Vintage Wine Bar in downtown Waterloo has undergone substantial changes over the past few months, bringing on a new chef amid an expansion of the kitchen as the establishment continues to grow and offer more options for patrons.

Vintage Wine Bar owner Justin Schmidt spoke about the progress his place has made since it first opened its doors.

“Throughout the eight years, we’ve consistently grown,” Schmidt said. “There’s always been a need for more space, more food options, more for the customer. That’s why we first went ahead and did the event space.”

That space opened back in 2021, and just as the owners wanted to provide customers with some additional space for dining and events, they also found an urge to expand their menu and felt some constraint as they’d outgrown their kitchen.

Schmidt explained that they opted to take some of the space from the building next door – which they also own – and convert the residential space into a commercial kitchen between the main restaurant space and the event hall.

With this expansion of the kitchen came the need for someone to oversee it, and they happened to have met CJ Baerman as he was working with Shorty’s Smokehouse at an event several years ago.

“We were doing interviews and looking for someone to take over and manage the new kitchen, and CJ seemed like a good fit, good experience,” Schmidt said. “He was highly recommended by a few of the people that we spoke to.”

Baerman, who has long lived in the area and previously lived in Waterloo for over a decade, is known in the area for his cooking, primarily when it comes to barbecue.

He previously worked as the general manager and pitmaster at Bully’s Smokehouse in Columbia, and he also worked for almost a decade at Paddy O’s next to Busch Stadium.

Baerman also recalled how he was brought on at Vintage Wine Bar.

“We started discussing things here at Vintage Wine Bar with the expansion of the kitchen, and we decided it was a good fit for myself and for what the customer base wanted around here,” Baerman said.

He offered a brief overview of some of the additions the menu has seen, specifically noting the fried potato salad side and the signature chicken sandwich which has proven to be very popular.

Other items Baerman spoke highly of were the chicken pesto club and the smoked turkey with strawberry jalapeno barbecue sauce.

Further, Baerman noted that the menu is set to change throughout the year, and more emphasis has been placed on incorporating fresh veggies.

“With them building a brand new kitchen, an actual kitchen, we’ve grown beyond pizza ovens and panini presses,” Baerman said. “We now have a full-service kitchen, and we’ll be going off of seasonal menus.”

Speaking more on the menu, Baerman emphasized how he’s been overseeing the “highly scratch kitchen,” with salad dressings and many other items made in-house.

Baerman described how the additions to the menu have contributed to the atmosphere in the restaurant.

“With this being, y’know, a wine bar, really needing more snacky-type things and shareables, just something that can set the mood for when you come in with whether it’s your family, friends, significant partner, whatever it is,” Baerman said. “You can enjoy the live music and just be able to hang out for the evening.”

Both Baerman and Schmidt spoke positively about the kitchen and menu expansion, with Schmidt voicing his appreciation for customers’ patience as the restaurant has gotten used to the kitchen changes, also pointing out how folks have enjoyed both the additions and the old staples.

“The response has been great,” Schmidt said. “People are really enjoying the new options. We’ve kept some of the old menu items as well that were really the classics and the most popular.”

Having been at Vintage Wine Bar for about a year – the new kitchen really started cooking in March – Baerman was also pleased with the response.

“Everything’s been really exciting,” Baerman said. “Obviously there’s learning curves, but that goes along with any given project. Listening and learning from customers and trying to figure out what fits for this business in itself also while changing the landscape of what we do… Everything’s been great so far, and the customers have taken a great nod to the things that we’re trying to do.”

Beyond the in-house dining, both Baerman and Schmidt also touched on the catering side of the business, with catering available for folks looking to host an event in the business’ event space or elsewhere.

Baerman also made mention of more potential specials in the future, with the restaurant already having a brunch special on the last Sunday of every month and a burger special the second Wednesday of each month.

He added that, with these changes to the restaurant and menu, he’s striving to keep things fresh in Waterloo.

“We’re just trying to give Waterloo things that we do not already have here,” Baerman said. “I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes. I’m not trying to do the same old, same old, same old. Just to give the city a little different view of some of the things we can have here.”

For menus, catering and other info, visit vintagewinerbar.net.