Line Cook Seeks Information About St. Louis

[Corned Brief]

Hi folks,

Can anyone out there share some information about the St. Louis restaurant scene? I am a cook with five years of experience in busy, sophisticated kitchens. Now my family is planning on relocating to St. Louis and I am trying to learn as much as possible about the industry in the city and surrounding areas. How is the industry doing? Are there jobs for skilled cooks? What are wages like? Turnover? Overtime? Is craigslist the best source of information about openings, or should I just knock on doors and ask to stage? What is your favorite STL food blog? I have been reading the Post-Dispatch and Riverfront Times and now I’m looking to get more detailed information if possible. Any little bit helps -- thanks in advance.

[vivian darkbloom]

if you've been reading those (esp RFT) you're getting some of the latest info, Sauce magazine and Feast (a Post subsidiary) are other sources. Ann 'Lemons' Pollack is well connected and active with her blog
http://stlouiseats.typepad.com/st_louis_eats_and_drinks_/
STL is a fairly small city (or a really big town) and the personal connection can be key. as a friend who moved back after many years away remarked "after a few months ya meet enough people that nobody is more than 2 degrees of separation"  so knock on doors. there is a lot of interesting stuff going on these days. I can't speak to the prevailing wage.

Edited January 5, 2016 by vivian darkbloom
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[vivian darkbloom]

the "hot" areas, as you can probably tell, are (in no particular order) Clayton, the Delmar Loop, the CWE,
South Grand, Maplewood, the edge of Tower Grove North (AKA the Grove and Botanical Heights) some parts of Benton Park and Soulard, but there are quirky places in almost every nabe. even South Hampton is sporting a few cool places.

it used to be mostly a few stuffy traditional 'continental' places, a few innovative ones, a lot of middle-of-the-road, a huge number of great mom and pop places of many nationalities and just chains. now all bets are off and one can find various permutations of most of all those categories in all corners of the area, in the city or the suburbs, from Cottlesville to Collinsville and Grafton to beyond Affton.

what part of the region is your family considering and what cuisine are you the most confident cooking?

Edited January 5, 2016 by vivian darkbloom
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