It’s a rollicking ride through Melanie Hye Jin Meyer’s list of favorite restaurants. Like the flavors at her micro-eatery Tiny Chef (located inside the Silver Ballroom in Bevo Mill), Meyer’s dining tastes are also varied — beautifully influenced both by her Korean heritage and her many friends in the local restaurant industry.
Meyer grew up in Missouri, the adopted child of white parents, and found her Korean birth family much later on. “For a long time, I didn’t cook Korean food because I didn’t feel Korean enough,” she said. “I felt like a fraud.”
Thankfully, times have changed. In the five short years since Tiny Chef opened, Meyer has made a name for herself in this discerning epicurean city. And in doing so, she’s defeated imposter syndrome comprehensively. While telling Sauce Magazine about her favorite St. Louis restaurants, Meyer couldn’t help but mention Tiny Chef. “Am I allowed to say myself?” she said. “It’s just that I’m proud of what I do, and I want to share.”
Aside from Tiny Chef, then, here are some of the places that inspire Meyer most.
