeSy williAmS-SonomA

our shop offers more than 30 varieties of missouri produced

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on

ne

n eo o

stl

q&A

teddy ivanov owner, yobul!

WrITTen BY VALerIA TUrTUrrO KLAMM

| PHOTOGrAPHY BY CHerYL WALLer

ST. LoUIS. Teddy Ivanov moved to the U.S. from Bulgaria

in 1998 for a culinary internship and has worked in the industry ever since. Ivanov owns Tivanov Catering in St. Louis, and last fall, he launched YoBul!, a line of smallbatch, authentic Bulgarian yogurt. You can grab YoBul! in the St. Louis area at Global Foods, United Provisions, Lucky’s Market, City Greens Market and Balkan Grocery, as well as the farmers’ markets held at Tower Grove Park, Schlafly Bottleworks and the Washington University School of Medicine, plus a few international stores in Chicago, which boasts the largest Bulgarian population outside of Bulgaria.

Why did you launch a line of Bulgarian yogurt? We made homemade yogurt all the time in Bulgaria; it’s a staple in the culture. [Here], I couldn’t find yogurt I was used to eating. I took a trip to Bulgaria with my fiancée and daughter five years ago, and when they tried Bulgarian yogurt, they asked, “Why can’t we find this in the U.S.?” I started giving it more thought. I took it as a challenge and started looking into how we could produce it. I made a couple trips to source the culture and talk to yogurt makers in Bulgaria. What is different about Bulgarian yogurt?

Bulgaria is the only place in the world that the yogurt culture Lactobacillus bulgaricus can be naturally harnessed – [it] needs to be imported from there. A lot of companies make it look and taste close but it’s not exact. [The yogurt] has to have a certain texture; we call it choppiness. It’s made of sheep’s milk, which is denser, has more protein and has a thicker texture. Sheep’s milk is seasonal and hard to find in the U.S., so we launched our brand with cow’s milk. But in February we started producing a 50:50 blend of sheep and cow yogurt. How do you make your yogurt?

We make it in small batches and source the cow’s milk locally from a small farm in Trenton, Illinois. Our sheep’s milk is sourced from three states: Kansas, Missouri and Wisconsin. We use a cup-set process, which means we incubate the milk and cultures in the cups in a quiet and dark environment at a consistent temperature for six to seven hours. Our plain yogurt is made of cultures and whole milk. For our flavored yogurt, we flavor the whole milk with organic flavor extracts and sweeten with Stevia plant extract. Tell us about your flavors. In our 24-ounce containers, we offer plain, coconut and rose. I decided to go with rose because Bulgaria’s two national symbols are yogurt and its large rose valleys. We source the rose extract from Bulgaria; it has a unique and refreshing flavor. In our 6-ounce containers, we offer raspberry, orange, coconut and the plain cow and sheep blend. In February we also began offering a 100-percent sheep’s milk plain yogurt. It almost has the texture between sour cream and mascarpone cheese. When people try the sheep’s milk yogurt, they’re like, “Oh, wow!” balkantreasure.com

AsiAn-AmericAn: Proudly inAuthentic reciPes from the PhiliPPines to Brooklyn WrITTen BY HeATHer rISKe

Dale Talde’s cooking isn’t fusion: It’s “proudly inauthentic.”

His pad Thai is made with bacon and fried oysters, for instance, while his juicy pork dumplings have the salty, springy shell of soft pretzels. Born to Filipino parents in Chicago, the owner of popular Talde restaurant in Brooklyn – and a three-time Top Chef contestant – was immersed in authentic Filipino cooking from a young age (while simultaneously infatuated with the burgers, pizza, fried chicken and tacos his mom forbade). This dual identity is the inspiration for Talde, where he riffs on classic Asian dishes, and also for his first cookbook, Asian-American: Proudly Inauthentic Recipes from the Philippines to Brooklyn. Told in his trademark irreverent style, the recipes draw on Talde’s Filipino heritage (spicy green mango salad, short rib kare-kare) as well as his love for American fast food (Pepperoni-Pizza “Very Warm” Pockets, Chicken nugs). recipes range from snacks (kung pao chicken wings) to rice, dumplings and noodles (tom kha lobster with noodles, corn and potato), and there’s also an entire chapter devoted to sauces and dressings, plus pickles and “other stuff” (think cauliflower kimchi and banh mi pickles).

By Dale Talde with JJ Goode, taldebrooklyn.com/cookbook

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A Big Easy Murder Interactive Comedy Murder Mystery It' s Nawlins' ! The Big Easy! Bitsy Jones is getting her crew together to plan their float for the Mardi Gras Parade! Carlos Violincello, the well known mobster and concert violinist, is paying for everything. What can go wrong? Plenty! No wonder Bitsy ends up DEAD! The pirates, John Lafeet and his wench, Anne Bonny, try to figure out ªwh odunit.º Play your part. Join us and with your help, we can find out who committed the Big Easy Murder.

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Happy Mother' s Day

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5442 Old Hwy 21• Imperial • 636.942.2405 • trattoria-giuseppe.com Inspired Local Food Culture

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Delaney & loew Kitchenalia written by Jenny VerGara

|

PHotoGraPHy by anna Petrow

lAWRENCE, Ks. Katie and brad Moore turned their love of cooking into a

charming kitchen supply store in downtown lawrence, Kansas, with the opening of Delaney & Loew Kitchenalia in october 2016. the couple wanted to create a place where home cooks of all levels could come for expert advice while shopping for emile Henry pots, Shun knives, Mason Cash Mixing bowls, barware, bakeware and small appliances like blenders, mixers and espresso machines. Delaney & loew also offers everyday items like Finex and Staub cast-iron cookware, nordic ware baking sheets and novelty items including Pinch, Dash, Smidgen measuring spoons and more specialized grilling equipment like big Green egg smokers. look for locally made products from Vain Foods, wood + Salt, Maps Coffee roasters, Dēz nüts and Hugo tea Co., as well as hand-made knives from Halcyon Forge.

785.856.2532, delaneyandloew.com

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written by Kaitlynn Martin

sriracha granada

mo juice

st. louis. Sriracha Granada, also known as “the green Sriracha sauce,” is taking St. louis by storm. around seven years ago, founder nathan litz experimented with making Sriracha using green chile peppers instead of red ones, which are most common. as friends and family tried litz’s creation at dinners and cookouts, they all said the same thing: this is something he should sell. “after a while, i really thought i may be on to something,” litz says. “My small batches for friends became bigger and bigger until i couldn’t keep up.” last fall, Sriracha Granada completed its first full production, stocked on shelves at St. louis area grocery stores and artisan food shops including lucky’s Market, larder & Cupboard and edibles & essentials. local restaurants have also grabbed bottles of the green sauce, including Mai lee, Hi-Pointe Drive-in, Sugarfire Smoke House and newly opened ‘Zza. (litz recently became an official vendor for US Foods, which he says will allow Sriracha Granada to reach a national audience). the sauce is free of chemicals and preservatives, with sweet, garlicky and spicy flavors.

JEFFERsoN CitY, Mo. last summer, Cori busby made 35 gallons of cold-pressed juice from organic vegetables and fruits and launched MO Juice in Jefferson City, Missouri. busby and her husband weren’t sure what kind of response to expect, but the juices were a hit. now, Mo Juice makes seven colorful juices; each 16-ounce bottle features up to three pounds of organic fruit and vegetables. busby says if she had to choose, the cashew milk flavor would be her top pick as a “healthy dessert.” She also loves Kale yeah, made with kale, apples, cucumber, celery, lemon and ginger. “if i ate as much kale as is in the juice, my jaw would be sore,” busby says with a laugh. “after drinking Kale yeah, my alkaline state is definitely a lot more balanced, and i feel energized.” you can order Mo Juice for pick-up at love2nourish in Jefferson City or purchase it online.

srirachagranada.com

mojuicejc.com

PHotoGraPHy CoUrteSy SriraCHa GranaDa

PHotoGraPHy CoUrteSy Mo JUiCe

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SUNDAY BRUNCH AND DINNER! Sunday Brunch & Dinner: Enjoy an amazing breakfast menu with our delicious boozy breakfast cocktails & Chef Mehmet© s Whole Roasted Lamb.

Lunch: Tues-Fri - Dinner: Tues-Sun - Sunday Brunch Happy Hour: Tues-Fri Available for private parties and catering.

Turkish Mediterranean Cuisine. Known for our Meze (small plates), Lamb Dishes, Fresh Fish and Excellent Wine Selection.

6671 Chippewa Street • St. Louis • 314.645.9919 • ayasofiacuisine.com

Gallagher© s Restaurant Serving the best fried chicken, house-ground burgers and premium steaks for over a decade!

114 W. Mill St. • Waterloo, IL • 618.939.9933 • gallagherswaterloo.com

Come get a quich-e.

Get your mind out of the gutter.

We’ll have vegan, gluten free & loaded.

Plus coffee, sammies, chocolate, cheese & wine.

D O O R S O P E N J U N E 2 0 17. H A N D C R A F T E D B Y B I S S I N G E R S . C O M 32 M A RY L A N D P L A Z A , S T L , M O 6 310 8

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fillet of the day

A hearty tomato-garlic sauce punches up flaky baked fish on p. 58. photography by jennifer silverberg

healthy appetite

Crispy Tofu Adobo story, recipe AND photogrAphy by sherrie cAstellANo

Crispy Tofu Adobo If you have a tofu press, bypass the first instruction about how to prepare the tofu and simply use it to drain excess liquid from tofu. serVes | 4 |

tofu 2 2 2 2 ½ 2

vegetable oil spray packages extra-firm tofu Tbsp olive oil Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce tsp garlic powder tsp sea salt Tbsp cornstarch

adobo 2 Tbsp olive oil 5 garlic cloves, minced ½ cup apple cider vinegar ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce 1 Tbsp black peppercorns 3 bay leaves 2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar cooked white rice (to serve) ½ cup fresh scallions, thinly sliced

| preparation – tofu | preheat oven to 400°F. line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray both with vegetable oil spray. remove tofu from packaging and pat dry with a tea towel. set tofu on two dinner plates and set small plates on top of each tofu block; weigh them down with a heavy canned good. Allow tofu to sit 10 minutes to drain excess water; discard liquid, flip tofu block over and repeat for an additional 10 minutes. cut tofu into 1-inch cubes. in a large mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, soy sauce, garlic powder and salt. Marinate tofu cubes in mixture until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. sprinkle cornstarch over tofu and gently toss bowl to coat. transfer tofu to prepared baking sheets and distribute cubes evenly so none are touching. bake for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping cubes halfway through. tofu should be golden brown and crispy on both sides.

| preparation – adobo | in a small saucepot over medium-low heat, combine all ingredients, stirring constantly until thick and bubbly, about 10 minutes. remove from heat and strain sauce using a fine-mesh strainer, discarding bay leaves and peppercorns.

| to serve | in a large mixing bowl, toss tofu in sauce. serve over cooked white rice and garnish with scallions. %PG

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i don’t know all that much about Filipino cuisine – or adobo for that matter – but i do know about tofu, especially crispy baked tofu. As far as i’m concerned, that’s the only way to eat it. When prepared correctly, baked tofu is custardy and melty on the inside, and surrounded by a perfectly crunchy outer shell.

