Feast Magazine

Did you know Kenrick’s Meats & Catering offers over 80 options of homemade prepared meals ready to heat and eat? Perfect for those on the go, pick up a fully prepared frozen meal or their freshly made dinners for you and your family! Learn more at kenricks.com/meat-market/prepared-foods. With @kenricksmeatsandcatering

At @paligrillstl , the Pali Burger exemplifies owner Ahmed Hasan’s culinary lineage – from his homeland of Palestine to his current roots in the United States. Although recognizable as a classic American entrée, the burger Hasan created uses a signature Middle Eastern-inflected blend of ground beef and lamb. The tender savory patty comes topped with all the typical fixings, plus tangy Pali sauce, a proprietary house condiment that visitors have quickly taken a liking to as a flavor booster for everything from fries to falafel. This unique dish is one of many ways guests can get a taste of Palestine’s rich food culture combined with classic American grill staples at Pali Grill. The Halal concept debuted in August on Page Avenue in St. Louis County near Overland and features everything from an all-day Arabian breakfast menu and kabob sandwiches to Philly cheesesteaks and chicken wings. “It’s a nice quiet spot where everyone from working people to college students can come have something different,” Hasan says. “You can have Mediterranean, Arabic and Palestinian food, or you can find something on the menu if you want to have a more traditional American sandwich presented in a different way.” Get your first look at Pali Grill at the link in our profile. 📝+📷: @mabel.suen

The story of @gerardfcraft coming to town is one that looms large in St. Louis, familiar even to casual fans of the city’s prolific dining scene. A boy from Washington, D.C. finds his way to Salt Lake City, Utah, to work as a snowboard photographer, lands a job in the restaurant industry and falls in love with it. The years that followed brought stints at Bistro Toujours in Park City, Utah, and a move to Los Angeles and a job at Chateau Marmont, but as time passed, something emerged: a growing desire for a restaurant of Craft’s own. As fate would have it, the young chef and now CEO of @nichefoodgroup landed in St. Louis, a city he had never visited. Lured in by affordable real estate and the historic architecture of Benton Park, he opened Niche in 2005 at only 25 years old. At 20 years in, the seasoned chef and business owner now calls St. Louis his home – a place he’s now lived in for longer than any other. We sat down with Craft over coffee at Bowood to get his thoughts on the dining scene, how it’s evolved and why he’s excited about the future. Read the full interview at the link in our profile. 📝: @aperiodictable

Chef Bonnie Moore, a native of Chicago who was raised in St. Louis, has returned home to lead the team at @idolwolfstl , 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis’ lauded restaurant. The space made its debut in July 2023 with Matt Daughaday at the helm, launching Spanish-inspired cuisine into the spotlight with an array of snackable plates and larger format dishes to mix and match. Moore grew up in Webster Groves, working at institutions like CJ Muggs before departing for the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Upon returning to St. Louis, she landed a coveted spot at Annie Gunn’s in Chesterfield, working her way up to senior sous chef alongside three-time James Beard award nominated chef Lou Rook. Most recently, Moore spent 10 years at Blackberry Farm, situated in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of Knoxville, Tennessee, serving as executive chef in multiple venues across the property, including the Main House kitchen. But after a decade, change was calling to her. “I’m just really excited to have a new challenge. I was at Blackberry [Farm] for a long time, and I loved the experience,” she says. “But I just turned 44, and I’m just really excited to have a new challenge. I’m ready for what’s next.” Get to know Moore and the new dishes that just hit the menu at Idol Wolf at the link in our profile. 📝: @aperiodictable 📷: @jacklyndmeyer

One of the most eagerly anticipated openings of 2025 has finally arrived. @cafeamalia_stl , located at 10907 Manchester Road, serves a full lineup of Greek and Mediterranean favorites and breakfast and lunch classics, plus curated espresso drinks, coffee, tea and more. Food is a love language of sorts for owner Amy Pappas Loli, who grew up in the kitchen cooking with her family. She spent decades as a dental hygienist until COVID hit; stuck at home, she decided to start transitioning her hobby into something more. “I’ve always cooked for my friends and family,” she says. “I always did all their catering behind the scenes. When the pandemic hit, I was just sitting there for two weeks feeling like the world was ending.” Like everybody, she was in desperate need of distraction, so she settled into her kitchen. “I just started cooking, and suddenly I’m like, ‘What am I going to do with all of this food?’” She soon founded Amalia Culinary Art, her catering business, but an opportunity to expand when the perfect space became available, owned by a family friend who wanted her to think seriously about opening a restaurant. “I realized I wanted to do something that really brings me joy for the rest of my life,” she says. “I grew up with food all around me; being Greek, gathering for coffee or a meal is a big part of our lives.” Now, she’s sharing her love for cooking and her family’s recipes with a wider audience. Step inside Cafe Amalia and get all the details at the link in our profile. 📝: @aperiodictable 📷: @mabel.suen @amyschromm

Look who’s back, St. Louis! @mainlanderstl had an incredible run at 8 S. Euclid Ave., winning rave reviews from critics, a host of regular guests and a James Beard Foundation semifinalist award nomination for Best New Restaurant in 2024. In search of a space to house their expanding concept, owners Blake Askew and Gordon Chen shuttered the restaurant in early 2025 to shift to a larger footprint at 392 N. Euclid Ave., the former home of Duff’s. After months of construction, Mainlander’s adjoining concepts will open in stages: Mainlander Supper Club will open on Oct. 2, resurrecting the nightly dinner party atmosphere and seasonal menu shifts the original location was known for; The Jujube Inn will open on Oct. 15 to treat guests to a menu of what Askew and Chen call “tipples and tidbits.” Get the details at the link in our profile. 📝: @aperiodictable 📷: @mabel.suen

