In the Badock family, food and fabulous feasts have always been part of life. Our mother Marge was an excellent cook, and for her six children, meal times were happy times. Childhood memories, perhaps, are the reason we love cooking, creating, and eating. Marge's cooking was anything but ordinary.

Our family's involvement in the restaurant business began when our sister, Kay, opened two restaurants in the San Francisco area. She did well there but missed the family, and decided to return home. Our father, Ray, was thinking about retirement, but wanted some income, -- and a diversion. So, in August 1977, when Kay decided to get into the restaurant business here, in St. Louis, Dad and Mom decided to join her. Ray and Marge loved the restaurant business. Marge was happiest next to a big stockpot cooking for a lot of people.

Marge always used the best and freshest ingredients -- a tradition she carried on to Soulard's. We still carry on this tradition. It's one of our top priorities. Today, we plan our daily specials around what is in season and what is best for the day. We are uncompromising in demanding quality, and strongly believe that if you can't serve fresh food, don't serve it at all.

The restaurant has become well known for its home cooking, which was done mostly by Marge and Catholean. Marge created our famous house dressing, which we now bottle and sell only at the restaurant. Catholean Gully, a native Mississippian, brought in a style of cooking that complemented Marge's. She had an old-fashioned deep-southern flair that inspired a lot of our dishes, like Red Beans and Rice. Catholean has now retired, but will always be a part of our family.

By 1980, Kay had ventured out and started another café in the downtown area. Then our father suffered a massive heart attack. Both Tim and Dan, the two youngest sons and then in college, agreed to become partners and to take over the restaurant when they graduated.

One of the first things we did on assuming ownership was to give the restaurant a new look and expand. The upstairs apartment was completely remodeled and became our second floor dining room, complete with its own kitchen. It was quite different from old brick-lined walls downstairs. It was open, bright, and elegant. Basically we had created a new restaurant sporting a different menu, but with the same style that people had come to love. Our upstairs has been voted #1 Best Private Parties often, in the Riverfront Times Readers Poll, and in 2003 Soulard's Restaurant was voted #1 Best Restaurant and #1 Best Wine List in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Readers Poll.

Russel Byers, is now our main chef, he loves the art of creating new dishes. He enjoys studying different chefs from New Orleans as well as reading any cookbook he can lay his hands on. Russell has used his love of cooking to create wonderful appetizers, entrees, sauces, and side dishes. Russel is always coming up with new and exciting recipes and we are very happy to have him. Dan and Russel host cooking classes at The Kitchen Conservatory and Dierbergs School of cooking.

Dan has taken an interest studying wine, and has completed the first level of Sommelier testing.

The combination of Catholean's southern style, Russel's creativity, and Tim and Dan's knowledge of good cooking from their mother Marge, has led to a new, interesting Soulard's Restaurant.

Please visit and enjoy dinner with us soon.