One of the most likeable, well-respected chefs in town is heading across the river.
Rex Hale, a staunch advocate of the locavore and farm-to-table movement, will be leaving Three Sixty restaurant next week to open Bakers & Hale in Godfrey, Illinois.
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After working at restaurants and resorts all over the world, the St. Louis native returned in 2011 to open Three Sixty, the stunning rooftop bar/restaurant atop the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark. Concurrently, Hale helped open and oversee the three restaurants at The Cheshire: Boundary, Basso, and Fox & Hounds Tavern. Then, several months ago, Hale scaled back his duties at The Cheshire and returned to Three Sixty as executive chef. His last day there will be next Tuesday, May 1.
“We’ll definitely miss him,” says Steve O’Loughlin, president and chief operating officer of Lodging Hospitality Management, which owns Three Sixty and The Cheshire. “We want him to do well. We’re excited that he’ll be opening his own place.”
When Hale’s friend and longtime employee Kelsi Walden-Baker told him that her family was considering buying the former Rotten Apple Pub & Grill location at 7120 Montclair Avenue in Godfrey, Illinois, “the discussions began,” he says.
“Kelsi and I share the same values about food and restaurants,” Hale adds. “Doing something together allowed us to really focus on local farmers and suppliers, which I’ve always advocated,” he says, adding that he was “getting too old not to do exactly what I want to do.”
Hale describes the forthcoming cuisine as “American farm-to-table.” Because the space is so large—140 seats inside and 50 outside with a separate bar—there will likely be different menus for the respective areas, ranging from comfort food to small plates to more composed entrées.
Hale will continue to serve on the board at EarthDance Farms, the North County farm and organic farm school founded by Molly Rockamann. But he’s equally excited to investigate the farms and farmers closer to Godfrey.
Look for Bakers & Hale to open this summer, most likely after the Fourth of July.
“Godfrey’s only 30 minutes away,” notes Hale. “That’s nothing.”
