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Year 1 is done. Hello year 2!

2/1/2023

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​I have been asked many times “How does it feel now that you are the owner?” or “Oh! you’re the new owner.” This is funny because Big Sky Cafe and I have such a history together that the description of new, though very true, doesn’t feel like it fits. I will sometimes reply “yes I am, but I am also the old chef”.


As the "new owner" the biggest difference is that Tim isn’t here every day to discuss the day-to-day operations. We remain close and talk often, but in less detail, than we once did. This is as it should be. Tim is writing his next chapter and Big Sky Cafe & I are working on continuing our story. 
As we always endeavor to evolve and remain relevant, we have no plans to reinvent our wheel. Big Sky Cafe continues to support local producers and focus on natural and sustainably raised products to bring you creative wholesome dishes. We're here to enjoy what we do, earn some money doing it, and make a contribution to our community. The only major change has been with the landlord. The new owners of the building intend to continue operations as they have been for many years and Big Sky Cafe will remain an independent restaurant in the same building.

Year #1 for this "new owner" has been a good one! Everyone appears to be settling into a new normal after the previous years’ uncertainty. I am very thankful for the continued support of our long-time friends, meeting new friends, and for the terrific team of people who work here.

Thank you for helping to continue the story that is Big Sky Cafe,
Dominic Weiss, the “new owner”
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Five Star Certification

10/1/2022

 
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READ MORE ABOUT OUR MISSION
As a recertified five-star member of the Green Dining Alliance since 2018 in the areas of water conservation, awareness an2018d education, energy conservation, recycling & waste reduction, and sourcing, we don't just talk the talk.

​We do it by:


  • recycle all glass, paper, cardboard, metal, plastic, wine corks, vegetable oils, light bulbs, and batteries
  • preparing all curbside orders in recyclable containers and only offering utensils upon request
  • compost all organic waste
  • re-use wine bottles to serve water to guests upon request
  • depend on local farmers to source seasonable and sustainable products such as meat and produce
  • source sustainable seafood using the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch App
  • purchase renewable energy through Pure Power Ameren
  • serve straws upon request (and provide compostable straws for those who would like one)
  • re-purpose materials to use in decorating


For us, it IS easy being green.

Chef Dom is taking up the reins.

1/14/2022

 
It is a new year and a new Big Sky Cafe indeed! The beginning of a new year can bring a time of reflection and it certainly does for me this year.
​

You may have heard that Tim has allowed me the opportunity to continue on with one of the Greatest Restaurants I’ve ever known. This change is bitter-sweet for me. It is, of course, exciting and a little scary (in a good way), but it also marks a big personal change. 
As Tim mentioned, Big Sky Cafe and all of the restaurants led by Tim have been an enormous part of my career and life. It goes to follow that Tim has also been a big part of my world. He has been many things to me over several decades. He has been a boss, mentor, a sounding board (both professional and personal), in some cases a guinea pig, but most of all Tim has been and will continue to be my friend. I am going to miss working closely with him on regular basis.  
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Going forward, those original goals stand strong. We endeavor to make a little money to allow us to continue in our efforts to enjoy our work with each other and our guests while we offer something significant to our community. Big Sky Cafe will develop and stay relevant as we move into the future just as we have in the past. I am extremely proud of what we are. The plans for tomorrow are for us to make new friends and keep the friends we have now happy to come back and see us.

Thank you to our guests for all of your support
through thick and thin, and thank you to all of the terrific people I work with for being part of this great team. Most of all, thank you, Tim, for the lessons, much of my experience, and this opportunity.

Dominic Weiss
​ Big Sky Cafe
Owner & Chef

A new year, a new Big Sky Cafe

1/11/2022

 
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday. I was able to take a little extra time for my family to come together in Colorado, where my oldest daughter Montana lives, the namesake for this restaurant. Montana is the Big Sky state after all.
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The changing of the guard: Tim Mallett and new owner Dominic Weiss
After almost 30 years at Big Sky Cafe, I’m sending you this message to inform you that Dominic Weiss has purchased this great restaurant. Many of you know Dominic as the chef, general manager, and more recently, the defender of Big Sky Cafe from the challenges of the last couple of years.  

