At the Heart

Late in October, strangers became friends as they dined together in the homes of some welcoming St. Louisans—all for a good cause

Photography by Mike Schleuter and Katherine Bish

Craig Kaminer, president of Kaminer and Co., keeps a close watch on his health. He has to: he's diabetic. Every year he undergoes a stress test, but in June 2004, the results weren't perfect. After more tests with more inconclusive results, his cardiologist, Dr. Patricia Cole, decided to take a closer look and perform an angiogram—assuring him that she didn't expect to find anything.

But she did.

Three of Kaminer's arteries were 95 percent blocked; one was inoperable. Dr. Cole, on staff at Missouri Baptist Hospital, put stents in and sent Kaminer home. Before long, his phone rang and he was enlisted to help raise money for a new Chest Pain Center--next door to the Missouri Baptist emergency room--where a person with heart disease can get treatment much more quickly.

The Center is scheduled to be completed by December 2006. If it had been open when Kaminer had his first inconclusive test, he says he could have been checked into that area of the ER, had additional tests one right after another and received the stents the same day or the next.

On October 22, approximately 200 attended the hospital's "The Home Is Where the Heart Is" event, a fundraiser for the Chest Pain Center. By the end of the night and with the generous gift of $100,000 from Lee Wielansky, the coffers were richer by more than $250,000.

The event was unique for St. Louis. More than a dozen St. Louisans opened their homes for dinner parties. Guests paid $500 each and put down their first three choices of venues. When they came to the cocktail party at the hospital (serving only nonalcoholic beverages), partygoers were given a key and a map to the assigned house. At Home visited three.

Lost in Art

The floors of the Shearburn home are all wood; the walls, all white-- the perfect backdrop to the art hanging majestically throughout. From owners of the Shearburn Gallery, one would expect no less. Even so, the breadth of the pieces can easily take a person's breath away.

The guests mingled in the living room, comparing their experiences at Missouri Baptist Hospital before strolling across the hall to the circular dining table with its centerpiece of white roses.

The Details

The hosts: William and Julie Shearburn

The location: Their house in the Central West End

The flowers: Ann Sheehan Lipton

The chef: Michael Jones, executive chef, Bryan Young Catering Plus

The guests: Gretchen Davis | Ida Early | Lanny Corley and Bud Gruchalla | Jack and Arlene Jackson | Dr. John and Carol Kretteck | Terri and John Orf

Corn Chowder With Chanterelles And Applewood Smoked Bacon

4 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2-inch strips

6 ears of corn

2 cups chicken broth

1 leek, cleaned and diced

Salt

Pepper

1 medium-sized baking potato, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 cups half-and-half

1 tablespoon butter

1 shallot, minced

1/2 pound fresh chanterelles, sliced

Chopped chives

Cook bacon in skillet until brown and crisp. Drain and reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat. Cut corn from cobs and reserve.

Put cobs in pot with chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and cook 25 minutes. Strain broth and reserve. Saute leeks in reserved bacon fat until softened. Salt and pepper to taste. Add reserved broth, potatoes, corn kernels and thyme. Add half-and-half. Cook for 10 minutes.

In saute pan, melt butter and saute shallot for 15-20 seconds. Add chanterelles and saute another 3 or 4 minutes or until softened. Salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with chopped chives and bacon.

Ladle soup in bowls and garnish with bacon and mushroom mixture.

Gold Mine

That Saturday was a long one for Debbie and Craig Kaminer. They started out early—spinning for three hours at the annual Judy Ride. The rest of October 22 was spent getting ready for the fete that night. Their house sparkled.

The table, the chairs, the glow—a wash of gold. The tablecloths were a gold damask; the chairs, gold bamboo; the plates, gold with beaded edges; napkins, cream finished off with gold tassels. Candles were flickering on the buffet. The centerpieces were bowls of red roses. Couples were split between two tables. The guests chatted merrily as they feasted on course after course of fine food. The toast was given by the host, Craig Kaminer, who choked up as he recalled his own near fatal heart disease while thanking his guests (all friends and family) for supporting the new Chest Pain Center.

