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[REVIEW]
The Torch Is Passed Noto sits atop the St. Louis-area food scene with its stunning Italian fare Written by
CHERYL BAEHR Noto 5105 Westwood Drive, St. Peters; 636-3171143. Wed.-Thurs. 5-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 4-9 p.m. (Closed Sunday-Tuesday.)
K
endele Sieve knew the time had come, but she just couldn’t muster the courage to tell her dad the news that would break his heart: She would not be taking over the family bakery, as he expected her to do, and would instead be forging her own path. Her decision did not come lightly. Ever since she was ten years old she was a fi ture at his shop, J Noto Bakery, apprenticing underneath him after school and on weekends all through her childhood and into her young-adult years, when she became a bona fide pastry chef in her own right. It seemed that she was on track to carry forth the legacy of what he’d created, but she could not shake the feeling that she and her husband, Wayne Sieve, were being called to do something different. That something different was an authentic Italian eatery — the kind of place that would serve the food she and Wayne fell in love with on their many trips to taly s malfi oast. or a year, Kendele dropped hints to her dad about their decision; often, a casual mention would lead to a heated, five minute conversation that ended with her changing the su ect. inally, in , she made her case, setting the plans in motion for her and Wayne to turn the bakery into what would become one of the most thrilling Italian restaurants in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Kendele and Wayne can trace the moment they decided to open
Noto offers dishes to remember. Pictured: beet insalata, cannoli, salsiccia and lentils, margherita pizza and mushroom mezzaluna. | MABEL SUEN
A family tradition is honored and expanded in an unexpected way. oto ack to their first trip to the malfi oast a handful of years ago. There, Wayne — a chef who had gotten out of the business for a few years — fell in love with Neapolitan pizza and came home determined to recreate the classic dish. It became an obsession, and, not long after the trip, he bought a special countertop home oven that would get to the temperature he needed to mimic the classic talian wood fired ovens. Wayne’s pizzas were so good, and his passion so deep, he decided to jump back into the industry by opening a food truck. It was a scary prospect, but with Kendele still working at the bakery, it seemed like one they could
Co-owners Wayne Sieve and Kendele Noto Sieve. | MABEL SUEN manage. It didn’t take long for the truck to become a hit, and before they knew it, they were catching serious buzz as one of the best Neapolitan pizzas in town. The success excited them, but it also gave them the itch to do more. Having
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met while cooking together at a country club, the Sieves were used to a massive kitchen that would allow them to explore a variety of dishes. In the tiny truck and commissary they used for the Noto
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