In mid-April, The Scoop reported that the soon-to-open vegetarian restaurant Tree House had hired John Intrieri as its executive chef. The lunch and dinner spot, located at 3177 S. Grand Blvd., has since hired Victoria Lopez (pictured) as its head pastry chef. Lopez attended Le Cordon Bleu in Atlanta, Georgia, before moving to St. Louis in 2009. Since then, Lopez has worked at Black Bear Bakery on Cherokee Street and Bixby’s in the Missouri History Museum. Her familial Puerto Rican influences work their way into her desserts, adding another dimension to Tree House owner Bay Tran’s Vietnamese background and Intrieri’s South American and Italian roots. All three are first-generation Americans and are excited to call on the cuisine of their respective heritages, along with their familiarity of American culture, in order to offer a menu with truly global flavors.
Look for Tree House to open by mid to late May.
This article appears in April 2013.