Buy some St. Louis restaurant history at the Bengelina garage sale this weekend

When St. Louis restaurateur Ben Poremba announced that he’d be moving his restaurants Olio, Elaia and Nixta to the Delmar Maker District, some wondered what it might mean for the Botanical Heights neighborhood they’d be leaving behind. But maybe they should have instead wondered what it might mean for the literal contents of the restaurants.

This weekend, we have the answer for the latter question: the ultimate foodie garage sale.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 7, and Monday, July 8, Poremba’s hospitality group, Bengelina, will be selling off the “various odds and ends” from the departing eateries at the AO&Co. Market & Cafe at 1641 Tower Grove Ave. 

It’s a chance to own a literal piece of St. Louis restaurant history. Before Poremba opened Olio and Elaia in late 2012, not much was happening in Botanical Heights – Olio was still literally an old gas station – and Poremba himself was known primarily as half of the duo behind Salume Beddu. Zoom into the future, and he’s the mind behind so many of St. Louis’ favorite food spots, including the recently opened Esca and Florentin.

If that’s not enough motivation to do some shopping, think about the potential gold you might unearth: restaurant-grade cookware, perfectly aesthetic decor or cute glassware perhaps? Treasures might be here.