February 2016 Feast Magazine

the midwest coffee movement

local maple syrup

rise and dine

COMMON GROUNDs

sAP ON TAP

LEGACY BAGELRY

Inspired Local Food Culture | Midwest

the breakFast Issue

feastmagazine.com | February ebruary 2016

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Long live the king of all-American wines. Oh Norton, official grape of Missouri, from you comes a fine wine I find divine.

I savor your dry flavor and how you pair with such flare.

You and your fellow “Show Me” State varietals, inspire this somewhat wordy recital. But I’ll conclude and invite all to take a look, by downloading my Missouri Wines ebook.

Visit MissouriWine.org, download the ebook and discover the poetry of Missouri Wines for yourself.

MissouriWine .org | #MeetMoWines

Inspired Local Food Culture

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Love is silly, unapologetic and cheesy at times...

This Valentine’s, celebrate at Truffles or order in from Butchery.

We are open the entire weekend including Sunday!

Truffles & Butchery 9202 Clayton Road Saint Louis, MO 63124 E: info@todayattruffles.com • T: 341.567.9100 & 7258 @Trufflesstl @Butcherystl www.todayattruffles.com

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Inspired Local Food Culture | Midwest

FEBRUARY 2016 froM the staff |8|

| 27 |

This month, we’re sipping espressos and shakeratos in Springfield, Missouri, and creative winter cocktails in St. Louis. In his monthly column, The Mix, Matt Seiter shares how to make the brunch-perfect Corpse Reviver No. 2 cocktail, and in On Trend, we learn how bartenders are making shrubs in-house for custom drinks.

from the PUBLISher

Rise and dine.

| 10 |

dIgItaL content

What’s online this month.

| 12 |

feaSt tv

A sneak peek at the new season.

| 15 |

dine This month we visit three restaurants, including an upscale seafood spot in the St. Louis area and an eatery in Springfield, Missouri, serving stacked burgers and rich milkshakes. In our monthly travel piece, Road Trip, writer Amy Lynch visits Des Moines, Iowa, and shares where to dine, drink and stay this month during the city’s annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival. We also talk to three chefs about the trend of artisan toast.

drink

| 37 |

shop We catch up with two shop owners this month – the owners of a new bakery in the St. Louis area, and a local milkdelivery company in Kansas City. We also talk to St. Louis area native Howard Bender, owner of Schmacon, to find out how his all-beef bacon is replacing pork on plates across the country.

| 45 |

cook | 46 | heaLthy aPPetIte Brighten up cold winter days with citrus-glazed roasted beets with beans.

| 48 | myStery ShoPPer Buy it and try it: Gjetöst.

| 50 | menU oPtIonS American eggs Benedict finds French and Italian connections with eggs Florentina.

| 52 | Sweet IdeaS Right in time for Valentine’s Day, pastry chef Christy Augustin shares how to whip up easy and indulgent bittersweet chocolate mousse.

COVER PHOTO OF EGGS FLORENTINA (P. 50) By jENNIFER SILVERBERG TABLE OF CONTENTS PHOTO OF LEGACy BAGELRy & BAKERy (P. 56) By STARBOARD & PORT CREATIVE

FEATURES

56

hole in one

Featuring baked goods and bagels steeped in tradition, Legacy Bagelry & Bakery is a corner bakery on the rise in Springfield, Missouri.

Milking it M

62

A dairy farm and creamery in Mountain Grove, Missouri, is carving out a niche for its naturally sweet milk, one glass bottle at a time.

68

sap on tap The next generation of maple syrup producers joins Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup in Shirley, Illinois.

76

coMMon grounds

Learn how the Midwest’s rich and robust coffee history has paved the way for the latest class of shops and roasters.

Magazine Volume 7

| Issue 2 | February 2016

Vice President of Niche Publishing, Publisher of Feast Magazine Catherine Neville, publisher@feastmagazine.com Director of Sales Angie Henshaw ahenshaw@feastmagazine.com, 314.475.1298

Tuesday, February 9th 6pm Welcome Beer

SINGLE SPEED BLONDE Pear chutney and brie canape, pistachios, on sourdough

Course 1

CA$H MONY Artic char ceviche

Course 2

VOLUME 1 Preserved jicama, charred brussel sprouts, radicchio, roasted fennel

Course 3

CUVEE DIABLE Herb crusted venison carpaccio, kale salad, fennel apricot, carrot greens with candied walnut

Course 4

ABSENCE OF LIGHT Crispy prawn, seared nori rice, pickled bean sprout, peanut thai sauce, cilantro, red cabbage microgreens

Course 5

APPLE BRANDY BA WOODSMAN Stout poached apple, caramel, pecan granola Long Bell Pizza Co. 3385 SW Fascination Dr. Lee's Summit, MO 64081

Call to reserve tickets | $60: 816-599-2234 (limited availability)

www.longbellpizzaco.com

EDITORIAL Senior Editor Liz Miller, editor@feastmagazine.com Managing Editor Nancy Stiles, nstiles@feastmagazine.com Associate Editor Bethany Christo, bchristo@feastmagazine.com Digital Editor Heather Riske, web@feastmagazine.com Kansas City Contributing Editor Jenny Vergara St. Louis Contributing Editor Mabel Suen Editorial Intern Daniel Puma Proofreader Christine Wilmes Contributing Writers Christy Augustin, Ettie Berneking, Ren Bishop, Sherrie Castellano, Gabrielle DeMichele, April Fleming, Mallory Gnaegy, Hilary Hedges, Valeria Turturro Klamm, Amy Lynch, Brandon and Ryan Nickelson, Macy Salama, Matt Seiter, Matt Sorrell, Shannon Weber ART Art Director Alexandrea Doyle, adoyle@feastmagazine.com Production Designer Jacklyn Meyer, jmeyer@feastmagazine.com Contributing Photographers Ettie Berneking, Justine Bursoni, Sherrie Castellano, Jonathan Gayman, William Hess, Natalie Hinds, Aaron Ottis, Quincy Pickering, J. Pollack Photography, Jennifer Silverberg, Christopher Smith, Starboard & Port Creative, Mabel Suen, Landon Vonderschmidt, 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 and Columbia 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 Š 2010-2016 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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ContrIbutors

02.16 starboard & port creative Springfield, Missouri, Photographers Starboard & Port Creative was born on a sandy beach in New Jersey when George Ferris and Chase Heilman came together through their fondness of travel and photography. With a clink of two bourbon glasses, they headed back to the Midwest and planted roots in the Ozarks. Combining their two different photography backgrounds allowed for an expansive portfolio.

When not on location, they can be found in their Downtown Springfield studio listening to smooth jazz, sipping whiskey, and handing out high fives.

Hand Crafted Coffees Importing Fine Coffees from 20 Countries • QUALITY • EXPERIENCE • SERVICE

april fleming Kansas City, Writer April Fleming is a Kansas City-based freelance writer and photographer. Raised in the mountains of northern New Mexico, she moved to the Midwest 16 years ago to attend the University of Kansas and fell in love with Lawrence and Kansas City’s food and live music cultures. Her work has been featured in Feast, The Pitch, lawrence.com and more. She believes that through food and music, you can access the heart of a culture. She travels as much as possible to test that theory. Follow her on Instagram at @dolores2175.

Full Service Coffeehouse & Restaurant Supplier Fourth Generation Family Owned Coffee Roasters Since 1930

WWW.CHAUVINCOFFEE.COM

314-772-0700

daniel puma St. Louis, Writer Daniel was very fortunate to grow up eating good food.

As a child, he would throw temper tantrums if he was given a kids’ menu. He wasn’t interested in chicken fingers, grilled cheese or hot dogs – not that those things aren’t delicious in their own right. Instead, he wanted escargot, chicharrones and ciopino. Luckily, he married someone who is just as adventurous in food as he. They moved to St. Louis in August 2015, and have since been traversing the city looking for delicious culinary experiences. She keeps Daniel from going overboard while he pushes her to epicurean extremes.

He is just as happy eating at five-star restaurants as hole-in-the-wall institutions; he’ll take a delicious bowl of pho as fast as he’ll take a prime rib eye. Every social class in every culture has delicious food. He aims to not only experience them all, but also share those experiences with anyone who will listen.

christopher smith Kansas City, Photographer The bulk of Christopher Smith’s career has been spent as a photojournalist and multimedia producer covering news, sports and intimate documentary stories across the country and globe. His work has appeared in publications around the world. The more he covered as a journalist, the more he found that he gravitated to those assignments where he was in his subjects’ homes personal spaces. It became clear that regardless of a subject’s culture or background, religion or ethnicity, so many social, religious and family situations centered around food and drink.

There are few things as universal as a shared meal.

He now treasures those assignments that are as much about food as they are a very focused way to tell the story of a culture. He prefers to approach his food assignments as a journalist by letting the environment and setting help tell the visual story.

Inspired Local Food Culture

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FeAst eVeNts

publisher’s letter

they say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and judging by the content in this month’s issue, I’d say they’re right.

We’ve focused in on people who are working to make our mornings more delicious, and as you feast on this, our Breakfast Issue, I hope you’re as taken with the stories as I am.

In my house, coffee always comes first. Like many of you, Recently I traveled to El Salvador with Kaldi’s to produce an episode of I can’t start my day without a Feast TV for our 2016 season, set to debut this April. (Left to right, Brett piping hot mug of java, and on Markwort, Frank McGinty, me, Tyler Zimmer, Tony Auger, Rene Cornejo) p. 76, digital editor Heather Riske explores the history of our local coffee industry, from 19th-century women roasting and crushing their own at home to today’s refined approach of coaxing as much nuance as possible from high-quality beans.

And, for those of you who like a little cream with your coffee, Ettie Berneking brings you down to a farm and creamery in Mountain Grove, Missouri, where cows fed on forage sorghum, rye and wheat produce naturally sweet milk that’s sought after by high-end coffee shops and milk-lovers alike. Ozark Mountain Creamery processes its milk low and slow, and the result is a thriving business and very happy customers. Find its sweet story on p. 62.

Two other breakfast staples round out this month’s coverage: maple syrup and bagels, both of which are foods that seem to be ubiquitous until you try to find the good stuff. In southern Illinois, the Funk family is continuing a multigeneration tradition of tapping the trees in its sugar bush to produce maple cream, maple sugar, maple candy and, of course, incredibly good maple sirup (for Mallory Gnaegy’s story on the seemingly odd spelling, turn to p. 68). And bagels… anyone who loves a good bagel – one that’s been long-fermented, boiled and then baked – will tell you that it’s hard to come by around here. A couple in Springfield, Missouri, is making organic bagels by hand the right way, and Ren Bishop brings you their success story on p. 56.

stl

Wed., Jan. 6 through Sat., Feb. 6; Soulard; stlmardigras.org/events

Kick off Mardi Gras with a series of events in St. Louis’ Soulard neighborhood, including a family winter carnival; a wine, beer and whiskey tasting; a Cajun cook-off; the Southern Comfort Taste of Soulard; the Beggin’ Pet Parade; and the Mayor’s Mardi Gras Ball. stl

Dishing it up with Chef ethan stowell Fri., Feb. 12, 7 to 9pm; The Mildred E. Bastian Centre for the Performing Arts, St. Louis Community College - Forest Park Campus; $35; stlcc.edu/foundation/ events/dishing-it-up.html

Enjoy an evening with 2013 Food & Wine “Best New Chef All-Star,” author, restaurateur and chef Ethan Stowell featuring a “mystery ingredient” cooking demonstration and interview with chef Stowell, followed by a dessert reception. stl

Dessert First Thu., Feb. 25, 6 to 9pm; Chase Park Plaza; $150

Watch as local chefs transform famous Girl Scout Cookies into decadent desserts.

During cocktail hour, with the help of special guest judges, all attendees vote for their favorite dessert. stl

Wall ball Sat., Feb. 27, 7 to 11pm; Majorette; $35 to $60; artscopestl.org/wallball

This live art extravaganza highlights the creative process of top artists in the St. Louis area and benefits Artscope. While the featured artists, including Julie Malone, Jeff Kapfer and Eugenia Alexander, create their works live, patrons bid on the works in progress in a unique silent auction format, all while enjoying a dazzling party.

KC

the heartland table Tue., March 15, 5 to 9pm; Tom’s Town Distillery; $56; brownpapertickets.com/event/2462936

stl

KC

Enjoy a remarkable evening of art for food, food as art and the finest of Kansas City’s bounty, regional beers and artisan spirits. The Heartland Table is a showcase and sale of pots from many of the Midwest’s finest potters producing tableware. Along with cooking demonstrations featuring Cook on Clay flameware pots, guests will enjoy a tasting menu created by six Kansas City chefs, paired with artisan spirits and local beer.

Waldo Week Sat., Feb. 27 through Fri., March 4; Waldo neighborhood

This first-ever event is a weeklong celebration of one of the oldest neighborhoods in the Kansas City area. Shop, dine and patronize Waldo businesses and enjoy 25 percent off at participating merchants. stl

schnucks Cooks: eggs Florentina Wed., Feb. 24, 6 to 9pm; Schnucks Cooks Cooking School; $40; schnuckscooks.com or 314.909.1704

Join us in the kitchen and learn how to make mixed greens salad, eggs Florentina, beignets and maple crème brûlée. In this class you’ll learn to make homemade English muffins and perfectly poached eggs. Plus, you’ll prepare a classic French dessert to finish off the meal with European flair.

So pour yourself a cup of coffee, schmear some cream cheese on an everything bagel and dive into this very fun and quite delicious issue. I think you’ll agree with the dietary pundits that breakfast deserves the spotlight.

Until next time,

st. louis Mardi Gras

stl

Cat’s picks Wednesdays, 8:35am; The BIG 550 KTRS

Tune in as Feast publisher Catherine Neville chats with host McGraw Milhaven and gives her weekly picks for the best places to eat and drink in the St. Louis area.

Catherine Neville publisher@feastmagazine.com

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F E B R U A R Y 2016

@cat_neville

@cat_neville

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Special Prefix Valentine dinner on Saturday, February 13th and Sunday, February 14th Lunch: Tues-Fri - dinner: Tues-Sun - Sunday Brunch Happy Hour: Tues-Fri Visit ayasofiacuisine.com for reservations.

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thepost-dispatchstore.com 1-877-POST-STL (1-877-767-8785) MONDAY - FRIDAY 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Inspired Local Food Culture

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DIGITAL CONTENT

hungry for more?

feastmagazine.com

connect with us daily:

The Feed: sTL

PHOTOGRAPHy By MABeL Suen

Midtown Sushi opened in St. Louis in January, serving a whole lot more than its namesake. The new lunch and dinner spot features pork gyoza, spicy chicken karaage and ramen.

Facebook. Get a sneak peek of upcoming restaurants (like Porano Pasta in St. Louis) at facebook.com/feastmag.

TWITTeR. Follow @feastmag to see where we’re

dining across the region (like Rooster and the Hen and The Antler Room’s pop-up in Kansas City).

PHOTOGRAPHy By CHeRyL WALLeR PHOTOGRAPHy By j. POLLACK PHOTOGRAPHy

PHOTOGRAPHy By eTTie BeRneKinG

PInTeResT. Find tasty breakfast recipes (like this buttery, flaky cheese quiche) on our Breakfast and Brunch board at pinterest.com/feastmag.

The Feed: mId-mo Springfield, Missouri, has a new restaurant – but you’ll need to look hard to find it. Chef Doug Starks is serving up fusion soul food at Blue Bulldog, his new pop-up restaurant inside Jalene’s Bar & Grill.

Feast is thrilled to sponsor the first-ever Waldo Week from Feb. 27 through March 4. Participating merchants in Kansas City’s Waldo neighborhood, from Gregory Boulevard to 85th Street and Holmes Road to State Line, are rolling out the red carpet for neighbors and visitors alike for one whole week and extending a special 25 percent off on merchandise and services. Find more details at feastmagazine.com/events.

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f e b r u a r y 2016

InsTagRam. Hashtag your local food-and-drink photos with #feastgram for a chance to see them in Feast! Details on p. 82.

Watch our videos and Feast TV.

youtube.com/FeastMagazine

new

..

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Valentine' s Day Shows 2:00pm & 7:00pm Interactive Comedy Murder Mystery

Come see the HONEYMOONERS as you' ve never seen them before, Norton, Alice and Trixie are supporting Ralph for his bid to become the Grand Poo Pah of his Racoon Lodge. The competition gets tough when Chester Field, Dorian Buffett, Bill Crates and Donald Crump are all possible Poo Pah’s, too. Someone has the inside track to becoming the Grand Poo Pah, until he is found MURDERED! Help Ralph and Norton track down the killer while you enjoy a 4-course meal to DIE for! Who knows? The killer might even be YOU! Call for reservations today at 314-533-9830 Bring this ad in for $10 off per person Valid through February 2016 Not valid for groups Not valid on Valentine' s Day

4426 Randall Place • St. Louis • 314.533.9830 • bissellmansion.com Inspired Local Food Culture

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FEAST TV

TV

PHoTogRaPHy By eMILy Suzanne MCdonaLd

Over the past month, we’ve traveled to food-and-drink establishments across the state, including a family-owned dim sum restaurant, an iconic college-town pizzeria and a renowned bean-to-bar chocolate producer. Stay tuned for the new season of Feast TV, debuting in April.

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

WhOLe FOOdS MArket

L’ écOLe cuLinAire

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

the rAphAeL hOteL

Pick up recipes and ingredients from Feast TV at Brentwood and Town and Country locations of Whole Foods Market in the St. Louis area.

In St. Louis and Kansas City, L’École Culinaire offers high-quality culinary education from basic culinary skills to careers in management.

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

g n i n n i g e B in April

WATCH FEAST ON THESE NETWORKS

In St. Louis, tune into the Nine Network (Channel 9) or visit ninenet.org to watch Feast TV.

The all-inclusive Paradisus Palma Real Golf & Spa Resort in Punta Cana is located on idyllic Bavaro Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The natural beauty of the setting, the stunning tropical gardens, mangroves and golf course, and a climate of eternal summer year-round unite with a passion for service in this luxurious Caribbean hotel.

Allow Paradisus Palma Real to offer you magical moments and unforgettable experiences.

Enjoy a true gourmet culinary experience with 24-hour room service, thirteen dining venues offering an extraordinary variety of international dishes, and twelve bars serving premium-brand beverages. It’s all included for one affordable package price with Apple Vacations-even non-stop airfare from St. Louis to Punta Cana on exclusive vacation flights.

Visit the ‘Passion by Martín Berasategui’ Restaurant, run by one of the world’s finest chefs, winner of 7 Michelin stars, and enjoy the sophisticated à la carte menu.

In Kansas City, watch Feast TV on KCPT (Channel 19) or at kcpt.org.

The Apple Advantage #1 to Mexico & Dominican Republic Worldwide Apple Vacations Resort Representatives in Resort Airport/Hotel Transfers always included

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You can watch Feast TV throughout mid-Missouri on KMOS (Channel 6) or at kmos.org.

Feast TV will air in the southern Illinois region on WSIU (Channel 8) or at wsiu.org.

Contact your travel agent today!

Inspired Local Food Culture

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sea truth where it matters Do you wonder where you can buy seafood that really is what the retailer says it is?

HOW TO ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF BonafIDcatch® MEMBERSHIP Go to the retailer landing spot at www.

BonafIDcatch.com and join online or call toll free at 1-844-557-1424. In addition to 4-6 yearly DNA barcoding tests, listing on the Location Finder, participation in BonafIDcatch® promotions, and exclusive social media promotion, other member benefits include exclusive coupon promotions, free DNA barcoding of supplier product, and free mention on the BonafIDcatch® home page for one week.

Charles Murphree and Dr. Joan Stader first became aware of the problem of seafood fraud two years ago. They were putting together a proposal for NOAA for the development of a handheld DNA barcoding instrument that the agency could use to detect seafood fraud at sea. Dr. Stader, a trained expert in molecular genetics, was quick to recognize that using the unique genetic identity of the various species of fish could be the key to helping consumers have confidence in the seafood they buy. So often we see articles in the news that make consumers want to avoid seafood altogether such as:  Mislabeled fish a national problem: Tests show a third of samples from 21 states to be fraudulent — Boston Globe  NPR Claims Pig Rectum is a suitable substitute for calamari in a pinch — Dallas Observer  Asian Seafood Raised on Pig Feces Approved for U.S. — Bloomberg Markets

Prior to launching the business last year, Murphree and Stader did their own study of the mislabeling of seafood in the in Saint Louis metropolitan area and found that out of 45 businesses tested (restaurants and grocery stores), 33% of the seafood is mislabeled and in sushi restaurants, the rate is 67%—so the consumers in Saint Louis need a place to find out where they can confidently buy seafood.