At this point you have two options: eat it directly off the pan while standing over the hot oven, or make it into a proper meal. i general choose the former scenario simply because i can’t resist piping hot crispy tofu. if i had the patience to incorporate it into a meal, it would be with warm white rice, smothered and doused in this savory, umami-rich play on adobo sauce.

Sherrie Castellano is a health coach, photographer and private chef based in St. Louis. She writes and photographs the seasonally inspired vegetarian and gluten-free blog With Food + Love. She has contributed work to Driftless Magazine, Vegetarian times, go gluten-Free Magazine, Food52 and Urban Outfitters, among others. You can find her hanging with her aviation-enthusiast husband, sipping Earl Grey tea, green juice and/or bourbon.

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mystery shopper

Meet: Banana Leaves story and recipe by shannon weber photography by jennifer silverberg

Chile-SpiCed Tilapia in Banana leaveS You can use any whitefish here; halibut and grouper are nice alternatives.

Whatever you choose, your fish will steam beautifully inside the leaves, giving it a gorgeously buttery texture.

If you want extra style points, steam your sides – rice or vegetables – in banana leaves as you bake the fish, or line your serving plates with leaves. If you buy frozen banana leaves, be sure to thaw them for 30 minutes at room temperature before use. serves | 4 |

1½ 1 1 1 2 1½ 1 1 ¾ 3 1 4 ¼

Tbsp grapeseed oil Tbsp curry powder Tbsp fresh grated ginger clove garlic, minced tsp sweet paprika tsp kosher salt tsp chile powder tsp ground cumin tsp cayenne pepper limes, divided lb banana leaves, rinsed and dried 6-oz tilapia fillets cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

| preparation | in a medium bowl, add first 9 ingredients and whisk until combined. whisk in juice of 1 to 2 limes until a smooth, loose paste forms; set aside. preheat oven to 400°f. trim banana leaves into 4 12-inch squares and cut another leaf into 8 ¼-inch wide lengths to use as ties. lay leaves on a work surface, darker green-side down. rub 2 teaspoons prepared spice mixture over all sides of each tilapia fillet, place in the center of each leaf and scatter 1 tablespoon cilantro leaves on each fillet. fold leaf around long side of fillet and roll securely to the other side. with loose-end facing up, fold sides into the middle, flip over, and secure by knotting banana leaf ties around each end. repeat with remaining fillets and leaves. transfer to lipped sheet pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until leaf packets are golden and fish has cooked through.

| to serve | serve fish wrapped in banana-leaf packets family-style with rice and vegetables, or divide fish – still in packets – onto plates and serve with remaining lime, sliced into wedges.

it’s difficult to imagine bananas as an exotic fruit – or at least in the same league as rambutan or bitter melon. while the canary-colored fruit may now be commonplace in the U.s., another part of the banana tree – maybe even the best part – remains shrouded in mystery, tucked in the corner of freezers at international markets or stacked up in the produce department, and you’re missing out. let’s change that.

What Is It? banana leaves are, quite simply, the enormous, waterproof leaves of the banana tree, found in tropical climates throughout the world. beautiful though they may be, the leaves are workhorses, performing myriad duties for the cultures they inhabit. although they may have outlived their usefulness as a writing surface, the leaves continue to be used for a wide variety of non-food purposes: they thatch roofs, line fences, and figure prominently into some hindu and buddhist ceremonies.

What can I Do WIth It? when it comes to food, banana leaves don’t know when to quit; an almost plastic flexibility and sturdiness makes them ideal for folding into stunning bowls, cups and platters as an attractive garnish. but the leaves aren’t just for looks: cook with them, and banana leaves unleash a secret power, providing a grassy-sweet, tropical aroma to dishes while shielding them from the searing heat of open-flame grills and ovens. slow-cook fish, chicken or pork for maximum tenderness, steam rice and vegetables to perfection or bake bouncy custards and cakes sheltered inside the fragrant leaves. in central america, banana leaves are used to make tamales and pasteles; filipino cooks line pots with the leaves to make bibingka malagkit, a cake made with glutinous rice. the leaves themselves aren’t for eating, but the flavor and fragrance they impart will have you seeking out more ways to incorporate them into your cooking projects.

Shannon Weber is the creator, author and photographer behind the award-winning blog aperiodictableblog.com, and her work has appeared on websites such as bon appétit, Serious Eats and America’s Test Kitchen. She is a self-taught baker and cook who believes that the words “I can’t” should never apply to food preparation and that curiosity can lead to wonderful things, in both the kitchen and life.

The GreaTer ST. LouiS reSTauranT aSSociaTion, uS FoodS and acF cheFS de cuiSine aSSociaTion oF ST. LouiS, inc. PreSenT

2017 Trivia niGhT PLuS SmaLL PLaTe deLiGhTS!

Enjoy a fun-filled night of trivia accompanied by small plates prepared by area chefs and served by culinary students, along with complimentary beer and wine.

Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh sieve until water runs clear, drain and transfer to a medium pot. Add 2 cups water and salt and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until water is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside off the heat for 5 minutes; uncover and fluff with a fork.

In a frying pan heat the olive oil a bit. Add the onions and cook until translucent then add all other remaining ingredients. Cook until spinach is wilted. Cooks the eggs however you like.

Top the finished dish with feta cheese or olive oil, if you prefer.

Sunday, aPriL 9, 2017 4:00 Pm - 8:00 Pm Doors open at 4:00 • Trivia starts at 4:30 Orlando’s Event & Conference Centers 2050 Dorsett Village Plaza

maryland heights, mo $200 per table of 8 Sponsored By

Greater St. Louis Restaurant Association Education Foundation

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PLeaSe conTacT Barb Hergenroether Missouri Restaurant Association 1810 Craig Road, Ste. 225 St. Louis, MO 63146 (314) 576-2777 | Fax: (314) 576-2999 BHergenroether@MoRestaurants.org Inspired Local Food Culture

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quick fix

Baked Fish

With tomatoes and Garlic

story and recipes by Gabrielle deMichele photoGraphy by jennifer silverberG

Baked Fish With tomatoes and Garlic serves | 6 |

Fish 2 lbs cod, halibut or grouper fillets 2 cups bread crumbs 4 large cloves garlic, minced 1½ tsp dried oregano ¹⁄₃ cup grapeseed oil 1 Tbls fresh parsley, chopped TomaToes 2 tsp grapeseed oil ½ small onion, chopped 2 ribs celery, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 28-oz can san marzano tomatoes 2 tsp cornstarch 2 tsp granulated sugar salt and freshly ground black pepper

| preparation – fish | preheat oven to 425°f. position rack in the upper-third of oven. in a 9-by-13-inch ceramic or glass casserole dish, place fish, leaving a little room between fillets. rub all bread crumbs onto fillets. distribute garlic and oregano evenly over top of breaded fillets. Drizzle oil over top of each fillet and sprinkle with parsley. bake for 15 minutes or until crispy and fully cooked.

| preparation – tomatoes | in a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat oil. When oil reaches temperature, add onions and celery. sauté until onions are translucent and celery is tender, but not browned, about 5 minutes. add garlic, cook for less than 1 minute, and then add tomatoes. cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

While tomatoes cook, in a small bowl, add cornstarch and enough water to make a thin paste. pour into hot tomato mixture and stir until cornstarch is dissolved. bring tomato mixture to a boil; it will start to thicken and cloudiness will disappear. add sugar and stir to combine. remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. if mixture is too thick, add a little water. pull off heat and cover sauce. serve with baked fish.

this dish proves that fish can be just as quick, easy and flavorful as your favorite meaty main course. a sturdy and firm fish, such as cod, halibut or grouper, will stand up best to baking and the accompanying hearty tomato and garlic sauce.

if you’re using thin fillets, such as tilapia, stack a few on top of each other until the fish are collectively about 1-inch tall. this will allow the fish to fully cook and the bread crumbs to toast so both are finished at the same time.

chef’s tip big fish. a good rule of thumb for making fish at home is to cook it 10 minutes per inch. this should ensure your fish cooks to perfection almost every time.

the menu • Panzanella Salad • Broccoli Gratin • baked fish With Tomatoes and garlic • Lemon Curd Cake

Learn More. in this class you’ll learn how to perfectly bake hearty and flaky fish at home. you’ll also learn how to make a fresh, indulgent and springtime-perfect lemon curd cake.

get hands-on: Join Feast Magazine and schnucks Cooks Cooking school on Wed., april 26, at 6pm at the des Peres, Missouri, location, to make the dishes in this month’s menu. tickets are just $45 for a night of cooking, dining and wine. RsVP at schnuckscooks.com or call 314.909.1704.

TV

WATCH IT ON THESE NETWORKS

In St. Louis, tune into the Nine Network (Channel 9) to watch Feast TV Wednesdays at 7pm.

In Kansas City, watch Feast TV on KCPT (Channel 19) Sundays at 5:30pm.

You can watch Feast TV throughout mid-Missouri on KMOS (Channel 6) Thursdays at 7pm.

, Y T I L A U Q BETTER , R O V A L F R BETTE !

