Courtesy of Deli Star
Deli Star recently announced plans to open its new Food Discovery Center at City Foundry STL in early spring 2021.
The 16,500 square-foot center will feature two test kitchens; four research-chef stations; a lecture hall to be used for culinary-science and nutrition classes, demonstrations, and conferences; an employee café and farmers' market; and a ghost kitchen for limited production of test products and innovation in techniques.
Described as a "new hub for research and culinary innovation," according to a press release, the center will be the realization of Deli Star's 2016 "St. Louis Innovation Center" concept, which aimed to create a space for consumers and producers to work together to create better products.
"It's about innovation and driving new ideas, creating new products, and really exposing our clients, our customer base, and hopefully new customers to what Deli Star is all about," which is the joining of chefs and food scientists to aid in bettering food, says chef Charles Hayes, vice president of culinary innovation and R&D for Deli Star. Taste, color, color fade, texture, and shelf life are all components that the center's chefs and scientists will test and improve.
The location was an important consideration for Deli Star. The new City Foundry development in Midtown gave the company more space to create new products on site. There's already a Deli Star St. Louis Innovation Center on Laclede's Landing, but this new facility will be "light-years ahead" of that one, Hayes says. The Lawrence Group and Ford Hotel Supply will help design the building and kitchens. “The Foundry's in that innovation corridor, and our association with SLU provides a pedigree of research chefs,” Hayes says. "It's the marriage of a food scientist and a chef."
The Food Discovery Center will also house Cure8 Ventures, a food-focused venture capital firm run by the Deli Star's Siegel family, which aims to boost the company's mission.
Hayes calls the new kitchens a sort of culinary playground. He's most excited to work with all new kinds of people to do what he loves most: make better food. "That's what gets me out of bed every day, is the interaction and developing products," he says. "Sometimes you start out trying to develop a horse, and you end up with a camel. And usually, you like the camel a lot better. That's what it's all about."
