Breaking bread over vino took on a literal meaning at Veritas Gateway To Food And Wine. Originally a wine and gift retail store in Chesterfield, Veritas is now a full-service restaurant in Ellisville, serving rotation dinner menus four evenings a week, plus weekend brunches.
Veritas Gateway Executive Chef Mathis Stitt says the store was envisioned as a place to shop, learn, discuss and nosh, but not conceived as a multicourse, fine dining eatery. However, Veritas’ patrons had a different trajectory in mind. The cordial ambiance there, seeped in authentic hospitality, led to people lingering—as well as returning, like family members who invited assorted friends to a familiar kitchen table.
Launched in 2004 by Mathis’ parents, David and Stephanie Stitt, their wine bar concept with limited seating quickly grew in status and scope to four nights weekly. Mathis assisted with the enterprise, then joined the family business as co-owner in 2010 post-culinary school at Vermont-headquartered New England Culinary Institute to spearhead the small, open kitchen added to address diners’ request for more food selections.
When the Stitts outgrew the original space, they relocated to Ellisville in 2013 and expanded to a full kitchen setup, plus outdoor seating. Now serving eclectic dishes designed to be perfectly balanced and offering a well-curated wine list are essential linchpins for Mathis. “The weekly rotation is often inspired by seasonal produce. It’s also driven by ingredients I’m in the mood to create with,” says the chef, who’s fond of incorporating tastebud explosions, such as Gruyère cheese, pears, Missouri pecans, basil custard, beets, jalapeños, tomatillos and thyme honey.
Mathis describes his overall menus at Veritas as American, produce-focused and Southern-influenced, as a nod to his parents’ Alabamian roots. Wine pairings also change each week. He says they also offer a standard, classic menu that includes ever-popular steak, chicken, pasta and seafood.
The Veritas ‘little menu’ consists of delectable options, such as pickled eggs, crispy corn bread, eggplant goat cheese spread, pomme frites and ‘Devils on Horseback’ as bacon-wrapped and cheese-stuffed, deep-fried prunes with peanuts and balsamic gastrique.
Seasonally, root vegetables are spotlighted on Veritas’ fall and winter menus. Spinach and tomatoes take the stage for spring, before a summer shift to peaches and berries, followed by squash.
Borne out of customer demand for pandemic-related takeout lunch options during 2021, Mathis got creative with regionally inspired sandwiches, salads, specialty sides and sweets, including a Cubano, The Big Bird and The Mr. Rogers portabella and roasted squash for vegetarians. With lunch placed on hiatus during 2022 due to staffing challenges, at press time Mathis was working to relaunch an online lunch menu under the branded ‘SnapShot Sandwich Stop.’
SnapShot represents Veritas’ line of house-made hot sauces and condiments. Just as a snapshot pins down a favorite memory, Mathis says Veritas’ SnapShot expresses the flavor, aroma and essence of a particular moment in their kitchen. “We capture vibrant flavors of the freshest, hand-picked ingredients, so they taste exactly how they should; never exactly the same,” he adds.
Cooking School Information
Experience Southern-influenced specialties at out Cooking School! 11:30am-1:30pm, Tuesday, October 10th at Ferguson Bath, Kitchen and Lighting gallery.
When: Tuesday, October 10th, 11:30am-1:30pm
Cost: $35 per person
Where: Ferguson Bath, Kitchen and Lighting Gallery
17895 Chesterfield Airport Rd. Chesterfield, MO 63005
*Seating is limited
RSVP by calling 636-230-9640, ext. 27 or email [email protected]
Menu
Braised Pork Shoulder tutorial - This tutorial will demonstrate how to sear and slow-cook to achieve tender meat with a high-acid chicken stock and house-made hot sauce, along with molasses, garlic and rosemary thyme.
Cubano Sandwich - Learn how to build the perfect order of sandwich ingredient through the chef's tried-and-true philosophy, featuring braised pork, grilled bacon, spicy mustard, pickles, Fontina cheese and caramelized onion aioli on a baguette.
Kale Salad - Create a delicious kale salad with fingerling potato, bacon, green onions, greed goddess, Calabrian chili biscuit crumble, pistachio, bacon and pecorino cheese
