Nicki's Central West End Guide

The Food Pantry at Second Presbyterian Church

There is a lot to learn about the impressive Romanesque Revival Second Presbyterian Church, including its collection of Tiffany windows in the sanctuary. The Church, located at 4501 Westminster at Taylor, is currently undergoing some interior renovation, see photo above.

Some readers may be familiar with the classroom space in the lower level of the Education Building, constructed in 1930, as the polling place for two 28th Ward precincts in the CWE. It also houses a food pantry, Good Ground, which has been in existence for over thirty years. On Saturday mornings 18 to 25 families come for groceries and, here's what's unique to this pantry---samples of a healthy recipe. If the clients (who are scheduled to visit the pantry once a month) are interested, they are given the recipe and a bag full of ingredients they'll need to recreate the dish at home.

Jana Sisler and John Leo are co-directors of Good Ground Pantry. The items on the well-stocked shelves above were purchased by the volunteers using monies donated by parishioners and others. Bread-stuffs come from Panera Bread on Forest Park Blvd. which donates end-of-day items to a different organization each day.

Other donations come in the form of fresh produce. One of Second Church's parishioners purchased a share in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and donated it to Good Ground Pantry. CWE Board Member Arthur Culbert also drops off fresh produce from the community garden he and the 4th grade class from New City School cultivate on Waterman. And children at the Washington Montessori School in north St. Louis have planted a garden that benefits the pantry. Neighbors are also invited to drop off excess produce grown in their backyards, see information at end of this post.

Once a month, a nutritionist from Operation Food Search brings a healthy recipe that volunteers help Karen Buckey test and then make for sampling each Saturday. The March selection was "Friendship Soup," above, which included legumes that don't need to be soaked, a spice packet, and a bag of oyster crackers.

A spicy bean salsa was April's selection, above and below. It came with a box of cornbread mix. The volunteers shop at big box stores, or wherever they can get the best prices on the ingredients. In addition to developing the recipe, the nutritionist from Operation Food Search visits Good Ground Pantry once a month to offer advice to the clients on healthy eating. The hope is that with exposure to the good nutritious food Good Ground provides, and follow-up consultation with a nutritionist, the clients' health will improve.

There are lots of ways you can help Good Ground Pantry at Second Presbyterian Church continue its work. To volunteer by handing out samples of the healthy recipe on Saturday mornings, contact KABuckey@gmail.com. If you have excess produce growing in your backyard, bring it to Second Presbyterian Church on Saturday mornings at 9:30, or drop it off in the church office during business hours. Use the entry on the parking lot, there is a buzzer.

And once a month a group of volunteers gets together for "Table Talk," which is a chance to network over dinner. The group meets at a local restaurant--last month it was Duff's--to support a locally-owned restaurant and discuss topics such as local food sources and sustainability. Contact Karen Buckey if you'd like to join Table Talk: KABuckey@gmail.com.

Finally, donations to Good Ground Pantry can be sent to Second Presbyterian Church, 4501 Westminster, 63108. Make the check out to Good Ground Pantry.

Herb Day at the CWE Community Garden

May 5th was Herb Day at the CWE Community Garden in the 5000 block of Waterman. This vegetable and fruit garden is being cultivated by CWE Board Member Arthur Culbert with assistance from the 4th grade class at New City School.

Two Saturdays ago Geoff Beal, an herbalist, offered an afternoon workshop at the garden that included a scavenger hunt for children, information on herbs and their benefits, and an  Hibiscus-blend iced tea from Kateri Meyer of the Traveling Tea Company. You'll find Kateri at the Tower Grove Farmers Market on Saturdays.

 

There was a teaching moment about beneficial bugs when a ladybug was discovered on an apple tree planted on the periphery of the garden, see below. Geoff Beal informed me that later on a wiggly earthworm showed up unexpectedly to the delight of the 3 to 9 year olds who were there.

Three-year-old Hazel tries out the architectural stonework that was salvaged from a neighbor's yard by Tom Brackman for use as an outdoor classroom. The community garden experience is being used by the 4th grade teachers at New City as a class on citizenship. The students harvest the vegetables they've planted from seed for two food pantries located in the neighborhood.

Last Monday the 4th graders were going to pick strawberries and spinach (below) for Trinity's Food Pantry. The other food pantry the students serve is at Second Presbyterian Church. I'll be posting a story on Second Church's program later.

