Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Vince Bommarito Jr.'s Florida black grouper with peas and fava beans. His fish course at the inaugural St. Louis' Classic Chefs Series dinner on July 12 will be similar.
Long before Gerard Craft and Kevin Nashan brought home the city's first James Beard Awards for "Best Chef: Midwest," a host of other chef notables had set the table in St. Louis. Dining patrons of a certain age will fondly recall the names of Fio Antognini, Pierre Chambrin, Marcel Keraval, Richard Perry, and David Slay, among others.
Peno chef-owner Pepe Kehm—a master of the pandemic pivot, out-of-the-box restaurant marketer, and self-proclaimed Blackbeard ("Peno is my little pirate ship, and the plan is to keep sailing,” he told us a year ago)—wanted to pay tribute to some of St. Louis' culinary legends. So he reached out to a handful, hoping to coax them back for a one night–only gig to cook a few of the dishes that made them (and their restaurants) famous. The response was overwhelming.
The St. Louis Classics: Chef Series will kick off at Peno on July 12, and it will continue for one Monday per month through December.
SLM contributor Ann Lemons Pollack will be in house to chat about restaurants past and present. Copies of her two recent books, Lost Restaurants of St. Louis and Iconic Restaurants of St. Louis, will also be available.
The four- to five-course dinners are $125 per person (including gratuity, though not tax or beverage). The dinner events will be held indoors at Peno and are limited to 37 guests. Larger parties can be accommodated and are welcome.
Photo courtesy Suzy Gorman
Vince Bommarito, Jr.
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Carney's Kids Foundation, a local charity founded by radio personality John Carney, who hosts The Carney Show with Julie Buck weekdays on KTRS 550 AM.
Tickets will be released online at noon approximately 10–12 days before each event. Peno's website will be updated with future release dates.
At the moment, the lineup is as follows:
Vince Bommarito, Jr.: The late Vince Bommarito, Sr. was the founder of the legendary Tony’s restaurant. His son, Vince, Jr. worked at Tony’s for more than 35 years, working his way up from prep cook to executive chef/manager before leaving the family business. Bommarito currently teaches cooking classes, consults with local restaurants, and caters in-home dinners and office events.
Date: Monday, July 12, 6 p.m. Tickets go on sale July 4 at noon online.
UPDATE, July 6, 11:50 a.m.: This dinner sold out in 8 minutes, but there's a silver lining. Pepe Kehm has donated 2 seats to the dinner with all proceeds benefiting the Carneys Kids Foundation. Radio host John Carney will auction off the seats during his July 9 radio show (12 - 3 p.m. on KTRS 550 AM). The tickets will be awarded at the end of Friday's show.
Greg Perez
Perez was the pioneer of several successful restaurant concepts and introduced St. Louis to “revitalized American favorites,” Southwestern-style Mexican cuisine, a full page of wines by the glass, the terms “small plates” and “tapas,” and conceived the nation’s first hemp-infused menu. He previously worked at (or owned) Big Sky Café, T.P. Neill’s, Blue Water Grill, Painted Plates, Piccolo’s, and Grateful Inn. Currently, Perez is menu consultant for locally owned Crazy Bowls & Wraps.
Date: Monday, August 16 (Perez will be offering a tapas-based menu)
Eddie Neill
A successful local restaurateur for more than 30 years, Neill continues to be a sought-after restaurant and menu consultant. Neill and John Schreiner co-own Café Provencal in Kirkwood, and Neill previously worked at (or owned) Malmaison, Eddie’s Steak and Chop in Clayton, T. P. Neill’s, and The Dubliner.
Date: Monday, September 13
Mike Holmes
Holmes is an early Balaban's alum and an esteemed member of the local chefs community. The Pitted Olive, where he served as head chef and proprietor, was one of the best under-the-radar restaurants in town. Holmes also worked at Whitaker's Bistro, Balaban's, Fedora Café, the St. Louis Country Club, and currently punches the clock at the Smokehouse Market.
Date: Monday, October 18 (serving favorites from Balaban’s Dining Room menu)
Brian Young
Young worked at Café Balaban for 18 years before starting his own catering company, Catering Plus, where he served as the chef, salesman, and event planner. Currently, he is catering director for Pure Catering, a preferred caterer at seven metro area venues. He previously worked at (or owned) Balaban’s, Tango Grill, Catering Plus, Steven Becker Fine Dining, and Bryan Events.
Date: November 15 (serving favorites from Balaban’s Bistro menu)
Lisa Slay
A member of the legendary Slay family of restaurateurs, Lisa Slay was executive chef at Remy's Wine Kitchen for more than 20 years. She's currently part of the chef team at Catering St. Louis and previously worked at her brother David's restaurant, La Veranda, as well.
Date: Monday, December 6
Kehm hopes to cap off the series with an all-stars dinner, with several chefs participating, and is already toying with the idea of a follow-up event. "As I was putting this together, I kept thinking of more folks I could call," he says.
