Eats Beat: New chef at Saint-Emilion, new gig for Café Modern’s Peterson | Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Saint-Emilion Restaurant’s 30th anniversary included a surprise: a new chef de cuisine.

Owner Bernard Tronche, always the friendly face up front, has had about 10 chefs handling the kitchen over the years. The newest: Kobi Perdue, 26, is a veteran of Saint-Emilion, and before that, the Wild Mushroom Steak House.

Meeting legacy customers at a restaurant older than he is, Perdue said he’s interested in organic foods and will add his own menu du chef vegetable dishes and sauces to the tried-and-true menu of dishes like honey-roasted duck or steak au poivre.

Tronche smiled proudly.

“I certainly like to follow the trends and be aware — I want us to know all the food trends and know what our customers are expecting, and Kobi will do that,” he said.

“But I also want us to stay grounded in what we’ve been doing for 30 years.”

Saint-Emilion celebrated its anniversary starting May 5 with a three-day tent party benefiting the Humane Society of North Texas.

“So many people wanted to come, we decided we needed more room,” Tronche said.

Perdue takes over Friday from chef Summer Jones, who is moving to a corporate position.

Saint-Emilion is open for dinner Tuesdays through Saturdays, with walk-ins welcome Tuesdays through Thursdays; 3617 W. Seventh St., 817-737-2781, saint-emilionrestaurant.com.

Gone, but not far

By the end of the month, chef Dena Peterson will be gone from Café Modern. But she’ll still be doing plenty of cooking.

Peterson is taking over former Cafe Matthew chef Sally Bolick-Strong’s Bravo Catering.

“It seemed like a good idea and the right time.” Peterson said this week.

“I’ll get to spend more family time. And I’ll still get to see a lot of the same people.”

Peterson is sentimental about Café Modern, where she was the second chef and brought it to prominence over 11 years.

“I really care about the clients and sustainability, and what Café Modern stands for. I hope someone is there who believes in what we’ve done.”

The Mother’s Day crowd was a record, she said.

She continues through May 31 at the cafe, open for lunch or brunch daily except Mondays, and for dinner Fridays only inside the museum, 3200 Darnell St., 817-840-2157, themodern.org.

Azle’s turn to taste

Residents of Azle and the Oak Harbor Estates area usually have to drive elsewhere for foodie festivals.

But foodies will drive to Azle at lunch Saturday, when the annual Taste Tour features eight chefs cooking in eight elegant homes.

Chef Anthony Aguillon of La Choza Fine Foods near Lakeside will do his Southwestern grilled ribs. Next-door neighbor Caris Turpen of LightCatcher Winery & Bistro is doing pork tenderloin crostinis with black bean-mango.

Charles Youts of the Classic at Roanoke cafe, far away but always worth the trip, is doing a grilled pork tenderloin with charred-pineapple salsa.

Janet Z. Capua of Z’s Cafe in Fort Worth will contribute gazpacho and sausage or vegetable wraps. Four other caterers or vendors will give demonstrations in kitchens or in a new outdoor market.

The Taste Tour is a benefit for the Azle Cares charity. Tickets are inexpensive — $25 — in advance at azlecares.org or $30 Saturday at the community park on Spinnaker Lane.