- Feb 5, 2002
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An unassuming letter about fishing changed everything for Rob Connoley.
In 2016, after 20 years away, the self-taught and James Beard Award-nominated chef had shuttered his Silver City, New Mexico, restaurant, Curious Kumquat, and returned home to St. Louis, where he opened Bulrush STL in 2019. Looking into dishes for his new restaurant prompted him to take a deep dive into Ozark cuisine, which is named for the mountainous region that spans Missouri, Arkansas, and sections of Oklahoma and Kansas.
What Connoley found was far from clear. Misleading origin stories bundle Ozark cuisine with southern food, Appalachian food, Mississippi Delta food, and even Midwestern food, depending on the teller. And its so-called “defining dishes”—think squirrel fritters and possum pies—have led to the cuisine being labeled backwoods or "redneck" food. But squirrel fritters and possum pie weren’t on the menu when Connoley was growing up; he remembered eating dishes made with ingredients that were grown and raised locally.
Soon Connoley was on a mission to revitalize the often-overlooked cuisine.
His research began with church cookbooks from the 1950s and ’60s. Quickly, though, he realized that the collection of casseroles and Jell-O molds from that era didn’t capture the regionalism he was seeking. And though he did spot recipes for several backwoods’ dishes, they were clearly meant to appeal to tourists, not locals.
Continued below.
The Chef Using Historical Records and Intensive Research to Revitalize Ozark Cuisine
In 2016, after 20 years away, the self-taught and James Beard Award-nominated chef had shuttered his Silver City, New Mexico, restaurant, Curious Kumquat, and returned home to St. Louis, where he opened Bulrush STL in 2019. Looking into dishes for his new restaurant prompted him to take a deep dive into Ozark cuisine, which is named for the mountainous region that spans Missouri, Arkansas, and sections of Oklahoma and Kansas.
What Connoley found was far from clear. Misleading origin stories bundle Ozark cuisine with southern food, Appalachian food, Mississippi Delta food, and even Midwestern food, depending on the teller. And its so-called “defining dishes”—think squirrel fritters and possum pies—have led to the cuisine being labeled backwoods or "redneck" food. But squirrel fritters and possum pie weren’t on the menu when Connoley was growing up; he remembered eating dishes made with ingredients that were grown and raised locally.
Soon Connoley was on a mission to revitalize the often-overlooked cuisine.
His research began with church cookbooks from the 1950s and ’60s. Quickly, though, he realized that the collection of casseroles and Jell-O molds from that era didn’t capture the regionalism he was seeking. And though he did spot recipes for several backwoods’ dishes, they were clearly meant to appeal to tourists, not locals.
Continued below.
The Chef Using Historical Records and Intensive Research to Revitalize Ozark Cuisine