| I have always been surrounded by a wealth
of good food and I think for that very reason, I have always been
interested in cooking. My family would dine out so often and at so
many different restaurants, my exposure to food presentation, flavor
and method was very strong, even at a young age. As far back as I
can remember, I have loved to create in the kitchen. When I graduated from Georgetown in 1991, I was ready to enter a career of international business, but when jobs abroad were scarce, I was faced with the “what do I do with my life” question. I answered it by moving to San Francisco for cooking school at the California Culinary Academy. I decided that I would try to turn my cooking hobby into a profession. While in San Francisco, I was fortunate to work at Bradley Ogden’s One Market Restaurant and at Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio, two of the most well-known restaurants in the Bay Area. It was in those kitchens and at the CCA, where I learned to utilize seasonal ingredients from Northern California and prepare and present them in architecturally creative ways. It was an exciting time for me and I wanted eventually to return to St. Louis and impress the home crowd. That time came in late 1996 when I was given the opportunity to open Harvest, a restaurant devoted to the freshest seasonal proteins and produce available from all over the country. It was to be “rustic American food,” and the menu would change often depending on our ability to get certain foods. One day you’d find that papaya was no longer nice, so you'd reprint the menu to reflect a new selection. The concept is really simple -- use the best tasting ingredients in your recipes and your menu will shine. Well, that it did and Harvest has been a booming restaurant ever since that opening day. The reception from St. Louisans has been overwhelmingly supportive and for that, I’m happy I’m home. |
 Stephen Gontram Executive Chef, Harvest Restaurant 
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