Geoff Beal is a Professional Herbalist and Naturopath who does herbal health counseling with individuals over 20 years of age. To contact Geoff, who also loves to work with children (and adults) at schools, summer camps, community gardens, etc.: geofftheherbalist@yahoo.com.

Prepping for the Kentucky Derby

Today is the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby, and once again we will probably say we ought to get out the julep cups and make mint juleps to celebrate the race. Although we say that every year, rarely do we follow through.

Recently I came across the Polaroid above showing our cat Bella sipping a mint julep. At the time I was experimenting with recipes and props for a food shoot for Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion, where I was Food Editor. My modus operandi was to plan the menu, set up the shot, and then take a Polaroid so I could show the art director and prop stylist what I had in mind. This particular day, just as I was ready to snap the photo, Bella jumped up on a chair and put her mouth on the straw. What luck! What a shot!

Note to PETA: Relax, there was not a drop of bourbon in that cup!

P.S. If you missed last year's post about our trip to Keeneland Race Track in Kentucky, you can read it here.

From glam art at Atrium to herbal sodas at Bowood

There was an opening at Atrium Gallery Friday evening featuring the art of Christopher Tanner, a New York artist. Tanner, who is also an an actor, playwright, performer, and cabaret singer (in drag), was not able to attend the opening--"Com'on to My House"--as he is in rehearsals for a new play. As a performance artist, he has worked with Cindi Lauper, Bloolips, David Lynch and Karen Finley among others. 

The bold, and in a few instances over-the-top mixed-media pieces contain bits of vintage jewelry, beads, baubles, bullet casings, millinery trim, and more. When you visit the Gallery--and you should--plan to spend some time, each piece deserves more than a quick glance.

Tanner's stunning 92" x 92" mixed media on canvas piece above, "Hand in the Pool of Maria Montez," is a cool $35,000. The close-up below shows a detail of "the Pool" and gives you an idea of the amount of work that went into creating it.

As you might imagine, Tanner has a quirky sense of humor as evidenced by the titles on his smaller pieces, 6 1/2 x 6 1/2", above--"Lucy Left and Tighty Right," "Diana Vreeland," and  "Mao Wow." Up close, each one is like peering into a tiny archaeological dig.

    

 

 

 

 "Helen of Troy," 2011 is 6 1/2 x 6 1/2", $1500.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Stars Have It," 2011, 6 1/2 x 6 1/2," is also $1500.

"Come'on To My House" will be on view at the Atrium Gallery, 4728 McPherson, until June 17.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, over at Bowood Farms...

Saturday afternoon, David Kirkland (above), chef of Cafe Osage at Bowood Farms was handing out samples of the restaurant's sparkling herbal sodas. The tasting coincided with a book signing by the authors of Missouri Harvest, shown below. The sodas are made with homemade herbal infusions of rosemary, basil, or lavender. 

Chef Kirkland generously shared the recipe. You'll need lots of herbs to make these, so stock up at Bowood, $3.50 each.

To make sparkling herbal sodas: Steep two bunches of rosemary, basil, or lavender in 2 cups boiling water for 1/2 hr. Discard herbs but save the steeping liquid to mix with an equal amount (or to taste) of simple syrup (heat equal parts sugar and water till dissolved). Cool. Pour 1 1/2 ounces herbal infusion into a glass, add about 7 ounces club soda. Fill with ice and serve. Herbal infusion will last for weeks in the refrigerator.

Also at Bowood last Saturday, Maddie Earnest, left, the co-founder of South City's popular Local Harvest Grocery and Cafe, and Liz Fathman, an anthropologist and Publications Manager at the Missouri Botanical Garden, were signing copies of their newly-released paperback, Missouri Harvest (see post here). The  "Guide to Growers and Producers in the Show-Me State," $18.00, takes you on a tour of farms throughout the state by region, with information on what each farmer grows and how to get your hands on it. There are also some interesting recipes including a "Spring Onion, Spinach and Goat Cheese Bread Pudding" from Goatsbeard Farm in Harrisburg, Missouri. If you missed the signing, stop by and buy the book. It's a great resource to have on hand.

And finally to Liz Fathman: Apologies for not capturing you with eyes wide open!

Bowood Farms and Cafe Osage, 4605 Olive, check website for hours.

