January 2015

ones to watch food and drink pros with promise

Review: ucbc in the grove p. 15

10-minute miso soup p. 29

st. louis’ independent culinary authority

January 2015

7 new places

H o w to m a k e

t o

a real martini

t r y p. 10

p. 23 FREE, January 2015

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editorial policies The Sauce Magazine mission is to provide St. Louis-area residents and visitors with unbiased, complete information on the area’s restaurant, bar and entertainment industry. Our editorial content is not influenced by who advertises with Sauce Magazine or saucemagazine.com.

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January 2015

contents January 2015

editors' picks 9

EAT THIS Cheese hash browns at Goody Goody Diner

10

HIT LIST Hit List: 7 places to try this month

12

kitchen essentials Chris Sommers of Pi Pizzeria

reviews

24

WINE Trading places

15

NEW AND NOTABLE

by ben wood

Urban Chestnut Grove Brewery & Bierhall

26

by michael renner

VEGETIZE IT

Liege waffles at Urban Chestnut Grove Brewery & Bierhall p. 15

Pappardelle with Bolognese

18

by kellie hynes

The Scottish Arms

29

POWER LUNCH by byron kerman

MAKE THIS Miso soup

21

NIGHTLIFE

by dee ryan

Unkle Munkey's Coin Club

by matt berkley

Photo by jonathan gayman

dine & drink

last course 44

STUFF TO DO

23

by byron kerman

A SEAT AT THE BAR

46

Four experts tell us what to sip, stir and shake

by glenn bardgett, cory king, and ted and jamie kilgore

January 2015

WHAT I DO Cindy Higgerson of Larder & Cupboard

Features 30

Ones to Watch Food and Drink Pros with Promise by garrett faulkner, ligaya figueras, kellie hynes, byron kerman, catherine klene, michael renner and kristin schultz

cover details Sauce's Ones to Watch Class of 2015 Clockwise, from top left: Jenna Pohl, Britt Simpson, Zach Althaus, Tommy "Salami" Andrew, Jessie Gilroy, Emily Parker and Brian Lagerstrom photos by greg rannells and carmen troesser p. 30

by ligaya figueras saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 5

letter from the editor

The Side Project Cellar 7373 Marietta Ave., Maplewood, 314.224.5211, sideprojectbrewing.com

Sauce puts an annual spotlight on people in our community whom we consider to be pros with promise. We keep a running list with copious notes on dozens of individuals who catch our eye. The magazine’s editors then fiercely debate (to the point of eye rolling, name-calling and unprintable words) about who should make the final cut. Luckily, everyone survived this year’s battle, and I’m excited for the members of the Ones to Watch Class of 2015 and their potential to impact the food and beverage scene in our region (p. 30).

Looking back through six Ones to Watch classes, it’s a point of pride that Sauce called it correctly on a number of talented people. Among that inaugural class were Adam Altnether, Cory Shupe and T.J. Vytlacil. At the time, 23-year-old Altnether was chef de cuisine at Niche. He’s now a partner with Gerard Craft in the Niche family of restaurants. Shupe was soaking up everything he could about whole hog butchery as chef de cuisine at Anthony Devoti’s Five Bistro. Now, he’s his own head

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honcho at Thyme Square Cafe, his restaurant in Quincy, Illinois.

Then there’s Vytlacil, the aspiring craft cocktail bartender who went on to open Blood & Sand and Death in the Afternoon.

The trio reunited with me at The Side Project Cellar, a beer and whiskey tasting room that brewer Cory King and his beer-savvy wife, Karen King, recently opened in Maplewood. He is the head brewer at Perennial Artisan Ales, and the Kings launched their own brewery, Side Project, nearly two years ago. His innovative beers for both labels (he loves sour beers, Belgian ales and anything barrel-fermented) have received acclaim nationwide and overseas. One of my Sauce colleagues remarked that we missed the boat a few years back by not including King in Ones to Watch. “We did one better,” I replied. “He writes for us.”

Sidle up to your favorite craft beer haunt and order Lefebvre Blanche de Bruxelles, one of King’s wheat beer

From left: Cory Shupe, T.J. Vytlacil, Cory King, Ligaya Figueras and Adam Altnether

picks in this month’s A Seat at The Bar (p. 23). Then, join me in raising a glass to the many folks in the food and beverage scene who are raising the bar so high I can barely see the tap handle.

Cheers,

Ligaya Figueras Executive editor

On this month’s Sound Bites, Ones to Watch ’09 alums Adam Altnether and T.J. Vytlacil join executive editor Ligaya Figueras to talk about the paths their careers have taken since Sauce put the spotlight on them six years ago. Tune in to St. Louis Public Radio 90.7 KWMU’s Cityscape Friday, Jan. 16 at noon and 10 p.m.

January 2015

photo by jonathan gayman

A

t Sauce, we keep a lot of lists: restaurants to review, Eat This contenders, Trendwatch maybes, What I Do personalities, feature story ideas that need to be fleshed out. To me, though, the most interesting list is our Ones to Watch candidates.

January 2015

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editors' picks

eat this

Everything we’ve had from GOODY GOODY DINER lives up to the restaurant’s name, but the standout is the CHEESE HASH BROWNS. These crispy cubed potatoes finished with an irresistible cheese sauce are no mere side dish.

They are the salty foil to your sweet hotcakes, the excuse to eat cheese fries for breakfast, the cure to your hangover and photo by carmen troesser

the most delicious dish on the table.

Goody Goody Diner, 5900 Natural Bridge Ave., St. Louis, 314.383.3333, goodygoodydiner.com

January 2015

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hit list

7 new places to try this month

1

2710 Cherokee St., St. Louis, 314.504.3532, earthboundbeer.com

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Cajun and Creole cuisines have come to Des Peres.

Grab a seat at the 19thcentury wood bar and sip on a Hurricane or a bottle of Abita Amber while you nibble on (OK, devour) complimentary savory beignets. Save room for dishes like shrimp and grits, po’boys, gumbo and fresh oysters. For dessert, don’t miss the bananas Foster creme brulee.

Zydeco Blues

Zydeco Blues, 1090 Old Des Peres Road, Des Peres, 314.858.1188, zydecobluesstl.com

2 1 From left, Earthbound Brewing owners Stuart Keating, Rebecca Schranz and Jeff Siddons 2 Shrimp and grits at Zydeco Blues January 2015

photos by michelle volansky

Among the whiskey bars and taquerías on Cherokee Street sits the tiny but mighty Earthbound Brewing.

It takes less than 30 seconds to walk the length of the 1,000-square-foot, shotgun-style space with tables, stools and a bar hewn from salvaged wood.

Eight taps pour a selection of local favorites and Earthbound brews, like the mellow Winter Warmer Double IPA that’s sweetened with jaggery, or the Mahlab ESB, a slightly bitter brew with fruitcake aroma. Show up on Thursday nights to witness heated rounds of Dungeons & Dragons; you may even be recruited to join the quest over a pint.

Earthbound Brewing

Old-school butcher shop Bolyard’s Bolyard’s Meat Meat & Provisions & Provisions joins a street of burgeoning specialty food stores in Maplewood. Former Sidney Street Cafe chef de cuisine Chris Bolyard is putting his butchery skills to work as he breaks down whole animals that were naturally raised on small farms in Missouri.

