Tim Grandinetti’s back, and he’s brought his intense passion and professionalism with him. A few years ago, Grandinetti resigned his position with downtown’s Renaissance Grand for a gig based in Winston-Salem, N.C. But he’s returned to the area to head up the kitchen at Overlook Farm in Clarksville. It’s a huge project encompassing (currently) two inns, the Clarksville Station restaurant and Overlook Farm in the City, a special-event space in the Central West End. The endeavor intrigues Grandinetti on a number of levels, not least of which is owner Nathalie Pettus’ directive to work as closely as possible with local producers. “I love what I do. It defines who I am. I love the relationship I’m able to develop with a farmer or an artisan or a brewer or a winemaker. There’s a shared passion. We’re singin’ the same song.”
Your title is director of farmstead operations and executive chef, but you’re not a farmer. However, I will have a gardener/farmer as a partner, so together we will develop the chefs’ garden. In addition to the chefs’ garden, we’ll have a more detailed raised-bed garden with an Osage Indian garden or an absinthe garden [and] … an old-fashioned, 8-foot-by-8-foot smokehouse with an offset fire pit.
The Overlook Farm project is Nathalie’s brainchild. What is her vision? Picture in your mind The Inn at Little Washington. Blackberry Farm. … Clarksville Station, Overlook Farm, it’s an oasis on Route 79. You’re out for a leisurely drive and then all of a sudden, booya, here’s this spot and you’re like, “What is that?”
So was it the project that brought you back to St. Louis? It was the scope that this project had. A farm-to-table restaurant that’s steeped in tradition. You know, this farm has been in Nathalie Pettus’ family for more than 150 years. I was enticed and fell in love with her vision and passion for what she wants to do. She wants to return that land to its agricultural roots and showcase what [Clarksville] can – and does – produce.
What are some menu highlights? We serve … breakfast, lunch and dinner [daily]. We’re cooking on our toes. Sometimes we know, sometimes we don’t know what the farmer’s going to bring to our back door. … We’re doing all of our own baking – bagels, breakfast breads, English muffins, beignets, doughnuts. Lot of charcuterie – sausages and pâtés and terrines and rillettes. I mentioned earlier the smokehouse we designed. I see lamb prosciutto in our future. I see hanging hams. Dinner is going to be a blast – all the proteins we have at our fingertips. Lamb, pork, chicken, bison. … Venison. So we’re going to keep it simple and let the food speak for itself. One of the challenges that we have is that we are in Clarksville, and we need to appeal to a broad demographic of guest. I don’t care where you come from; big, delicious, bold flavors win every time. Freshness and quality win every time.
Your hotel background helps you understand the need for broad appeal at this particular restaurant. I grew up in this business in my family’s restaurant, and at one point I said, “I will no longer cook a chicken wing!” And then I got into the hotel business, and for the last 10 years, I’ve cooked more chicken wings than anyone could shake a stick at. We will do recognizable, approachable food, but with our own flair and commitment to quality. I am mindful of the fact that we are 40 minutes north [of St. Louis]. When you travel to see us, we’re gonna make the experience well worth your visit.
So what is your cooking style? New World classic. I’ll take a classic dish and put a New World spin on it. I’m not talking fusion. I’m talking a new, brighter approach. … Pork belly over a ragoût of white beans is a classic, classic dish. But we lightened the dish with lots of colorful aromatics. Celery and carrots. We made this incredibly bright green scallion coulis that we streaked the plate with, so the beans just popped behind that beautiful green.
How are you developing the menu at Overlook? There’s not a lot of avant-garde cooking going on. This is an opportunity to get back to technique.
Why do you think chefs are turning toward technique-driven, classic dishes? For me, it’s a personal challenge. Classic is just that. It’s the cornerstone of what we do. Good cooking has legs and will be around for a long, long time. The flavor of the month, the fusion cooking, if we go back into our memories, there may be a dish or two that we really liked here or there, but nothing beats a perfectly cooked short rib over creamy parsnips. There’s something special about looking at a pâté that’s perfectly formed. There’s something righteous about great knife skills. It’s a tip of the toque to those that came before us. That sounds a little cheeseball, but this is a craft that’s gone on for centuries. It hasn’t changed that much if you really think about it. The challenge is excellence.
Overlook Farm
901 S. Highway 79, Clarksville, 573.242.3838
This article appears in Jan 1-31, 2010.