STLife

CLOCKWISE
FROM OPPOSITE
PAGE: DAVID
KIRKLAND. BEN
POREMBA. ZOË
ROBINSON.
DAVE AND KARA
BAILEY. NATA-
SHA BAHRAMI.
CEAIRA JACKSON
If you’re searching for seafood in St.
Louis, consider a visit to Bait, located
in a historic building just off the beaten
path in the CWE, where Jackson serves
fresh dishes.
BEN POREMBA
The stylish restaurateur has helped
transform Botanical Heights, with the
acclaimed Elaia (in a rehabbed brick
home) and Olio (in a former gas station).
Nearby, Nixta serves elevated Mexican
cuisine and has garnered acclaim from
the likes of Bon Appétit. And in Maplewood,
Poremba serves Moroccan
fare and craft cocktails at The
Benevolent King.
NATASHA BAHRAMI
After immigrating here from Iran,
Bahrami’s parents introduced
Persian cuisine to St. Louis by
opening Café Natasha’s in 1983.
Over the years, Bahrami has
watched the international dining
options expand along South
Grand and added The Gin Room,
replete with a new patio bar. Bahrami,
also known as The Gin Girl,
is also an ambassador for the spirit,
speaking at seminars across the U.S.
CARYN DUGAN
Also known as STLVegGirl, the vegan
enthusiast recently opened The Center
for Plant-based Living in Kirkwood,
hosting cooking classes, educational
programming, meal-prep classes, and
team-building.
ZOË ROBINSON
Along charming Wydown Boulevard,
Robinson has created a triple threat of
alluring restaurants, with Bar Les Freres,
I Fratellini, and Billie-Jean. Having found
a way to stay at the forefront of St. Louis’
dining scene for years, the savvy restaurateur
appeared in Vogue in 2018.
DAVE AND KARA BAILEY
The prolific restaurateurs have opened
a string of creative concepts—Baileys’
Chocolate Bar, Bridge Tap House & Wine
Bar, Rooster’s two locations, Small Batch,
Baileys’ Range, and POP—with their latest
being a barbecue concept, Knockout
BBQ, at Rooster on South Grand.
RICK LEWIS
After making his mark at Quincy Street
Bistro and Southern, the affable chef
opened Grace Meat + Three in the former
Sweetie Pie’s space in The Grove.
This fall, he added a late-night, Southern-inspired
street food concept in the
adjacent space, Grace Chicken + Fish.
NICK BOGNAR
At indo, Bognar focuses on Southeast
Asian cuisine and expands the popular
omakase dinners that brought him local
acclaim (and a spot on the James Beard
semifinalist list for Rising Star Chef of
the Year) at Nippon Tei in Ballwin.
Photography by Carmen Troesser, Kevin A. Roberts, Matt Marcinkowski, Courtney Sames
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