Chef Keneipp turns out lights in 'Kitchen' for last time

NOBLESVILLE -- Steve Keneipp, chef of The Classic Kitchen for 28 years, created his last menu, served his last meal and waited on his last customers.

Keneipp -- whose patrons came to expect to be smothered with attention -- closed his charming restaurant at 610 Hannibal St. on Saturday.
New owner Tanya Marshall, also owner of the Heavenly Sweets bakery in Noblesville, had planned to reopen the restaurant under a new name but said Thursday she will remodel it into a bakery production kitchen.
Keneipp's last menu featured tomato, gin and almond soup; maple-glazed duck; a classic Julia Child chicken divan crepe -- "I knew Julia for about 15 years, so she needed to be a part of this" -- and a turtle sundae, an original dessert he makes with homemade caramels, chocolate and Native American pecans.
"I wanted to revisit all of those things people are interested in having one last time," said the downtown Noblesville resident, who's traveled the world, then developed dishes that he served with a personal story on how they were created.
"We always enjoyed hearing about his travels," said Noblesville's Carole Longardner. She and her late husband, Dick, would go to The Classic Kitchen for many special occasions. They loved Keneipp's food, the way he presented it and his detailed descriptions of the ingredients he used in the dishes of the ever-changing menu.
"It was truly one of those spots in Noblesville that was culturally beautiful and a just a lovely experience every time you went," she said.
"There isn't any place like it," said Noblesville's Annie Cook, who's been a customer since the beginning. She had her annual Christmas lunch "with the girls" there on Dec. 21.
"The food is exquisite, scrumptious, absolutely out of this world," said Cook. Her favorite dish was Keneipp's rich Tahitian vanilla ice cream.
"We're very happy for Steve, that he's going to be able to try some new things, because it's been a lot of hard work for Steve. But I'm very sad for me," said Cook, who loves attending his cooking classes. At the most recent one, Keneipp shared his favorite holiday recipes during five sold-out nights.
Keneipp learned to cook from scratch from his mother while growing up in Vincennes.
After nearly three decades running his restaurant, he's ready to start a new chapter: relaxing, traveling to Brazil and the Caribbean, and writing culinary articles about his itinerary. Keneipp said he also plans to write a cookbook.
With all of the recipes he's shared through the years, Keneipp said, "I'm definitely going to be out there in a lot of homes."



http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071228/LOCAL/712280314/1015/LOCAL01