The Food Gallery will sell everything from burgers to ramen when it opens in north St. Louis on June 22

The grand opening for The Food Gallery at 2812 N. Grand Blvd. in North City will take place June 22 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. with a ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m. There’ll be live music, giveaways and food to sample. 

Co-owners Roger Kelly and Terrence Dickerson are qualified in different ways for this new restaurant.  While Dickerson has a professional chef background, Kelly is a home cook. “I’m a pro in my own kitchen,” he said. “I’ve found my art.” 

But both men have the same vision and the same good intentions. They are not only concerned about making The Food Gallery the best it can be, but also about the difference they can make in the lives of St. Louis’s young people. 

The Food Gallery is positioned to do well on this stretch of Grand Boulevard where there’s not much competition besides Mother’s Fish across the street and a Chinese restaurant down the road. “There’s no place on this side of town doing what we’re doing,” Kelly said.

What he means is that there’s no place close by with The Food Gallery’s knack for ramen – its speciality – made with from-scratch broths, different kinds of seafood and a variety of meats; nowhere with a similar attention to a menu that speaks, like this one, to the food preferences of different cultures in this city. “We’re committed to a diverse approach,” Dickerson said. While ramen will be largely featured, there will be lamb dishes, burgers (beef, turkey, black bean) and wings, as well. There’s no liquor license yet, and the owners say they may keep it that way. They are interested, meanwhile, in a possible beverage program of non-alcoholic cocktails.

In the vein of diversity and accessibility, both Kelly and Dickerson say they are keen to tap into community groups like Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Boys & Girls Club of Greater St. Louis, and intend to offer kitchen skills classes to local children – like cutting and general food handling. “This is important,” Dickerson said, “because a lot of restaurants are behind the dollar. I’m not behind the dollar. I want to impact the community, so that when we leave it, we know we left our stamp.”

The Food Gallery measures around 2,000 square feet and seats 35 people. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.