The J hosts a seminar where leadership lessons from are given from St. Louis chefs and funders shaping the City’s food scene.

by Marla Stoker Ballenger

Career paths are rarely linear, and that’s exactly the point of From Kitchen to Corner Office, an upcoming event hosted by the St. Louis Jewish Community Center’s Staenberg Network on April 14, 2026.

Held at the J’s Staenberg Family Complex in Creve Coeur, the event will bring together chefs and restaurant founders shaping St. Louis’s culinary landscape, with some growing their concepts both locally and nationally, for a candid conversation about leadership, growth, and the journeys that define success.

Panelists include Gerard Craft, executive chef of Niche Food Group; Tamara Keefe, founder and CEO of Clementine’s Ice Cream; Kevin Nashan, owner of Sidney Street Café, Peacemaker Lobster & Crab, and La Tertulia; and Ben Poremba, founder, chef, and owner of Bengelina Hospitality Group.

Through personal stories and real-world insight, speakers will share how they built their careers, navigated challenges, and grew into leadership roles, often starting in the kitchen and expanding far beyond it. The evening is designed to move beyond surface-level networking and offer meaningful takeaways for both emerging and established professionals.

“The St. Louis culinary community is gaining national attention right now, and that is not a coincidence. It is the result of leadership, a commitment to excellence, and a collective effort. We learn best from each other, and the J’s Staenberg Network provides a place for those connections and conversations,” said Steven Rosenzweig, President and CEO of the St. Louis Jewish Community Center.

The evening will include structured networking, conversation, and opportunities to connect. This event is sponsored by The Staenberg Group, the Chesterfield Regional Chamber, the Creve Coeur-Olivette Chamber of Commerce, Capes Sokol, and The Kopu Water Co.

Event Details

What: From Kitchen to Corner Office: A J Staenberg Network Event
When: April 14, 2026, 4:00 – 5:30PM
Where: Helene and Carl Mirowitz Performing Arts and Banquet Center

Registration is required for this free event: jccstl.com/aprilnetworkevent

About the Panelists

Gerard Craft, executive chef of Niche Food Group

Gerard Craft is the executive chef and CEO of Niche Food Group in St. Louis, Missouri, operating a string of successful restaurants in St. Louis and one in Nashville. Over the past two decades, a revolution has redefined dining in the Gateway City. At the heart of this transformation stands Gerard Craft, a James Beard Award-winning chef who not only elevated the city’s restaurant scene but also positioned St. Louis as a national food destination.

Craft’s journey to culinary stardom began far from Missouri. Born in Washington, D.C., Craft initially pursued a career in photography in Los Angeles. To make ends meet, he started working at a small restaurant. There he discovered his true passion for cooking. The energy of the kitchen, the artistry of plating and the thrill of creating flavors ignited a spark that led him to culinary school and to some of the most respected kitchens in the country including Bistro Toujours in Park City, Utah, and Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles.

In 2005, at just 25 years old, Craft took a leap of faith and opened Niche in the Benton Park neighborhood of St. Louis. With its innovative approach to fine dining and focus on locally sourced foods, Niche quickly became a beacon of culinary creativity in a city better known at the time for barbecue and casual eats. Craft’s decision to open his flagship restaurant in St. Louis was seen as unconventional, but it proved to be a masterstroke that catalyzed a larger culinary movement.

Tamara Keefe, founder and CEO of Clementine’s Ice Cream

Tamara Keefe founded Clementine’s Creamery in 2014. She grew up impoverished in a large Irish-Italian household; she and her family could not afford to join the other families on Sunday after church for the weekly trip to the ice cream parlor.

This exclusion from community and the longing it generated, left an indelible impression on her. The day her mother purchased a $2 hand-crank ice cream maker from a garage sale changed her life forever. The family established a Sunday-ice-cream-making ritual. Word of the deliciousness spread throughout the community and soon families flocked to her home…one family bringing the cream, another bringing the sugar…

Her passion for ice cream has resulted in seven storefront locations in the St. Louis area, one in Illinois, an online shop that ships to customers nationwide, and a catering business that services weddings, parties, and special events. This ice cream entrepreneur and self-proclaimed “Flavor Temptress” is devoted to bringing people together serving up love one scoop at a time.

In 2014, Tamara worked in a lab with her network of food scientists and chemists to develop and perfect Clementine’s trade secret process for freezing alcohol into ice cream. She is a 2018 alum of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Businesses program, and in early 2019 was honored as a Tory Burch Fellow. She is currently a board member of St. Louis Civic Pride and serves as the 2019 MyEO Chair for EO Entrepreneurs’ Organization.

