A year after its opening last November, Chef Nick Bognar’s Pavilion remains one of the most sought-after reservations in St. Louis. Tucked into the courtyard of his Sado restaurant, the glass-enclosed space is framed by greenery and river stones that evoke the calm of a Japanese garden. Inside, just six seats circle a curved marble counter, creating an intimate setting where diners can connect with Bognar as he prepares an omakase menu tailored to the season and their preferences. The atmosphere’s serenity is offset by a playful playlist of 2000s hits.
For eighteen courses, Bognar guides diners through a progression that fuses the Japanese omakase structure with Thai storytelling. A dish of masu (trout) arrives bathed in a curry made from his grandmother’s recipe. Wild-caught hamachi is dressed with a bright Thai basil sauce, while torched iwashi (sardine) rests on toasted milk bread, a nod to traditional Japanese comfort foods with global influences.
Bognar has been part of restaurant kitchens for as long as he can remember. The St. Louis native grew up rolling sushi at his mother’s restaurant, Nippon Tei, one of the city’s first Japanese restaurants. Under her guidance, he logged countless hours at the sushi bar, mastering knife work and the art of rolling maki. “That early training grounded me in the precision and discipline of Japanese culinary traditions, even as I absorbed another set of lessons at home,” he recalls.
At home, it was his late grandmother, an immigrant from Thailand, who filled the kitchen with the aromas of curries, herbs, and fish sauce, passing down recipes from her Thai heritage. For Bognar, these dual influences were never in conflict. Together, they formed a foundation that taught him to see food as a way to tell stories, preserve identity, and bridge cultures.
Bognar’s career took him far from St. Louis before bringing him back home. He trained at Uchiko in Austin, a restaurant that expanded his understanding of contemporary Japanese cooking and showed him how techniques could evolve without losing authenticity. Later, at Cincinnati’s E+O Kitchen, he explored broader Asian flavors, merging various cuisines in innovative ways.
In 2017, a trip through Thailand and Cambodia proved transformative. Immersed in street food markets, rural kitchens, and family gatherings, Bognar rediscovered the dishes of his grandmother’s table. That experience sharpened his conviction that the food he prepares should honor both sides of his identity. When he returned to St. Louis, he did not simply resume working in restaurants; he began creating them.
At his first project, Indo, Bognar showcased his passion for blending Japanese and Thai cuisines in dishes such as kanpachi crudo with nam jim. The restaurant quickly earned national attention, landing on GQ’s Best New Restaurants list and earning a James Beard Award semifinalist nod. He followed with Sado, a larger-format sushi restaurant, which was also named a James Beard Award semifinalist. Yet despite the accolades, Bognar wanted to create something more intimate, a space where he could take diners on a personal culinary journey. Pavilion became that outlet, serving as the most direct expression of his culinary identity to date.
In 2025, the James Beard Foundation named Bognar a semifinalist for “Best Chef: Midwest,” marking his sixth nomination. He describes the recognition as an honor and notes that it encourages guests to be more willing to try dishes outside the mainstream. “Years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to get anyone to order fermented squid,” he explains. “Now, with that recognition, people give it a chance, and that allows us to cook the food we believe in rather than just what feels safe. For me, the real reward is getting to cook what I truly want to cook.”
Pavilion may be Bognar’s most personal project yet, but it’s unlikely to be his last innovation. Reflecting on the restaurant’s first year, he explains, “With Pavilion, we’ve gotten into a rhythm. We’re always chasing this idea of perfection, making sure the meal has the right flow and the right highs and lows.” Looking ahead, Bognar plans to focus on building a sustainable workplace. “That means being more organized as leaders, improving how the restaurants run day to day, and involving the team more in decisions such as menu changes,” he says.
Bognar envisions his restaurants evolving into something larger than himself, with stronger benefits and support for his staff as well as food and service that continually reaches new heights. “The goal is longevity and growth,” he says. Whether he continues to expand in St. Louis or brings his vision to new markets, Bognar’s trajectory reflects a chef unwilling to settle into easy categories and one who is committed to honoring his roots.
This article first appeared on Forbes.com.
