From the farm to the kitchen, a restaurant is only as good as the people behind it. And as we turn the corner on a new year, we’re raising a glass to the very folks who help our favorite local restaurants run – whether you know their names yet or not.
Our annual list of Rising Stars celebrates up-and-coming talent throughout the food-and-beverage industry, including farmers, line cooks, pastry chefs, baristas, brewers and winemakers. Despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic, these individuals are finding new and creative ways to engage our communities and strengthen our food scenes, from pop-ups to food hall stands to cottage bakeries operating out of their very own home kitchens.
Sierra Eaves, sous chef, Commonwealth
Sierra Eaves considers herself a chronic researcher. When the chef was offered her former position in the kitchen at Guerrilla Street Food, for instance, she had no experience cooking Filipino food – so she bought approximately 20 Filipino cookbooks to educate herself on the cuisine. “I just drown myself in recipes and culture and technique,” she says. And that’s an approach she’s brought along to her current role as the sous chef at Commonwealth, the new restaurant operating inside the Angad Arts Hotel in St. Louis’ Grand Center. Having never worked in fine dining until now, Eaves pushes herself to constantly learn new things; she even keeps a journal to record what she learns each day from executive chef Scottie Corrigan, whether that’s the right way to skin a salmon or the difference between cognac and brandy. As much a voracious learner as she is a tenacious cook, Eaves traces her love of cooking back to the home-cooked meals her grandmother would serve every day of the week when she was growing up, and she doesn’t plan to stop cooking professionally anytime soon. “I can see myself doing this for the rest of my life,” she says. “I love food. I love the kitchen environment. It’s hard – there’s not a single person in any part of this industry who would tell you it’s easy, because it’s not – but it’s great. At the end of the night, I’m satisfied and I’m content with what I’m doing.” (Photo by Judd Demaline)
Commonwealth, commonwealthstl.com
Jodie Ferguson, chef-owner, Clara B’s Kitchen Table
Jodie Ferguson has worked in the service industry since college, and after graduating, she apprenticed at the University of Missouri’s University Club before being recruited to work in St. Louis by renowned restaurateur Bill Cardwell. Since then, she’s worked in restaurants, casinos and hotels, admittedly mostly behind the scenes – but that all changed when she was furloughed from The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis in 2020. Ferguson used the opportunity to finally pursue her “retirement job,” opening a diner where she could share food inspired by both her Texas upbringing and her grandmother’s native Louisiana. To get proper support for a brick-and-mortar spot, though, she needed proof of concept, so she started Clara B’s Kitchen Table – named after her grandmother – as a food truck. With Clara B’s, Ferguson is making a name for herself in both St. Louis and southern Illinois, and it’s no surprise why. Everything on her menu is made from scratch, from buttermilk biscuits with duck fat gravy to wood-fired shrimp and grits with andouille sausage, roasted vegetables and a tomato gravy. And from the Texas-style breakfast tacos to whatever special Ferguson is cooking up, you can taste the passion she puts into each bite. “I mean, what’s better than waking up and having fresh biscuits with someone smiling at you?” (Photo by Judd Demaline)
Clara B’s Kitchen Table, clarabs.com
Lee Grochowski, sous chef, The Clover and the Bee
Lee Grochowski finds comfort in cooking for his family and enjoying big meals together, from fried chicken to breakfast for dinner. As a sous chef at The Clover and the Bee in Webster Groves, Missouri, Grochowski is lucky enough to experience that same joy at work. “Honestly, it’s the best kitchen I’ve ever worked in,” he says. “Everyone works well together, and everyone works for each other. Cooking in such a dynamic atmosphere feels like flying.” Since he was hired, it’s been Grochowski’s goal to learn as much as possible, improving and expanding his skills, abilities and knowledge of everything from different cuisines to menu development and ordering to scheduling. “He wants to be better in all aspects of the kitchen,” executive chef Mikey Risk says. “He wants to make my job easier at The Clover and the Bee, knowing that I’m also heading up O+O Pizza.” The menu at the popular breakfast spot changes frequently, and Grochowski has mastered the art of transitioning and training on new items while keeping the culture in the kitchen positive, energetic and safe. With Risk, he recently created a charcuterie board that’s a real knockout; it boasts deviled eggs, smoked ham, thick brined zucchini slices and a black pepper biscuit. In everything he does, Grochowski thinks creatively, works hard and strives to make his team proud. (Photo by Judd Demaline)
