Missouri Food and Drinks

The historic Vandivort Hotel in Springfield is home to The Order which features locally sourced American cuisine. Chef Calvin Davis, a 2019 James Beard award nominee, and his staff create exquisite and delicious dishes. All you foodies out there, make the trip to The Order. You will be glad you did.

For salsa devotees looking to shop and eat local, 5Gen Salsa has what you need. This sweet and spicy salsa first took fans by surprise when Harrisburg resident Kim Ham-Lanes started bottling and selling the salsa. Since 2011, 5Gen’s lineup of bloody mary mix and mild and medium salsas has won its fair share of awards, and for good reason. This family recipe has been a winner for five generations.

In Europe, village distilleries are commonplace. Every family in one Swiss mountain region had fruit trees and made their own mash. A couple in Missouri is following the tradition of making vinars, a traditional Swiss spirit.

First an old farmhouse was converted into a gift shop in 2003, then Sybill’s Saint James was built on the property in 2006. The fine-dining restaurant and accompanying gift shop are owned by Tom and Janet Scheffer and their daughter Sybill Scheffer.

Missouri Life columnist, Doug Frost knows something about adding a sparkling Missouri wine to your holiday table. Read how “sparklers” came to be and why Missouri has some really good sparkling wine for you to serve at your next celebration.

Downtown Branson candy shop has kept the same recipe for a century.

Exchanging holiday treats is a time-honored tradition and what is better than a batch of fresh-baked goodies from a friend or family member. Missouri Life reached out and got cookies, their stories, and recipes from all across the state. Try one of these recipes for your own cookie exchange.

After all the rich holiday party food, we thought you might like a simpler but still protein-rich black beans and rice dish, especially since you can make it with products grown right here in Missouri.

For more than a year David Hemme and his four sons—Jon, 33, Nathan, 31, Michael, 28, and Aaron, 23—have been turning milk into handcrafted artisanal cheese at Hemme Brothers Farmstead Creamery.

As in ugly Christmas sweaters! Imagine a bunch at brunch in totally tacky and wacky Christmas sweaters. Snarky snowmen, ridiculous reindeer, sappy Santas and more. If this sounds like your cup of tea (or other brunch bevvy), check this out!