Location
111 Saint Paul Street
Burlington, Vermont, 05401
HOURS
MILKWEED Pickup only: M-F 3-5PM
CONTACT
802.310.7828
hello@monarchandthemilkweed.com
Opened in 2016, "Monarch and the Milkweed" is a staple of the Burlington, Vermont restaurant landscape. Dubbed a "fine diner" by chef owner Andrew LeStourgeon, "Monarch and the Milkweed" is known for its nostalgic comfort food menu, French and American-tradition inspired pastry case, and fiercely creative cocktail menu.
The name "Monarch and the Milkweed" is based on the symbiotic relationship that exists between Monarch butterflies and the milkweed plant. Milkweed plants are pollinated by Monarch butterflies while Monarch butterflies need milkweed to lay their eggs. The name proudly represents the harmonious partnership between "Monarch and the Milkweed" and MILKWEED®!
A career pastry chef, founder Andrew LeStourgeon was born and raised in the beautiful Midwestern USA in Indianapolis, Indiana. After a short stay in Rhode Island working for Cheryl and Michael Manni at “Lasalle Bakery”, Andrew began to cut his teeth in New York City. He interned and worked for businesses including “Balthazar” for Keith McNally and “Perry Street” for Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Johnny Iuzzini, then created and managed for “Tentation, Potel & Chabot” and “Fig and Olive” with Pascal Lorange and Laurent Halasz. After moving off-grid to Vermont, escaping the pace of city life, he worked in medical marijuana dispensaries producing edibles, while running the pastry program for Eric Warnstedt and William McNeil’s "Hen of the Wood” restaurants. When Andrew ventured to open his own company, he wanted to combine his past experiences in a brand that exemplified them both and started “Monarch and the Milkweed”, and “MILKWEED” cannabis confections.
Photo Credit: Matthew Thorsen
While the restaurant is closed, only our milkweed menu is available:
MILKWEED is a line of full-spectrum CBD-infused confections produced by "Monarch and the Milkweed" in Burlington, Vermont. Created by Andrew LeStourgeon and produced by his fabulous team, MILKWEED confections are whimsical delights created with the finest ingredients and locally-sourced organic Vermont CBD...truffles, marshmallows, gumdrops, and more!
Our confections
Our take on the classic peppermint patty, named for founder Andrew LeStourgeon and the Andes Mint. One of our first two pieces ever.
A collaboration with Adam’s Berry Farm in Charlotte, this piece is a white chocolate truffle filled with house-made Adam’s Berry Farm strawberry fondant, also named for Andrew, our resident strawberry blonde.
Modeled after one of Andrew’s first original deserts at Hen of the Wood, this piece has notes of pine, conifer (pine cone), and dark chocolate. It’s the smaller and more potent version of our Evergreen Buddy!
This piece is based on a delightful sesame and tahini dessert that was brought to Monarch and the Milkweed by a former Iraqi pastry cook.
A collaboration with Elmore Mountain Therapeutics, this botanical flavored marshmallow is wrapped in white chocolate and garnished with candied violets and roses.
A collaboration with Zero Gravity Brewery, Champlain Nougatine features ‘Cote d’ Champlain’ folded into nougat flavored with pistachio, pecans, and honey. It is covered in edible rice paper decorated with Monarch and ZG’s logos printed in edible ink. This piece takes a few minutes out of the fridge to soften.
A collaboration with our friends at Foam Brewers, this lozenge is based on a sour beer we co-brewed with notes of honey, vanilla, and local Dolgo crab apples from Scott Farm in Dumerston, VT!
A combination of peppermint, spearmint, and vanilla, these little guys are dosed with 5mg CBD, 0mg THC per piece. The perfect way to freshen up your day! A dozen per container!
Our take on the classic “Bee’s Knees'“ cocktail, this lozenge is flavored with honey, lemon, and Barr Hill Gin from our friends at Caledonia Spirits!
Modeled after a favorite cocktail on the Monarch and the Milkweed menu, this truffle is filled with a Black Strap Rum and coffee caramel, enrobed in a vanilla bean white chocolate. 50mg CBD, <0.3% THC.
