A Royal Treat
The Lake Effect
PLEASANT HOUSE BAKERY:
A Royal Treat Story by Amelia Levin & Photographs by Grant Kessler
34
edible chicago | Winter 2013-2014
At this time of year, when the days are a little grayer and that cold wind whips against your face, there is nothing quite like coming inside, out of the elements, to seek comfort and warm-up with a hot beverage, a steaming bowl of stew or a cup of soup. But, have you ever done the same with a meat pie? For the past two years, at Pleasant House Bakery, the husband and wife team of Art and Chelsea Jackson have warmed and comforted Bridgeport locals with their piping-hot-andcreamy-on-the-inside, buttery-and-crispy-on-the-outside savory pies. The pies are also served at their new location in Three Oaks, Michigan, which is just around the Lake Michigan bend, past Indiana. Forget the trendy baked ‘cronuts’ craze. These “royal pies,” as the Jacksons call them, show every sign of becoming the next “it” thing. Think pot pie meets beef stew meets toasted croissant shell. Straight from the oven, baked fresh daily, these perfectly formed pockets of pleasure make the perfect meal. The all-butter, traditional English crust is shaped like a crown and pairs especially well with a fresh salad made from locally-grown vegetables and a glass of bubbly, house-made ginger soda. No wonder this little bakery, at the corner of 31st and Morgan Streets on Chicago’s Southside, has garnered a loyal following. Viewed from the outside, the quaint, white stucco walls lined with flower boxes and a little chalkboard sign, exude “pleasant”. Inside, the former hot dog stand, is minimalist in décor and offers just a few seats. In the warmer months, however, the space doubles when a back patio is opened. The outdoor oasis hums with pie-eating diners parked on picnic tables. The location, next to Marie’s Bar is key: bar patrons can order and enjoy freshly baked meat pies with their beer or, thanks to a BYO liquor license, they can take their beer bottles with them back to the bakery. Carryout is also an option. The pies come with instructions so they can be reheated till they are piping hot, but without burning the artisan shell. The Jacksons also ship frozen pies. Though it was never Art Jackson’s initial intention to produce British meat pies, the concept made perfect sense. Jackson, the former fine dining chef at Les Nomades, a celebrated French restaurant in Chicago, is also a certified Neapolitan pizza maker through the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletan (VPN). It has also been a longtime dream of his to open his own restaurant. When he finally ventured out, he turned to the comfort food of his childhood. “My dad being, from England, my grandmother was a big influence on my cooking,” Jackson recalls. “As a child I was exposed early on to the rich sausage rolls and the meat pies of British cuisine. When I was growing up and my family saw I had an interest in cooking, my grandma said to me, ‘If you want to have a restaurant, you should be like my friend in New Zealand, who had a simple shop and made these delicious pies—had a mixer and an oven. And that was it.’”
Chelsea Jackson at the counter in Bridgeport. ediblechicago.com
35
“I said, ‘No, grandma, I’m going to be a fancy French chef when I grow up.’ And that’s what I was for a long time, but oddly enough... that story came full circle.”
Although the term “royal pies” might make the food sound like a posh or fancy treat, the pies made by the Jacksons are meant to be enjoyed by everyone. “Our approach is lighthearted and comical and everybody is a royal,” he says.
Married now for ten years, both Art and Chelsea attended culinary school at Kendall College. In addition to the restaurant, Chelsea also worked as an editor for the Illinois Institute of Technology, putting together publications that specialized in baking and pastry. When their restaurant business boomed, however, she left her editing post to oversee the new Three Oaks location. Chelsea also contributes delicious daily sweet specials like Banoffee Pie, served with a beautiful whipped cream topping and other traditional British delicacies including sticky toffee pudding, trifle, custard and meringue desserts topped with cream and Michigan fruit. Occasionally, Chelsea will offer a fruit-filled Cornish pasty, but the star of the menu is the traditional, savory version served in a variety of flavors.
of life and ethnicity and background. If we wanted to, we could get people to maintain it for free, because they want the experience and are so interested in what we’re doing.” Their urban farm, however, is managed by Chelsea’s brother who handles their day-to-day growing needs.
For the Jacksons, opening Pleasant House Bakery in Bridgeport was serendipitous. When they first started dreaming of having their own restaurant, they knew a farm was a must and had to be part of the picture. They wanted to tend to the earth and continue their love of gardening. They both grew up in rural areas: he in Kane County, Illinois; she in Kansas.
