Photographs by Mark Gilliland
There's a changing of the guard in St. Louis dining. Fresh market menus are replacing the standard meat-and-potatoes fare of old, and new restaurants are opening monthly. The shift's been years in the making, led by a handful of innovative chefs willing to push tradition's envelope and welcomed by a new breed of St. Louis diner willing to play along. We've chosen to spotlight eight of these chefs, each an imaginative contributor to the new culinary kingdom.
Ivy Magruder
Executive chef, Eleven Eleven Mississippi
Ivy Magruder can re-member the day he first felt the thrill of feeding a crowd. Just 13, he was pulled from dishwashing duties at a local banquet hall and thrown into the kitchen to replace a missing cook. The experience eventually propelled him to Johnson & Wales in Charleston, S.C., and later into the kitchens of Remy's Kitchen & Wine Bar and Blue Water Grill.
Eleven Eleven owners Paul and Wendy Hamilton recruited Magruder to their project with the directive, "We want to have a warm restaurant; go plan a menu." The result is a collection of hearty, comforting foods that feature unusual old-school ingredients such as wild boar and red deer. Items such as a lobster BLT and rabbit fricassee spotlight Magruder's imaginative style, but he's careful never to let creativity outshine the ingredients.
Of the dishes your mom use to make, what was your favorite?
I can tell you one of my least favorites--it's actually on the menu here. About once a month, my mom would set the dining-room table and we'd all dress up and have a five-course meal. One time Brussels sprouts were on the menu; I didn't like the smell or the look of them. At my house, you didn't have to like it, just try it. I was about 8, and I refused. The dishes were done, my sister was doing her homework and I was still at the table, crying, and my dad was screaming and yelling. I ate the Brussels sprouts that night and so now, as a tribute to my father, they're on the menu here.
Did you ever grow to like them?
I've grown to tolerate them. Do I taste them to make sure they're OK? Sure. But they're more of a nod: 'Dad, I turned out all right; this one's for you.'
Have St. Louis diners changed?
Absolutely. When we talked about opening this restaurant, Paul said 'I want wild boar and rabbit on the menu.' I said 'I guarantee you St. Louis is not ready.' Now rabbit and wild boar are in our top five sellers every month. Diners are challenged by something different instead of being scared away, as they were five or 10 years ago.
Do you get strange requests?
We had a guest when we first opened who thought the silverware was too heavy, so we ran up to Arcelia's and borrowed some for her. Some of the questions I find comical, like, "Can you do the potato-wrapped grouper without the grouper?" Well, that would be potatoes.
What's your culinary pet peeve?
Overdoing the food. To me, it's not a pissing contest. Yeah, you can locate all these exotic ingredients, but is that supposed to impress me? I hate it when I have to ask questions about the menu. Chefs' egos, that's what it is.
Stephen Gontram
chef/owner, Harvest Seasonal Market Cuisine
Nearly all of us have heard about Stephen Gontram's passionate belief in using only the freshest, most organic ingredients--not canned, not frozen--in the seasonal cuisine at Harvest (which doesn't attempt to offer lunch because it takes all day to prepare for dinner). But back in 1996, when Gontram returned from San Francisco after gradu-ating as valedictorian from the California Culinary Academy and working in the restaurants of Wolfgang Puck and Bradley Ogden, his approach was new to St. Louis. Insisting on the creative use of high-quality local produce and proteins not only earned Harvest a devoted local following and national acclaim from Gourmet and The New York Times but also proved a pioneering approach: Ten years later, the best restaurants in town are those offering changing, seasonal menus based on fresh products. And many of the finest chefs list Gontram as an inspiration.
"I like thinking of the restaurant as a magnet to the industry," says Gontram. "We see a lot of people coming in who work for fine restaurants. That's a compliment, and I take it very seriously."
Seasonal cuisine necessitates regular changes to the menu, and in more than 80 menu changes over 10 years, Gontram admits to a few outright flops. But the dishes that "just don't work" have been far fewer, he adds, than the dishes that work but don't sell. "There are some things in St. Louis that just don't move," he says. "My prime example is squab. It's probably my favorite fowl--it's the most delicious bird, very rich and very versatile--but we can't sell squab to save our life. We can sell quail, we can sell duck, we can sell capon--but we can't sell squab."
