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One of the area’s most acclaimed restaurateurs is bringing his Nona sauce to Blount County.

“I’m going to complete a medicine wheel,” said Steve Puléo, showing he not only has knowledge of Southern and Italian foods, he’s acquainted with Native American culture as well.

The first Puléo’s Grille opened in 2002 on Strawberry Plains Pike in Knoxville. Next came Peters Road. Then Merchant Drive. Soon it will come to Fountain View Circle in Alcoa.

That will complete the east-west, north-south circle symbolizing the rite of the sacred hoop.

You can’t tell as you drive by, but Up the Creek, the restaurant that closed several weeks ago near the apex of Hall Road and the U.S. 129 Bypass, is being readied to serve up seafood again — along with steak, ribs, chops and lasagna.

“Our mixture is American Southern grill with an Italian twist,” Puléo said.
Hiring and training has started. There will be about 70 employees, counting cooks, dishwasher, bartenders, servers and managers.

The plan is to open at the end of March, but that depends on the progress of the remodeling.

Puléo isn’t bashful about touting his growing restaurant chain, which includes locations in Murfreesboro and Cookeville.

“Everyone says we’ve got the best restaurant in Knoxville,” he said.

Puléo’s Grille even has international fans, according to the owner and executive chef. Canadian snowbirds traveling to and from Florida time their drive on I-40 past the Strawberry Plains Pike location so they can stop for lunch or dinner.

He boasts about his fresh ingredients, his organic garden, his original recipes, his banning of trans fats (he uses olive oil and butter), his ... well, he can go on.
“I can say we have never lowered the standard of anything.”

Even his greens.

“One of our best things is our house salad. We use gourmet lettuces, almonds, cheese, grape tomatoes — they’re over a nickel apiece in cost but I won’t use tomatoes without flavor. Most restaurants say we’ve got to cut costs and serve iceberg lettuce — people think they’re eating healthy but it has no nutritional value — and nasty croutons.”

Steve Puléo is one enthusiastic chef. He believes he has no choice. He’s the underdog.

“We’re a young startup company, and we’ve got to compete against these restaurants on the stock exchange that run the glitzy ads,” Puléo said.

He knows he’s in a food fight with heavyweights, so he’s adapted an unorthodox style.

“All our recipes are originals. There are no rules. There is no food police. They’re either going to love this, or think it’s schizophrenic.”

According to the response, customers find his menu closer to gastronomic poetry than to schizophrenia.

“We feel like we’re leading the way with cutting-edge fusion cooking. Our shrimp and grits is just a top item — not like in New Orleans and Charleston. Instead of andouille we’ve got Italian sausage, three types of peppers and Nona sauce.”

Ah, Nona. The affectionate Italian equivalent to mamaw. She’s on Steve’s father’s side and learned her tomato sauce Naples-style. That’s what she taught Puléo and why he simmers it seven to eight hours.

The Southern style comes from his mother’s side. That’s how, although he was born in Boston, Puléo moved to Tennessee at age 5 and was raised on Thorngrove Pike in East Knox County.

Now that he lives in West Knoxville, he’s very familiar with the site of the former Up the Creek. He likes going up the creek himself, especially in the Great Smokies, and he’s saw the restaurant many times on the drive to the mountains.

“I told my CEO for years that that would be a great spot for us. I’ve been looking for a place in Blount County for four years — after all these e-mails begging us to come there,” he said.

“This just popped up. The site sort of presents itself. You don’t find it.”

In case you are not familiar with Puléo’s Grille, you might know of some of the other restaurants where Steve Puléo earned his chops: Litton’s Restaurant & Bakery, Litton’s Back Room and Chili’s. He opened three others with the Regas family: Grady’s, The Chop House and Riverside Tavern.

Regas At 17th Street was another of his early training grounds.

“Charlie Regas became a taskmaster. He wouldn’t let me work the grill for four years. Every time he saw me looking at the grill, he’d say, ‘You aren’t ready, son.’”
Looks like Steve Puléo is ready now.