Get your traditional cuts of pork, beef and chicken here, but don’t be shy about asking for underappreciated parts. Look for myriad house-prepared fresh and aged meat products: bacon, bratwurst, braunschweiger, bresaola, chorizo, hot dogs, kielbasa, mortadella, pastrami, porchetta di testa and more. Stock up on kitchen essentials like farm eggs, house-rendered lard and housemade Worcestershire. Don’t leave without a bag of fresh chicharrónes, a stick of beef jerky, a to-go cup of hot chicken broth – and smoked pig ears for Fido.

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2810 Sutton Blvd., Maplewood, 314.647.2567, bolyardsmeat.com

The second location of this popular pizzeria is bigger, badder and boozier than its Edwardsville home base. The O’Fallon, Illinois location opened in a massive two-story space (former incarnations include a bank, a bowling alley and a roller rink) to welcome up to 230 people. Head upstairs to the brewpub to take in the seven-barrel brewery and order the Peel flight to sample the four house brews or choose from two dozen other craft labels on draft. Get your belly full and satisfied with the jalapeno sausage pizza that’s piled with house-smoked jalapeno sausage, smoked mozzarella and breadand-butter pickled jalapenos.

Peel Wood Fired Pizza and Brewery

photos by michelle volansky

104 S. Cherry St., O’Fallon, Illinois, 618.726.2244, peelpizza.com

3 January 2015

5

3 Earthbound Brewing 4 Jalapeno sausage pizza at Peel Wood Fired Pizza and Brewery 5 Recess Brewing 6 Peel flight at Peel Wood Fired Pizza and Brewery

6

“This is really our test kitchen,” they’ll tell you at Strange Trap Kitchen, Strange Donuts’ pint-sized satellite location in the Central West End. Tuesday through Friday from 7 to 11 a.m., Strange Trap co-opts Brennan’s bar space to bring you delicious, neverbefore-seen Strange dones (and to-go cups of Kaldi’s coffee). Select from four experimental doughnuts from $2 to $5.

We’ve bitten into flavors like pineapple upside-down cake and tomato jam, goat cheese and prosciutto, then licked our fingers clean.

Edwardsville now has its first brewery with a sparse but stately tasting room in the heart of Main Street. A red brick archway, salvaged barn wood and large windows lend a cozy, tavern-like feel to the space. Ten taps hold brews to please everyone from hopheads (2211 IPA) to ale fans (Four Square nut brown ale). Our pick: Pedagogical, a winter porter to sip

by Recess’ custom-built brick fireplace.

It’s a BYO-dinner joint, but don’t be surprised if the movie theater across the street stops in with free fresh popcorn.

Edwardsville is neighborly like that.

Local microroaster Arthouse Coffees has opened a coffee shop and bakery. Take in the cafe’s casual laboratory aesthetic, from the faux soapstone chemist’s bar to the vintage pharmacy rack with bottles of Arthouse’s popular Bitt’s Cold Press and Chemex pour-over gear for purchase. Order a cup of a rotating house roast prepared one of five ways (espresso, pour over, siphon, Kyoto cold brew or cold press) and pair it with a freshly baked French roll served with house-made honey butter.

4659 Maryland Ave., St. Louis, strangedonuts.com

307 N. Main St., Edwardsville, 618.692.5101, recessbrewing.com

2808 Sutton Blvd., Maplewood, 314.899.0173, arthousecoffees.com

Strange Trap Kitchen

Recess Brewing

living room

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Kitchen Essentials Chris Sommers

Chris Sommers rarely cooks, but the co-founder of Pi does eat more than pizza. Between Sommers’ trips to Miami before the opening of Pi’s eighth location, we raided the pantry of his CWE home to find out which kitchen essentials this restaurant magnate can’t do without. – Ligaya Figueras

Many mornings, I eat a pastry from Pi - Central West End. I get the poppy seed bread. I always eat the heel.

Poppy seed bread

(In) our pantry, there are four boxes of Quaker Oat Squares.

(My wife) Anne just mistakenly bought them with cinnamon, so I’m kind of adjusting.

Quaker oat squares

Pappy's bbq sauce On burgers, we’ll sometimes put some sauce on and then cheese.

We always have Pappy’s.

That would be the condiment that we generally have in the fridge – Original or Holly’s Hot Sauce.

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schlafly summer lager We try to keep Schlafly Summer Lager as long as we can, so we buy it as soon as it’s available. They made me a tap handle with my face on it.

stag's leap chardonnay

fleur-de-lis spatula My mother-in-law purchased it for me not realizing it was for New Orleans.

She’s from Cincinnati.

We’ve been drinking Stag’s Leap Chardonnay that Anne likes from Pi. It’s not available in stores, so we just order it through the restaurant.

January 2015

portrait, tap handle and bread photos by jonathan gayman

Chris Sommers with his daughter Adelaide

January 2015

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reviews All Sauce reviews are conducted anonymously.

Strammer Max at Urban Chestnut Grove Brewery & Bierhall

new and notable

Urban Chestnut Grove Brewery & Bierhall

S

by Michael Renner | Photos by jonathan gayman

trangers who talk to each other on commuter trains are happier than those who plug in and tune out, according to a recent study by behavior researchers at the University of Chicago. Florian Kuplent and David Wolfe, owners of Urban Chestnut Brewing Co., didn’t need a research study to understand the power of putting strangers together when they launched the 70,000-square-foot flagship brewery, warehouse, retail store, restaurant and German-style beer hall in The Grove’s renovated Renard Paper Company building early last year.

new and notable urban chestnut p. 15 / power lunch the scottish arms p. 18 / nightlife unkle munkey's coin club p. 21 January 2015

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sweet-nutty cheese of the same name and slicing it onto plates of vegetables and meats. UCBC’s approximation consisted of a miniature cast-iron pan of boiler onions, cauliflower, fingerling potatoes and cornichons topped with a slice of raclette melted under a broiler. It makes a perfect snack for those needing an infusion of fresh vegetables.

reviews new and notable p. 2 of 2

From the aroma of fermenting mash to the high-ceilinged interior with its shiny concrete floors, there’s no mistaking this enormous place for anything but a brewery.

Four stainless-steel brewing tanks stand behind the sleek metal bar, which nearly stretches the length of the dining area.

With its long rows of hefty wooden tables and bare benches, the cavernous room looks like the Hofbrauhaus went industrial.

When it’s packed, the din rises to nervejangling levels. When it’s dead, it’s as lonely and sterile as Union Station.

Bavarian specialty that almost sounds better in German: schweinshaxe. The flavorful, locally sourced pork is roasted, shredded and shaped into small patties. An order gets you two of these on silver dollar-sized wheat rolls, each topped with tangy housemade sauerkraut and a smear of pungent coarse-ground mustard, also made inhouse. On the side comes a salad of winter greens with white beans and chewy wheat berries, dressed in a heavy-handed mustard vinaigrette that was more distracting then complementary.

With the expansion comes a full kitchen and new emphasis on food, notably German- and Western Europeaninspired fare made by chef Andrew Fair and designed for extended beer drinking.

Where the Midtown location’s menu is snack-focused and light, The Grove’s repertoire has decidedly more swagger. Take the pork knuckle, the uninvitingly named

Strammer Max, an open-faced sandwich on buttered rye toast, could well be called breakfast for dinner: melted French comté cheese molded like hot wax around a mound of shaved Black Forest ham slathered with onion jam and crowned with a sunny-side-up egg. A fine ensemble, though the jam proved just sweet enough to throw the other flavors out of balance.

AT A GLANCE Urban Chestnut Grove Brewery & Bierhall 16 I SAUCE MAGAZINE I saucemagazine.com

Where 4465 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314.222.0143, urbanchestnut.com

Don’t Miss Dishes Pork knuckle sandwich, poutine

Several dishes are easily shareable.