The Details

The hosts: Craig and Debbie Kaminer

The location: Their house in the Central West End

The flowers: Montano Grant

The chef: Karen Bartelsmeyer Jones of Bryan Young Catering Plus

The guests: Lou Bopp | Laurie Garland and Michael Weisman | Ken Goldberg | Gianna Jacobson and Todd Siwak | Joanna Kaslow | Ann and Randy Lipton | Sue McCollum and Todd Epsten | Jim Schulte | Susan and David Sherman | Karen and Mark Zorensky

Mushroom Pasta

1 pound Campanile pasta

2 shallots, minced

1 small garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 tablespoon olive oil

1-1/2 pounds assorted wild or cultivated

mushrooms, sliced

1 sprig fresh thyme, chopped

1/4 cup ruby port

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 cup 40-percent cream

Salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon fresh tarragon

Cook pasta.

Saute shallots and garlic in 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 30 seconds. Add mushrooms. Cook for 2 minutes and season with salt, pepper and thyme. Deglaze the pan with port and add chicken stock. Cook for 3 minutes. Add cream and bring to a boil, then simmer until the mixture thickens. Finish with 1 tablespoon of butter and fresh tarragon. Add pasta.

Home Is Their Castle

With its double turrets, facade of Ste. Genevieve limestone, oversized gothic archways, winding staircases and trompe l'oeil mural of stone and ivy in the foyer hallway, Donna and Gary Vandiver's home seems more castle than house. Although the couple would be flying to Spain the next morning, they opened their home with a royal generosity to host a dinner party for six. In a traditional castle, an intimate gathering like this might feel lonely, but as Donna affirmed to her guests, this is a large house that feels warm and homey. After a tour of the house, the three couples gathered to sip sparkling wine in front of the fireplace, then sat down to dinner in the great room/dining room. Echoing the style of the house, the theme of the party was Henry VIII, with courses built around meats such as lamb and quail and served on oversized pewter plates. Jazz played softly in the background, the fire crackled and wine glasses clinked as the three couples conversed about everything from sealing wax to cabbages and kings.

The Details

The hosts: Donna and Gary Vandiver

The location: The Vandivers' home in St. Albans

The flowers: Magnolia's

The chef: Ted Watt of The Gardens at Malmaison, assisted by Jackie Yazdzik

The guests: Jim and Sue Belval | Jim and DeeDee Lafata

Warm Chocolate Cake with Spiced Poached Pears, Creme Caramel and Cinnamon Anglaise

1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2-1/2 egg yolks

3 tablespoons water

1/4 cup almond flour

1 tablespoon corn starch

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

7 egg whites

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter eight 4-inch ramekins. Combine chocolate and butter in a double boiler and melt over hot water.

In an electric mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks until pale and foamy. Fold in chocolate. Fold in almond flour, cornstarch and cocoa powder. Whisk egg whites until soft peaks form, then add sugar and continue to whisk for 1 minute. Fold whites into batter. Pour batter into ramekins and bake until set firm, about 15 minutes. Cakes should rise during baking, and then fall once out of the oven. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly; then tip out of ramekins onto parchment paper.

Creme Caramel with Custard

2 cups milk

1 cup water

1/2 vanilla bean

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 cardamom pod

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

First step: Creme Caramel

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup water

In heavy saucepan, combine sugar and water. Boil until deep amber, then pour into a 5-by- 9-inch loaf pan, coating it with the hot caramel.

Allow to cool.

Second step: Custard

Combine milk, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom and sugar in saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let liquid steep for 20 minutes, then cool in ice bath. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Once milk is cooled, add eggs and yolks. Pass through a fine sieve and pour custard into loaf pan with hot caramel. Set pan in a hot water bath and bake until firm, usually about 45 minutes. Refrigerate overnight; carefully remove from mold and cut to desired size.

Spiced Poached Pears

4 Anjou pears

1 cup granulated

sugar

2 cups water

Juice of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 orange

1 cardamom pod

1/2 vanilla bean

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 fresh bay leaf

10 white peppercorns

Peel, core and halve pears. Combine pears and remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to low boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, usually about 15 minutes. Place pears and liquid in an ice bath to cool. Serve with liquid.