What comes to mind when thinking about Columbia’s food scene? Is it a savory bite? A rich aroma? Is it the feeling of cheese or grease running down your fingers with no napkins in sight? Is it Italian? Pub fare? Asian-inspired?
And where exactly do you find the food that is the most 'CoMo'? With restaurant staples, wandering food trucks and special pop ups the food scene here is always on the move which makes defining a signature food nearly impossible.
What we do know to be true about Columbia is that we love our food and especially our traditions around food. Whether you find yourself at the Farmers Market every Saturday morning or have to grab the same meal as your pre-game good luck charm we know CoMo eats - and not just for nourishment. We eat for joy, superstition, tradition, community, celebration, habit and more.
We asked four notable figures from the Columbia community a question that is, for many, one of the hardest to nail down: What is the one food or restaurant that encompasses Columbia? It’s about the dishes, sounds and dining experiences that taste, smell and feel unmistakably like Columbia in a nutshell. Their answers are as varied as Columbia itself.
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Matt Perkins
"Tellers is my pregame meal spot with my wife every Thursday during the fall — best salad and steak in town."
Matt Perkins is a physical education teacher and head football coach at Rock Bridge High School.
Nickie Davis
"This is a wildly hard question for me! For me, definitely pizza! From Angelo's Pizza on the South side to obviously Shakespeare's, and now Pizza Tree. CoMo has some great freakin' pizza. "
Nickie Davis is the executive director of The District, a live-work-play neighborhood in downtown Columbia. The District celebrates the creative, eclectic and local while blending tradition with technology and the latest trends in fashion, food and the arts — all in the heart of the city.
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"The Farmers Market & Columbia’s Center Urban Agriculture I feel are 'the' quintessential food establishments in Columbia, MO. Sure, I have my favorite restaurants, Murry’s, Beetbox, Irene’s, Ozark Mountain Biscuit & Bar, Tellers, along with several others, but without our local farmers, our local restaurants would not be nearly as special as they are. We all felt the pains of the pandemic when the national supply chain took a hit and we got a glimpse into just how vulnerable a community can be. I can’t imagine our community without these two vital parts of our local food chain."
Daryle is the Chief Operations Officer of The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri. Through empowerment, education and partnerships, The Food Bank brings together community resources to feed people in need.
Michelle "Shelly" La Fata
"This is such a tough question, there's SO much great food in this town, and Columbia's local food scene is so special. If I'm being completely honest, I want to shout out one of the little guys, like my new favorite, Birdies Deli. But if we're talking quintessential Columbia? I have to go with the Booches cheeseburger. It's a true Columbia institution, established in 1884! I order mine with everything and extra cheese. In fact, it's become a good-luck superstition for me. We host a special five-course dinner here every six weeks or so, our ‘Italian Regional Dinner Series,’ and I eat a Booches cheeseburger every single time before we do. It's tradition now!"
Michelle “Shelly” La Fata is the founder and owner of Pasta La Fata (a restaurant we’d count as a Columbia must try as well).