Sebree’s
Brian Boultinghouse and his wife, Cindy, opened Sebree’s in Greentop, Mo., with one goal in mind: to share their love of sustainable agriculture and food with the northeast Missouri community. Since June 2012, Brian and Cindy have been busy networking with local farmers for a majority of their menu options.
The soft apples enclosed in the flaky, golden pie crust were picked from the trees on Brian’s grandparents farm located five miles southeast of Greentop. The warm and gooey Provel cheese, nestled in the crunchy confines of homemade cheese sticks, was packed in a cooler and brought back from St. Louis after a visit with Cindy’s family. The large, juicy Angus beef patties sizzling on the stovetop can be traced back to the cattle roaming around Jim and Sherry Brinkley’s ranch, about an hour southwest of town.
Ultimately deciding to revamp the business, Brian and Cindy are working to incorporate local and homemade food into their menu. Just about everything on the menu is made from scratch with the exception of the breads. For items that can’t be made, the couple tries to purchase locally or from sustainable producers. For example, to supplement their rib-eye steak, Brian and Cindy order from Creekstone Farms, a beef supplier based in Kansas.
“It’s supporting our community and putting our money back into places where we live,” Brian says. “That’s important. I’m not a big fan of large corporate restaurants — both for health’s sake and because none of their money stays in the community.”
Julie Davis, an undergraduate student at a local university, often drives with friends to dine at Sebree’s. Davis said she enjoys the home-like touches the owners add, such as the fresh flowers often seen on each table.
Davis, originally from St. Louis, has eaten at a variety of restaurants in her hometown and other larger cities. However, she says especially enjoys Sebree’s because of the ingredients, friendly staff and its devotion to the nearby communities.
“The quality of their food is a lot better than other restaurants I’ve been to,” Davis says. “A lot of [the ingredients] they grow themselves or they’re local. I think that’s really cool to really help build community and support people who are close to you as opposed to big business.”
Bubba Stephens, of Brashear, Mo., makes a 40-mile roundtrip to eat at Sebree’s with his wife. He says the food is what keeps him coming back for more, especially his two favorites: the Patty Melt, a burger with grilled onions and melted Provel cheese, and the crunchy Fried Zucchini, served with homemade Peppercorn Ranch Dressing. Stephens says he highly recommends Sebree’s and has yet to be disappointed with the local meat and homemade food.
“If you can buy everything local, do it,” Stephens says. “Support local and then local will support you as a business.”
Although Sebree’s menu is small, the restaurant still offers a variety of meat, salad and soup options. The cost ranges anywhere from $5 to $8 for appetizers — including items such as Bruschetta topped with fresh tomatoes, Sweet Potato Chips and homemade Onion Rings — to $23 for the most expensive regular menu item, their premium cut Rib-eye.
Brian says the small menu allows them to regularly utilize a set number of ingredients. The restaurant also uses seasonal vegetables, such as tomatoes from the garden in the summer and squash in the winter, to spice up the regular menu options Sebree’s offers. Customers are sometimes treated to the occasional braised rabbit, purchased from Green Hill Farms, and wild Icelandic Haddock, a delicate and slightly sweetly flavored fish.
Soon, Brian says he hopes to serve beef burgers from cattle raised on his grandparent’s farm in Greentop in addition to expanding his vegetable and herb gardens. He’d also like to incorporate a greenhouse so the restaurant can use more of its own produce.