Industry Highlight: Rob Connoley
Our experience getting to know a local chef and his craft
When we first got an email from Rob Connoley we honestly had no idea who he was. We didn’t know anything about The Curious Kumquat, a Saveur 100 winning restaurant he ran in New Mexico, we didn’t know he was a James Beard semi-finalist for the Best Chef of the Southwest, we didn’t even know he was a published author of a top-selling book “Acorn & Cattails” (though his email signature made sure we were well informed of all three of those facts…)
All we knew was that he was originally from St. Louis, had returned to start a new restaurant, and he wanted to chat about maybe taking some photos of his food at a dinner he was holding. We met up at MoKaBe’s in South Grand and had a chat about the local food scene. At the time we were exploring writing a book and wanted to learn more about the process so we were fairly eager to chat with anyone who had gone through that journey.
The man we met was unassuming and casual, but also with a bright-eyed enthusiasm and an undeniable energy about him. This was someone who really liked to geek-out about a subject, and that subject was food and food preparation.
After chatting we agreed to attend the popup dinner he was planning to show off the cuisine he was thinking of featuring at his new Bulrush concept. Bulrush, is case you do not know, is another word for the cat-tail plant, or corn-dog plant, if you prefer.
July 16th, 2017 — The Bruton-Stroube Dinner
It’s a funny thing showing up to a professional shoot when you’re an amateur photographer. Bruton-Stroube is a professional production company and they had a whole setup for photographing Rob’s food. Warm and cool lights, synchronized speed-flashes, rigs with multiple cameras set up to shoot from different angles. Their work is pretty amazing, so definitely check them out if you have the time.
We were allowed to borrow the shooting space and lamps for the food if we wished, but we had always been natural light photographers, save the use of our cellphones’ flashlights or just the glow from their screens. We like to refer to ourselves as “guerrilla photographers” and always try to get the best shots we can without using any special setup prior.
We were new to the concept of foraged-focused cuisine, and in all honesty fairly new to the concept of an actual Ozark cuisine. His food was very much unlike anything we’d had before.
This was indeed a meal that at times went beyond our comfort zone. We’d never had pickled rhubarb before. We’ve never had sassafras pasta or cattail pollen on our meals. It was all very classy but all very different.
We also got to meet Justin Bell, who has been Rob’s partner in crime for his St. Louis exploits. He’s someone we’re convinced will be a big name himself some day.
We left the meal feeling we had been exposed to something new and interesting, though we really didn’t know if it was our sort of food. Some of the dishes felt a bit challenging and not quite there yet as far as how the ingredients were meant to fit together.
Still, it was great to get to met Rob again and meet Justin, and it wasn’t very long until we saw them again.
July 21st, 2017 — Feast Magazine Taste & See
Less than a week later we saw him again at one of the Feast Magazine Taste & See events. We didn’t even know he was slated to be there and suddenly there he was up on the big screen getting interviewed by St. Louis’ own Catherine Neville of Feast.
The Taste & See events were always one of our favorite activities, not because of the food and drink, but because it was a great time to see some of our industry friends we may have not seen in ages.
Things were busy and the crowd was thick so we didn’t have too much time to chat. It wasn’t until near the end of the 2017 that we got to try some of his cooking again, and it took a significant turn.
Nov 2017 to Oct 2018 — Squatter’s Cafe
A lot of what we had seen of Rob’s cooking was very high-minded, albeit with a rustic and historic flair. It was all very good, but not something we would ascribe to being approachable to most restaurant patrons in St. Louis.
Then again, if places only served food that fit all common expectations then we’d all be eating at McDonald’s and Applebee’s…
With that said, what Rob brought to St. Louis with Squatter’s Cafe was something within the realm of a common eater’s palate, but slow-walked them to something different and more refined.
Squatter’s Cafe was a place where you could, if desired, stay within the realm of cuisine that you were familiar with. Biscuits & Gravy and also Breakfast Hash was available, but if you wanted you could them with pork confit to add that little refined touch. Even Pop-Tarts were available, though homemade and renamed “Squat-Tarts”.
The choice was yours and the place didn’t force you to try anything “weird” if you just wanted a hearty, belly-filler for breakfast.
Heck, you could even get a house-made variant of Cinnamon Toast Crunch if you wanted:
And, if you were not comfortable with the mundane, Rob had you covered as well. The Ricotta Toast was an edible piece of art and it’s likeness graced the pages of many local food magazines and instagram feeds alike.