Randy Saltzman, a BonafIDcatch® sales representative, visits a member retail fish market, Bob’s Seafood, located at 8660 Olive Boulevard in Saint Louis.

At BonafIDcatch® our mission is to help strengthen the relationship between seafood retailers and their customers by letting the customer know that the retailer has confidence in the integrity of his product. How does it work? The retailer becomes a BonafIDcatch® member and then his product is sampled (unannounced) and tested several times a year. Members whose product pass all the tests are listed on the BonafIDcatch® Location Finder which can be accessed on the consumer’s smart phone or computer (www.BonafIDcatch.com).

Do you wonder where you can buy seafood that really is what the retailer says it is? Look for the window sticker that says BonafIDcatch®. If your retailer does not have one, ask him “Why not?”

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Jennifer Beidle and Charles Murphree look on while Chef Ivy Macgruder of Panorama demonstrates to Randi Naughton of FOX Channel 2 News how easily one fish can be mistaken for another and Dr. Joan Stader describes how BonafIDcatch® allows for transparency between the restaurant and customer.

on trend

make toast with the most on p. 16 photography by landon vonderschmidt

TRENdINg NOw: ARTISAN TOAST

on trend

wRiTTen by beThany chRisTO phOTOgRaphy by LanDOn VOnDeRschMiDT

Artisan toast has become the bread and butter of many restaurants, with thick slices of locally baked bread stacked with creative sweet and savory toppings, proving toast can be a hearty entrée, healthy brunch dish or a filling snack. kc

smørrebrød

milk & toast

practice of having a break with one’s colleagues, friends or family. Smørrebrød is a big part of it; the open-faced sandwiches hold as many as 20 toppings. when opening her nordic Kansas city restaurant, Krokstrom Klubb & Market, last month, chef-owner Katee McLean knew the culture associated with the dish was a perfect addition to her menu, which is filled with the scandinavian fare she grew up eating. her nine smørrebrød options are a combination of dainty handheld sandwiches or traditional, heartier options. Try the housemade gravlax, with beet-cured salmon soaked in aquavit, horseradish marmalade and celery leaf on crisp knäckebröd.

ST. LOUIS. The team behind st. Louis’ Milque Toast Bar knew the concept would click with consumers; its creative chef-owners see its sweet and savory toasts and housemade milks as a platform that lends itself to so much more. The toasts range from simple to spiffy, like cinnamon-sugar and more imaginative offerings such as the seasonal Just beet it (beets, blue cheese, mushrooms, green tomatoes and watercress). The café sources bread from a range of local bakeries for sourdough, rugbrød, brioche and rye to toast-adjacent flatbread and naan. On the weekends, Milque Toast also sells platters of rotating smørrebrød.

Krokstrom Klubb & Market, 3601 Broadway Blvd., Midtown, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.289.4482, klubbkrokstrom.com

milque Toast Bar, 2212 S. Jefferson Ave., mckinley heights, St. Louis, missouri, 314.833.0085, milquetoastbar.org

kANSAS cITY. in scandinavian culture, fika is the social

Toast Skagen Recipe by KaTee McLean, chef-OwneR, KROKsTROM KLubb & MaRKeT

Serves | 4 | PIckLEd ShRImP

1 1⁄3 2 1 1 ¾

quart water cup sugar pinch sea salt Tbsp apple cider vinegar Tbsp pickling spice lemon, quartered lb raw shrimp (21/25 count), peeled

ShRImP SALAd ANd dRESSINg

½ 1 2 ½ 1

1 4 ½ 2

Tbsp roughly chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish Tbsp finely minced sweet yellow onion Tbsp fresh mayonnaise Tbsp sour cream tsp Dijon mustard zest and juice of 1 lemon pickled shrimp (recipe below) pinch fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Tbsp butter (to serve) slices dark rye bread (to serve) cup petite field greens or arugula (to serve) oz whitefish roe (or another roe) (for garnish) lemon slice (for garnish)

| Preparation – Pickled Shrimp | in a saucepot, bring water, sugar, salt, vinegar, pickling spice and lemon to a boil. add shrimp and return to simmer. Turn off heat and let sit 10 minutes or until shrimp is cooked. cool shrimp for 1 hour.

| Preparation – Shrimp Salad and Dressing | in a bowl, mix dill, onion, mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon and lemon. fold in cooled shrimp and season with salt and pepper. place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. in a skillet, add butter and toast bread until golden brown on each side. in the middle of a plate, layer toast, greens and shrimp salad and garnish with roe and lemon. serve. %PG

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mo

avocado

SPRINgFIELd, mO. There’s no question that avocado

toast is the current darling of instagram. when you order it for brunch at hotel Vandivort’s The Order restaurant in springfield, Missouri, however, it’s likely more elevated than what you make at home. Ripe avocados are mashed with lime juice in a guacamole-ish spread, generously lathered on local sourdough from The artisan’s Oven and topped with a pickled kale-carrot salad and tomato confit. executive chef Zachary white says the combination of textures and flavors makes it truly instagram-worthy. “you don’t have to do anything crazy to elevate it besides letting the flavors shine on their own.”

The Order, 305 E. Walnut St., Springfield, Missouri, 417.832.1515, theordersgf.com ONLINE EXTRA Visit feastmagazine.com for The Order’s avocado toast recipe.

one on one

kc

bob shin

owner, bob wasabi kitchen

brunch | dinner | happy hour | private events

Written By April Fleming

KANSAS CITY. Bob Shin

photography by william hess

left South Korea nearly 40 years ago and has since lived all over the country, from California to new york and, most recently, Hawaii, where he helped a friend open a high-quality sushi restaurant. in 2015, Shin set his sights on opening his own restaurant, one in which he could at last realize his dream of working alongside his family and stepping into the role of chef-owner. Bob Wasabi Kitchen, a classic and minimalist sushi spot in Kansas City’s Volker neighborhood, opened this past november. (the name comes from a nickname a customer once bestowed upon Shin.) Since then, Shin’s reputation for meticulously sourcing only the highest-quality fish and preparing it simply and elegantly only continues to grow.

What made you decide to open your restaurant in Kansas City? We’ve been to Kansas City before, working at the Kobe Japanese Steak & Seafood Downtown. i like it here. i know this area. [the new restaurant is] a good size, not overwhelming for a family. So we are here trying to make the best sushi with the best fish. A big part ofyour business is how carefully you select your product. Why? i have 40 years [of] know-how with sushi handling and safety. Fish is very important here, as almost 95 percent is not cooked. most fish i buy fresh from Seattle, Chicago – all over. A lot of us restaurant-owners in the area are using the same seafood vendors, but i use my experience to select the best. i can tell, from the moment i cut it open, what kind of water a tuna has been in, and i’m not afraid to send it back if it’s not up to my standards. Why source from so many places? We source the highest-quality fish in small quantities on a daily basis because of our volume and commitment to freshness. Seattle is the only place where you can get geoduck (large saltwater clams). A lot of great fish comes from Alaska, including salmon. Our Chicago vendor buys from Scotland and Canada. We just choose what is freshest and tastes best. the [curing] i do in-house, like our monkfish liver and salmon. most restaurants don’t have time to do that – they just go ahead and cut it. We make it tastier and have more safety by cleaning, [curing] with salt or deep-freezing it with ice. Why is freshness so important?

Ours is a classic, original style. no. 1, fresh. no. 2 is fresh. no. 3 is fresh. Fish has a due date – it will start to smell, and it will start to go bad. you can feel it in the texture. Some chefs put the fish in salt water to remove the smell, but then that takes all of the good flavor out. taste is most important.

make your reservation today 636 277 0202 | 1520 S. 5th Street, St. Charles, MO

prasinostcharles.com

Bob Wasabi Kitchen, 1726 W. 39th St., Volker, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.753.5797, bobwasabikitchen39.com

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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.

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801 fish Story and photography By MaBel Suen

CLAYTON, MO. at 801 Fish, the chefs

work with more than a dozen different seaside distributors to fulfill its “dock-to-door” belief. the new upscale Clayton, Missouri, restaurant features everything from finfish to crustaceans,

and each item offered on the menu is flown in from the coast within 24 hours of being cut. located directly across the street from its sister restaurant, 801 Chophouse, 801 Fish carries on the des Moines-based 801 restaurant group’s simple yet refined culinary philosophy. this is the group’s second 801 Fish after opening its first in Kansas City. a popular offering, the lobster roll, features Maine lobster on a buttered

black sheep burgers & shakes SPRINGFIELD, MO. For someone who practices yoga seven days a week and practically

lives off chia seeds, vegetables and water, Mike Jalili makes a mean burger. (he admits to tasting bites every day since opening the burger joint.) this has been a dream of his for years, and in november, Jalili, along with his brother billy and sister-in-law Sara, opened Black Sheep Burgers & Shakes in downtown Springfield, Missouri. but black Sheep is more than greasy burgers – these beefy patties are a true indulgence. there are 11 burgers, including one quinoa burger and a chicken breast sandwich, and the range of flavors is impressive. the Cowboy Carl, comes with a house-ground beef patty topped with slow-roasted smoked brisket, briny pickles, candied bacon, white Cheddar cheese, barbecue sauce and spicy fried onions. this towering behemoth is nearly 6

mo

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brioche bun with old Bay-dusted fries and an apple-fennel slaw. From the raw bar, choose from options like the meaty, signature grilled oysters, which are prepared right from the ice once ordered with a choice of pernod butter, uni butter or garlic and parmesan. enjoy the smorgasbord of seafood offerings in environs befitting the bevy of bait – cool blue lights illuminate fiberglass figures and silhouettes of

fish amid dark wood, stainless steel and swirling maritime chandeliers. For some turf to go with the surf, a grilled prime tenderloin and prime burger are also available; to wash it all down, choose from nearly 1,000 labels of wine.

In addition to dinner service, 801 Fish serves lunch Monday through Friday.

801 Fish, 172 Carondelet Plaza, Clayton, Missouri, 314.875.9636, 801fish.com

Story and PhotograPhy by EttiE bErnEking

inches tall and takes some skill to eat. there are boozy shakes, blended with andy’s Frozen Custard, and fries, including sweet-potato fries crowned with marshmallow cream and pecans, or smoked fries served with one of three dipping sauces. nearly every menu item has a creative twist; you can see all the action taking place thanks to the open kitchen right behind the bar. “i mean, we’re cooking on top of you,” Jalili says. “but that’s the fun.” Even the black Sheep logo (featuring a sheep deep in the Warrior ii yoga pose) is having a good time thanks to the milkshake in one hoof.

Black Sheep Burgers & Shakes, 209 E. Walnut St., Downtown, Springfield, Missouri, 417.319.5905, blaaacksheep.com

BREAKFAST BRUNCH LUNCH COCKTAILS

4059 BROADWAY, KANSAS CITY, MO 64111 (816)931-4401 THECORNERKC.COM

new winter menus Saturday Brunch, Lunch & Dinner

photography by LanDon VonDersChMiDt

Jumbo Pan-Seared ScalloPS Served with griddled root vegetable hash & wilted greens. dressed with fresh herb pesto “The J” - nestled in the historic crossroads arts district www.TheJacobsonKc.com

featuring daily specials Monday - Friday | Lunch & Dinner Saturday - Sunday | Dinner Only

KC

lucky boys

2061 Zumbehl Rd St. Charles, MO 636•949•9005

www.fratellisristorante.com @FratellisToGo

written by Jenny Vergara

KANSAS CITY. Justin norcross, Dan Myers and Keenan nichols consider themselves lucky. the three partners opened Lucky Boys, a grown-up clubhouse and bar, in Kansas City earlier this year; it’s named after their own real-life hangout where they’d work on their motorcycles, listen to music, have a drink and a bite, and relax. norcross delivers the culinary talent while Myers displays confident bartending skills and the gift of gab; nichols designed its wall décor, logos and menu, and his musical background and soundtrack skills will have you singing along in your seat.

Located in the former grandma’s bar & grill space in the stockyards district of the west bottoms, the small kitchen offers lunch and dinner. norcross says he’s hoping the restaurant can offer something different in the neighborhood: quick, inexpensive meals made with high-quality ingredients with a chef’s approach, as well as a dive bar for local workers to come in for a bite, maybe stay for a drink or two after a shift. you’ll find a solid cast of well drinks with quality booze and working man’s beer on tap; there might be a drink special or two offered, but nothing too fancy. the menu is inspired by the owners’ favorite bar snacks they enjoyed while traveling across north america. norcross’ grandmother lives in Louisville, Kentucky, so in homage to her pronunciation, look for “Lou-vohl” hot chicken, as well as a catfish basket with fries and housemade caper remoulade, Canadian poutine, nashville hot chicken and a juicy patty melt.

Lucky Boys, 1615 Genessee St., West Bottoms, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.442.8131, facebook.com/Lucky-Boys-1659892430924006 Inspired Local Food Culture

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destination: des Moines, iowa

road trip

WRITTEN BY AMY LYNCH

Everything’s better with bacon. The ninth-annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival celebrates the porcine protein at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sat., Feb. 20, where the star ingredient makes appearances in everything from cinnamon rolls to vodka. For more information, visit blueribbonbaconfestival.com.

sleep Hotel Renovo

eat

Crème

local gems

In Urbandale, which borders the western edge of Des Moines, the renovated Hotel Renovo skillfully merges a chic, rustic setting with friendly Midwestern sensibilities. The wraparound porch welcomes guests from the get-go; inside, the upscale-cozy vibe continues with swanky glass walls, balconies and a staircase in the lobby and contemporary farm-themed art, Beekman 1802 amenities and luxurious Carrera marble baths in the guest rooms.

An ideal date-night destination, this sophisticated lounge pairs top-shelf cocktails with desserts for a sweet finale to any meal or as a stand-alone treat. Founder Christina Moffatt, a runner-up on Food Network’s Cupcake Wars, whips up daily batches of gourmet brownies and Instagram-worthy cupcakes in flavors such as Cabernet-fudge, cinnamon-caramel, lemonblueberry and strawberry-Champagne.

Situated a little more than 30 miles east of Des Moines, the home of Maytag Blue Cheese dates back to 1941, and the family-owned operation still uses the same small-batch production techniques today. Why mess with a good thing? If you’re lucky, you might even snag a sample or two.

11167 Hickman road, urbandale, 515.276.1126, hotelrenovo.com

543 28th St., woodland Heights, 515.288.1050, cremecupcake.com PHOTO COurTESy CrÈmE

PHOTO COurTESy HOTEL rENOVO

Maytag Dairy Farms

2282 E. Eighth St. N, Newton, 641.792.1133, maytagdairyfarms.com

Malo You wouldn’t necessarily expect to find innovative Latin cuisine within a renovated art deco firehouse, but that’s exactly what Malo serves up. The original art on the walls is almost as intriguing as the colorful nachos, tamales, tacos, carnitas, mixed-grill carne asada and enchiladas, complemented by classic Margaritas and Mules worthy of sultry Havana herself.

900 mulberry St., Downtown, 515.244.5000, malodesmoines.com PHOTO COurTESy maLO

Americana Restaurant & Lounge Get your brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, when Americana rolls out its Bombshell Brunch Buffet, which includes grilled-cheese and egg-fajita stations, fresh pastries, housemade bread pudding and a potato bar, plus bottomless Bloody Marys and Mimosas.

If you can’t make it in on the weekend, stop by on Mondays for the Winner Winner Chicken Dinner: $13 gets you all the fried chicken, biscuits, white-Cheddar-mashed potatoes, gravy fries and apple slaw you can eat.

Des Lux Hotel Boasting the self-proclaimed largest hotel rooms in town, Des Lux is all about location, location, location. More specifically, a prime Downtown spot within walking distance of the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park, the Science Center of Iowa, the Principal Riverwalk and urban trail loops. The property dates back to 1912, when the state’s power players congregated here at the Des Moines Club. Luckily, the bar scene still shines with fantastic Martinis.

1112 willis ave., Perry, 515.465.3511, hotelpattee.com

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515.512.2781, iowabrewtours.com PHOTO COurTESy iOwa brEw TOurS

Alba Restaurant Fong’s Pizza

Sitting about 45 minutes from Downtown Des Moines and set against a charming backdrop of rural Americana, this boutique hotel houses 40 distinctive guest rooms and suites, each with its own design and décor honoring some of Iowa’s native sons and daughters. A lower-level bowling alley, kids’ movie matinees, a fitness center and spa, live music, bike rentals and trails keep visitors as busy as they choose.

Sample the goods from several craft breweries during a public tour that includes transportation, tastings and lots of local brewing history. Tours wind up at one of the tap rooms, where you can choose one last pint knowing your choice is a bit more well-informed.

1312 Locust St., Downtown, 515.283.1312, americanadsm.com

800 Locust St., Downtown, 515.288.5800, desluxhotel.com

Hotel Pattee

Iowa Brew Tours

Asian-Italian fusion fare reigns at this fun, funky, late-night hotspot. Housed in what used to be Des Moines’ oldest Chinese restaurant, the eatery now draws crowds of loyal “Fongolians” for pizzas in flavors including crab rangoon, Hunan pork and teriyaki beef, washed down with fruity tiki drinks that go by cheeky names like Suffering Bastard, Skull Splitter and Waving Kitty. multiple locations including 223 Fourth St., Downtown, 515.323.3333, fongspizza.com PHOTO COurTESy FONg’S Pizza

Alba Restaurant is nestled within a former auto dealership showroom and garage in Des Moines’ historic East Village, and locals call Monday-night $5 burgers at the bar one of the best deals in town. The rest of the locally sourced, modern American menu is equally impressive. Expect compositions of traditional proteins and wild game alongside seasonal produce. The restaurant’s name references the white oak trees out front, and the wood-paneled doors hanging from the ceiling are a real conversation starter.

524 E. Sixth St., East Village, 515.244.0261, albadsm.com

Gateway Market Gateway Market is part grocery store, part café and part carryout counter. Area food enthusiasts stock their shelves with the market’s natural, organic and specialty products after filling their bellies with delicious burgers, breakfast burritos, tofu banh mi, fish tacos, ramen and more.

2002 woodland ave., Sherman Hill, 515.243.1754, gatewaymarket.com PHOTO COurTESy gaTEway markET

one on one

stl

Make this

jeff allee and bernadette faasen

Special

co-owners, woodsmoke bbq & windowsills pies Written by Valeria turturro Klamm

ELLISVILLE, MO. breakfast and barbecue

don’t usually share real estate on the same menu, but at Woodsmoke BBQ & Windowsills Pies in ellisville, missouri, it’s a match made in hog heaven. last summer, co-owners Jeff allee and bernadette Faasen added breakfast items to theirrestaurant’s lunch and dinner fare. tucked into a strip mall but boasting homey, country-café décor, Woodsmoke bbQ draws in customers on Saturday and Sunday mornings with a menu of barbecue-filled breakfast sandwiches, belgian waffles, and biscuit and waffle platters. Popular orders include the Chicken and a biscuit, with signature “smokeyfried” chicken breast, bacon, Cheddar cheese and housemade sausage gravy, as well as allee and Faasen’s recommendation: the Chicken & Waffle, with smokey fried chicken breast on a homemade belgian waffle with maple syrup. to appease the strictly sweet breakfast fan, other belgian waffle dishes incorporate fresh fruit and can be paired with Clementine’s naughty and nice Creamery ice cream.

photography by natalie hinds

Why did you decide to venture into a breakfast menu? because of our location, people would tell us, “you guys should do breakfast,” but we didn’t contemplate it as a serious option at first. We thought, what could we do to have breakfast, but have it be different? We went with our strength, which is barbecue. –Jeff Allee What makes your menu unique? We came up with a from-scratch buttermilk biscuit for breakfast sandwiches. We also have belgian waffles, which are more heritage items because my family is from belgium. We’re becoming known for the ellisville waffle with fresh strawberries, bananas, toasted coconut, chopped pecans and manjar blanco sauce. –Bernadette Faasen Tell us about your “smokeyfried” chicken. We smoke our chicken, bread it in a special way and then quickly flash-fry it. –B.F. you don’t get the smoke when you first bite into it – you get the breading on the outside, then you go deeper in the chicken. the smoke is like the aftertaste. you truly have never had chicken like this anywhere. it’s really neat to watch people eat it for the first time. –J.A. What has the response been to your breakfast so far? We have a car dealership around the corner from us whose sales team orders Chicken and a biscuit every Saturday morning. and then they’ve come in for lunch now to get carryout, which is kind of backward from what would normally happen because we’re a barbecue place, but it’s been nice to see that. –J.A. Woodsmoke BBQ & Windowsills Pies, 1326 Clarkson/ Clayton Center, Ellisville, Missouri, 636.527.6400, bbqwoodsmoke.com

Gift Cards Available!

By Celebrating with us!