Gontram says St. Louis has "many more good restaurants per capita today than there were 10 years ago." He has only two major gripes: "Restaurants that simply don't put out an effort and the whole vegetable medley thing--the same vegetable on every dish, no matter what. Restaurants have started to call this medley 'seasonal vegetables,' but they're not seasonal at all."
On St. Louis favorites: "I'll rarely order toasted ravioli because nobody makes them fresh; they're all frozen. We do use a lot of products from Volpi."
Indispensible kitchen utensils: "My good Japanese chef's knife and a pair of tongs."
Favorite class in culinary school: "Wine appreciation."
Recommended for the home cook: "The Joy of Cooking and the Slow Food website, slowfood.com."
Stephen Ciapciak
executive chef, King Louie's
Stephen Ciapciak is the shy, quiet type, much more at ease shopping the King Louie's pantry for dinner ingredients than talking about his craft. And when he does talk, he's much too modest, calling his culinary background "not much of one" and downplaying his skill at creating original, dynamic menu items.
Ciapciak's modesty is genuine, but, as anyone who has dined at King Louie's since Ciapciak took over as executive chef in May 2004 knows, it's unfounded. In owner Matt McGuire's opinion, "He's doing some of the most exciting things we've ever done."
Ciapciak's career began in a hotel kitchen during college and does not include formal culinary-school training. Instead, he learned at the elbows of several talented chefs, including a multiyear stint as sous-chef at King Louie's. When executive chef Kirk Warner moved on, Ciapciak was handed the reigns of one of the city's most progressive eateries. "It was extremely intimidating," he admits. "Still is."
Ciapciak's menu continues King Louie's longstanding emphasis on artful dishes that highlight seasonal ingredients. He likes the creative element of the smaller market menu, which changes every two weeks.
"It's my little spot where I can do whatever I want," he says, and then the modesty returns: "I don't think many people invent new things; they're just doing their take on something that's been
done before."
He describes the atmosphere in his kitchen as "quiet and casual, friendly and efficient," noting that the camaraderie among the kitchen staff is the best part of the job. But casual does not mean cavalier: Ciapciak and his staff do their best to keep the crowd happy. "I don't necessarily appreciate blackening fish for people," he admits, "but knowing you're pleasing the people who come in makes it really satisfying."
Favorite restaurants: Harvest, Sidney Street Cafe, Arthur Clay's
Favorite St. Louis food: Ted Drewes
Least favorite food: Canned tuna
Recommended reading for the home chef: The New Food Lover's Companion, by Sharon Tyler Herbst; Larousse Gastronomique; and The Craft of Cooking, by Tom Colicchio
Steve Komorek
chef/owner,
Trattoria Marcella
Asked when he fell in love with cooking, Steve Komorek says it's more a matter of "how many times over." His most recent reinfatuation with the culinary arts came during a three-month visit to the kitchens and farms of Italy last year, in a program sponsored by the Italian Ministry of Culture. It was his first formal training in a long and distinguished career, one that started at 12 in his family's Slay's Restaurant and has included time at his cousin David Slay's celebrated eatery in Beverly Hills and local dining institution Tony's. His career hit its stride 10 years ago, when he and his brother opened Trattoria Marcella and presented diners with affordable, authentic Italian fare. Komorek's ability to preserve both the simplicity and the depth of the often-underestimated cuisine quickly earned the restaurant a large, devoted clientele.
Evenings at Trattoria Marcella are, he admits, "a pressure cooker for sure--it's showtime." But during the day, he says his kitchen is "fun and effective," with music playing as chefs work together to create new dishes and specials. Responsibility for the menu rests with Komorek and co-executive chef Mike Risk, but staffers must contribute ideas. "I don't like the idea of cooks being cooks," he says. "If you're going to work in the kitchen, you should do your best to be a chef--and to be a chef, you have to create." After years at the stove, he almost never creates a dish that misses the mark--and he says sometimes that can work against him. "Customers come here and know what they want, so to get them to try something different is difficult. I always make them the guarantee that if they don't enjoy it, I'll have their favorite right out to them."
Though known for his mastery of Italian cuisine, Komorek is of Lebanese descent--and a St. Louisan through and through, as his love of toasted ravioli, Imo's pizza and gooey butter cake attest. "Is there a wrong time for gooey butter?" he asks, laughing. "I can't believe it hasn't become nationally known. I made gooey butter when I was in Italy, and everybody went crazy for it."
