Revisiting Greenville’s farm-to-table legacy over dinner at Roost: City Juice with John Malik

Chef Zac Leepper
Chef Zac Leepper. Photo provided
Before Greenville was the city where everyone wanted to live, and before the terms foodie or influencer, there was Kelly Baird’s Bistro Europa. This was the first chef-driven, farm-to-table restaurant in town. The service was professional, yet casual. The food was clever, delicious and affordable. It was soon the most talked-about restaurant in town because the other restaurants we talked about were lobster and steak houses where the waitstaff wore tuxedos, the wines were French, and the checks weren’t for the faint of heart.  At the Bistro, the waitstaff wore T-shirts and monogrammed aprons yet were able to recite the ingredients of a pasta dish while recommending a crisp New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Baird recently joined me for a wonderful dinner at our town’s latest farm-to-table venue, the completely renovated Roost in NOMA Square next to the Hyatt Regency Greenville, which happens to be across the street from the former Bistro Europa location. Roost chef Zac Leepper is a culinary nomad. He’s worked in glorious, Michelin-starred kitchens in Chicago and Naples, Florida. Last September I cooked with him for a euphoria Greenville event, which was the first time anyone had cooked in Roost’s new kitchen. While enjoying Leepper’s mussels fra diavolo, beef tartare served in a marrow bone, and briny sea scallops on a sweet corn custard (wow!), Baird and I looked back at the Greenville we knew when we were much younger, and the Greenville of today. Our growth has been staggering, and we often make lists of best places to live or move to. While dipping a slice of toasted baguette with garlic butter into the aromatic mussel broth, Baird mused about the city’s growth. “Some of my friends complain about how quickly our town has grown but I think it’s wonderful,” Baird said. “I’ve met so many extraordinary, fun and cool people that have decided to call us home. Sure, our town is growing but there’s so many positives to it. Plus, there’s a lot of people working hard to keep Greenville wonderful.” Leepper is the perfect example of that growth. He’s an alum of Chicago’s Alinea, and a wildly creative chef with a clever streak a mile wide. As I mentioned that, our dulce de leche arrived — a multi-layered cake cut in a perfect circle and topped with tiny caramel pearls. One bite and we were both convinced that growth is good. Baird took a good look at the remodeled Roost and sighed. “I see the result of our hard work from so many years ago,” she said. “Our lessons in hospitality that we passed on to others in this business echoes across our town’s landscape.” Roost, located at 220 N. Main St. in downtown Greenville, is open seven days a week.
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