$20 Moonlight Delight Steak, ServeD with four breaDeD ShriMp, one SiDe anD SalaD. No reservations. First Come First Serve. Dine in Only.

Conveniently located in Kirkwood Dinner Hours: Tues.-Sun. 5 p.m.

3400 Fosterburg Road Alton, IL 618.462-4620 castellis255.com

133 West Clinton Place St. Louis, MO 63122 314-965-9005 www.citizenkanes.com

MAKE YOUR VALENTINE’S DAY CARD A KEY. Join us at 400 Olive Restaurant for an unforgettable evening. Chef Trent has prepared a special menu for you and your significant other. Come and enjoy a 5 Course Prix Fix menu from 5pm-10pm for $50 p/person. Wine pairings are also available for $65 p/person. For more information, please visit stlouisdowntown.hilton.com to view the menu or visit opentable.com.

Reservations are required.

For reservations visit opentable.com/400Olive or call 314-554-7098.

400 Olive St. | Saint Louis | MO 63102 | USA ©2014 Hilton Worldwide

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Fall and Winter: venison

IN SEASON

Written by nancy StileS PhotograPhy by aaron ottiS

Venison – usually deer, but also elk, antelope and bison – can be more than jerky. Hunting season in Missouri lasts until the end of December; by February venison has been processed and dry-aged – and this winter, chefs are giving it new life.

KC

nose to tail

stl

classic

mo

meatballs

doesn’t just cook venison; he dry-ages it for two weeks at his meat processor and uses every bone, rib and cut of meat. back in July, he took half a prairie-raised bison from Westmoreland, Kansas, and barbecued it in different styles including Kansas city and Polynesian. it sold out within 10 days. “it’s a real skill to use the whole animal in the proper time and with the proper recipes for different cuts,” heuser says. “this is something that’s going away – nowadays [chefs] are buying precut steaks. you’re losing the skill of how to debone an animal, how to age it properly, how to marinate it.” this month, look for consommé with housemade pasta filled with elk meat, a lunch elk stew with lingonberry sauce over butter spätzle, elk ravioli, bone-in elk prime rib with a blackberry gastrique, elk brats and more using elk raised just north of Macon, Missouri. he also showcased bison during Kansas city restaurant Week last month to put the focus on local, farm-raised meats done in a continental style. “i’ve used four whole bisons and two whole elk so far,” heuser says, “and it’s been very successful.”

university city, mo. Randolfi’s Italian Kitchen chef-owner Mike randolph is known for reinventing the classics. this month, he’s putting two winter staples in a simply prepared but balanced dish. “it’s a simple dish with two ingredients: venison and beet,” randolph says. “the beet is roasted in our oven and puréed with sherry for a nice balance of sweet and acidic; beets are also served roasted, pickled with clove and star anise, and shaved raw, with beet greens used as garnish. the venison is simply seasoned with salt and pepper and roasted in our oven to rare or medium-rare.” randolph maintains that although venison definitely has a unique flavor, it’s only gamey or liver-tasting if it’s not prepared properly. the key, he says, is simple: Don’t overcook it. “it’s a simple protein, which if done well, can open people’s eyes,” randolph says. “that’s what we’re trying to do at randolfi’s. it’s a step back into the old-school days of the ‘50s and ‘60s, where hospitality and well-executed food was expected. a guest might not be familiar with venison, but we hope the simplicity of ingredients and [customers’] ability to trust our food will encourage them to try something new.”

arroW rocK, mo. a lot of people hunt deer in the area surrounding arrow rock, Missouri (population 56), but chef-owner liz huff-Kennon of Catalpa says not many are familiar with venison. “People kind of turn up their noses and say, ‘oh, i don’t like deer,’” she says. “because maybe they had deer [from] somebody they knew who went hunting, and it was gamey. but if you can talk people into trying it, they like it.” huff-Kennon is doing entrées for February with both deer and elk meatballs. “one is going to be a deer and pesto meatball: deer meat prepared with columbia, Missouri’s logboat brewing co.’s Mamoot english Mild ale, fresh lemon zest and tangerine zest with beer-braised onions, garlic and fresh basil pesto,” she says. “the second one is elk and dried cherries, fresh herbs, sautéed red onion and roasted garlic.” huff-Kennon says the key to keeping venison from tasting too gamey is citrus zest. “i don’t want somebody to bite into elk or venison or antelope and say, ‘oh that tastes like elk!’” she says. “i want them to bite into it and say, ‘oh, it’s a little bit of ginger; there’s some orange there; it’s so savory and nice. i want them to have all the flavors together in their mind and say, ‘Wow, that was elk. i think i like elk now!’”

Affäre, 1911 Main St., Crossroads Arts District, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.298.6182, affarekc.com

Randolfi’s Italian Kitchen, 6665 Delmar Blvd., University City, Missouri, 314.899.9221, randolfis.com

Catalpa, 503 High St., Arrow Rock, Missouri, 660.837.3324, catalparestaurant.com

Kansas city. Affäre chef-owner Martin heuser

recipe courtesy Liz huff-Kennon, cataLpa

Serves | 4 | RoasTed GaRliC

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cloves garlic olive oil, plus more for searing apples and browning meatballs kosher salt

CiTRUs-HeRB CHUTney

4 1 1 1

1 ½

Gala apples, cut into 1-inch pieces medium yellow onion, roughly chopped kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Tbsp chopped fresh sage Tbsp chopped fresh thyme or oregano zest of 2 oranges cup dried cherries cup triple sec or other orange liqueur

elk, dRied CHeRRy and RoasTed GaRliC MeaTBalls

½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 ½

cup heavy whipping cream cup plain panko bread crumbs lb ground elk (antelope or deer will also work) roasted garlic (recipe below) small red onion, minced Tbsp chopped fresh sage Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary Tbsp chopped fresh thyme or oregano egg cup chopped dried cherries stick softened butter tsp kosher salt tsp freshly ground black pepper tsp crushed red pepper flakes zest of 2 oranges can Logboat Brewing co. Lookout APA cup melted unsalted butter (to serve)

| Preparation – Roasted Garlic | preheat oven to 350°f. place garlic cloves on a sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. fold cloves up in foil like a package. place directly on oven rack and roast for 40 minutes or until cloves are golden brown and soft. remove from oven and set aside.

| Preparation – citrus-Herb chutney | heat a large sauté pan on high heat. once pan is hot, coat bottom with olive oil and add apples; top with onion and sprinkle with salt and pepper. refrain from touching pan for about a minute to allow apples to caramelize, then toss every few seconds until apples are getting soft but not mushy. add chopped herbs, orange zest, dried cherries and triple sec and toss to mix. remove from heat and set aside in pan.

| Preparation – Elk, Dried cherry and Roasted Garlic

meatballs | in a small bowl, mix cream and bread crumbs

and soak for 10 minutes. in a large bowl, mix soaked bread crumbs with all remaining ingredients except beer and butter, crumbling bread crumbs with fingers, and combine well with hands. chill in freezer for 30 minutes. remove meat mixture from freezer and roll about 20 meatballs. place on a large sheet pan. on medium heat, heat a large skillet with a ¼-inch layer of olive oil. add meatballs to skillet and brown on all sides. add beer and simmer, uncovered, until meatballs are cooked through, 6 minutes. remove from heat but leave meatballs in liquid in order to reheat when ready to serve.

adam guy

president, upper crust food service Written By Bethany Christo

COLUMBIA, MO. as you look around the

restaurant, all the signs of a Parisian courtyard, perfect for dining al fresco, are there: a 10-by-12-foot tree hanging over the hostess stand, a blue sky above, bustling streetscape scenes around you, street signs popping up from the ground. in front of you is elegant French comfort food, paired with bubbly Champagne cocktails and gorgeous desserts. Down the way is an opulent Gatsby-esque ballroom with parquet flooring, bright chandeliers, Chiavari chairs around spotlighted tables, brass fixtures and a server with a tray of Champagne flutes greeting you at the door. you’re not in Paris – you’re in Columbia, Missouri, at French café Brasserie, and its adjoining event space, The Champagne Ballroom, which both celebrated soft openings last month. adam Guy is the owner and president of Upper Crust Food service, which also operates Umbria rustic italian, longtime Columbia bakery the Upper Crust and two other event centers, the elm street Ballroom and Cherry hill event Center. the Upper Crust got a shiny new kitchen as part of the facility, which, besides preparing all of the food for both spaces and serving as a carryout counter for Brasserie’s desserts and breads, also added new and expanded offerings.

Why did you think a French restaurant would fit in Columbia? there are a lot of great restaurants in Columbia, and a lot of them have been around for a long time. the challenge with opening a new restaurant here is trying to get on that list of top five, 10 restaurants that people visiting go to, locals go to and people bring their friends. in my opinion, the way to do that is to bring a dining experience to Columbia that people can’t already get at one of these existing restaurants. at Brasserie, we wanted to create an environment that takes you away for a couple hours. We’re hoping that there are people who have traveled on vacations of a lifetime to Paris and can now recreate some of those memories here. What are Brasserie’s signature menu items? one of the things i’m most excited about is the seafood raw bar with three different-sized plateaus. you can order a single iced bowl for two, or an order for four comes to the table as a two-tiered tower. the Grand Plateau serves a table of eight with a three-tiered raw seafood tower. We have a classic French entrée section [of the menu], but then a second entrée section is all steak frites, with multiple cuts of beef – filet [mignon], strip steak – all served with hand-cut bistro frites. We’ll also have the Brasserie burger – a really kicked-up burger that you can’t get at your regular bar and grill.

Desserts are what we do best, and they pair really well with our Champagne-focused bar menu, plus Champagne cocktails, beer and great French wines. the word brasserie can also be translated to brewery in French, so we feature Columbia and regional beers as a nod to that. What can people expect at The Champagne Ballroom? We have a signature Champagne greeting with all of our events – when you walk in the door, servers with trays of Champagne glasses for guests set the tone of what to expect. events where people are looking for upscale elegance and looking to impress their guests will be really popular in the Champagne Ballroom. you don’t have to decorate very much – it’s like if you walk into an old Parisian ballroom, you wouldn’t want or have to do much to create an aesthetic – and that’s what we’re going for. How has The Upper Crust changed? Before, we didn’t have a hood system; we had very old equipment and spotty air conditioning, and we couldn’t plug in any additional appliances without blowing the power in the whole building. now, we have a brand new brick oven to pull off the artisan bread we’ve always been wanting to sell. We’ve added new items to our pastry program, as well, and we’re going to be adding a daily croissant donut, which is a trend nationwide but not really available in Columbia. We’re taking our scratch croissant dough, frying it and adding cinnamon and sugar or a filling.

photography by aaron ottis

| Preparation – To Serve | reheat meatballs in liquid and citrus-herb chutney in its pan. to serve, transfer chutney to plates and top with meatballs. Drizzle a little melted butter over the top. serve.

one on one como

photography by aaron ottis

Elk, Dried Cherry and Roasted Garlic Meatballs with Citrus-Herb Chutney

Brasserie and The Champagne Ballroom, 3919 S. Providence Road, Columbia, Missouri, 573.874.3033, brasserieuc.com

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Regional RestauRant guide As proud supporters of Feast Magazine, we encourage you to visit any of these fine establishments. From fine dining to fast casual to local wineries, there are an array of experiences to choose from, so support and eat local!

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

400 Olive

400 Olive St. St. Louis, MO 314.436.0002 400olive.com

Gallagher’s Restaurant

Prasino

Cellar House Wine + Food

Genghis Khan

Sanctuaria

Seoul Taco

3400 Fosterburg Road Alton, IL 618.462.4620 castellis255.com

6039 Telegraph Road Oakville, MO 314.846.5100 bottlecellars.com

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

3906 Bell St. Kansas City, MO 816.753.3600 gkbbq.com

1809 W. 39th St. Kansas City, MO 816.753.6661 annasoven.com

119 S. Main St. Columbia, IL 618.281.8117 chateaulavin.com

Chateau La Vin

Hendricks BBQ

Aunt Maggie’s

Chaz on the Plaza at the Raphael Hotel

Huddle Bar & Grill

Anna’s Oven

1200 S. Main St. St. Charles, MO 636.724.8600 hendricksbbq.com

1520 S. 5th St. St. Charles, MO 636.277.0202 prasinostcharles.com

4198 Manchester Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.535.9700 sanctuariastl.com

6665 Delmar Blvd. | St. Louis, MO 1020 E. Broadway | Columbia, MO 314.863.1148 | 573.441.8226 seoultaco.com

Shrine Restaurant

1101 Caseyville Road Caseyville, IL 618.855.8555

442 S. Demazenod Drive Belleville, IL 618.394.6237 snows.org

Citizen Kane’s Steak House

Joe Boccardi’s

Stone Hill Winery Vintage Restaurant

Bella Vino Wine Bar & Tapas

Cleveland-Heath

King & I

Bissell Mansion Restaurant & Dinner Theatre

Corner Restaurant

Lucas Park Grille

The Jacobson

Café Eau at Chase Park Plaza

Diablito’s

Mai Lee

Tiny’s Pub & Grill

Café Sebastienne at Kemper Museum

Evangeline’s Bistro

Olympia Kebob House and Taverna

Trattoria Giuseppe

Café Ventana

Fratelli’s Ristorante

Patrick’s Westport Grill

Truffles and Butchery

230 N. Main St. Columbia, IL 618.281.7894 auntmaggiesonmain.com

Aya Sofia

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

325 S. Main St. St. Charles, MO 636.724.3434 bellavinowinebarstl.com

4426 Randall Place St. Louis, MO 314.533.9830 bissellmansiontheatre.com

212 Kingshighway Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 314.454.9000 chaseparkplaza.com/dining

4420 Warwick Blvd.

Kansas City, MO 816.561.7740 kemperart.org

3919 W. Pine Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 314.531.7500 cafeventana.com 24

Castelli’s Restaurant at 255

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325 Ward Parkway Kansas City, MO 816.802.2152 raphaelkc.com

133 W. Clinton Place Kirkwood, MO 314.965.9005 citizenkanes.com

106 N. Main St. Edwardsville, IL 618.307.4830 clevelandheath.com

4059 Broadway Kansas City, MO 816.931.4401 thecornerkc.com

3761 Laclede Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.644.4430 diablitoscantina.com

512 N. Euclid Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.367.3644 evangelinesstl.com

2061 Zumbehl Road St. Charles, MO 636.949.9005 fratellisristorante.com

117 S. Main St. Columbia, IL 618.281.6700 joeboccardis.com

3157 S. Grand Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 314.771.1777 kingandistl.com

1234 Washington Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.241.7770 lucasparkgrille.com

8396 Musick Memorial Dr. Brentwood, MO 314.645.2835 maileestl.com

1543 McCausland Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.781.1299 olympiakebobandtaverna.com

342 Westport Plaza St. Louis, MO 314.878.6767 patrickswestport.com

1110 Stone Hill Highway Hermann, MO 573.486.2221 stonehillwinery.com

Summit Grill & Bar

4835 NE Lakewood Way Lees Summit, MO 816.795.7677 summitgrillandbar.com

2050 Central St. Kansas City, MO 816.423.2888 thejacobsonkc.com

602 N. Main St. Columbia, IL 618.281.9977 tinyscolumbia.com

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

9202 Clayton Road St. Louis, MO 314.567.9100 todayattruffles.com

Louis Brewery, 25 LLC Inspired Local Food CultureŠ 2016 F E B RThe U A RSaint Y 201 6

es Day Spend your Valentin

with us at Lucky Brewgrille dinner specials Saturday and Sunday live jazz saturday the 13th

with ron carlson and friends

5401 Johnson Drive, Mission, KS 66205 913-403-8571, www.luckybrewgrille.com

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F E B R UA RY 2 0 1 6

where we’re drinking

discover new drinks at a local favorite on p. 31 PHOTOGRAPHy by jAcklyn meyeR

trending now: ShrubS

on trend

Written by nancy StileS PhotograPhy by j. Pollack PhotograPhy

Any mixologist worth his salt has an arsenal of housemade bitters. But shrubs, syrups usually made with fruit, vinegar and sugar, have become just as essential. Citrusy or spicy, sweet or savory, shrubs add an extra layer of flavor to most any drink. como

seasonal

CoLuMbiA, Mo. Shrubs were originally made as another way to preserve fresh

produce; Sycamore bar manager andrew ruth calls shrubs a “drinking vinegar.”

“My last one i made with heirloom Missouri apples, but i liked all alcohol [types] with it so much that i called it the Pick your Path and let people choose rum, tequila, vodka, gin or bourbon – and it was delicious every time,” he says. generally, though, ruth prefers to use gin to counteract shrubs’ vinegar; a recent favorite was life is good, with a peach-tomato shrub made with sugar, distilled white vinegar, black peppercorns and house-grown basil and rosemary topped with gin and club soda. “the exciting part is creating in-depth flavors and getting people excited to try new stuff,” he says. there is always a seasonal shrub on the menu, often sourced from the columbia Farmers Market – look for a sweet potato shrub this month.

Sycamore, 800 E. Broadway, Downtown, Columbia, Missouri, 573.874.8090, sycamorerestaurant.com

stl

bubbly

St. LouiS. Some shrubs are made with alcohol already in them, but tim Wiggins,

bar manager and beverage director at Retreat Gastropub in St. louis, prefers to keep his virgin, albeit topped with prosecco. “it’s fruit macerated with sugar and vinegar, and i let it sit for three hours, then it’s blended with aromatic herbs and strained,” he says. “We want our shrubs in a really good, low-abV cocktail that people can drink socially and have a lot of fun with, but have two or three and still feel totally fine.” another popular option is any of retreat’s shrubs in a Mule with gin or vodka, topped with a bit of lime and ginger beer. Past seasonal shrubs have included pineapple-sage, orange-vanilla and citrus-ginger, but Wiggins says he’s excited about winter flavors including cherry-mint and a spicy mulled wine shrub.

Retreat Gastropub, 2 N. Sarah St., Central West End, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.261.4497, retreatgastropub.com

kc

botanical

KAnSAS CitY. Shrubs don’t always work out for The Farmhouse bar manager Margot thompson. “i did a pumpkin one a couple years ago that was not good at all,” she says with a laugh. “i tried so hard to make it work. but then i remade the shrub with a different type of vinegar and added earl grey tea to it, and it was beautiful.” thompson prefers to use shrubs in her lighter, brighter, tarter drinks, as she elicits bold, clean flavors out of them through cold maceration followed by resting them for a few days, agitating daily. “Shrubs are a really fun way to impart some tartness to a cocktail without having to rely on citrus,” thompson says. “in a way, it gives me more of a blank slate to work with. i use shrubs in vodka drinks a lot because vodka’s kind of a blank slate, as well.” a favorite is the kansas city Famous, which combines her persimmon shrub, St-germain, j. rieger & co. vodka, grapefruit peel and star anise topped with club soda.

The Farmhouse, 300 Delaware St., River Market, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.569.6032, eatatthefarmhouse.com 28

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f e b r u a r y 2016

stl

one on one

dani davis owner, crafted

Written by nancy StileS

st. louis, Mo. Dani

Davis, owner of Van Goghz Martini bar & bistro in St. louis’ tower Grove east neighborhood, didn’t return the first call from the television show Bar Rescue. Or the second. Or the third.

Finally, an email convinced her to talk to a producer, but she just wanted to call back to decline, explaining that hers wasn’t a failing bar. However, Van Goghz was experiencing “a lot of drama” at the time, Davis says, and she let it all out. the producer explained that Bar Rescue also tries to help boost businesses in smaller areas, and Davis decided it would be good for her bar. Several interviews, meetings and months later, Van Goghz reopened as Crafted, with a new signature item: colorful pressed cocktails.

photography by Mabel Suen

tell us about your experience with Bar Rescue. it was a really rough week; let’s just say that. it was very hard, very stressful. the thing is, they didn’t do anything with the kitchen. i guess they couldn’t in 36 hours. it’s frustrating because people don’t realize – they just think, “they were on a tV show; that’s so cool!” – they don’t understand that a lot of it is fake. What about the pressed cocktails? they’re awesome. i’ll give it to ‘em; those things are awesome. you can take a fruit, an herb and a spice, or whatever you’d like, and instead of muddling or infusing them, you put it in a cocktail press [similar to a French coffee press] and you make a cocktail over it to infuse all those flavors, like steeping tea. you can potentially have two or three [different] drinks in one. We have a strawberry-cilantro-jalapeño one called the Strawberry Squeeze; press it a few times and you can get a little more spice or a little more sweetness.

We make all of our own simple syrups and juices and use fresh produce. Are there any remnants of the old Van Goghz? about 90 percent of our customers love the pressed cocktails, but a lot of our regulars are pissed because they can’t get their Martinis anymore since we no longer have all the ingredients on hand. We do have a seasonally rotating Martini that’s a favorite with old Van Goghz regulars. We try to keep people happy that way. a new menu came out last month – we only have one burger and are instead incorporating more entrées and fresh veggies, but i have a lot of foodies [in here] who love what i’m doing, so i’m pretty excited. Was Bar Rescue a good thing for your business?