It’s Patio Season at Westport Plaza! Patios are for playing games, sipping on cocktails and enjoying dinner this season at Westport Plaza. From Westport Social to Basso on the Plaza, 360 Westport and more - getting outside has never felt better! Learn more at westportstl.com. With @westportstl

From Dubai chocolate strawberry cups and gold-dusted macarons to fruit-shaped mini mousse pastries, self-taught pastry chef Aliyah Almasri stays on trend with her offerings. The selection of confections at her Midtown shop @thesweetcreamerystl constantly changes, and she loves to bake for others based on her own whims. This year, Almasri focused her energy on making her latest shop the greatest one yet. The café and bakery features the largest footprint thus far, giving her plenty of room to get ambitious in the kitchen. “I wanted to open this as a main location where I can be the most creative with my treats and let my imagination run wild,” she says. “That bakery case does not stay the same every day. If you come tomorrow, we’ll have a new flavor. We have seven menu boards and I keep adding to them because I love what I do, and I like to see what’s hip and hot.” Read more about The Sweet Creamery in Midtown at the link in our profile. 📝+📷: @mabel.suen

It’s a transitional season right now, and as fall menus emerge in restaurants and cafés, we find ourselves drawn to autumn flavors while simultaneously clinging - just a little - to late summer. Get some of our recent favorite dishes and drinks at the link in our profile, and have a wonderful weekend. 📝+📷: @aperiodictable

There’s something universally magnetic about the grill. Whether it’s the smoky sizzle of Korean bulgogi, the slow burn of Argentine asado or the spice-laced skewers of Nigerian suya, the grill is more than a cooking tool; it’s a cultural hearth. Across continents and cuisines, it draws people together, transforming ingredients into stories and meals into memories. In the September issue, we journey through the world’s grilling traditions – not just to explore techniques and flavors, but to understand how fire and food connect us. From street corners to backyards, from ancient rituals to modern reinventions, grilling is a language spoken in smoke and flame, and every region has its own dialect. At Fattened Caf, owners Charlene and Darren Young introduce us to kamayan, a feast where friends and family exchange stories over a vibrant spread of grilled meats and sides set on banana leaves. At Asador Del Sur, grilling becomes the bridge connecting the cuisines of Uraguay, Ecuador and Argentina; at Jalea, it provides the foundation for the restaurant’s Peruvian menu. Chef Sean Turner at Louie unites the regional cuisines of Italy over one grill each night while adding unconventional twists and turns to dishes. At Levels, chef-owner Ono Ikanone mixes traditional Nigerian dishes with his own fusion creations in an effort to make the cuisine more accessible to even the most timid of diners. And at Expat, Niche Food Group’s culinary director Peter Slay blends the bold flavors of global cuisines with the time-honored techniques of American barbecue, creating a menu that’s both adventurous and rooted in tradition. Elsewhere in these pages, you’ll find our favorite grilled seafood dishes in town, sweet and savory recipes you’ll want to fire up your own grill for and a rapid-fire Q&A with JBFA finalist nominee Jane Sacro Chatham, chef de cuisine at Vicia and a master of open fire cooking. Find all this and more at the link in our profile. Enjoy! 🤍🔥- @aperiodictable

Chef-owner @chefbbrazell made a splash in the last days of 2024 when he brought @byrdbarrelstl home to roost inside his iconic Tamm Avenue Bar. The homecoming was a sweet one for the neighborhood and for Brazell, who has delighted guests with a menu of alluring comfort food alongside rotating specials that let him flex his fine dining prowess. He is also a delight beyond the kitchen, with an easygoing demeanor and genuine enthusiasm for what he does and who he’s doing it for. Walking into the dining room on the first day of service for Byrd & Barrel this past December felt like walking into a house party. Regulars showed up in droves, hugs abounded and a genuine warmth filled the space. One thing brought it all together: the music on the speakers, a meticulous curation of hip-hop from recognizable tracks to deeper cuts, put together with the unmistakable flow of a music lover. We sat down with Brazell recently to talk about his love for music and the artists – and people – who have made him as passionate about the art form as he is about cooking. Read what he has to say at the link in our profile. 📝: @aperiodictable 📷: @mabel.suen

Last spring, beloved vegan bakery @sweetartstlouis reached an important turning point. After 16 years in the Shaw neighborhood, chef-owner Reine Keis closed the doors at the South City mainstay, relocating her homegrown concept to a much larger location in Midtown. “I like being really honest about it, because I think people were thinking she’s getting a bigger space so she must be really killing it. That’s not the case,” she says. The expansive 4,500-square-foot space, which previously housed Mi Caribe, offers more ways than ever to enjoy SweetArt’s one-of-a-kind vegan treats and savory eats made from scratch “with love and magic.” In addition to all the brand’s signature items established over the years, guests can look forward to extended hours, a spacious dining area and something the previous brick-and-mortar lacked: a daily breakfast menu complete with an in-house coffee program. Get your first look at SweetArt’s beautiful new space in Midtown at the link in our profile. 📝+📷: @mabel.suen