Robust Wine Bar announced today that Kris Janik will be joining the Robust team as executive chef and that Frank Romano will take over as general manager of the Webster Groves restaurant beginning Aug. 2.
Janik has worked at numerous fine-dining restaurants in St. Louis, including Mirasol, Savor, Monarch, Niche and, most recently, Franco. Janik attended Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Ore., and interned at Paley’s Place, one of that’s city’s upscale French restaurants.
Frank Romano’s restaurant management experience includes his tenure as general manager and part owner of Jazz at the Bistro, running the front and back of the house at An American Place, and as part owner and GM of Araka, where he managed a staff of 50 employees and created a wine program that sports more than 300 wines.
In a press release, owner Stanley Browne stated: “We are very pleased and excited about the continued growth of Robust and believe that with the new leadership of Kris and Frank, we will bring Robust to the next level. We will continue to develop and strengthen our concept as well as create other locations in the area.”
This article appears in Jul 1-31, 2010.