Many of you may not know that Dominic was here at Big Sky Cafe since the very first few weeks of opening. He has worked in management positions at all of my restaurants, but more importantly, he has managed and directed Big Sky Cafe through without question, the toughest last two years of its existence. There is no better man to carry on Big Sky Cafe's tradition and no one who cares more for the staff and the customers they serve. As Big Sky Cafe evolves and moves forward, Dominic will meet more of you, canvas for your ideas, and work to deliver the dependable quality hospitality experience that you know and love. 
I have worked in the restaurant business for 45 years and had my own restaurants since 1988 when Blue Water Grill opened on Hampton Avenue. We’ve always tried to make a little money (so we could stay in business), enjoy our work (we spend a lot of time with each other), and make a contribution that we could be proud of to St Louis and the hospitality industry here.

As for me, I’ll still be dropping by for a meal from time to time. I love the menu that is always evolving at Big Sky Cafe. There’s a dedicated group of professionals working there that I’ve grown very fond of. I’m gonna miss seeing them if I don’t visit. 

Beyond that, there are gardens to tend to and places to see. Maybe we’ll talk about it when I see you at Big Sky Cafe.

Thank you. Our customers have been the most interesting and generous people I've known over the years. And I promise you, I have never taken that for granted.
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Matchmaker, matchmaker, make us a match!

9/16/2021

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It's a "we" thing.

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APPLY NOW!
Many times when I’ve been complimented about an experience at Big Sky I have responded with “It’s a we thing, we have a lot of great people.”

I’ve been caught polishing glasses at the bar and asked, “Aren’t you the chef?”My answer is, “Sure, but it's a we thing, we all work together”.

The most important part of any restaurant is its team of people. No matter how creative or talented a chef can be, they can’t run a kitchen without a crew. The most welcoming manager a the door can't take care of a dining room without a knowledgeable team of servers. And no one can make a move without someone in a dish pit making sure all the materials are clean, sanitized, and ready to go. Each person has their role to play, but we have learned long ago that no matter how terrific any one person can be at what they do, it makes little difference without the rest of the team.

Instead of telling you my feelings about beets or divulging a story about me burning (and ruining) my mother’s cookware in the backyard as a kid, I am sharing this because we are looking to add people to our team.
It’s hard to miss the news about the difficulties of finding people lately. We have a terrific core group of people with tons of experience to share with someone new. We have opportunities in both the front and back of the house. Maybe you know someone looking to join our team like ours? Help us make a match!
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From Earth Day to Birthday

4/22/2021

 
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We're celebrating Earth Day and our 29th birthday
​by turning "Wine Into Water" and helping others.


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Just purchase a designated bottle of sustainable wine in the restaurant or for curbside service, and we will donate 29% to our adopted cause, charity:water.

Not interested in buying a bottle? You can drop your spare change in the wine bottle by our front door or donate directly to the cause here. For all donations made (wine or direct), we match them by 20%! 

Since 2009, Big Sky Cafe has been committed to the cause by raising enough money to help over 550 people in need. Previous "Wine Into Water" events have gone directly to fund water projects in Uganda and Mali and we can't wait to see who we will help this time!

It only takes $40 to supply clean water for one person's lifetime. And all you have to do is drink wine to do good.
MAKE A RESERVATION
DONATE DIRECTLY HERE
ORDER CURBSIDE

A message from Tim Mallett on indoor dining.

11/19/2020

 
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As per the new St. Louis County restrictions effective Tuesday, indoor dining is not available. As the weather permits, outdoor dining will remain open on the front patio and the covered wine garden for lunch and dinner service. We will now be open on Sundays in hopes to regain lost income due to the shutdown. And as it has been since March, our Farm to Curbside menu is also available Tuesday-Sunday.  

