Chef Michael Macchi (pronounced MOCK-ee) — just Macchi to his friends — has four decades of the food biz under his belt, but his 11 or so years at the pit at Bogart’s Smokehouse make him a relative newbie in the time-honored tradition of barbecue. 

Let’s just say he’s a quick study. He’s been manning the smoker alongside owner and pitmaster Skip Steele since the restaurant’s beginnings in 2011 and the team has built it into a St. Louis-region institution.

Alex Henry was walking the rows of a St. Louis-area farm in search of fresh produce on the soupy summer day St. Louis Homes + Lifestyles spoke to him about Nixta. It’s an apt analogy, picking a brilliant chef’s brain as he plucks choice specimens from the field.

    A native of Mexico and an alum of Vicia, Niche, Brasserie by Niche and YaYa’s Euro Bistro before signing on as executive chef at Nixta, Alex has taken to the seasonal and farm-to-table movements with gusto. He uses local corn to make fresh tamales, tortillas, masa, cheese, beans, pozole and more daily. 

There are no pinkies up in Polite Society … unless that’s your thing. The restaurant’s Park Avenue location conjures swanky digs but one is as welcome to hunker down over a gooey grilled cheese as a delicate fish.

Chef Rick Lewis may not have invented Southern cooking, but he is certainly inventive in his take on it. Rick and his wife, Elisa, opened Grace Meat + Three in the former Sweetie Pie’s space in The Grove in late 2017 and the wholesome, seasonal fare is redefining farm-to-fork comfort food.

When Ivy Magruder took over as executive Chef and General Manager at Panorama, he had to contend not only with the abysmal impressions in its past, but also with an imposing setting in the heart of the Saint Louis Art Museum and its scenic view of Art Hill. Much like the priceless works lining the gallery walls, the offerings at Panorama had to paint a complete picture — one that fit into the context of its times and geography.