Night of the living chef: Son of Hollywood horror giant carves culinary niche in Kentucky
As Mt. Sterling’s newest and most unusual addition to the town’s restaurant offerings, Romero’s is a twist for local patrons and a plot twist for its owners.
“Plot twist” is an appropriate description for co-owner and executive chef George C. Romero’s first foray into the restaurant industry, given the filmmaking lineage of his last name. His father is George A. Romero, the late legendary director of horror classics like the seminal 1968 zombie movie “Night of the Living Dead” and other notable entries to the horror genre like “Land of the Dead” and “Creepshow.” Growing up in Pittsburgh, his mother, Nancy McKim, was the first female vice president of an advertising agency.
“I was doomed from a young age to be creative,” Romero said.
But Mt. Sterling diners have welcomed the creative plot twist at the Italian fusion restaurant that makes everything on its menu in-house from its Spanish twist on traditional Bolognese to daily desserts from its pastry chef.
Romero’s owner goes from movies to kitchen
George C. Romero followed in his father’s footsteps in number of ways. He went on to write, direct or produce 23 film projects over 35 years at his studio in Pittsburgh and later in Los Angeles, where he lived for 15 years. His father was also good at crafting the occasional culinary masterpiece, teaching a young George C. how to make the classic Spanish dish Arroz Con Pollo and buying him “The Casablanca Cookbook” (which featured all of the dishes from the classic film) at age 17.
His affinity for cooking and running around in Hollywood circles eventually led to him rubbing elbows and picking up tips from several notable chefs in the L.A. area.
“Some of them kind of took me under their wing and really just kind of showed me some things that just kind of elevated everything I was doing in the kitchen,” Romero said.
After leaving L.A. and doing some traveling, he passed through Lexington in 2015 and met his wife and Romero’s co-owner, Rebecca, as she was tending bar. The two eventually married and settled in Mt. Sterling. Romero got to try out some of his culinary creations on his wife and their two kids, Seth and Alexxa, and a different kind of creative project started to come together.
“I’d make something and we would talk about, ‘hey, if we had a restaurant, would this go on the menu? How much would it be? How would we source the ingredients for it?’” Romero recalls. “We started having these conversations and it just kind of started manifesting into something that became more of a reality.”
George C. and Rebecca had their sights initially set on opening a bread shop and bakery but eventually took over the downtown space at 2 E. Main St., a location once home to the long-standing Mt. Sterling restaurant Terry & Kathy’s on Main. Romero’s restaurant made its Mt. Sterling debut as a Cuban restaurant in Aug. 2022 during the city’s popular Small Town America Festival. He described that hectic first day’s business as “jumping in front of a freight train and trying to steer it from the outside.”
Romero’s menu: All fresh, nothing from a microwave
While the local restaurant was very experimental with its food offerings in its first few months of business and changing its selections regularly, there was a consistent emphasis on a small menu, sourcing the best ingredients, and making everything from scratch.
“On day one, when we took the keys, we threw out the microwave,” Romero said. “It set the tone. We were here, we were different, and we were fresh.”
After re-evaluating at the beginning of 2023, Romero’s nailed down its concept, its strengths and its distinctiveness from other restaurants in the area. With an emphasis on Italian fusion cuisine and hints of Spanish influence, the restaurant prides itself on its flavorful creations made from locally sourced, primarily organic ingredients. Everything from the pasta noodles to the sauces are made in-house. They are the only restaurant in Mt. Sterling with a head chef, Jessica Cravens, and a sous chef, Romero’s son Seth, and the dining experience takes a bit longer because literally every menu item is made to order.
The restaurant offers appetizers, salads, pastas, sandwiches and desserts made by an in-house pastry chef. You will find classics like chicken piccatta and old country Italian favorites like puttanesca, tossed in finely ground anchovies, red wine and heaping chunks of kalamata olives, garlic, tomatoes and capers. Small sharable plates include the popular grilled shrimp skewers and fried options like the toasted ravioli and mozzarella cheese sticks don’t come from a freezer bag but are hand-breaded and each served with two house-made dipping sauces. Even the typical sandwich gets a flavorful upgrade, whether it is the two-meat signature burger with ground beef and chorizo sausage or the Philly cheesesteak with beef marinated for two days prior to cooking.
While the creativity in the kitchen comes from experimentation and adapting to the availability of ingredients, it also extends to other areas as well. The space is adorned with artwork from local artists. The bar, overseen by Rebecca, specializes in crafted cocktails (like its smoked old fashioned). The lounge area, outfitted with a variety of couches that will make patrons of Lexington’s Charlie Brown’s feel right at home, is where Romero’s holds (and livestreams, via social media) its weekly open mic nights for acoustic performers, stand-up comedians, poets and spoken word artists. It also regularly features performances Josh Nolan, a member of the group The Local Honeys, and Romero himself will hold the occasional screenwriting workshop for the area’s budding writers and filmmakers.
“I’m certainly at a point in my life and career where I’m more interested in finding new talent and helping to shine a spotlight in some way,” Romero said.
As the restaurant approaches its one-year anniversary, Romero’s is continuing toward a goal to offer fresh, five-star cuisine at prices just shy of a meal out in Lexington for the people of Mt. Sterling. For a restaurant that was intent on standing out in a small town, it has also managed to fit right in.
“We have a passion for what we do, a true passion. Not just for the food but the community,” Romero said. “We love this community. We love being here. We love that we get to touch people’s lives through food. We love that we get to give people something they probably have never tasted before.”
Romero’s
Where: 2 E. Main St., Mt. Sterling, Kentucky
Hours: 4-11 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday; 5-11 p.m. Friday; 3-10 p.m. Saturday;Closed Sunday, Monday
Reservations: Accepted and walk-ins available
Contact: 859-520-3075; romeroskentucky.com