E T S A W S S LE

Feast TV airs in the southern Illinois region on WSIU (Channel 8).

Check your local listings to watch Feast TV in the Lake of the Ozarks area.

feast tv is brought to you by the generous support of our sponsors:

Schnucks spiral sliced ham, made for us with natural juices, is trimmed to the bone for a flavorful yet lean, tender ham.

Plus, it’s slow smoked with real hickory wood!

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sweet ideas

CoConut Bars story and recipes by christy augustin photography by cheryl Waller

CoConut Bars Make sure to get the plain variety of white rice flour, as sweet rice flour or glutinous rice flour will produce different results. Also, be sure to buy unsweetened coconut, which is different from what you’ll find in most baking aisles. (Scan the organic shelf-stable section at your local international market or specialty grocery store.) Diced mango or lychee would make great substitutes for the pineapple in the filling. yields | 16 bars |

Crust 2 cups white rice flour ½ cup unsweetened, grated or flaked coconut 1 cup packed brown sugar ½ tsp kosher salt 1 cup unsalted butter, melted Filling 3 eggs ½ tsp kosher salt ¼ cup packed brown sugar zest of 1 lime ½ cup white rice flour 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk 2 tsp vanilla extract 4 Tbsp melted unsalted butter 2½ cups unsweetened, grated or flaked coconut ½ cup crushed pineapple

| preparation – crust | preheat oven to 350°F. line a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, letting the ends extend up the sides. in a medium mixing bowl, combine rice flour, coconut, brown sugar and salt. stir in melted butter and mix well. using the bottom of a water glass, press crust mixture into bottom of prepared pan. bake until dark golden brown, approximately 20 minutes.

| preparation – filling | reduce oven to 300°F. in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, on medium speed, whip eggs, salt, brown sugar, lime zest and rice flour until light and fluffy. add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla and stir. add melted butter. Fold in coconut and pineapple. pour filling over prebaked crust and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. the center will be firm to the touch and should be a very light golden brown around the edges. let cool. cut into 16 bars and serve or tightly wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

the climate and tropical fruits and vegetables abundant throughout the philippines inform many of the country’s most recognizable dishes: from purple tubers called ube to cassava root, durian, mangoes, bananas and coconuts.

Bibingka, a rice flour-based coconut cake steamed in banana leaves, is a popular christmas dessert in the philippines. here, i’ve modernized – and truthfully, americanized – the traditional flavor of bibingka in hand-held coconut bars.

Christy Augustin has had a lifelong love affair with all things sweet. After working as a pastry chef in New Orleans and St. Louis, she opened Pint Size Bakery & Coffee in St. Louis’ Lindenwood Park in 2012. She calls herself the baker of all things good and evil. See more at pintsizebakery.com.

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| 64 |

manila to the midwest

| 72 |

pacific rims

| 77 |

food tour of the philippines

| 89 |

a filipino finish

Malou Perez-Nievera connects her past life in the Philippines to her experience cooking in the U.S. at Kamayan Night, a Filipino pop-up dinner series.

From tocino to chicken adobo, KC Pinoy Food Truck shares traditional Filipino dishes derived from closely guarded family recipes.

Joel Crespo and Brian Hardesty, owners of Guerrilla Street Food in St. Louis, share their two-week tasting tour of the Philippines.

Norma Thayer of Manila Bay Ihaw-Ihaw in Kansas City shares five desserts inspired by her childhood in the Philippines.

PHoTo oF kinilaw (raw FISH IN CoCoNUT vINeGar) (P. 77)

By BrIaN HardeSTy

MIDWEST WrItteN by MALLOry GNAeGy

|

PHOtOGrAPHy by JONAtHAN GAyMAN

Malou Perez-Nievera adjusts the placement of various Filipino finger-foods. She scuffles in red cowboy boots, casually moving from one grilled mackerel to the next, garnishing each fish with homemade pickled jicama slaw. She finishes placing the final touches on 11 dishes stretching down the center of a banana leaf-covered communal table. It’s a visual feast soon to be disassembled and devoured with 40 sets of bare hands. In her native Filipino, kamayan translates to “eat with hands,” and at Perez-Nievera’s Kamayan Night dinners, people eat sans utensils.

It’s January 2017, which marks Perez-Nievera’s sixteenth Kamayan Night dinner at Hiro Asian Kitchen in Downtown St. Louis.

Since the first dinner in September 2015, many attendees have become regulars. One quickly comes to realize that although her guests jokingly say they come in hopes of her beloved Spam fries, it’s the friendships fostered by her dinners that keeps people coming back. Perez-Nievera’s food connects with them beyond the normal chef-to-diner relationship; she feeds their souls as the matriarch of their friendly family, an identity that has made her feel at home as an immigrant in the U.S.

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Begrudgingly Self-TaughT In May of 2000, Perez-Nievera officially moved from her native Philippines to Long Island.

Her husband, Christian Nievera, was temporarily living in New York, where he was studying to become an immunologist. She and their three kids had only planned on a quick visit – until she spontaneously decided to move there permanently in support of his career.

At first, she lamented her move to America, considering what she’d be sacrificing. She grew up in the Philippines, and much of her family still lived there, including her mother and most of her siblings. It’s also where she and her brother had established a successful business, owning four clothing stores. And following the couple’s move to the states, they never settled in one city for more than a few years. Her husband’s job took them from New York to Florida to California, perpetuating the feeling that the U.S. was just their temporary home. Her real home was the Philippines, where life – and food – was much different. She missed comfort foods like adobo and yearned for home, where her accent could never make her feel out of place.

Growing up and into adulthood, Perez-Nievera only cooked on special occasions, and always with her family’s cook. Her move to America meant that if she longed for the traditional comfort foods her cook used to make regularly, then she had to make them herself. “I’d cry chopping food, and ask myself, ‘What am I doing here?’” she says, playfully imitating sobs before breaking into a throaty laugh.

It was seeing her kids’ appreciation for her Filipino food that helped change her tune, and in time she came to really enjoy cooking. “I found my reason in the kitchen… It’s kind of an escape, like I’m taking myself home every single time.”

She began developing a love for cooking and experimenting in the kitchen. In 2010, when her youngest daughter was leaving for college, Perez-Nievera wanted to distract herself from an empty nest, so she started a food blog, Skip to Malou: Cooking with a Filipino Accent.

When she started writing, only a handful of bloggers and online publications had been publishing content about her native cuisine. Since then, she’s noticed an uptick in popularity: a Filipino food movement taking root in food media across the globe. In fact, industry outlets from Eater to Food Network have named Filipino cuisine the leading food trend of 2017.

Perez-Nievera stays true to the traditional salty, sweet and vinegary flavors of Filipino cuisine, but because she wants her food to be appealing to unfamiliar diners as well, she presents dishes with modern food styling. She drives interest to her recipes by balancing texture and composition, garnishing food with a little color and plating it on contrasting colored or uniquely shaped platters. Her approach really caught on after the family moved to St. Louis from San Diego in 2015.

“For the first time, I moved to a city without any relatives, and the people embraced and welcomed me,” she says.

Her new neighbor, KSDK weekend news anchor and KTRS radio host Kelly Jackson, learned of Perez-Nievera’s passion for food and invited her to host a guest cooking segment on Today in St. Louis. Soon after, other media outlets and culinary schools began requesting similar appearances. Perez-Nievera ventured into hosting brunches, pop-up dinners and fundraisers at places like Ocha Thai & Japanese Cuisine and Frazer’s. She developed a following, including more than 8 million total views on YouTube, where she posted cooking videos.

Eventually, by fall of 2015, she convinced Bernie Lee, executive chef and owner of Hiro Asian Kitchen, to let her host Filipino-inspired pop-up dinners at his restaurant. Lee taught Perez-Nievera the discipline required to cook in a commercial kitchen. Today, the pair continue to host monthly dinners and supplement Hiro's Saturday brunch menu with a popular selection of Filipino dishes developed by Perez-Nievera.

PreParing The Whole KiT and KaBoodle The day of her January Kamayan Night, it’s 4pm and Perez-Nievera has prepared most of the food ahead of time.

She lifts a foil covering off a baking dish. Seconds before, the dish had just the subtle, nose-tickling aroma of pork ribs. Once the foil is removed, the scent escalates to a mouthwatering blend of grilled meat and vinegar doused in a sweet glaze. She’s marinated the meat for three days, and it’s the dish she’s most looking forward to serving tonight.

“The guava jelly I used to glaze the meat came from my hometown – the guava was actually harvested from my brother-in-law’s orchard,” she says proudly.

Perez-Nievera’s hometown is Tuguegarao, in the Cagayan province, the northern-most tip of the Philippines, which is an area historically inhabited by the Ibanag tribe. She says the food of her Ibanag people isn’t well-known, so she takes pride in sharing menus that are influenced by the simple garlicky-vinegar flavor that sets their dishes apart. For instance, tonight, she’s serving sinanta con pinakufu shooters, a crustacean broth of Manila clams, shrimp and mussels with sweet sticky rice balls unique to her town.

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As it gets closer to mealtime, Perez-Nievera ladles a batter of eggs, eggplant and crab meat into a waffle iron while explaining that tortang talong is traditionally served like an omelet. This is one example of Perez-Nievera’s modern or personal touches applied to traditional preparations.

She says with Kamayan-style dining, she must also account for people eating each course with their hands. So instead of serving a bowl of bulalo – a Filipino stew made with beef bone marrow, corn and potatoes – she deconstructs the dish into finger-friendly potato croquettes infused with bone marrow, served alongside fried corn nuts, a traditional Filipino snack called chicha corn.

Kamayan stems from a traditional way of eating in the Filipino military called a Boodle Fight, where a meal is spread out over a long table blanketed in banana leaves to promote camaraderie among the ranks. It’s a family-style method of eating practiced by Filipinos all over the world. Perez-Nievera says she’s gotten some dissension from a couple of Filipinos, but most see it as she does: a fun way to introduce otherwise unfamiliar diners to their home cuisine. It pushes people out of their comfort zone initially, but eventually, she says, it reminds them of being kids again.

Lee helps Perez-Nievera arrange the feast on the table while she also runs the kitchen.