Poutine, the (in?)famous Canadian dish of pomme frites ladled with cheese, gravy and meat, changes daily. I liked how the diced carrots offered the illusion I was eating something healthy amid the delicious mess of crumbled bratwurst gravy. Four meat boards are available, including one with bratwurst.

Sourced from St. Louis’ G&W Bavarian Style Sausage Co., the two fat links lie on a bed of salty sauerkraut, with a dollop of German mustard, rye toast and thick-sliced fingerling potato salad arranged around the board.

While not spectacular, it still made for a good nosh between pints. The brandade beignets were heavy – more like hush puppies than doughnuts – but this hardly mattered to us as we devoured the three golf ball-sized orbs of puréed salt cod and potato jacketed in Zwickel-based beer batter.

Raclette is a popular Western European dish that involves heating a hunk of the

Vibe The humongous, minimalistic space is communal and can get as loud as the Edward Jones Dome.

The logistics of segregated ordering – beer at the bar and food at a separate kitchen counter – can seem a hassle.

When you order, the kitchen loans you a handy buzzer to notify you when the food is ready. Still, it doesn’t solve the back-andforth trips of getting beer, finding a spot, standing in line to order food, then going back to pick it up, all while paying in two separate places. (Hint: Start a tab at the bar and the kitchen can add your food order to it.) Then again, with food this heavy, you’ll need the exercise. I would have liked more information on which beers go best with individual foods; some bartenders were better versed than others with pairing suggestions. I found UCBC’s Bushelhead cider the most consistently balanced match for nearly every dish. Made with saison yeast, it was neither too sweet nor too dry.

But mostly there is beer – 32 taps’ worth.

UCBC brews both American and Germanstyle craft beers, as represented by its Revolution and Reverence series. The former focuses on modern, creative styles like powerful IPAs, Imperials and seasonal ales that use ingredients like spruce and pumpkin. The latter pays tribute to timeless European styles of lightly hopped, loweralcohol lagers, wheat beers and Pilsners.

UCBC’s Grove location draws an eclectic mix of patrons; it can feel like a college party with all the skinny jeans and slimcut shirts, or a neighborhood gathering of old friends with graying hair and pot bellies. And that’s the beauty of a convivial communal space based on beer and food.

At the very least, chat it up with the stranger across the table from you. You’ll be happier when you do.

Entree Prices $8 to $14

When Sun. – Noon to 7 p.m., Mon. – 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Tue. to Thu. – 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fri. and Sat. – 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

January 2015

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reviews power lunch

Power Lunch

the scottish arms

by Byron Kerman | photos by Elizabeth maxson

Scottish cuisine, compared to that of say, France or Italy, may be a humble affair, but The Scottish Arms has a way of making traditional fish and chips, pasties and even chicken soup affairs to remember.

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The afterparty Cranachan, a dessert for scotch lovers, offers berries macerated in single malt layered in a parfait with Grand Marnier whipped cream and candied oats. It’s very sweet, very crunchy and The Scottish Arms very boozy. If you can get 8 S. Sarah St., away with a wee dram St. Louis, 314.535.0551, during lunch, the scotch thescottisharms.com menu here leaves no stone unturned.

The Leek Shall Inherit the Earth Coming into the warm interior of The Scottish Arms from the frigid outdoors is like a bear finding its den. Nothing offers more comfort here than the cock-a-leekie soup. Butter-poached chicken, sauteed leeks, barley and carrots couldn’t get along more harmoniously than in this mélange of hearty, smoky flavor. My companion and I agreed – we have never been happier to part with $7 for a bowl of soup.

The Takeaway Like the whiskey selection behind the bar [4], the Highland fare at the Scottish Arms will fortify you for the cold months ahead. Chef Carl Hazel’s hand in the kitchen is as bewitching as Macbeth’s three sisters, yielding a menu – including that cock-a-leekie soup – that sings like a chorus of bagpipes.

4 things scrumptious this way come If you order the Highland Gathering smorgasbord [1], make sure your iPhone camera is working. The highly photogenic spread of four apps serves two to four, even sufficing as a complete lunch for two. The baby Forfar bridies are “baby” in name alone. The delightfully buttery, savory pastry pockets are stuffed with beef, onions, garlic and carrot. The Scotch egg is a hard-boiled egg coated in ground sausage, breaded and baked and served with a tangy honey mustard sauce.

Smoked salmon, slick with irresistible fish oils, comes with chopped shallots, capers, egg, creme fraiche and crostini.

Some of us prefer bagels and cream cheese to cradle this prince of fishes, but the Scottish way ain’t bad.

The fourth item, haggis fritters, will assuage your American terror of the sheep organ delicacy. The Scottish Arms grinds the lamb, oats and spices into a fine meal, rolls them into hush puppy-sized balls, breads them, and deep-fries them.

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2 These dense nuggets are served with a thin, sweet whiskey dipping sauce with orange and pepper notes that stack up well against the meat. Fair warning: The haggis possesses a greasiness that may rile sensitive taste buds.

Signature lunches Shepherd’s Pasty [2], a twist on shepherd’s pie, is typical of the wintertime fare here: Braised lamb and vegetables are enclosed in a buttery puff pastry and served with mashed potatoes, gravy and seasonal veggies on the side. The gravy unites the meat and potatoes in savory matrimony.

Bangers and Mash is a similar dish.

House-made bangers, or pork sausages,

have a sweet breakfast-sausage flavor and are served alongside a blend of roughly smashed potatoes and sauteed onions, cabbage, mustard and caraway seeds.

More sauteed veggies to liven up the taters would have been welcome, though the rosemary and veal stock demiglace gravy still managed to unite all the players. The fish and chips [3] stars tender haddock fried to a golden crisp in ale batter, the light touch of which was reminiscent of tempura. It was accompanied by an exceptional lemon-caper sauce akin to tartar, though much creamier and more subtle than the usual mayo clotted with relish goo. However, the chips, known stateside as french fries, needed a boost; they arrived pale and underdone.

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January 2015

nightlife

reviews

Unkle Munkey's coin club

nightlife

by Matt berkley | Photos by elizabeth maxson The Hydro Thunder

order a Junky Munkey Fish Bowl, a fishbowl margarita with a trio of upturned Corona longnecks. If you’re just in the mood for beer, there’s a nominal list of inexpensive bottles and cans and Unkle Munkey’s a healthy selection Coin Club of rotating craft 1027 Century Drive, beer taps, featuring Edwardsville, 618.692.5152, such regional unklemunkeys.com and out-of-town standards as Four Hands, Six Row, Breckenridge, Deschutes, Bell’s and Carson’s.

Energetic ingredients drive the casual bar cuisine, which is much better than you’d expect from the kitchen at an arcade. This one turns out comfort food classics like potato skins topped with tender strands of slow-braised beef, and crispy Mexican supreme pizzas with delectable mounds of chorizo, onion, mushrooms and seared peppers. One of the most likeable items is the Hot Mess sandwich, which stacks thick slices of roast beef, pastrami, and both Swiss and horseradish chive cheeses on a crispy Companion baguette that’s smothered with a spicy combo of Sriracha, ranch and giardiniera. Served with potato chips and an oversize cup of creamy dipping sauce, this hot and savory sandwich itself merits a return trip.

U

nkle Munkey’s Coin Club opened in July in what seemed the humblest of locations: an inauspicious strip mall on the edge of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s campus. Six months later, this booze- and food-centric “barcade” has become a local gem that attracts a bustling crowd on weekend nights.