Since the pandemic started, it has been economically challenging with the significant loss of income and the increased expenses of keeping the restaurant safe for our staff and guests. Our self-imposed procedures go beyond temperature-taking of staff and contact tracing, but also include air filtration equipment, sanitizing sprays, touch-less faucets, outdoor heating equipment, windbreaks, etc. But we’ve gone the extra mile to exceed staff and guest expectations because that’s the way we think our business succeeds under any circumstance, pandemic or not. Dominic, the staff, and I have been so appreciative of your support that has been crucial to our survival, and we will continue to do our best to carry on. 

Since March of this year, the recommendations from the beginning have been 1. Keep your distance. 2. Wash your hands. 3. Wear a mask. I believe that these practices continue to be the best defense we have in fighting this pandemic. Closing the restaurant to inside dining will be in vain if people don’t practice what the professionals have prescribed since the beginning.
 
At the end of the day, my strongest concern is for the doctors, nurses, and first responders. They are the ones we count on when we do get sick. They have the most to lose and seem to complain the least. Please remember them today and when giving thanks at your smaller-than-usual Thanksgiving celebrations. 

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and safe Thanksgiving,
Tim

Bring Big Sky home for Thanksgiving!

11/10/2020

 
11/20 UPDATE: SOLD OUT!
Due to overwhelming demand, we are no longer taking Thanksgiving pre-orders.
​Thank you so much for your support!
Salads, Sides, Desserts, and of course the Main Event, Turkey are all available in sizes to serve 4-6 people each. Not a fan of turkey? No problem! We also offer other main course meals too.
​All Thanksgiving orders are due by Saturday November 21st to ensure availability. Schedule your order pick up anytime between now and Wednesday November 25th (reheating instructions included). 
When placing your order online, just be sure to do two things:
1. Choose the drop down menu
​2. Make sure your pick up date is correct
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It's caramel engineering.

9/18/2020

 
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DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE RECIPE
Don't feel like making it?
TAKE A JAR HOME
Though we have caramel sauce at Big Sky year-round, this is the time of year when it becomes the most popular. Our caramel sauce recipe is a simple one with only four ingredients and four steps, and since we make it often, you would think it is breeze for us! But like many things in the kitchen, you can go from a long period of waiting for the right moment to a very short period of just right that can be immediately followed by an evident and demoralizing “missed it!”. Most of the people I’ve worked with in a kitchen over the years have had at least one caramel incident. I know that I have found myself with a pot of black molten sugar more than once!

Here are some tips for the perfect caramel sauce:
  • Mix the water with the sugar before you put it on the stove. Dry pockets under the surface in the bottom of the pot can melt and burn some of the sugar before the rest.
  • You need a hot burner. A lack of heat can allow the top of the sugar mixture to become too cool and crystalize before caramelizing and you will find yourself straining the sauce.
  • Best results are made with a whisk, and only use it when it’s time to add the cream.
  • Have your cream at the ready because that sweet spot of when to add it doesn’t last long. Add when the sugar is a deep amber color with just a whiff of sugar (think of creme brûlée).
  • Be careful of the steam and bubbling! Add the cream at a moderate pace while continually whisking. Too fast and you get a candy ball that is tough to whisk out, too slow and the steam will overtake your whisk hand with a chance of boiling over (that’s a mess, trust me).
  • If you choose a plastic container to finish your caramel sauce in, make sure it is heat resistant. Just sayin’...

​It is not my intention to make something simple appear over complicated and I definitely don’t want to deter anyone from making this recipe, it really is easy to do right. Just passing on some of the mistakes that I’ve learned not to make over time, -rest assured there’ll be more.

Pick it out, pick it up, reheat, eat.

8/14/2020

 

​The top 10 reasons why you should order Family Style meals:

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​10. Most dishes serve 4-6 people - have you seen how much your family eats?
9. You can wear your sweats while ordering online.
8. You can wear your sweats during contactless pick up.
7. You can wear your sweats while eating dinner.
6. Seasonal, local and sustainable. Just in a bigger package.
5. Family movie night - no need to juggle reservations or movie times.
4. LEFTOVERS.
3. Perfect for passing off as your own food at the next social distance party or picnic.
2. Pot Roast Xs 6.
1. No. More. Meal. Planning!
ORDER YOUR FAMILY STYLE MEAL NOW
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