Edibles & Essentials will close in St. Louis Hills on March 3

Edibles & Essentials will close permanently on March 3, after seven years in business in St. Louis Hills. The restaurant and market has operated out of 5815 Hampton Ave. since October 2015.

Owner Matt Borchardt is moving on to become executive chef at the new Ronald McDonald House in Forest Park Southeast, which is currently under construction and scheduled for a spring 2024 opening. Borchardt and his wife, Mary Beth, are in the process of closing on selling the building that houses Edibles & Essentials, but no further details are presently available.

“The closure is a little bittersweet, because I enjoy what I do and I'm not closing because I wasn't making it, or we're not closing because of the effects of the pandemic or anything like that,” Borchardt said. “We’re closing just because I've been offered to do something for an organization that I really want to work for. I couldn’t really do both, and my wife and I made the decision as a family.”

In a statement, Borchardt said he and Mary Beth are grateful for the support they’ve received from customers over the years. “We have been blessed with extremely loyal guests, employed some of the best culinarians in town, received numerous accolades and I hope left everyone smiling on each visit,” the statement said, describing the experience as “rewarding and exhilarating.” 

Borchardt previously also operated french fry-centric food truck Essentially Fries, which ceased operations in summer 2022.