Chef Rob Connoley is at it again – this time, his passion for foraged ingredients and Ozark-inspired cuisine comes to life at Grand Center Arts District’s newest restaurant concept: Bulrush. With a menu that infuses freshly foraged tastes of the season along with ingredients sourced from a number of local farms, Bulrush is rooted in the belief that “really good food” comes from the land with as few “middlemen” as possible.
Learn more about Bulrush from the words of its creators, below, and make your reservation today!
ABOUT BULRUSH
What does it mean to be ‘rooted in Ozark cuisine?’ Our team has spent a lifetime trying to answer this question. Literally – while some may call it ‘High South Cuisine.’ or the ‘Ozark Plateau,’ for many of us, it’s the food we were raised on.
Through our research of family journals and letters from the early 1800s, we have uncovered over 200 years of history. History that includes the bold families of indigenous people, enslaved residents, and Euro-Appalachian immigrants that tamed the wildlands of northern Arkansas and southern Missouri (and tips of Oklahoma and Kansas). These are the people who defined what was Ozark cuisine.
Bulrush is rooted in this food that sustained these hardy people for generations. Through our contemporary knowledge and modern techniques, what has grown is Ozark food like you’ve never seen it – but will satisfy your fondest childhood memory.
We’d love to tell you all about what we’ve found, but we’d rather you come discover it with us.
The primal satisfaction that comes from good food – really good food – can’t be replicated. We must cultivate and sustain the source. This is why we forage, grow only what belongs here, and gather only what we need.
Our food is not only seasonal but hyper-seasonal. We want you to experience fresh ingredients at their best possible moment – and then again, after they’ve been preserved and become even more delicious.
It’s just like our ancestors said, “If you want peaches in January, you better have canned some in July.”
OUR PRACTICES:
You can rest assured that all of our locally grown ingredients are organically raised.
We gather our own foraged ingredients to ensure that they were gathered ethically and legally. We have numerous participants in our Bulrush Land Partnership giving us access to nearly 10,000 acres of pristine private land on which to forage.
Our kitchen is zero-waste. All scraps become sauces, fermented drinks, and in rare cases, food waste is sent to our friend Matt for his Bokashi composting program.
We work with a number of local farms including Grown and Gathered Historic Farm in Sappington to raise a handful of rare produce that we’ve documented to 1840.
Our bar excels at connecting modern drinks (wines, cocktails and spirit-free) to our history. We strive to have the top spirit-free drink program in the region.
All of our staff is paid a fair wage in conjunction with our all-inclusive prices. The prices you see on our menus are inclusive of tax and hospitality, with no need to pay more.