[sweet!]
Our very own Stephan Schubert, executive pastry chef at River City Casino & Hotel, has taken first place in the Americas pastry chef division of the World Chef Competition in Ecuador!

[fall previews]qb-wine-big

  • Now opened: Vitale’s Deli (425 N. Sappington Road), offering Hill-style sandwiches on  one-of-a-kind fresh bakery rolls. No surprise. Mike Vitale mastered the art of bread baking at his family’s bakery, Vitale’s, a Hill landmark.
  • The build-out is underway at 3609 Juniata, where Victor Pham, owner of Café Mochi, remains tight-lipped on the name of his new venture. Word on the street is to expect an international fusion spot with Asian accents.
  • Whitney VinZant has plans for the Bemison Ave space vacated by Tani: Louie’s Wine Dive. Originally an Iowa operation, Louie’s excels in incorporating neighborhood identity and local cuisine into its expansion locations.

[slow take] 
Old ways are often the best ways. That’s what Slow Food celebrates at it annual Art of Food, Nov. 7 at The Luminary (2701 Cherokee St.). Eighteen chefs will join forces with craft brewers, distillers and vintners to present an evening of culinary delights.

qb_bookshelf_template-copy[book notes]
Culinary memoirs will spice up this year’s St. Louis Jewish Book Festival (Nov. 1-15 at the JCA) when Chef Rossi, author of Raging Skillet, and Aaron Rezny, author of Eating Delancey: A Celebration of Jewish Food  provide savory stories from their pasts. The two speak Nov. 6, when Rossi talks about celebrating seders his family’s camper and Rezny recounts the kitchen history and traditions along Delancey Street on the Lower East Side. Lucky attendees get to samples recipes from both books.