Kevin Nashan, owner of Sidney Street Café, Peacemaker Lobster & Crab, and La Tertulia

Although born in Chicago and raised in Santa Fe, Kevin Nashan’s adopted home town is St. Louis. During his childhood, he spent as much time in a restaurant as he did in the classroom. For 27 years, his family owned La Tertulia, a beloved Northern New Mexican restaurant started by his Hispanic grandfather in 1972. Throughout his youth, Nashan helped out doing everything from washing dishes to working front of house. After graduating from St. Louis University, he enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

After culinary school, Nashan interned at Commander’s Palace under Chef Jamie Shannon, introducing him to the fast-paced world of restaurant kitchens. Nashan then moved to Chicago to immersed himself in French cuisine under the guidance of celebrated Chef Roland Liccioni at La Francais in Chicago. In 1998, Nashan moved to northwestern Spain to stage at El Raco de Can Fabes.

In 2002, Nashan returned to his adopted hometown of St. Louis with the intentions of opening a restaurant. He learned the owners of local standby Sidney Street were looking to pass the torch after 16 years in business. Nashan loved the beautiful building and decided, along with his wife, Mina, to buy the restaurant in 2003.

Nashan seamlessly incorporates his wide variety of culinary experiences and influences into seasonal, locally sourced creations. His French training shines through his food while his time in Spain shows its lasting impact in soulful sofrito-based dishes and the innumerable cured products in the pantry. The New Mexican cuisine of his childhood is also never far from his mind and his love for Southern cuisine is reflected in the form of ingredients like ham hocks, sorghum, and speckled grits. Nashan believes that sourcing locally should be expected, not celebrated, and it doesn’t get much closer to home than the micro greens he grows in the basement or the garden occupying in the Sidney Street parking lot.

In August 2014, Nashan opened his second restaurant in St. Louis, Peacemaker Lobster & Crab. Inspired by Nashan’s time spent cooking and living in New Orleans and his travels along Maine’s rocky coast, Peacemaker highlights the Acadian tie between Northeastern and Louisiana cuisines.

Nashan won a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest in 2017, after being a finalist in the category in 2014 and 2016 and a five-time semifinalist. He has cooked for President Barack Obama, and he won the 2013 Cochon 555 Barbecue competition in St. Louis. When he’s not in the kitchen, he can be found training for triathlons and ironman competitions (he’s completed six!), playing sports, hunting, and being outdoors. He loves enjoying all St. Louis and Tulsa have to offer with his wife, Mina, and their two sons, Max and Miles.

Ben Poremba, founder, chef, and owner of Bengelina Hospitality Group

Israeli native Ben Poremba moved to St. Louis to earn a BA in philosophy from the University of Missouri. He learned the art of cooking (and eating) from his mother, Rachel, who had a 40-year career as a chef and culinary educator herself. Poremba also attended Università degli Studi di Scienze Gastronomich (University of Gastronomic Studies) in Parma, Italy where he studied Masters of Communications, in Food Culture and Gastronomy.

Poremba began his culinary career in the states as a private chef, and then transitioned his experience into launching a catering company while still in college, Taste Fine Catering. Poremba held roles as Executive Chef at The Maryland House at Brennan’s and Executive Chef of Winslow’s Home (both in St. Louis). In 2008, he started Bengelina Hospitality Group with his wife, Angela, opening their first venture Salume Beddu. He then went on to open Elaia, Olio, La Patisserie Chouquette, Old Standard and Parigi (now closed), Nixta/Bar Limón, The Benevolent King, AO&Co., and recently expanding beyond food by launching his lifestyle brand, B.Poremba Feinschmeckers.

Poremba is moved by how food plays a central role in celebrations, rituals, holidays, and virtually every ceremony humans are engaged in. A fan of spontaneous cooking, without referring to recipes, Poremba strongly believes that food must be prepared with love. For Poremba, food, design, and service should all be measured by how great of an experience you can give to people; not only on a substance level, but through the environment, art, and conversation as well.

His goal is to run a sustainable enterprise by providing an equitable work environment and fair and safe corporate culture to his employees, who he greatly admires. Each restaurant is a formula to retain and attract talented people, providing opportunity to others – one of the reasons he continues to open new restaurants.

About the J Staenberg Network

The J Staenberg Network brings together professionals and community members from across St. Louis to connect, learn, and grow through shared experiences. Designed for emerging leaders and established professionals alike, the network creates opportunities for meaningful conversation, mentorship, and community-building across industries.

About The J

The J, the St. Louis Jewish Community Center, has served the region for nearly 150 years building community and creating meaningful Jewish experiences for individuals and families of all backgrounds.