Whatever they can grow in their garden, goes into their pies, from tender greens to herbs. “We also have a simple salad on our menu, so we grow a lot of dirt candy: radishes, cucumbers, flowers and arugula, in addition to the different lettuces,” says Jackson. At one point, the Jacksons planted 350 different types of tomato plants in a space near Art’s hometown.
As luck would have it, some architect friends of theirs owned a small plot of land just a block away from their Bridgeport restaurant. This plot was the beginning of an “urban farm” which also includes a community garden in Pilsen and a vertical, urban farming incubator at The Plant in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the southwest side.
“We’ve made a Thai curry pork meat pie with tomatillos and Japanese eggplant from our garden as well,” Chelsea Jackson says. “On Sunday we do a traditional carvery dinner, like roast beef with Yorkshire pudding. We use a lot of our produce for that and we also have trays of micro-greens during the winter.” Though the farm’s main purpose is to supply the restaurants, the Jacksons have sold some of their surplus at farmers markets in Hyde Park and Pilsen. Of course, they also sell their pies and sodas.
“From day one, people would walk by and see this activity in our garden and wonder what the heck was going on,” Art Jackson says. “But it quickly started to pay off— literally. The ground is a very humbling thing and it connects people. We’ve interacted with people from every walk
36
béchamel-style filling spiked with Parmesan cheese, is touted as the most “craveable.”
edible chicago | Winter 2013-2014
Of all their royal pies, the Steak and Ale still reigns supreme on their menu, but according to Art, the vegetarian-friendly, Mushroom and Kale Pie with the creamy, earthy,
Even selecting Bridgeport for their restaurant location was strategic. Besides being close to their longtime home in Pilsen, “We knew we’d be opening right in the middle of the cusp of hipness and all that, but were we going to get the mechanics down the street, and the generations of families that live in the neighborhood, from the Lithuanians, to the Irish, the Italians, the Chinese and the Hispanics? We did and that was a great accomplishment to us.” The idea of opening a second location in another state was a bit daunting at first, but proved easier as the new location was only an hour away from Bridgeport—a quick hop on the Dan Ryan expressway. The Three Oaks, Michigan location is markedly similar to the original restaurant—it is located in a close-knit community, which attracts year-round locals, farmers, and, in the summer, travelers from Chicago. “As kids, both Art and I would visit Harbor Country,” says Chelsea Jackson. “When we found out about the space from a friend of ours, we went back and instantly fell in love with the town. Everyone was so kind and welcoming and the space itself had tons of character.” After years of making beer at home, the new, roomier location in Michigan also allowed the Jacksons to build their own on-site brewery. “Like gardening, making beer was always part of plan,” says Art. “The idea of crafting the ultimate pie and the ultimate pint just seemed to go together.” Lighter in alcohol and hops, the food-friendly Pleasant House beers are refreshing and easy on the palate. For example, the popular Violet Beauregarde ale, (named after the Willy Wonka
character), uses Michigan blueberries from a nearby farmer which are then paired with malted barley from Castleford, England, the hometown of Art’s grandfather. The Chronometer, a steam beer gets its name from a sea faring device invented by Art’s ancestors from the same area in England. “We are able to tell the story about discovery and craftsmanship and tinkering through our beer,” he says. Art attributes the success of the brewery to Brewmaster, Amanda Bates, who they recruited from the Brew and Grow shop they used to frequent in Chicago. Some of the beer they make in Three Oaks goes into the food—like the Steak and Ale Pie and the mustards used on the scotch eggs. Managing the two locations, the brewery and the farm is a busy job, which a glance at Art’s notebook makes evident. It is filled with ideas and To Do Lists, but it is the help of their solid, loyal employees that keeps the business running. “We realize if we stayed too small, we’d have to keep finding more things for our people to do.” Art smiles and hints that there are three more endeavors in the works—another restaurant, for starters. How do you keep up with an ever-expanding workload? According to Art, “Just keep going!” A little passion doesn’t hurt either. Pleasant House Bakery is located at 964 W. 31st St. Chicago, IL 773-523-7437. Pleasant House Three Oaks is located at 9 N. Elm St. Three Oaks, MI 269-756-3600 For more information: pleasanthousethreeoaks.com. Amelia Levin is an author, a chef and a food adventurist. From savory to sweet and city to country, she has covered a lot of ground as a regular contributor to Edible Chicago. Grant Kessler is a freelance commercial photographer who specializes in local food, farm and restaurant photography. He is obsessed with cooking with fresh, local foods as well as growing his own food. For more than four years, Grant’s photographs have been featured regularly on the cover of Edible Chicago and in our Lake Eff ect column about Chicago chefs.