Of a similar vision, Lee begins adding mounds of noodles, rice and asado-glazed Brussels sprouts, layering each item with careful composition, as if he’s creating a still life. He places qwek qwek – deep-fried quail eggs in a red chile sauce – on a plate of pineapple near where the bulalo croquettes are nesting below corn nuts.

It’s nearing 7:30pm when Perez-Nievera comes out of the kitchen to share tonight’s surprise menu item: fried pig’s ears.

“Every dinner is an adventure!” she says with a devilish grin. She knows a few noses will wrinkle at the traditional Filipino snack, and that only some people will be adventurous enough to try it. That’s part of the fun.

Diners haven’t yet been seated even though the dinner was supposed to begin at 7pm; they sip wine and lychee martinis behind red curtains in the entryway. Perez-Nievera's guests aren’t fazed by tardiness. She says they’re used to what she calls “Filipino time,” or waiting to lay dishes on the table until everyone has arrived.

As she places the final dish on the table, a patron yells at her through the curtains.

“It’s not fertilized duck embryos, is it?” he asks. And it’s not a joke – that was a surprise at a past Kamayan Night dinner.

“Hi, Alan!” she says, recognizing his voice before she can even see him. She says he’s the most entertaining of all her guests; he and his partner, LeRoy, have attended her past 13 dinners. Alan works as a physical therapist and used to work with Filipino nurses at a former job in California, which is what led him to seek out Perez-Nievera’s Kamayan Night.

“It’s real Filipino,” he says.

She takes one satisfied look at her table and walks over to the red curtain, tearing it open: “Welcome to Kamayan Night,” she yells with love as attendees clap and cheer.

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Life is in Her Hands Perez-Nievera greets each guest she knows by name.

And as she introduces herself to new diners, she warns them that they might become like Sean, a Ph.D. student at Washington University in St. Louis, who’s been to every Kamayan Night dinner since its inception. She gives a shout out to all the repeat offenders, stating how many dinners they’ve each attended.

As people snap photos of the colorful sprawl before them, Perez-Nievera explains the meaning of Kamayan and states her only rule: “You reach with your left [hand] and eat with your right.” It’s an easy rule in theory, but right-handed diners might find it surprisingly difficult to execute.

She then informs the table of the meal’s theme that evening: rounds and circles. Eating circular or round foods is a Filipino tradition for celebrating the new year.

Symbolizing infinity, the food promises a continuance of good fortune and happiness.

As the dinner begins, hands reach across the table as people grab for bits of salpicao – skewered grilled beef with lots of garlic – or rip off parts of the tortang talong eggplant waffle-omelet hybrid. Guests exuberate with sighs of delight, fully taking in the experience and directing their neighbors to “Try the quail eggs!” or tilting their heads back to gulp a fist full of long flat noodles made with rice and tapioca flour. The party eats and eats until everyone is so full that they can barely get out of their seats; this is when Perez-Nievera makes her way around the table, pausing to chat with each of her friends. She stops next to Alan, wrapping her arms around his neck in a friendly embrace.

“He and LeRoy throw the best parties – you should come next time!” she says to a stranger who’s now a new friend.

It’s the of type fun-loving, inclusive environment that one longs to be part of.

It’s no wonder that Perez-Nievera is all smiles as her guests say goodbye at the end of the meal. She makes plans with one person to go shopping and promises another couple that she’ll see them again soon.

Perez-Nievera has a busy year ahead – she says the circular-themed new year’s food secured good fortune in her life. She’s got plans to do a pop-up dinner tour at restaurants around St. Louis (including a partnership with local favorite Guerrilla Street Food) and then she’s making stops in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nebraska and Texas. To top it off, she’s putting the finishing touches on a cookbook she’s been writing for two years.

Titled Connect the Pots, it charts her culinary journey so far, connecting her life and her family in the U.S. to her home in the Philippines.

She gets a little choked up when she thinks about where life has taken her in the past 17 years and how proud her children are of her today. “They are so proud of their mom because they feel like I’ve reinvented myself here in the United States,” she says.

Although Perez-Nievera admits she sometimes feels caught in between her two worlds – she says she doesn’t feel as American as some other Americans, yet because of her time in the U.S., she no longer feels as Filipino as she once did – her Kamayan Night family makes St. Louis feel like home.

“My friends here are my family,” she says. “We’ve become really close. So, now, I love St. Louis. I always tell my husband that this is my home.”

314.241.4476, hiroasiankitchen.com/weekly-events

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Bulalo Croquettes

Adobo is a common comfort food in the Philippines.

Traditional abobo sauce is made with soy sauce and vinegar, but Perez-Nievera puts a personal spin on the classic by adding coconut milk and turmeric.

ServeS | 6 to 8 |

cup sugarcane vinegar cup soy sauce cloves garlic, minced tsp freshly ground black pepper bay leaves, crushed tsp red pepper flakes lbs chicken wings olive oil 1 can coconut milk 1 Tbsp ground turmeric

Bulalo is a beef soup wherein beef shanks and bone marrow are slowly simmered for hours. For her Kamayan Night dinner, Perez-Nievera took the flavors associated with bulalo and used them to make hand-held croquettes.

She recommends purchasing bone marrow at Asian markets or inquiring about it at your local butcher shop.

¾ ½ 4 1 3 1 4 to 5

yIelDS | 20 croquettes |

| preparation | In a medium saucepan over medium

| preparation | In a saucepan over medium heat, heat

heat, combine vinegar and soy sauce. let simmer, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, black pepper, bay leaves and red pepper flakes and simmer another 5 minutes.

Add chicken wings and cook for about 30 minutes.

Drain chicken and reserve adobo sauce.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add oil and sear drained chicken wings until brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add adobo sauce to skillet with chicken.

When sauce reaches a boil, add coconut milk. Allow to simmer 2 to 3 minutes, then add turmeric. Simmer for a few more minutes. Serve.

Perez-Nievera uses guava as a sweet and tangy component similar to American-style ribs made with apple or peach flavors. This dish isn't common in the Philippines; it's an homage to St. Louis and her hometown, Tuguegarao, where guava trees are abundant. Maggi liquid seasoning is made with fermented wheat protein and adds a dash of umami to dishes; look for it at international markets.

ServeS | 2 to 4 |

Rub ½ 2 4 ½ ¼ 1 1

Tbsp salt Tbsp packed brown sugar cloves garlic, minced tsp cayenne pepper tsp freshly ground black pepper Tbsp ground lemongrass rack pork spare ribs (around 3 to 4 lbs)

sauce 2 Tbsp guava jelly 1 cup vegetable broth 1 Tbsp Maggi liquid seasoning salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 Tbsp olive oil

| preparation – rub | In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except ribs and mix thoroughly.

Transfer rack of ribs to a baking sheet and generously rub on spice mixture. Transfer ribs to refrigerator and chill overnight.

| preparation – sauce | In a small saucepot over medium heat, combine all ingredients and let simmer 30 minutes. Continue to cook until sauce becomes thick, about 30 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Allow ribs and baking sheet to come to room temperature. Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil and bake ribs for 1 hour; remove but keep oven hot. Baste sauce onto ribs and return ribs to oven to bake for an additional 10 minutes. repeat this basting and baking process 3 times or until sauce caramelizes and creates a nice crust on ribs. remove ribs from oven and cut into pieces. Serve.

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1 4 4 to 5 1 ½ 2

Tbsp unsalted butter Tbsp bone marrow medium russet or Yukon potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed egg cup milk Tbsp bread crumbs, plus more for rolling out croquettes salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 to 3 Tbsp canola oil

butter and bone marrow until butter melts. Add mashed potatoes and stir until smooth.

In a small bowl, crack egg and then thoroughly whip it into potato mixture. Add milk and bread crumbs to potatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until cool.

Shape mashed potatoes into ping-pong-sized balls.

Scatter bread crumbs over a workspace and roll potato balls until coated.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, add oil. Fry batches of croquettes, 2 minutes each, until golden brown. Serve.

A common dish found in the Philippines, this entrée features saucy and tender bite-sized squares of beef tenderloin in a garlicky sauce.

ServeS | 4 to 5 |

3 to 5 3 to 5 ¾ 4 1 1 2 2 1 1

Tbsp soy sauce Tbsp Maggi liquid seasoning cup Coca-Cola cloves garlic, minced tsp cayenne pepper freshly ground black pepper, to taste Tbsp packed brown sugar (optional) lbs beef tenderloin, cubed Tbsp olive oil Tbsp toasted garlic, for garnish Tbsp scallions, finely chopped, for garnish

| preparation | In a large baking dish, combine first three ingredients. Add garlic, cayenne pepper, black pepper and brown sugar, if using, and stir well. Add beef cubes and let marinate, refrigerated, for at least 1 hour. Drain beef cubes and reserve marinade.

In a hot skillet over medium-high heat, brown beef cubes in oil on all sides for about 4 to 5 minutes. Pour in reserved marinade and let simmer. Cook until marinade is reduced to a glaze, about 15 minutes.

Garnish with toasted garlic and scallions. Serve.

Tortang talong is traditionally an eggplant omelet made with ground meat; Perez-Nievera’s spin is to throw it in the waffle maker. Tortang talong is often served with banana ketchup, made with banana, vinegar, sugar and spices. yIelDS | 4 waffles |

3 1 2 ½ 1 1 1

large eggplants Tbsp vegetable oil cloves garlic, minced medium onion, diced medium tomato, diced cup lump crab meat cup green peas salt and freshly ground black pepper 6 eggs vegetable oil spray

| preparation | On a grill or in a grill pan, grill whole eggplant until skins are charred; allow to cool to room temperature. Peel off skin and mash eggplants using a fork. Set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, heat oil and sauté garlic and onion, 2 to 3 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add tomato and sauté for a few additional minutes, then add crab meat and peas. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Add crab mixture and mashed eggplant.

Heat waffle maker and generously spray with vegetable oil. When waffle maker is ready to use, add eggplant mixture. Cook until waffles are crisp. Serve.

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hrissy Nucum’s food truck – a convert from a Kansas City Area Transportation Group shuttle, she will proudly tell you – packs a host of flavor into just 160-square-feet. It’s filled with history, too: Every dish that comes out of KC Pinoy Food Truck is derived from a recipe developed in the Philippines several generations ago.

