Meet the successful chef opening a new eatery at St. Paul’s Union Depot

John Schiltz is no stranger to taking a chance on a restaurant.

The longtime owner of the Lake Elmo Inn, who began there as a dishwasher before becoming a cook, then the owner, admits “I rely a lot on faith.” But there was just something about this grand space where St. Paul’s rail passengers bought tickets to hundreds of trains daily that convinced Schiltz to launch his new venture.

1881 by Lake Elmo Inn, which opened this month, gets it name from the year both the original Union Depot and Lake Elmo Inn opened. Schiltz envisions a restaurant so good that diners return to this marble gem in St. Paul’s Lowertown, drawn by both the food and the Depot’s gleam. Eye on St. Paul recently visited with Schiltz to learn more about why he believes his gamble on St. Paul will pay off. This interview was edited for length.

Q: When did you decide to open this restaurant?

A: I think it was in April. We actually wanted to be do this back in 2017, 2018. They had put out the word that they’re looking for a caterer for the Union Depot. And we got here because there was all of us wanted to cater here. I mean, look at this space! So we’re sitting up there, and they go, “We’re putting this out to bid for whoever would like to be the caterer here. And the one caveat is, you have to run the restaurant.” At that time, they wanted breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. And we just said we can’t do it, so we bowed out.

Well, [years later] after those other contracts fell apart, Frank [Hopp], who helps run our catering division, was out looking for new venues. So, we’re down here catering [parties] and he’s sitting there, and he strikes up a conversation with the management here. And they go, “Would you guys be interested in taking over the catering?” And he asked [John and his wife, Christine] to come down here. And I walked in that front door, and I go, “Oh my God, this is amazing.” I mean, the last couple caterers wanted the catering and didn’t put a lot of effort into [the restaurant]. I think this is the jewel, and the catering is the sugar on that jewel.

Q: How will you be able to sustain traffic to support a restaurant, since a lot of downtown employees still haven’t come back to the office?

A: I’m a guy that comes from Lake Elmo, population of 6,000, and I bought a business that I worked at as a dishwasher and as a cook. When I left, I went around the country, and I worked for Hyatt Hotels, the Broadmoor [in Colorado]. Then I came home for a wedding and that’s the day [the Lake Elmo Inn’s previous owner] put it up for sale. Did I have a vision? I have no idea. I just knew that place had good bones. Well, this is my 40th year there. I took something that did not have a lot of business to start with. ... But I have a reputation of good food, and I’m bringing that to the table. I think good food anywhere is going to work.

Lake Elmo isn’t a metropolis. But we managed and we grew. And we’re considered one of the better restaurants in the Twin Cities.

Q: How much time are you giving yourself?

A: Well, we have a five-year contract. I’m giving myself five years.

But my goal here is to show St. Paul and Lowertown, especially, that there is a restaurant that they want to be seen at, they want to be at, and they want to eat here. We have 37 or 36 condos here in this building. And look at all these high rises. These are all condos. These people, if they’re like me, I’m tired of sports bars. I’m not going to compete with the sports bars. This is not a sports bar. I see it as a place for businessmen and women, for people in condos, to bring their friends over here. You have bankers. And you have any special occasion. I’m a special occasion place as well. They can’t afford me every day, you know. I do have people that come in every week, and I love that.

I had to be careful on this first menu because of new talent. All the people here are people that I have not worked with before. So, I am starting from ground zero. My chef comes from my catering kitchen, OK? He said I would love the opportunity to open up your restaurant.

Q: Is it fair to say you’re confident you’ll succeed in downtown St. Paul, in Lowertown?

A: I am confident that we’re going to succeed. I’m confident that we’re going to help rebuild this area and at least its reputation for having places to go to.

Q: I’m going to stay for lunch. What should I order?

A: Are you a sandwich guy? I think our Pub Steak is awesome. A lot of places have Philadelphia cheesesteaks. My sirloin sandwich is a roast, and I slice it so it’s coming out medium rare or medium. That, with Portobello and onions and cheese, it’s a good sandwich. As far as something hot, we have sunfish on our menu that I don’t think anyone downtown has seen before. It’s like five, six filets along with a Chardonnay butter sauce. We got a great burger, chicken.

Q: Tell me about your commitment to St. Paul.

A: My commitment is to do the best job I can. Our flair is friendliness, and I want people to create memories. And that was another thing that we talked about when we decided on the name and everything else. My memory of the Depot is my grandfather and grandma took me down that hallway to the train to go to Duluth. And I was 4 years old. My grandfather died that winter, and it was a pleasant memory.

And I want to have people create memories [here]. From what I understand, proms come from all over the Twin Cities area to have their pictures taken down here. Weddings. We have people coming here to become citizens. Oh, yeah, three or four days a year they do that, and 1,000 people each time. We just got a call from Viking Cruise Line, and they want to know what we can do together.