Chef Jessie Gilroy to open Pangea in St. Charles

Another Sauce One to Watch is striking out on her own. Jessie Gilroy, currently sous chef at Sidney Street Cafe, will soon head west to start her own restaurant, Pangea. Gilroy plans to open doors in The New Town  neighborhood in St. Charles this September.

Gilroy – who declined to share the exact address at this time – said the concept will be casual fine dining, and, as the name of the place implies, the menu will be eclectic.

“I don’t want to do the white tablecloth thing. That’s just not me,” Gilroy said. “But I do want people to be able to enjoy that kind of food but not have to get dressed up. It doesn’t have to be a once a month kind of thing. I don’t want to blow people’s budgets.”

Gilroy said the menu will span the globe and blur borders.

“Pangea was the super continent before all of the continents split, so I want to have a worldly influence on the food and show that you can have spices or techniques from anywhere in the world and have it be cohesive,” Gilroy said.

“You don’t have to just do Italian or just do French. People ask me what kind of food I like to eat, and I like to eat everything, so the best way I can put me on a plate is to show that everything can go together.”

One dish that’s already in her sights: foie gras and a miso waffle with a shallot and pepper mostarda, a mashup of Italian and Asian influences.

Gilroy said the space doesn’t need much in the way of rehabbing and most of the work will be cosmetic.

Matt Sorrell is a staff writer at Sauce Magazine.