ýû STLMAG.COM JULY 2019 Photography by Wesley Law
J6ıS6
Meredith Barry
MIXOLOGISTBarry seems to have
found the perfect stage.
Lured from celebrated
Chicago gastrolounge
Sable Kitchen & Bar, the
musician/actor/expert
mixologist now serves
as beverage director
of the new Angad Arts
Hotel. You can often
find Barry ensconced
behind one of the hotel’s
bars with a supersonic
silver shaker in one
hand and a 50-centime-
ter bar spoon—a device
wielded with the inten-
sity and precision of a
conductor’s baton—in
the other. Your cocktail
show may include a dis-
cussion of its genesis,
why certain ingredients
(such as tomato pow-
der and even gold dust)
make sense, and the
importance of balance.
(We recall a recent
cocktail with seven
layers of flavor that
unfolded one by one.)
The artist often steps
back to evaluate the
potion, then swoops in
close to apply a pinch of
magic dust. But the per-
formance always ends
the same way: with a
proud and impassioned
smile. This is master-
piece theater. Barry
should take a bow.
3550 Samuel Shepard.Nick Bognar
OWNER/SUSHI CHEFAfter launching two
popular restaurants,
Nippon Tei and Tei
Too, Ann Bognar and
son Nick converted
Nippon’s lounge into
Ramen Tei, the city’s
first ramen shop, in- Nick’s next revo-
lutionary step was to
hone his sushi skills (in
Cincinnati and at Aus-
tin’s legendary Uchiko)
before returning to
Nippon Tei to apply
his signature and cre-
ate what’s evolved into
arguably the region’s
best sushi menu. This
year, Bognar was named
a James Beard Award
semifinalist, and he’s
now unfurling his
next chapter: iNDO, a
46-seater in Botanical
Heights with a different
focus than the mother-
ship. The chef describes
iNDO as a mixture of
bold, rustic Southeast
Asian flavors that’s also
seafood-oriented, “with
a ton of sashimi and a
little sushi.” At lunch,
the khao soi with crispy
duck is mandatory;
at dinner, the hamachi
with candied garlic and
yuzu kosho (a Japanese
citrus chili paste) is
similarly memorable.
14025 Manchester,
1641 Tower Grove.
Tyler Davis
PASTRY CHEFYou may recall Davis
from his appearance
on Food Network’s Hal-
loween Baking Cham-
pionship or remember
his creations from the
now-shuttered Element.
Instagrammers went
snap-happy when he
introduced The Choco-
late Pig’s Peanut Butter
Bomb, a dark-chocolate
globe that explodes
under poured hot berry
sauce, exposing pea-
nut butter mousse,
cookie crumbles, and
nitrogen-frozen ber-
ries. Davis recently left
his executive pastry
chef post there to focus
on a multifaceted solo
career. Look for classes
and popup events under
his Aether banner,
along with restaurant
consulting and train-
ing services. Davis is
also a personal chef for
hire. The chef plans to
continue with Alchemy
Bakery, offering cus-
tom chocolates and
cakes—especially wed-
ding cakes, which he will
display artistically at
local galleries (a 5-footer
positioned under flow-
ers cascading from the
ceiling is in the works).
A coffee table book
featuring his creations
is also forthcoming.
Next year, the up-and-
comer would like to open
a hub facility to consoli-
date the many spokes.
alchemybakery.com.Jessie Mueller
COFFEEHOUSE
OWNER/COMMU-
NITY BUILDERSeven years ago, Muel-
ler opened Rise Coffee
House in The Grove. It
quickly became an oasis
in a caffeine desert—and
so much more. It served
as a gathering place
where locals could fit in
and join in. (She’s hired
and trained several to
be baristas.) A central
element is Mueller’s Cof-
fee for the People board,
where customers prepay
for those in need. On
Mother’s Day, one coffee
sleeve read “one latte
for a mom with a baby in
the NICU,” and there’s a
sign that reads, “Com-
passion is the radical-
ism of our time.” So that
she could attend to her
young family, Mueller
sold a controlling inter-
est to ace barista Aaron
Johnson, who honed
Rise’s coffee program,
food offerings, and staff.
Now back at the helm
and with the opera-
tional mechanics fully in
tune, Mueller has more
time for her true call-
ing: empowering others
through community-
centered events and
fundraisers. “We all
benefit when we lift each
other,” she says. “Do
that, and we change St.
Louis.” 4176 Manchester.Natasha Kwan
OWNER/CHEFGrowing up on a Mis-
souri farm, surrounded
by cattle, pigs, and
chickens, Kwan became
a vegetarian at age 9.
When she learned that
vegetarians can also
become overweight and
out of shape, she refined
her diet, which begat
an exercise regimen
and a career involv-
ing both disciplines. In
2012, she opened Frida’s
Deli in University City,
the city’s first vegetar-
ian deli. The expanded
restaurant, now simply
called Frida’s, touts
itself as “St. Louis’
premier vegetarian
destination. No sugar.
No butter. No bull.”
It’s somewhat ironic,
because the menu at Fri-
da’s includes six burgers
(though none includes
beef ) and a robust build-
your-own section. She
often leads classes at
Pedal Pedal, a cycling
studio that she opened
around the corner, and
oversees Stretch, her
yoga studio next door.
Coming this summer:
Diego’s, a sister restau-
rant in the same block
featuring Texas border
town favorites. In her
spare time, she and her
husband rehab houses.
“I’m the bricklayer and
the tile setter,” she
says. Of course she is.
622 North and South;
630 North and South.DINING & NIGHTLIFE