I can’t tell what makes me happier: sipping a beer while firing off a cache of rockets and venomous machine gun rounds on a vintage Terminator 2 arcade screen, or the fact that the game only cost me a quarter. It’s hard not to feel 13 again at Unkle Munkey’s, replete with smile-inducing throwbacks like Tetris, Mortal Kombat 3, Super Mario, Double Dragon and January 2015

Centipede, along with skee-ball and more than a dozen pinball machines. Prices remain frozen in time – except for Guitar Hero and Golden Tee, none of the games will set you back more than 50 cents a turn. All you have to worry about is finding a spot to rest your cocktail while you blow things up.

Like the games, the drinks served up at the large horseshoe bar are designed for the young at heart. Sugary-sweet selections like the Cherry Sour (cherry vodka, simple syrup and lemon juice) and the Grape Ape (grape vodka, Sprite, club soda and margarita mix) are potent and surprisingly good. The Hydro Thunder comprises a supercharged, 22-ounce solution of vodka, gin, rum, blue curaçao and Red Bull. Non-designated drivers can

The atmosphere is kid-friendly until 9 p.m., when the house enforces a strict 17-and-older rule. From then until last call at 11:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, Unkle Munkey’s becomes a playground for 20- to 40-something locals and T-shirted college kids, who throw back pints of beer and chat with their friends or dates, stopping every now and then for a quick game of Galaga. It’s as neon as you’d imagine in the wacky space bedecked with cartoon and comic book murals, beer signs and an odd collection of multicolored bottles that protrude from the ceiling.

Above the lights and the bing-banging of dozens of games exploding in motion all at once, a jukebox roars with everything from “Riders on the Storm” to “We Built this City,” rock ’n’ roll toe-tappers in a bar where everyone’s inner nerd has snuck out for the night to play. If you’re in Edwardsville, it’s worth every quarter to drop in for a game, a drink and a bite.

order it: Unkle Munkey's Coin Club

The Hot Mess is an Italian stallion of a sandwich, combining spicy fixings with a creamy dipping sauce.

You’ll be ordering a cab after ordering the boozy Junky Munkey Fish Bowl margarita and Corona combo.

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January 2015

dine

& drink

Check out the Kilgores' pick for a martini

A Seat at the Bar

ILLUSTRATIONS BY VIDHYA NAGARAJAN; PHOTO BY CARMEN TROESSER

Four experts tell us what to sip, stir and shake

Gewürztraminer has strong associations with France’s Alsace region and Germany.

Its regional offspring, traminette, is a hybrid of gewürztraminer and Joannes Seyve 23-416, possessing glenn bardgett the same fragrance of Member of the Missouri Wine lychees and rose petals as and Grape Board and wine its parent but with more director at Annie Gunn’s peach and apricot flavors.

The top-scoring traminette from the 2014 Missouri Wine Competition was 2013 Noboleis Traminette.

Luscious and juicy, this $13 off-dry white is the go-to wine for anything spicy – from Thai to Tex-Mex.

January 2015

Today’s martini, popularized

by James Bond, is frequently a shaken cocktail made with vodka (and sometimes olive juice).

Vermouth, a traditional – and integral – ingredient, is often completely omitted. No offense to 007, but we love sipping a ted and jamie martini made the way bartenders kilgore prepared it more than a century USBG, B.A.R. Ready, BarSmart ago: In a pint glass or shaker and co-owners/bartenders at Planter’s House filled with ice, combine 2 ounces gin, 1 ounce dry vermouth and 2 dashes orange bitters. Stir, strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a generous lemon twist. Now that’s a martini.

Though there are many styles of wheat beers – Belgian witbier, German hefeweizen or American wheat, to name a few – they share certain characteristics.

Wheat malt is what lends the cory king beer a soft, fluffy body and Certified Cicerone, head gentle sweetness, and the brewer at Perennial Artisan protein in wheat contributes Ales and founder of Side to a dense, long-lasting head Project Brewing and cloudy appearance.

Grab a bottle of Lefebvre Blanche de Bruxelles, Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen or Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat and jump aboard the wheat beer bandwagon.

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wine

Trading Places

By Ben Wood

Do you only drink white wine?

Love reds, but despise that chardonnay stuff? Fair enough, but wine isn’t always what it appears to be. Some white wines hold the same flavors and textures as reds and vice versa.

Known as transitional wines, these wines will sway you from one color to another. Get ready to cross over to the other side.

White wines for red wine lovers 2012 Domaine de la Croix Senaillet Mâcon-Davayé This crisp chardonnay is guaranteed to please the pinot noir crowd. Grown on vines planted on limestone, the rich, clean texture and mineral notes shine through, reminding you that good wine is all about place. $18. Starrs, 1135 S. Big Bend Blvd., Richmond Heights, 314.781.2345, Facebook: Starrs 2012 Calera Central Coast Chardonnay This unsung California wine is big and oaky – perfect for a cabernet sauvignon drinker who enjoys a touch of vanilla,

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wood notes, hazelnuts and a pear finish.

Pick up a case: This is a wine you can cellar for some years. $18. The Wine Merchant, 20 S. Hanley Road, Clayton, 314.863.6282, winemerchantltd.com 2011 Pheasant’s Tears Chinuri The extended contact of the grape skins with the juice during fermentation results in an amber wine with the mouth feel, tannins and structure of a red. If you like big red wines with wild flavors, you’ve got to try this one from the Republic of Georgia. $22. Parker’s Table, 7118 Oakland Ave., Richmond Heights, 314.645.2050, parkerstable.com

Red wines for white wine lovers 2012 Villa Jolanda Brachetto Moscato fans will applaud this traditional wine from Italy’s Piedmont region. Sweet, slightly fizzy and full of berries, it’s pure refreshment. Try it with dark chocolate. $17. Lucky’s Market, 15830 Fountain Plaza Drive, Ellisville, 636.220.1223, luckysmarket.com 2011 Famille Peillot Bugey Mondeuse Sauvignon blanc drinkers, prepare to be impressed by this beautiful wine made from mondeuse, a grape native to the lesser-known Bugey region in eastern France. The stunning red fruit

flavor with a touch of black pepper pairs perfectly with roast chicken or simple pork dishes. $20. The Wine & Cheese Place, 7435 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.727.8788, wineandcheeseplace.com 2011 Laurel Glen Counterpoint Cabernet Sauvignon Those who like an oak-aged chardonnay will enjoy this cabernet.

It’s a big, smooth wine with a clear oak flavor and just enough cherries and blackberries to round it out. $25. The Wine & Cheese Place, 14748 Clayton Road, Ballwin, 636.527.1144, wineandcheeseplace.com January 2015

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vegetize it

Pappardelle with Bolognese BY kellie hynes | Photos by carmen troesser

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asta is the only food that everyone in my family will eat without a side of heavy sighs and eye rolls. On noodle night, Carnivore Bob, myself and our little omnivores gather around a big bowl of hot, undressed pasta. We each take from the communal bowl, add our own toppings, and then happily fixate on our iPhones while gorging on gluten.

January 2015

Because we eat so much pasta, I like to play with noodle shapes that go beyond basic spaghetti. There’s twisty fusilli, whose crevices store melted cheese like the treasure it is. Fluted gigli resembles a lily and is easy for children, or adults who eat like children, to pick up with their bare hands. And then there’s my latest obsession, pappardelle. It’s a wide, flat noodle that resembles a beautiful ribbon on the best present you’ve ever received. The overflowing tangle of carb upon carb means you won’t be hungry again in an hour. Or ever. And you can make fresh pappardelle at home with just eggs, salt, and all-purpose and semolina flours; no pasta machine is necessary. Alternatively, you can do as I do during bouts of laziness and just order the pappardelle entree at Mad Tomato in Clayton.

