In fact, as judged by his professional peers, he was recently recognized nationally with the 2012 Ace Award, the top honor in the catering industry. The company was recently notified they are the recipient of the nationally acclaimed Catersource 2012 Ace award for the Midwest.

The award was based upon:

• Best on-premise catered event, budget under $200 per person (Palladium St. Louis and Butler’s Pantry)

• Best food presentation

• Best tabletop design-budget $500 and over per table.

Nix was raised in catering. Butler’s Pantry is celebrating its 47th year in business. His father started with Pope’s Cafeteria, and his parents ran their first operation out of the present House of India location at I-170 and Delmar starting in 1966.

Before entering the family business in 1988, Nix worked at the old Arena Club for the St.Louis Blues; waited tables at the old Viking Restaurant on Watson Road and was a manager at the Greenbriar Hills Country Club in Kirkwood.

Nix’s biggest bold move was the acquisition of the Palladium on the site of the old City Hospital in South St. Louis. “We wanted to be downtown, but we didn’t want to be downtown,” reasoned Nix.

The Palladium was the laundry facility built as a public works project in 1937 at the long defunct City Hospital. The nearby Darst-Webbe house projects have given way to a burgeoning and robust Benton Park neighborhood at the doorstep of the Lafayette Square neighborhood.

“We aren’t exactly pioneers on the new frontier. We have a building brides just love. The facility is contemporary with soaring glass windows. Brides go crazy with this facility without spending a fortune,” he said. The place seats 300 and can handle cocktail receptions for up to 700.

For decades, Butler’s Pantry has handled the really big and important events. Nix can name everyone on his team. “We don’t go to temporary agencies to get our help. Rather, we hire people and we tell them to recommend people that will also work for us.”

Butler’s pantry had 325 workers at the 2008 BMW golf championships at Bellerieve Country Club and  he could personally name 315 of them.

Other mega events included catering the 1984 World Series party under the Arch; the visit of Pope John Paul II, the Mayors Ball and the U.S. Senior Open to mention a few.

Nix has an interesting and diverse family.The family grew up in University City, attended Our Lady of Lourdes and transferred to Immacolata Parish in Richmond Heights during his teen years. His brother Paul runs a catering company in San Antonio, TX. His sister Nicole Nix works for U.S. Food Service and his sister Ann Marie Lemcke runs the “Art of Entertaining,” a gourmet food store in Webster Groves.

Richard and Elizabeth are in the midst of raising five children.

Ricky, MICDS graduate is an English major at Hobart College, New York. Peyton is a senior at Westminster Christian Academy, headed to a study arts and archeology at Mizzou. Reilly is a sophomore at MICDS. LuLu is a sixth grader at Oak Hill School and Grace is a fourth grader, also at Oak Hill.

On Easter Sunday, Butler’s Pantry served 1,000 meals at Bixby’s Restaurant at the Missouri History Museum and Cafe’ Madeleine in Tower Grove Park. “We work when other’s don’t,” said Nix.

“I’m blessed with great people who run my business so I don’t have to be there all the time. The business model has not changed a bit over 47 years. We always give the people what they want.” It’s that simple.

That’s why the Butler’s Pantry is thriving and winning awards after 47 years in business.

Here at Butler’s Pantry, we are honored to have received the Best Caterer award in the Ladue News Platinum List as well as Bixby’s at the Missouri History Museum winning the Best Brunch!

Best Caterer

BUTLER’S PANTRY

No matter the occasion, the one thing that will get people raving about a party is the food. And when you put your event in the hands of Butler’s Pantry, you’ll understand why. From weddings, to private parties, corporate bashes and community events— for small groups or huge crowds—nothing is impossible for the experienced caterers at Butler’s Pantry. Art of Entertaining Catering St. Louis Steven Becker Fine Dining LaCHEF and Company

Best Brunch

BIXBY’S

Bixby’s in the Missouri History Museum has become more than a pit stop between exhibits. New management (Butler’s Pantry) and a beautiful space with fl oor-to-ceiling windows have made the restaurant once again a destination unto itself, especially for brunch. Grab a mimosa and enjoy a beautiful view of Forest Park—you won’t regret it.

Here at Butler’s Pantry we take pride in our commitment to maintaining the highest standards, especially when it comes to training our employees in alcohol awareness and food safety. 58 of our employees are TIPS CERTIFIED and 42 are ServSafe Certified. Both of these programs are dedicated to providing the most comprehensive training in their respective field and we are proud to have so many of our employees trained under their certification.

“TIPS (Training for Intervention ProcedureS) is a dynamic, skills-based training program designed to prevent intoxication, drunk driving and underage drinking by enhancing the fundamental “people skills” of servers, sellers and consumers of alcohol. TIPS gives individuals the knowledge and confidence they need to recognize potential alcohol-related problems and intervene to prevent alcohol-related tragedies.”

“Sanitation
Managers will learn the dangers of foodborne illness, how to prevent it and the keys to food safety. They’ll see where contamination starts, the components for good personal hygiene, and how every employee can be a safe food handler.

