Unlike anything else in the Greater Des Moines metro area, Oak Park has made its mark as a flagship fine dining establishment with impeccable service and a menu to match.
We sat down with Oak Park’s Executive Chef, Ian Roberston, to get the story behind this fine dining experience and what’s on the horizon.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your background. What led you to Oak Park?
I graduated from culinary school in Paris, then spent several years working in different cities around the world. I settled down in Des Moines where I worked at 801 Chophouse for a few years, where my wife and I started our family.
I first met Bill and Kathy on a snowy evening at 801 Chophouse in 2015. The restaurant was completely empty except for the Fehrmans, Billy — our Director of Operations at Oak Park, and Damon — the General Manager of Oak Park now. At the time, Billy was a server, Damon was the General Manager, and I was the Sous Chef at 801 Chophouse.
Little did I know that 7 years later I would get a phone call from Billy asking me to be a part of a new restaurant in Des Moines with Bill and Kathy Fehrman. I was living in Chicago at the time with my family and had no plans to move back home to Des Moines. I was the Executive Chef of a restaurant group, and we were opening two new locations and concepts. After meeting with the Fehrmans, and talking about their vision, I decided I couldn’t miss out on a great opportunity to bring something like Oak Park to Des Moines.
Q: When you came here, what kind of dining experience were you trying to shape?
I was trying to bring a sense of sophistication and refinedness, with comfortability and familiarity. A cross between my Midwest roots — growing up in Iowa — and the French techniques I learned in France, and the Michelin-starred experience I learned along the way.
Q: What do you think sets Oak Park apart from other fine dining restaurants?
What sets us apart is our desire to provide a unique, genuine experience driven by hospitality and compassion for taking care of our vendors, guests, and the community. Then, backed by great locally sourced produce and a staff that is dedicated to excellence.
Q: Can you tell us about the edible prairie garden on-site and how it influences the menu?
The edible prairie has a unique variety of native Iowa herbs that are great to use to complement our dishes, from ice creams to salads. We also use edible flowers for garnishing on all our dishes.
The culinary garden has been a very educational experience on learning how to take care of the soil through cover-crops and regenerative techniques, which pushes us to use different produce varieties that find their way onto our menu.
A garden on-site grows at its own pace, which has changed the way we change our menu. It’s based on what is growing and what is being harvested. That has been a fun experience following the growing patterns of the plants.
Q: After building your résumé in Michelin-starred kitchens in cities like London and New York, why is Des Moines the right place for something like this?
To me I ask, why not? What makes Des Moines any different than the big cities out there? We have a people and culture that loves quality ingredients, quality experiences, and an appreciation for the finer things in life.
Q: What’s a detail, either in the food or the space, that most people might miss but that you’re really proud of?
It would be two things. One, that the owner, Kathy Fehrman, greets most customers every night at the front door. The second is that our BOH team starts each day at 8 a.m., putting in the necessary work to build that experience for customers that won’t arrive until 5 p.m. The passion and dedication to build that experience is sometimes overlooked.
Q: What makes the Chef’s Table experience at Oak Park so special?
What makes that experience so unique is that it's driven by the fresh ingredients that are sourced onsite or locally paired with some of the freshest ingredients that can be flown in, for example; A5 Wagyu from Japan, King Salmon from Washington, and the freshest oysters, paired with a choreographed service experience that is intimate, yet refined.
Also, the table is set two steps from the salad station; the experience immerses you into the kitchen setting like no other dining experience in Des Moines.
Q: Your wife Jess is the Executive Pastry Chef at Oak Park. What’s it like building something like this together?
Building something like this has been very unexpected to have the opportunity to work together and to make something this great has been priceless. The ability to bring our kids into staff meal, to collaborating on design aspects and menu items… it has been a dream.
Q: What’s next?
Stay tuned in!
Beyond the Bio
Q: How would you describe the experience at Oak Park in three words?
Comfortable, Tasty, Memorable
Q: Off the clock, where are you headed?
To The Good Butcher with my kids to grab some steaks because I “Always Be Grillin’” #ABG.
Q: What’s one thing visitors shouldn’t miss in DSM right now?
The experience of sitting at the bar at Oak Park and meeting my good friend and bartender, Rick May.
Q: Favorite cocktail at your bar and somewhere else?
The Gnocchi, the Pork Chop, and the Crème Brulee.
Well, I don’t have the chance to try everywhere I’d like to; however, my wife and I love the rock shrimp at Waterfront in West Des Moines. That’s our go-to for lunch on Mondays.
Made in Des Moines, With Love
The Made in DSM series is our excuse to get up close and personal with the movers, shakers, and makers running the Greater Des Moines area. These are the faces behind the spots you name-drop, recommend, and secretly gatekeep. We pull back the curtain beyond the logo, the hype, and the perfectly plated dish to serve you stories that will leave a lasting impression. Stay tuned for future Made in DSM stories!