Neighbors find it's easy being "green"

 

Photo courtesy of Laura Lock

A few weeks ago I stopped by Laura Lock and Scott Garnholz's (above) CWE home to get a closer look at their backyard. I've known the couple for years--Laura was on the board of the Central West End Association and at one time worked as a staff member for the neighborhood organization. My curiosity was piqued by Laura's recent gift of homemade "Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage Vinegar" to Jim, and subsequent email correspondence showing a photo of the couple's hoop house.

While I stood on the Laura and Scott's back porch admiring the yard, Laura explained how they became so "into" organic gardening. It began several years ago when the couple began to question the impact they were having on the eco system. After reading about the environment and resource management, Laura and Scott began to implement ways they could live a "greener" life in the middle of the city.

Their tiny north-facing backyard contains a rainbarrel (lower right), a hoop house, and a long narrow vegetable garden. Laura would like to add two more rainbarrels and replace the lawn altogether (if Scott would agree), leaving more farmable area. I learned from Laura that a scant 1/4" rainfall adds about 50 gallons of water to the rainbarrel, more than enough to take care of their gardening needs. 

Around the same time that the couple was transforming their yard---and their lives--- Laura made a career change. She decided to pursue a more sustainable career path that was aligned with her value system. To that end, Laura discovered that St. Louis University offered a Masters in Sustainability. SLU's program---one of eleven universities across the country to offer the degree---is underwritten by a $5M grant from the Alberici Company, a leader in the implementation of sustainable design and construction practices in our area. Laura is well into her first year of the two-year program. 

The couple had been growing vegetable and flower seeds in their basement using grow lights. In the spirit of being environmentally conscious, they moved their seed growing efforts to a hoop house, above, purchased at a big box store for $30.

When I visited, there were flats of sprouting radishes, beets, and peas within.

 

Laura orders many of their vegetable seeds from The Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants, above, as she loves the idea of growing vegetables that may have the same genetic makeup as vegetables Thomas Jefferson grew at Monticello.

The photo above shows clever plant markers--sage, basil, dill, etc.---made by a friend from old silver spoons.

Three years ago, Laura and Scott built a raised planter bed that is 8" tall x 4' wide x 15' long. As Laura said, they chase the sunlight, which is at a premium in their backyard. In December, they planted a winter crop of broccoli, swiss chard, and cauliflower. With the mild winter we experienced, they had already harvested the broccoli, swiss chard, and lots of lettuce (sown every six weeks) by the time of my visit. If the winter had been more seasonal, they would have covered the bed to protect the crops.

A composter is visible at the top of the photo above. Composting plays a major role in their gardening scheme. They throw in grass clippings, weeds, and kitchen scraps--no meat, of course. They learned it's best not to clean the bed out after the harvest but to enhance what organic matter is left behind with compost.

Photo courtesy of Laura Lock

The photo above shows bounty from a harvest one week last summer, including several varieties of tomatoes. On Saturdays during the growing season, the couple bikes to Tower Grove Park's Farmer's Market to supplement what they can't grow themselves. Laura and Scott are not vegetarians but try to buy only sustainable fish, and to eat meat almost as a side dish.

I asked Laura how she incorporates herbs and vegetables into family meals. She enjoys making small batch salad dressings using the herbs from the garden. And the night before I visited, Laura had made a Meyer Lemon zest mayo (without eggs) with chives from their garden. She combined shallots, snap peas, and baby asparagus from the market and served it with sauteed scallops, and prosciutto purchased on The Hill. (I should not write these posts when I am hungry!)

Someday I hope to catch up with Scott and learn how he makes red wine vinegar. Scott, who worked as a kitchenware salesman for companies like Krupps, manages the housewares department at Restaurant Depot. When Laura isn't hitting the books, she volunteers for the CWE's Places for People and the food pantry at Second Presbyterian Church. The volunteers at the food pantry do more than serve meals. They also develop healthy recipes and provide the ingredients to cook the menu at home. I'll have more on their efforts in a future post. 

We can all take a few cues from this resourceful CWE couple who have learned how to live off the land right here in the neighborhood.

