Sidney Street Café Hosts "Operation Charcuterie!" Dinner to Benefit Operation Food Search

​Sidney Street Café (2000 Sidney Street, 314-771-5777) will host "Operation Charcuterie!", a six-course dinner to benefit Operation Food Search, on Tuesday, September 28. This dinner is the culmination of an event organized by Kevin Nashan, owner and executive chef of Sidney Street Café, to increase St. Louis chefs' charcuterie skills.

"[Charcuterie] always puts a smile on your face if you really like meat," Nashan says. "It lends itself to a lot more discussion than if you just give someone a piece of chicken. There's so much that goes into it. It's not instant gratification."

"It's one of those lost arts that's been around forever. It needs to be channeled into St. Louis."

To that end, Nashan has invited Frederic "Fritz" Sonnenschmidt, dean emeritus of the Culinary Institute of America, certified master chef and charcuterie expert to lead several St. Louis chefs in a two-day charcuterie workshop.

Though Nashan didn't take any classes from Sonnenschmidt while attending the Culinary Institute of America, he did speak to him on a weekly basis.

"He is one of the gurus [of charcuterie] in the country," Nashan says. "He loves to share [what he knows]."

At present, eleven chefs are scheduled to participate in the workshop with Sonnenschmidt: Nashan, Gerard Craft of Niche, Anthony Devoti of Five, Jim Fiala of the Crossing, Josh Galliano of Monarch, Steve Gontram of Harvest, Cary McDowell of Winslow's Home, Lou Rook III of Annie Gunn's and Kevin Willmann of Farmhaus as well as Jonathan Justus of Justus Drugstore in Smithville, Missouri, and Mike Odette of Sycamore in Columbia, Missouri.

After the workshop, the chefs will split into two teams, each with half a pig, and prepare the six-course dinner menu.

An important note: Only the dinner is open to the public. The cost is $125 per person, including wine, but excluding tax and tip. All proceeds benefit Operation Food Search. Call Sidney Street Café at 314-771-5777 for reservations.