One thing Bar Rescue did for me is it brought back that spark of creativity and got me off of my a** to get stuff done. i’ve just been going, going, going trying to get the place up to speed again – really playing with different flavors and ingredients in the kitchen [for the new menu]. i’ve tried to make my menu fit my kitchen instead of making my kitchen fit my menu. all in all, the experience was great, but i don’t know if i would ever do it again. it has boosted business – it’s fun, with good, clean, fresh cocktails and food. We’ll be here for a long time.

Crafted, 3200 shenandoah Ave., tower Grove East, st. louis, Missouri, 314.865.3345, craftedstl.com

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

cherry picker package x fare written by ettie berneking

SPRINGFIELD, MO. Located on the corner of

cherry street and pickwick avenue in one of springfield, missouri’s most charming locales, Cherry Picker Package x Fare is a dream neighborhood bar thanks to its refined selection of coffee, wine, beer and cocktails. small but mighty – cherry picker seats just 20 people – the neighborhood pub-cum-coffeehouse and package store (meaning you can buy wine, beer and spirits to take home) is just what owners tom billionis and Josh widner were dreaming of when they started work on the building back in may. billionis owns the coffee ethic, and widner is co-owner of the bar scotch & soda, both in springfield, so when they joined forces, each brought a specific vision to the project. doors open at 7am every day but sunday, and coffee is a must here: the selection has been expanded to offer espresso, macchiatos, cappuccinos, lattes and shakeratos, a foamy european frappe with

kc

double espresso, syrup and milk. as for the wine options – there are plenty. Floor-to-ceiling racks stocked with a variety of bottles line the walls, and cocktail accessories including glass bitters bottles, ice trays, swizzle sticks, glassware and cocktail shakers are arranged throughout the shop. there’s even talk of adding sunday hours as a time to host wine tastings, cocktail sessions and espresso classes. but in the meantime, pull up a barstool and relax with one of the draft wines, draft beers or a weekly rotating draft cocktail, which have included a corpse reviver no. 2, a manhattan and a boulevardier in the past. as its name suggests, cherry picker package x Fare hints at picking the best of the best, which includes the location: small in size but big in potential.

Cherry Picker Package x Fare, 601 S. Pickwick Ave., Springfield, Missouri, 417.986.5800, cherrypickerpackage.com

mo

plate

wrITTEN By JENNy VErgArA

KANSAS CITY. Plate, which opened in Kansas City’s

Brookside East neighborhood in November, is so modern and stylish that you’d never guess it’s housed in a 100-yearold building. Owners Christian and Andrea Joseph rewired, repaired or rebuilt almost everything in the space to make it sexy enough for date night, casual enough for family dinner and convenient enough for happy hour.

photography by brad zweerink

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Plate, 6201 Oak St., Brookside East, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.492.5551, platekc.com f e b r u a r y 2016

photography by christopher smith

A wooden bar grounds the space as you walk through the front door, with sleek nautical light fixtures. A wall of reclaimed wood adjoins with the front of the bar with a television for catching the news. The vibe is convivial and conversational, especially at the bar. Plate’s drink menu carries a solid selection of local beers on tap, wines by the glass and reasonably priced bottles, plus a seasonally rotating list of house cocktails. After happy hour, grab a seat in the intimate dining room and try executive chef Brian Mehl’s modest, modern Italian menu.

photography by jacklyn meyer

stl

russell’s on macklind

written by heather riSke

ST. LOUIS. Snagging a table at popular St. louis staple Russell’s on Macklind is no small feat – which is why locals rejoiced when chef-owner russell ping announced he’d be expanding the Southampton restaurant this past summer. ping worked with Space architecture + Design to renovate the space above the restaurant, formerly an apartment, to include 30 additional seats and room for private events.

the new upper level also features a full bar, allowing russell’s to expand its wine and beer offerings – look for local options like 4 hands brewing co., the civil life brewing co. and Schlafly beer – and introduce a full cocktail menu. choose from several classic cocktails, including an old Fashioned, a negroni, a Sazerac and a martini, or one of russell’s signature cocktails, which will rotate seasonally. the latter includes options such as the cranberry Smash, with bourbon-soaked cranberries, and the gin-Soaked Sage, featuring ginger-infused simple syrup and sage liqueur. this winter, warm up with the antidote – a hot toddy-esque cocktail made with scotch, earl grey tea, lemon, cloves and local honey. the food menu, which focuses on approachable farm-to-table fare, hasn’t changed much, but ping has added a few bar snacks to enjoy alongside the new drinks. grab a glass of wine or a cocktail and nosh on a few finger-friendly plates like roasted fingerling potatoes, grilled bread or cheese puffs.

Russell’s on Macklind, 5400 Murdoch Ave., Southampton, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.553.9994, russellscafe.com Inspired Local Food Culture

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the mix

Corpse reviver No. 2

Story and recipe by Matt Seiter photography by Jonathan gayMan

at some point in life, we all tilt one back before noon, be it attending a tailgate, brunch or just some hair of the dog. historically, poor water quality often made this activity a little less indulgent than it sounds – founding father John adams was known to drink a tankard of hard cider nearly every morning – but then came the cocktail.

a morning activity. drinks contained a lot of bitters – a product we often see used in mixed drinks today – but back then, bitters were seen as medicine. as time went on, other “medicines” were added to drinks, such as absinthe, due to the various roots, herbs and spices used to make them. bartenders used these new medicines abundantly in their cocktails.

according to one popular theory of the cocktail’s origin, in the early 19th century, cocktail drinking started as a new fashion of the elite – mainly “sporting men,” or those involved with the more nefarious activities of gambling, hustling, horse racing and other equestrian activities. they traveled more than those in most other professions, and therefore had more access to new trends and products on the market. before long, the cocktail’s fame spread to wealthy horse-owners and their children. Most importantly, though, they were rich: these socalled “bad boys with money” spent their leisure time drinking cocktails, as that was the new trend. their economic stature rocketed the cocktail’s popularity. ales were seen as what the lesser classes drank; wine and fine spirits were reserved for dinner parties. cocktails were for the boys.

this brings me to probably my favorite cocktail of all, the corpse reviver no. 2, one i enjoy during the midmorning hours every now and then. as cocktail drinking became more popular, the trend trickled down to the common people. the world began to modernize, and people’s free time as well as wallets expanded, so they indulged as the wealthy and elite class did. two categories of drinks were reserved for the morning hours: pick-Me-Ups and corpse revivers. the most popular of the latter, the no. 2, shows up in harry craddock’s landmark 1930 book, The Savoy Cocktail Book. as craddock put it: “Four of those taken in swift succession will quickly unrevive the corpse again.” the drink is a wonderful blend of spice and herbal tones contained in a sour blanket and lightly kissed with sweetness. Forget mimosas at brunch: i prefer the cocktail over coffee when i need that hair of the dog and advise you to try the same.

When the fashion of drinking cocktails first started, it was

Matt Seiter is co-founder of the United States Bartenders’ Guild’s St. Louis chapter, a member of the national board for the USBG’s MA program, author of the dive bar of cocktail bars, bartender at BC’s Kitchen and a bar and restaurant consultant.

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f e b r u a r y 2016

Corpse Reviver Nº. 2 “The business of agitating the liver and stirring the senses into function begins early in the day.” –Lucius Beebe, author, the Stork club bar book (1946) serves | 1 |

1 1 1 1 3

oz gin oz Cointreau oz Lillet Blanc oz lemon juice drops absinthe ice 1 cherry (for garnish)

| Preparation | combine all ingredients except cherry in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. garnish with cherry and serve.

on the shelf : february picks

WINE

noBoleiS VineyardS & Winery’S 2014 dry roSé written by Hilary HedgeS

provenance: augusta, Missouri pairings: Oysters • Caesar salad • Roasted chicken

Noboleis Vineyards & Winery is producing some amazing wines in augusta, Missouri, which became the first recognized american Viticultural area (a wine grape-growing region distinguishable by geographic features) in the country in 1980. its 2014 dry rosé is a blend of 80 percent Chambourcin, 14 percent Vidal Blanc, 5 percent traminette and 1 percent Vignoles. the beautiful, medium-bodied wine has fresh and fragrant aromas of honeydew, strawberry and cherry, as well as vibrant flavors of cranberry and plum. this rosé is very soft with a low acidity, giving it a velvety finish; it would pair wonderfully with seafood, salads or poultry.

Noboleis Vineyards & Winery, 636.482.4500, noboleisvineyards.com Hilary Hedges is a former newsie whose passion for wine led her out of the newsroom and into the cellar. She is currently the assistant winemaker and director of sales and marketing at Amigoni Urban Winery in Kansas City’s West Bottoms.

BEER

tWo BrotHerS artiSan BreWing’S nortHWind imperial Stout

one on one

kc

jon hanson co-owner, brew gallery WriTTeN By MAcy SAlAMA

LENEXA, KS. Jon Hanson (pictured right) has enjoyed the earthy aroma of a rich cup of coffee – as well as imported specialty beans – since he was very young. Growing up, his uncle was Kansas city’s head buyer for Folgers; today, Hanson aims to continue his uncle’s coffee legacy.

Midwest coffee Trading, a green coffee importer owned and operated by the Hanson family, teamed up with Plexpod, a co-working office space in lenexa, Kansas, to open Brew Gallery in November, a retail coffee bar serving local coffee, tea and baked goods, with craft beer and spirits coming soon, for people to grab a cup to go or to stick around for a business meeting. Hanson, along with his nephew and co-owner, Jeff Hanson Jr. (pictured left), also plan to open a second location and lab component in the Westport Plexpod building when it opens this fall.

wRitten By BRandOn niCkelsOn

style: american imperial Stout (9.1% abV) pairings: Roasted meats • Heavy chocolate cake

as winter settles in, it’s time to take solace in a dark and heavy imperial stout. the deep malt and high alcohol content in this style can easily help shake away the cold. northwind imperial Stout by Two Brothers Artisan Brewing is a great example of the style. excellent roastiness, a strong malt backbone and a mellow bite make this big beer easy drinking.

Two Brothers Artisan Brewing, 630.393.4800, twobrothersbrewing.com Brothers Brandon and Ryan Nickelson are available to help with beer picks and pairing recommendations at their store, Craft Beer Cellar, the only all-craft beer shop in the St. Louis area. Craft Beer Cellar is located at 8113 Maryland Ave. in Clayton, Missouri. To learn more, call 314.222.2444 or visit craftbeercellar.com/clayton.

SPIRIT

Wood Hat SpiritS’ BourBon ruBeneSque written by Matt Sorrell

provenance: new Florence, Missouri (50% abV) try it: topped with ginger beer in a flavorful Mule

Wood Hat Spirits, 573.216.3572, woodhatspirits.com When he’s not writing, Matt Sorrell can be found slinging drinks at Planter’s House in St. Louis’ Lafayette Square or bartending at events around town with his wife, Beth, for their company, Cocktails Are Go.

pHotograpHy by quinCy piCkeRing

this bourbon by Wood Hat Spirits is billed on the label as “full-bodied, smooth and luscious,” hence its “rubenesque” name, a reference to the famous Flemish painter’s full-figured muses and subjects. the single-barrel, small-batch, pot-distilled spirit is made with whole grains and is aged for six months in barrels made from air-dried 3-year-old wood. the final product, interestingly, has some malt on the nose and a fresh, woody character on the tongue, with a bit of sweetness up front and a pleasant amber hue in the glass. the whiskey’s higher proof ensures it’ll stand up to mixing, though it’s perfectly fine for sipping straight, as well.

What is Brew Gallery all about? Given our unique ability as a coffee importer to know and work with a vast number of coffee roasters in Kansas city and beyond, it made for an easy partnership with Plexpod founder and chief executive officer Gerald Smith to champion and collaborate with the awesomeness that already exists here, including several roasters, bakeries, breweries and restaurants. Brew Gallery has an educational side, as well, which is part of our lab area and gives us the flexibility to explore new things and share what we’ve learned as curators of craft beverage. it’s breaking down the barriers for people who want to learn more about the industry and working with the businesses locally. i’d much rather work locally than in a large company – people are more community-driven. What is the atmosphere like at Brew Gallery? Plexpod is about 25,000 square feet and the largest coworking facility in the metro area. it has event centers, studios, a full-on sound stage, conference rooms, gaming rooms, a barber shop and more.

There are about 40 businesses and 120 people in the building – it’s like a small city. We provide coffee for all the events in the building – from one-on-one meetings to 300-person events. We also have people [from outside Plexpod] come by and get coffee to go, but mostly it’s a destination spot for those who work in the pod or need a meeting space. Tell us about your products. We’re doing single-origin coffee, drip, espresso and lattes that are all from local companies; a tea line; and we’re close to obtaining our liquor license. We have our Steam Punk: it’s a machine – a vacuum brewer – that’s programmed with origin, varietal, temp, agitation, agitation duration, volume, coffee weight and particle size in mind when brewing coffee. it’s more scientific; it’s an excellent cup of coffee. We are also working indirectly with brewers for coffee beers, as well as nitro cold brew, and introducing coffee-concentrate drinks. We’re doing specialty beverages like our upcoming affogato; the gelato is actually from a company here in the Plexpod. We don’t want to model our coffee like Starbucks – we want to offer quality ingredients and have everything local. i could say we are coffee purists, but we aren’t snobs about it. if people want to learn more, that’s what we want to promote. What’s in store for 2016? The upcoming building in the Westport commons area is quite a bit larger than the building now. We’re planning on going in there for an additional location, and it should be open in the fall. Also, with our lab we want to have podcasts with the coffee farmers, where the families can introduce themselves and tell us where these coffees are from. That’s really what we want – to have direct trade with a farm and promote its families and products.

Brew Gallery, 10000 Marshall Drive, Lenexa, Kansas, 913.856.3480, brewgallery.com

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f e b r u a r y 2016

33

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If you’re thinking Subaru think Big Bend @ Murdoch • 314.968.5167 • www.weBsterGrovessuBaru.coM 34

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Open March 1st

Featuring Rescued, Renovated & Re-invented Home Decor.

O P E N D A I LY 1 2 P M T O 6 P M

Sweep Your Loved One Off Their Feet With A Bella Sweet Treat!

Make Valentine's Day Reservations

325 S Main St, Saint CharleS, MO 63301 www.bellavinOwinebarStl.COM (636) 724-3434

Over the course of 2016, we will be traveling around the world, visiting farms, selecting top lots, and learning more from our producer partners.

We’ll be visiting long time relationship farms in El Salvador, Colombia, Brazil, Hawaii, and Ethiopia, while also fostering new relationships in Honduras and Myanmar. By strengthening our relationships with our producers and communities, we can ensure the quality of your coffee for years to come.

EL SALVADOR january MYANMAR february HONDURAS march BRAZIL july COLOMBIA august HAWAII september ETHIOPIA november RWANDA november

FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY: @KALDIS_COFFEE #FOLLOWTHEGOAT #KRC2016 Inspired Local Food Culture

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Experience the best of Kansas City Travel+Leisure 500 World’s Best Hotels KC Visitors’ Choice Award, Best Hotel TripExperts Best of Kansas City, Restaurant

Saturday, February 27 presents Wall Ball, an exciting evening of live artistry and delicious treats.

Engaging an eclectic mix of artists, collectors, and admirers, this annual event features amazing art at unreal prices through a unique silent auction.

Sponsored by

7-11 pm•40 artists

$35 General Admission $60 VIP includes beer/wine and early admission at 6:30 pm

Majorette *new venue*

7150 Manchester Rd. • Maplewood, MO 63143

For more info: 314-865-0060 Purchase tickets online www.artscopestl.org/wallball

Historic Hotels of America

325 Ward Parkway I Country Club Plaza I 816.756.3800

raphaelkc.com

“IT’S SOME KIND OF

” WONDERFUL!

THE FABULOUS FOX THEATRE FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 6 314-534-1111 or MetroTix.com 36

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Photo: Joan Marcus

-NY1

shop here

sprinkle your day with sugar on p. 42 PhotograPhy by cheryl waller

shatto

shop here

KC

home delivery Written by Jenny Vergara

osBorn, Mo. Shatto Milk Co. is bringing back the milkman. barbara and Leroy Shatto first introduced their nostalgic glass bottles and fresh, local milk to Kansas City-area grocery stores in 2003. More than 10 years later, their son, Matt, has expanded Shatto with eyes toward the future, but in a distinctly old-fashioned way.

Matt rolled out his food delivery service, Shatto home delivery, in october in Leavenworth, Kansas, with plans to expand across the metro as demand for the service builds. his company delivers Shatto dairy products, along with a host of locally made food and beverage products, straight to your door. in addition to Shatto Milk Co. products like milk, cheese curds, heavy cream and butter, you can order farm-fresh eggs from Campo Lindo Farms; fresh steaks and bacon from Fantasma’s Finest, the highest grade products offered by paradise Locker Meats; freshly roasted coffee from thou Mayest Coffee roasters and Maps Coffee roasters and breads from Farm to Market bread Co.

photography by 8183 Studio

your products will be delivered by midday on the specified delivery date in your own well-insulated cooler or one purchased from Shatto. if Shatto delivers in your area – you can check your address online and sign up to be notified as the delivery range expands – simply go online and set up a one-time or reoccurring order, then wait for a friendly face to bring your goods to you in no time.

Shatto Milk co., 9406 n. highway 33, osborn, Missouri, 816.675.4009, shattohomedelivery.com

artisan product

stl

start right foods

written by Macy SalaMa | PhotograPhy courteSy Start right FoodS

st. louis. Start Right Foods, a breakfast company formed in columbia,

Missouri, and based in St. louis, is bringing its protein-packed, prepackaged, gluten-free belgian waffles in original, blueberry and chocolate-espresso flavors to Missouri breakfast plates. Start right teamed up with food scientists and nutritionists to focus on providing a healthy, convenient breakfast that is designed to curb your appetite for longer periods of time. the frozen waffles, which are also available as waffle or pancake mix, include 15 grams of protein, a healthy dose of fiber and 1⁄3 cup of fruit and vegetables per serving, all without any added sugar. Start right products are sold at all hy-Vees and lucky’s Markets in columbia and the St. louis area, as well as dierbergs Markets in the St. louis area starting this month.

Start Right Foods, startrightfoods.com 38

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I WIsh I KneW...

new twists on classic winter soup recipes

Written by Daniel Puma

artisan product

KC

roasted carrot and poblano soup.

This creamy soup with a touch of spice will warm up even the coldest nights. Combine roasted carrots and poblano peppers with onion, celery and vegetable broth. Mix with an immersion blender and enrich with a little half and half. For a tangy surprise, add a few goat cheese crumbles.

salt & flint caramels written by Macy SalaMa

LaWrence, Ks. Salt & Flint handcrafts classic confections and syrups in

Salt & Flint, 816.585.6192, saltandflintconfections.bigcartel.com

italian wedding soup. The Italian version of chicken noodle soup, this is what you PhotograPhy courtesy salt & flint

small batches in lawrence, Kansas. its delectable caramels are made with non-GMO ingredients and are gluten-free. Favorite flavors include bee pollen and honey, white chocolate-thyme, cranberry-orange and French lavender. caramel sauces come in similar flavors and are made to pour smoothly on top of ice cream or fruit. cinnamon bark simple syrup rounds out the company’s offerings, plus shrubs in varieties such as black pepper-cherry-balsamic, strawberry-basil and Szechuan-citrus. Purchase the treats at stores in Kansas city including Season + Square, the Sundry, the better cheddar and Urban Provisions General Store, in lawrence at the Merc co-op and au Marche or through the company’s online store.

wish your mom served when you were under the weather. For authenticity, use acini de pepe pasta, but orzo can be substituted in a pinch. Bite-sized meatballs make this soup especially rich and hearty. Top with Parmesan cheese or substitute Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano.

thai chicken yellow curry. A true palate pleaser, this soup provides lots of hearty vegetables and proteins with intense flavors. Individually sauté your favorite veggies before combining in a pot with minced chicken, chicken broth, coconut milk and yellow curry paste. Add curry paste in batches to ensure you don’t over-do your tolerable spice levels. new england clam chowder. Creamy, hearty and above all, flavorful, this northeast staple will satisfy any hangry moments this winter. Treat the soup as a blank canvas to take it around the world. Add some chile powder, paprika, cumin and corn for a southwestern vibe or some Jamaican jerk seasoning and habañero pepper for a spicy Caribbean flair.

get this gadget

fred & friends citrus saw this little gadget does double duty on your bar cart: it’s half bottle opener, half citrus knife. your limes will be ready by the time those tops pop. Plus, it’s small enough to transport for impromptu celebrations.