Scenes from The Vino Gallery's 2nd Anniversary Bash

The Vino Gallery's 2nd Anniversary Bash was packed with well-wishers--over 500 by the guesstimate of owners Rachael Buehrer (photo below behind bar) and Alex Head (above behind computer). Jim and I stopped by to say hello and were met by the crush of people and a bouyant Rachael who excitedly exclaimed, "We're out of wine glasses!"  In fact, they ran out of their supply of 200 wine glasses several times.

 

Inventory all dressed up for the party.

Rachael emailed: "The crowd included a great mix of people we see all the time in the neighborhood, customers who don't live nearby that came out for the party, and people who had never been in before. Apparently several local concierges were recommending it as something to do for out-of-towners!"

Happy Anniversary and congratulations to The Vino Gallery. I am adding a link here to my post showing the wine shop/art gallery when it opened at 4701 McPherson two years ago. Thank you to Rachael, Alex and Art Director, Matt Pruyn for choosing the CWE as the location for their business. We look forward to many more anniversaries to come.

The draw of "Joy the Baker"

I made a last-minute decision to run over to Left Bank Books last evening in time for the start of a reading by Joy Wilson, above, the author of "Joy the Baker Cookbook." Frankly, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about since this young woman's blog has been named one of the "Top 50 Food Blogs" by the London Times, and named "Best Baking Blog" by foodbuzz. By the time I staked my standing-room only spot, I felt the energy and high anticipation coming from the 100-plus young women---and a few men---as we waited for Joy to make her appearance.

Among those devotees in the crowd were a mother and daughter who had made a two-hour trip for the event, and fans eager to learn how to start a blog, how to write a cookbook, etc., etc. Many of them spoke with identical inflection and hand gestures, which I found really amusing. Joy even said to one questioner, "you sound just like me!"  Another asked why she chose St. Louis for her book tour, as if it were the last place on earth to visit.  Joy, who lives in LA, replied enthusiastically that her best friend lived down the street in an "amazing three-story house," and they had enjoyed a delicious dinner the night before at Duff's..."gosh I LOVE St. Louis," she said.

I did a double-take when, in response to a question, Joy said she didn't usually test her recipes, "unless someone emails that they have a problem with one---which rarely happens." She explained that her father and an aunt (who's blind) loved to bake and she learned a lot from them; she also worked in a bakery when she was younger. Consequently, she has her formulas down pat. The reason I mention this is that the "no testing" statement blew me away. When I was the food editor of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion I tested my recipes until I couldn't stand to look at another dish of whatever we were cooking up. Then my sister Debbie tested them again---just to be sure the average cook could get the recipes to work. Obviously, Joy is really talented.

The recipes in Joy the Baker Cookbook, $19.99, which include more than just sweet things, looked easy and quite good. As of this afternoon there are about 20 copies left at Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid.

CWEA Trivia Night winners celebrate!

The winners of last Saturday night's Trivia Contest sponsored by the Central West End Association were feted last evening at the neighborhood's Green Bean. CWEnder Dixie Buford (third from left) whose team, Dixie's Chicks plus 2---shown above, minus 1---took top prize identifying trivia that included CWE Landmarks and sitcom interiors, as well as questions** that boggled my mind (which is why I was happy being a judge).
Dixie's Chicks plus 2 was given gift certificates to Green Bean, which they enjoyed at the award ceremony, a box of Bissinger's Chocolates, and glass hands from Rothschild's, below, presented by indefatigable CWEA Board Member, Arthur Culbert (standing). Perhaps the hands can be raised in unison if the team wins next year's Trivia Night contest---this is Anthony Loveday's (one of the "plus 2's" above) second year to be on the winning team.

**Who holds the record for the fastest 100 m dash?

In how many seconds did Veronica Torr run the 100 m hurdles in "swim fins" to break the world record in 2009? (multiple choice)

Who holds the record for the most career home runs?

Who did Marlon Brandon play in the 1978 film Superman?

Big River Food/Craft Swappers Springtime Event

Because of the success of the first two Big River Food/Craft Events (and because they are just so much fun!) Jennifer Walker, Christiane Danna, Kelly & Nick Reding, and yours truly are planning a 3rd Big River Food/Craft Swappers Event on Sunday, March 25 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. We had such a big turnout at the Holiday Swap on December 11( read about it here), we are changing the venue from 449 N. Euclid to the larger Pierce Arrow Building at 4814 Washington, just east of Euclid. 

