Kholood Eid

Like an Oscar, only infinitely more bitchin'

​Last night, in a star-studded ceremony that the Academy Awards can only dream of matching, the RFT handed out its 2012 Web Awards. Read the complete list of winners here (or pick up the issue on newsstands today), and join us after the jump for the list of food-related champs and the worthy runners-up.

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​Alice Jacobs, owner and operator with her husband, Shawn, of Delmar Loop institution Cicero's (6691 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-862-0009), passed away on Sunday, January 22, at the age of 65.

She had three children. Two of them, Chad Jacobs and Trisha Jacobs, work at Cicero's, while son Derek Jacobs lives with his family in Kansas City. She was also a grandmother to three.

Besides being Cicero's co-owner, Alice Jacobs was also known for one of the restaurant's signature dishes, "Alice's Homemade Chicken Salad Platter." A mutual friend of Gut Check and the Jacobs family tells us that this dish wasn't merely named for her, nor did the kitchen staff simply use her recipe.

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​Not that you need a reason to eat barbecue this weekend, or to visit Pappy's Smokehouse (3106 Olive Street; 314-535-4340) again, but this weekend offers you a very good reason to do both.

On Sunday, January 15, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright will join Mike Emerson and the Pappy's team to serve 'cue, with all proceeds benefitting the Catch a Dream Foundation, an organization that helps terminally ill children.

The event begins at 11 a.m. -- and Emerson hints that there might be a surprise special guest.

Image via

​Gut Check doesn't need to tell you not to drink and drive this New Year's Eve and Day. You might spill your drink!

​​Riverfront Times has an immediate opening for an Editorial Assistant to keep our Editorial Department running smoothly.

Candidates should:
- Be detail-minded.
- Possess excellent communications and writing skills.
- Possess a knack for organizing and following through on complex projects.
- Be gifted with a preternatural knack to maintain a Zen-like calm under pressure.

This position requires extensive knowledge of office systems (phone, fax, computer network), including familiarity with Microsoft Word and Excel. And, you know, blogging and stuff.

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​There's no denying that the James Beard Foundation's annual awards ceremony is a swank, 1 percent shindig. What does one measly ticket to the event cost? Suffice to say, you could have scored a World Series ticket on StubHub for roughly the same price -- maybe a standing-room-only World Series ticket, but, still.

It must be fancy: Even chefs feel compelled to attend the event in formalwear.

That said, the beginning of the foundation's awards process is open to everyone. All you have to do is register (for free) through the James Beard Foundation website, and then you can submit nominations in the various categories, including "Best Chef: Midwest," the category for which Missouri-based chefs are eligible, and "Best Chef: Great Lakes," the category for chefs from Illinois restaurants.

Nominations are open through December 31. A list of semifinalists usually appears in February. The five finalists in each category is announced in March, and the award ceremony follows in May.

This no longer exists. Don't even mention it.

​This week's review of twinOak Wood Fired Fare (1201 Strassner Drive, Brentwood; 314-644-2772) mentions the controversy surrounding the restaurant's original name, Taste Wood Fired Fare. In discussing the dispute between what is now twinOak and Gerard Craft's Taste, I failed to credit George Mahe of St. Louis Magazine with reporting that Craft's attorneys sent a cease-and-desist letter to twinOak owners Casey and Curt Friedrichs. My apologies.

It was especially necessary to cite Mahe's article because neither the Friedrichs nor Craft would discuss the dispute on the record, even to confirm (or deny) what Mahe had already reported. Which, of course, is their prerogative.

Still, at the risk of building a slightly bigger mountain out of this molehill, I do want to offer a final -- somewhat ironic -- addendum to the story:

When Gut Check reported on the name change, Casey Friedrichs told us that they were abandoning Taste for twinOak in part to "eliminate confusion with other restaurants." This seemed to be a euphemism for Taste.

Surprisingly, that might not have been the only reason.

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​Have you been dreaming of a career in the glamorous world of food blogging? Now's your chance! Gut Check currently has several opportunities.

We are seeking freelance writers to assemble and post regular Gut Check features and original, breaking content. Familiarity with blogging software such as Movable Type is a plus. Please note that we are seeking writers -- experience in food writing is not necessary. Love of food, however, is.

Our writers will produce original, recurring content in the vein of our other columns: Chef's Choice, Dinner and a Movie, Drink of the Week, Fight Club Sandwich, Girl Walks into a Bar and Wine Buy the Bottle. Applicants should be familiar with how Gut Check covers food, drink and restaurants in St. Louis -- and should have the confidence and imagination to tell us what our coverage is missing.

For all applicants: Access to a reliable Internet connection as well as the ability to write clean copy and to adhere to deadlines are absolute musts.

Interested? Email me with the subject heading "GUT CHECK FREELANCER." Introduce yourself (a resume is fine but not necessary), tell me why you're interested in writing for Gut Check and attach writing samples. The samples can be pieces you've published or blogged, or it could be an example of the sort of post you would like to write for us.

​What? There's no Cardinals game tonight? Whatever will you do with yourself? How about sampling food and drinks from 30 area restaurants while helping a worthy cause.

Tonight, from 6-9 p.m. at Moulin (2017 Chouteau Avenue; 314-241-4949), St. Louis Originals will host Operation Dine Original. The cost is $75 per person -- that includes an open bar! -- with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Operation Food Search.

Visit the St. Louis Originals website for more info, and click after the jump for a sneak peek at some of the tasty dishes that will be available.

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Photo courtesy Danforth Plant Science Center

Volunteers at a previous World Food Day event

​Today begins a two-day commemoration of World Food Day at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (925 North Warson Road, Olivette; 314-587-1000). Volunteers around St. Louis will prepare food packages to be sent to a children's center in Tanga, Tanzania, to alleviate some of the hunger problems in the region.

"It's really to create awareness in our community and to involve the community with these larger-scale issues that don't really touch us in particular, but are very common in the world," says assistant director of development Karina Benabe.

"Also, it's to bring people in to help out with this cause and have them learn more about how you can be a part of the solution, whether it's short term or long term."

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