ST. LOUIS — A beloved St. Louis chef who just closed his Grand Center restaurant is speaking about the decision.
Bulrush STL opened five years ago and has since won national recognition, but chef and owner Rob Connoley said he's closing his doors.
Over the years, fans have raved over Bulrush STL.
"Bulrush never disappoints," one restaurantgoer posted on Facebook.
"What we do is contemporary interpretation of historic Ozark food,” Connoley said.
Just this month, the celebrity chef was named a finalist in the highly coveted James Beard Foundation Awards.
"But I can't keep doing it,” he said.
Connoley said it was a tough decision. Not because of a lack of business, but over what he calls anti-LGBTQ measures coming from the state.
Connoley is a gay man.
"I need to run a business where I feel the contributions I'm making to the community are valued and the money I'm generating for the state is being well utilized instead of being used to attack me and people like my community,” he said.
Connoley addressed why he’s so concerned.
"The work of (Attorney General Andrew Bailey) to get the medical records of trans patients from their doctors … What’s the slippery slope? So now can they take the medical records of people with HIV or what about if they want it for people with autism?” he asked. "This is where it's gone beyond political games and political fights to just hate politics.”
Bailey sued Washington University for not providing the medical records he requested in his investigation into its pediatric transgender clinic. WashU claims the request is illegal. A judge heard the case last week and has not ruled just yet.
He said he can no longer sit idly.
"It would be easy to just ignore that's happening and hope at the next election, change happens but this is no longer a blip. This is a trend, and that's the difference," he said.
Fans gathered Sunday for a final meal at the restaurant before Bulrush closed for good.
"I'm still going to be cooking somehow. Even now that we’re closed, I still need to make good food because that's what brings me the most passion,” Connoley said.
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