Creative comfort food with innovative touches is now abundant in Augusta.
During October, Hoffmann Family of Companies managers hired Chef Michael Brewer to create dishes at the group's Augusta-based The White House Cafe, located at 5567 Walnut St. The restaurant previously housed the Edelweiss Guest House and Augusta White House Restaurant. Hoffmann Companies reportedly spent nearly $250,000 renovating the building before reopening it in February 2023.
Originally from Pacific, Missouri, Michael graduated from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary of Arts in St. Peters, and completed his externship with Gerard Craft at Niche Food Group. He then accepted a position with Chef Aaron Baguette and helped open EdgeWild Restaurant & Winery in Chesterfield.
Chef Michael next created meals at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis, eventually becoming the executive chef at Chandler Hill Vineyards in Defiance, a position he held for the past six years. At Chandler Hill Vineyards, he says he was part of a staff who grew the wine club from 50 participants to 800-plus enthusiasts.
Digging right in at White House Cafe, Chef Michael quickly added food items to the menu, such as an artisan sun-dried tomato pesto grilled cheese sandwich with Gouda, Swiss and Cheddar plus roasted bell peppers; a Caesar salad with housemade dressing; and a tomato bisque. "I also adjusted the ingredients of other menu items, like adding caramelized onions and mushrooms to a now 8-ounce seared steak sandwich," he adds.
He says they've also introduced a variety of winter vegetables for side options, and are serving a BELT (bacon-egg-lettuce-tomato) with garlic aioli, plus a delicious new bread pudding.
The White House Cafe's current operating hours include all-day brunch on Wednesdays between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Cafe also is open Thursdays through Mondays between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
The Cafe's menu covers appetizers, salads, soups, sandwiches, sides and desserts. Main entrees include schnitzel parma, beef tenderloin with bourbon gastrique, meatloaf and seared salmon with brown butter. However, Chef Michael reveals he intends to revamp the menu during 2024, adding chicken salad and French dip sandwiches, fresh fish/salmon, themed burgers and appetizers like lobster rolls.
"In the future, I'd like to offer a five-course dinner with international and cross-culture flair cuisine," he shares. "I'm really proud of how hard-working this all-women kitchen team is."
Meanwhile, On The Water
The Miss Augusta, a luxury yacht, sets sail on the Missouri River. She is 105 feet long, three stories high with a sundeck, and can carry 150 people. While relaxing to picturesque views, guests can enjoy exquisite cuisine on one of the public brunch, lunch, hors d’oeuvres or dinner cruises, directed by Executive Chef Don Tadlock II.
Chef Don started his culinary adventures when he was 15 years old, spurred on by watching the cooking techniques of his mother, as well as his grandfather, a Granite City firefighter who cooked for all the district's fire stations and often for 500 people at area churches.
As a graduate of Culinary Arts at Sullivan University, Chef Don is approaching one year with the boat. He studied under chefs such as John Castro and Omar Hafidi. He also owned his own restaurant, Chef Tadlock's Buffet, providing a homestyle Italian buffet plus banquet catering.
Prior to Miss Augusta, he'd been a chef for Michael J Fox, Wayne Gretsky, Kat Williams, Michael Jordan, Brett Michaels and Adam Sandler at Chase Park Plaza in Louisville, Ky. However, he came directly from working at Viking Cruises, which fueled his passion for being on the water. "But I didn’t like being away from my family for such long periods of time," he admits.
Chef Don hosts monthly specialty cruises with changing menus and themes, such as An Evening in France, German Night, Italian Night or The Holidays. He also handles custom menus for private events and weddings. In addition, his planned lunch and dinner menus change monthly to new creations.
“It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid to cook on a boat, ever since my mother used to take me out on all the wonderful riverboats across the country. For years I’ve been making people’s bellies happy on land. Now I want to do the same on the water,” declares Chef Don, who also loves to branch out from the kitchen to interact with on-board guests during the trips.