Claus Schmitz - Chef/Owner

Claus Schmitz was born into a family of restaurateurs and raised near Frankfurt.  Knowing that hospitality was in his blood, he enrolled at the Culinary Institute in Fulda, and graduated as a qualified chef in 1980.  Ready to take on the world of food, Schmitz then worked in Europe while further developing his culinary skills

Claus practiced his craft in London and in The Hague and in many prestigious international hotels in , Holland, and .  An offer to work in the Caribbean led him to leave “the Continent” to become the chef at the exclusive Romanoff Restaurant in Bermuda which was voted one of the best 50 restaurants in the world by Conde Naste in 1986.

In 1987 Claus moved to to be the Food and Beverage Director of the famous Sydney Opera House.  Further senior positions in the Australian hotel industry followed; during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, Schmitz was General Manager of one of the few hotels chosen to accommodate the “world travel savvy” members of the International Olympic Committee.

Having achieved his goal of managing major hotels and building upon his financial success in the hospitality field, Claus established an asset management company in Sydney where his clients where major banks and tourism property owning companies.  But the Schmitz family tradition of restaurant life was not to be denied forever.  His brother Frank, owner of BARcelona restaurant in Clayton, encouraged him to come to .

Having moved to St. Louis in 2003, it took no time at all for Claus to recognize the potential for a restaurant in downtown.  The building at the corner of 11^th and Lucas, while needing complete gut renovation, provided the opportunity to bring his Mosaic vision to life.

Schmitz’ ambition was to bring modern design concepts for food as well as atmosphere to St. Louis that would be comparable to the best restaurants in Sydney, New York, Chicago or Los Angeles.  The interior design of his restaurant was of equal importance to Schmitz as was superb presentation of every plate to be put before a diner.

Not one to be limited by convention, Schmitz chose a tapas format menu that matches today’s lifestyle and is much more conducive to diners experiencing a variety of foods than does the appetizer and entrée approach.  Boundless food creations would come from his fusion of different cuisines styles and the combination of flavors not normally brought together.  And Claus was determined to only use the finest and freshest ingredients available locally and from purveyors across the country.

The eclectic mix of modern and exotic flavors combined with innovative presentation techniques and the stunning interior décor have so wowed St. Louisan that Mosaic was named the “Best New Restaurant” by the Riverfront Times in 2005.

For Schmitz and for downtown, the pieces have all come together perfectly at Mosaic.