Gerard Craft and Josh Galliano have been foundational to the ºüÀêÊÓƵ dining scene as we know it today. Both have made their mark not only through their skills as chefs, but also by using their innate talent as educators and mentors within the industry.
When you look at the thriving restaurant industry in the ºüÀêÊÓƵ area, it’s easy to spot the talent that lies within. The city is awash with choices; everything from fast casual to fine dining is done with equal attention to detail. This didn’t happen overnight. The talent you see peppering the landscape has been cultivated over time by chefs who have worked for decades to hone their own craft and mentor others in the process. Although their jobs and locations have evolved throughout the years, many of the chefs who built ºüÀêÊÓƵ’ dining scene are still around. Among them, two such chefs stand out.
Gerard Craft originally hails from the Washington, D.C. area and came across culinary arts almost by happenstance. After landing a job washing dishes at Fat’s Grill in Salt Lake City, he fell in love with the restaurant business and worked around the country for the next several years to gain experience cooking on the line. In 2005, he started looking into opening his own place, but he needed something affordable. He landed on a wine bar for sale in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, just steps away from Sidney Street Café in Benton Park. It was in that spot that his first restaurant, Niche, was born.
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Josh Galliano’s career path was a bit less winding. A native of New Orleans, he attended Louisiana State University before heading off to Le Cordon Bleu in London and travelling all over Europe. He eventually wound up back in New Orleans in the position of chef de partie at the famed Commander’s Palace, but he ultimately moved to ºüÀêÊÓƵ to take on the chef de cuisine role at An American Place the same year Craft opened Niche’s doors.
During the next decade, the two helped establish a dining scene that has been recognized as one of the best in the country. Craft built multiple eateries with different personalities all over the metro area, while Galliano led back-of-house teams as executive chef of both Monarch and The Libertine.
The mark Craft and Galliano have left on today’s chefs is hard to miss. They both act as educators and mentors in ºüÀêÊÓƵ’ culinary scene, and they each love learning themselves. In a recent conversation, Craft joked that he has 70 books sitting on his coffee table at home, while Galliano admits to having far too many cookbooks that he’s loaned out to cooks to encourage them in their own interests. “I wish I would have gotten some back,†he says with a laugh. Both operate with a similar goal in mind: to challenge and inspire future chefs.
“If there was anything that I tried to instill in the cooks that worked with me, it was to be curious and open-minded,†Galliano says. “Yes, there is a ‘right way’ and sometimes ‘my way’ of doing something, but they should also know there are multiple ways to get a result, and in the future, they will have to navigate which path gets them the result they want.†Ultimately, Galliano says he tells his cooks that cooking should be fun. “It’s supposed to make you smile,†he adds, noting that the feeling can come from anything – from a successful service to mastering a technique.
For Craft, learning is collaborative: In his kitchens, he makes a point to foster talent, giving it a life of its own by supporting his employees’ ambitions. “That’s honestly the coolest part of my job. I love being able to give people a platform and see them recognized,†Craft says. “I hate to put any credit in my hands because I think when people are driven, they’re going to do well – but we hope to give people the opportunities they need.†And Craft gets something out of it too, noting that nurturing talent furthers his own growth. “When you surround yourself with awesome people, it just continues to spark innovation and continues to throw up lightbulbs,†he says. “And it’s selfish: I probably get more enjoyment out of it than they do.â€
The drive to educate and mentor those around them has yielded some phenomenal results. Craft’s Niche Food Group alumni include pastry chef Matthew Rice, who moved from Salt Lake City to help Craft open Pastaria and went on to establish Pink Door Cookies in Nashville; Nate Hereford, the chef-owner of ºüÀêÊÓƵ’ popular Chicken Scratch and the only person to ever hold the executive chef title at Niche aside from Craft himself; Evy Swoboda, culinary director of Niche Food Group and James Beard nominee; and Kate Woolverton, who’s been with Niche since 2011 and is now COO of the group. Not to mention Brian Moxey, executive chef of Union Loafers and Bagel Union, and MJ Stewart, pastry chef for Pastaria and chef behind the pastry pop-up DNFT.
