Photography courtesy of Taste of St. Louis
It’s remarkable how food, at once so prosaic and ordinary, has become increasingly elevated to event status. This weekend, get your gustatory ya-ya’s out in Chesterfield at the 11th annual Budweiser Taste of St. Louis.
Come hungry. Restaurant Row boasts more than 36 restaurants to sample, including Meskerem Ethiopian, Ices Plain & Fancy, Naked Bacon, Tucanos Brazilian Grill, and many more. If you want to pace yourself (ha!), try a “taste bite”—a smaller, this-is-a-marathon-not-a-sprint-sized portion. Plenty (but not all) vendors will take credit cards, and there will be ATMs onsite.
At the Stella Artois Culinary Stage, check out the Chef Battle Royale completion, pitting eight local chefs against one another for dish supremacy within a given food category. Categories include chicken and egg, pork, tomato, cheese, and beef and mushroom. The final category, Stella Artois and seafood, includes a dessert component. Local and national food experts, celebrities, and sponsors declare the winners.
Squaring off for glory are Jessie Gilroy of The Tavern Kitchen & Bar, Carl Hazel of The Scottish Arms, Robert Sills of Savannah Grille, Aaron Baggett of Edgewild, D. Scott Phillips of Balaban’s, John Perkins of Juniper, Chris Tirone of Quincy Street Bistro, and Bob Colosimo of Eleven Eleven Mississippi.
“It might not be a try-this-at-home kind of event,” festival co-director K. Sonderegger says of the competition, which is sure to be heated. If you'd rather concentrate on recipes, mosey on over to the Goose Island School of Cooking Stage. “It’s kind of geared for the home chef,” she says. “It’s a smaller group; it’s going to be kind of an intimate experience.” You can learn about Spanish, Mexican, and New Orleans cuisines, beer pairings, chocolate, and plenty more.
The kids’ cooking area has a little more to offer than just diversion for the wee ones. “It’s not so much cotton candy and jump houses,” Sonderegger says. The offerings come with an educational bent, looking at the technological, artistic, and technological aspects of cooking. “It’s still definitely kid-oriented,” she says, but with science, math, career ideas, and 3D printing.
For home chefs who always thought their casseroles could stand up to the pros, the Budweiser Home Chef Throwdown will give folks the chance to do just that. Two home chefs, chosen from online submissions, will pit their recipes against one another. The one with the best use of Budweiser will then return to battle Sam Niemann, executive chef at Anheuser-Busch. Then, the pro will face the amateur, recreating the amateur’s recipe.
Cruise the Artwalk, and take in free shows from Chris Janson, Well Hungarians, Tyler Lewis, Marsha Evans and the Coalition, Mix Master Mike of the Beastie Boys, and Bear Hands. Fashion shows kick off each night’s entertainment.
You can park for free at Chesterfield Mall and take a shuttle or park closer for $10 or $20. The event itself is free, but bring money for eats. Find more details at tastestl.com.
