In what will likely be the most discussed restaurant closure of the year, Rob Connoley has closed Bulrush (3307 Washington) his acclaimed restaurant in Midtown that became famous across the country for its modern interpretation of vintage Ozark cuisine. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which was the first to break the news, cited “‘hate politics’ in Missouri” as the reason for the closure. Connoley followed with a scathing, corroborating social media announcement several minutes later.
Connoley’s statement read, in part: “I have become uneasy promoting a state that is actively working to harm the LGBTQ community, especially the trans community. As an owner of a reparative restaurant working to make amends for the harms of the past, I can not continue supporting my own oppressor.
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“This is not a decision I have made lightly,” the post continues. “I have spent over a year hoping to see the state correct its course and move on from the political games, but they haven’t. My greatest sadness is that I love St Louis more than I can express and have such admiration and fondness for the Ozark region and its people—people who have time and time again, proven to me to be hospitable and loving of all.”
And with that, Connoley shared that the final service at Bulrush was on Sunday, June 23.
The acclaimed chef was cognizant of the role he played in St. Louis and was appreciative of “the honor of working with some of the best hospitality professionals in the city.” He was honored and humbled to be able “to create a one-of-a-kind experience, playing our part in shining the national culinary spotlight on St. Louis.”
Connoley was a champion of zero waste, an attribute not lost on SLM dining critic Dave Lowry. In his review, when describing the chef’s utilization of sweet potato skins and mulberry seeds, he wrote: “There is a parsimony based not on trendy virtue but on the Ozarkian need to use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”
In its five-year history, Bulrush and Connoley were the recipients of numerous local and national awards. Bulrush was SLM’s Best New Restaurant in 2019. An article appeared in BBC Travel in 2020. It was included on Wine Enthusiast Forward 50 Restaurants 2022. The restaurant appeared on Ian Froeb’s STL 100 list since its inception, this year taking top honors. Connoley is a three-time semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef: Midwest” award and was a finalist in 2024. (His first James Beard Foundation semifinalist nod was for “Best Chef: Southwest” at Curious Kumquat in New Mexico.)
The Backstory
In 2016, Connoley, a native of Bridgeton, returned home to open a restaurant based on a truly unique concept: a menu rooted in 19th century Ozark cuisine, featuring local ingredients (many of them foraged), native meats, and fish. The result was Bulrush, an entertaining, painstakingly researched, 24-seat archetype of modern dining that left an impression on everyone who dined there. Connoley was equally unforgettable in his role as chef, teacher, historian, mentor, and creator of a spot-on execution of a concept that no other chef had likely ever dreamed.
Predicated on its seven-course tasting menu, Bulrush was the zenith of experiential dining in St. Louis.
“But I can’t keep doing it, ” he told KSDK. “I need to run a business where I feel the contributions I’m making to the community are valued and the money I’m generating for the state is being well utilized instead of being used to attack me and people like my community.”
But before Bulrush came a prelude, Squatter’s Cafe, Connoley’s interim project in Grand Center that reinvented breakfast and lunch staples in colorful, whimsical ways featuring dishes that exploded with unexpected discoveries. In SLM’s 2017 sneak peek of Squatter’s, the first line of the article read, “This city needs more Rob Connoleys,” words that resonate just as loudly today.
Connoley’s social media statement concluded with uncertainty and hope: “I don’t know what will be next for me personally, but my belief in creating an equitable world for all is surely going to be a part of that decision.”
SLM has reached out to Connoley for further comment.