Galliano has inspired an equally large group of talent in his wake. Among them are Rick Lewis, chef-owner of Grace Meat + Three; Ryan McDonald, chef-owner of Farm Spirit; Luke Cockson, who assists McDonald with his many projects, including live-fire farm dinners at Such & Such Farm; Bob Brazell, owner of Tamm Ave Bar and The Tenderloin Room; and Tommy “Salami†Andrew, who operates his restaurant, Nomad, out of Brazell’s Tamm Ave. Bar. Don’t forget Logan Ely, chef-owner of Press and The Lucky Accomplice; Mike Miller and Ryan Maher, both of whom are integral to Field to Fire, which sells food at Tower Grove Farmers’ Market; and Sam Nawrocki, who will be heading up Craft’s Expat when it opens at City Foundry STL.
Neither Galliano nor Craft show any signs of slowing down. Galliano stepped back from the restaurant industry in 2015 to shift into his role at Josh Allen’s esteemed Companion Baking Co. as Innovation Leader, where he is mentoring the next generation of industry leaders. Niche Food Group continues to evolve under Craft, who is now CEO of the company, as he works on new projects – most notably, the creation and curation of CITYPARK’s groundbreaking line of food offerings. What they strive to instill in others is what makes their own wheels turn: For both, it’s about a sense of curiosity and a continual urge to learn as the chefs they’ve nurtured help shape the next generation of talent all over the city and beyond.
When we sat down with Josh Galliano and Gerard Craft, we asked them to name a few standouts that have worked for them; no easy task, considering how much talent has run through both of their kitchens over the years. Both lists were long, and studded with all stars in ºüÀêÊÓƵ and beyond. We asked a few of them what they've learned from these two mentors during their time together.Â
Ryan McDonald, Logan Ely and Rick Lewis on Josh Galliano
Ryan McDonald
Ryan McDonald’s resume is a lengthy one, with stints at Byrd & Barrel, Juniper, Privado, Louie and, of course, at Monarch and Libertine with Galliano. He is now the co-owner of Farm Spirit with wife Ashley Batiste, which works in partnership with Such & Such Farm to offer a CSA, pantry provisions and butchery classes. Farm Spirit also hosts a dinner series at Such & Such and collaborates on events and pop-ups throughout the year.
“I showed up ready to go [at Monarch] and my first task was to clean about 40 pounds of wood ear mushrooms with a paring knife and a tooth brush; it was at that moment that I realized just how much I had to learn. The amount of care and intention that chef Galliano put into everything there was unbelievable to me. He taught me all sorts of techniques, shared amazing recipes, brought me along to events and really showed me what it was to be a cook.
The single most important lesson I learned from him was to never settle – to never stop engaging and [keep] pushing for more. To always seek more knowledge and to stay humble. At that point in my life, it was a priceless lesson. I went onto help him open Libertine and watched him begin to work with a new young crop of kids [in the kitchen]. He is a generous teacher, and that was my next important lesson. I’ve tried to follow in his footsteps by taking other young cooks under my wing, teaching and sharing what I know and creating an environment where we can learn and create things together. Ultimately, that’s led me to where I am today: a cook first, but a leader rather than a boss.â€
Logan Ely
Logan Ely worked for Galliano at An American Place before moving on to work at Blue Hill in New York, Pass & Provisions in Houston and Bouchon Bistro in Napa. While dining at Galliano’s Libertine, Ely mentioned he was returning to ºüÀêÊÓƵ to open a restaurant. After hosting a series of pop-up dinners under the moniker Square1 Project, Ely opened Savage/SHIFT and is now chef and co-owner of The Lucky Accomplice and Press, both in Fox Park.
"I think the most important thing Josh taught me was to be cautious working for a chef that has an answer for every single question you have. He taught me that it’s okay not to know everything – or act like you know everything – and that it’s okay to figure things out together with your team."
Rick Lewis
Rick Lewis worked with Galliano as garde manger at An American Place, following him to Monarch to serve as sous chef. Lewis spent a total of six years working side by side with Galliano. He went on to open Quincy Street Bistro, where he earned a James Beard nomination for Rising Star Chef of the Year in 2014. He is currently the chef-owner of Grace Meat + Three.
“I think at different phases in your life, you have different mentors that are almost like father figures. I always looked at Josh as an older brother or father-type figure, and he really kept pushing me to relentlessly pursue things.
Josh used to describe me as a bulldog-type personality, so having someone to really embrace that drive within me and then instill a relentless, unwavering pursuit of excellence was really a good match. It could be a lot of pressure for a lot of people, but it was a really good match for us and for me. So I’m thankful for that.
