Owen's Bistro

About the Business

Specialties

Owen's Bistro specializes in providing a sensory dining experience. 2008 Chef of the Year, Executive Chef James Kelly, is a revolutionary gastronomic artist who refers to his menu as "progressive American with a sense of humor." He personally does all the produce shopping to thoughtfully infuse the dishes with fresh seasonal flavors and colors. For instance, the butternut squash stuffed ravioli is infused with the perfect, yet uncommonly more heavy, flavor of rosemary. It is a mild dish with a full finish in each bite. "The Camping Trip," seared salmon served on a hot river stone, looks and tastes like a brisk and bright camping morning. The greens are strongly infused with liquid bacon and the rustic potatoes nearly put you in a folding cloth recliner by the fire. To further enhance the Owen's experience, hostess Denise Kelly, will warm your welcome and provide you with outstanding personalized service alongside their in-house, certified Sommelier.

History

Established in 2003.

Owners James and Denise Kelly were well favored in the Inland Empire for their gourmet sandwich shop Brown Bag It, established in 1990. The Kellys saw a need by the developing city of Chino for a slightly more up-scale eatery that wasn't intimidating. The concept for Owen's quickly became adopted as part of the city's revitalization project of downtown Chino and it nestled itself into a historic 19th century brick building.

Meet the Business Owner

Business owner information

James K.

Business Owner

Executive Chef and Owner of Owen's Bistro came from a family of Chicago restaurateurs and began his own career as a youth at the Velvet Turtle in California. He eventually established his own eatery, a high-quality gourmet sandwich shop, Brown Bag It in the Inland Empire. It was then that he married Denise and together they operated the favored sandwich shop until they realized they had the experience to satisfy the new dining needs of the redeveloping Chino area.In 2003 the Kellys established Owen's Bistro, named for their son, upon the philosophy that the locals deserved an affordable and finer place dine. Guided by their hearts they modestly began to offer dining as more than a meal but an experience. Its success is due to high quality food and service and positive word of mouth promotion, including from food critic Allan Borgen.Awards: Five-Star Rating, 2009 Maitre d' of the Year, 2008 Chef of the Year, 2006, 2007 & 2008 Gold Award Winners