× Expand Kevin A. Roberts St. Louis Kolache co-owner Russ Clark amidst a collection of kolache.

Ever wonder why St. Louis has only one place specializing in kolache, the popular central European stuffed pastry? So did Russ Clark. Then, he decided to do something about it.

Clark (pictured above) is a 30-year restaurant veteran who currently owns Total Catering St. Louis and a Cecil Whittaker’s, along with business partner Bart Mantia. Like many restaurateurs, the duo have conceived many new restaurant concepts, but the one that made the most sense to them was kolache, the pastry that’s enjoying increasing popularity, thanks in part to the proliferation of a franchise called Kolache Factory. (The sole St. Louis outpost is located in Brentwood.)

Clark admits that he was at one time unfamiliar with kolache (the plural of kolach). But once he tasted a variety of them, he was sold. And once he and Mantia saw a TODAY Show segment with Bon Appetit’s prediction that the kolache would unseat the Cronut in 2015 and that it was the baked good that the magazine’s restaurant editor, Andrew Knowlton, “would stand in line for,” they set their sights on finding a well-trafficked location for an independent kolache bakery here in St. Louis.

Their ideal site turned out to be one that Clark had driven by for years, a former Winchell’s and most recently an AT&T Custom store, at 1300 N. Lindbergh (at Baur/Schuetz) in Creve Coeur.

The appeal of kolache is their portability and versatility, like “a little Hawaiian sweet bread sandwich stuffed with whatever you want to put in them,” as Clark says. When St. Louis Kolache opens in September, expect to find the basics like ham and cheese (a favorite in most markets), but also more unusual options like hot pastrami and Swiss; fresh spinach and mushroom with pesto; and pulled pork and smoked brisket that Clark and Mantia already produce for their catering operation. A Sloppy Joe kolache is not out of the question, nor are wackier iterations like a “Srirache Kolache” or one stuffed with Nutella, bacon, and banana.

What will differentiate St. Louis Kolache from other operations? The ability to source higher-quality and local products, like St. Louis-made sausage and bratwurst. Traditional fruit-filled kolache will round out the menu of 30-plus daily options, which average $2 apiece.

Clark hopes a simple product with a lot of options—combined with Kaldi’s coffee and the location on a busy street corner—will be the springboard to a timely business.

"We have a free-standing building, a traffic light, and our hours are 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.," Clark says. "We're pretty excited."