Babies, and Art, and Food, Oh My!
Jul 22, 2010 St. Louis, chefs, events, farming, missouri, restaurants, sustainable agriculture
Whew! After nine months (the final few weeks of which were filled with anxiety revolving around questions like, “What the hell am I going to do with a baby?), I now have a daughter, Quinn Reese Burge. Definitely meaning to brag, Ellie did it 100% natural for both her health physically and mentally and the babies. It was amazing, but more than that, they are amazing.
Bragging about my wife and daughter out of the way, in the few moments of spare time I’ve had this week, I’ve been tracking down chefs to belatedly nail down this year’s Slow Food St. Louis Art of Food menu. It’s not quite assembled 100% (come on guys!), but I just wanted to let you know one thing:
If you’re in town this Saturday, and you haven’t got anything planned, and you care a lick about local food, you need to get your butt down there. It’s Slow Food St. Louis’s biggest fundraiser of the year and it’s the reason we’ve been able to give over $12,000 to ten small farms over the last two years to increase the biodiversity of what’s available to us locally.
And if that’s not reason enough for you to go, know this: whatever excuse you have can’t possibly top the fact that I’ll be there and I’ll have a 7 day old daughter, and Josh Galliano will be there and he will have a 13 day old daughter. (we are of course hoping this means stellar birthday parties!)
Here’s the menu thus far if you’re wavering, and I hope to see you there…
Annie Gunn’s – Lou Rook III
Roasted Viking Village Sea Scallop with Annie Gunn’s Bacon and Ratatouille.
Companion – Josh Allen
1. Panzanella “Bread Salad” – Companion Roasted Garlic Fougasse w/ local heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers (working to identify farmer this week)
2. Grilled Bread Station with assorted pestos & tapenades
Five – Anthony Devoti
Benne’s Farm Pork confit, sesame cracker, tomato jam and pickled Claverach Farm baby carrots.
Harvest – Stephen Gontram
Harvest Bread Pudding
Kakao Chocolate – Brian Pelletier
1:Bacon Caramels Made with bacon from Hinkebein Hills Farms and local honey.
2: Chocolate Dipped Double-Layer Pates de Fruits
Local Harvest Café – Clara Moore
Horseradish Pickled Heirloom Tomato Relish on a Prairie Breeze Cheese Biscuit
Monarch – Josh Galliano
Prairie Grass Farms Goat Terrine, eggplant tapenade, Greek yogurt, fennel mostarda
Niche – Gerard Craft
white gazpacho, smoked grape sorbet
Sidney Street Café
Rabbit bratwurst with Companion brioche and house made sauerkraut
Winslow’s Home
Winslow’s Farm Cucumbers and Heirloom Tomatoes with pulled Prairie Grass Farm Lamb
and dishes still to come from…
Bailey’s Chocolate Bar, Farmhaus, Franco
Tags: Annie Gunn's, Anthony-Devoti, Art of Food, Bailey's Chocolate Bar, Brian Pelletier, Cary McDowell, Clara Moore, Claverach, Companion Bakery, David Bailey, Farmhaus, Five, Franco, Gerard Craft, Harvest, Hinkebein Hills Farm, Josh Galliano, Kakao Chocolate, Kevin Nashan, Local Harvest Cafe, Lou Rook III, Mad Art Gallery, Matt Abeshouse, Monarch, Niche, Rooster, Sidney Street Cafe, Slow Food St. Louis, Stephen Gontram, sustainable agriculture, The Bridge, Winslow's Home
Niche Taps Mike Sweeney for Beer Consulting
Oct 8, 2009 St. Louis, beer, chefs, missouri, restaurants
As the craft beer market has expanded, so to have the requests that top-tier restaurants take as much care in assembling their beer lists as they do for their wines. In an effort to address this and expand the beer selections in his restaurants, Gerard Craft of Niche has today tapped Mike Sweeney to consult on the beer lists for Niche, Niche Taste Bar, and the soon to open BRASSERIE by Niche. Most know Sweeney as the owner of the popular St. Louis beer blog and forum, STL Hops. In speaking with Sweeney this morning, he was excited about the news and stated that the goal is for each space to have its own list of beers to complement the food coming from each restaurant’s kitchen. As one might imagine, at BRASSERIE this will mean a strong focus on French and Belgian styles. For those looking for more esoteric selections, however, Sweeney also stated that Craft’s vision is that Niche Taste Bar will be the one place where the rules are “anything goes”.
Full Disclosure: As most know, Mike Sweeney is one of my closest, personal, friends.
Tags: BRASSERIE by Niche, Gerard Craft, Michael Sweeney, Mike Sweeney, Niche, Niche Taste Bar, stlhops.com STL Hops
#stl Foodies Look Forward to Another Niche
Sep 28, 2009 St. Louis, chefs, missouri, restaurants
No longer a rumor, Chef Gerard Craft announced via Twitter last night that he has officially secured the Chez Leon space in the Central West End. Having spoken to him two weeks ago, he’d confirmed his interest in the space, but an agreement had not then been reached. The hopeful plan was a quick turn around to get the restaurant open quickly, and some additional weekend tweaking to get things just the way he’d like them.