ediblechicago.com
37
PLEASANT HOUSE BAKERY:
A Royal Treat Story by Amelia Levin & Photographs by Grant Kessler
34
edible chicago | Winter 2013-2014
At this time of year, when the days are a little grayer and that cold wind whips against your face, there is nothing quite like coming inside, out of the elements, to seek comfort and warm-up with a hot beverage, a steaming bowl of stew or a cup of soup. But, have you ever done the same with a meat pie? For the past two years, at Pleasant House Bakery, the husband and wife team of Art and Chelsea Jackson have warmed and comforted Bridgeport locals with their piping-hot-andcreamy-on-the-inside, buttery-and-crispy-on-the-outside savory pies. The pies are also served at their new location in Three Oaks, Michigan, which is just around the Lake Michigan bend, past Indiana. Forget the trendy baked ‘cronuts’ craze. These “royal pies,” as the Jacksons call them, show every sign of becoming the next “it” thing. Think pot pie meets beef stew meets toasted croissant shell. Straight from the oven, baked fresh daily, these perfectly formed pockets of pleasure make the perfect meal. The all-butter, traditional English crust is shaped like a crown and pairs especially well with a fresh salad made from locally-grown vegetables and a glass of bubbly, house-made ginger soda. No wonder this little bakery, at the corner of 31st and Morgan Streets on Chicago’s Southside, has garnered a loyal following. Viewed from the outside, the quaint, white stucco walls lined with flower boxes and a little chalkboard sign, exude “pleasant”. Inside, the former hot dog stand, is minimalist in décor and offers just a few seats. In the warmer months, however, the space doubles when a back patio is opened. The outdoor oasis hums with pie-eating diners parked on picnic tables. The location, next to Marie’s Bar is key: bar patrons can order and enjoy freshly baked meat pies with their beer or, thanks to a BYO liquor license, they can take their beer bottles with them back to the bakery. Carryout is also an option. The pies come with instructions so they can be reheated till they are piping hot, but without burning the artisan shell. The Jacksons also ship frozen pies. Though it was never Art Jackson’s initial intention to produce British meat pies, the concept made perfect sense. Jackson, the former fine dining chef at Les Nomades, a celebrated French restaurant in Chicago, is also a certified Neapolitan pizza maker through the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletan (VPN). It has also been a longtime dream of his to open his own restaurant. When he finally ventured out, he turned to the comfort food of his childhood. “My dad being, from England, my grandmother was a big influence on my cooking,” Jackson recalls. “As a child I was exposed early on to the rich sausage rolls and the meat pies of British cuisine. When I was growing up and my family saw I had an interest in cooking, my grandma said to me, ‘If you want to have a restaurant, you should be like my friend in New Zealand, who had a simple shop and made these delicious pies—had a mixer and an oven. And that was it.’”
Chelsea Jackson at the counter in Bridgeport. ediblechicago.com
35
“I said, ‘No, grandma, I’m going to be a fancy French chef when I grow up.’ And that’s what I was for a long time, but oddly enough... that story came full circle.”
Although the term “royal pies” might make the food sound like a posh or fancy treat, the pies made by the Jacksons are meant to be enjoyed by everyone. “Our approach is lighthearted and comical and everybody is a royal,” he says.
Married now for ten years, both Art and Chelsea attended culinary school at Kendall College. In addition to the restaurant, Chelsea also worked as an editor for the Illinois Institute of Technology, putting together publications that specialized in baking and pastry. When their restaurant business boomed, however, she left her editing post to oversee the new Three Oaks location. Chelsea also contributes delicious daily sweet specials like Banoffee Pie, served with a beautiful whipped cream topping and other traditional British delicacies including sticky toffee pudding, trifle, custard and meringue desserts topped with cream and Michigan fruit. Occasionally, Chelsea will offer a fruit-filled Cornish pasty, but the star of the menu is the traditional, savory version served in a variety of flavors.
of life and ethnicity and background. If we wanted to, we could get people to maintain it for free, because they want the experience and are so interested in what we’re doing.” Their urban farm, however, is managed by Chelsea’s brother who handles their day-to-day growing needs.
For the Jacksons, opening Pleasant House Bakery in Bridgeport was serendipitous. When they first started dreaming of having their own restaurant, they knew a farm was a must and had to be part of the picture. They wanted to tend to the earth and continue their love of gardening. They both grew up in rural areas: he in Kane County, Illinois; she in Kansas.
