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An important thing to know about Semo Pasta & Wine in Fremont is how to pronounce it. “It’s Semo, like memo,” explained Chef Drew Statz. Another important thing to know about Semo is that everyone who works there—from the dishwasher to the general manager—is paid the same rate. “Everyone should be able to pay their bills, and we believe every position is as important as any other,” added Statz. Unsurprisingly, Semo has an impressively low staff turnover rate.
“Everyone works hard, so they should be paid fairly,” said Statz. The small but mighty staff of four people in the kitchen and around six in the front of house is a tight-knit group. “The majority of our kitchen staff have been here since day one,” said Statz, adding that they’ve never had to fire anyone from their team. In an industry riddled with high turnover rates, Semo manages to stand out as a fair employer that pours into employees and encourages them in their career growth.
What about the food? Semo serves anywhere from five to seven different pastas a night, according to Statz. What they serve nightly is largely dictated by what ingredients are available. As a smaller eatery, they don’t qualify to work with one of the large food distribution companies, but instead rely on small, local farms that deliver produce to the restaurant. They supplement those ingredients with frequent trips to local farmers markets. Without a walk-in cooler, the Semo team must curate dishes that utilize what they have in stock.
A typical food delivery week for Semo includes a Wednesday delivery from one local farm, a Friday delivery from another local farm, and trips to farmers markets on Thursdays and Saturdays. Statz said that the relationships they have with local farmers is of the utmost importance. Cultivating relationships with the farmers, getting to know them as people, and seeing their farms while learning their farming practices is vital. “We’re not going to buy from someone who is spraying Roundup all around their place just like we wouldn’t add preservatives to our food here. It’s finding people who share those same core values as us and then getting to know them, getting to know their wife’s name, their kids, and then through that we start talking about produce,” he said.
Operating at the whims of seasonal produce can create some interesting opportunities. Last summer, a farmer delivered some Jerusalem artichokes to Semo. Also called sunchokes, they’re a “little sweet sugary cross between a potato and ginger, but they taste like chocolate and hazelnut,” explained Statz. So, when one of the other farmers who supply produce to Semo happened to stop in for a meal while Semo had sunchokes on the menu, Statz prepared a sunchoke dish for the farmer. Upon trying the dish, the farmer exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, what is this? I’ve never seen or heard of this!” Statz said that the farmer then bought some sunchoke seeds, planted them, and then eventually brought some sunchokes to Semo. “It was a cool thing to educate our farmers on things that are out there that they hadn’t heard of,” said Statz.
Semo proves that a small restaurant in Fremont can have a happy team that’s fairly paid, serving innovative foods that are responsibly grown and locally sourced. The question remains, however, as to why Drew and his wife, Michelle, chose Fremont instead of opening a space closer to the foodie hub of the downtown area.
Michelle, a co-owner, explained that she and Drew decided upon Fremont because “it’s close enough to Omaha that people will still make the 20-40 minute drive to dine at Semo, but far enough away we don’t feel like we’re lost in the sea of Omaha restaurants.” She also said that their proximity to Omaha helped with word-of-mouth for the restaurant while also allowing them to “stand out enough from other Omaha and surrounding restaurants by our level of hospitality, our strong natural wine progra Statz told the story of how, when they first opened, they tried to put more “approachable” starters on the menu, yet customers leaned more toward starters with adventurous slants, like blood sausage and truffle pasta. “They really dictated what we’ve turned into and how we’re going to grow in the future,” he said.
When Drew and Michelle talk about their future and the future of Semo, one of the things on their list is to continue to build out their beverage offerings at the restaurant. A recent inventory revealed that they have 156 wine offerings. While neither Drew nor Michelle holds the official title of “sommelier,” they both know what they like and what pairs well with their food.
“For me, when you taste wine, it’s an immediate yes or no if it’s delicious and if it is we add it to the list. I don’t think that requires someone who took a 12-week course and traveled to Budapest. If something is delicious and we like it, and they follow the same growing practices that our local farms do, then we’d love to carry it,” he said.
Though they’re currently raising two young children together, an Italy trip is absolutely at the top of their to-do list for the future. They’d like to explore all of Europe and experience the cuisine. “I would argue that even with the pasta [at Semo], there’s as much French influence on the menu,” said Statz.
Michelle also envisions a future for Semo that includes bolstering the hospitality abilities of their team. “I think Drew does a great job of edifying every employee who works at Semo by showing those employees what it means to be hospitable by considering the guests’ experience to make it memorable and unique,” she said. She added that she hopes the hospitality and friendliness guests experience at Semo filters into their everyday lives as they, themselves, treat others more hospitably and in a friendly way.
She further predicts that Semo will be around for at least another decade. “I’ve seen restaurants close after 10 or 15 years and feel sad. But now after having a restaurant, I see [reaching a decade] as an incredible milestone that I hope the restaurant achieves someday.”
A first visit to Semo will reveal an eclectic, ever-changing menu and a staff that’s eager to please. Michelle suggested trying the octopus appetizer with cucumber, Calabrian hot sauce, and lemon. She also praised “the ever-changing beet appetizer.” One of her favorite Semo desserts is rhubarb, caramelized white chocolate, and foie gras.
No matter what’s ordered, guests can be sure that they’re appreciated. “That’s the reason we opened the restaurant,” said Statz. “It’s for our guests and for our team. It’s all for them. We want to use our platform to take care of people and we wouldn’t be here without any of them, staff and guests alike.”
To learn more, visit semofremont.com.
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