Now official, he confirmed last night that they’d be “shooting to open Nov 1” and that the restaurant “will be called BRASSERIE by niche just as BOUCHON defines the style of the restaurant.”
He also commented that because of the use of Brasserie, the French word for brewery, “a much stronger beer list” would also be in the works.
Tags: BRASSERIE by Niche, Gerard Craft, Niche
taste. by niche
Jul 20, 2009 St. Louis, chefs, menus, missouri, restaurants
Niche Taste Bar is, without question, the hippest thing that has ever opened in St. Louis.
Tags: Gerard Craft, Niche, Niche Taste Bar, Taste
James Beard Foundation Spreads the Love
May 4, 2009 St. Louis, chefs, missouri, restaurants
Sadly, Niche’s Gerard Craft did not win the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest. Instead it went to Tim McKee of La Belle Vie in Minneapolis. To show you something interesting, however, here are the nominees and winners over the last five years.
I have also included the 2007-2009 Best Chef: Great Lakes Region as many contenders now in that region (especially in Chicago) were part of the Midwest region through 2006. I have made bold those chefs who ultimately won, and have italicized those chefs who did not win but still dropped off the nomination list the following year.
Best Chef: Midwest (Currently: IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
- 2009 Nominees: Isaac Becker, Gerard Craft, Colby Garrelts, Tim McKee, Alexander Roberts
- 2008 Nominees: Isaac Becker, Colby Garrelts, Tim McKee, Alexander Roberts, Alex Siegel
- 2007 Nominees: Colby Garrelts, Tim McKee, Alex Roberts, Adam Siegel, Celina Tio
- 2006 Nominees: Jean-Robert De Cavel, Shawn McClain, Carrie Nahabedian, Brian Polcyn, Lucia Watson
- 2005 Nominees: Sandro Gamba, Michael Kornick, Tony Mantuano, Shawn McClain, Lucia Watson
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
- 2009 Nominees: Koren Grieveson, Arun Sampanthavivat, Bruce Sherman, Michael Symon, Alex Young
- 2008 Nominees: Graham Elliot Bowles, Carrie Nahabedian, Bruce Sherman, Michael Symon, Alex Young
- 2007 Nominees: Grant Achatz, Carrie Nahabedian, Bruce Sherman, Michael Symon, Alex Young
Note the following:
- Through 2006, when Chicago was included in the Midwest, they dominated.
- Chicago still dominates the new Great Lakes Region
- Rarely do chefs drop off the list until they’ve won
- When they do drop off without winning, it often means they switched restaurants
- Three chefs dropped in the 2006/2007 region-shifting, but Chicago also picked up a ringer: Grant Achatz. And really, how do you compete against that?
- Another one of those three chefs got snubbed because of Michael Symon who, in 2005, closed his restaurant Lola and reopened it as Lolita. He then reopened Lola in a newer, fancier location in 2006, became the star we know him to be today, and subsequently showed up on the list.
So as you can see, unless some crazy bad-ass shows up in the Midwest region (and really we like to think of that as Gerard don’t we?), what that means for Chef Craft (and St. Louis) is that we’ll more than likely see his name return to the short list again next year–and hopefully until he ultimately pulls home the prestigious award.
Whatever the future brings, however, he continues to be a shining addition the the St. Louis culinary landscape. He has brought a lot of national attention to a city not typically known for it’s dining. That’s a great thing, and I personally thank him for it.
After the jump, view an alphabetical list of all the nominees, the restaurants they were nominated for, and their new restaurants if applicable…
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Gerard Craft, James Beard Award, Michael-Symon, this post took so long to write
Congratulations to the RFT’s Kristen Hinman
May 3, 2009 St. Louis, chefs, missouri, restaurants
While St. Louis foodies will have to wait another day to find out if Niche’s Gerard Craft brings home the 2009 James Beard Award for Best Chef Midwest, the media awards were dished out tonight and The Riverfront Times Kristen Hinman scored a St. Louis win for her magnificent article, The Pope of Pork.
As a fan of all things Missouri swine, I congratulate Kristen. Having met Russ Kremer myself at the small farm show in Columbia, MO last year, I knew her article was amazing the moment I finished reading it, and I am thrilled for her that she has been awarded such a prestigious accolade in the food world.
If you still haven’t read the article, I can’t imagine you need anymore incentive to go do it now.
Tags: Gerard Craft, Kristen Hinman, Riverfront Times, Russ Kremer
Event: SLOWednesday with Gerard Craft, Dave Hillebrand and Brett Palmier
Apr 28, 2009 St. Louis, farmers' markets, slow food, sustainable agriculture
Mark your calendars, this year’s SLOWednesday events start just two weeks from tomorrow, and the first is sure to be a hit…
May 13, 2009: Terra Madre Update
Intended to foster discussion and introduce innovative concepts in the field of food, gastronomy, globalization, and economics, Terra Madre is a bi-annual conference hosted by Slow Food international in Torino, Italy.
