Pepe Kehm has enjoyed a long and successful career in the St. Louis service industry, be it as a chef, an owner, an operator, a consultant or some combination of all four. Trying to unknot that personal history would take the entirety of this article's word count and then some. But even sitting down with the man for a half-hour's conversation relating to his newest project, Rosé by Peno (1463 South 18th Street, 314-405-8500, rosestl.com), you can start to connect the dots through his frequent references to great St. Louis destination bars and restaurants of the past and present.
The conversation, in this case, was specifically centered on Rosé by Peno, which came into being earlier this spring. We talked about how this spot's menu and design were influenced by his Clayton restaurant, Peno. How he's brought in chefs from different stops along the way, including heavy hitters like Executive Chef John Komotos. How he's still jazzed about the challenges of launching (then rebranding) a brand-new place.
With refreshing candor, Kehm talks about the things that pull at him when developing a potential new concept, and his role as a creative center to it all.
"The creativity part, the ego, it gets to everyone," says Kehm of himself and his restaurateur peers. "To be part of something community-minded, to have something that allows other people to make money, those are things that drive me. We're not here making millions of dollars through our little restaurants. We create productions, every night, that's what we do. We produce this all night. The community feel, the ambiance, the people make up the whole part. The food can almost be the third or fourth most important thing. The interaction with our guests — and we don't even call it 'service' here — is the first."
Transitioning out of what he's calling the lengthy soft open phase of his Lafayette Square concept, Kehm feels that springtime is going to bring out a new wave of interested diners and drinkers, with a small, front patio being augmented by a much larger, heavily planted, year-round side patio.
"Within the next month," he figures, the full concept "will manifest itself."
The building that houses Rosé by Peno was, of all things, an early outpost of Stray Rescue. Over time, the space opened up for a totally new purpose, and all-around St. Louis champion Michael Powers began touting the raw space's potential, while also sensing that the room could become a permanent reflection of his Rosé Day festival and affiliated 501(c)3 dedicated to a "mission of raising awareness for organizations improving quality of life in the St. Louis region." The resulting partnership of industry vets with the energetic Powers birthed Dear Rose, a pizza and wine bar that eventually saw its ownership team, name and approach retooled.
It's obvious (even when visiting prior to service) that this will be a place that rises or falls with the buy-in of the neighbors, who might come in for a glass of wine, staying for a second round and a small plate, or two.
As mentioned, Kehm and his "pirate's crew" are working to establish the long-term potential of this space. Figuring that the pandemic has caused both bars and restaurants to aim toward earlier service, Kehm is still dialing in the best hours while developing a set brunch menu and tweaking the dinner service, which currently features a menu that says it "intertwine(s) the soulful flavors of Calabria, Italy, with the delicate and attentive techniques of Marseille, France."
"I think that we're getting away from what I do at Peno," Kehm says, "where it's more of a sit-down, upscale service. There, we're teaching people about what we are. Here, I think our food will be as good as anyone's, anywhere. We'll just present that in a subtle way, having fun with it. Food's gotten to where it's selling hot dogs over here and winning James Beards over there. We're in the middle."
With "rosé" remaining in the retooled name, Rosé by Peno remains a wine bar at heart, one that Kehm says will focus on all the senses, all the time.
"When people don't know why they're having a good time," Kehm says, "that's when you know that the whole experience is working."
This story has been updated.
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