What I Do: Dan Brewer of Mofu

You may not know Dan Brewer’s name, but you’ve seen his Missouri-sourced tofu on dishes from Revel Kitchen to Mission Taco Joint. However, producing Mofu is only part of his resume. His love of art, food and nutrition came together when he became a full-time chef-instructor in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Saint Louis University, where he pushes his students to recognize not only the nutritional breakdown of food, but also the artistry.

 
From art classes to the kitchen
“Once I got into food, I felt like that was my medium. It’s what I understand and what I can speak with. … (When I was a kid) I didn’t understand what food was or what I wanted it to be. Fine dining to me was going to brunch at the Adam’s Mark Hotel downtown, shit people don't even do anymore.”

On not wanting to be a personal chef
“I’m not good at motivating people. Getting people to make lifestyle changes – that’s the kind of work I was doing initially – I had a really hard time being patient. I was like, ‘Why aren’t you motivated? Just make a decision.’”

First time making tofu
“(In grad school), I ended up having the research question, ‘What would global flavors be like in St. Louis if we were to be exclusively local?’ so we only use local ingredients. …  (When we made tofu), we were watching YouTube videos from China and (a friend) was translating for me because we couldn’t find any good information on how to make tofu here.”

Academic freedom
“(SLU) is not a traditional culinary school, so its not as regimented. There’s more room for philosophical approaches to examining things.”

Playing with his food
“I feel like I’m more of a chef than a tofu manufacturer. I think my work at SLU really influences my business. It’s like a studio for me to do all these things and I do it with students and share it with them. We’ve been fermenting cantaloupe (in crème fraiche). ... It (tasted) kind of cheesy. The flavor is very concentrated, like cantaloupe times 10.”

Opening minds
“So many (college students’) thought processes and belief systems are based off what their parents raised them to believe. I feel like my job isn’t to coerce them away from that, but to open their eyes to what else exists in the world. I take that really seriously. … And I do that through food.”