A trio of Metro East restaurateurs are teaming up to bring new dining options to Herald Square in Collinsville.
Old Herald Brewery & Distillery (115 E. Clay) plans to roll out a revamped menu this Friday, November 29. On the same block, Crepes & Cones is moving into the Cold Herald space, after relocating from Swansea. Not only will the changes enhance the culinary and craft beverage experience at Herald Square, but it will also support the community in other ways.
“This is going to be an intersection of all these places, a unified effort,” says Old Herald owner Derik Reiser, who’s partnering with Soulcial Kitchen’s John Michel and Food Is Love chef Lasse Sorensen.
Here’s what to know about the new offerings and the culinary collaboration.
Courtesy of Old Herald
Old Herald’s New Offerings
Earlier this year, Old Herald add two event spaces: The Sports Page Lounge (complete with a 14-foot video screen) and The Soulcial Space, an event space where a portion of each event’s proceeds help fund community initiatives, such as feeding the hungry, supporting local entrepreneurs, and empowering at-risk communities.
Courtesy of Old Herald
On Friday, Old Herald plans to roll out its latest change: a new menu with 12-inch pizzas, as well as pastas, soups, and smashburgers. Sorensen helped develop the pizzas, which will feature regional styles and inventive combinations. There will also be shareable options, such as dessert charcuterie platters featuring bite-size treats and candied nuts.
“We’re lending our expertise as mentors,” Sorensen says. “I’m helping the new chefs explore ideas, and they’ve been open to the changes.”
Crepes & Cones
Courtesy of Crepes & Cones
Turtle Shake from Crepes & Cones
Soulcial Kitchen’s Crepes & Cones dessert parlor is moving from Swansea to the former Cold Herald space. Managed by Alauna Baker, the dessert parlor will continue to offer baked goods, as well as sweet and savory crepes, handcrafted milkshakes, cheesecakes, and brownies.
Michel’s family’s 100-year-old crepe recipe from Paris will remain a cornerstone of the menu, reflecting the slogan coined at Aux Delices, the family creperie in Newport News, Virginia: “Life is short. Make it delicious!”
The Team
Courtesy of Old Herald
John Michel, Derik Reiser
Six years ago, Derik and Whitney Reiser opened the first craft brewery and distillery in the Metro East, transforming the historic Collinsville Herald building into Herald Square, which became a gathering space for the community. “We wanted to create something special that brings people together,” Reiser says.
Michel, a retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General, launched Soulcial Kitchen in 2021 in Swansea, Illinois. Its charity-driven mission paired the area’s first food truck park with the area’s first food-truck business incubator. The Soulcial Kitchen campus currently features Marco’s Express, a pizzeria with indoor seating. During warmer months, the space also offers food trucks, a craft bar, live music, outdoor seating, play areas, and a dog park. The project’s Currency of Caring program also aims to address food insecurity by allowing people to purchase $8 meal tokens that can be distributed and redeemed for hot meals at participating food trucks and restaurants.
Courtesy of Old Herald
Lasse Sorensen and pizza with grilled chicken, roasted new potato, pesto, and feta cheese, drizzled with creme fraiche and mustard aioli
After operating Tom’s Place in De Soto, Illinois, for 25 years, Sorensen closed the acclaimed fine-dining restaurant more than a year ago and relocated to Alton. A native of Copenhagen, Denmark, Sorensen has global culinary expertise. His family is also culinary royalty—his father was the king’s pastry chef. As the host of Food Is Love, Sorensen also continues to champion the power of food to unite people.
“Food is Love is my production company and nonprofit, but food is love, food is family,” Sorensen says. “Our goal is to make everybody happy.”
“Our mission is to bring people together through food,” adds Michel. “This collaboration will elevate the experience and create synergy between food and the community spaces we partner with.”
