One of the most acclaimed sandwich joints in town called it quits over the weekend. Nomad, which shares a building in Dogtown with Tamm Avenue Bar (1227 Tamm), announced the closing today on social media. Chef-owner Tommy Andrew’s post reads, in part, “Yesterday was nomads last service, I want to make it clear that nomad was a successful restaurant. We are not closing because of anything financial.”
Andrew, whose impressive chef’s resume includes Monarch, Randolfi’s, and Cinder House, adds, “It’s been a great five years serving Dogtown in St. Louis. I’ve been here grinding away since July 2019 with plans to open my own brick and mortar. It’s clear that’s not the case in my current situation. I have to go do it on my own. I’m not a young man anymore and we need a bigger kitchen.”
Find the best food in St. Louis
Subscribe to the St. Louis Dining In and Dining Out newsletters to stay up-to-date on the local restaurant and culinary scene.
When Nomad opened inside Tamm Avenue Bar five years ago, Andrew (who also answers to “Tommy Salami”) proceeded to crank out some of the best sandwiches in St. Louis. The pastrami sandwich (which he almost called “Tommy Salami’s Pastrami”), became a mandatory indulgence. Burger aficionados craved the Double Deuce (a burger-pastrami combo) and the double-pork patty Dumpster Fire. Andrew was soon producing significant volume from a closet-size kitchen, which became part of the dilemma.
Andrew, 38, tells SLM that the endgame was never to stay in Tamm Avenue Bar permanently. The concept opened 21 days before the pandemic hit; it was an immediate success, and he managed to pay off his debt in two years. “I don’t know that there’s anyone else who can say that,” he says.
“I made more money than I ever have and worked harder than I ever have to get to the next chapter and felt the time was right to do that,” he says of his partnership at Tamm. “[Tamm] was taking on more of a sports bar/club atmosphere and was getting busier and busier. It got to the point that I couldn’t keep up with the volume. There’s a certain level of customer experience that I want to provide, and that was no longer possible. We had a 6-foot cooler, a 30-pound fryer, and a flat-top grill, and we were trying to feed 500 people a day.”
Andrew’s goal is to eventually find a turnkey operation (2000-square-feet or larger), with a bar and a much larger kitchen, where he has full control and the ability to run a full table service operation, along with catering.
He recently took a trip with his fiancée to a Michigan beach (his first vacation in two years) and plans to take the several months off before seriously searching for a new home. “I feel like I was letting a lot of people down,
Andrew’s social media post concluded, “Thank you to all the guest, @Nomad staff and @tammavebar y’all will always be family. I’m taking this time to spend with my family and focus on my mental and physical health.”
