[second rising]
Companion Baking has risen beyond its original Dutchtown operation and will break ground in Maryland Heights on a new, 41,000-square-foot compound. Besides ovens and bread racks, Companion co-owner Josh Allen plans to add a baking school to the operation. “Teaching is a big part of what we do,” says the artisan baker. “It’s how we can share our craft.”
[downtown trifecta]
Opportunity knocked, and Vince Bommarito Jr. answered. The result: Tony’s A.M., launching mid-February, which will give the Bommarito family a trifecta of downtown dining options at No. 10 Broadway in The Equitable Building (Anthony’s Bar is No. 2). Bommarito reports the new breakfast/lunch options will always be homemade and fresh. That includes house roast beef, turkey and ham, made daily, to achieve uber-fresh sandwiches.
[cheers!]
Imbibing St. Louisans have kept local beer, wine and spirit purveyors growing. Look for The Wine Merchant to relocate its current South Hanley Road shop to 7817 Forsyth Blvd., in the former First National Bank building. Ellisville’s Liquor will see an expansion in space and a change in name after its move, when it will rechristen itself as Lukas Wine & Spirits.
Swap your brew and have a chance to meet a cicerone (certified beer server and guide) each Saturday at Craft Beer Cellar’s free Bottle Swap Party. Novice and seasoned beer devotees are encouraged to meet, mingle and share a good brew at the Clayton spot, 8113 Maryland Ave.
[soulard homecoming]
Once a foodie, always a foodie, especially for Pat Norton, who owned Norton’s on Geyer Avenue for 23 years. He’s returned to Soulard and opened a carryout-only operation inside the Soulard Market’s Grand Hall Arcade. Norton’s Cajun Corner, located where the historic Schmitz’s concession stand stood for decades, provides market shoppers with grits, jambalaya, and gumbo.
[baking best]
St. Louis Public Library’s Taste of Fiction (March 6 at Central Library) challenges bakers to create a dessert that interprets their favorite book. No surprise River City’s wizard of pastry, Chef Stephan Schubert, selected The Wizard of Oz. “I wanted to present the dark side of the book,” says Schubert, whose multi-flavored cake features the wicked witch’s dark tower. Schubert is the reigning American Culinary Federation’s Best Pastry of the Year, winning the honor last year with another creation based on The Wizard of Oz: Chocolate Tornado.
