Andrew Cisneros’ resume includes working for some of the best and most well-known chefs in St. Louis, including names like Pierre Chambrin, Ben Poremba and Gerard Craft, to name a few. Now in 2025, along with owning and operating two restaurants, he has added working as the new food partner at Rockwell Beer Co. in the Grove to that list.
When Cisneros began to look for his next restaurant space in 2023, he reached out to Rockwell co-owner Chris Hulse, who owned a vacant restaurant space in the Tower Grove area. While the two did not work together at that time, Cisneros mentioned in their conversation his other interest in running the food program at Rockwell. In 2024, Hulse reached back out to work together to reinvent the menu, which launched earlier this year.
“Breweries are supposed to be experimenting, supposed to be pushing the envelope. In our previous iteration, there were four or five items, never changed, there wasn’t much push for innovation. I think that’s changed with Andrew on board, where it’s much more interesting and we have way more options. I think it’s improved,” Hulse said.
With his family’s Peruvian heritage and his background in European restaurant training, Cisneros blends the two together at his restaurants, Jalea on historic Main Street in St. Charles and Brasas located in the Delmar Loop. The new Rockwell Beer Co. menu features what Cisneros calls Peruvian-American cuisine, and includes dishes like the Chancho Sando and his Peruvian twist on a traditional American burger.
“We’re always staying creative and want to stay on our toes and try new things and keep it interesting for the brewery and for our guests. We do it at Brasas, we do it at Jalea, we always see a special, we see something new on the menu. When it comes to Brasas street food, I think we’ve established our identity to be Peruvian American. It’s going to be the best of both worlds,” Cisneros said.
Rockwell Beer Co. opened up their first location in the Grove in November 2018 followed by their second location in Francis Park in October 2021. When Cisneros joined the team, he did not want to alter the menu too much in an effort to keep regulars satisfied. Instead, he was inspired by the original menu of burgers and fries and wanted to bring in his own twist on those classics.
“It’s amazing the amount of different options you have there in such a small space. With Andrew on board, he has simplified our lives so much in terms of the quality, the labor, keeping everything in line,” Hulse said.
Inspired by the festivities of the holiday season, Rockwell Beer Co. is hosting a Candy Cane Lane Run on Dec. 10, and Holiday Market on Dec. 14 with Lllamas. You can find more information on upcoming events on their Instagram page and website.