For more information or to purchase the citrus saw, visit fredandfriends.com.

PhotograPhy courtesy fred & friends

gadget selection by laura laiben, “the Main dish,” the culinary center of Kansas city, Kcculinary.coM written by nancy stiles

chili. Although this classic may not be

technically considered a soup, it’s perfect for crockpot cooking and pretty much as hearty as it gets on a cold winter night.

For a healthier version, use ground turkey.

Change it up by using pico de gallo instead of traditional chopped onions and topping with Buffalo sauce for extra spice.

manhattan clam chowder. Break the monotony of tomato soup and try

your hand at the Manhattan version of clam chowder. Use waxy red potatoes to prevent an overly starchy soup. Add pieces of Italian bread to make a hybrid clam chowder and Tuscan Bread Soup.

butternut squash soup.

A winter tradition, this soup is easy to beef up to transform it into a satisfying main course. Add lump crab to play off the sweetness of the squash; a little parsley oil will make your bowl pop with color.

9811 S. 40 Drive, St. Louis, MO 63124 310 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, MO 64112 St. Louis: 314-587-2433 KC: 816-627-0100 Check out our upcoming public cooking classes at lecole.edu

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one on one

il

“there are folks who Don’t eat pork, perioD.”

howard bender owner, schmacon

Written by bethany Christo

WHEATON, IL. in howard bender’s opinion, the beef

guys lost breakfast. Longtime protein staples like bacon and eggs dominate, but he’s on a mission to make cattle king of the morning with his company, Schmacon. bender, a st. Louis-area native and Chicago-area deli owner (who trained at the Culinary institute of america), spent three years creating a pork bacon alternative using whole-muscle cuts of beef that crisp and fry just like its lauded counterpart – with less fat, sodium and calories and more protein to boot. Currently on track to be in 1,500 stores by the end of the first quarter, you can find the precooked strips at Dierbergs in st. Louis; Fresh thyme’s three st.

Louis-area locations; hy-Vees in Columbia and Jefferson City, Missouri; and in three Kansas City-area hy-Vees, as well as online. Look out for more retail locations, schmacon bits and new flavors including sriracha, horseradish and pecanmaple in 2016.

Culinary liBrary

Back in the Day Bakery written by bethany christo

a sweet piece of savannah is at your fingertips with Back in the Day Bakery, the follow-up cookbook to cheryl and griffith Day’s smash-hit first release, which shared recipes of customer-favorite confections from their georgia bakery. homespun charm fills the pages with whimsical illustrations and southern treats that look (almost) too pretty to eat, such as nutty, old-timey alabama lane cake and double-chocolate mint chess pie. the Days also provide savory options such as sweet potato pot pie and chive-Parmigiano-reggiano popovers, plus breads including cornmeal sandwich buns, sorghum whole wheat loaves and pimento cheese crackers. scattered throughout its pastel pages are make-it-yourself edible crafts like marshmallow chandeliers or “baby cake” party hats, all best read with a cold glass of milk and a sugar-coated something.

By Cheryl and Griffith Day backinthedaybakery.com/cookbooks 40

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Schmacon, 888.292.6925, schmacon.com

PhotograPhy courtesy schmacon

Was Schmacon created as a pork bacon substitute? yes, i was looking for an alternative to pork bacon, but i didn’t set out to create a healthy alternative – that just sort of happened. there are folks who don’t eat pork, period, but then there’s a huge market of people eating turkey bacon – but we know how turkey bacon is. that’s how this whole thing started: a friend of mine ate turkey bacon for breakfast, and i asked him how it was, and he said it sucked. it came out of a challenge to be able to create a beef product that can curl and crisp. i’m not the inventor of beef bacon – there are manufacturers, some of them being pork bacon guys, who make what they call beef bacon, but it doesn’t curl and crisp, and looks and tastes more like beef jerky.

i wanted to make a true alternative with beef that we left as a whole muscle and that i could put in a smokehouse and get that great smoky flavor, yet maintain the flavor of the beef. How did you develop Schmacon? i didn’t have in my head a preconceived notion of making it one way, based on how pork bacon is made. beef fat is very different than pork fat, but i did know that if i were going to process and slice it in a factory using bacon slicers, i had to get a very specific cut of meat. the national Cattlemen’s beef association (nCba) guys have been instrumental in helping develop a cut of meat, finding resources and manufacturing, and promoting schmacon in media. Prior to schmacon, our cut of belly meat was often being ground into ground beef. For the nCba and these ranchers, schmacon takes trim off the market and gives more added value to their cattle. How is it sold in retail stores? schmacon is sold in two places in the grocery store. the first you and i would expect, sold side by side next to the leading bacon brands. the other, which i think is better, is next to the steaks. it’s brilliant, because if you’re shopping for beef, you head to the steak aisle – you don’t head to where the bacon is. if i’m a beef-eater, holy cow – i’m going to buy a package of schmacon when i see it next to my favorite beef products. How do you prepare Schmacon? i prefer to prepare it in the oven because it’s quick and no mess: set it to 450°F, lay the strips on a sheet tray and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, and it will come out like pork bacon. My son puts it on the griddle and even cooks it on the grill – because it’s beef. he’s grilling a burger and sets a couple strips of schmacon on there for no more than two minutes to top it. if you tried doing that with pork bacon, how high would the flames be? Can you even imagine?

Start with the Best Ingredients.

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SHOp HERE

stl |1|

|2|

|3| PHOTOgRaPHy By CHeRyL waLLeR

Three MusT-Trys aT sugarboT sweeT shop | 1 | Made from the root of the mallow plant,

SugarBot’s mallow root marshmallows are in a category of their own. with a moist, smooth texture, they come in various flavors including classic and s’mores, dipped in chocolate and dusted with graham cracker crumbs. Indulge in a bag of bite-sized treats or ask for a jumbo, 3-by-3-inch version.

sugarbot sweet shop

gET THiS gAdgET

ST. CHARLES, MO. SugarBot Sweet Shop is just four blocks from Main Street in St. Charles, Missouri, offering sweets ranging from a nostalgic candy wall, with 5- to 50-cent candies, to baked goods made from scratch and creamy cups of hot chocolate to wash it all down. Owners Jackie Lynch and Mark Huebbe opened the 500-square-foot space in November after a complete gut renovation. Huebbe, a civil engineer by day, found the early-1900s-era building; its accents and original wood floors are charming, which is similar to how Lynch describes the sweets in her store. “I want it to be like when

| 2 | Lynch began selling her jumbo brownies wRITTeN By MaCy SaLaMa

you think back to something you loved when you were little… you’re excited to eat it, but it doesn’t live up to your expectation, and you just feel greasy inside,” she says. “I want my shop to have that nostalgic feel but be delicious and made with real ingredients.”

Lynch makes all the baked goods from scratch, including her “The Very Best Cookies” sold at Straub’s. She also takes orders of any size, with a $13 minimum delivery cost in the St. Louis area. Lynch worked in local kitchens including Russell’s on Macklind, Strange Donuts and Vincent Van Doughnut

before developing a scratch-made pastry program for Ces & Judy’s Catering in St. Louis. She describes her time working in catering as an assembly line, requiring her to be almost robotic when making large orders look and taste similar to one another – hence the name SugarBot. Throughout the store, you’ll find various-sized robots peeking through cupcakes, smiling from counters and perching on top of tables.

SugarBot Sweet Shop, 433 Jackson St., St. Charles, Missouri, 314.961.9104, facebook.com/ sugarbotsweetshop

host chill cooling pour spout gaDgeT SeLeCTION By LauRa LaIBeN, “THe MaIN DISH,” THe CuLINaRy CeNTeR OF KaNSaS CITy, KCCuLINaRy.COM wRITTeN By NaNCy STILeS

Keep your wine chilled without having to run to the refrigerator every time someone needs a refill. The Chill is ready to go after two hours in the freezer; just pour your first glass and insert the spout into the wine bottle, and it will remain at a cool temperature throughout subsequent refills, with multiple color options.

For more information or to purchase the pour spout, visit hoststudios.com.

PHOTOgRaPHy COuRTeSy HOST® By TRue BRaNDS™

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f e b r u a r y 2016

at the Lake Saint Louis Farmers & artists Market, where they became an instant hit not only with shoppers, but also with farmers, who after her first week, would line up before she opened in the hopes of grabbing a treat before shoppers bought them out for the day. The jumbo brownies are Lynch’s trifecta of the perfect brownie: crunchy crust on top, a thin layer of crispy edge on the sides and bottom, and a fudgy interior as a result of baking with high-quality chocolate.

| 3 | with winter in full bore, a warm cup of

SugarBot’s hot chocolate satisfies your sweet tooth and warm drink cravings. Lynch makes hers with whole milk and darkchocolate ganache, topped with homemade marshmallows – perfect to warm you up and available in special seasonal flavors.

Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri

invites you to join us at Dessert First, our signature fundraising event, where local chefs transform our famous Girl Scout Cookies into decadent desserts.

Vote for your favorite alongside celebrity judges and enjoy dinner and a celebration of our Legacy Builders and two Girl Scout scholarship recipients.

All proceeds from the event will support our leadership development programs for girls.

Tickets start at $150 girlscoutsem.org/dessertfirst

Dessert First

Thursday, February 25, 2016 The Chase Park Plaza

Participating Restaurants

23 City Blocks Catering Bailey’s Chocolate Bar The Chase Park Plaza Clementine’s Creamery The Cup EdgeWild Restaurant & Winery Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch Kakao Chocolate L’École Culinaire Onesto Pizza & Trattoria Piccione Pastry

February 26, 2015

Presenting Sponsor

Gold Sponsors

Media Sponsor

Legacy Sponsor

Silver Sponsors BKD Express Scripts

Macy’s Scrubs & Beyond

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Spend your Valentine’s Day “In Good Company”,

Specializing in Romance.

Forestpark Southeast in “The Grove” SanctuariaSTL.com 314.535.9700

44

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F E B R UA RY 2 0 1 6

Historic St. Charles on Main Street HendricksBBQ.com 636.724.8600

Central West End, Grand Center CafeVentana.com 314.531.7500

Grand Center, SLU Campus DiablitosCantina.com 314.644.4430

menu options

eggs benedict finds a french connection on p. 50 photography by jennifer silverberg

healthy appetite

Citrus-Glazed roasted Beets with Beans

story, recipe and photography by sherrie castellano

i’m happiest when i’m in my kitchen creating. i pull inspiration from each one of the seasons – the colors, the shapes and the bounty each time of year yields. in the springtime, my mood lightens as fresh greens, alliums and wild foraged foods flood into my kitchen. in the summer, i revel in the vibrancy of each sweet tomato, pepper, zucchini and eggplant from my garden. in the fall, things get heartier with substantial squash assortments and a plethora of root vegetables.

citrus are plentiful. they are my winter saviors.

each season is exciting, bursting with produce and a renewed sense of novelty. however, in the winter, inspiration often feels stagnant. the colors dull. the variety lessens. there are fewer markets to shop for local produce. the monotony sets in, and you can feel the inspiration running dry. and, yet, beets and

add in some beans as a plant-based protein and you have a rounded winter meal. the best part is that you can make it in one pan in your oven; there’s nothing to fuss over, and there’s little cleanup. i call these easy sheet-pan meals, and they’re my best friends in the cold winter months.

beets are earthy and hearty. they can be eaten both raw and cooked and are loaded with phytonutrients that provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support. My favorite way to cook beets is to roast them with a balsamic glaze or herbs and other root vegetables. beets paired with the following citrus glaze are bright and rejuvenating.

Sherrie Castellano is a certified health coach, food writer and photographer based in St. Louis. She writes and photographs the seasonally inspired vegetarian and gluten-free food blog, With Food + Love. Sherrie’s work has been featured on the pages of driftless Magazine, Vegetarian times, 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.

Citrus-Glazed Roasted Beets with Beans serves | 2 to 4 | 3 medium-sized beets 3 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice zest from 1 orange ¼ tsp sea salt, plus more to taste ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste 1 cup cooked beans of your choice fresh parsley, finely chopped (for garnish)

| Preparation | preheat oven to 425°F. scrub or peel beets and cut into quarters. in a small mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, orange juice and zest, salt and pepper. transfer beets to a baking sheet and pour citrus mixture over top, using hands to coat each beet well. roast for about 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. remove from oven and add beans, tossing together lightly. cook for another 10 minutes or until beets and beans are slightly crispy. garnish with parsley and serve hot.

Chicken Dinner Sundays Buy one chicken dinner Get one chicken dinner FREE Expires March 31, 2016. Dine-in only. Limit one coupon per party.

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mystery shopper

Meet: GjetÖst Gjetöst: because any cheese that tastes like caramel and is shaped like a Rubik’s Cube deserves a little fanfare.

What Is It?

GjetÖst hails from Scandinavia and isn’t technically cheese at all: Rather, it begins life as whey left over from making goat cheese. Milk and cream are added, and the mixture is slowly heated until sugars caramelize into a finished product, with the texture somewhere between Cheddar and fudge. Also called brunost – a nod to its odd-yet-alluring creamy brown hue – Gjetöst is a favorite among European skiers wanting to fuel up after a day on the slopes, and it’s prized for its satisfying mouthfeel and caloric punch.

Initially, you taste caramel; the goat’s milk component comes in later, with a hint of saltiness at the end.

What Do I Do With It?

First, admire the packaging. Only one brand of Gjetöst

story and recipe by Shannon Weber Photography by jennifer silverberg

is widely distributed in the U.S., Ski Queen, and its outer wrapper will remind you of midcentury advertisements for Aspen ski resorts. Once you break into the cheese, consider slicing it as thinly as possible and laying it on toast, which is what the Scandinavians do for breakfast, lunch or a midafternoon snack. It’s lovely eaten with fruit; pick something tart and juicy to break up the sweetness in the cheese, like apples, pears or grapes. Better yet, make a dessert or appetizer fondue: Gjetöst has a lovely melting quality and a thickness that you can control with cream.

You may have to hunt for this one in stores; it’s not a “serious” cheese (for people who take their cheese seriously), and often you’ll find it tucked away with the lesser cheeses off to the side. You know what section I’m talking about – the one where you find things like “garlic cheese log.” Start your search in larger grocery stores, particularly if they are in Swedish or Norwegian communities, or check out international markets.

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 the words “I can’t” should never apply to food preparation and that curiosity can lead to wonderful things, in both the kitchen and in life.

Gjetöst and Fried Sage Fondue If you’re not into sage, try rosemary here (but don’t fry it) – the flavor works well with the cheese and its accompaniments. Chop up a sprig or two of rosemary leaves and add slowly until it’s as you prefer.

Serves | 4 to 6 | Gjetöst Fondue ¾ cup heavy cream, plus more for

thinning ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract 8 oz Gjetöst, sliced into ½-inch cubes 3 Tbsp unsalted butter 1 Tbsp olive oil 20 medium-sized fresh sage leaves

| Preparation | In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, stir cream and vanilla extract together until steaming. Stir in cheese cubes, reduce heat to low and continue to stir frequently until cheese has melted and mixture is smooth. Transfer cheese mixture to a fondue pot to keep warm.

While cheese is melting, in a small skillet over medium-high heat, heat butter and olive oil. Once hot, add sage leaves and cook until sage is crisp and oil stops bubbling, 20 seconds. Transfer to paper towellined plate to remove excess oil.

| To Serve | Crumble fried sage into fondue pot and stir until evenly distributed. Serve with assorted fresh fruit (bananas, apples, pears, black or red grapes), dried figs, butter cookies, popcorn and pretzels.

Life Celebrate elebrate Local

CT A

ASTING

EV E N T

Saturday, February 27, 2016 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. $35 in advance $45 at the door Foundry Art Centre 520 North Main Center St. Charles, MO Featured Entertainment: Dawn Weber and the Electro Funk Assembly To purchase tickets call 314-682-1053 or visit celebratelifecelebratelocal.org

The hearTland Table an evening of epicurian delight

March 15 : 5P To 9P Josh eans Happy Gillis and The Ramen Shop Michael FousT The Farmhouse Ted habiger Room 39 and Brewery Imperiale howard hanna The Rieger craig howard Howard’s Grocery and Café alex PoPe Local Pig and The Pigwich

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menu options

Eggs FlorEntina Traditionally, dishes dubbed à la Florentine are made in a French method associated with the cuisine of Florence, Italy, and describe a main course laid over a bed of spinach or greens topped with Mornay sauce. Here, eggs “Florentina” puts a French twist on an American brunch staple, eggs Benedict, but I’ve substituted baby kale for

sTorY AnD rEcIpE BY GABrIEllE DEMIcHElE pHoToGrApHY BY JEnnIFEr sIlvErBErG

spinach and Dijon crème fraîche in place of Mornay sauce, with added richness from crispy pancetta to balance it out.

You can also upgrade this dish with homemade English muffins. You’ll learn to make your own in this month’s class, or head to feastmagazine.com for the recipe.

chef’s tips ADVANCE NOTICE. If you’re poaching eggs in advance, remove them from hot water to an ice bath to stop cooking.

When ready to assemble, remove from ice bath and carefully blot with a paper towel.

WHIP IT GOOD. More popular in Europe than the U.s., crème fraîche isn’t as pungent as sour cream and can be heated, whipped and used in both sweet and savory applications.

the menu • Mixed Green Salad • Eggs Florentina • Beignets • Maple Crème Brûlée

LEArN MOrE. In this class you’ll learn to make homemade English muffins and perfectly poached eggs. plus, you’ll prepare maple crème brûlée to finish off the meal with European flair.

eggs florentina serves | 6 to 8 | Dijon CrèmE FraîChE

1 cup crème fraîche juice of 1 lemon 5 Tbsp whole-grain Dijon mustard pinch kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste SAuTéED BABy KALE AND PANCETTA

1 3 1 2

tsp butter tsp olive oil, divided shallot, minced lbs baby kale pinch sea salt freshly ground black pepper, to taste ½ lb pancetta, thinly sliced POACHED EGGS

get hands-on: Join Feast Magazine and schnucks Cooks Cooking school on Wed., Feb. 24, at 6pm at the des Peres, Missouri, location, to make the dishes in this month’s menu. tickets are just $40 for a night of cooking, dining and wine. RsVP at schnuckscooks.com or call 314.909.1704.

12 ½ 1 8

cups water cup white vinegar tsp kosher salt eggs

ASSEMBLy

1 package english muffins

| preparation – Dijon crème fraîche | Heat oven to 200°F. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well and place in oven until ready to serve. stir occasionally.

| preparation – sautéed Baby Kale and pancetta | In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and 1 teaspoon oil. Add shallot and cook for 2 minutes, then add kale and salt. cover and let sweat for 2 minutes, toss and cook another minute until kale wilts.

Adjust seasoning, drain on a paper towel and set aside in warm oven.

In a medium skillet over mediumhigh heat, add remaining oil. once shimmering, add pancetta slices and fry until crisp. place on paper towel to drain and set aside.

| preparation – poached eggs | In a large sauté pan, add water, vinegar and salt and bring to a boil before reducing to a simmer. crack each egg into a ramekin. push ramekin into water and slowly pour egg into water, cooking 4 at a time. cover and poach for 4 to 4½ minutes. carefully remove eggs with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. repeat with remaining eggs.

| Assembly | Turn on broiler. separate muffins with a fork. Transfer to a baking sheet and slide under broiler until lightly browned and toasted. on each muffin half, add 1 piece pancetta, scoop of kale and poached egg. slide under broiler, on the rack second from the top, until eggs steam. Give sauce a stir and pour over top. serve.

Beginning in April

TV

WATCH IT ON THESE NETWORKS

In St. Louis, tune into the Nine Network (Channel 9) or visit ninenet.org to watch Feast TV.

In Kansas City, watch Feast TV on KCPT (Channel 19) or at kcpt.org.

You can watch Feast TV throughout mid-Missouri on KMOS (Channel 6) or at kmos.org.

Feast TV will air in the southern Illinois region on WSIU (Channel 8) or at wsiu.org.

Over the past month, we’ve traveled to food-and-drink establishments across the state, including a familyowned dim sum restaurant, an iconic college town pizzeria and a renowned bean-to-bar chocolate producer. Keep an eye out for the new season of Feast TV, debuting in April.

Feast TV is presented by Missouri Wines with additional support from Whole Foods Market.

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sweet ideas

bittersweet chocolate mousse There are so many different ways to make chocolate mousse that hardly any two recipes look alike. This version is my riff on a classic French mousse au chocolat – it’s dark and rich and starts with a sabayon of eggs whipped while cooked over a double boiler with sugar and some booze. Instead of whipping egg whites separately into a meringue, this technique leaves the eggs whole and saves you a pan or two in the process. I call for Marsala wine in the sabayon, but truth be told, a nice bourbon, rum or Grand Marnier all make wonderful substitutes.

