× Expand Photo by Pat Eby

Old North Provisions, a project helmed by the urban farm Good Life Growing, hosted the first of several soft openings on May 11, designed to streamline operations at the new venture. The space, which is located across from Crown Candy Kitchen at 2720 N. 14th Street, is expected to open in early June. The hybrid operation incorporates ready-to-eat foods prepared by local chefs to eat in or carry out and a small grocery stocked with foods from local vendors and growers.

In addition, a multi-pronged indoor plant production system will grow greens, herbs, microgreens, and more to deliver fresh produce, harvested on site and sold to waiting customers. The project involves multiple collaborators, with chefs, farms, indoor plant companies, and community groups to make the venue an integral part of the community.

Old North Provisions won the Fantasy Fare Food Competition in 2017. The award provided a 4,400-square-foot space equipped with a full kitchen, prep area, walk-in freezers, and included two years of rent-free space. In addition, Old North Provisions will receive both marketing help and mentorship during its startup. James and Bobby Forbes, James Hillis, and Matt Stoyanov of Good Life Growing were all on hand for the soft opening event.

“We’re opening a place that not only supports local food producers, we’re a holistic community space. We have a place for people to buy and eat good food, to hang out, to voice concerns, to listen to music, or play chess,” James Forbes says.

× Expand Photo by Pat Eby

“We have Crown Candy and LaMancha Coffeehouse across the way, but when there’s 20 people in those spaces, they’re full," James Forbes continued. "The community needs a space like Old North where a greater number of people can come together.”

The flexible floor plan of the space provides opportunities for groups of up to 100 people to gather there. The fixtures, tables, live plants, and shelving all glide on wheels for maximum versatility in the layout. For the soft opening, the space was set up for people to enjoy food and drink, but the large room can be redesigned for other functions in a matter of hours or minutes.

× Expand Photo by Pat Eby Bobby Forbes, Mike Miller, James Forbes

Stag Beer sponsored specialty food and drinks for the soft opening. We sampled Stag Session, a new offering from parent company Pabst Brewing Company. It’s lighter than original Stag, coming in at 3.8 percent ABV as compared to the original Stag at 5.20 percent ABV. Chef Josh Charles of Honey + Thyme incorporated the new beer in his dishes served at the soft opening.

× Expand Photo by Pat Eby Mike Miller, Josh Charles

Courtesy Good Life Growing

Charles, along with sous chef Nick Puccio, will be cooking out of the kitchen for Honey + Thyme. Chef Mike Miller of Kounter Kulture will be sharing the space as well. Both chefs will be creating food ready to eat for take home or carry out. They’ve also committed to reduce food waste by preparing flash-frozen meals for neighborhood children in need from foods that might otherwise be wasted.

“We won’t be a regular restaurant with meals cooked to order,” Charles says, “but there will always be something new and seasonal in prepared soups, salads, entrées and desserts to take home.”

Summer’s top sellers at Honey + Thyme include a chilled yellow squash soup and a chilled asparagus soup. “The yellow squash soup gets its brightness from a squeeze of lime and a hint of curry,” Charles explained.

Charles is mixing it up in the pastas with gluten-free options. He’s keyed in to the low-carb eaters with vegetable selections like zucchini "pasta" and cauliflower "rice" risotto. This mindful cook’s food will be readily available to a wider audience at Old North Provisions.

Chef Mike Miller of Kitchen Kulture shares the industrial kitchen and shelf space with Charles, making the selection of ready-to-got meals pretty memorable.

× Expand Photo by Pat Eby

One of the most unusual features of Old North Provisions is the pipe frame wall of hydroponically grown plants lining the storefront’s large windows, top to bottom. It was designed, installed, and maintained by Saint Louis Indoor Produce, known as SLIP. It’s a small, visible project for the SLIP team, Venkat Papolu, James McWilliams, and Olivia Engel.

Photo by Pat Eby

The Urban Space Farm duo of Jim Bell and Jim O’Brien have also implemented high-tech farming magic at the store. They’re doing an indoor grow-out of lettuces, basil, and microgreens. They’ve set up controllers that send information to a cloud service to monitor the plants remotely.

At Old North Provisions, it’s not business as usual. The store and its team of urban farmers, food-savvy inventors, and chefs are finding new ways to grow, make, consume, and sell in a time of change. They’re bringing new ideas and possibilities, fresh foods and new growth to Old North St. Louis. In creating a unique community space in a less well-known corner of the city, they’ve opened up possibilities for the region to experience and discuss new ways we grow and market food, manage change, and grow.