Industry projections show the gourmet and specialty markets industry will top $12.4 billion in the coming year. Local chefs and restaurateurs are cashing in.

by Kari Williams / Photography by Carmen Troesser

Many of the area’s high-end grocers and specialty markets aren’t new, but rather solo extensions of existing St. Louis restaurants, providing customers with specialty items and menu favorites.

Often right next door.

The granddaddy of them all is Annie Gunn’s Smokehouse founded in 1937 (as the Smoke House Market), just a wall away from the renowned restaurant, Annie Gunn’s. And the decade-old Truffles Butchery Market, an arm’s length away from Truffles. Side-by-side, the restaurants serve as foundations of sorts for specialty markets.

There are some new players on the scene.

AO&Co. Market & Café

Ben Poremba owns seven restaurants in the St. Louis area, but he says his background is in gourmet markets, starting first with Salume Beddu, opened in 2008, and then Winslow's Home. Adding AO&Co. Market & Cafe to his portfolio wasn’t a stretch.

He likened the market and cafe, located at 1641 Tower Grove Ave., across the street from the original Olio and Elaia (now both located in the Delmar Maker District), to a one-stop shop of “unnecessary essentials”—including home goods, tabletop goods and cigars.

“It’s a great place to just spend an afternoon, come in and grab sandwich and coffee and then shop for soaps, candles and olive oil … There are so many different kinds of products and brands, including our own, different brands we’ve created,” Poremba said.

The “bread and butter” of AO&Co. Market & Cafe are the items they’ve created, like their egg salad, hummus, pitas and Jerusalem bagels. Many of the products at the market, he says, can’t be found anywhere else. The caviar, for example, is unique because the Hackelback Sturgeons used for the dish come from the Mississippi River.

“That’s the fun part for me about it all, creating new products … exposing new brands and trying to constantly keep it interesting and fresh,” Poremba said.

What’s most interesting, he says, is their wine procurement process. Each of the 30 to 40 wines on the shelf has a personal connection, whether through knowing or meeting the wine makers or visiting the winery.

“Every wine that we carry there has a story,” he said.

AO&Co’s cigar and wine room was recently redesigned to include seating, now doubling as a wine bar/tasting room. According to Poremba, the market is a way for people to bring the restaurants home.

When he opened his restaurants, Olio and Elaia, this concept was always on his mind.

"There was an element of a community neighborhood need in Tower Grove when we had all of our restaurants there,” Poremba said. “A place you can quickly go buy gifts, grab a cup of coffee in the morning … [or] on your way back home from work, buy a bottle of wine and maybe a cigar.”

But don’t discount the breakfast and lunch offerings.

“We have regulars that swear by the egg sandwich in the morning and we sell out very, very quickly,” he said.

The Annex Coffee and Foods

When John and Kelly Barr were building out the menu for their Webster Groves-based Frisco Barroom, they did so with a high-end market in mind.

“So this list of items that really didn’t fit a sit-down dinner menu was formed,” John said. “And then a couple of years later, the [COVID-19] pandemic hit, and we knew that we wanted to open a coffee shop and bakery that was for the street and for the area that was more eclectic and independent.”

The conditions of the early pandemic demanded the Barrs look for ways to keep staff employed. Enter the Annex Coffee and Foods, 8122 Big Bend Blvd.

“A market seemed a way to keep our business going not knowing how long the pandemic was going to last and how long the restrictions of dining out were going to last,” John said.

The Barrs pulled inspiration from some of their favorite places to visit, like big markets on the main floor of multi-story buildings and markets that serve residents who live in the same building. They also have been drawn to specialty food markets, such as those for Hispanic or Italian wares.

Several items and goods sold at the Frisco come from The Annex—such as charcuterie board items like sauces and beef jerky—and vice versa. The white fish dip, beef jerky and sauces can be purchased at the Annex, along with full loaves of bread and full dessert pies straight from the Frisco menu.

A slice of quiche from The Annex Coffee and Foods.

Plus, a family connection in Michigan allows them to see and bring in brands that aren’t typically available in Missouri including the Annex brand maple syrup, jellies, preserves, Great Lakes Chips and the Annex brand salsa.