Black Lives Matter. We designed this piece with PEACE in mind. We pastry chefs love making lemonade out of lemons... and everybody likes lemonade! Think "Beverly Hills Hotel"..... we even used the font from that hotel, designed by Black architect Paul WIlliams in the 1940's. Reversed MILKWEED on the label because we as a country need to re-engineer our thought processes and systems when it comes to racism. We will be donating $1 per piece sold to selected charities and movements, starting with "Black Lives Matter." We understand this is an important movement and time to be conscious of that with our thoughts and actions as we change what needs to be changed. Lemonade is a yoghurt-coated truffle filled with lemon vanilla caramel.
Maglianero (Cascara Cherry Gumdrop)
An ode to the loved Maglianero coffee shop formerly on Burlington’s Maple Street, this gumdrop is flavored with Cascara and cherry. Cascara is the fruit that produces coffee beans as its seeds (there’s even some residual caffeine in this gumdrop!). It has a sour after taste because it’s coated in citric acid just like the Yuuzy.
Created as a way of reclaiming the Corona name, My Corona is a house made dark chocolate, raspberry, and Chambord liqueur ganache filled truffle wrapped in a blueberry yogurt white chocolate. It is designed to look exactly like Coronavirus cells.
A milk chocolate bar made with coconut oil and flavored with peanut butter designed to melt away in your mouth
A collaboration with Mad River Distillers, this piece is based on a cocktail from the bar program at Monarch and the Milkweed. The Yuuzy is a yuzu, orange, jalapeno, and vanilla flavored gumdrop. It is slightly sour, coated on the outside with citric acid.
This piece is designed to look and taste exactly like the wonderfully refreshing kaffir lime of Southeastern Asia.
Launched on Mother’s Day in 2019, this piece pays homage to Mother Theresa whose birth name is Anjezë. This piece has camphor, the main ingredient in Tiger balm, a traditionally Southeastern Asian salve used for healing all kinds of bodily ailments.
A collaboration with our friends at WhistlePig Rye Whiskey, this piece is a white chocolate truffle filled with WhistlePig Farmstock Rye, WhistlePig maple syrup, and butterscotch. We add rye both during and after the cooking process!
"Brûlée" is a crunchy caramelized sugar milk chocolate truffle. Filled with dark amber caramel and enrobed in milk chocolate and crunchy turbinado sugar.
MarshmellowPuff (tonka puff)
Our take on the classic Malomar with a cinnamon graham cracker base, tonka flavored marshmallow, wrapped in dark chocolate.
Inspired by our friends at Zero Gravity Brewery, this piece is a white chocolate truffle filled with a ‘Black Cat’ porter beer and baking spice fondant, molasses, and wrapped in yogurt.
Designed to convey the essence of Hen of the Wood Waterbury, this dark chocolate truffle is filled with a praline center that is smoked with the same Applewood they use to smoke the dining room before service at HOTW Waterbury, while the outside is rolled in smoked cinnamon from La Boite, a spice company owned by Andrew’s friend Lior in NYC.
Modeled after one of Andrew’s first original deserts at Hen of the Wood, this piece has notes of pine, conifer (pine cone), and dark chocolate. It’s the larger and less potent version of our Evergreen Bud!
A CRUNCHY candy bar made of pureed pecan pralines and coated in dark chocolate, named for the Hickory trees that produce pecans!
Inspired by our friends at Foam Brewers, the name ‘Guimauve Goose’ pays homage to Monarch’s French pastry roots (guimauve is French for marshmallow) while also poking fun at beer nerds use of the word gosé. The piece is a fruited-sour beer marshmallow coated in caramelized blonde chocolate designed to look like an overflowing pint of beer.
Inspired by our friends at WhistlePig, this piece is a dark chocolate truffle with WhistlePig Boss Hog Rye, Willis Wood Apple Cider Jelly (also used in Whistling Willie Cocktail), and butterscotch!
Your favorite peanut butter cup!
Designed to look and taste exactly like the fruit itself, Passionfruit is filled with passionfruit caramel and coated with passionfruit white chocolate.
THESE PRODUCTS HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED BY OR EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION AND ARE NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.
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