Whatever they can grow in their garden, goes into their pies, from tender greens to herbs. “We also have a simple salad on our menu, so we grow a lot of dirt candy: radishes, cucumbers, flowers and arugula, in addition to the different lettuces,” says Jackson. At one point, the Jacksons planted 350 different types of tomato plants in a space near Art’s hometown.
As luck would have it, some architect friends of theirs owned a small plot of land just a block away from their Bridgeport restaurant. This plot was the beginning of an “urban farm” which also includes a community garden in Pilsen and a vertical, urban farming incubator at The Plant in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the southwest side.
“We’ve made a Thai curry pork meat pie with tomatillos and Japanese eggplant from our garden as well,” Chelsea Jackson says. “On Sunday we do a traditional carvery dinner, like roast beef with Yorkshire pudding. We use a lot of our produce for that and we also have trays of micro-greens during the winter.” Though the farm’s main purpose is to supply the restaurants, the Jacksons have sold some of their surplus at farmers markets in Hyde Park and Pilsen. Of course, they also sell their pies and sodas.
“From day one, people would walk by and see this activity in our garden and wonder what the heck was going on,” Art Jackson says. “But it quickly started to pay off— literally. The ground is a very humbling thing and it connects people. We’ve interacted with people from every walk
36
béchamel-style filling spiked with Parmesan cheese, is touted as the most “craveable.”
edible chicago | Winter 2013-2014
Of all their royal pies, the Steak and Ale still reigns supreme on their menu, but according to Art, the vegetarian-friendly, Mushroom and Kale Pie with the creamy, earthy,
Even selecting Bridgeport for their restaurant location was strategic. Besides being close to their longtime home in Pilsen, “We knew we’d be opening right in the middle of the cusp of hipness and all that, but were we going to get the mechanics down the street, and the generations of families that live in the neighborhood, from the Lithuanians, to the Irish, the Italians, the Chinese and the Hispanics? We did and that was a great accomplishment to us.” The idea of opening a second location in another state was a bit daunting at first, but proved easier as the new location was only an hour away from Bridgeport—a quick hop on the Dan Ryan expressway. The Three Oaks, Michigan location is markedly similar to the original restaurant—it is located in a close-knit community, which attracts year-round locals, farmers, and, in the summer, travelers from Chicago. “As kids, both Art and I would visit Harbor Country,” says Chelsea Jackson. “When we found out about the space from a friend of ours, we went back and instantly fell in love with the town. Everyone was so kind and welcoming and the space itself had tons of character.” After years of making beer at home, the new, roomier location in Michigan also allowed the Jacksons to build their own on-site brewery. “Like gardening, making beer was always part of plan,” says Art. “The idea of crafting the ultimate pie and the ultimate pint just seemed to go together.” Lighter in alcohol and hops, the food-friendly Pleasant House beers are refreshing and easy on the palate. For example, the popular Violet Beauregarde ale, (named after the Willy Wonka
character), uses Michigan blueberries from a nearby farmer which are then paired with malted barley from Castleford, England, the hometown of Art’s grandfather. The Chronometer, a steam beer gets its name from a sea faring device invented by Art’s ancestors from the same area in England. “We are able to tell the story about discovery and craftsmanship and tinkering through our beer,” he says. Art attributes the success of the brewery to Brewmaster, Amanda Bates, who they recruited from the Brew and Grow shop they used to frequent in Chicago. Some of the beer they make in Three Oaks goes into the food—like the Steak and Ale Pie and the mustards used on the scotch eggs. Managing the two locations, the brewery and the farm is a busy job, which a glance at Art’s notebook makes evident. It is filled with ideas and To Do Lists, but it is the help of their solid, loyal employees that keeps the business running. “We realize if we stayed too small, we’d have to keep finding more things for our people to do.” Art smiles and hints that there are three more endeavors in the works—another restaurant, for starters. How do you keep up with an ever-expanding workload? According to Art, “Just keep going!” A little passion doesn’t hurt either. Pleasant House Bakery is located at 964 W. 31st St. Chicago, IL 773-523-7437. Pleasant House Three Oaks is located at 9 N. Elm St. Three Oaks, MI 269-756-3600 For more information: pleasanthousethreeoaks.com. Amelia Levin is an author, a chef and a food adventurist. From savory to sweet and city to country, she has covered a lot of ground as a regular contributor to Edible Chicago. Grant Kessler is a freelance commercial photographer who specializes in local food, farm and restaurant photography. He is obsessed with cooking with fresh, local foods as well as growing his own food. For more than four years, Grant’s photographs have been featured regularly on the cover of Edible Chicago and in our Lake Eff ect column about Chicago chefs.
ediblechicago.com
37