About 30 of Annex’s products are branded in their own label, John says, bringing a bit of exclusivity to their shelves.

“We have found products which we consider to be quality,” John said. “We will then work with the vendor to have it labeled as our own branded product. It becomes unique.”

But what it really came down to was having a place for their favorite things.

“I guess sometimes there’s a selfish component to creativity,” John said. “If you’re really compassionate about it, it is true and honest versus doing something you think other people are going to like.”

Pastaria Deli & Wine

Pastaria Deli & Wine—an offshoot of its anchor restaurant with the same forename—is Gerard Craft’s venture focusing on gourmet, higher-end provisions and “certainly more esoteric ingredients,” according to General Manager Eric Voss.

“We’re trying to tap into a number of things,” Voss said. “Both tap into what our clientele is looking for, while keeping with trends, but really making sure and focusing on not just what the product is but where it comes from.”

He says they make a point to look for items that “fit that model” for the deli and wine establishment at 7734-2 Forsyth Blvd., just inside the Centene Corp. building.

“[We’re looking for products that are] unique and different, made with a purpose,” Voss said. “Not just made to put something out there to jump on a trend per se.”

This gives them the opportunity to try out what Voss called “fun items” like the chocolate pralines they had over the holidays.

But the shop also sells items at the deli that were originally available at the restaurant next door, like the kale and chopped salads (and their corresponding dressings).

“Each has unique dressings, available at Pastaria seven nights a week,” he said.

The aim for the deli and wine venture was for it to be a “spot for natural and thoughtfully produced wine.” Behind sandwiches, Voss said wine is probably the shop’s biggest seller.

Among the labels they carry is Wonderwerk out of Los Angeles, which he says features fun collaborations and blended wines.

Since being involved with the gourmet market, what has stuck with him the most is not being afraid to try something that goes against the norm.

With the numbers still “trending positive,” Voss said they continue to add clientele as they’ve added unique gift baskets (that change year by year). Beginning with simple basket arrangements, they more recently journeyed into a tinned fish basket and a cozy hot cocoa basket featuring gourmet chocolates.

Though not wholly new, some people are still discovering Pastaria Deli & Wine.

“We’ve been here since 2021, [and we’ve had guests who’ve] said, ‘I eat at Pastaria once a month and had no idea you were here,’” Voss said.

Box Hill Grocer

Box Hill Grocer has only been open since late 2024, but the concept had been brewing in Matt McGuire’s mind since childhood.

“I’ve wanted to do a grocer for a long time,” McGuire said. “My grandfather was in the grocery store business in Michigan and I inadvertently grew up spending every one of my summers there. He owned the grocer in a small town. It was sort of the central hub for everybody.”

His concept, located at 7628 Wydown Ave., is a place where patrons of his other establishments— Louie (706 DeMun) and next-door neighbor Wright’s Tavern (7624 Wydown)—can pick up hummus or crab cakes to take home. The grocer also sells Miller’s Amish Country Poultry, which is used at both establishments.

“It’s sort of another way of feeding people,” he said. “[We’re] preparing food that’s ready to go for people to pick up. Certainly we have products like dried pasta and sauces … [but] really what I’m trying to lean into is the food that we make, the prepared food that people can take home.”

They also sell a “fair amount” of grocery store staples like eggs, milk and butter, but McGuire said they’re still “feeling it out.”

“A lot of stuff is going really well. Obviously, we’re trying to listen to the people, see what we’re missing.”

McGuire is working hard to add “really nicely handled specialty food products” like Rancho Meladuco dates and other items they think are “valuable and delicious” to the lineup.

“It’s kind of fun to be able to turn people on to that stuff,” he said.

Though he’s been in food service his entire life, McGuire says Box Hill Grocer is the first time he’s owned a grocery.

“I always had a desire to get involved in [the grocer business] in some way,” McGuire said. “So it’s been a long time coming. I’ve been chewing on this, waiting for the right location.”

Ultimately, he would like to add an online element, where customers can place online orders to pick up in the market or, eventually, have shipped.

Restauranteurs and Chefs with Shops