Tanya Siebenaler, Sapor Café and Bar
By Mike Mitchelson

Sheer will,” said Tanya Siebenaler, only half-jokingly, when asked the secret behind Sapor Café & Bar lasting eight years. Siebenaler, who is the restaurant’s executive chef, owns Sapor with Julie Steenerson, who manages the front of the house operation. “It’s sheer will from Julie and I to make it work. It’s a lifestyle business for us.”

The lifestyle, as anyone in the business understands, presents personal and professional challenges, and today’s economic climate adds another dimension.

But no matter. Sapor attracts its cadre of regulars, and word-of-mouth among serious eaters keeps business strong. Steenerson and Siebenaler have worked their formula for nearly a decade, tweaking it as needed, but remain within the original blueprint’s parameters: casual atmosphere with upscale cuisine from around the globe.

Sapor cultivated itself as a destination restaurant, and has been a critics’ darling since its doors opened in 2000. A recent menu included hangar steak on sesame-soy broth with udon noodles and asparagus; mushroom-parsnip raviolis with garlic butter, shaved mahon and roasted shiitakes; and miso-baked salmon with a wasabi potato cake, gingered vegetables and peanuts.

Adjustments to the restaurant include adding in 2006 a full liquor license (just wine and beer before) and creating an active happy hour with their preexisting bar menu. “In the bar, we focus on those two hours,” Siebenaler said. “I think compressing it has added to its appeal and energy.”

They’ve also expanded the regular menu to “include a broader price point,” Siebenaler said, and in the “light plates” section include several items for sharing—an adjustment consumer demand for more tapas-style dining, from Jerusalem barbecue lamb kebobs to Southern-style macaroni and cheese. “The perception has been that we’re fine dining, even though we’ve always been casual, come-as-you-are,” Siebenaler said. “So we’ve done more bar and happy hour, and both the restaurant and bar serve the full menu. We’ve broadened what we are.”

Broadening includes maintaining a few favorites on the menu—Siebenaler used to change everything every six to eight weeks, but now keeps certain items on for longer periods of time.

There’s a risk that while broadening offerings, comes diluting the menu. This concern was handled head-on, however. “Initially it was a struggle to keep our vision of the style of restaurant and this new focus,” Siebenaler said. “But we think it’s working well.”

In many ways, the added dimension has made it easier to adjust to changing ta stes, she added. “I’ve changed a bit to appeal to the Midwest palette. I try to still make it creative, but also have things that are familiar.”


Neighborhood developments

Adaptations are often made in conjunction with a neighborhood’s evolution. Siebenaler and Steenerson chose their location with the hopes of becoming a neighborhood bistro—an idea that didn’t materialize as planned. The location’s appeal is the nearby upscale residential developments. The thought was Sapor, with its worldly bistro (read, something-for-everyone) fare, would become a neighborhood haunt. The housing filled, but not with nearly enough of the right people as the Sapor would like. “They’re a lot younger, and without an appreciation for (upscale) food,” Siebenaler said.

Further, “people come and go in the neighborhood,” she added. Unlike some of the condominium developments in downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis, which have attracted “empty nesters” looking for a long-term home, the developments near Sapor attracted many buyers during the housing boom looking to build equity, rather than put down roots.

But still, they do see some regulars from the developments, and the neighborhood might offer a bonus in 2010, when the new Twins stadium opens a short distance away.


Background

Siebenaler began her kitchen career at Jax Café in Northeast Minneapolis when she was 15 years old. She later worked at Chez Paul, but still had no inkling to become a chef. Food science was her interest, and she began studies at the University of Minnesota. She worked at Lucia’s Restaurant & Wine Bar in Minneapolis while working toward a degree, and that’s where her mind began to change. “Lucia (Watson, the restaurant’s owner) was using local, organic stuff, and at that time in school it was all about genetically changing everything,” Siebenaler said. “So, I decided to leave that (line of study).”

It’s no surprise that Siebenaler counts Watson as the biggest influence on her cooking. “She was the person who really developed my palate, and helped me really taste, rather than just the technical (combinations).”

Watson’s influence extends to Siebenaler’s use of local ingredients from producers practicing sustainable and organic agriculture.

The Lucia’s experience gave Siebenaler something else: Steenerson, who worked as Lucia’s general manager and was writing a business plan for what became Sapor. She and Steenerson shared the same vision of a casual restaurant with a globally-inspired menu. “That’s the way I always ate,” Siebenaler said. “I enjoy trying things, and enjoy eating ethnic cuisines. I thought it would be fun to have a restaurant that reflected that, from a Midwest (perspective).”

While Watson’s influence on a generation of local chefs is obvious, Siebenaler’s influence on one member of the next generation is less evident—and it’s her own 14-year-old son, Jerick, no less. He helps in the restaurant’s kitchen occasionally, and while he likes to cook and loves eating, doesn’t have the appreciation for the meticulous and repetitive cooking techniques—yet. “He said, ‘Mom, you just do the same things over and over,’” Siebenaler said, laughing. “I said, ‘Yeah, that’s about it."