When I started working with him, I really had no idea the caliber that food could be: I came from mom-and-pop restaurants and casual cooking. I wasn’t a culinary school dude, so when I started working with him, it was like a paid education for me. I think I’ll have skill sets and abilities that Josh has left on me and in me for the rest of my life, and I’m forever thankful for all the time that I got to spend with him.â€
Evy Swoboda, Nate Hereford and Kate Woolverton on Gerard Craft
Evy Swoboda
Evy Swoboda began her time with Niche at Pastaria as a line cook under Brian Moxey. Five years later, she was the sous chef – then chef de cuisine with Ashley Shelton – and helped open Pastaria’s Nashville location in 2017. She left Niche to work on a project with The Last Hotel in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, but returned when Craft asked her back to serve as exeutive chef at Brasserie. She stepped into her current role as Corporate Chef and Culinary Director for Niche Food Group in July 2022.
 “I feel very fortunate to have started at Pastaria while Niche was still active in Clayton. Gerard personally taught me how to stretch pizza dough and understand the complex wood fire oven. He was around for most tastings of specials I was creating. I do not take for granted the time and lessons he shared early in my career.
The biggest value that I have learned from Gerard is balance. From a vegetable dish to management to work life and home life, Gerard always questions how we can make it more balanced. I know this is something that he is constantly working on himself and for the rest of the team, but most importantly, he has always fully supported my journey to get there myself. Without Gerard’s encouragement to instill a four-day work week for myself and the entire kitchen staff, I would be in a very different place. I will always be thankful for that.
Gerard is pushing the dining scene further by creating spaces that everyone feels welcome in, especially the staff. He uses his platform for so many positive causes in the community, and he has grown this company into something bigger than himself. To me, that’s legendary.â€
Nate Hereford
Nate Hereford was one of the line cooks at Niche. He joined Craft in 2009 and is the only person to hold the title of executive chef at the restaurant aside from Craft himself. He left ºüÀêÊÓƵ in 2016 to work on a development project in California and returned in 2018. He then hosted private dinners and pop-ups and consulted for projects including Dia’s Room at Craft’s Cinder House. In 2021, he opened Chicken Scratch in City Foundry STL, which added its first brick-and-mortar location in Glendale, Missouri, this year.
"Gerard taught me the importance of tasting your food constantly, whether it’s a simple veg prep or a braise. He really instilled in me that you not only have to taste your food, but think about it. Is it balanced? How can we make it punch more? How can this be the best version of the dish possible?
I learned a lot about tenacity with him. This business is hard and it requires a lot of sacrifice and diligence. Gerard was always the guy pushing harder to make things better and to build character and grit. Now that I’m a business owner, this rings more true than ever. Hospitality and food are always changing, and you have to be able to adapt, whether it's in a dish that just isn’t right or how you approach a guest.
I think working with Gerard is interesting because it’s a lot of pushing. He always wants people to push harder and do better, and he expects a lot out of himself. He expects a lot out of his team. So you get an environment where people want to work hard and try to do the best they can every single time they show up, and it creates this amazing thing. The foundation of Niche was just pushing: to be creative, come up with new ideas or totally change everything we were doing. It was about finding the next thing that would keep us excited and terrified all at the same time. I’ve never been in a restaurant environment where everybody was united around making stuff better, and I think a lot of that had to do with that push we all adopted.â€
Kate Woolverton
Kate Woolverton started with Niche Food Group in May 2011 and worked her way up from host at Brasserie to administrative positions, eventually serving as director of administration, director of service and human resources and director of operations. She is currently the Chief Operations Officer for Niche Food Group.
“During my time with Niche Food Group, I’ve learned a lot – arguably everything I know about restaurants and management and operations. [I’ve learned] about the privilege and power of ownership, autonomy, trust and empowerment; about adaptability to the unknown and unknowable and the confidence to thrive within it.
Perhaps the most significant lesson I’ve learned is the value of failure. Gerard established failure as one of our core values, and as someone with perfectionist tendencies, this was initially a challenging concept to accept. Being part of a team that actively encourages recognizing our mistakes is liberating and has taught me to embrace failure as an integral and inevitable aspect of personal and professional growth and often the necessary catalyst for innovation and improvement.â€