Bill Cawthon is now executive chef at Herbie’s

Clayton staple Herbie’s has recently hired Bill Cawthon as executive chef, as reported by St. Louis Magazine. Cawthon started on Feb. 1, taking the place of executive chef Ramon Cuffie.

Cawthon, who co-owned and operated the popular Frankly Sausages food truck and Frankly on Cherokee, has also worked in kitchens at Cardwell’s at the Plaza, Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria and Pastaria.  

“I’ve worked at a bunch of restaurants in St. Louis. I’ve learned a lot,” Cawthon said. “I think once I did my own spot and the food truck, it was one of those things where you get this taste of menu freedom, staff freedom. You can build your team how you want to build it. You can do your food how you want to do it, and I think I was looking for that again.”

Cawthon said he doesn't want to overcomplicate the food at Herbie's. He intends to roll out new lunch and dinner menus in the next month or two, featuring dishes like rack of lamb with farro risotto. He has already launched new brunch items such as Herbie’s breakfast sandwich, chicken and waffles and banana bread pudding French toast.

“I’ve always been pretty straightforward with my food. We’re not going to do anything crazy,” he said. “We’re doing very simple dishes [with] local, high-quality ingredients. Pretty straightforward. It’s a pretty down-to-earth restaurant.”

Cawthon said he wanted the menu to offer something for everyone in Herbie's wide-ranging clientele. "We want people to come in and be able to find something they like,” he said.

Brenna Sullivan is an editorial intern at Sauce Magazine.