St. Louis has lost another member of its chef community. Tom Coghill, co-owner of Iron Barley, died March 11. He was 58.
Visitation is at Kutis Affton Chapel (10151 Gravois) on Friday, March 18, from 10 a.m. until services begin at 2 p.m. A memorial celebration will also be held at Iron Barley (3367 High Ridge, High Ridge) on Sunday, March 20.
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Coghill and his wife, Gen, opened Iron Barley in the Carondelet neighborhood in 2003, after Coghill worked a decade at Frazer’s and then a stint at the former Adam’s Mark Hotel, where he ran the Kosher Kitchen. Iron Barley became known for its scratch kitchen, smoked meats, craft beers, and unusual specials, such as Blender Blaster Pie and the Ballistic Elvis sandwich (made with chunky peanut butter, strawberry jam, American cheese, sliced bananas, and crushed red pepper).
The restaurant garnered a mention in Gourmet magazine and was featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. On Travel Channel’s Man vs. Food, host Adam Richman successfully negotiated Iron Barley’s Monte Cristo Double Dog. “I wish I didn’t have to wait for a national spot for the locals to figure out we’re here,” Coghill said at the time.
Regarding the name, Coghill once explained, “Barley’s in beer. Nobody was doing barley when we opened. I wanted something different. Iron—we cook in cast-iron skillets over high heat.”
Barley was the featured ingredient in several dishes: barley pilaf, barley paella, an apple-barley dessert, and beef barley soup, which became a menu staple. The back story alone warranted a cup or two: The process began with Coghill firing up a Sawzall to trim the bone from smoked pork loins, the base for the soup stock. Common barley was added, plus ends and pieces from the chef’s smoked prime rib. “We dice the ends and the more well-done pieces nobody wants on a plate,” he confessed. “You shouldn’t overthink beef barley soup.”
In 2017, the original Carondelet location closed, and the restaurant reopened as the whimsically named Iron Barley’s High Hog Ridge (3367 High Ridge). It was triple the size of the flagship and could more easily service private parties and events.
In High Ridge, Iron Barley found a new audience for the live music, charitable events, and Coghill’s down-home-with-a-twist specials, like crawfish pizza, a prime rib/seafood strudel surf ‘n’ turf, and “Leg and Tails” (fried alligator, frog legs, shrimp, and crawfish, smothered in étouffée sauce).
Besides the restaurant’s dishes, Coghill was known by many for his philanthropic efforts. “Tom had a gravelly voice and seemed gruff and intimidating to most people,” says longtime friend Bill Kunz, owner of Highway 61 Roadhouse & Kitchen, “but ask him to do anything charitable, and he’d jump right on board.”
As an annual Memorial Day fundraiser for veterans, the restaurant hosted Rib-Off. Iron Barley’s popular Tomato Fest became a street party featuring Best Bloody Mary contests, tomato artwork, and prizes for the most unusual-looking tomatoes. One of the attractions that Coghill dreamed up was the construction of “the world’s largest BLT.” Laid out on sheet pans placed end-to-end, and using focaccia as the bread, the “sandwich” had to be a city block long. Tom suggested using a roofer’s torch to toast the bread, which they did. Portions were offered for a few dollars apiece with the proceeds donated to Lift For Life Gym, one of Coghill’s favorite charities. “The event was sanctioned by a very unofficial organization,” Kunz recalls, “and they did certify it as a world record, although I believe the award certificate had the word ‘lettuce’ spelled wrong.”
Not long after Iron Barley opened, Coghill’s home brewers club moved its annual celebration there. “We filled up an old aluminum Bud canoe with ice, and the home brewers put their bottles in. Tom cooked a buffet like he always did,” Gen later told SLM. It became a yearly event with craft beers, a buffet, and live music—all to benefit local charities.
The memorial celebration at Iron Barley on March 20 will include a silent tribute, 50 smokers and grills from local pitmasters and chefs surrounding a single live-fire pit—Tom’s pit—in the center, kept ablaze by Coghill’s three sons. “The other grills that day will be idle due to the loss of our leader,” Kunz says.
“I think that 50 musicians have signed up to play as well,” he adds. “Free food, a cash bar, open to the public…it’ll be quite the sendoff.”
The event starts at 11 a.m. “So, like, 11 to 6?” Kunz asked Gen.
“You know Tom wouldn’t put an ending time on it,” she said. “Neither should we.”
Any pitmasters, chefs, or individuals interested in helping with the event should contact Bill Kunz at [email protected].
A GoFundMe memorial fund has been established to support the Cogill family. Donate here.
