Dinner series at Cleveland-Heath feeds chef Alex Henry’s hyperlocal mission

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Courtesy Cleveland-Heath

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This Sunday, September 15, Cleveland-Heath will host its first in a series of dinners pairing craft drinks with local food. The dinner will feature beers from Heavy Riff Brewing Company and ciders from Brick River Cider Co., expertly paired with dishes composed of locally sourced ingredients, most from within 10 miles of the Edwardsville restaurant.

The six-course dinner menu includes such inventive pairings as Heavy Riff Love Gun paired with scallop, white chocolate, and local herbs; Heavy Riff Prison Bound paired with local duck egg, corn, and burnt chili; and Brick River Sweet Lou paired with a local melon dessert (pictured below).

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Courtesy Cleveland-Heath

Sweet melon and buttermilk custard dessert from C-H pastry chef, Maggie Goble.

Courtesy Cleveland-Heath

Maggie Goble

Courtesy Cleveland-Heath

Exec chef Alex Henry

Pairing dinners are in the works for October and November, and the kitchen plans to pair hyperlocal dishes with spirits from Heaven Hill Distillery for its December 8 dinner.

The series falls in line with the vision of executive chef Alex Henry, who joined Cleveland-Heath earlier this year. Henry is a rising star in the St. Louis culinary scene, known from his stints at Brasserie, Taste, Olive & Oak, Vicia, and, most recently, Nixta. He was named a semifinalist in Eater’s 2018 Young Guns awards.

At Cleveland-Heath, Henry is on a mission to revive the restaurant’s reputation as a leader in the farm-to-table movement. Over the past three months, he’s been getting to know the farmers and growers of the Edwardsville area and seeking out the best ingredients that the area has to offer. He’s sourcing pork from Rensing Farms, chicken and eggs from Rustic Roots Farm, and produce from just about anyone who’s growing it.

“Small farms in the area, people growing large gardens in their backyards, or my staff having overflow from their gardens—I’m taking it all,” says Henry. “And most of it is grown within 10 miles of here.”

Courtesy Cleveland-Heath

Because he’s taking on as many local ingredients as he possible, the kitchen is doing a lot of preservation: pickling, canning, and charcuterie. “I want to get to the place where we’re making damn near everything but the salt,” says Henry.

He’s also adding more vegetarian dishes to the menu, including a bright tomato salad with creamed fourme d’ambert, pickled green beans, candied peppers, and fresh herbs. “I want to put the focus on the ingredients without manipulating them too much,” he says.

The fall dinner series will give Henry and his staff an opportunity to showcase fall’s finest flavors and illustrate how to pair the local food with craft drinks.

Each dinner will seat 30 diners. The September 15 beer dinner starts at 6 p.m. Tickets are $65. Contact the restaurant here or email clevelandheathevents@gmail.com for tickets and inquiries.