Take, for example, her tocino. A Filipino specialty of grilled pork shoulder, Nucum’s recipe has been passed from her grandmother to her mother and down the line.

“The tocino recipe is verbatim how my mom and grandma made it through my entire childhood,” Nucum says. “It’s sweet pork that’s marinated for at least 24 hours, then it’s pan-fried, and then it’s cured for another 24 hours in the walk-in [cooler]. It’s sliced very, very thinly, and it gets a little marinade on top. We did it last season, and it was very popular.”

By “last season,” Nucum is referring to KC Pinoy Food Truck’s first season, March through November 2016.

Nucum, a native of the Philippines who first moved to the U.S. in 2000, waited a decade and a half to share her culinary talents with a broader Kansas City audience.

Part of it, she says, was needing to make sure Kansas City was ready for something a little different.

“Filipino food is just now starting to get some attention in the U.S.,” Nucum says. “There’s a movement to get it introduced to a mainstream audience. I think there’s so [many things] combined in Filipino food – so many influences – it’s hard for people to really understand what they’re getting at first.”

The easiest way to describe Filipino cuisine, Nucum says, is to think of it as a combination of Spanish and Chinese cooking.

“You have the vinegar and the pork part from Spain, and then you have the soy sauce and garlic and ginger from the Chinese,” Nucum says. “We were conquered [and ruled] 72

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Written by natalie GallaGher photoGraphy by William hess

by Spain for 333 years – tocino is literally ‘pork belly’ or ‘bacon’ in Spanish. These cultures clash in unexpected ways in our food. The tocino is a little bit sweet, but it also has a little bit of sour. That’s the balance that Filipino food brings to the table. There’s always those two components.”

For Nucum, the dishes that come flying out of her truck during lunch rush at one of her regular spots – 13th and Oak in downtown Kansas City, Hospital Hill on Holmes near Children’s Mercy Hospital, 18th Street in the Crossroads – are about family. Almost all Nucum’s recipes have been handed down from her grandmother – some of them fiercely guarded family secrets. Today, Nucum has a notebook of recipes her grandmother wrote down for her. She is charged with safeguarding them for the next generation, she says, but a few of them make their way onto her food truck. The chicken adobo recipe, for example, is one of KC Pinoy’s most in-demand.

“It’s kind of the national dish of the Philippines,” Nucum says. “I compare it to an Italian family’s version of red sauce; every Filipino family has their own recipe for it, and it’ll never be better than your own mom’s. My version – which is, of course, my grandmother’s – is chicken thighs cooked in vinegar, garlic and soy sauce with some dried herbs.”

Nucum’s chicken thighs are boiled in her vinegar-garlic-soy sauce mixture, and then the thighs are transferred to a pan and the sauce is reserved. The thighs are dry-aged for 24 hours and the sauce is reduced. When an order for chicken adobo comes in on the truck, the thighs are sautéed with more garlic, placed over a bed of rice and served with a generous helping of vinegar-garlic-soy sauce – just like Nucum’s grandmother taught her. She pauses. “I would never dare change that recipe,” she says with a laugh.

At KC Pinoy, you choose from three rice options – either steamed white, sticky jasmine or garlic fried rice. Then you select your protein, usually a choice between pork and chicken. You always have the option of putting a fried egg on top of any dish. And, of course, there’s always atsara.

“It’s a condiment from the central region of the Inspired Local Food Culture

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Philippines, where my family is from,” Nucum says. “My grandmother’s recipe is grated papaya, green and red bell peppers, onions and carrots, pickled in vinegar, garlic and ginger. It works really well with most Filipino dishes, because it plays with that sweet-and-sour component.”

Atsara is served in a little plastic cup with the rest of your meal, almost like a Filipino version of coleslaw – bright, colorful and wonderfully fragrant. It’s the acidic bite that, Nucum says, completes the dish – and it’s the heartbeat of KC Pinoy.

“My grandmother kept that recipe close to the vest,” she says. “She was the only one who could make it for the longest time in our family, and she eventually gave me the recipe, so now I’m the official maker of atsara in our family.

You don’t have a meal without atsara, so that was the basis of the food truck.”

Nucum’s second season with KC Pinoy also finds her expanding her dessert selection. In 2016, strawberry and mango ice pops – called “ice candies” in the Philippines – were the standard for the food truck, with the occasional offering of ube, or purple yam, ice cream.

This year, Nucum has added leche flan, a milk custard with a caramelized sugar topping – a sort of crème brûlée and flan hybrid. And more menu items, Nucum says, are in development.

“I always think it’s best to end with something sweet,” she says, smiling.

KC Pinoy Food Truck’s weekly schedule and hours are posted on its Facebook page at facebook.com/kcpinoy.

The 2017 season runs from March through November, Wednesdays through Sundays.

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Home of

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For more information, call 1-84-GOT BACON info@farmtoyoumarket.com Also available Beef, Turkey, Chicken Lamb, eggs and other great products

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Augusta Plein Air Art Festival April 20th-30th

Painting events Dinner with everyday at local Concert wineries, parks, historic properties Saturday, April 21 and neighboring (Admission needed) communities. (augustaheritagefoundation.org for tickets) 15Year Plein Air Youth Paint Celebration Dance Sunday, April 30.

(Ages 3 to 18) with Scott & Karl Plus 7 Workshops Saturday, April 29 ($5 at the door) throughout the festival.

Final Sale Sunday April 30

Best of Show 2016

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Festival Sponsor: American Family Insurance - Rob Hamann For a full event schedule and more information, follow us on Facebook, Visit Augustapleinair.com, email augustapleinair@gmail.com, (636)-228-4005.

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One S. Broadway | 314.241.8439 | 360-stl.com

At Joel Crespo and Brian Hardesty’s Guerrilla Street Food in St. Louis, you’ll find fare inspired by Filipino dishes with chef-driven flourishes and other global influences. Traditional Filipino meals like arroz caldo, roasted chicken and rice porridge with ginger, garlic, lemon juice and an egg, are listed alongside sisig tacos filled with braised pork ear, tongue and belly sautéed with ginger, garlic and chiles, served in a crispy wonton shell. While the tacos aren’t necessarily a dish you’ll find in Manila, they’re based around sisig, a popular Filipino dish with nods to the Chinese and Spanish influences inherent in Filipino cuisine.

INTRODUCTION BY LIZ MILLER

Hardesty, who runs the kitchen at Guerrilla, says the restaurant – which got its start as a wildly successful food truck – was inspired

by Crespo’s family roots in Cabiao. The city is in the Nueva Ecija province on the island of Luzon, about two and half hours from the capital of Manila.

In February, the business partners took a two-week trip to the Philippines, which acted as both a research tour for the restaurant and a homecoming of sorts for Crespo; he was born in the U.S. and last visited the Philippines more than 30 years ago, when he was 9 years old.

Brian: Our first meal was from Jollibee because it delivered to our hotel. We’d been traveling for 20-something hours, and we just wanted something quick and easy. Jollibee is one of the most successful fast-food restaurants in the world; there aren’t any locations in St. Louis, but there are two in Chicago.

It’s like the McDonald’s of the Philippines.

I already knew what I was hoping to order from there: I got the spaghetti and fried chicken meal, called Chickenjoy. Filipino spaghetti is different because the sauce is very sweet and there’s hot dogs in it instead of meatballs or ground pork. It’s the iconic dish from that chain. It was perfect to start the trip with fast food – we’re a fast-casual restaurant, we don’t pretend to be anything more or less.

Joel: I got a burger – like their Big Mac, basically – and a peach-mango pie, like an apple pie at McDonald’s. My burger was very meatloaf-like. It wasn’t great, but we wanted to experience every type of food, from fast food to street food to fine dining.

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Brian: We woke up and wanted to grab something for breakfast. On the ground floor of our hotel there was a location of UCC [Ueshima Coffee Co.], a Japanese coffeehouse chain, but they served all Filipino food. I ordered tosilog with tocino, or pork belly bacon, and waffles with corned beef.

Joel: I had bangsilog. It’s a milkfish called bangus that’s split open, fried and served with garlic rice, a sunny-side up egg and a little vinegar. Breakfast is simple and usually a silog: a meat, rice and an egg.

Brian: Later that day we met up with a friend of ours from social media, Natalia Roxas-Alvarez, who runs the food blog Filipino Kitchen, at her mother’s art gallery, which was also in Makati. Their close friend Sharwin, a chef and the host of Curiosity Got the Chef on the Lifestyle Channel, met us there and we all planned the next few days together. We told Sharwin and Natalia that we wanted to see what regular people in Manila eat at regular times of the day. Sharwin’s a chef, so we asked him where he eats when he gets off work, where does he go, where does he hang out? He took us to a bunch of dive-y, inexpensive places where you go and spend $1 for a big meal.

Joel: One of the places was the University of the Philippines.

There’s this little building sort of like a college bookstore and cafeteria, and inside, there’s a place called Rodic’s Diner, and students can go there and spend $1 or $2 and get a full meal.

Sharwin said this is where you go late at night for cheap eats when you get off your shift. We got a silog there with garlic fried rice, tapa, which is like a dried beef, and drinks, and it was good.

Joel: After dinner at Agos we went to an ice cream place, Sebastian’s Cold Comfort, which was also in the Mall of Asia.

The owner does these really interesting plays on Filipino flavors.

Brian: I ordered the passion fruit-tea ice cream. He had all these different funky flavors: a rice and chocolate ice cream garnished with dried anchovies, so sweet and salty.

The theme of Filipino food, in my opinion, is super bold; contrast is very important. So you don’t just have a savory dish – it’s savory with a pile of pickles on top of it, or it’s super sweet with anchovies on top of it, a salty, umami flavor combination that perfectly represents Filipino food.

Joel: [The owner] did a play on a traditional Filipino dish of sliced green mango with shrimp paste. It’s really tart, because it’s unripe mango, and then countering it with the contrast of the umami and saltiness of the shrimp paste. That’s what this place is all about.

