In a surprise announcement, The Wood Shack Soulard, best known for its wide array of smoked meats and sandwiches, posted to social media that it would be closing after service on May 5.
The social media post read, in part, “We are hosting a fun food and drink farewell to our neighbors and fans of The Wood Shack Soulard,” with an invitation to join them from 11 a.m.–8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday or until they run out of product. There will be food specials all day, meats sold by the pound, barbecue sauces available in 8-ounce bottles, and affordable libations. “This event will help support our staff while they are looking for new employment along with helping The Wood Shack pay a few end bills,” the post read, reminding guests that “cash is king.”
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The post did not indicate a reason for the closing, but a reply from co-owner Chris Delgado to a comment on Facebook did. “My father had a stroke and my mother needs my help,” it read. “This is for the employees and for us to say goodbye. It’s been our pleasure to be here for as long as we have been. AZ bound.”
SLM has reached out to Delgado for further details.
The Backstory
An Arizona native, Delgado moved to St. Louis nearly 25 years ago to pursue a culinary career, eventually becoming executive chef at One 19 North in Kirkwood before opening The Wood Shack. In this article, Delgado told SLM that he thought of making it a tapas bar but instead decided to tinker with smoked meats instead.
“I like the aspect of layering different flavors into the build,” Delgado said. “With sandwiches, you can build a bunch of flavors together, and then you can take the protein and add even more layers with smoke.” Meats cooked over different combination of hardwoods became Delgado’s signature touch.
Delgado opened The Wood Shack seven years ago in an aptly named, 1,000-square-foot wood-clad space at 1862 S. Tenth in Soulard. Last summer, Delgado and his wife, Hope Blumeyer, moved the business to a 5,600-square-foot building a few blocks away, at 1730 S. Eighth, the former Twisted Ranch. At the time, Chris told SLM, “There were many days when we were turning people away, prompting us to say, ‘We need a bigger boat.’ We finally got an opportunity to move into a place with more seats and a bigger kitchen and stay in Soulard.”
Yesterday afternoon, when asked on Facebook if someone might take over the business, Delgado replied, “We still have some hope for that. I don’t think they will take over our menu but possibly the space.”
