Seed Sprout Spoon will open event space, expand brunch hours

Brunch and catering business Seed Sprout Spoon will expand its operations with a new event space. As reported by St. Louis Magazine, co-owners Brendan Kirby and Erin Wiles have purchased a former church at 5700 Leona Ave., in Holly Hills. Kirby said they hope to start hosting events at The Leona in early April or May.

Kirby said he and Wiles have previously discussed buying a larger venue in order to host bigger events like weddings. Currently, Seed Sprout Spoon operates from a small kitchen at 3137 Morgan Ford Road in Tower Grove South, opening the 36-seat dining room to the public for Sunday brunch.

Kirby and Wiles specifically looked at old churches before finding the perfect fit on Leona Avenue.

“We looked at a lot, as there is no shortage of empty churches around town, but this particular one is in a nicer, quieter neighborhood, which we liked, and the neighborhood’s been great,” he said.

The new space will feature a chapel, the Charlotte Chapel, which can seat 120 and an auditorium, the Leona Ballroom, which can host around 200. Seed Sprout Spoon will move its catering operations to the larger space and continue its catering partnerships at other area venues, as well.

“Our goal isn’t to be the biggest caterer in St. Louis and do 10 events on a night. We want to stick to the smaller-to-medium size stuff that we do best that fit with our aesthetic,” Kirby said. “If this doesn’t allow us to do more, it will definitely allow us to do what we do better and be able to do it more efficiently.”

While the Leona Avenue venue will be used strictly for private events, Kirby said changes are coming to the Tower Grove South space, too. Kirby and Wiles hope to expand brunch services to Saturdays after moving the catering work to the new space in April or May.

Brenna Sullivan is an intern at Sauce Magazine.