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Brian: On the third day, we found a place called Café Via Mare, which was pretty straightforward Filipino food. That’s where I had my first bibingka in the Philippines, and it came with cheese and grated coconut. So again, it was salty and sweet.

It came out piping hot on a banana leaf. It was pretty great. Joel got pandesal with cheese – sort of like bread rolls – and then he got…

Joel: I wanted to do another silog, but I never wanted to repeat a silog, so I got a tapsilog, which is beef tapa, garlic rice and a sunny-side up egg.

And then Sharwin took us to a place called Pino in Quezon City, which is his friend’s restaurant.

We went there for lunch prior to going to this insane farmers’ market, and then we went on a tour of the oldest distillery in the Philippines, Destileria Limtuaco.

Brian: We sat on the back patio at Pino and I ordered my first green-mango shake, which blew my mind.

Then we ordered sinigang, a stew made with guava, and bulaklak bulaklak, deep-fried pork organ tissue with a vinegar dipping sauce. When you’re drinking beer, it’s a popular thing to order. This was the first instance of variations on dishes I had read about and that we serve; like we serve sinigang with tamarind, and I’d never heard of it made with guava… I thought you had to make it with tamarind.

Brian: Then we went to the farmers’ market, which is like an open-air market in a covered space similar to an airplane hangar, and there’s nothing but fruit stands on the upper level. Piles and piles of food – bananas of all sizes hanging off of every stand, thousands of people and everyone is buying food. We’re asking questions and trying to learn as much about the ingredients as possible. We saw dalandans, a type of orange that is actually green on the outside, but then when you cut it open, it’s orange. It’s not very sweet.

Different stages of ripe fruit is super big there – you’d find mangoes and coconuts in 12 different forms. The upper level was all fruit and vegetables and then there’s a floor with one side of meat, and one side of fish. There’s zero refrigeration – legs of pork, cattle, goats, whatever, and 100 dudes chopping ribs and other meat for the length of an entire city block. Piles of chicken taller than me. It’s pretty intense. Across the aisle it’s the same thing, but all fish and seafood. Every variety of fish you can get – fish used for drying and making into pastes and sauces, stuff like that.

Joel: And right across the street from this giant market was what they call a dampa market, where they have more fresh fish, and it’s right next to the ocean. You can pick fish from a stall and they’ll cook it for you and you just eat it right there.

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Brian: Then we moved on to the distillery, which is way out in the middle of the province, or the country. The son of the owner gave us the tour. You can’t normally get a tour of the distillery, at least like we did. We were very lucky to have friends act as tour guides and connect us with all of these experiences.

Joel: They make more than 30 spirits: a calamansi [lime] liqueur, a coconut spirit called lambanog, a dalandan liqueur, mango rum, whiskey, a coffee liqueur.

Brian: They were distilling whiskey the day we were there. They have these giant square containers made of stainless steel and the interiors are lined with the wood of barrels, and so because they’re square, you can age a lot more liquid in the space. And then we got to taste out of one of the containers… it was rough, very strong.

( ch ick en int est ine s)

Brian: The next day I really wanted to go to a restaurant called Sarsa, because I’ve read it’s a really regionally specific style of Filipino food from Negros, a province in the southern part of the country. There were a lot of street food-inspired dishes on the menu. It’s a sit-down, full-service restaurant. By the time we visited, I think the menu had become more of an amalgamation of influences from across the country.

We ordered isaw, chicken intestines on a stick, which are illegal to buy in the U.S. They grill everything over charcoal, so it’s a little charred. And we got chicken skins – just piles of chicken skins on a skewer, grilled. So simple, but so good. They use every part of the chicken. And then down the road on the trip we had chicken feet and chicken blood.

Joel: They fancied dishes up a bit – with the chicken intestines, they cleaned it in a very specific way and drizzled some annatto seed oil on it.

Brian: Then I ordered squid adobo and a dish called pinakbet,, a vegetable and bitter melon dish with pork and shrimp. And then we were on our way to dinner – we were constantly eating. After that, we had halo-halo for the first time in the Philippines. It was a regionally specific halo-halo from the Pampanga province made with four ingredients – and normally there are a lot of ingredients.

Joel: It was a very different kind of halo-halo made with shaved ice, but instead of sweetened or condensed milk, they used fresh water-buffalo milk – that’s one of the trademarks of Pampanga. They make a lot of stuff with fresh water-buffalo milk, which they call kalibaw or carabao. And then the third ingredient in halo-halo was pastillas, which is a sweet milk-candy made out of the carabao milk and sugar. The candy was in the bottom of the halo-halo cup. And then leche flan on top, which is like flan but very dense. The halo-halo had none of what we’re used to – sweetened beans, chickpeas, scoops of ice cream on top. It was just super simple and really fresh.

Brian: After that we went to a speakeasy called ABV that was behind an elevator door near a hot-dog stand. It was cool, but apparently it’s also a carbon copy of a speakeasy in New York. It’s a modern craft cocktail bar – similar to Taste in St. Louis. They offered classic cocktails as well as their riffs on those things. I had a classic Negroni, and then I had a Negroni made with the dalandan liqueur we’d seen at the distillery earlier in the day.

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Brian: Today Joel’s cousin Baby Crespo-Congco and and her husband, Ed, picked us up in Manila and took us to Cabiao, Joel’s family’s hometown.

Joel: Baby is a very popular nickname in the Philippines; her name is Gloria. I hadn’t seen her since I was 9 or 10 years old. Gloria was the mayor of Cabiao for 18 years. Four generations of her family have been mayors: Her father was the mayor, her grandfather was the mayor, and her great-grandfather. She was the first female mayor of Cabiao.

Brian: I didn’t realize we’d be stopping to eat at as many places as we did. This was the day when food became too much.

We had breakfast in Manila, which was a mistake. We thought we’d be in the car for four hours, so we went back to Café Via Mare. I got arroz caldo, which is a rice porridge, with chicken. And then I got two other things and Joel got a few things, including pancit palabok…

Joel: The first of two pancit palaboks I would eat that day. Pancit is noodles of some type – we do it at the restaurant, and we got this warm ube [purple tuber] looking dessert… hot, with coconut milk, fruit and tapioca balls… heavy and filling, and then the noodles.

Once we were on the way to Cabiao with Baby and Ed, we stopped at a place in St. Nicholas in Pampanga called Kabigting, which is famous for their halo-halo. This was more like the halo-halo I was familiar with, with the red sweet beans, chickpeas, nata de coco, ice cream on top. It was super good and we ate it fast.

Brian: Joel’s cousin orders us pancit palabok, which he had already had that day, and puto, which is a steamed rice-flour cake with cheese on it, but big ones – normally they are smaller, but these were like the size of muffins. And then we had a big bowl of pancit lomi, a chicken noodle soup with big fat noodles. I think we had our very first fresh lumpia in the Philippines at that restaurant that day, which was twice the size of the lumpia we serve at our restaurant. It was doused in this brown-sugar sauce.

And we have to eat all of it, because this is the first time I’m meeting Joel’s family and Joel hasn’t seen them in 30 years.

Everybody is buying everything for us; they wouldn’t let us pay.

Joel: It was this unassuming small restaurant, but on the walls, there are all these photos of celebrities, archbishops and government officials.

Brian: And they took us there for merienda, which is just a snack. So after all that, we also order sisig, which is a big sizzling platter of pig face with a whole egg fried on top, plus halo-halo.

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Brian: When we get to their family’s compound, after stopping a few more times, there’s a whole table full of food spread out inside the house where Joel’s dad grew up.

Joel: More pancit palabok, puto, dinuguan, which is a pork-blood stew… all these little regional cakes and desserts. While we’re eating this food, we’re talking about dinner.

Brian and I are both so full and kind of miserable, and then we get in the car to go to dinner. And then on the way to dinner, we stop at a bake shop called Aying’s to eat more pastillas, the water-buffalo milk candy.

At Aying’s, they invited us to come into the kitchen and see how the pastillas are made.

There are people back there with masks and gloves on, making and packaging the candies by hand. Big piles of what looks like dough, some already broken up into little pieces, rolled in sugar and wrapped in tissue paper.

Each box has 30 pastillas and they package 1,000 boxes a day. Each box was about $1.50 pesos, which is like $3. This place has gotten so famous that movie stars will order 300 boxes for their wedding as favors. I had no idea that it was a regional specialty until we got there because it’s from my family’s [hometown]. We brought four boxes home; one for Brian and three for me.

Brian: That night we went to dinner at a place called Luz Cafe, which is structured kind of like a cafeteria: You can see everything and point to what you want, and then they’ll bring it all to your table. We got bopis, which is sautéed pig’s lungs with tomatoes, onions, garlic, vinegar, fish sauce and a little salt and pepper, all chopped up; super simple and tasty. We got more dinuguan, the pork’s blood stew.

We got lechon kawali, which is fried pork belly and then bulalo steak, which is a slice of beef shank braised with the marrow still in the bone covered in a mushroom gravy. So super heavy stuff – I was hurting at the end of that night.

Brian: The next day was spent at Ed and Baby’s farm. They have 22 hectares of land [about 54 acres], right by the mountain in Cabiao, and it’s all rice paddies. That’s their main profession.

Joel: The Nueva Ecija province is the producer of rice for the Philippines; that’s what they’re famous for. Not for exporting, I believe, but for domestic use.

We got to walk in the rice fields and meet the farmers who help tend the land.

Brian: One of the cool things Ed said on the way to their farm was that you can tell when the rice is ready to be harvested because it bows. What he meant was, it leans over because it’s heavy. He can look at the fields and know how many weeks or days it will be until the rice can be harvested.

The trees lining the paddies were mango or papaya. They were like oak trees [in St. Louis] – they were everywhere. Fields of calamansi lime trees. We walked on the border of the rice paddies and picked mangoes off trees.

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Brian: After the rice fields, I got a cooking lesson from Ed and Baby’s cook, Daka. Like a lot of people in the Philippines, Ed and Baby have on-site cooks who live with them or live in houses on their land.

Daka taught me how to cook bopis, the sautéed pig’s lungs; dinuguan, the pork’s blood stew; pancit luglug; and the sauce for lechon, like a liver sauce, called lechon sarsa. I’ve cooked three of those four things, but not with any real training. A few things were completely new to me, method-wise.

