When Miles Kirk opened Park Place Market in the DeBaliviere Place neighborhood this September, he wanted it to be more than just a coffee shop and daytime café. His ambitious vision: for the space to become a multi-use venue where neighbors, employees, and entrepreneurs can gather to eat, drink, learn, converse, and explore their creativity.
Tonight, Kirk and company plan to showcase that vision with a multi-course tasting menu, courtesy of chef Pujan Patel. For one night only, Patel will transform Park Place Market’s kitchen and dining room into an international supper club. The event, which begins with a reception at 6:30 p.m., promises to dazzle with dishes inspired by Patel’s heritage, extensive travels, and interest in the intersection of food and biology.
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“We hope these dinners can be ongoing, because they give people the opportunity to come in, use the space, and work with each other in a way that doesn’t get done often enough,” says Kirk. “We want to partner with people and work together, and this is a great way to demonstrate the wide range of what we can do.”
The Chef
A recent culinary school graduate, Patel came to the professional kitchen after leaving medical school to pursue his passion for food, after realizing that he spent more time thinking about cooking and the private dinner parties he hosted for friends than medicine.
“He was doing these supper clubs out of his house and really enjoyed cooking,” recalls Kirk. “He realized he was more passionate about cooking and talking food with me than he was about medicine and felt like this was something he had to do.”
As Kirk explains, Patel’s supper clubs were characterized by experimentation. Using an international lens, Patel would try different techniques and use an ingredient across various cuisines.
His approach is also different than many chefs because of his medical background, Kirk notes. Because he understands biology on a deep, academic level, he’s able to play out how an ingredients’ different compounds work together on the palate, giving him a unique perspective on flavor.
The Dinner
The pop-up dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m., with a reception of tea and snacks inspired by Patel’s Indian heritage. Guests will then be seated for a six-course dinner featuring dishes inspired by each of the six inhabited continents. Africa, for instance, will be represented by a peanut stew with roasted okra. For Asia, Patel will prepare caramelized garlic and miso hummus. The North American–inspired dish will consist of chicken thighs with mole. Miles teases that there will also be surprise courses, amuses, and other unexpected goodies throughout the meal.
Kirk is currently in the process of securing a liquor license for Park Place Market. In the meantime, he’s hopeful that the business will be granted a catering license for the dinner, so he can serve beer, wine, and cocktails; if the license isn’t granted, guests will be welcome to bring their own alcoholic beverages, he adds. To find out the status, diners can check social media or call the restaurant.
The Backstory
An Atlanta native, Kirk began his hospitality career at age 16, working his way up in the business to a corporate restaurant job that took him all over the country and eventually brought him to St. Louis. He fell in love with the city and decided to put down roots here, leaving behind his corporate gig for positions with Butler’s Pantry, Moonrise Hotel, and Tony’s. He always dreamed of opening his own business inspired by the corner neighborhood restaurants that he fell in love with while visiting New York. It was a dream that he was able to realize after finding the vacant space at the corner of Pershing and DeBaliviere.
Park Place Market opened September 6 and has already become a major part of the DeBaliviere Place community, thanks to its inviting atmosphere, grab-and-go coffee and pastries, and creative daytime fare. Kirk is happy with the success, but he insists what people see today is only part of Park Place Market’s story.
With a new wine bar in the works, more dinner series like the one with Patel, and an expanded market on deck, he’s excited for the future and can’t wait to see how things grow organically.
“This is just a taste of what’s to come,” says Kirk. “We’re interested to see where everything goes and how we can attract people and be a hub for different things.”
