Mainlander has a new leader in the kitchen, and she’s bringing a little Ozarks nostalgia, plenty of seasonal ingredients and a knack for playful, globally influenced cooking to the Central West End restaurant at 392 N. Euclid Ave.
Chloe Yates has been named executive chef of Mainlander, taking the reins after joining the team in June and spending the summer working alongside chef-owner Blake Askew. She’ll continue collaborating with Askew on recipes and menus for both Mainlander Supper Club and its adjoining bar, The Jujube Inn, which Askew operates with co-owner Gordon Chen.
Both concepts have earned spots on Sauce Magazine’s monthly Hit List of restaurant recommendations in recent months.
Yates was already a fan of Mainlander when she spotted the job posting. She had followed the restaurant since 2023 and admired Askew’s approach to hyper-local ingredients and international influences. Although she hadn’t planned to return to a professional kitchen, the opportunity changed her mind.
“I wrote a cover letter immediately,” Yates said. “I showed up in June with a giant box of cookies and bated breath.”
The move brings together two chefs whose approaches share an appreciation for local ingredients and creative, seasonally driven menus. Askew said Yates’ instincts and culinary style have made her a natural fit.
“Chloe has come in like a breath of fresh air,” Askew said. “Her culinary style and instincts blend seamlessly with mine and we are having a great time collaborating, writing menus and recipes together.”
A Missouri native, Yates grew up around farms and home kitchens in the Ozarks, where her grandmothers helped shape her approach to food. One caught and cleaned her own fish, while the other could turn out bakery-worthy desserts and get supper on the table in half an hour. Those early experiences still inform Yates’ cooking, which balances comfort and nostalgia with unexpected flavors.
“I cook with what the season hands me and keep every dish honest, generous and, like me, a little nostalgic,” she said. “I hope guests taste that same love in food grown by our neighbors, a taste of home even in a dish they’ve never had before.”
Yates first developed her culinary voice as chef and owner of Red Dirt Revival, a food truck known for its soulful, playful cooking. In 2022, she moved into a brick-and-mortar kitchen as executive chef and general manager of Cellar House in Oakville. There, she paired local ingredients with international influences in seasonal dishes that earned her the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Chef of the Year honor in 2022.
Those experiences gave her different tools to bring to Mainlander. Red Dirt Revival helped her find her style, she said, while Cellar House taught her technique, elegance and the value of knowing when to edit a dish.
At Mainlander, she hopes to bring those lessons together in menus that feel both whimsical and welcoming. She’s also looking forward to expanding her culinary repertoire, particularly by mastering the restaurant’s wok and learning more about Taiwanese ingredients.
Askew said adding a leader to the kitchen will give him and Chen more room to develop the restaurant while keeping their focus on its two existing concepts. For now, Yates shares that focus.
“My goal is to bring my adoration of exceptional hospitality to every corner of Mainlander and The Jujube Inn, and to solidify our identity as the best dinner party you could possibly be a guest of,” she said.
Mainlander and The Jujube Inn announce holiday plans
On Saturday, Oct. 31, Mainlander Supper Club will pause its usual service for a Jujube Inn takeover, turning the space into an extension of the bar. Guests can order The Jujube Inn’s full à la carte food and beverage menus, along with a few macabre specials. Doors open at 5:45 p.m., with the kitchen and bar serving until midnight. There will be no reservations or tipping, and seating will be first come, first served.
Both concepts will close Thanksgiving Day and reopen Black Friday. Their last service of 2026 will be Saturday, Dec. 19, before a holiday break. Mainlander will offer a combined December/January menu before returning to its regular monthly menu changes in February.
Chen said the break will give the team time to recharge after a busy year.
“Working side-by-side with our employees everyday has really highlighted just how hard everyone has been pushing, and how many sacrifices have been made to keep our restaurant singing and our guests happy,” Chen said. “Everyone more than deserves a break with their loved ones during the holidays, especially since we feel like Mainlander is stronger than it has ever been.”
