SNO by Tony Nguyen to debut in Tower Grove South later this year

Thomas Wolfe may well believe that you can by no means go residence yet again, but some of our most effective and brightest cooks are St. Louis natives who have done just that. Soon after traveling the world, cooking at esteemed dining establishments, and garnering working experience in best kitchens, Tony Nguyen made the decision that returning house feels right.

Nguyen and his spouse and enterprise lover, chef Jessica Osborne-Nguyen, system to open up a new restaurant, SNO by Tony Nguyen, in the previous VP Sq. space (3611 Juniata) in Tower Grove South in late summer time or early drop. The cafe is named after Nguyen’s mother, whose identify, Tuyet, translates to “snow” in Vietnamese.

“It’s a terrific house,” states Nguyen. “It has two flooring with a bar on just about every ground.” Nguyen will use the expansive upstairs house, which seats about 120, for cafe dining, as well as for non-public and exclusive occasions. The initial flooring is about half the dimensions. “We can seat about 60 persons down below.”

Nguyen is not worried to use the term “chef-driven” when describing the notion: a fashionable Asian cafe serving modest plates with a powerful concentration on dim sum. Really do not count on your common siu mai and turnip cake, although. In L.A., Nguyen grew to become famed for his customized, up to date dim sum that makes use of luxurious elements. “At Crustacean, we have been serving dumplings that have been $5 or $6 for every piece. In St. Louis, we’re heading to offer that degree of dumpling and company, but in a non-pretentious area and at a much decreased cost.”

Entrée-size large plates, such as prime steak, will be presented together with memorable vegetable preparations. A different location of heavy emphasis will be sustainable seafood. (Osborne-Nguyen is not only a chef but also a maritime biologist.)

Assistance and model are essential to Nguyen, with the restaurant incorporating interactive table-facet dishes. “I want this to not only be a put the place you go for a exclusive date,” Nguyen claims. “You can arrive appreciate fantastic food soon after a ballgame and in the middle of the 7 days with a friend.”

Nguyen began his official culinary schooling at The Culinary Institute of The united states in Hyde Park, New York. During his early yrs as a cook dinner, he labored with learn chefs, Adam Sobel of Person Savoy and Lou Rook of Annie Gunn’s, at the James Beard Home in New York City. Nguyen then decided to keep on on the academia route, earning his diploma from Cornell College in hotel and cafe management. Immediately after graduation, Nguyen worked prestigious dining establishments throughout the nation. At Kim Son in Houston, for occasion, Tony figured out underneath chef Tri La and honed his competencies making use of Asian aromatics, herbs, and spices.

Nguyen also used time functioning with Rick Moonen, whose concepts about ethical, ecological seafood and fishery tactics acquired him the casual title of the “godfather of sustainability.” That mentorship assisted notify and cement Nguyen’s determination to sourcing ingredients from suppliers who exercise and advocate for sustainable farming and fishing. And his time at L’atelier de Joel Robuchon at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas prepared him for the amount of wonderful eating that he would supply as government chef at Crustacean, a single of the essential large-stop restaurants in Beverly Hills. It was at Crustacean that Nguyen attained recognition for his impressive, smooth dishes inflected with Asian elements, European strategy, and a modern, very composed style.

With a little bit of friendly prodding, Nguyen will share stories of some of the celebrities who visited dining places in which he beforehand worked, these kinds of as Jamie Foxx and Michael B. Jordan, “I’ve cooked for a lot of folks,” Nguyen suggests, noting Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, and P Diddy between other earlier visitors.

Options to open a next L.A.-primarily based cafe, Da Lat Rose, with his mentor, chef Helene An, have been sidelined by the pandemic. Now, Nguyen is dedicated to creating a thriving restaurant in his hometown. “We signed a 5-yr lease,” Nguyen states. “When I decided I wished to do some thing from the heart and open up this cafe, I wished to return house and be part of what is going on in St. Louis.”