History
Our Beginnings
Niche Food Group was founded by chef and restaurateur Gerard Craft, a James Beard Award winner and one of the most innovative voices in Midwest dining.
A native of Washington, D.C., Craft didn’t set out to become a chef. After studying photography and working as a snowboard photographer in Salt Lake City, he found himself drawn into restaurant kitchens — first as a way to support his creative pursuits, and eventually as his life’s work. He went on to cook at Bistro Toujours in Park City, Utah, and the iconic Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, before staging at the acclaimed Ryland Inn in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey.
Always guided by instinct and an entrepreneurial spirit, Craft set his sights on opening a restaurant of his own. In 2005, at just 25 years old, he opened Niche in St. Louis, taking a chance on a boarded-up building he saw on Craigslist in the Benton Park neighborhood of a city he had never visited. That first restaurant would go on to reshape the city’s dining landscape and set the foundation for what would become Niche Food Group.
Over the years, Craft has been widely recognized for his role in redefining what Midwestern food and hospitality can be. He was named a Food & Wine Best New Chef, Food & Wine Innovator of the Year, and an Inc. Magazine Star Entrepreneur. In 2015, he earned one of the industry’s highest honors — winning the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Midwest — becoming the first chef from Missouri ever to receive the award.
As the founder and driving force behind Niche Food Group, Craft continues to lead with curiosity, creativity, and a deep belief in the power of hospitality, building restaurants that reflect not just a love of food but a love of people and community.
Our Evolution
Since opening Niche in 2005, Niche Food Group has grown steadily, evolving from a single fine-dining restaurant into a family of distinct and welcoming concepts across St. Louis and Nashville.
Brasserie by Niche, a French bistro in the Central West End, followed in 2009, alongside Taste by Niche, a tiny cocktail bar originally connected to Niche in Benton Park that would later move next door to Brasserie and become a pioneer of the city’s bar scene.
In 2012, the group expanded to Clayton with Pastaria, a family-friendly Italian restaurant, and relocated Niche next door the following year. After ten years and a James Beard Award win for Best Chef: Midwest in 2015, Niche closed its doors, going out on a high note and making space for what would come next.
New ideas continued to shape the company’s growth. Porano Pasta, a fast-casual Italian concept, opened downtown in 2016, followed by Sardella, a bright and modern Italian restaurant in Clayton. In 2017, Pastaria Nashville brought the group's signature Italian cooking to Tennessee.
Partnerships with the Four Seasons St. Louis led to Cinder House, a South American-inspired wood-fired restaurant, while Brass Burger popped up inside Rockwell Beer Company in 2018.
Some concepts came and went — Porano Pasta closed in 2018; Sardella followed in 2020, making way for Pastaria Deli & Wine in its place. Taste by Niche closed in 2021 after over a decade of shaping St. Louis cocktail culture.
Today, Niche Food Group is deeply invested in City Foundry STL, where the group operates Fordo’s Killer Pizza, Kitchen Bar, None of the Above (NOTA), and Expat BBQ, which opened in 2024. Craft played a key role in shaping the early vision of the Foundry’s Food Hall, helping attract its first wave of independent restaurant partners and contributing to its distinctive energy and diversity.
The group also partners with St. Louis CITY SC at Energizer Park, operating Brass Burger and a mini Pastaria Deli & Wine for fans on match days. As the club’s Chief Flavor Officer, Craft helped shape the stadium’s food and beverage experience, working to create an innovative, locally-driven food program for all fans.
In 2024, Porano was revived in Des Peres, bringing its customizable Italian fare to a new suburban audience.
While the restaurants themselves have changed over the years, each space — past and present — reflects Niche Food Group’s deep-rooted vision of hospitality, shaped by the people and community who helped build it.
Our Legacy
At Niche Food Group, hospitality is at the heart of everything we do — not just in how we serve guests, but in how we treat each other, our teams, and the communities we call home.
We are guided by a principle we call The Truth — the idea that when everything comes together, hospitality feels effortless, food feels intentional, and people leave feeling cared for. It’s the standard we hold ourselves to every day.
Our core values shape every decision we make:
Hospitality
Extend it to everyone, in every interaction.
Honesty
Lead with integrity and openness.
Failure
Embrace mistakes as opportunities to learn and improve.
Innovation
Ask how we can do it better. Challenge the status quo.
Legacy
Leave every space, team, and position better than you found it.
In 2025, as Niche Food Group marks its 20th anniversary, we were honored as a James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur — a reflection of our continued growth, our lasting impact on the Midwest dining landscape, and our commitment to thoughtful leadership and hospitality.
What began as one small restaurant built on instinct and hustle has grown into a company dedicated to collaboration, creativity, and creating spaces where people feel welcome — places where thoughtful food and warm hospitality bring people together.