The Clover and the Bee, thecloverandthebee.com
Alex Henry, chef-owner, Sureste
With Sureste, Alex Henry is finally striking out on his own. The chef, who’s formerly worked at Cleveland-Heath, Vicia and Nixta – where he was named a 2018 Eater Young Gun semifinalist – recently opened his first restaurant inside the new City Foundry STL Food Hall in Midtown. Sureste brings a distinctly regional take on Mexican cuisine to St. Louis: Henry, who grew up on the Yucatán Peninsula and learned to cook from his mother and grandmother, specializes in traditional southeastern Mexican dishes made with Midwestern ingredients. The from-scratch menu changes almost daily, but Henry spares no detail throughout – not satisfied with the taste or texture of commercially available corn tortillas, for instance, he sources local corn to nixtamalize and grind in-house to make his own. With dishes including cochinita pibil (an iconic dish of the Yucatán region featuring tender braised pork), castacán (crispy pork belly with avocado salsa, radish and tortillas) and popular street foods including salbutes and panuchos, Henry is cooking his food on his terms while simultaneously challenging Midwestern diners’ perceptions of traditional Mexican fare. “I get to serve exactly the kind of food I want to serve,” he says. “It feels really freeing. Once they try it, most people seem to be pretty into it and open their minds to new stuff.” (Photo by Judd Demaline)
Sureste, facebook.com/surestemexican
Will Mabrey, sous chef, Timothy’s The Restaurant
Working at a resort in South Carolina, Will Mabrey fell in love with the hustle and bustle of the restaurant industry. In 2012, he and his now-wife moved to St. Louis, where he spent years working in the kitchens of Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, Herbie’s and Yorklore before becoming the sous chef of Timothy’s The Restaurant, which opened last summer in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Co-owner and executive chef Tim Metz credits Mabrey for working tirelessly to perfect the menu, and Mabrey admits that he is, in a sense, a perfectionist. “I want every plate of grilled salmon to look exactly the same, but I also worked with Tim to make sure the salt levels, the firing times, even the amounts of vinegar for each dish were exactly right,” he says. “Maybe I’m more of a completionist.” Mabrey thrives on the line, leading the team, which he considers a family. Cooking, like painting – one of Mabrey’s hobbies – is a way for him to release more creativity into the world. He had an especially fun time developing the tater tots featuring mashed and shredded potatoes and fontina folded into pastry dough, which are fried and then served with housemade curry ketchup. Within 10 years, Mabrey might consider debuting his own restaurant – he’s already been playing around with a pork belly theme, making pastrami and more out of pork belly at home. (Photo by Judd Demaline)
Timothy’s The Restaurant, timothysstl.com
Leila Miller, bartender, The Lucky Accomplice
For Leila Miller, it all started with a tequila fairy. In March 2020, as the pandemic started to wreak havoc across the restaurant industry, St. Louis-owned Una Vida Tequila announced it would donate a free bottle of tequila to any hospitality worker who had been laid off in the St. Louis and Wichita, Kansas, markets. The self-dubbed “Quarantine Tequila Fairy” then challenged those bartenders to craft a cocktail highlighting the tequila – and Miller placed second with her aptly named “Who Cut the Cheese?” featuring goat cheese-infused tequila, tomatillo tincture, grilled watermelon syrup, lime juice, pistachio milk, balsamic vinegar, cilantro leaves and egg white. “That’s kind of what put me on the market,” she says. The competition helped Miller, who had