The last event was held in October of 2008, and Slow Food St. Louis sent three major delegates to represent them: Gerard Craft of Niche Restaurant, Dave Hillebrand of Prairie Grass Farms, and Brett Palmier of Biver farms. Enjoy this opportunity to offer them a belated welcome home and an ear to listen to their stories.
- SLOWednesday events take place at the Bottleworks in the Crown Room after the Farmers’ Market, at 7:00 p.m. Talks begin at 7:30 p.m., and Schlafly asks that everyone interested in ordering food and drink place their orders and be settled in before that time. Events are free and open to the public.
Tags: biver farms, Gerard Craft, prairie grass farms, Schlafly, slow food
Gerard Craft and the Melange Space
Jul 31, 2008 St. Louis, chefs, restaurants
What a busy day for St. Louis restaurant gossip…
The buzz on this one is unfortunately not true. Via email Gerard Craft said “we looked at it but that is definitely a no go and was more than a month a ago.”
Lots of hopeful fingers can uncross for now.
Tags: Gerard Craft
Other Restaurant Stuff
Jul 31, 2008 St. Louis, chefs, restaurants
From the same source as the Andy White news I’d also heard that Brian Hale was parting ways with Monarch on less than savory terms. As I didn’t think that was the case, I just got off the phone with Hale who confirmed that the parting of ways is cordial between all parties. He will be moving on to take over all three kitchens at the Chase Park Plaza.
Of course no sooner than getting of the phone with him did I notice Joe Bonwich’s post out-scooping me to the same information just minutes ago. He also mentioned another oft-heard rumor about Gerard Craft spreading his wings a little further by picking up the old Melange space in the Central West End.
Edit: Actually Sauce Magazine seems to have out-scooped everyone including more information about who will be taking over the Monarch Kitchen to what they’re doing with the old Balaban’s space.
Edit 2: See where all this gossip gets us? Ian Froeb has the whole story from Monarch co-owner Jeff Orbin over on Gut Check.
Tags: Brian Hale, Gerard Craft, Monarch, Niche
Slow Food Art of Food Menu
Jul 24, 2008 St. Louis, chefs, missouri
This is why you want to buy tickets for Art of Food
222 Artisan Bakery / Goshen Coffee – Debbie Sultan / Matt Herren
- 222 Artisan breads in roll form: bacon, brioche, and sun dried tomato olive and feta
- Goshen-roasted Costa Rican pour-over drip coffee
Bailey’s Chocolate Bar / Rooster – Robin Murphy
- Fruitland roast beef sandwich with red onion marmalade and herbed Heartland Creamery goat cheese on a housemade roll
- Bailey’s buttercream chocolate bar cake
An American Place – Joshua Galliano
- Prairie Grass Farms lamb and foie gras ballotine, apple mustard, chickpea salad, saba
Annie Gunn’s – Lou Rook III
- Duroc pork belly confit on Companion brioche roll with Atomic horseradish mustard and house made local peach chutney
Araka – Mark Curran
- Prairie Grass Farms housemade sausages
- Local heirloom tomato salad
Erato on Main – Kevin Willmann
- House smoked Guthrie Farms chicken with local vegetable chow chow
Local Harvest Grocery – Clara Moore
- Housemade hummus served on local cucumber circles and local tomatoes tossed with fresh pesto and served on Companion crostinis
Moxy Bistro – Eric Brenner
- Duck breast with grilled peaches
Niche – Gerard Craft
- Slow-roasted Greenwood Farms pork butt sandwiches with brussel sprout slaw on Companion bread
Schlafly Bottleworks – Matt Bessler
- Schlafy “Gardenworks” beet and Arugula salad
- Troutdale Farms smoked Trout Mousse with English cucumber cups
- Bacon-wrapped Hinkebein Hills Farm smoked pork tenderloin with Schlafy pale ale raspberry BBQ sauce
Sidney Street Café – Kevin Nashan
- Hinkebein Hills Farm smoked pork butt with cornmeal “toast”, Eilerman Brothers peach bbq glaze, Claverach Farm greens and pickled peaches
- On the Wind Farms watermelon gazpacho with jumbo lump crab
Veruca – Mathew Rice
- Local peach and lavender trifles
Tags: 222 Artisan Bakery, An American Place, Annie Gunn's, Araka, Art of Food, Bailey's Chocolate Bar, David Bailey, Debbie Sultan, Erato on Main, Eric Brenner, Gerard Craft, Goshen Coffee, Joshua Galliano, Kevin Nashan, Kevin Willmann, Lou Rook, Mathew Rice, Matt Bessler, Matt Herren, Moxy Bistro, Niche, Rooster, Schlafly Bottleworks, Sidney Street Cafe, Veruca
From the mountains of Panama and Ethiopia, to the urban-jungles of Portland and Chicago, journalist Michaele Weissman takes us behind the scenes for a look at the world of third-wave specialty coffee. How did we get to Starbucks, and where we go from here?