Mad Tomato’s house-made pappardelle is topped with a slow-cooked pork rib ragu that excites the carnivores in my family. But veg lovers won’t miss out. Vito Racanelli, chef-owner of Mad Tomato, will cheerfully prepare a vegetarian option upon request. Racanelli said that big, thick pappardelle noodles can stand up to a big, thick sauce, the kind that makes you feel warm all over on a cold winter night. Inspired by our conversation, I created a hearty vegetarian version of Bolognese (traditionally a meat sauce) with earthy mushrooms, beans for protein and bold red wine. The key to this recipe is to blitz the vegetables and beans in a food processor. You’ll save prep time, and the itty-bitty veggies actually look like ground beef once they’re enveloped in tomato sauce.

Everyone in my family ate my new Bolognese recipe without complaint,

which is the culinary equivalent of whooping and throwing their hats in the air. But the creative cook in me felt restless. Mushrooms are an easy, predictable vegetarian ingredient.

Seeking something special, I continued my education on the big wide world of Bolognese with Giovanni Gabriele, owner of Giovanni’s on the Hill.

Gabriele is a charming man who has cooked for four U.S. presidents and Oprah. In fact, you can order his Pappardelle alla Bella Oprah while you sit at the table Oprah sat at and look at photos of Oprah eating the same thing you’re eating, and it’s almost like you and Oprah are hanging out together. But when I shared my idea for a vegetarian Bolognese and asked how he would do it, he said, “I wouldn’t. Bolognese means meat. No meat, no Bolognese.” I guess when you’ve cooked for POTUS and Oprah you mince garlic, not words.

Gabriele’s Pappardelle alla Bella Oprah is unapologetically vegetarian; an understated presentation of pesto, fresh ricotta and tomato sauce lined up like the Italian flag. The lack of fussiness appealed to me, so I went back to my kitchen to make a second, simpler sauce.

I liked Gabriele’s idea of using pesto, so I made my own, adding bright, flavor-packed sun-dried tomatoes and substituting creamy cashews for the Parmesan and pine nuts. Without the Parmesan, my pesto was vegan, and skipping the pine nuts freed me from a metallic taste known as “pine mouth.”

(I’m not making that up. Google it.)

So why did I make two different homemade sauces, but serve them over store-bought dried noodles?

It’s all about the return on my time investment. It may be blasphemous,

but I don’t taste a huge difference between fresh pasta and nicer dried pasta brands. Homemade sauce, on the other hand, is worth every minute in the kitchen. Make one of these recipes, and you’ll be rewarded with fresh flavors that blow the jarred stuff away. Because any night you can make a meal that draws family to the table is a good night, even if Oprah can’t join you.

PAPPARDELLE WITH BOLOGNESE 6 TO 8 SERVINGS 3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped 2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 1 lb. button mushrooms 2 Tbsp. fresh basil leaves 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley leaves 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary 1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 1 lb. dried pappardelle noodles* ¼ cup olive oil 1 Tbsp. minced garlic 3 Tbsp. tomato paste ½ cup pinot noir, chianti or other dry red wine 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar 1 tsp. sugar (optional) 2 tsp. crushed red pepper Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste • Place the celery, carrots and onion in a large food processor. Pulse 15 to 20 times, until finely chopped.

Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and set aside.

• Working in batches, pulse the mushrooms 15 to 20 times, until finely chopped. Transfer the mushrooms to a separate bowl and set aside.

• Pulse the basil, parsley and rosemary 20 to 25 times, until finely chopped. Empty the herbs into a third bowl and set aside.

• Pulse the cannellini beans 5 to 10 times, until coarsely chopped but not creamy. Place the beans in a fourth bowl and set aside.

• Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions.

Reserve ½ cup pasta water, drain and rinse the pasta, and set it aside.

• In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the pulsed celery, carrot and onion mix until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms release their moisture and it evaporates, about 10 minutes. Stir in the herb mixture and the minced garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste, stirring to coat the vegetables. Cook until the paste darkens, about 2 to 3 minutes.

• Add the wine, stirring to deglaze the Dutch oven and scraping any bits off the bottom. Add the reserved pasta water and the crushed tomatoes and their juices. Stir in the chopped beans. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat to low. Add the balsamic vinegar, sugar (if using), red pepper, salt and black pepper to taste. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve the sauce over the prepared noodles. * Egg-free noodles such as 365 Everyday Value Organic Fettuccine are available at Whole Foods Market, 1601 S. Brentwood Blvd., Brentwood, 314.968.7744, wholefoodsmarket.com.

Find Kellie Hynes’ recipe for Pappardelle with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto online at saucemagazine. com/recipes.php.

January 2015

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January 2015

MAKE THIS Miso Soup active time: 10 minutes

make this And Zen there was soup. This healthy miso soup is so quick and easy to make, you’ll barely have time to do a sun salutation and chant “om” before it’s time to eat. Soak 2 tablespoons wakame seaweed in 1 cup cold water. Meanwhile, whisk ¼ cup red or white miso paste with 1 cup hot (not boiling) water and set aside. In a medium saucepan, boil 4 cups water. Steep 3 bags instant dashi 3 minutes, then remove and discard dashi bags. Add ½ cup frozen, shelled edamame and cook over medium-high 3 minutes. Stir in 8 medium, raw peeled and deveined shrimp and ½ cup firm tofu cut into ½-inch cubes. Drain the wakame, squeezing to remove excess water, and add to the pot. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the miso mixture. Divide among 4 bowls and garnish with sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds. – Dee Ryan

Don’t boil the soup after adding the miso. High heat alters its delicate aroma and flavor.

photo by greg rannells

Wakame, miso paste and instant dashi bags available at Global Foods Market, 421 N. Kirkwood Road, Kirkwood, 314.835.1112, globalfoodsmarket.com

Everyone loves a quick and easy recipe, but when you’ve got the time, we’ve got The Weekend Project. Find step-by-step instructions for homemade bao buns, andouille sausage, stocks and more at samg.bz/sauceweekendproject.

January 2015

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ones to watch food and drink pros with promise Meet seven of the brightest young minds from the local food and beverage scene. This year’s class includes a pair of savvy chefs, a 21st-century Bo Peep and a beer dynamo, plus a butcher, a baker and a coffee maker. Keep an eye on them. They’re going to change the way you dine and drink.

by garrett faulkner, ligaya figueras, kellie hynes, byron kerman, catherine klene, michael renner and kristin schultz portraits by greg rannells and carmen troesser

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January 2015

Zach Althaus Age: 29 Why Watch Him: This brewer is in it to win it.

Zach Althaus is competitive. He can’t help it. In fact, he attended college on a golf scholarship and almost played professionally before trading his clubs for coffee beans. For the past 10 years, he’s plied his craft at Kansas City’s Roasterie and St. Louis’ Kaldi’s, Comet Coffee, Foundation Grounds, Goshen and Sump Coffee, where he now works. His creativity and zeal elevate coffee from mere morning quaffable to an experience akin to drinking wine. His monthly cuppings (educational tastings) and experimental “R&D Mondays” are nonpareil. We’re not the only ones who deem Althaus a rising star. In 2014, he reached the penultimate round of the United States Coffee Championships Brewers Cup, the Olympics of coffee. He’ll compete again this February. And around St. Louis, his admirers weigh in with highly caffeinated praise.