Making chocolate mousse can be a daunting task if you don’t properly prepare ahead of time. Mise en place, the French culinary term for putting everything in its place before cooking, is essential here. The quality of the chocolate

story and recipe by Christy Augustin Photography by Cheryl Waller

you choose might be your most important decision when preparing the mousse. It needs to be dark enough for the flavor to really shine through – 70 percent chocolate or more.

Make sure not to buy chocolate chips meant for cookies; they don’t behave the same as high-quality chocolate bars due to their lower cocoa-butter content.

Whipped crème fraîche and a drizzle of caramel sauce are the perfect toppings, but crunchy cookie bits or chocolate curls wouldn’t be gilding the lily. Chocolate mousse, after set in the refrigerator, also makes a decadent filling for tarts or layer cakes. Layer it in a trifle dish with whipped cream and berries to serve a crowd, or it can even be frozen and served as a semifreddo.

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. Learn more at pintsizebakery.com.

Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse I recommend Springfield, Missouribased Askinosie Chocolate’s 72-percent Mababu Tanzanian bars for this recipe, but Ghirardelli Chocolate’s 70-percent Cacao Extra Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar would work, as well. To serve, a large soufflé dish works if you don’t have individual dishes, as do punch cups, coffee mugs or small berry bowls.

Yields | 6 to 8 mousse cups | 0½ oz bittersweet dark chocolate 1 ¼ cup unsalted butter 1½ cups heavy cream 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 large eggs ½ cup plus 1 Tbsp granulated sugar pinch kosher salt 2 Tbsp Marsala wine (or other liquor)

| Preparation | Prepare a double boiler by heating 3 to 4 inches of water, covered, in a short saucepot over medium-high heat. Melt chocolate and butter over double boiler, stir to combine and set aside in a warm place. Keep water simmering.

In a mixing bowl, whip cream and vanilla until medium soft peaks form; set aside in refrigerator.

In a medium metal or glass bowl, whisk remaining ingredients until foamy. Place bowl on top of pot of simmering water, whisking constantly.

Sabayon will both thicken and become light and airy as it cooks.

Cook, whisking, for approximately 5 to 6 minutes, until thickened and lines remain as you whisk. Pour melted chocolate mixture into sabayon and whisk to combine. Fold in whipped cream off heat. Scoop, pour or ladle finished mousse into serving dishes.

Refrigerate mousse overnight, up to 4 days, before serving.

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| 56 |

hole in one

| 62 |

milking it

Featuring baked goods and bagels steeped in tradition, Legacy Bagelry & Bakery is a corner bakery on the rise in Springfield, Missouri.

A dairy farm and creamery in Mountain Grove, Missouri, is carving out a niche for its naturally sweet milk, one glass bottle at a time.

| 68 |

sap on tap

| 76 |

common grounds

The next generation of maple syrup producers joins Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup in Shirley, Illinois.

Learn how the Midwest’s rich and robust coffee history has paved the way for the latest class of shops and roasters.

PhoToGrAPhy oF ozArk MounTAIn creAMery cow (P. 62) By jennIFer SILverBerG

Written by ren bishop

|

photography by starboard & port creative

there’s a warmth at legacy bagelry & bakery in springfield, missouri.

Rich woods, short counters, big smiles and brimming baskets filled with bagels encourage lingering. Flour hangs in the air long after the last chocolate chip cookies are made, and two little ones scurry around the feet of owners Kyle and Bethany Gerecke.

Bethany grabs the hand of her 3-year-old son, Zion, sighing as she talks about the lack of pour-over coffee or organic baked goods in the area.

“If you’re going between here and St. Louis, it’s really hard to get a good cup of coffee,” she says, watching Zion totter beside her in the bakery. “It kind of ruins you when you start caring about quality.”

Since 2012, the Gereckes have been making bagels and other organic pastries with purpose. But for Kyle, a love of baking began long before he and his wife sold their first boiled creation.

the rise of bagels Kyle has been in the process of making bread for most of his life. When he worked in construction for his father in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, he would bring a petite oven with him to the job site so he could proof bread while on break. He met Bethany in Cape and baked his way into her heart with homemade pizza and handcrafted breads like honey-wheat and sourdough, and the couple married in October 2011.

Their shared love for food led them to open a mobile food cart in Cape, based on a mobile bagel cart they loved in Carbondale, Illinois, called Winston’s Bagels. They called it Mighty Bagel and started selling warm store-bought bagels, grilled using its attached charcoal grill, on the street, emulating Winston’s model. They took the cart to Branson, Missouri, for an event, and their popularity grew as the community became familiar with their bagels.

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The Gereckes found a permanent daily location outside a Walgreens in Hollister, Missouri, just south of Branson. Their open-air presence led to local laws being passed regulating and charting the way for a mobile food business like theirs, which was the first to operate in the small town.

“we made several thousand bagels before i think we made a good one.”

- kyle gerecke

The couple went on a quest to find a New York-style bagel when they moved north to Springfield in 2012.

When they came up empty handed, Kyle preheated an idea – he’d start making his own organic, healthy bagels and selling them at the Farmers Market of the Ozarks.

“I baked at home a lot and did a lot of breads and things like that, so I decided I’d start making them.” Kyle says. “We made several thousand bagels before I think we made a good one.”

The Gereckes leased a commercial kitchen space at 319 Downtown, an event venue in Springfield, and began selling their bagels at coffee shops and local events.

They’d bake at odd hours, rolling out thousands and thousands of bagels by hand for their cart and new wholesale customers, including Mudhouse Coffee and MaMa Jean’s Natural Market. They kept rolling out the dough at their commercial kitchen

until the demand for their bagels exceeded their ability to bake in their leased commercial kitchen space.

The Gereckes found a permanent, physical space to call their own, but it was far from a bakery in its current state. So in the fall of 2013, the couple closed their cart to focus on prepping their strip-mall location to become the fully functioning bakery they envisioned. The two months it took to transition from mobile food cart to bakery was a stressful and expensive period, but thanks to some ingenuity and Kyle’s ability to piece together an oven, the doors finally opened in October 2013.

“For the first year in the shop, we had kind of more of a café, deli-style menu,” Kyle says. “We did made-to-order sandwiches, a few soups.”

“Kale salad, some things that really got people hooked,” Bethany adds, nodding.

“What we learned is that this space isn’t really conducive to that,” says Kyle, gesturing around the 1,600-squarefoot bakery. “That’s not our thing. So, about a year into it, we decided to kick that out and do what we should be doing: pastries and bagels. We do fewer things, better, and harken back to our original focus and mission of being a bakery and coffee bar.”

bagel breakdown It takes 20 hours and two baking shifts for a single Legacy bagel to be made.

From mix to bread basket, the entire process is done by hand. “Like it should be,” Kyle says proudly.

The first step begins in the morning around 8am, when a baker creates the bagel mix that becomes a huge chunk of dough. Then, the baker lays out 50 pounds of dough to then divide into pieces. Next, the baker scales the pieces, ensuring that each one is roughly the same weight.

A massive shaper machine molds the bagels into their round form. The bagels are then set out to proof, or rise – a tricky process.

“To get bagels properly proofed, it’s all a matter of temperature, time, barometric pressure, the moon phase, what your feelings are today, all of that good stuff,” Kyle says. “It takes anywhere from an hour to two sometimes, much longer in the winter.”

Once the bagels have reached their desired size, the afternoon baker then sets the bagels in a refrigerator to retard, or chill, the dough. This step stops the rising process and allows the yeast to ferment the dough overnight.

“That fermentation process overnight

gives a more complex flavor to the bagel that pretty much no one else does [in Springfield],” Kyle says. “That’s true New York style, that overnight fermentation process.”

Bethany Gerecke uses social media to market Legacy’s Jewish pastries and boiled bagels. The bakery (@legacybagelry) has more than 1,300 Instagram followers, and Bethany posts or reposts customer photos of her crave-worthy creations nearly everyday, enticing followers to stop in. Recently, Legacy offered a photography class for fans, sharing the knowledge of Legacy baker Brad Dixon, who also works as a photographer. “We’re just a little bakery, but we’re learning as we go,” she says.

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The next morning at roughly 2:30am, another baker turns on the oven and heats water in a 40-gallon kettle.

The bagels are then dumped into the massive pot to boil, the other step that makes these truly New York-style bagels. After just a few seconds of boiling, the bagels are removed and topped with ingredients like Asiago cheese, cinnamon and blueberries.

They then bake at around 450°F for 15 minutes. Finally, they’re tossed in baskets behind the retail counter or put on a truck for one of two morning delivery rounds, piping hot, at 4:30 and 9am.

Kyle taught himself the bagel-making process through trial and error – mostly. He and Bethany also received guidance from a former New York-style bagelry owner, Tony Tarrasch, who owned the now-closed Bagel Bin in Springfield.

Bethany and Kyle get asked if they are Jewish all the time, with sufganiyot, rugelach and challah served hot and often, and although they’re not, they expect the question. They simply appreciate the heritage in Judaism, Jewish traditions and of course Jewish food. “I say we were grafted in,” Bethany says.

Today, under Kyle’s direction, two bakers complete the long process to make 20 dozen nearly perfect bagels in 13 flavors six days a week.

Customer favorites include asiago-everything, wild blueberry, plain and poppy, Kyle says. And they’re all topped with housemade cream cheese “schmears” like savory zesty chive or the tangy Garden of Eden, featuring organic bits of carrot, green onion, celery, bell pepper, fresh garlic, dill and crushed red pepper.

“People, when they come here, they feel the love that went into the food,” Kyle says. “It’s not something that came from a box or out of a freezer.

Everything is made every day, which I think is one aspect that even though most of our customers don’t know it, they feel it. Subconsciously, they The Gereckes cherish the classical understand that there is a next level methods of making a great boiled bagel and a handcrafted Jewish pastry. to the product that they have.”

flavors rich in tradition At Legacy, the Gereckes are committed to making things the way they should be made – something they emphasize again and again. Their “doctrinology,” or mission statement, shouts their philosophy in big, bold black letters on a bright white wall inside the bakery.

“A call to use non-GMO, wild and real organic ingredients,” the statement reads. “Nothing artificial or creepy. No additives, no preservatives. Simple.

Wholesome. Fresh. We prepare and bake all items on the premises. The way it used to be. The way it should be.”

Bethany glances up at the message as she talks about their commitment to producing organic baked goods.

“This says it all, and we mean it,” she says. “We started to care about quality, organic, non-GMO ingredients when we started having kids, and I wish more people cared about it. But I think a lot of our customers really appreciate it, especially vegans. They can’t find a vegan cake, so they come here [for ours]. And I think people are thankful because we value quality ingredients.”

Wholesome ingredients are a must

Choux Pastry Recipe couRtesy Legacy BageLRy & BakeRy

Yields | 3 cups | 2⁄3 2⁄3 2⁄3 2⁄3 1 2⁄3 5

cup water cup milk cup butter Tbsp sugar tsp salt cup all-purpose flour large eggs

| Preparation | in a medium saucepot over medium-high heat, combine water, milk, butter, sugar and salt and boil for approximately 30 seconds. Remove pot from heat. sift flour into mixture in pot, stirring constantly, until fully combined. place mixture over medium-high heat and stir constantly for approximately 30 seconds. Remove from heat and allow to cool until lukewarm or room temperature. in a mixing bowl, whisk eggs. pour eggs into cooled mixture and stir until smooth. the gereckes recommend making éclairs, cream puffs or savory choux buns filled with herb cream cheese with the pastry dough.

Pastry Cream Recipe couRtesy Legacy BageLRy & BakeRy

Yields | 3 cups | 1 1⁄3 11⁄5 3

cup room temperature cream cheese cup sugar tsps vanilla extract cups heavy whipping cream

| Preparation | in a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla using a hand-

for all goods at the bakery. But their focus on using natural ingredients only enhances their products’ eclectic flavors.

Jewish donuts, with no holes, are gently coated with powdered sugar or vanilla and chocolate glazes and stuffed with semisweet jam fillings. The moist, flaky treats were recently voted the best in town

by Drury University’s The Mirror. Chocolatewalnut or the best-selling cinnamon-pecan babkas are a yeast bread with a crunchy nut filling. Salted-pistachio truffles with steeped pistachios are an unexpected burst of complex, semisweet flavors, as are the recent addition of vegan truffles in decadent flavors such as dark chocolate rolled in coconut, chia seeds, cinnamon or nuts. In December, Legacy started offering take-and-bake frozen doughs of its most popular treats including challah, babka and chocolate chip cookies.

current business model. After two years in their Fremont space, this fall the bakery quadrupled its seating, addressing a chronic customer complaint. Its larger dining area allows for a full coffee and espresso bar and the ability to toast or warm customers’ orders in house. Still, the couple hears their customers’ cries for extended hours, new locations and an expanded menu. But they’re in no rush.

“We still want to keep the corner bakery feel,” Kyle says. “This is rather small with just a few seats in here still, but maybe our next location will be a little bit bigger. We’ll see.”

The Gereckes embrace the uniqueness of their corner bakery. But for customers, Kyle hopes their philosophy and the baked goods they serve leave a legacy of more than just good food.

Each handcrafted treat and Jewish pastry was added to their menu when they opened their physical location, but Bethany and Kyle have been experimenting with pastries for years. “When we opened, we decided to make everything we could and liked, so we did,” Bethany says. “We love what we do.”

“They’re the real legacy, you know,” Kyle says, gesturing toward his 2-year-old daughter, Orli. “The legacy truly is in the lives of our family, the families of our employees and those traditional items. It’s not just an organic bagel; it’s a meaningful conversation with someone who cares. It’s a connection with a tradition. That matters.”

And like their bagels each morning, the Gereckes need time to proof, or develop, before they make any changes to their

Legacy Bagelry & Bakery, 3049 s. Fremont ave., springfield, Missouri, 417.501.1345, legacybagelry.com

held mixer on medium speed. slowly add heavy whipping cream until cream is soft and peaks form and remain stable. Do not overbeat. the gereckes recommend using pastry cream to stuff or top any of the pastries made using your choux dough, like éclairs or cream puffs, as well as to decorate cupcakes or cakes.

A dAiry fArm And creAmery in mountAin Grove, missouri, is cArvinG out A niche for its nAturAlly sweet milk, one GlAss bottle At A time Written by ettie berneking

PhotograPhy by jennifer silverberg

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eated on a cold metal chair inside Ozark Mountain Creamery, co-owner Lori Fry plops two glass bottles of milk on a table. One is the creamery’s chocolate milk – a rich treat made with velvety whole milk and all-natural chocolate. The other bottle, dripping with condensation, holds nonhomogenized cream-line whole milk. Pop the top off and a thick top layer of pure cream waits to be scooped out of the bottle. Some customers ladle the cream over cereal or hot coffee; others use it to make whipped topping, but Lori simply shakes the bottle a few times, and the top layer of cream dissolves into the thick, buttery milk below.

“This,” she says, “is as close as you’ll get to drinking straight from the cow.”

It’s that pureness of flavor that has helped Ozark Mountain Creamery secure customers from northwest Arkansas to St. Louis. The key to the company’s success has been preserving dairy freshness in all of its products, a result of its processing methods – which, it turns out, came about by accident.

Surrounded by 260 acres of farmland, the creamery sits on the outskirts of Mountain Grove, Missouri, a farming community home to some 4,700 people. Green pastures stretch for miles only to be broken up by white clapboard farmhouses and rows of tightly bundled hay bales. A small apple orchard on the way to the creamery hugs the side of the road, and in late fall, the last of the season’s crop can be purchased for 25 cents per pound.

About half a mile down a gravel road, you’ll see the red building where Ozark Mountain Creamery is housed, and instead of a welcome sign, visitors are greeted by a ragtag bunch of farm dogs: Boo the lab, T-Bone the black-and-tan coonhound and three beagles.

Ozark Mountain Creamery dates back to 1957.

Back then, it was known as Fry Dairy and was operated by Phillip and Dora Fry. In 2010, the Frys’ two sons, Dwight and David, along with their wives, Lori and Teresa (respectively), started the creamery and expanded the dairy business. A new milking barn was raised, and today Dwight and David each tends to his own herd of dairy cows and share farming responsibilities while Teresa and Lori run the office. Lori wasn’t familiar with farming when she married Dwight, but the Fry brothers have been farming since they could carry milk pails.

Working out of a small six-cow stanchion barn, the two brothers helped their dad milk the cows twice a day. During the winter when the cows were at their peak milk production (a cow’s ideal temperature is around 40°F), Dwight and especially David – who’s 9 years older – had to race around the barn carefully emptying their milk pails into the bulk milk tank. “I was always happy when summer came around,” David says. “You could milk two to three cows before you had to dump the pail.”

When he turned 12, he got his first heifer in exchange for tearing down an old barn. Today, David has 55 cows going through the milk barn, and Dwight has 103.

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The farm has seen a lot of changes since its early years, the biggest being that David and Dwight now process the milk on the property instead of selling the raw dairy to a co-op like their parents did. Also new is the milking barn, which can house 60 cows comfortably. As a result, milk production has gone up considerably since the brothers first started toting around milk pails. The creamery now sells about 3,500 gallons of milk each week, with deliveries all along Interstate 44 and Highway 63. Grocery stores, natural food stores and coffee shops stock Ozark Mountain Creamery products, which include 2 percent milk; skim

down to the creamery’s lagoon, where it will be filtered and reused later that day to clean the cows’ holding pen.

Outside, cows wander into a walkway where silage is piled onto troughs. A few years ago, Dwight and David switched the feed from corn-based to forage sorghum grown on the property. The switch happened by necessity a few years ago, when the corn crop was so bad the family had to find a quick replacement to feed the cows. Protein-rich forage sorghum made the cut, and it wasn’t long before the dairy started receiving feedback from customers who loved the sweetness added to the milk – which was from the new feed and not any added sugar, of course. Today, about 85 percent of the cows’ diet consists of a blend of forage sorghum, rye and wheat, all harvested on the property.

Some of the cows are in their teens, and Dwight and David know them all by name.

In David’s herd, there’s Scarlet (a Brown Swiss), Blitz, Rachael (she’s always the fifth cow inside the milking barn), Bubbles, Double Nickels and Hateful Hatty, who’s likely to kick if you don’t watch her. Most of the cows are Holsteins, and they’re all big, beautiful creatures.

PICTURED abovE: The cows are fed a blend of forage sorghum, rye

and wheat that give the milk a natural sweetness. PICTURED bElow: David Fry with one of the farm dogs in the milking chamber.

milk; whole milk; heavy cream; chocolate milk; seasonal flavors such as orange cream, root beer, strawberry and mocha, which rotate during the year; and creamline (nonhomogenized) whole milk. It’s an impressive operation, and it all starts at the milking barn, where the thundering hum of machines greets you at the door.

Inside the barn, two rows of cows line the walls as Dwight stands on the concrete platform below and attaches milkers to each cow’s udders. Next to him, a small dog sleeps in a plastic laundry basket. As the machines whir to life and start pumping milk, a loud clicking noise kicks up, like a metronome stuck on a fast tempo. When the udder is empty, the milker falls off, and Dwight dips each of the cow’s teats into an iodine-based solution to avoid infection.

Each Holstein cow can produce 51 pounds of milk each day (that’s nearly 6 gallons), and the brothers herd their cows into the barn twice a day – once at 5am and again at 5pm. As soon as they’ve finished milking the cows, they push open a metal gate, and the cows clumsily shuffle out, stopping now and then to lick any leftover feed stored in bins along the wall. As the brothers flush water through the milking room to clean it out, the muddy sludge rushes past the cows and

The biggest of them all is Olaf, David’s breeding bull, who joined the farm in January 2015. Standing quietly by the gate, Olaf seems friendly enough, but David warns that he has his moments, just like Hatty.

“They’re dangerous creatures,” David says.

“Years ago, we had a big old white bull. I walked by him one morning when he was grazing; I talked to him as I walked by, and the next thing I knew he had me down. I rolled away from him and took off running, and when I looked back, he was just standing there looking at me.” It’s a lesson David and Dwight have taught their kids, who sometimes help out on the farm.

Back at the creamery, Teresa is busy calling stores to get orders placed and shipped.

One of the creamery’s newest areas of business is coffee shops, including Sump Coffee, Blueprint Coffee and Comet Coffee in St. Louis; Café Berlin in Columbia, Missouri; and Brick & Mortar Coffee in Springfield, Missouri. Once word got out about the creamery’s new, naturally sweet milk, orders started piling up – Teresa says the three Onyx Coffee Lab shops in northwest Arkansas go through between 350 and 400 gallons a week.

