Keeley Steele, who owns Bluegrass with her husband, Jon, was catering out of town at the time and left the well-seasoned, but new-to-Charleston Needham in charge of the kitchen.

"I came back to this," she said, waving one of the special menus they print daily. "Now people call us at 5 to see what the specials are. They are loving it. My people are savvy."

Recent specials featured tapas appetizers like bamboo leaf wrapped pork mojo tamales and lemon-thyme risotto cakes with chicken mole. Entrees of bracciole - vegetable-stuffed West Virginia grass-fed flank steak - and mandarin thrice cooked halal chicken appeal to area foodies. Even some gourmets might have to look up a few items: methi puri, manchego croustade and pastrama crusted salmon aren't in everyone's vocabulary.

Needham hasn't changed the menu originally developed by the Steeles, just added his touch to the daily specials. Customers still order favorites from the standing menu.

"This is the stuff your grandmother would cook if your grandmother could cook like this," Keeley Steele said. "It's your grandmother's cooking with a twist."

Steele enables the affable Needham's creative instincts. A thorough researcher, Steele searches online and elsewhere to find the best food products, especially local produce and eggs, humanely raised meats and interesting seafood.

"I'm a crazy researcher. I'll find something and ask Gary, 'Have you heard of this?'" Steele said. "He'll say 'Let's cook it!'"

 Recently, they've served periwinkles (small sea snails), fresh red mullets (Mediterranean goatfish), whole sardines and grilled octopus.

"Any fish items have been a big hit, as well as Indian vegetarian," he said.

They recently took a chance and served house-made pate with Riesling onions, capers and Dijon mustard. Steele wasn't surprised to find it was a big hit, particularly with some of her well-traveled patrons. 

Needham found his way into Bluegrass Kitchen after answering Steele's advertisement for a chef. He was enjoying some time off living with his son's family in Winchester, Ky., after an illustrious cooking career of preparing high-end food for fine dining.

The food in his Ridgewood, N.J., restaurant was favorably reviewed by the New York Times.

He was smitten with the relaxed atmosphere and first-class food the Steeles created at Bluegrass.

"I had other big job offers, but I didn't do that kind of work anymore," he said. "I was impressed with Jon and Keeley and the unpretension in the restaurant and really impressed with the quality of products they use. They are close to the earth."

During the summer, the Steeles purchase about 80 percent of their produce locally. Sandy Creek Farms in Ravenswood supplies the meats and farmers in Monroe Country produce all 45 to 50 dozen eggs used weekly in Bluegrass Kitchen.

In his Louisville childhood home, Needham ate meals prepared at home by his parents, who were both excellent cooks.

"Food was always the center of family gatherings," he said. "My best childhood memories are all based on meals."

He left high school in 1971 and headed to California, where he apprenticed at restaurants up and down the coast. From there, he honed his trade in restaurants in Chicago, Colorado, Reno, Miami, Vermont and Maine before landing in New Jersey.

 In his nearly 40-year career, Needham developed a style flavored by wide-ranging ethnic influences. His Southern roots show in his barbeque and bourbon pork tenderloin and gumbo with andoullie sausage. Asian and Indian seasonings and preparations influence other dishes, as do Spanish, Italian, French and Southwestern cooking traditions.

Employees in Needham's kitchen hustle to keep pace with him and his ideas for new dishes. They master new techniques under his watchful eye, usually laughing as they learn.

"I'm here for the fun - I really am. Working here is a gas," Needham said. "It's all about the environment. We sing and dance in the kitchen.

"People like working at a good place and it shows in the food."

Reach Julie Robinson at jul...@wvgazette.com">jul...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1230.

Want to go?

Bluegrass Kitchen

1600 Washington St., E.

OPEN: 1 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. Sunday brunch is served from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

INFO: Call 304-346-2871 or visit www.bluegrasswv.com for daily specials. Reservations accepted.