– Michael Renner

His boss He’s ambitious and driven, loves to compete and wants to win. This is his life and because of that there’s an intensity, a sincerity and a connectiveness he develops (with customers).

It’s like being a sommelier: A good barista shouldn’t intimidate. He should ask questions seamlessly, talk about the coffees without being confusing. Zach does this exceptionally well. (What’s) amazing is his enthusiasm hasn’t waned after 10 years in the coffee world. He still has the same rapture. – Scott Carey, coowner, Sump Coffee

His golf partner One day – and this is not a joke – (Althaus and other Sump employees) were debating what pouring water clockwise or counterclockwise over the grounds does to the cup. It goes to that level. Watching Zach working with coffee is like watching a chef in the zone, controlling the tempo. – Adam Altnether, corporate chef and partner, Niche Food Group

Photo by greg rannells

His regular He’s dedicated his life to (coffee) not because it’s cool. There’s integrity, there’s realism.

When you’re really good at something, there’s no arrogance. You’re humble … and it’s all about making people happy. And Zach is very humble. He’s definitely one of those people that makes the experience better.

– Kevin Nashan, chef-owner, Sidney Street Cafe and Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co. Sump Coffee, 3700 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 917.412.5670, sumpcoffee.com January 2015

*Chef interviews were conducted by phone to maintain the anonymity of Sauce restaurant reviewer Michael Renner. saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 31

Britt Simpson Age: 28 Why Watch Her: She's whipping up a whole new world of pie and pudding en flambé.

To understand Britt Simpson, you need to know a few numbers from the Disney songbook. You have to stand up and belt out “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast or “I Wanna Be Like You” from The Jungle Book or “Let It Go” from Frozen. Dance around. Use your arms. Work it, Cinderella.

That’s what Simpson is doing when she bakes macarons at Five Bistro. The pastry chef – who claims she originally did not want to be a pastry chef because it seemed so “girly” – rocks her Disney Pandora station and whistles while she works.

Is that why there’s magic in the macarons? “A lot of people are in love with them,” Simpson said.

“Every customer at Five gets one on the table when they leave. It’s our way of saying thank you for coming and leaves a lasting impression.”

“She’s unbelievable,” said Anthony Devoti, chefowner of Five. “Her macarons are the best. Her pastries are amazing. She is creative in her own right; she doesn’t need any guidance.”

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At Five, Simpson is regularly asked to “MacGyver” the local, seasonal ingredients that Devoti sources.

“It forces you to be creative,” she said. “One time Anthony ordered some pawpaws, which are similar to bananas but have huge black seeds. I made sorbet and everybody loved it.

I had never even heard of a pawpaw outside of The Jungle Book.”

A baker with this much talent might start to think about her next move. “Anthony and I have talked about opening a little shop within Five where I could sell macarons and breads.

Someday I’d like to open a small restaurant with my boyfriend, who is a chef here at Five, as well. Sooner, rather than later.”

– Byron Kerman

Five Bistro, 5100 Daggett Ave., St. Louis, 314.773.5553, fivebistro.com

January 2015

Photo by CARMEN TROESSER

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January 2015

Brian Lagerstrom Age: 27 Why Watch Him: He concocts Missouri-sourced fare with a passion that borders on obsession.

“If something’s not available, well, I have to make it,” Brian Lagerstrom will tell you. Indeed, the narrative of his nearly two years in St. Louis reads like Choose Your Own Adventure meets America’s Test Kitchen. Our hero is the sous chef of Niche, but in his spare time, he dives head first into his projects. They range from homemade breads to aged cheeses to esoteric ingredients, all of which Lagerstrom curates, ferments or magicks out of Missouri produce. His trusty sidekicks are his Evernote app – which contains his research data on every batch and outcome – yellowed recipe books and informational YouTube videos.

January 2015

Photo by greg rannells

In Niche’s test kitchen, Lagerstrom bases his experiments on whatever regional raw ingredients he can find.

Koji, the fermented Missouri rice he has used to make soy sauce, sake and miso from scratch, percolates in vats in a corner. Across the room, a constant rotation of local vidal blanc and Norton wines and wild apple

cider, all destined to become vinegar, have been fermenting for weeks.

Nearby, fish sauce – inspired by Copenhagen’s Nordic Food Lab but using Missouri trout – fermented for two months before graduating to the regular menu.

Several of his projects, including the bread, cheese, vinegar and miso, are fixtures at Niche. Others, such as trout roe caviar, appear when the ingredients are in season. “The ingredients come first,” he said.

“They’re what give me that spark of creativity.”

That’s not hard to believe – in Lagerstrom’s Choose Your Own Adventure, he’s his own author, and there’s always another new chapter.

– Kellie Hynes

Niche, 7734 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.773.7755, nichestlouis.com

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Jenna Pohl Age: 29 Why Watch Her: She puts Little Bo Peep to shame. first time. … (The lamb) went like hotcakes.

On pasture-raising lambs: I like to raise animals as natural as possible.

We don’t do electric fences. We do rotational grazing. They always have as much grass as they want, hay at all times. ... The moment you treat an animal like a pet, you have pet problems. ... Just let them be sheep.

On selecting lambs for slaughter: I have to be careful when I go into the butcher pen to not look at them. When you look at a sheep, they have the cutest faces. I try to be very business-like when I walk into that barn.

On why her lambs dress out at 90 pounds: The biggest difference in size is what ewe and ram they are of. It would be like an NFL football player and a WNBA star getting together and they’ll have an athlete. You breed mass and muscle together, you’re going to have a big-framed, massive, muscled-up sheep. That’s what we’re doing.

On life after 4-H: It’s kind of like when you retire from the NFL. What do you do afterward? Some pro football players, they go into broadcasting. I was trying to figure out a way to still be involved. … I had a couple (lambs) and started to sell to kids who wanted to show.

We had some left over that were still good lambs, but they didn’t make show quality. When you take them to the stockyards, you get pennies on the dollar for it. My boyfriend had the idea: “See if you can sell them at a farmers market or restaurant.”

On selling to restaurants: These chefs know what they’re looking at. I can’t buffalo anybody. You’ve got a hanging lamb: They can see if that leg is big enough, if that rack is big enough. When I show up with a lamb, I want them to be impressed immediately: “Oh my gosh, this is great! This girl is legit.”

On day one at the Effingham Farmers Market: It was like I showed up with sliced bread for the

On being a one-woman show: I need to bust my keister while I can.

– Ligaya Figueras

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Photo by CARMEN TROESSER

At 13, the daughter of Michigan dairy farmers fell in love with sheep and began showing lambs at 4-H club competitions. Several years after her 4-H eligibility came to an end, her business, Midwest Lamb, was born. Jenna Pohl came onto the scene in 2013, selling ground lamb, prime cuts like shanks and ribs and even whole racks at the Effingham Farmers Market in Illinois. She got a foot in the restaurant door when chef-owner Niall Campbell at Firefly in Effingham bought one of her whole lambs. Some 18 months later, Pohl’s lamb appears on dishes at The Block, Cleveland-Heath and Bacaro in Champaign. It’s Pohl peddling her meat at farmers markets on both sides of the river.

And it’s Pohl tending her pastureraised, grass-fed lambs on a farm in eastern Illinois.

January 2015

Midwest Lamb, 19794 County Highway 2, Charleston, Illinois, 217.508.6197, midwestlamb.net

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January 2015

Emily Parker Age: 28 Why Watch Her: She’s among the next generation of Schlafly leaders.