We made many repeat visits to Squatter’s over 2018 and got to know Rob better and better every time. We found he truly enjoyed playing the host and getting to know his patrons.
Squatter’s had an open kitchen format so you got opportunities to chat with him if you wanted, especially if you sat at the kitchen counter. He often would be the one to take your order.
Paying attention to many things at once and never running out of energy seems to be Rob’s main mode of operation.
The whole time, though, Rob was still working on his Bulrush concept. Picking out the perfect space and planning how it would look and operate inside.
He also was working on some other side projects, like making fine chocolates and various special dinners. One such dinner Charlie attended and got to stretch his photographic ability.
Mar 8th, 2018 — Black on Black Dinner
Rob Connoley was having a special dinner that featured mostly dark-colored foods set in a dark, black setting. Rob wanted some sort of photographic evidence of the meal so he contact Charlie about being the photographer for the event. Charlie was immediately concerned about the concept of the event, as he was, as mentioned before, a strictly natural light photographer.
He had very little experience with using artificial light when photographing food and was known to mock those who used it, believing that only natural light could make food look delectable. He even refused to use a flash when it was dark inside a restaurant.
So, this event was a chance to truly stretch his abilities as a photographer and attempt to make food with no natural light at all look good. He still refused to use a flash but bought a tiny lamp with a standard lightbulb, a tiny tripod, a grape-sized LED light meant for photographers on the go. He figured the warm light of the lamp and the cool pin-point of light from the LED would allow him to play around with temperature for each shot.
The end result was a true departure from any food photography We Eat Stuff had ever done before. It was a focus on the intrinsic beauty found in a well-plated dish.
By stripping away the normal background and and surroundings of a restaurant, there was nothing left but the food itself.
And most importantly, the food still looked delicious:
But after only about a year Squatter’s Cafe sadly closed and the new concept was nearing completion. Then we got to see what Rob was truly capable of.
April 14th, 2019 — Bulrush
After two years of plotting, planning, and experimenting the day came when Bulrush finally opened. The dream of the forage-forward, Ozark cuisine informed restaurant had finally come to fruition.
Here we got to see Rob in his true element: a kitchen and concept he had fully envisioned come to life, meeting his guests and playing the roles of host, chef, entertainer, and historian.
We had known Rob for two years but we didn’t really know him until we had our first tasting table seating at Bulrush.
His presence at Bulrush during a tasting table session is like watching a history professor give a lecture while also serving his closest friends the best food they’ve ever had in their lives.
All of the dishes we had at the tasting table, which change daily, featured locally foraged items used in ways that took the old and combined it with the new. Rustic and refined married together to make something truly unique.
The whole restaurant is split from the tasting table side to a more casual bar side, once again offering people who are not quite ready a place to wait until they are ready. In the front there is the bar where small plates and cocktails can be ordered a la carte.
The bar is open, inviting, and offers items that even the most picky eater can get behind. Again, like Squatter’s Cafe, there are dishes that take the familiar and expand on it to make something new. Classic Pork & Beans reimagined as pho. Everyone likes burgers, so why not some Venison Bologna Sliders served on bao buns with pimento cheese? It’s all pleasing, delicious, approachable, filling, and also served with some top notch cocktails and wine.
The whole place appears to designed to not only be a great place to grab a nice meal, but to also educate the visitor. Everywhere there are casks, fermentation vessels, and books about culinary methods and famous kitchens and bars.
You are fully encouraged to paw through the books and ask questions as you eat and drink. It furthers the idea that Rob Connoley exudes in all he does: a good meal, good cocktail, or good wine does more than just taste good, it shares insights, knowledge, and experience.
Final Words
This article is a little different than ones we wrote prior. As We Eat Stuff we have gotten to know a lot of different people in the St. Louis food industry. While this one is a very glowing article about one individual, we do not want it to be interpreted that we are expressing any favoritism.
We cherish a lot of the local people in St. Louis who have done so much for this city. We could start naming names, but we’d be naming hundreds. We hope to start writing more articles like this in the future and start writing more about some of our other local heroes as well.
The main reason we wrote this article about Rob Connoley first was that we had so much material to draw from in such a short time, and it was very cool to see the evolution of his concept grow into fruition. It’s been very cool to get to know the man and his work, and to get to know those who have come to work with him.
Oh yeah, we almost forgot! Here is an interview from our podcast (currently on hiatus) we did with Rob back before Bulrush officially opened: On iTunes and SoundCloud!
Thanks for reading everyone! #stllove