How tHe Milk is Made In the creamery’s warehouse, pallets of empty glass bottles jingle as they slide into the corner. “This is the end of the process,” says Lori, picking up a bottle of cream-line milk. To see where it all starts, you have to head to the other side of the creamery – specifically, the receiving bay.

This is where Dwight and David haul the massive metal tank filled with milk from the milking barn. David and Dwight and two of the plant employees are certified milk haulers, a certification required by

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“Vat pasteurization is a slower, more expensiVe process and requires considerable the Missouri State Milk Board to move the milk from the farm to the creamery.

Fresh milk is pumped into a tank in the huge processing room where it’s tested for antibiotics by certified lab technicians, both at the creamery and at the milk plant where excess milk is taken. Along with testing for antibiotics, butterfat content is measured. “Anything above 3.25 percent butterfat is whole milk,” Lori says. Milk straight from the Frys’ cows usually tests around 3.9 to 4.1 percent butterfat, which is the percentage at which it’s bottled, even though they could sell the extra cream. “We don’t like to overly process milk,” Teresa says. “It’s a question of quality, in our opinion.”

To make skim milk, whole milk is pumped into a separator that pulls out all the cream, which is then bottled and sold by the half-gallon. Once the milk has the right butterfat content, it goes into the vat pasteurizer – a large metal vat set up in the middle of the creamery. The pasteurizer can hold up to 1,000 gallons of milk, which it heats to 145°F for 30 minutes. This is what makes Ozark Mountain Creamery’s products so delicious: Most commercial dairies heat milk to 161°F for 15 minutes,

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but the Frys use a low-and-slow method, with a lower temperature and longer heating time. Doing so helps retain the fresh and sweet flavor of the milk.

end-product is well worth the effort.”

Once the milk is pasteurized, it’s pumped into a homogenizer, which uses pressure to keep the cream from rising to the top. The Although the process is now the creamery’s dairy’s cream-line milk skips this step. signature, it happened by accident. When Pasteurized, homogenized and cooled David, Teresa, Dwight and Lori started the to a chilly 40°F, the milk is finally ready creamery, they planned to eventually use to be bottled. Most of the bottles Ozark the same high-temperature method used Mountain Creamery ships out return to at most dairies, but the equipment was the farm, but when deliveries are made to expensive, and they couldn’t purchase it a new store, a good chunk of bottles are immediately. In the meantime, the dairy scooped up and used as piggy banks and kept using its vat pasteurization, and the pitchers for tea. The ones that make it family started getting feedback about its back to the creamery are sent through a products. Lori and Teresa even received washer, which is nearly as old as the farm calls from customers who were lactose itself. The washer has been updated and intolerant but said they were able to drink parts have been replaced to preserve it, Ozark Mountain Creamery milk. as it’s one of the few remaining working bottle washers of its age. Clinking as they “By using the lower temperature method, move along the conveyor belt, bottles are you can ensure that any bad bacteria are eliminated, yet preserve the natural flavor, lined up and hosed down with soapy water nutrients and enzymes of the milk,” Teresa before popping out the other side squeaky says. “At this time, we are the only licensed clean. The washer holds 256 ½-gallon bottles, and it takes about 8 minutes to vat pasteurization plant in the state of wash each batch.

Missouri selling our milk through retail outlets. Vat pasteurization is a slower, Bottles are then shuffled under the filling more expensive process and requires machine. Cold milk fills the bottles before considerable attention, but the quality

they’re wheeled into the large walk-in cooler where they wait to be loaded up and shipped out. Colorful plastic tops peek out from the crates: pink, blue, brown, green and more.

On bottling days, all four Frys are busy at the creamery packaging the milk, along with their five employees. Between loads, Lori and Teresa head into the office to take care of paperwork and orders. And just like in the farm’s early days, the kids come to help when they’re home. Both couples have two adult children each who help with milking or lend a hand during harvest.

Dwight and Lori have two teenage sons still at home, as well, who help with milking in the evenings and feeding calves twice a day, and David and Teresa have a teenage son and an 11-year-old daughter who help out on the farm, too.

Two generations later and the family farm is still milking it for all it’s worth and providing longtime and new customers with their products, made from the cream of their crop.

Ozark Mountain Creamery, 417.926.3276, ozarkmtncreamery.com

attention, but the quality end-product is well worth the effort.”

-Teresa Fry

Buy It and try It Ozark Mountain Creamery products are sold in grocery stores and retailers throughout Missouri, including in the following cities and locations: St. LouIS: Various Schnucks locations, Fair Shares CCSA, City Greens Market, Green Bean Delivery (a home delivery service) and Local Harvest Grocery SprIngfIeLd area: MaMa Jean’s Natural Market; Hörrmann Meats Farmers Market; Hy-Vee; Homegrown Food; Harter House in Nixa, Missouri; Howell Valley Grocery in West Plains, Missouri; Jean’s Healthway in Ava, Missouri; Richards Brothers in West Plains, Missouri; and Amish Country Store in Branson, Missouri CoLumBIa: Gerbes, Hy-Vee, Clovers Natural Market, Schnucks, Lucky’s Market and Root Cellar JefferSon CIty: Gerbes, Schnucks and Root Cellar

PICTURED LEFT: David and Teresa Fry and their children. PICTURED RIGHT: Dwight and Lori Fry and their children.

northweSt arkanSaS: Bentonville Butcher & Deli in Bentonville, Arkansas, and Ozark Natural Foods in Fayetteville, Arkansas Inspired Local Food Culture

FEBRUARY 2016

67

Sap on Tap The lane is lined with maple trees sporting tin-bucket bibs beneath jutting metal spouts. A web of blue tubing laces from tree to tree like a game of connect the dots.

No sign is needed. It’s a sight that confirms to locals and those motoring through Shirley, Illinois, that they’ve made it to the right sugar bush. It’s not only kicks you’ll get on Route 66; you can also pick up a jug

Written by Mallory GnaeGy | photo courtesy funks Grove pure Maple sirup

The nexT generaTion of maple syrup producers joins FunkS Grove pure Maple Sirup in shirley, illinois

of Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup. That is, if you visit at the right time.

Funk, and his cousin, Sean, maintain the family legacy. The family’s roots as maplesyrup producers date back to the 1820s.

“As soon as we put our buckets up in the trees, it draws people in,” Jonathan Funk says.

SuGar ruSh

Jonathan is the newest Funk to join the family business and the third generation to do so. He, his parents, Mike and Debby

During the warmer seasons, the Funks are row-crop growers who plant corn and soybeans. Tapping sap fits nicely into the production cycle; the sap usually flows

four to six weeks in late winter, typically February through March. Although, last year, the season didn’t begin until midMarch and only lasted for two-and-a-half weeks. It was their worst season. It’s all dependent on Mother Nature. The best seasons happen with many temperature fluctuations throughout the winter and when lows fall to at least 25°F overnight.

“Any year where people are grumbling because winter hasn’t ended and it has stayed cold is good for us,” says Mike, the main operator of the business.

2014 was the Funks’ best year on record. They produced 3,000 gallons, compared to the average 1,800 to 2,000 gallons. Most years, Mike knows when it’s time to tap the trees based on the weather cycles, but his father, Stephen Funk, who passed away in July, always used to tap a tree and test the sugar content of its sap to predict if it was going to take another week. He always tapped the same tree, near the picket-fenced yard on the property where Mike’s mother still lives.

When ready, sap comes out a clear, watery substance with a subtly sweet taste.

“It has just enough sugar that it doesn’t quench your thirst if you’re out there collecting sap and it’s hot and you’re thirsty,” Mike says.

Family Trees The business hasn’t always been in the Funk family’s hands, though they have been making maple sugar for almost 200 years. In fact, the Funks are one of several founding families of Funks Grove in Illinois.

Funks Grove isn’t technically a town of its own. It’s now part of Shirley, with a whopping population of 378 people. The church and cemetery remain, but today, the township is most famous for its 600 to 800 acres of uncut, virgin timber. Timber is one of the reasons Isaac Funk settled there in 1824 – just six years after Illinois became a state.

Isaac and his sons were the first in the family to make maple syrup and sugar, setting a precedent for all subsequent generations.

Isaac’s granddaughter, Hazel Funk Holmes, inherited a portion of the family farm in the 1920s, after which she established the commercial maple syrup production facility’s current name and location.

“Mrs. Holmes was a nature-lover and left in her will that this business would continue,” Mike says. And Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup has not only continued, but also prospered.

Technically, the Funk family doesn’t own the business – the bank owns the land, building and equipment through Hazel Funk Holmes’ will and trust, which designate that the property’s timber and farmland will be protected for posterity so that future generations can enjoy the sweets of her family’s labor.

Holmes ended up marrying a Harvard University professor, moving away from Illinois and hiring tenants to maintain the land. Then, in 1947, Mike’s father and mother, Stephen and Glaida Funk, took over. Mike and his wife, Debby, took the reins when Stephen retired in 1990 and now work with Sean and Jonathan.

PICTURED lEfT To RIghT: Jonathan, Sean, Debby

and Mike Funk.

saP gaThERIng PhoTos CoURTEsy fUnks gRovE PURE maPlE sIRUP famIly PhoTo by jUsTInE bURsonI

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Holmes is also the reason for the company’s funky spelling. In the early 1920s, Webster’s Dictionary had two spellings for syrup: “Syrup” referred to adding sugar to fruit juice, and “sirup” meant boiling sap for sugar.

The “i” indicated it was a pure product with nothing added. Today, the Funks maintain that purity of the product, as well as the name. (They also emphasize the “sir” when pronouncing it.) Even though Mike comes across as a serious man on first meeting, you can tell he finds the humor in this.

“There have been sign painters who have messed up and changed the spelling of it, and they had to take it back and redo it,” he says. “We had to have the ‘i.’”

Mike’s memories of his dad include Stephen’s love of paperback Westerns and hearing him snicker aloud when he got to the good parts. He was the family historian, and he’s the reason the Funk family knows so much about their history. There are a few other favorite family stories, too: Isaac Funk, a state senator and friend of President Abraham Lincoln, ruffled a few feathers around town with a pro-Union speech on the floor of the Illinois Senate during the Civil War in which he called his Confederate-sympathizing fellow senators traitors. Stephen shared these stories with his family, much like the art of making maple syrup, with great pride.

PICTURED ToP lEfT: Tubing lines run through the timber on the property.

PICTURED ToP RIghT: Sap flows from the tubing lines into the large stainless steel storage tank adjacent to the sugarhouse.

PICTURED lEfT: Sap is a clear liquid until it’s boiled and the sugar caramelizes.

PhoTos CoURTEsy fUnks gRovE PURE maPlE sIRUP

Sugar HigH Both Mike and Jonathan share similar first memories of tapping maple sap. For Mike, it was getting off the school bus in third grade and collecting sap in a tiny bucket and pouring it in a milk can. Jonathan was roughly the same age and recalls using a little bucket, decades later, as well. Jonathan has two sisters, Betsy and Katie, who also grew up collecting sap.

The sap-collecting process takes all day.

Typically, the family gathers a group of Jonathan’s friends or college students – because it’s only a four-week season, college students make the best temporary help. Jonathan does most of the hiring, Sean helps out with the mechanics in the woods and tubing, and Mike acts as a manager and oversees cooking and bottling.

They use an electric drill to tap around 3,000 trees each year. The trees are between 100 and 150 years old, sometimes 200, although the wind can cut their lives short. And the real work begins in midFebruary, or whenever the weather patterns allow – tapping the trees takes some time.

It starts with drilling holes at least 2 inches away from the prior year’s holes, 6 or 7 feet up the trunk. The holes are for blue vacuumtubing lines, which stay up year round.

There are roughly six holes, or three trees, per lateral line. When they are connected, they draw sap from the tree to collect in a tank at the lowest point downhill before heading to the sugarhouse. Some trees don’t logistically fit along the blue tubing lines and require spouts – around the size of a straw – and a bucket to catch the sap.

The Funks prefer cast-iron spouts, which have been in the family since the 1950s, because they are better quality than those made today. When the sap is really flowing, a bucket can fill up every 10 to 12 hours.

It takes 35 to 50 gallons of translucentcolored sap to make 1 gallon of tawnybrown syrup.

Sap to Syrup Once sap is collected, it’s transported to the sugarhouse. Maple syrup is the product of an evaporation process, and the first step is boiling. They begin this process as soon as they have enough sap and continue until the sap runs dry. In the old days, the business used a three-kettle system and cooked the sap over a fire. A few years after taking over operations in the 1950s, Stephen began using oil heat.

“Some of the old-timers say you can’t make good maple syrup until you heat it with wood to give it a smoky flavor,” Mike says.

Heat helps develop the color and flavor, but too much burns it.

“He means not looking at his phone so much is the hard part,” says Mike with a laugh.

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As the sap boils to 219°F, which usually takes an hour and a half, it begins to gain color and flavor as the sugar caramelizes.

Sap from earlier in the season usually boils out more quickly and results in a lighter color. The syrup industry refers to this as “fancy” grade. Debby describes it as a marshmallow-cream flavor.

The Funks blend syrups made at various stages of the season to develop a medium flavor that seems to satisfy most people.

The darker the syrup, the stronger the flavor.

“More and more people ask for the dark,” Mike says. “We make some that’s strictly light, too.”

The Funks find there is a wide diversity in flavor differences, and these can vary from sugar bush to sugar bush. Regionally, it doesn’t make much of a difference, Mike says – there’s no signature Vermont-, Canadian- or Illinois-style syrup. All sugar is graded according to color: It gets labeled pure if the relative density is 66 percent sugar, or 66 Brix, with no preservatives or additives. Funks Grove’s pure syrup blend has an A grade, with the darker syrup designated as B grade.

The Funks measure the Brix using a hydrometer – a tool also used by brewmasters and winemakers to test the sugar content of their products. Syrup has to be bottled while still hot to sterilize the container, negating the need for preservatives, similar to canning.

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In 1997, one of Mike’s daughters began boiling the sap down and pulling it into maple candy. Because candy was claimed, Jonathan started his own side project 10 years ago, making a maple cream to spread on biscuits and other breakfast foods.

This past year, the Funks have slightly diversified their stock. Mike began making maple sugar, a throwback to the company’s founding product.

As warmer weather arrives toward the end of March, bacteria grows in the holes that are left in the tree trunks, naturally closing them. After spring, the 300 annual visitors begin to slow, and the Funks shift their focus to corn and soybean planting. Near August, a “sold out” sign appears out front, and locals wait until they see the buckets return the following winter. It’s been this way every year of the Funks’ lives.

“I don’t know where all the time went,” Mike says. “But here we are.”

Like his father before him, Mike uses oil heat.

Today, the Funks also use an evaporator; they got a new one in December. The evaporator uses reverse osmosis to remove water.

Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup can be purchased seasonally on-site or online at funkspuremaplesirup.com. Tours of the facility are available via appointment.

The temperature needs to be continuously monitored so that it doesn’t overheat, which Jonathan says is the most difficult part.

Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup, 5257 Old Route 66, Shirley, Illinois, 309.874.3360, funkspuremaplesirup.com Inspired Local Food Culture

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VeGan chocolate chip cookies Maple-Glazed salMon

Maple-pecan squares

Debby made this for the first time when one Yields | ¾ cup | of her children became vegan and continues ¼ cup pure maple syrup to make them because she thinks they’re 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard just as good as any chocolate chip cookies 2 Tbsp brown sugar or pure maple sugar 2 Tbsp melted butter she’s tried. Plus, they’re healthier – the ¼ tsp sea salt only thing she cheats on is replacing vegan 1⁄8 tsp freshly ground black pepper chocolate chips with regular semisweet.

Yields | 24 2-inch squares

From the cookbook 1,000 Vegan Recipes by Robin Robertson

This glaze recipe was given to Debby Funk by one of her friends.

1

Yields | 2 dozen cookies 1 ¾ 2 1 2 ½ 1 ½ 1

|

cup softened nondairy margarine cup light brown sugar or pure maple sugar tsp pure maple syrup tsp pure vanilla extract cups all-purpose flour tsp baking powder tsp baking soda tsp sea salt cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips* *Can substitute regular chocolate chips if not making a vegan version.

| Preparation | Preheat oven to 350°F.

lb salmon

| Preparation | In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except salmon. Spray a shallow glass baking dish with cooking spray and place salmon in dish. Pour glaze over salmon, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, turning once. Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove dish from refrigerator. Ensure salmon is placed skin-side down and then transfer to oven to bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with a fork. Serve.

In a large bowl, cream together margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in maple syrup and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Maple-Glazed Walnuts

In a separate large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet, stirring well to combine. Fold in chocolate chips.

2 1⁄3 1⁄8

Drop dough by the tablespoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until cookies are slightly browned around edges, about 15 minutes. Cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve.

Yields | 2 cups

|

cups walnut halves cup pure maple syrup tsp sea salt

| Preparation | In a dry nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat all ingredients, stirring frequently, until syrup is caramelized and nuts are toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer glazed walnuts to wax paper or parchment to cool. Serve.

This is an old Funk family recipe, although its origins are unknown.

1½ ¼ ½ 1 2 ¼ ½ 1

|

cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, divided cup plus 2⁄3 cup brown sugar or pure maple sugar, divided cup butter cup pure maple syrup eggs, beaten tsp sea salt tsp pure vanilla extract cup walnut or pecan pieces

| Preparation | Preheat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, combine 1½ cups flour and ¼ cup brown or maple sugar. Cut butter into mixture and transfer to a food processor; process until mixture resembles cornmeal. Press into an ungreased 13-by-9-inch baking dish and bake for 15 minutes or until the edges start to brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine remaining 2⁄3 cup brown or maple sugar with maple syrup. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Off heat, slowly pour hot syrup mixture over beaten eggs in a separate medium bowl, stirring constantly. Stir in 2 tablespoons flour and remaining ingredients except nuts. Pour mixture over baked crust. Sprinkle with nuts and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool and then cut into squares. Serve.

Maple-pecan pie

This recipe is from Maple Syrup Cookbook

by Ken Haedrich, and is the one Debby Funk uses to make pecan pie.

Yields | 9-inch pie | 3 1 ½ 1 1 12⁄3

large eggs, room temperature cup room temperature pure maple syrup cup brown sugar or pure maple sugar pinch salt tsp pure vanilla extract Tbsp all-purpose flour cups pecan halves 9-inch pie shell, unbaked and chilled

| Preparation | Preheat oven to 425°F. In a mixing bowl, using a hand-held mixer on high speed, beat eggs for 2 minutes.

Add all remaining ingredients except pecans and pie shell, and beat for another minute. Spread pecans in unbaked pie shell, then slowly pour in liquid.

Transfer to the center oven rack for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 375°F and bake for another 30 minutes. Pie is finished baking when golden, puffed and not soupy in middle. Allow to cool before serving.

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how the midwest’s rich and robust coffee history paved the way for the next generation of shops and roasters Written by HeatHer riske

%PG

feastmagazine.com

f e b r u a r y 2016

|

pHoto by judd demaline

T

here is no cream or sugar at Brick & mortar coffee. there are no flavored syrups, no soy milk – there’s not even a set drink menu. But try a sip of the rich, buttery espresso, and you won’t miss those standard accoutrements. nestled inside a former motorcycle shop in springfield, missouri, Brick & mortar is the city’s first third-wave coffee roaster, a term that has come to emphasize direct relationships with farmers and artisan roasting methods. as Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan gold wrote for LA Weekly in march 2008, the third wave of coffee is a level of connoisseurship “where beans are sourced from farms instead of countries, roasting is about bringing out rather than incinerating the unique characteristics of each bean, and the flavor is clean and hard and pure.”

really important here from the very beginning,” moon says. “We had pretty good access up the river from new orleans, which was and still is a big coffee port, and then of course with railroads, it really expanded from there. coffee has been here a lot longer than most people assume.” most coffee historians tend to focus on the east and West coasts, but for a while, st. Louis was the largest inland coffee distributor in the world. in 1845, there were more than 50 coffee shops in st. Louis – a city with a population of about 35,000 at the time. there were only a few roasters, but that number grew to around 80 at the turn of the century. By 1920, coffee was a $20 million industry in st. Louis, leading the local chamber of commerce to boast that st. Louis was a coffee capital in the u.s.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. the history of coffee as a major commodity in the u.s. stretches back to the 1870s and is generally broken out into three waves.

