JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Chez Monet, the bustling café in the Capitol basement, will open a second location, owner Joan Fairfax confirmed.
The new restaurant will be in the Governor Office Building on Madison Street, just blocks away from the Statehouse. Fairfax said she signed a lease for the space over the weekend.
While planning is underway, the grand opening for the new restaurant is still to be determined. With the Capitol largely closed amid the ongoing global pandemic, Chez Monet has shuttered its doors until further notice.
Originally from Tipton, Fairfax first opened Chez Monet on High Street in 1991 after working at Gerbes Super Market for some time as the bakery manager in mid-Missouri. Eventually, Fairfax closed the High Street location and began working out of her home where she has a commercial kitchen. She specializes in cakes for all occasions and offers catering services as well.
But when the opportunity arose, a vacant café in the Capitol basement, Fairfax opened up shop in February 2018, in the midst of the legislative session.
Chez Monet has become a family affair — with both relatives and friends working at the restaurant throughout the year. The café is typically open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays and is a favorite among lawmakers, staffers, and lobbyists alike.
Read more about Chez Monet here.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.