If you'd like to participate bring multiples of something homemade---food, craft, plants, etc. At the swap you will then trade your item for someone else's offering. For instance, if you bring 8 jars of homemade salsa, you'll go home with 8 items created by the other participants. The photo above shows the bounty from our very first Big River Event.

For more details and to rsvp, please visit our event brite site here. Or simply email me at nickisbuzz@gmail.com, and I'll add you to the list. Hope to see you on March 25th!

Experiencing Green Bean

Some of us are still trying to figure out what we want to be when we grow up. Then there's Nick Guzman (behind the counter above and below) who has three businesses under his belt, and he's only 23! Two of these businesses, MAStorage (since sold) and Mass Drinks, were started when Nick was a student at Amherst College, class of 2011. Nick, along with business partner Sarah Hazelkorn, opened Green Bean, a healthy salad and wrap restaurant at 232 N. Euclid (just south of Maryland) last December. Judging by the varied patrons I've observed on several visits to Green Bean ---neighbors, local business people, out-of-town visitors staying at the Chase (including a Comedian who was in town for a performance), students from W.U. and S.L.U.---it appears that Nick's business acumen remains intact.

When I first heard that  people from Washington, D.C. were opening a restaurant featuring locally-grown seasonally-available ingredients on Euclid, it seemed odd. Then I learned that Sarah, a friend of Nick's from D.C., is a junior (yes, a junior!) at Washington University. If the eat-in, carry-out restaurant is successful, Nick and Sarah plan to expand the concept to other cities. In the few short months it's been opened, Green Bean has already been named to General Mills's "Eat Better America" program.

Everything is pretty simple and straight-forward at Green Bean, including the decor. Being environmentally conscious--and working within their budget--Nick and Sarah recycled wood left behind by the previous business and made bench-seating and counters.

The young entrepreneurs partnered with Chef Peter Pastan (8-year James Beard "Best Chef Mid-Atlantic" semifinalist), to develop the concept including menu, seasonal recipe development, and purchasing expertise. Chef Pastan, whose children grew up with Nick, has two successful restaurants in D.C., Obelisk on Dupont Circle, and the popular 2 Amys pizza restaurant. At this point in my interview with Nick I had to pause and ask if entrepreneurship is in his gene pool??? Or, did his parents discuss business opportunities every night at the dinner table?  In his laid-back, low-key manner, Nick replied, "No...not really."  

Ordering at Green Bean takes some thought. You can stick with the combinations suggested on the clever menu ("seoul train," "turducken," the vegan "mermaid," etc., $8 to $10), or create your own salad or wrap starting at $6. Extras cost, well, extra. For kids of all ages there are pb&j roll-ups, $2.50, and veggies & dip, $1.  Seasonal soups, $3.50 a cup, keg wine, $6, and local beer, $4, are also on the menu.

On my second visit to Green Bean I tried the "cobb-out" combination as a wrap, $8.50, above and below--it turned out to be my favorite.

Chilled Cake Balls, $1 each, from local baker Kaylen Wissinger's Farm Fresh Cupcakes are available for dessert.

Spring-y Green Bean t-shirts are $15 to $20; and as you would expect, recycling is encouraged down to the very last straw, see above.

Green Bean, 232 N. Euclid, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, (314) 361-4444.

This P.S. is a little off-point but as long as I'm talking about food, it's worth mentioning:

In early February I met neighbor Emma Hand, the creator of Snap Story, and her friend Stephanie Pollack (the redhead in a photo with Nick, above), at Green Bean for lunch. Emma, a big promoter of mine, had been trying to set up a meeting to discuss blogging with Steph who writes the successful "Cupcake Project" blog. Steph was also a finalist in the RFT's 2012 St. Louis Web Awards. Between bites of a great "citrus caesar" salad, and "cobb-out" wraps for my companions, we discussed Steph's jaw-dropping 1,000,000 hits a month on her blog, and her latest creation: Buffalo Chicken Wing Cupcakes. She came up with the cupcake recipe for Super Bowl Sunday and made them again for a "chef's night out" dinner. I had a hard time imagining the combination as a savory cupcake, but apparently they were a big hit with the chefs---a pretty tough audience. And while I can never imagine receiving that many hits on Nicki's Central West End Guide, it was interesting to learn how another young entrepreneur has created a successful business out of a simple idea.