When the tornado tore through the Delmar Maker District in May 2025, it left behind a trail of damage that included several of Poremba’s acclaimed restaurants, including Esca, Florentin, and Nixta. All three have since reopened. The storm tested every part of Poremba’s operation, and he responded by supporting his staff and moving quickly to pick up the pieces. Today, he’s focused on getting back to what he loves most—creating spaces and moments where food, art, and community intersect.
2025 QUESTIONNAIRE
PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
What has you most excited about the future of your company or industry? Well, we’re relocating our entire endeavor to the Delmar Makers District. By this time next year, we will have six restaurants on Delmar between Union and Kingshighway.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why? The compensation system. It’s inherently unfair and inequitable. I would do away with tipping if I trusted that people would be cool with higher prices. We’re not there yet.
What’s the toughest business challenge you’ve had to overcome (excluding the pandemic) and why? I’m going through the most challenging inflection point in my business right now. At the end of last year, I was left with no choice but to close three of my best performing restaurants (Olio, Elaia, Nixta). We’ve kept our entire management team and many veteran hourly employees on payroll while relocating. So there’s the significant financial burden. But the real challenge has been mental: People associate my brand with Tower Grove and those unique buildings. We cooked up that neighborhood. And now we’re trying to do the same at the Delmar Makers District. There was this abiding concern that people might not follow. But this dining community really got behind us.
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MENTORS & PEERS
To whom or where do you go for sound business advice? My business partners, Erik and Alexis. We’ve been together for over a decade. They’ve never failed to tell me want I need to hear.
Do you have a business mentor? If so, who and why? I consider Zoe Robinson a mentor of sorts, though I never worked for her. She’s a dear friend who I want to be when I grew up. She instilled in me the idea of restaurateur as set designer. Her hospitality sensibilities are some of the best anywhere: warm, inviting, and friendly without ever being cloyingly chummy. She’s been an amazing resource and inspiration.
What piece of advice has had the most significant impact on your career? My partner Erik told me 10 years ago, after observing me micromanaging, that I need to allow people to fail. It will be better for them, he said, to understand what they are doing wrong. Failure, which I’ve experienced myself more than once, has been the greatest tool for my personal and professional growth. It’s humbling, but it also gives one a strong sense of reference point. Success is so much sweeter after the agony of failure.
If you could have dinner with any two area business leaders, who would you choose and why? If you asked me that question just a few years ago, my answer would have been Maxine Clark and Jim McKelvey—disruptors, visionaries, outside-of-the-box thinkers. I’ve since been fortunate enough to call them friends. On top of my current list right now is Carolyn Kindle and Jim Kavanaugh. I’m a huge soccer fan. St. Louis CITY is the single greatest thing that has happened in this region. Their vision isn’t trivial. They’re not typical sport club owners. It’s not all entertainment. It’s serious and committed community outreach, youth programs, inclusivity, city pride.
Who is the most interesting under-the-radar/emerging business leader in St. Louis and why? Eric Scroggins from Opportunity Trust does phenomenal and impactful work.
What is one thing you would change about the St. Louis metro area business environment and why? We need a strong unified strategy to combat the stigma that our region is bland, declining, or failing. A greater focus on good stories. We are so culturally wealthy: amazing sports clubs, great museums, a world-class symphony, remarkable architecture, beautiful parks, etc. We need to shake off this inferiority complex and be proud to be here and do business here. I am not delusional about our challenges but good leadership demands confidence and optimism. It’s the only way forward.
BACKGROUND
Where were you born? Israel
What was your childhood aspiration? To be a fashion designer.
What was your first job, and what did you learn from it? I worked in a warehouse my senior year of high school. The owner had this sign on the floor of the warehouse that said, “Treat it like you own it, and some day you will.” Instilling a sense of ownership with your team is not only rewarding but incredibly effective.
What educational degrees do you hold, and where were they earned? BA in Philosophy from the University of Missouri–St. Louis. An unaccredited interdisciplinary master’s degree in Food Culture from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Parma, Italy.
HOBBIES & INTERESTS
If you were not in your current profession, what would you be doing and why? Interior designer. Antique dealer. It’s my greatest passion after cooking.
What is your favorite St. Louis-area restaurant, and what do you typically order there? This is going to get me in trouble, but my favorite restaurant in St. Louis is my very own Deli Divine. Our matzo ball soup is my favorite. And I don’t take full credit for it. It’s the product of true collaborative work between myself and my culinary team.
What is one item you recently crossed off your bucket list? I’m writing a book, and I’m near completion.
What is one book you think everyone should read (or podcast everyone should listen to) and why? The Prince by Machiavelli. It’s been unfairly misconstrued. There are two themes that can resonate with everyone. One is how to handle intractable situations—Machiavelli proposes a (sometimes unbearably) sober and purpose-oriented approach of making the most with what’s available. The second theme is to seek out wisdom and the advice of experts. The book that I have on my desk at all times is the collection of maxims by La Rochefoucauld. They express such valuable truths about the way the world works. La Rochefoucauld was the ultimate shit disturber.
What’s your hobby/passion? Antique shopping.
What is your most prized possession? My house. It’s actually two small houses that are facing each other and separated by a beautiful courtyard that we call our “living room.” The property was very simply designed by Bernoudy. We have a very large yard as well. We recently bought the house next door to us and moved my parents in. Our unique setup gives us the ability to have amazing family quality time. It’s been the biggest blessing.
What would people be surprised to learn about you—a fun fact? I have a private label luxury brand that expands beyond food. It includes hand rolled cigars for a small family farm in the Dominican Republic, a fragrance that was developed for me by St. Rita, my Italian wines from a small vineyard in Barolo, tinned fish from Spain, caviar, batched cocktails, and more!
What is your go-to karaoke song? “That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra. Story of my life. “Each time I find myself layin’ flat on my face, I just pick myself up and get back in the race.”