The sauce for the lechon, for instance – previously I had used a mortar and pestle, and I made it super thick and far less sweet.

Her method was to cook the liver in a lot of liquid, and then drain the liver over a sieve so the juice that dripped off the meat could be used to make the liver sauce, not the liver itself – that was folded into a different dish altogether. Whereas, I use the liver in the sauce and more vinegar, and she used much more brown sugar. She thickened it with bread crumbs, which I also didn’t do, and so it was completely different. She speaks zero English, so I was just watching and observing what she was doing and how she was making each dish.

Brian: Then we went and had lunch, which was another 15 dishes we hadn’t tried yet, one of which was called buro, or rice fermented with rotten fish, basically. I was super interested in this dish because I’d never heard of it… one of my goals was to learn more about any kind of fermentation that happens in the Philippines, as I didn’t know much about it. I’d never heard of fermented rice as a dish – maybe to make other stuff out of, like soy sauce, but not as its own entrée or side. They colored it with some annatto seed, so it’s pink, and it has almost a porridge consistency… very clean, not a funky flavor, like you would expect. joel: They served it with these fresh, peppery mustard green leaves, mustasa, that almost have the texture of romaine lettuce.

joel: I had a couple of things on my bucket list. My great grand-uncle on my dad’s side, I guess, he was one of the generals in the Philippine Revolution. Growing up, I always heard that we were related to this general.

You might have seen the flag inside [Guerrilla Street] with the “K” and the skull that’s framed? That’s his battalion flag that you’ll see in the Philippines a lot. That general, General Mariano Llanera, was cousins with my grandfather. There’s a statue of him; he led a famous battle, and when it started, they fought the Spanish army with only 200 people, so there’s a statue, and then behind it there’s a wall with the names of every single person in the battle. There are like five Crespos, five or six Llaneras – his name and also related to our family – and then my father’s mother’s maiden name, Tiangco, there were like five or six of them, as well. So my family was heavily involved in this battle.

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Brian: So very crisp and fresh to eat, unlike here – mustard greens are very tough and sandy and you have to cook the hell out of them. So you’d take a scoop of the buro and wrap it in a leaf and eat it like a wrap. And then you eat it with fried catfish head meat. A lot of the seafood we ate in Cabiao was freshwater fish because the Pampanga River is nearby.

Brian: Today we traveled back to Manila and then flew to Cebu.

The reason we went to Cebu is that, as long as I’ve been learning about Filipino food and Joel and I have been business partners, we’ve heard about lechon specifically from Cebu; it’s supposedly the ultimate lechon. One of the things we wanted to do was witness the slaughter and cooking of a suckling pig; and that’s exactly what we did. One of Joel’s cousin’s friends hooked us up with a guy who does this for parties and big events.

I think that every good chef, if they’re curious about local food and meat, that includes being part of slaughtering an animal at least once. It connects you to where it comes from.

And seeing it done in a place where health codes are so different – it would never be allowed in St. Louis the way we saw it done. First the pig is in a pen, and then five feet away is where they kill it, and then five feet over from that is where they cook it. The guy who did the entire process had done it so many times, it seemed like muscle memory for him, to watch. And so fast – in 15 minutes, it went from a live pig to on the fire. joel: The speed at which he did it… it was almost like he could have done it blindfolded. It definitely made you appreciate where your food comes from. It was profound – you didn’t take it for granted – and intense.

Brian: We cook suckling pig on our patio at [Guerrilla Street]. There were lots of big and little differences… I’m excited to try it again at the restaurant. And then, finally, eating it at a renowned lechon restaurant – we didn’t get to eat the pig we saw slaughtered and cooked, as it was for a client – it was really good.

Brian: The next day in Cebu we went to our first major street-vendor area, where there’s all kinds of skewered foods. None of it is refrigerated; just giant piles of pork, sausages, chicken intestines, pork intestines, chicken feet, etc., and you point to what you want. You’ll see whole squid on a stick stuffed with onions and lemongrass, scallops, longanisa sausage, big chunks of fish on a stick. They grill whole fish, too. And then just off to the side is this long fire pit that’s about counter height, ablaze with charcoal.

You watch your order cook in front of you.

We tried to eat as many things on sticks as we could. joel: The cooks have these handheld fans and they’re constantly playing with the level of heat while the food cooks.

Brian: The only process they have to keep away insects are fans, but instead of blades, they have a piece of cloth tied to the fan, and they whip around, almost in a spiral motion, and it keeps all the flies away. It works perfectly.

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joel: When we got back to Manila, my other cousin Marivic Crespo Castillo and her husband, Bob, took over as our guides for this part of the trip. They also took us to Batangas and Tagaytay.

Brian: We went to Tagaytay because that area is famous for the cattle they raise. On the way, there’s a beautiful lake up in the mountains, Lake Taal. At the meat market, there’s meat so fresh that muscles were still moving on hooks. joel: A guy was walking around the market with this big pole with two big pails hanging from it, and saying “Taho! Taho!” like someone selling beer at a baseball stadium in the U.S. Taho is a soft tofu and tapioca street-food dessert; one of his buckets was filled with the creamy tofu and the other was filled with all the toppings and ingredients, and he mixes it all together and hands you a cup.

And then at this market, I experienced another bucket-list moment. Growing up, my mom would always say that her favorite thing in the Philippines was going to a stand and eating the young coconut meat right out of the shell. I’d heard this story time and time again, and when it actually happened, I knew I was experiencing my mom’s favorite thing. I was totally connected; now I understand why she loves it.

joel: We spent our last three days back in Manila. We had one of my favorite meals in the Philippines with my cousin Marivic and Bob: They took us to a restaurant called Kanin Club, where we ate crispy dinuguan (a version of the pig-blood stew with crispy pork skin added), aligue rice made with crab fat, tinapa rice made with bits of smoked fish and seafood kare kare. Another night we had dinner at Sharwin Tee’s house. We were joined by Natalia, her mother and father and Ian Carandang, owner of Sebastian’s Cold Comfort, the ice cream place we went to when we first got to the Philippines. So everything came full circle. During dinner, we discussed why we make Filipino food at Guerrilla Street, and we were urged to try Toyo Eatery.

Brian: Our first meal on the trip was fast food, and I thought going to Toyo was a great way to end the trip, because it kind of represents the future of Filipino food. It was cool to see the chef’s perspective – what he thinks of as elevated Filipino food – and have a tasting menu. It was 10 courses; the first course and the ninth course were the most memorable. The first course was a tomato and jackfruit macaron; the shells were tomato and the filling was jackfruit, and it was savory, almost tart. The ninth course was the first of two desserts: A flourless chocolate cake with sea salt and chocolate shards sitting on a sour fermented calamansi lime cream. joel: It was nice that it felt like we weren’t so far off from that – our food at Guerrilla makes sense in the context of this place. We run the spectrum with Brian’s background – especially with our pop ups and brunches. You can see Brian’s fine-dining background in the way he executes some things at the restaurant. The trip was inspiring; we discovered dishes we’d never heard of, and overall, we felt a stronger connection to the source of our cuisine.

Last month, Guerrilla Street Food launched a pop-up series, Guerrilla Alliance, aimed at collaborating with Filipino chefs in St. Louis and across the globe. The first dinner was held on March 5 and featured a meal developed with Malou Perez-Nievera.

(Turn to p. 64 to learn more about Perez-Nievera.) Crespo and Hardesty have booked dates with chefs from Detroit, Los Angeles and the Philippines, as well as Marie-Anne Velasco, executive chef at the upcoming Nudo House in Creve Coeur, Missouri.

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636-724-3434

www.oletyme.com 314.436.5010

Written by April Fleming

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photogrAphy by KyndAll durKee

Filipino pantry The recipes on the following pages call for the ingredients below, which you can find in most international markets and Asian grocery stores.

n

orma Thayer never planned to go into the restaurant industry.

She spent 30 years in the medical field, working as a nurse in the Philippines, her homeland – as well as in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the U.S. – before even considering a career change. Nursing was gratifying, Thayer says, but decades of being surrounded by illness finally wore on her. She was ready to move on and work with her family, so cooking made sense, as it's been a passion of hers since childhood.

In 2014, Thayer and her husband, Philip, decided to go into the broasted chicken business. The couple came to love the dish while living in Saudi Arabia, where they first met. (Broasted chicken, a proprietary method of pressure-frying chicken, was invented in the early 1950s in Wisconsin. The trademark has since been licensed to more than 5,500 restaurants around the world.) The Thayers’ Valley Broasters restaurant in Grain Valley, Missouri, was located next to a Filipino grocery store, and after hosting a series of successful private Filipino dinners for the owners of the store and their friends, Norma began incorporating Filipino dishes onto her own menu.

Eventually the Thayers moved their restaurant to south Kansas City and rebranded as Manila Bay Ihaw-Ihaw. They now serve a selection of broasted chicken alongside traditional Filipino fare.

Popular menu items include lumpia (a thin fried appetizer similar to a spring roll filled with pork, cabbage and carrots), sisig (a savory entrée made with pork, vinegar and citrus) and pancit (thin rice noodles fried with cabbage, snow peas, citrus and a protein, often beef or pork). All that savory is balanced by sweets, as well; Thayer prepares Filipino desserts that evoke memories of her childhood. She grew up on Luzon, the largest and most populous island in the Philippines, where her mother taught her to cook.

She remembers learning to make bibingka malagkit, a glutinous rice cake flavored with coconut cream and sugar, over an open flame. Like many Filipino desserts, bibingka features savory and sweet notes.

“I remember getting the firewood, and the round plate, and getting the rice,” she says, smiling. “I remember saying ‘I don’t want to make it; I don’t want to make it! I don’t wanna get burned and have it fly up in my face!’ And [my mother would] laugh, and say ‘No, no, no; it will be fine.’ We learned.”

Thayer’s dishes draw in customers from all across the Kansas City area. Her desserts, which are sold at Pan Asia Market in Overland Park, Kansas, as well as at Manila Bay Ihaw-Ihaw, often sell out early in the day, so she advises that customers visit by early afternoon.