There’s a reason your Schlafly Pale Ale tastes the same whether you sip it at the Tap Room downtown, a bar in New York City or in your living room: Emily Parker. The St. Louis native attended the University of California, Davis, where she earned a degree from one of the country’s preeminent brewing programs. What began as a brief internship at Schlafly led to a position in the company’s quality control department. She rose through the ranks to become quality assurance manager, responsible for ensuring the consistent production of every Schlafly brew from the ingredients to final packaging. As St. Louis’ first craft brewery (the first to open since Prohibition) enters its 24th year, Schlafly distributes farther away than ever, and its founders are grooming Parker as one their successors.

Photo by CARMEN TROESSER

On quality: I’m responsible for the beer coming out of five different breweries. The big focus now is bringing those breweries together. … We are involved in every department. We’re “auditing” them, in a way, to make sure they’re following the procedures and trying to find weaknesses in our own processes. … I’m just making sure it tastes good when it gets on the shelf … that it consistently tastes true to brand, as we say, and is stable.

January 2015

On the tastiest sip: Beer is perishable.

Right when the beer comes off the line, there’s not a better day to taste it.

On brewers: I feel really inadequate that I cannot grow a beard.

On trade secrets: (The craft industry) has an open-door policy of “Hey, what are you doing and how does that work for you?” and we’ll tell you what we’re doing, too.

On St. Louis’ craft beer scene: Within the last four years that I’ve been here, (the craft beer scene has) grown tremendously, and it’s awesome. I don’t think people realize how strong it is. People always think California, Washington, Denver. St. Louis is right up there with them. … People are wanting to learn more about their beer. They come in and ask questions, and they want to know more, and that’s awesome.

On a brewery of her own: I will not start my own company. I enjoy my life. The time it takes away to start your own brewery, let alone the money – I have no desire to go down that route. With Schlafly growing the way that it is … this is a company I want to be a part of.

– Catherine Klene

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

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Tommy “Salami”

Andrew Age: 28 Why Watch Him: The chef is such a creature of the woods, he belongs in a field guide.

Outside the wild, can be spotted in the kitchen at Truffles Butchery, where he migrated in November after working as sous chef of Juniper (he still helps out there weekly). “He knows what good food tastes like,” said Juniper chefowner John Perkins. “When he tastes something wrong he can put his finger on it and fix it. (He) knows how to make it delicious.”

Diet: Country ham is among favored ingredients. “I put country ham in everything, really,” Andrew said. “It takes up to two years to make, and the outcome is just killer.”

Fond of all things charcuterie, which he prepares at Juniper and Butchery, and which is also reflected in his nickname.

Moniker bestowed by chef-owner Josh Galliano while the two worked

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together at Monarch – it stuck. “Even my mom calls me Tommy Salami,” Andrew confessed.

“I make all kinds of sausage. There’s no end to what you can do,” he said. “I love andouille – making and smoking it.

I feel like I’ve got it down to a T, and it’s amazing.”

Also holds affinity for Southern food: “The South isn’t just Louisiana. As a whole it has Asian, Italian, European, Spanish, French, African – all those influences.”

Behavior: Socializes in packs, specifically a large Irish-Italian family observing deep food traditions, including Christmas Eve cast-iron skillet pizzas at Grandma’s house. Accompanies fraternal and avuncular kin on hunting trips, protecting a generations-long custom that includes dressing and dry-aging deer for venison steaks and preparing jerky.

Forecast and Survival Prognosis: Outlook hopeful for eventual rise to executive chef-ship or small shop proprietor. “I’d call it The Homestead,” he said. “It’d have a really, really good charcuterie program along with jams and jellies. From my kitchen to yours.”

– Kristin Schultz

Photo by CARMEN TROESSER

Habitat: Primarily resides in South City with a swarm of bees, which he projects will produce 750 pounds of honey for his Inappropriate Apiaries honey label in 2015. Most active during the early mornings and afternoons among the flora and fauna of rural Missouri, where he forages morels and, once, a 30-pound hen of the wood. Range also extends to wooded areas suitable for deer hunting.

With a bow. In a tree.

January 2015

Truffles Butchery, 9202 Clayton Ave., Ladue, 314.567.7258, todayattruffles.com

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Jess

Cucina Pazzo, 392 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 314.696.8400, pazzostl.com

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January 2015

ie Gilroy Age: 28 Why Watch Her: Ten-hut! The “Crazy Kitchen’s” no-nonsense generalissima runs a tight outfit.

In the middle of dinner service at Cucina Pazzo, the line cooks at the salad station are deep in the weeds, and rapidly making their way onto Jessie Gilroy’s shitlist. It’s just shy of 8:30 p.m. on a Friday, and the kitchen has contended with a relentless press of customers for nearly two hours. A half-dozen skillets of pasta crackle on the industrial-grade range. The roar in the dining room has reached an earsplitting level. In the kitchen, tempers approach their combustion point.

“C’mon, pick it up,” Gilroy barks at the salad line, now several tickets behind. Pazzo’s precocious chef de cuisine then jumps in to help, plating greens, slicing garnishes, peppering everything with croutons. Taking three finished plates at once, she capers her way around the pasta cooks before handing the salads off to the food runner.

Photo by CARMEN TROESSER

The generalissima of Cucina Pazzo’s kitchen is wearing a striped waist apron, untucked chef’s blacks, a pink camouflage headband and a slack, canny expression, as if chewing the end of a cigar. She looks like she’s going to war. In a way, she is – on a busy night like this, the Central West End eatery will serve upward of 200 diners. For Gilroy, who expedites, oversees and fills in where needed on the line, this means approximately 110 appetizers, 50 salads, 70 eclectic pasta dishes, 70 steak or fish or chicken entrees and many hundred slices of complimentary house-made bread must somehow be assembled from Pazzo’s scratch ingredients, then seasoned, sauced and spirited away to hungry customers.

January 2015

How is it accomplished? “It requires making everyone aware that we’re a family and everyone’s there to help each other,” Gilroy said.

“I’ll do anything in the kitchen. I’ll get back there and wash dishes.”

Gilroy has seen her share of menial kitchen work in her ascent through the ranks. After a three-month externship at Charlie Gitto’s on the Hill that turned into a paid position there, she enlisted at Tavern Kitchen & Bar before helping open Cucina Pazzo in late 2013. She didn’t trade the grunt work for a leadership role so much as take on all of it, according to Steven Caravelli, executive chef of OG Hospitality Group, which owns Pazzo, Tavern, The Shack and The Corner Pub & Grill.

“If we roll 500 sheets of pasta a week, she’s rolled about 450 of them,” Caravelli said. “She’s the first one here, the last one out, the one cleaning up the mess and making sure people are cleaning up their messes, too. She runs things the way they’re supposed to be run.”

Every kitchen is a nebula of shouted commands and curses, and here everyone calls things like “heard” and “behind” and “all day” to mitigate the chaos, to streamline. When she’s not filling in somewhere, Gilroy stands at the front, surveying the crowd and the carnage of a good meal.

The cooks, food runners and servers all call her “Jessie girl” with unironic deference. They know she won’t stand for attitude.

“She pretty much runs Pazzo,” said Brent Baldanza, co-owner of OG Hospitality Group.

“I can see myself working for Jessie one day. In fact, some days I feel like I’m working for Jessie already.”