FAVORITE DISH ON THE MENU: Duck and wild mushroom ravioli
FAVORITE RESTAURANTS: Cardwell's at the Plaza, Portabella, Luciano's, King Louie's, Gian-Tony's on the Hill
RESOURCES FOR THE HOME COOK: The Internet; local cooking classes. Learn the basics and then play.
Michael Roberts
chef/owner,
Atlas Restaurant
Michael Roberts figured that if he learned to cook, he'd not only have a trade but also be able to feed himself. Once in culinary school, he discovered he had what he calls "a knack for it." And that knack took his career from burgers and breakfast food to the finest kitchens in San Francisco, where he met his wife, St. Louis native Jean Donnelly. The duo moved to lower-cost St. Louis to try their hands as restaurateurs. Roberts' fresh, simple food (and sweet tooth, evidenced in Atlas' late-night dessert-only menu) and Donnelly's graciousness with guests have earned Atlas a reputation as a cozy neighborhood bistro that draws fans from far beyond its Central West End environs.
WHEN YOU DECIDED TO OPEN ATLAS, WHAT WAS YOUR GOAL? A bistro, casual and intimate but with really good food. A place where people could come twice a week--a place that takes care of basics, but very well. Where else can you go to get a nice steak with french fries? In France, you can do that in pretty much every city, but in most American cities you get either hamburgers or real fancy--it's one extreme or the other.
DESCRIBE THE MOST MEMORABLE MEAL YOU'VE HAD. When we were traveling in France, we went to visit a friend's mother in Champagne. On the way back, we missed the train. We went to this bistro and had a really good meal. I don't recall everything we ate--some Champagne, some foie gras--but it was one of the best meals we've ever had--and at some little restaurant next to the train station!
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE DISH ON THE CURRENT MENU? I like to do desserts; I have a very big sweet tooth. If I do a menu for a special party, the first thing I plan is dessert and I'll design the rest of the menu after that. As a cook, you don't enjoy the meal as much; you're cooking and tasting and it's not a surprise for you. Dessert is always the surprise.
ARE THERE FOODS YOU JUST DON'T LIKE? I'm not big on liver. Someone invited us over for dinner and they were having kidneys; I heard about that and found an excuse not to go. I didn't want to sit there and choke them down.
WHICH RESTAURANTS DO YOU FREQUENT? Chez Leon. Pomme. King Louie's is one of my favorites. Annie Gunn's is very good--the Smoke House, for takeout, is one of the best. And I really do go to Ted Drewes whenever I can.
Lou Rook
executive chef,
Annie Gunn's
Annie Gunn's was already a staple of St. Louis din-ing when the flood of 1993 shut its doors. When the water receded, the Chesterfield classic reopened, better than ever, thanks in large part to the addition of executive chef Lou Rook III. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Rook was a veteran of several local kitchens and a regular at the old Annie's. The new Annie Gunn's debuted with a menu of perfected favorites and a few additions designed to allow the new chef room for ingenuity. From there, Rook began to cultivate a network of local farmers and purveyors for high-flavor organic ingredients, and, under his guidance, the menu continued to evolve into a collection of dishes at once rustic and elegant.
Like other pioneering chefs in town, Rook draws his menus from the seasons and chalks up his resourcefulness with ingredients to years of experience with flavor combinations, extensive reading, and quiet, reflective time before the kids get up in the morning. He's also quick to credit owner Thom Sehnert for giving him a free hand and Annie's clientele for their willingness to try the new dishes. St. Louis diners weren't always so eager to experiment, he recalls; the shift started around 1988. "There were a lot of really talented chefs out there, but a lot of them had been held back by what their clientele demanded. People's palates have changed immensely; they're a lot more educated, a lot more daring. Meat and potatoes is pretty much a bygone era."
Rook runs an efficient but loose ship in the kitchen, leading by example instead of an iron fist and often engaging in a bit of banter with his sous chef and father, Lou Rook Jr., called Dad by the executive chef and "Papa Lou" by the rest of the Annie's family. There's no yelling, but their exchanges are very familial--sometimes playful, sometimes not, all marked by a strong mutual respect. Family aside, Rook's biggest challenge is persuading the next generation to slow down enough to learn to properly run a kitchen. "They all want to get there so fast," he says, adding that he can't stand to see expensive, high-quality ingredients treated off-handedly. "You don't take a beautiful piece of $30-a-pound tuna and just throw it in a pan. And you have to use sharp knives on herbs so they don't bruise."
FAVORITE DISH ON THE MENU: Forever, it's my roasted chicken. Right now, it's the Hungarian sausage with fried oysters.
