Niche Food Group will soon add a ninth restaurant to its arsenal.
The hospitality group, run by James Beard Award-winning Chef Gerard Craft, announced its newest concept today. Expat BBQ, a globally-inspired barbecue concept, will open in the City Foundry this fall.
In a prepared statement, Craft said Expat will differ from St. Louis’ vast barbecue offerings. Yes, the restaurant will serve St. Louis-style ribs, but the menu will also feature flavors not typically found in traditional U.S. barbecue.
True to Expat’s name, an abbreviation for “expatriate,” the restaurant’s menu will take inspiration from Brazil, Thailand, Africa, Australia and beyond. The concept is a nod to the joy of experiencing different cultures through food.
“We want to have fun with this one,” Craft said. “Barbecue is ubiquitous around the world, found in every country and culture, and the menu celebrates flavors that someone would experience when traveling abroad.”
Niche Food Group wanted Expat to be an “inclusive” concept, Craft continued, so the restaurant’s menu will also have a “strong focus” on vegetables and include options for plant-based eaters.
Unlike Niche’s other offerings at City Foundry, including Fordo’s Killer Pizza and Kitchen Bar, Expat BBQ will be outside of City Foundry’s food hall.
It will take up a 16,000-square-foot, multi-level space complete with an expansive bar, a terrace patio and a live music stage. A full-service dining room will be on the ground floor. The second floor will focus on a more casual experience complete with app-based ordering, a terrace patio that can hold more than 70 guests, and live music.
St. Louis native chef Sam Nawrocki will head Expat as chef de cuisine. Nawrocki, a former chef de cuisine at Oak Steakhouse and 404 Kitchen in Nashville, is moving back to St. Louis for the job. She’s worked in kitchens focused on Southern cuisine with global influences for the past 15 years, according to a release.
Craft, the executive chef behind Niche Food Group, is a Food and Wine Best New Chef and winner of the James Beard Foundation’s Best New Chef: Midwest in 2015. Niche owns Pastaria, brassWELL, Cinder House and more.
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