After a short stint at West End Grill & Pub (also known as WEGAP), executive chef Liz Schuster has left to devote more time to Tenacious Eats, an interactive dining concept she created six years ago that combines two of her passions: food and film. Schuster is an accomplished chef and also happens to have a film degree.
She tells SLM that she left WEGAP on good terms after having accomplished what she was hired to do: standardize recipes, establish standard operating procedures, and write a new menu. Her last shift was the night of the Haunted Wine Dinner, October 24, an event in which clips of classic horror flicks were themed to five courses in a rather Tenacious Eats–like way.
Part of the reason that Schuster took the WEGAP job was to placate the devotees who wanted to experience her food more often than the occasional event. A brick-and-mortar restaurant was the answer, and WEGAP was looking for a chef. And although it was “a positive, growth experience,” she says, Schuster missed the creativity of planning Tenacious Eats events, which she fondly refers to as a “culinary circus.”
At the open-invite Movie for Foodies events, Schuster draws inspiration from a half-dozen scenes of a chosen film to use as a springboard for inventive dishes served during the screening of the movie. Themed cocktails are part of the experiential prix fixe affair. The meals-and-movies events are held semi-regularly at the St. Louis Banquet Center (5700 Leona), which is also home to the Marine Corps' MCL 183 South St. Louis Detachment and a huge commercial kitchen. “You think that kitchen’s not immaculate?” Schuster says of her Marine neighbors.
Most of the time, the movies are one-offs (often seasonal films selected by her Facebook fans). Last night, she featured Monty Python and the Holy Grail, complete with cos-players, coconuts, live music by Garry Schierra (and a Twitter like from Eric Idle himself). The dessert was "The Holy Hand Grenade," a dark chocolate dome filled with whiskey caramel and French butter cream served with a blueberry ganache. Elf is slated for December.
But there have been repeats; Schuster admits to screening A Christmas Story “too many times but always tweaking the menu.” Yet for Julie and Julia, another popular film, she refuses to waiver from Julia Child’s classic recipes out of respect for the famed chef.
While the public events get Schuster publicity and notoriety, it’s the private side of the business that’s far more lucrative. Since the movies are selected by the client, Tenacious Eats can satisfy many needs: corporate events, private affairs, ancillary wedding attractions, kids' parties...anywhere a movie can be tied in. Due to its uniqueness and out-of-the-box thinking, business is booming. And going into the holiday party season, Schuster didn’t want to miss any opportunities.
“Without the ability to talk and play and experiment every day, I think my soul would die,” she says. “Besides screening cool movies, I get to hire extras: musicians, mimes, fire breathers, stilt walkers...whatever it takes to make the event an unforgettable experience.”
Schuster adds that the capable kitchen at WEGAP hasn’t missed a beat dealing with the steady flow of patrons attending the adjacent Gaslight Theater. And this month, the restaurant will host its first Friendsgiving on Wednesday, November 21, benefiting No Kid Hungry, a charity that encourages restaurants across the nation to host similar events.
