Many years ago, right after I relocated with my family to Columbia, I heard through the grapevine about the Pear Tree Restaurant in Bevier. I took my family there for dinner. I still remember the warm, congenial service and the good food.
Sadly, the original restaurant, opened by the late Albert Abbadessa in 1986, burned down in a fire in 2012. Thankfully, his son Michael, along with the Abbadessa family, carried on with the Pear Tree name, merging it with Pear Tree’s sister restaurant in Macon, A. J.’s Eat and Drink, that the family started in 2011, a year before the Pear Tree in Bevier burned. In 2019, the new combined restaurant in Macon became the Pear Tree Kitchen & Bar.
The restaurant still offers a continental cuisine and an inviting atmosphere, which were hallmarks of the original establishment. And just as the previous restaurant had done, the one in Macon features what could be described as “swarm service,” a type of service where a team of staff attends to guests’ every need and desire.
In the early days of the restaurant, Albert brought this type of service to northern Missouri after being inspired by his dining experience at the acclaimed but now closed Tony’s restaurant while on a trip to St. Louis to see the Cardinals beat the New York Yankees in the 1964 World Series. Albert became motivated to open what became the original, famed Pear Tree Restaurant in Bevier.
This style of service is a still the standard at the Pear Tree in Macon. Another service standout is how the entrees are delivered to tables via a hot cart, where the entrees are presented table-side by a well-choreographed team of servers. According to Michael, the core philosophy of the restaurant is to focus on three pillars of hospitality—presentation, quality, and service—to ensure each guest has the best experience possible.
One characteristic of any well-run restaurant is the ability to keep team members for a long time, and at the Pear Tree, this is evident with many staff members, including executive chef Brenda Nanneman. She has been working for the family for 39 years, and sous chef Ron Rushton has been working at the restaurant for 20 years. Ron rose from the ranks of the culinary team, first starting as a prep cook, leading to his current role as sous chef, second in command of the kitchen.
Chef Brenda, who received formal training in Kansas City at Johnson County Community College, began her career as an apprentice at the Country Club in Mission Hills. After she completed her three-year apprenticeship there, she moved to The Potted Steer at the Lake of the Ozarks, where Albert was the general manager. He recruited her in 1986 to join him and his team at the Pear Tree. Chef Brenda says that in her current role as chef, it’s not just about food, it’s about the people she serves, the team she leads, and the Pear Tree’s rich culinary legacy.
The menu offerings have found success over the years, especially the in-house aged Creekstone Farms steaks, batter-fried lobster tails, garlic croutons, dressings, desserts, and many other homemade recipes that have become customer favorites.
One standout on the menu is the Prime Cowboy Ribeye served with bone marrow butter. This is an excellent steak, and although not as visually striking as the more popular tomahawk steak found in many restaurants and butcher shops, it is a more sensible and cost-effective menu option because the extra-long rib bone that is left on the tomahawk adds additional weight to the purchase. Using bone marrow enhances the rich umami profile that already exists in the bone of a ribeye steak.
Another interesting menu option is the Voodoo Salmon served on spicy slaw and topped with Cajun butter. The menu also includes some notable burgers, sandwiches, and pasta dishes, along with special seasonal menu options.
The Pear Tree features a long bar where patrons can sit and relax. The full-service bar features signature cocktails along with numerous wines. Two cocktails that are popular with guests are the Old Fashioned and Raspberry Amaretto Martini. The bar also carries a wide selection of draft and bottled beers.
Any restaurant that has been in operation and successful for such a long period of time is undoubtedly a special place and one that has built a lasting legacy. I highly recommend taking the drive to Macon to dine at the Pear Tree Kitchen & Bar.
1407 North Missouri Street, Macon
Photos by Pear Tree Kitchen & Bar
This article was originally published in the July/August 2025 edition of Missouri Life.