Household names like folgers coffee and maxwell House ushered in the first wave, creating affordable, “ready for the pot” coffee. a more specialized approach to coffee developed in the 1960s and throughout the next few decades, as starbucks and Peet’s coffee & tea began to emphasize origin stories and varying brewing methods.

although most of the names are unfamiliar to coffee-drinkers today, these local roasters were instrumental in building up the national coffee industry – moon refers to one in particular, cyrus Blanke of c. f. Blanke tea & coffee co., as the “most important coffee man you’ve never heard of.” Blanke was best known for his faust coffee, found across the country, but he also claims to have created one of the first versions of instant coffee in 1906 and to have perfected the drip coffeemaker.

vintage coffee images courtesy missouri History museum

other big names include William schotten, who founded William schotten coffee co., and his son, Julius, who was later elected the first president of the national coffee roasters association, now the national coffee association. James H. forbes tea & coffee co. claimed to be the first company to roast coffee west of the mississippi. in the 1850s, forbes introduced consumers to a whole new kind of coffee: commercially roasted and ready to be ground and brewed. coffee had previously only been sold in whole, unroasted beans – housewives pan-roasted green beans on stove-tops, ground them and brewed the coffee themselves. the Louisiana Purchase expedition, also known as the 1904 World’s fair, which was held in st. Louis, proved pivotal for local roasters. J.P. and James J. o’connor founded ronnoco coffee co. (their last name spelled backward) after experiencing an innovation in coffee at the fair: imported coffee beans roasted in bulk over a gas flame. ronnoco is still based in st. Louis, and the company supplies coffee to casinos, convenience stores, groceries and offices in more than 20 states. finally, coffee’s third wave hit in the mid- to late 1990s, led by three major players: intelligentsia coffee & tea in chicago; counter culture coffee in Durham, north carolina; and stumptown coffee roasters in Portland, oregon. the three waves are more than just chapters in the story of coffee – they illustrate how one of the world’s biggest commodities has evolved over the past century. and as more specialty coffee shops and roasters open across the country, the demand only increases, allowing third-wave roasters like Brick & mortar to thrive in the heartland. But the history of coffee dates back much further in missouri – long before we were waking up with folgers in our cups or ordering grande vanilla lattes from starbucks, the midwest was home to a rich and robust coffee scene.

in early october, the missouri History museum in st. Louis acquired Coffee: The World in Your Cup, a traveling exhibit that covers about 2,000 square feet. Knowing that the museum has more space than the show required, exhibitions manager Katie moon decided to supplement it with a bit of local history, not knowing quite how much room she’d be able to fill. Luckily, she soon found out that st. Louis has a pretty rich coffee history, after all: the local portion of the exhibit filled the rest of the 6,000-square-foot gallery.

“Because of where st. Louis is located on the mississippi river – and also because we were founded by french immigrants – coffee was

st. Louis’ coffee industry continued to thrive up until the 1930s, when it took a major hit from what moon refers to as the “perfect storm” of the great Depression, World War ii and the boom of advertising, which helped national brands carve out bigger slices in the local market.

Local coffee magnate Dana Brown used marketing and advertising to revive interest in coffee in the 1960s and ‘70s. to this day, he’s remembered as much for his safari coffee as he is for his television commercials, which depicted his encounters with wild lions, elephants and rhinoceros during travels to africa and asia. folgers, one of the top-selling coffee brands in the country, was founded as Pioneer steam coffee and spice mills in san francisco in 1850, at a time when there was little demand for roasted, store-bought coffee. James a. folger’s main competition was the pan-roasting housewife – but he had a major advantage in knowing how to blend, roast and grind coffee uniformly. in 1907, folgers opened a roasting plant in Kansas city, thanks in part to encouragement from an ambitious salesman, frank P. atha. the Kansas city facility would soon grow to be one of the largest coffee-roasting plants in the world. in 1938, folgers’ Kansas city plant moved to eighth street and Broadway Boulevard Downtown. in 2012,the plant shut down after its acquisition by J.m. smucker co. and has since undergone a massive renovation – soon, it will be home to the “roaster’s Block” apartments.

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F E B R U A R Y 2016

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Two local coffee roasters were also at the forefront of the third wave of coffee, offering direct-trade, expertly roasted coffees alongside national players like Intelligentsia, Counter Culture and Stumptown.

In 1993, Danny O’Neill was burnt out on corporate life. In looking for ideas for a new venture, he kept coming back to coffee – as a foreign-exchange student in high school, he spent several weeks picking coffee beans in Costa Rica. He began researching coffee and traveling around the country to visit shops and roasters, later launching The Roasterie in his basement in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City.

“Everybody thought I was crazy,” he says.

“The idea of the coffee company… nobody got it. There just wasn’t a culture in the Midwest. But I added up how much I drank and thought, ‘Wow, if I could find 50 people who drank as much coffee as me, I could make my house payment. I looked at everything out there, all over the world, and decided to buy the best coffee we could find, roast it the best way and get it to the customer as fast as humanly possible.”

He means that literally – after knocking on doors for three months, O’Neill made his first sale to the University of Kansas Medical Center and promptly delivered the coffee within the hour: He immediately drove home, roasted the coffee, packed it and delivered it – still warm – to a somewhat bewildered hospital staff.

A similar idea led Howard Lerner and Suzanne Langlois to open Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Co., a small café and roaster in 1994, in the DeMun neighborhood of Clayton, Missouri. Dissatisfied with the lack of “specialty” coffee options in the St. Louis area, the pair started roasting by hand – and local cafés, grocery stores and restaurants quickly took notice.

Among the small roaster’s biggest fans were Tricia Zimmer Ferguson; her husband, Josh Ferguson; and her brother, Tyler Zimmer, who purchased half of the company in 2005 with a goal of expanding the business. In 2007, the trio bought the rest of the company, and they have since grown Kaldi’s to more than a dozen locations in St. Louis; Kansas City; Columbia, Missouri; and Atlanta.

The company also jointly owns a roasting facility with Frothy Monkey coffee shop and roasters in Nashville. This past spring, Kaldi’s celebrated its first 20 years in business by unveiling a new 30,000-square-foot roasting plant.

The St. Louis plant is where all of Kaldi’s coffee is roasted, packaged and shipped, but it’s also home to a top-notch training facility. Here, Kaldi’s training staff teaches the best coffee practices to baristas and shop owners from around the region, and also invites the community in for free weekly tours and cuppings.

During cuppings, visitors can see firsthand how coffee is scored and evaluated for quality at Kaldi’s. The team will cup a coffee three times: when they get direct samples or visit the producers in the country of origin, when the coffee is imported into “That was where the coffee industry was at that time – fresh bread became Wonder the U.S. and when it arrives in St. Louis.

Bread, beer became Budweiser and coffee Tyler Zimmer, Kaldi’s green buyer, is the city’s only certified Q Grader, a level of was commercial coffee,” O’Neill says. certification from the Specialty Coffee “What I was doing wasn’t that radically Association of America. Only about 3,500 different, but I think what probably made people hold the title worldwide. The the difference was the level of quality, certification is often likened to consistency and service.” a sommelier in the wine Those principles still guide The Roasterie’s industry, but Zimmer says the focus is work today. The company has sourced more on internal its beans directly from 31 countries communication around the world and uses an air-roasting among coffee technique – hence the roaster’s iconic professionals logo that depicts a DC-3 airplane in flight.

Compared to conventional drum-roasting, – the score of the coffee O’Neill believes air-roasting produces a means more to smoother, more flavorful cup of coffee. the producer when it comes The Roasterie’s first café didn’t open from a calibrated until 2005, but the company has been and certified grader. interacting face-to-face with customers since day one. The Roasterie was the first “It’s a unique thing to Kansas City coffee roaster to offer its wholesale clients the opportunity to taste have for the company, and when and create their own custom coffee blends, you’re traveling, it’s a validation within the industry that we are experts at what and the first to offer tours of its facility, we do,” Zimmer says. “The fact that we’re starting in 1993 in O’Neill’s basement. able to buy from specific communities in Colombia, Nicaragua and Brazil and “I’ve always had this mantra of ‘If people don’t understand the difference, they’re not have these relationships for that long is going to pay the difference,’” O’Neill says. “To really special. The commitment to quality, me, it’s just total Midwestern common sense sustainability and maintaining those relationships as we’ve grown larger is a big – ‘Wow, what would it be like if everybody part of what we do.” knew more about quality coffee?’”

photo of coffee offerings from thou mayest coffee roasters by landon vonderschmidt

Kaldi’s and The Roasterie helped lay the groundwork for a whole new generation of specialty coffee in Missouri. From 2011 to 2014, Kansas City, St. Louis and cities in between saw major spikes in the number of third-wave coffee roasters and shops.

“A lot of people in St. Louis and even Kansas City got their start at Kaldi’s, and that’s something we’re proud to be a part of,” Zimmer says. “It’s a ‘rising tide raises all ships’ kind of thing. We’re all focused on quality and the story of coffee.”

From 2011 to 2013, St. Louis saw the openings of Sump Coffee, Blueprint Coffee, Comet Coffee and Rise Coffee House.

Blueprint, in particular, is the brainchild of six local coffee experts: Andrew Timko, Kevin Reddy, Mazi Razani, Nora Brady and Mike Marquard, who all cut their teeth at Kaldi’s, and Brian Levine, a local entrepreneur-turned-coffee aficionado.

Marquard is particularly known for bringing a progressive coffee program to Half & Half in Clayton, where he served as coffee director and general manager.

Half & Half and its coffee-loving owner, Mike Randolph, introduced one of the first elevated restaurant coffee programs in the city – from the start, the breakfast and brunch spot took its coffee as seriously as its food, offering seasonal cups available in espresso, drip, pour-over and cold-brew.

“When I started working in coffee, I was probably the typical coffee shop customer – I was there mostly for the social aspect and the bottomless flavored coffee,” Marquard says. “Because of some inviting and warm people I worked with at Kaldi’s, I started tasting coffee more seriously and found that black coffee is really good when it’s done well. From 2006 to 2010 it was just heads down and hard work.

“I don’t think that era of coffee is really celebrated as much as it needs to be.

During that time, what happened is an enabling of passion – some people got really excited about coffee and started sharing that with people.”

“it was a slow

build

of people waking up to how good

coffee could be.”

-mike

marquard, blueprint coffee

Marquard says the training program at Kaldi’s enabled both employees and customers to access good coffee and learn how to brew it correctly. As specialty roasters began to open in 2011 and 2012, featuring well-crafted roast styles that presented the coffees by origin, customers started to pay attention “It was a slow build of people waking up to how good coffee could be,” Marquard says. “The service was focused enough that people were catching on that it’s because of the product – it’s not the added flavor, the dark roast, the vanilla syrup – it’s the raw beans. There were a lot of things happening in food at the time – the slow-

food movement, farm-to-table approaches, casual dining that’s good – and those all helped coffee get to where it is now.”

At Blueprint, each cup is made to order, and the beans are roasted just steps away from the brew bar. The baristas are focused on crafting each cup to express the body, flavor and style of the specific bean – but Marquard says they won’t scoff if someone orders a vanilla latte.

“Something we’ve seen work really well is just being nice to people,” Marquard says.

“We’re trying to bring a different level of service and really try to break down those barriers – they know they can ask us questions and they’re not going to get judged. As soon as people start to trust you and like you, they’ll really value your opinion.

That’s how our approach has changed in 2015 versus 2006.”

Gregory Kolsto invokes a similar philosophy at Oddly Correct, which he opened in Kansas City in 2008 after roasting his own coffee out of a friend’s garage in Raytown, Missouri. Oddly Correct is the culmination of Kolsto’s diverse coffee experiences – traveling to Central and South America and Ethiopia as a buyer for Krispy Kreme’s coffee program and helping local Parisi Artisan Coffee build its roasting facility as it expanded operations from a midsize to larger roaster. “If I couldn’t find an environment I could thrive in, I would create one,” he says.

At Oddly Correct’s coffee bar, which opened in 2012, Kolsto and his team focus on “buying fresh-off-the-harvest, freaky coffees.” He refers to the space not as a café but as a tasting room – one that acts as a platform for the product itself. Espresso-based drinks get a simple addition of local whole milk, and pour-over coffees are served sans cream, sugar or syrups.

“It was a question of ‘What would happen if we presented coffee in a different way?’” Kolsto says. “If you go to Boulevard [Brewing Co.], you can’t go in there and ask for a Michelob Ultra. There is some pushback from some new customers, but as we grow, another person is like, ‘Wow, I’ve never tasted coffee like that before.’ In specialty coffee, we’re operating in pursuit of that lightbulb moment.”

Oddly Correct is just one of a handful of specialty roasters and shops to bring coffee to the forefront in Kansas City in the past few years, alongside Parisi, Second Best Coffee, Quay Coffee, Messenger Coffee Co. and Thou Mayest Coffee Roasters.

Broadway Cafe and Roasting Co., in particular, grabbed a few national headlines in 2008 for a David-and-Goliath scenario: The hometown coffeehouse outlasted its next-door neighbor, Starbucks, after nearly 10 years of competition.

National coffee buffs have started to take notice of Kansas City and St. Louis, too, and not just because of the sheer number of roasters. From the start, several local baristas and roasters have placed well in

the World Coffee Events – in 2013, Pete Licata of Parisi won its World Barista Championship.

The following year, as part of the U.S. Coffee Championships, Simeon Bricker of The Roasterie became the first-ever winner of the U.S. Latte Art Championship, while Tony Auger of Kaldi’s placed third in the U.S. Brewers Cup, and Nora Brady of Blueprint placed sixth in the U.S. Barista Championship. This year, the competition is coming to Kansas City – the qualifying event will be held at the Kansas City Conference Center from Feb. 2 to 5.

In addition, PT’s Coffee Roasting Co., Broadway Cafe and Kaldi’s have won coveted Good Food Awards, which recognize food-and-drink producers across the country for environmental and social responsibility, as well as for producing high-quality products.

Tooti Roe is one of the Kansas City coffee scene’s biggest cheerleaders and something of a local coffee expert – she and her husband, Marty, own three coffee-focused businesses in Kansas City: About the Coffee, a retail coffee shop; Service Call, a commercial coffee and espresso machine repair company; and Workbench Coffee Labs, the only teaching lab in Missouri certified by the Specialty Coffee Association of America.

“When we travel outside Kansas City or people come here, they’ll say it seems like the Kansas City coffee scene was an overnight sensation,” Roe says. “[But] I’ve worked beside these people who have been banging the drum and trying to educate people for years – I’m seeing a lot of labor finally paying off. These tiny events and happenings and awards finally amassed enough for people outside of the area to say, ‘Wow, the Kansas City coffee scene is really something.’”

Anchored by movement in Kansas City and St. Louis, third-wave coffee roasters have started popping up elsewhere in the state. Two small-batch coffee roasters arrived in Columbia around the same time: Fretboard Coffee and its café landed in November 2013, followed

by Shortwave Coffee in February 2014. That year, Tom Billinois started roasting in-house at Springfield, Missouri, staple The Coffee Ethic, which also features single-origin coffees and cold brew flowing from a nitro tap. Brick & Mortar’s tiny tasting room and roasting facility opened that fall, offering a carefully curated selection of coffee and espresso.

“Coffee is one of those things like beer and wine that respond to the amount of effort and time you put into it,” Brick & Mortar owner Jonathan Putnam says. “Our space is more like a brewery than a bar – there are things you can get at a bar that you can’t get at a brewery because [the brewery’s] model is to be a showcase for the product itself.”

That’s why some heads turned when he wound up on the staff of Matthew Daughaday’s muchanticipated restaurant, Reeds American Table, which opened in Maplewood, Missouri, this past summer. Daughaday assembled a dream team of culinary experts to lead his kitchen and he didn’t miss a beat with the beverage programs, either: In addition to two sommeliers, two Certified Specialists of Wine, a mixologist and a cicerone, he enlisted Althaus to develop a cutting-edge coffee program.

To that end, Althaus collected samples from around a dozen coffee roasters, both local and national, and held tastings with the entire staff.

The initial menu featured French press and espresso offerings from Thou Mayest in Kansas City. This month, Reeds will begin a morning and afternoon café and light lunch service, featuring expanded coffee offerings like single-origin coffee and flavored lattes.

“The coffee at the restaurant will be better than 90 percent of others just depending on where it’s sourced from,” Althaus says. “You can batch-brew great coffee at a restaurant. A lot of people go to restaurants and may or may not go to that coffee shop, so it’s kind of like the restaurant is an instrument in coffee being taken seriously.”

Once considered an afterthought, chefs like Daughaday are starting to carefully curate their coffee programs – after all, coffee is often the diner’s last experience at a restaurant.

In Kansas City, popular restaurants such as Novel, Port Fonda and Voltaire all feature Oddly Correct coffee on their menus in various ways including French press, espresso or cappuccino. Aside from Reeds, a handful of restaurants in the St. Louis area are experiencing a similar shift. Coffee has always been a focus at Half & Half – the goal upon opening was “good food with good coffee” – but Mike Randolph has also put a lot of thought into the coffee service at his newly opened Público and Randolfi’s Italian Kitchen.

“The coffee should marry the philosophy of the food,” co-owner Liz Randolph says. “We look for seasonality, but also look to execute focused offerings.” Randolfi’s, a modern Italian restaurant, offers espresso alongside more creative coffee drinks – think espresso with a green Chartreusewashed cup, or a macchia con pistacchio with espresso, Dumante pistachio liqueur and steamed milk. On the other hand, Público, a Mexican- and Latin American-inspired gastropub, uses a Bonavita immersion dripper, offering an experience somewhere between a French press and pour-over.

The Randolphs source Blueprint’s single-origin coffees from the South American countries that inspire the restaurant’s seasonal fare.

Chances are, if you’ve visited a coffee shop in St. Louis, you’ve run into Zach Althaus.

Evan Jones, who’s previously worked as a cook or server at notable St. Louis-area restaurants Pastaria, Blood & Sand and Bridge Tap House & Wine Bar, brings an understanding of fine-dining service to Blueprint, where he now works as a barista, shift manager and with wholesale sales.

Althaus worked at The Roasterie in his hometown of Kansas City for six years before bringing his expertise to St. Louis coffee shops and roasters including Kaldi’s, Comet Coffee, Foundation Grounds, Rise Coffee House, Goshen Coffee Co. and Sump Coffee.

“Reeds is a good example of the new paradigm of coffee in restaurants,” Jones says. “There’s a lot of intentionality behind the coffee program, but the entire beverage list is focused on a complete dining experience. Coffee is absolutely part of the conversation.”

Blueprint Coffee, 6225 Delmar Blvd., University City, Missouri, 314.266.6808, blueprintcoffee.com Brick & Mortar Coffee, 1666 E. St. Louis St., Springfield, Missouri, 417.812.6539, brickandmortarcoffee.com Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Co., multiple locations, 888.892.6333, kaldiscoffee.com Oddly Correct, 3940 Main St., Midtown, Kansas City, Missouri, oddlycorrect.com The Roasterie, multiple locations, 816.931.4000, theroasterie.com Reeds American Table, 7322 Manchester Road, Maplewood, Missouri, 314.899.9821, reedsamericantable.com photo by judd demaline

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RISE & DINE. This month, we set our sights on the most important meal of the day. We invited our Instagram followers to share photos of their favorite breakfast dishes – from bacon and eggs to bagels and muffins – by using the hashtag #feastgram. For a taste of locally made, New York-style bagels and schmear, turn to p. 56 to learn about Legacy Bagelry, a family-owned bagel shop in Springfield, Missouri. Then, flip to p. 76 to discover how coffee has evolved in the Midwest from pan-roasting housewives to third-wave shops and roasters. or, turn to p. 40 for a taste of Schmacon, a crispy beef-based alternative to strips of pork bacon.

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| 1 | mallory ubbelohde @m_ubb Morning scene on this glorious long weekend. Whole-wheat Dutch baby with cinnamon apples from @NaturallyElla. Plus soy lattes, of course! #BestFoodYear | 2 | anna newell @urban.apron Saturday morning smoothies . |2|

| 3 | Chow Chief

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@chowchief Mondays be like... (at Byrd & Barrel)

| 4 | graCe pritChett @glpritch Lemon-Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake || Feeling all the good vibes this morning thanks to this warm and fruity breakfast cake straight out of the oven. | 5 | jon farmer and sandra park @beyondthepines.co Is that fried chicken paired with a glazed donut? Yes. #AllTheDonuts (at Doughnut Lounge) | 6 | julia @mylavendarblues Crushing childhood obesity and new year’s goals, one donut at a time. #StrangeDonuts #STL @StrangeDonuts

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| 7 | amanda wilens @feedme_withamanda Had a super early morning at the gym today. Wish I had instead been eating these. Recipe up on the blog!

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| 8 | miChele yates @yates.mn Another great #BrunchDate @RetreatGastro. I can’t get enough of this place. #GoLocalSTL | 9 | zaCh flynn @zedzachzud #Brunch #Pancakes #STLFoodScene #STLFood #AppleButter | 10 | meredith sChulte @mmschulte Stay warm. Cinnamon roll. (at Heirloom Bakery & Hearth)

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Want to see your photos in the March issue of Feast?

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