If time isn’t on your side, try your hand at making some of Thayer’s beloved Filipino desserts at home. Sample for yourself soft breadlike puto, sweet leche flan, the shaved ice and colorfully topped halo-halo or the layered sticky rice cakes called sapin-sapin.

Banana leaves The large, flat dark green leaves of the banana plant, fresh banana leaves are used in Central and South American and African cultures to wrap foods during cooking. In the Philippines, they line baking dishes to make bibingka malagkit. They impart a delicate flavor to foods and help keep them tender.

CoConut Cream Coconut cream is made like coconut milk but with less water. The cream is thick, silky and flavorful.

Glutinous sweet riCe Short- or medium-grain glutinous sweet rice has a high starch content; it's available in black (unpolished) and white varieties.

JaCkFruit FlavorinG Jackfruit flavoring is a concentrated flavoring of jackfruit, a tree-borne fruit native to India and Asia.

The flavor has notes of pineapple and banana.

maCapuno strinGs Translucent long strings of macapuno coconut scraped and grated from the inside of coconuts and preserved in a thick, sweet syrup. Macapuno strings are often used as a topping for halo-halo.

nata de CoCo Nata refers to the thick, translucent and gelatinous surface coating sometimes found on fruits such as pineapple, coconut – nata de coco – or sugarcane.

It attracts acid-forming bacteria and, after washing and boiling, is used as a flavoring in Filipino and other Southeast Asian desserts.

palm nuts Known as kaong in the Philippines, palm nuts are the seeds of the Palmyra palm, a plant native to India and Southeast Asia. The gelatinous opaque sap extracted from the nut has a mildly nutty flavor.

pinipiG A toasted, flattened glutinous rice used in Filipino baked goods, puddings and as a dessert topping.

suGar toddy Fruit Also known as sugar palm fruit, this is the fruit of the Palmyra palm plant.

sweet red munG Beans Small red beans of Asian origin, sweet red mung beans are preserved in a sugary syrup and sold in jars.

uBe Halaya A jam made from ube, a bright purple tuber with a subtle, starchy flavor.

uBe FlavorinG A concentrated flavoring of ube. The purple yam is often used to make puddings, jams, ice cream and pastries in the Philippines.

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BiBingka Malagkit yields | 20 to 24 cakes |

Rice cakes 2 to 4 banana leaves (optional) ½ stick unsalted butter 1 cup coconut cream 1 Tbsp vanilla extract 1 tsp salt 1½ cups packed dark brown sugar 4 cups glutinous sweet rice, rinsed several times and cooked Latik 1½ to 2 1

cups palm sugar 19 oz can coconut cream

| preparation – rice cakes | Preheat oven to 350°F. line a baking dish with banana leaves or grease dish with butter or vegetable cooking spray and set aside. in a wok or large skillet over medium to medium-high heat, melt butter. Add coconut cream, vanilla, salt and dark brown sugar. immediately add cooked rice and mix thoroughly, until the thickness is consistent throughout. Transfer rice mixture to prepared baking dish and, using a spatula, spread out evenly across bottom of dish. set aside.

| preparation – latik | in a saucepan or clean wok, combine palm sugar and coconut cream.

Bring to a low simmer and stir constantly until sugar has dissolved and syrup is a dark brown color with the consistency of maple syrup, about 10 to 20 minutes.

Pour sauce over rice mixture in baking dish and transfer to oven; bake until topping is bubbling and caramel has thickened, 40 to 45 minutes. let bibingka cool before slicing and serving.

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Manila Bay's Halo-Halo If you can’t find certain ingredients – specifically the jackfruit, sugar toddy fruit, palm nuts and nata de coco – many international markets and Asian grocery stores carry pre-packaged halo-halo mix, usually sold in a jar. Norma Thayer prefers halo-halo topped with flan, ice cream, evaporated milk and crisped rice. serves | 1 |

1 1 1 1 1 1 2 to 3 2 to 3 1 2 1 1

Tbsp sweet red mung beans Tbsp jackfruit, sliced into ½-inch pieces Tbsp sliced sugar toddy fruit Tbsp palm nuts Tbsp nata de coco Tbsp macapuno strings scoops shaved ice, depending on size of glass or bowl oz evaporated milk cube leche flan (see recipe on next page) Tbsp ube halaya tsp pinipig scoop ice cream (mango or vanilla) granulated sugar (optional)

| preparation | In a tall glass or deep ice cream bowl, layer first six ingredients. Top with shaved ice. Pour evaporated milk over top until ice is slightly saturated.

Top with remaining ingredients and serve.

Leche FLan Leche flan is a creamy steamed Filipino custard topped with a layer of caramel. This recipe requires a wire-rack steamer. yields | 1 10-inch round flan |

caramel Topping ½ cup granulated sugar 2 Tbsp water cusTard T Tard 1 qt water (for steaming) 12 egg yolks 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk 1 12-oz can evaporated milk ½ cup granulated sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract

| preparation – caramel topping | in a medium saucepot over low heat, combine sugar and water and cook until sugar has completely dissolved and turned amber in color. Pour mixture into a round baking dish and cool until hard and cool to the touch.

| preparation – custard | Place a wire-rack steamer into a pot or wok, and fill pot or wok with water until water is 1-inch below steamer rack. Heat water to a low boil. in a large mixing bowl, mix all remaining ingredients until sugar has completely dissolved.

Using a fine-mesh strainer, carefully strain custard mixture into baking dish over caramel topping. Cover with foil, place baking dish on steamer rack and steam until set, about 45 minutes, continually adding water to pan or wok so that the pan is not heating dry. let flan cool completely before inverting onto a serving platter.

W hiLe simiLa r to spanis h or m exican FLan, F iLipi no Leche FLan is oFten F irmer as it's , made W ith more eggyo Lks.

Puto Although puto is traditionally made with rice flour, Norma Thayer makes hers with all-purpose flour, which is more often available in her kitchen. This recipe requires a wire-rack steamer. yields | 16 to 18 mini cakes |

3 2 2 1 2 2 1 6 1 1 1

cups all-purpose flour cups granulated sugar Tbsp baking powder 12-oz can evaporated milk Tbsp melted butter (optional) tsp vanilla extract cup water eggs tsp ube flavoring (optional) qt water (for steaming) slice American cheese, cut into 1-inch squares (optional)

| preparation | in a large mixing bowl, sift flour, sugar and baking powder and mix to combine. set aside. in a separate large mixing bowl, combine all remaining ingredients except water and cheese. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well.

Place a wire-rack steamer into a pot or wok, and fill pot or wok with water until water is 1-inch below steamer rack.

Heat water to a low boil. line a muffin tin with liners or grease each cup in tin before filling cups about ž of the way full with batter. Cover and steam on wire-rack steamer for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cake comes out clean and cake bounces back when lightly poked. if desired, just before puto are finished steaming, add a small square of cheese over top to melt. serve.

Puto, a FiliPino steamed cake, can be served Plain with butter, toPPed with cheese or made with ube Flavoring, which also gives it a Pretty PurPle hue.

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Augusta, Missouri Harvest Festival Sept. 15-17, 2017

Join us for our 3rd Annual Cinco De Mayo Celebration all weekend May 5th, 6th & 7th!

Enjoy great food, amazing margaritas and live music!

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Dec. 1 & 8, 2017

Like us on Facebook La Chata Mexican Cuisine

636-228-4005 www.augusta-chamber.org

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Sapin-Sapin yields | 12 to 14 2-ounce cakes |

3 1 1 1 1 1 1

cups glutinous rice flour cup granulated sugar 14-oz can condensed milk 19-oz can coconut cream tsp ube flavoring tsp jackfruit flavoring qt water toasted coconut (for garnish)

| preparation | in a large mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar. set aside. in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine condensed milk and coconut cream.

Mix dry ingredients into wet and beat until smooth. divide batter evenly into three small bowls. Flavor one portion with ube flavoring, one with jackfruit flavoring and leave one unflavored. in a stockpot over medium heat, place wire-rack steamer and fill with 1 quart water (or until water is 1-inch below steamer rack). Heat water until it reaches a boil. lightly grease a round baking dish wide enough to sit inside steamer. Pour ube-flavored batter into dish and set on top of steamer. Cover and steam until almost set, about 20 minutes. slowly pour and spread jackfruit-flavored batter over ube layer. Cover and steam for another 20 minutes.

Add final bowl of batter and spread evenly. steam until batter is no longer runny and has set to desired consistency, about 20 to 25 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of cake should come out clean. let cake cool slightly before separating from sides with silicone spatula. invert cake onto a serving platter and slice into 12 to 14 pieces. Garnish with toasted coconut for an added crunch, if desired. serve.

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#feastgram Check out our favorite food Instagrams from the past month.

In March, our Instagrammers were warming up with local tea, hitting the farmers’ market and celebrating with birthday cake.

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| 1 | tyler davis @iofthetyler Vegetarian curry realness. #BringTheHeat #ComfortFood | 2 | eating kc @eatingkc Watching the Great British Bake Off always inspires me to make something, until I realize petit fours are too much work for a #lazysunday...so it’s time for brownies from a box! | 3 | julia calleo @mylavenderblues Clams in a spicy coconut sauce with all the black garlic your tastebuds can possibly handle. | 4 | meghan izaguirre @saintlouisphoto I’m spending the day prepping meals and my home for the upcoming week while enjoying a cup of @BigHeartTea.

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| 5 | kasim hardaway @kasimhardaway When you do a little improv on your @BlueApron ramen. |7|

| 6 | anna petrow

@annapetrow Can’t beat beet risotto. #EatYourColors

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| 7 | teresa floyd @now_forager My main squeeze had a birthday yesterday.

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| 8 | jonathan pye @chefpye3.14 Lamb loin, parsnip puree, mint oil, sautéed peas. (At The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art) | 9 | kiara watts @mycityadventures How does the saying go? “Eat your fruit. Drink your veggies.” Or is it the other way around? (At City Market)

Want a chance to see your photos in the May issue of Feast?

| 10 | dolce bakery

@dolcebakery Mini desserts don’t have calories.

It’s science. And since it’s #PiDay, what could be better than mini Key lime pie bites?

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Simply include the hashtag #feastgram and tag @feastmag on your Instagram photos.

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