Celebrity chef Marc Bynum has his eye on the Gateway City. Bynum, a consulting chef and partner of several East Coast restaurants, gained fame in 2010 when he appeared on Food Network’s cooking competition show Chopped and claimed victory twice before falling short in the season finale. During Bynum’s visit to town this past weekend as a participant in Taste of St. Louis, the Long Island native informed The Scoop of his desire to open a restaurant in St. Louis.
Bynum’s vision for a St. Louis restaurant is a single community table where guests can enjoy new American cuisine made from locally sourced ingredients. He plans to return to St. Louis to begin looking for a space, though the date for that scouting trip has yet to be determined.
Bynum is no stranger to the St. Louis food scene. He has participated in Taste of St. Louis since 2010, doing cooking demonstrations and serving as an emcee on the culinary stage. He has already given a verbal commitment to participate at next year’s festivities.
The career chef has helmed numerous restaurants in New York City, including Four Food Studio, Prime Restaurant, Tellers and the now-defunct Venue 56. Recent chef/consulting projects include Vinatta Project in New York’s Meatpacking District, Cue Nine in Levittown, N.Y., and Moo Burger in Brooklyn, N.Y. Bynum is also a partner at two restaurants: Beach Burger in East Norwalk, Conn., and Bamboo Tori, a restaurant specializing in yakitori that is slated to open within days in New York’s Union Square.
This article appears in October 2012.