FAVORITE ST. LOUIS FOOD: Gooey butter cake
Steve Scherrer
chef/owner,
Arthur Clay's
A Wentzville native, Scherrer was bitten by the restaurant bug early on, when he took his first job as a delivery boy in a mom-and-pop pizzeria. After earning a hotel-restaurant management degree from Mizzou, he talked his wife, Kerri, now co-owner and pastry chef at Arthur Clay's, into enrolling at Johnson & Wales in Providence, R.I. The couple spent the following years living the nomadic life often demanded of chefs, with stints in kitchens that ranged from a corporate concept in Florida to the Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta. They came home in 2003 to open Arthur Clay's, an intimate establishment named after Scherrer's father, with an ever-changing menu designed to spotlight Scherrer's creativity. He keeps the ideas flowing with a laid-back attitude and rap in the kitchen.
DESCRIBE THE ATMOSPHERE IN YOUR KITCHEN. Extremely relaxed. There's not an executive chef wearing a chef jacket saying do this and this. It's me in a pair of cut-offs saying, 'Oh my God, what am I going to do with this?'
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE KITCHEN UTENSILS? A pair of stainless-steel chopsticks. And we have a grill; everybody's constantly got burns all over their wrists, which explains all my gaudy tattoos.
YOU CHANGE THE MENU DAILY; WHEN DOES INSPIRATION HIT? Never when it needs to! I was beating myself up about one particular fish item and I couldn't come up with anything. I went home, showered, came back to close, and had it nailed. But it was too late; service was already over.
CAN YOU RECALL A DISH THAT WASN'T SUCCESSFUL? I've had some serious flops. I served tripe ravioli with halibut once. People
were disgusted.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE LOCAL DINING SCENE? It's a night-and-day change. It's like, finally, boom, pow, something's happening, and I don't know what the catalyst was. For all I know, it was nothing, just time. But St. Louis is really making a name for itself, and it has to do with a lot of good chefs and a lot of people who are into eating good food.
WHICH RESTAURANTS DO YOU FREQUENT? I really like Sidney Street Cafe, King Louie's and The Crossing.
WHAT'S NEXT? For years, Tony's has set the standard for fine dining in St. Louis. I want to give them a run for their money.
chefs
Kirk Warner
executive chef,
Savor
A childhood spent in his mother's restaurant and father's winery sent Kirk Warner into the world determined never to work in the restaurant industry. But a break from graduate school found him in St. Louis, helping his cousin Matt McGuire open his new bar, King Louie's. Warner's culinary awakening con-tinued with extensive reading, conversations with respected chefs and tours of kitchens in Asia and France. Jobs with Bill Cardwell and other local restaurateurs did the fine-tuning, and eventually he ended up back at King Louie's--by then a full restaurant--where his fresh, contemporary cuisine quickly made the restaurant beloved. These days, Warner practices his craft at Savor.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOUR MOM MAKES BETTER THAN YOU DO? She's known for her pies. Back at King Louie's, she would come down here once a year for "pie day." It meant our pastry chef had the week off because people would ignore the desserts on the regular menu and just go for the pies. I have customers who come into Savor and ask, "When is your mother coming down to make pies?"
HAS YOUR PERSONALITY BEEN IMPRINTED ON KING LOUIE'S AND SAVOR? Definitely, because I've been lucky in both instances to have total autonomy designing and implementing the menu.
WHO CAME UP WITH THE MULTICUISINE MENU AT SAVOR? When I came on board, the owner said, "You can do what you want, but I have a ton of business cards with 'world cuisine' printed on
them ..." [Laughs.] That was fine. I've always been fascinated by different cultures and different flavors.
IS IT DIFFICULT TO OFFER THAT MUCH VARIETY ON A MENU? It's intimidating from an organizational standpoint. In order to have the building blocks of good cuisine--stocks and sauces, for example--I had to adjust. If you're going to make chicken stock, you don't want thyme in there because you might use the stock for something Asian. And we need to get orders in every day to make up our pantry. It takes being incredibly organized, which I happen to be.
DO YOU EVER GET STRANGE REQUESTS? We get a lot of people liking the food done cafeteria-style, so nothing touches. We have to break it up like it's on a tray. It's a frustration, but it's a reality. Then there are a few people who want to create their own dish. I won't listen to them if they don't like it afterward--but if they want to make some adjustments, then go ahead. It's their dining experience.