recently moved home to St. Charles and was working as the beverage director of Salt + Smoke, catch the eyes of the team at The Lucky Accomplice – chef Logan Ely’s acclaimed Fox Park establishment – and she was soon offered a bartending position. Here, she works hand in hand with bar manager Corey Moszer; the two spend hours on R&D each week, poring over books, testing out new ingredients and learning about the different flavor profiles of in-season produce. And although she’s proud of the cocktails she and Moszer develop together, Miller’s happiest when she’s working on the fly, crafting something unique tailored to a customer’s own preferences and seeing the look on their face when they try something they’ve never had before. At just 23 years old, Miller is quickly becoming one of St. Louis’ most promising talents behind the bar. (Photo by Judd Demaline)
The Lucky Accomplice, theluckyaccomplice.com
Steven Pursley, founder and chef, Ramen x Rui
Steven Pursley is on a mission to make ramen your go-to meal. After spending three years in his mother’s home country of Japan, working – and, most importantly, learning – in multiple ramen shops, he returned to Missouri to launch his own ramen pop-up, Ramen x Rui, in St. Louis in 2018. For Pursley, it’s not about the noodles, the broth or the tare (sauce) individually; it’s about the harmony in each bowl of ramen. At Ramen x Rui, the pork shoyu ramen featuring housemade noodles and pork backfat rendered down in Japanese-style soy sauce is the O.G. – and the bowl that makes Pursley particularly nostalgic. “It conveys the feeling that I’m trying to share with people,” he says. “I think ramen is one of those foods that transcends cultures and appeals to different palates.” Recently, Ramen x Rui has popped up at Indo – where Pursley works as a line cook – and The Benevolent King, but Pursley is in the process of opening his own restaurant, Menya Rui, in Lindenwood Park, where he’ll continue to dish out noodles, including ramen, tsukemen (dipping ramen) and mazemen (broth-less ramen), alongside appetizers such as cucumber salad and karaage (Japanese fried chicken). Pursley’s passion is infectious, and he hopes to build camaraderie in and outside of the kitchen at the new brick-and-mortar location. He says that making and eating great food is, of course, a priority, but he also wants everyone to enjoy themselves in the process. (Photo by Judd Demaline)
Ramen x Rui, instagram.com/menyarui_stl
Adam Stroud, owner, Stroud City Bagels
When the pandemic hit, Adam Stroud picked up a popular pandemic hobby: baking. Specifically, he started making New York-style boiled bagels for friends and family. Now, more than a year after Stroud launched his cottage baking business, Stroud City Bagels, at Tower Grove Farmers’ Market, he shows no sign of slowing down. An urban planner by day, Stroud has moved operations from his home kitchen to a local commercial kitchen, and he has brought on two part-time employees to help with boiling and baking the bagels. Stroud City offers classic flavors – plain, sesame, everything – but shines with its specialty flavors, which have included a rainbow bagel, a sweet potato bagel topped with cinnamon and a Nutella-swirl bagel topped with cacao nibs from Honeymoon Chocolates. The loaded baked potato bagel is a fan favorite: Mashed russet potatoes are mixed right into the dough before the bagel is topped with chives, garlic and Cheddar. “Really, my goal, since it’s a part-time passion project, is to have fun with it,” Stroud says. “And also, if our customers have fun with us, I think that’s just a great thing.” Although the market season is over, you can still find Stroud City Bagels at select local cafés; check social media for the latest updates. (Photo by Judd Demaline)
Stroud City Bagels, facebook.com/stroudcitybagels
Kasey Carlson
Former Digital editor
Kasey Carlson is the former digital editor of Feast Magazine. She loves to cook, is obsessed with plants and is on a quest to try every bao she can find.
Rachel Huffman
Rachel Huffman is the managing editor of Feast.
Heather Riske
Heather Riske is the former editor in chief of Feast.
Our annual list of Rising Stars celebrates up-and-coming talent throughout the food-and-beverage industry.
Chef-owner Jodie Ferguson draws inspiration from her Austin, Texas, upbringing and her grandmother's Louisiana roots.
The ramen concept from Stephen Pursley started as a pop-up back in 2018.