The global pandemic has taken away a lot of things, but the one thing that is winning rounds and sticking around is good, homegrown food in the St. Louis area. You can knock family businesses down but it’s hard to keep them down.

Edibles and Essentials, a South City treasure located off Hampton Avenue near Princeton Heights, reopened its doors today after a small period of closure that began on March 23. At the time, owners Matt and Mary Beth Borchardt were hopeful of returning soon. Exactly a month later, they are making good on that claim.

While it isn’t entirely known yet what the exact menu will, Matt wants to return to their restaurant’s roots. In a Facebook post, he noted, “our entire concept was founded on being a local market and cafe and that is what our focus will be moving forward until the world is in a safer place.”

Customers won’t be able to pack the place upon its return. There will be a two guest max in the market area, as the Borchardts aim for small footprint shopping in contrasts to the crowded supermarkets. What are they serving? While there’s some mystery to the final list, there were some hints left in the previously noted Facebook post.

There will be fresh produce, farm-fresh eggs, thick-cut bacon, smoked meats, and packaged beer and liquor. There will be cocktails made to go, meat kits, and prepared meals that simply need a warm oven when the patrons return home.

South City families are expect new hours during this new run as well. Starting today, Edibles and Essentials will be open Tuesday-Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Call it a small taste of hopefully more to come down the road. A spring treat while the summer decides what it wants to be.

We may not get the specialties like their award-winning French fries and cherry-smoked fried ribs. Maybe not right away. But foodies will still get their delicious assorted desserts, a man soda (as the late Cardinal Chris Duncan called them), an adult beverage, and a well-made meal from a place you can trust.

It’s one of the essential restaurants for my family. We’d go there every Friday for a variety of small plate appetizers, splitting several to create a table full of comfort food and the trusted taste of a family business done right.

For Borchardt, it’s serving the people as well as his own creative fire. “We are going to provide our community with the service it needs right now,” he added in the release. While there are long lines for chain restaurants just a mile or two up the road, Edibles and Essentials is giving you another option to consider for your next Netflix binge or board game extravaganza.

This week, familiar and trustworthy faces return to Hampton. Head over and get some food and drinks, leaving a tip and a smile to one of our own.

Welcome back, Edibles and Essentials. St. Louis missed you.