After spending a legislative session away from the Capitol, Chez Monet will re-open its café in the Capitol basement on Jan. 5 — just in time for the hungry lawmakers, lobbyists, staffers, and visitors to return.
Joan Fairfax’s Chez Monet moved to the Governor Office Building on Madison Street last year after serving up delicacies in the Capitol since February 2018.
“Being away for this last year helped us realize this is where we belong,” Fairfax said. “So many people are so appreciative, and that is just the best. We are very glad to be back!”
Chez Monet will be open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m.-2 p.m.
Unfortunately, Fairfax said, Chez Monet will close its location in the Governor Office Building due to a staffing shortage. She said she would have kept that location open as well if she had found enough help.
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.
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.
