Courtesy Ed Aller
One of St. Louis' original farm-to-table restaurants will change hands in October.
As reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch earlier today, Michael and Tara Gallina of Vicia will reimagine the 11-year-old Winslow’s Home, at 7213 Delmar in University City, and rename it Winslow’s Table. (It was the second big restaurant story to come out of University City today.)
Winslow's Home will close “for a quick redesign” led by Sasha Malinich of R/5 and Casco Architects, the firm also responsible for Vicia, the Gallinas' acclaimed restaurant in the Central West End. Michael was named a James Beard Award finalist for the Best Chef: Midwest category this year.
According to a release, the restaurant will reopen as Winslow’s Table in November. It will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus host corporate dinners, social functions, wine dinners, and special events in a private space downstairs equipped with its own kitchen. "There are so many times that we get asked for a more private environment than we can provide at Vicia," says Tara. "Now we have one."
Michael will oversee the new kitchen, which will offer pastries, quiche, and such staples as Vicia's cast-iron pancake at breakfast; lunch and dinner will showcase a la carte dishes (with the exception of the Farmer’s Feast, a family-style meal made famous at Vicia). The service model will be the same as at Vicia: counter service during the day, full service at night (known as "flex-casual" in the trade). Unlike the more formal Vicia, Winslow's Table will not take reservations.
The new iteration will feature an expanded takeaway case with packaged dinners, Vicia specialties, and to-go wine and craft beers.
Ann Sheahan Lipton opened Winslow’s Home in 2008. Part restaurant, part bakery, part general store, it featured seasonal crops and flowers from Winslow's Farm, a working farm in Defiance that she owns with her husband, developer Randy Lipton. Among the accomplished chefs who've contributed to the acclaimed restaurant over the years: Ben Poremba, Cary McDowell, Wil Fernandez-Cruz, Josh Charles, and Cassie Vires.
The Gallinas will continue to showcase products from Winslow’s Farm, which is how they were first introduced to the restaurant and Lipton. "Later on, we wondered if Ann would ever want to sell," Tara says. "We thought why not just ask her? and it all worked out."
In the statement, Lipton said, “The Gallinas' commitment to locally produced ingredients is real. In handing the reins to Michael and Tara, I feel comfortable in their ability to build on the hard work and dedication of so many amazing people who made us better and left their mark over the years.”