– Garrett Faulkner

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stuff to do:

this month

by Byron Kerman

Loop Ice Carnival Jan. 16 – 7 p.m., Jan. 17 – 11 a.m., The Loop, University City, 314.727.8000, visittheloop.com/icecarnival Forever the man with the plan, Joe Edwards battles the January cold with the annual Loop Ice Carnival. Stroll down Delmar Boulevard on Saturday and enjoy outdoor activities like a frigid prize drawing (reach in for an ice cube with chocolate or money frozen inside), complimentary hot chocolate and s’mores, ice-carving demos and frozen turkey bowling. Also look for synchronized hula hoopers, human dog sled races, an ice slide, people in penguin costumes and food and drink specials in Loop bars and restaurants. It all kicks off Friday night at the Snow Ball in the Moonrise Hotel with an appetizer buffet and the crowning of the Ice King and Queen.

Alton Restaurant Week Jan. 16 to 25, locations vary, Alton, Illinois, altonrestaurantweek.com Alton, take the mic. Alton Restaurant Week returns with prix fixe $10 lunches and $25 dinners at 16 spots across the Mississippi River, including the Bossanova Restaurant and Lounge, Castelli’s Restaurant at 225, Gentelin’s on Broadway, My Just Desserts and some Grafton/Brighton-area

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restaurants. A full list of participating restaurants is available online.

Ashton Cigars and George Dickel Night Jan. 20 – 7 to 10 p.m., Rack House West Winery, 5065 N. Highway N, Cottleville, 636.244.0574, rackhouse. westwinery.com Winter is a great time to hole up with whiskey and cigars. Bring some buds and meet new ones at Cottleville’s refined Rack House West Winery. Brand reps from Ashton Cigars and George Dickel Tennessee Whisky will share their luxury goods and knowledge. Tickets include a surf-and-turf buffet and several whiskeyand-cigar pairing choices.

Oyster and Crab Leg Fest Jan. 23 – 6 p.m., Jan. 24 – 1 p.m., Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, 314.621.8811, broadwayoysterbar.com Winter is a perfect time for Gulf and Eastern seaboard oysters, and that’s when the B.O.B. hosts a weekend celebration of the bivalves (and crustaceans, too). The special menu includes a dozen specials like oyster stew, po’boys, oysters on the half-shell prepared every which way, plus all regular menu fare.

January 2015

Dierbergs Kids in the Kitchen Dates, times and locations vary, 636.812.1331, dierbergs.com/school The best part about the kids’ cooking classes at Dierbergs Schools of Cooking? Somebody else cleans up the mess. Bond with Junior at parent-child cooking classes in January while you eat Garden Safari vegetable soup at Play With Your Food. Whip up Quarterback Quesadillas at the Super Bowl Party class, or enjoy Snowboard French Toast Sticks at the Snow Bunny Brunch. Classes are appropriate for kids from pre-K through eighth grade.

Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Factory Tours Mon. to Fri. – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sat. - 9 a.m. to noon, Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Factory, 5025 Pattison Ave., St. Louis, 314.338.3501, chocolatechocolate.com Allow new year resolve to melt into a soft truffle of capitulation at free Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate factory tours every half hour. You’ll see chocolate tempered in massive copper pots, sweet centers enrobed in molten chocolate, a blizzard of marshmallow and pates de fruits and other confectionary processes. After you inhale your free sample, browse the capacious outlet store. Call ahead for reservations to avoid a busload of tourists.

January 2015

sponsored events

Wine & Dine with Sauce Magazine Jan. 9 – 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Dierbergs, 1080 Lindeman Road, Des Peres, 636.812.1336, dierbergs.com/school Join Sauce executive editor Ligaya Figueras, art director Meera Nagarajan and wine writer Glenn Bardgett as they host a cooking class featuring recipes and drinks from Sauce’s January issue. Plus, get the scoop on the newest restaurant openings and the latest trends. Seating is limited. Register online.

Clayton Restaurant Week Jan. 19 to 25, participating Clayton restaurants, claytonrestaurantweek.com The sixth annual Clayton Restaurant Week features 19 Clayton fine dining restaurants. For one week, diners attend the participating restaurant of their choice and select from a special three-course dinner menu for $25 per person, plus tax and tip. Rediscover a long-time favorite or experience one of the city’s hot new eateries. Reservations are recommended; mention Clayton Restaurant Week when reserving a table.

Schlafly Winter Market Jan. 24 – 8:30 a.m. to noon, Schlafly Bottleworks, 7260 Southwest Ave., Maplewood, 314.241.2337 x2, schlaflyfarmersmarket.com This popular winter market moves indoors to the Crown Room at Schlafly Bottleworks.

Shop for winter produce, meats, cheeses, baked goods and other specialty products from local farmers and artisans. saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 45

Cindy Higgerson

Cindy Higgerson left a nearly 30-year career as a histotechnologist (“We’re the people who run the tests on a biopsy.”) to manage Larder & Cupboard, a new specialty food shop in Maplewood. An unexpected move? Not when you learn she’s the face behind food fanatic @MCharcuterie on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Meet the exuberant home cook who’s bringing boutique foodstuffs to The Lou.

Is there any connection between histotechnology and running a food shop? The lab training relates a lot because we had to meet FDA standards, and a lot of the things you have to do for refrigerators and freezers and storing antibodies is very similar to the food industry.

How do you decide what products to carry? It has to taste good. I’m drawn to unique ingredients, things you can’t find in St. Louis, things that I found when I traveled and love and I’m frustrated when I can’t get (them) here, (things that have) won a Good Food Award or a Sofi Award.

Does it have to be a small-batch item? That’s definitely one of my criteria. I don’t want to call up a distributor and say, “Hey, back your truck up to my store and unload the Wind in the Willow dip mix that everyone is carrying.” I’m really drawn to the small-batch stuff, the small producer where I have to contact them directly and the same guy who makes it is packaging it, mailing it.

Why is that so enticing? They’re following their passion. They’re putting their heart and soul in it.

A lot of them are also using their local ingredients just like our local producers do.

What products at Larder & Cupboard are you most excited about? The shrubs from Wine Forest, the syrups from Quince & Apple, P&H Soda syrups – those are small batch out of Brooklyn.

How do you find out about products?

A lot of the products I have here I tasted during my travels with my histology job. I always sought out ingredients I couldn’t get here. I would come home with tons of food product.

One time, I packed my computer and

all my paper stuff in my suitcase and I hand-carried $400 worth of foodstuff on the plane because I didn’t want the food to get lost if my luggage was lost.

You’ve also travelled to chef competitions in Memphis. I went to the first Heritage BBQ and to Cochon 555, the one that Kevin Nashan (of Sidney Street Cafe) competed at and that chef Kelly English (of Restaurant Iris in Memphis) won.

What compels you to drive so far for a food event? The caliber of chefs competing. Trying all the dishes because they do unique and fun things. I like to eat. I like to come home and re-create stuff. I’m very adventurous in the kitchen.

What’s your specialty dish? Probably pulled pork. I make the marinade and rub from scratch. I’m a big fan of meat.

What’s the backstory on @MCharcuterie? An ex-boyfriend gave me the nickname Madam Charcuterie because I always had stuff curing in the refrigerator.

I was making gravlox, jerky. The refrigerator was full of meat brining.

– Ligaya Figueras

Photo by carmen troesser

What I Do

Why did you leave your job to be the GM of Larder & Cupboard?

I had done it for so long. It’s not where my passion was anymore. This is like turning a hobby into a career.

Larder & Cupboard 7310 Manchester Road, Maplewood, 314.300.8995, larderandcupboard.com

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January 2015

January 2015

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January 2015