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.

Watch this video to see how St. Louis was connected to the sinking of the luxury steamship 100 years ago:

ST. LOUIS • Wreath-layings, a movie and a champagne brunch  are among commemorations here this weekend of the steamship Titanic, which sank  100 years ago in the North Atlantic.

The anniversary of the sinking of the British luxury liner, killing 1,517  passengers and crew, is Sunday.

At noon Friday, representatives of Bellefontaine Cemetery will lay wreaths at  the graves of Carlos Hurd, a Post-Dispatch reporter who was the first to  interview survivors, and Elizabeth Robert of St. Louis, a Titanic passenger who  survived. Hurd died in 1950, Robert in 1956.

A spokesman said the cemetery, 4947 West Florissant Avenue, will post signs  leading to the two sites. Hurd and his wife, Katherine, were passengers on the  Carpathia, the steamship that rescued Titanic survivors.

At 7:30 p.m. Friday, the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park will show the  1958 movie, “A Night to Remember.” On Tuesday, some tickets remained at $10  each, available through MetroTix at 314-534-1111.

Two events were inspired by the Titanic’s First Class dining rooms. A formal  dinner at the Fox Theatre, which is sold out, replicates the menu on the ship’s  last evening. A champagne brunch Sunday at the Piper Palm House in Tower Grove  Park will be of the liner’s breakfast fare. Some tickets remain for that event  through MetroTix.

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/commemorations-planned-for-th-anniversary-of-titanic/article_be5d61d6-aa81-58c5-b50b-2e9c51ff64e0.html#ixzz1rvm6sSMy

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.

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).

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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.

Celebrate the Season at Bixby’s

For an intimate lunch with friends or an impressive venue for a family or corporate event, Bixby’s is the place. Experience sweeping views of Forest Park from the comfort of the Missouri History Museum’s second floor. Open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, Bixby’s is a distinctive lunch destination. Bixby’s also features a spectacular brunch every Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. And remember that Bixby’s “After Hours” is the premier choice for an elegant private event. Enjoy artfully prepared, locally inspired cuisine, crafted by Chef ‘de Cuisine Todd Lough. Contact Bixby’s at 314.361.7313 or visit bixbys-mohistory.com.

“…Mr. Lough, the chef de cuisine at Butler’s Pantry, didn’t have to look far for inspiration. Local pecans, Missouri black walnuts, and fall-ripened pears highlight the homegrown menu. “The weather is everything for local produce,” he says, adding a final dish to the evening’s bread course—stained-glass potatoes with homegrown dill—as the guests move into the dining room.

Place settings comprise bittersweet and alstroemeria flowers floating in tiny glasses with the name of each guest painted in gold. Lilies, sunflowers, and cream-colored roses glow at the table’s center as guests remain standing at their seats.

“You can sit down!” Mrs. Mellanby exclaims as she enters.

“We’ll wait until the queen sits—you’re the hostess!” a guest laughs.

Mr. Lough’s feast begins with a “very savory, hot shrimp appetizer,” followed by a “lighter and refreshing” pear salad meant to cleanse the palate before the main entrée—a rich lamb course complemented by expertly sautéed morels…”

read full story here

Butler’s Pantry is one of St. Louis’ largest full service caterers and event planning companies; however the expertise does not end there. Exclusively catering at some of the city’s most cutting edge venues, Bixby’s at the Missouri History Museum is one of the most popular. Dedicated to providing fresh, nutrient rich and delicious cuisine Bixby’s achieves this standard by actively endorsing the restaurant motto, “dining with local influence.” Making the effort to abandon the negative effects of industrial agriculture, Bixby’s is committed to using locally grown products whenever possible. Chicken entrees, a plethora of salads, soups and flatbreads grace the menu and boast ingredients within a 200 mile radius. Chef de Cuisine, Todd Lough understands the importance of utilizing local resources when preparing his menu. “Sustainability is the biggest factor when driving the decision to purchase locally. The products we receive from Double Star Farm are high quality and extremely fresh.” Bixby’s allegiance to sustainability ensures a fresh menu that is updated as seasons and product availability change. The distinctive ingredients create delectable dishes where bold presentation is complimented by rich flavors and leaves guests anxiously awaiting their next visit. For more information please call Bixby’s at 314-361-7313 or Butler’s Pantry at (314) 664-7680. www.butlerspantry.com.

St. Louis Magazine, July 2011

Bixby’s is excited to be a part of St. Louis Magazine’s A-List Awards. 

lunch with a view
BIXBY’S

“Museums aren’t the first places that come to mind for business lunches.  But Bixby’s is perfect: open every day, with comfortable chairs, a menu that touches various levels of formality, and food that’s tasty and beautifully presented.  What else is needed?  How about a view over Forest Park, which ranges from soothing to stunning, depending on the weather and season?  As a bonus, the tab benefits one of our town’s great institutions.”