The Flow of Food Through the Operation
Managers will discover how to prevent cross-contamination, and how to utilize time and temperature control effectively. They’ll get the inside story on safe receiving, food storage, preparation and serving, and cooling and reheating. They’ll also learn how taking active managerial control of critical foodborne illness risk factors makes all the difference for a safe operation.

Sanitary Facilities and Pest Management
Managers will cover all aspects of cleaning and sanitation in a practical, applicable manner. They’ll also learn about pest management, and how to keep pests out of the operation .

Finally, your managers will cover the way to keep employee training ongoing, to keep food safety working in every location.”

We are honored to have received three ISES awards this year:

Best Food Presentation

Best On Premise Catered Event Budget Under $200 per Person

Best Tabletop Design Budget $500 per Table and Over

For a full list of winners click here.

We just returned from the annual Catersource Conference & Tradeshow in Las Vegas.  We spent 3 days taking educational classes and viewing demonstrations.  We learned about the hottest trends in food preparation, presentation, service standards, décor, etc.

While there, we also took part in a fantastic presentation from TV personality and catering chef, Andrew Zimmern. 

During his presentation we were honored with the annual ACE Award for the Midwest region.  The annual Catersource ACE Award recognizes companies that have shown noteworthy achievement in the catering industry through culinary, business, community and professional development. Five winners are chosen each year to represent the best of the best in each of five geographic regions:  Midwest, South, East, West and International. 

We are so honored & excited! 

*Watch the video below or click here: Catersource Conference & Tradeshow 2012

We can’t wait to begin putting the new tools & ideas we learned into use for your next event!  Call us today to book your party – 314.664.7680.

Whether you’re a longstanding vegan or exploring Meatless Mondays for the new year, we have delectable vegetarian cuisine to tempt your tastebuds. At Bixby’s, the onsite restaurant at the Missouri History Museum, a flaky crust holds a bed of butternut squash puree and tender, roasted root veggies (pictured; Lindell & DeBaliviere, 314.361.7313, Map 4-2D). Gokul, in The Loop, offers a 100% veg buffet and menu of Indian specialties like aloo saag (spiced potatoes and spinach) and paneer tikki masala (cheese, peppers and tomatoes in a creamy tomato sauce), plus all-vegan buffet 2nd and 4th Mondays from 5-9 p.m. (6101 Delmar, 314.721.1888, Map 4-1D). For the full monty—raw, vegan, gluten-free—have dinner at Pura Vegan; try the sweet potato pasta or Mexi-tacos (307 Belt, 314.282.5834, Map 4-1D).

Our pastry department has been busy designing and baking this travel themed cake for an upcoming event. Rich, Laura and Jen have really outdone themselves with this tiered cake, made to look like suitcases stacked on top of one another. Watch out Cake Boss, there are new cake masters in town!!

Bixby’s, located in the Missouri History Museum, has unveiled some Civil War-inspired dishes on its winter menu to complement the museum’s current Civil War exhibit.

Chef de cuisine Todd Lough has created a savory Southern chicken pot pie and a hearty Northern beef stew, each served with a hardtack biscuit. Lough says that while dishes hearken back to the era, they’ve been made a bit more palatable for modern diners.

“That era wasn’t known for its fine cuisine,” Lough says. “But there were things we picked up on, like the hardtack biscuit, which a lot of the soldiers carried with them. Our version is a soft, savory, moist drop biscuit. We also came up with some one-pot comfort food, like the chicken pot pie, that could have been made over a camp fire if need be.”

This isn’t the first time Bixby’s kitchen has created menu items to complement an exhibit. Lough says he normally ties the menu into what’s on display at the museum.

“One of our most successful ones was the Napoleon exhibit, which made for a natural play on French cuisine,” he says. “We had three or four dishes that were French-inspired.”

Lough says he usually gets his ideas for these specialty menu items from the local purveyors he frequents.

“I visit their fields, their shops, and that’s where I get my inspiration for what we can use that’s available locally that will tie into whatever the exhibit is,” he says.

The Civil War specialties will be available through mid-March.

THE FEED: Bixby’s Serves Up Civil War-Era Eats.

Whether you’re hiring a caterer for a board luncheon or a gala, you want the food and service to make the right impression.

Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation events might be large affairs or more intimate parties. Kris Marino, senior foundation and donor events coordinator for the foundation, said one way to find caterers is through local professional meeting planning groups or through referrals from others. “If someone has had a marvelous experience with a caterer, I’d like to try them,” she said.

In addition to great food, creativity, especially in presentation, is what stands out. “When a caterer can bring a little pizazz, it’s a winner,” she said. If you have a theme in mind, ask the caterer to come up with a menu around that. “Sometimes you want something safe you know people will enjoy. Other times you want to be wowed. A good caterer should be able to follow your direction,” she said.

If you’re considering two or three caterers, ask for personalized tastings to help you gauge “what the food looks like, the presentation and general style of each caterer,” she said. “Go with your gut and taste everything.”

As executive assistant to the president of Hortica Insurance & Employee Benefits in Edwardsville, Jean Hughes oversees arrangements for quarterly board meetings as well as company-hosted chamber or industry functions.

Establish relationships with a select group of caterers “so they know what you’re expecting and can produce that,” she said. “We like things done nicely, but obviously we’re looking for value.”…

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