It’s not often that we come across a St. Louis foodservice company we’ve never heard of twice in the same week. Then we learned about Scoop School, a Wildwood-based company founded by Australia native Steve Christensen, which teaches current and potential ice cream retailers everything they need to know about how to open and grow an ice cream or frozen dessert business. Christensen has helped open more than 900 ice cream and frozen locations around the world and has trained tens of thousands of clients. Scoop School “graduates” include several local companies—Clementine’s, Serendipity, and the new Ice Cream For Bears—as well as New York City–based Shake Shack. Christensen is also the director of the North American Ice Cream Association, an organization that provides additional expertise and education that is also based in St. Louis. The timing of our discovery was particularly apt, with National Ice Cream Day happening this Sunday.
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Bite-Size Bits
HOT SPOT
Tomato Explosion All Through July
The peak of garden-fresh tomato season is upon us, and Operation Food Search has once again partnered with members of the local restaurant community to host the 2022 Tomato Explosion. Each year, the popular fundraising campaign challenges chefs to create dishes featuring juicy, local tomatoes, and every time the dishes are ordered throughout July, a portion of each sale is donated to the nonprofit. Patrons can visit any of 21 participating restaurants (Anthonino’s, avenue, Bowood by Niche, Commonwealth, Eleven Eleven Mississippi, Five Star Burgers, Herbie’s, and Katie’s Pizza & Pasta, among others), enjoy a tomato-inspired dish, and the restaurant will make the donation.
INSIDER TIP
Long Drinking
You’ve heard of day drinking, but what about long drinking? First introduced for the 1952 Summer Games in Helsinki, The Finnish Long Drink has become the bestselling category of liquor in Finland, where a range of brands are available. Advertised as “a refreshing citrus soda with a premium liquor kick,” the beverage is a combination of gin and sparkling citrus “unlike the seltzers made with fermented sugar.” The beverage comes in four expressions—Traditional, Zero, Cranberry, and Strong—with ABVs ranging from 5 to 8.5 percent. After launching in 40 U.S. markets, the product is now available locally. Look for the 12-ounce cans at John P. Fields and Shamrock Pub, as well as in select package liquor stores, wine shops, grocery stores, and membership-only warehouse clubs. (The complete Missouri list is here).
MICRORANT
Lack of Menu Knowledge
There’s nothing more frustrating than going out to eat and encountering a server or bartender who’s not properly versed on the menu. We’re not asking for calorie counts here, but we do expect the person to have a certain level of familiarity and confidence and to be able to provide enough information—which by the way includes ingredients, weights, and cooking methods—so that we can make intelligent meal decisions. We don’t care how it’s achieved—through menu tastings, role-playing, or oral/written tests. Especially considering the prices that customers are now paying, they deserve to know exactly what will appear on their plates.
10 St. Louis spots to celebrate National Ice Cream Day this Sunday
Enjoy free cones, live music, Harry Potter–themed flavors, and "free ice cream until we run out" at newly opened Ice Cream for Bears in Clayton.
We are excited to reveal the honorees of the 2022 A-List Readers’ Choice Awards. Thank you to all who participated, and congratulations to all of the winners and finalists!
Help celebrate all the region has to offer kids and parents! Weigh in on the first round of the ballot, presented by St. Luke's Hospital, to help determine who moves on to the voting round.
Complete with a chihuahua, a bulldog, and a UPS guy, The Muny is ready to “Bend and Snap” for a great time! Enter to win two tickets to see the show on Friday, July 29, at 8:15 p.m.
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