Chef Gretchen Morfogen has left her position as market master of the Webster Groves Farmers’ Market to head the kitchen at the recently opened Mosaic Bistro Market in Clayton, the newest addition to the Schmitz family of restaurants that currently includes Mosaic downtown and Barcelona in Clayton. A trio of restaurants will soon be added to the group including Prime 1000, a downtown steakhouse; an express version of Mosaic at the airport; and a Mosaic spin located in the Des Peres neighborhood.
A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Morfogen holds 30 years in the food and beverage industry, including a position as the charcuterie and cheese manager for Dean & Deluca and another as the culinary director for Straub’s Fine Grocers.
Morfogen is excited to helm the kitchen at the breakfast, lunch and dinner spot on Central Avenue and is happy that the clientele and volume at Mosaic Bistro will permit her to handle a host of special requests. After all, Morfogen understands preferences. As her Facebook page lays bare, it’s hands-down “Martha over Rachel, Bourdain over Flay … cabernet over merlot.”
Taking over at the Webster Groves Farmers’ Market is Ryan Maher, along with Angela Foley. Maher, an avid forager, owns Missouri Wild Edibles, a purveyor of wild mushrooms and prepared products made from wild edibles. The Webster Groves Farmers’ Market operates on Thursdays from 3 to 7 p.m. in the Old Orchard Shopping Center off Big Bend Boulevard near Lockwood Avenue. The venue will stay open until mid-October.
This article appears in Sep 1-30, 2010.