Chef Todd Lough is in At Home St. Louis Magazine

“…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…”

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