Que Sera, Sera
At Bar Sera in Conshohocken, and across the restaurants in the Pieri Hospitality pantheon, executive chef Will Langlois follows the seasons in creating artful dishes.
It will be no surprise to hear that one of Conshohocken’s long-established chefs—Will Langlois, executive chef with Pieri Hospitality—picked up his love of bold, global flavors through travel, specifically through the Caribbean.
“Experiencing their bold flavors and their colors, with all fresh ingredients that they use, I think sparked something in me,” he says.
When it came time to prepare for a career, Langlois found his way to The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College while simultaneously working under the likes of renowned chef Jose Garces.
“He does, I think, such a fantastic job of like blending those Latin flavors with beautiful, creative plating techniques,” Langlois says. “It was a really good way for me to learn how to incorporate different cuisines together, because I think he melds a lot of different cuisines and styles together.”
Next, Langlois moved to the suburbs, where he found a home with Conshohocken’s StoneRose restaurant and Pieri Hospitality. He has been with the organization for more than 15 years, serving as executive chef for the entire restaurant group.
“I learned a lot as a young executive chef leading a kitchen,” Langlois recalls. “Then, we opened Bar Luca a few years later, and then it was on to Bar Sera in the last few years. That kind of brings us to now, where we’re opening our fourth wine garden this summer.
“I appreciate working for people that are really good leaders, and Brian and Christina [Pieri] are just amazing leaders,” he continues, referencing the husband-and-wife duo behind Pieri Hospitality. “They’ve really taught me and guided me through all of our growth within the company. I think that’s the most important thing, and just the team that we have with us in the kitchens, and the management staff.”
Where many chefs in his position might choose to opt out of the hectic pace of services, Langlois leans in to working in the heat alongside his team.
“Just to get into it, in the grind, on the line, and just cook with them, side by side, shoulder to shoulder, I know some chefs want to be a little bit more behind the scenes and oversee things, but I like to be in it with them when it’s busy,” he says. “I’m just one part of a team, you know, where I’m the leader, but all those people, from a dishwasher, all the way up to sous chefs and chefs de cuisines, are important to me and I have relationships with them.
“I think we live in such a great area for diversity,” he continues, “and having people that work hard and show up every day and give it 100 percent, so that inspires me to keep going.”
Elevated Aesthetic
Langlois revels in a pantheon of flavors in his work with Pieri Hospitality, but there is a common thread in his attention to the beautiful plating he came to love under Chef Garces’ influence.
Langlois revels in a pantheon of flavors in his work with Pieri Hospitality, but there is a common thread in his attention to the beautiful plating he came to love under Chef Garces’ influence.
“I’m such a visual person,” he says. “So to me, if something doesn’t visually grab my interest, it just doesn’t do it for me. So incorporating and emphasizing color and some kind of artistic plating—and that doesn’t mean necessarily super fancy fine dining, just different levels of texture and color, shape—gives it another level of interest. That’s just kind of my aesthetic with cooking, having something that really pops in the dish that looks visually stunning.”
Of course, “love at first sight” is only half the equation; in the end, it’s all about taste. Happily, Langlois need look no farther than the fields of Pieri Farm & Vineyard.
“Brian and Christina purchased a farm in Upper Bucks County in 2019,” Langlois shares. “Now it’s a fully operational farm and vineyard that produces all different types of varieties of vegetables for us to use in the restaurants all summer long and into the fall and a little bit in the spring, too.”
For the summer months, Langlois plans to take full advantage of beautiful crops including Jimmy Nardello peppers, “which kind of have the bite of a chili, but no heat,” he shares, as well as “fun varieties of yellow watermelon and all different types of different herbs,” as well as staples such as tomatoes and corn.
Guests will find such produce appearing across the menu, including atop Bar Sera’s beloved Detroit-style pizzas.
“One of our biggest sellers at Bar Sera is our Detroit-style pizza, and utilizing what’s fresh from the farm on something like a pizza is just a lot of fun,” Langlois shares. “It brings a different element to it. And then, of course, we always do our seasonal menu changes where we’ll change some of the entrées and the salads to incorporate whatever the farm has that month.
“I have a relationship with a lot of our customers that come in and have been coming to the restaurants for a long time,” he continues. “So [I’m committed to] making sure that their experience is the best that it can be. … I think just feeding people, and fulfilling them, is part of what a chef is at its core.”
How to Make Chef Langlois’s Melon and Prosciutto Flatbread
2 pieces naan bread
1 cantaloupe
Prosciutto (thinly sliced)
2 balls burrata
Fresh herbs
1 cantaloupe
Prosciutto (thinly sliced)
2 balls burrata
Fresh herbs
Instructions:
Cut rind off cantaloupe and scoop out seeds; then, use a mandolin to thinly slice cantaloupe into ribbons. Cut each burrata ball into four pieces. Layer burrata, prosciutto, melon on each flatbread; top with fresh herbs, olive oil, and sea salt, and serve.
Cut rind off cantaloupe and scoop out seeds; then, use a mandolin to thinly slice cantaloupe into ribbons. Cut each burrata ball into four pieces. Layer burrata, prosciutto, melon on each flatbread; top with fresh herbs, olive oil, and sea salt, and serve.
Recipe courtesy of Pieri Hospitality
Appetite for Conshohocken
Though a fair few of Conshohocken’s many wonderful restaurants sit at varied elevations, finding a great place to dine there doesn’t have to be an uphill battle. The restaurants below offer ambiance ranging from date night to ultra-casual, and fantastic flavors inspired by locales as close as Philly and as far afield as you can get.
Though a fair few of Conshohocken’s many wonderful restaurants sit at varied elevations, finding a great place to dine there doesn’t have to be an uphill battle. The restaurants below offer ambiance ranging from date night to ultra-casual, and fantastic flavors inspired by locales as close as Philly and as far afield as you can get.
Hands down, Chiangmai has the best pad Thai in the suburbs. As a go-to, Chiangmai never disappoints, nor do house favorites such as the Tom Yum soup, dumplings, curries, or any variety of noodle dish (the spicy drunken noodles, for example). There are several preparations of duck as well, like the Chu Chee crispy, roasted, semi-boneless duck with red curry sauce and pineapple. mychiangmaithai.com
The folks behind The Goat’s Beard and Manayunk’s Mia Ragazza have added The Daisy Tavern to their restaurant family. The menu has a few favorites borrowed from The Goat’s Beard (such as “The Smoke Show” pizza, a thick-crust Detroit-style pie topped with cheeses aplenty, two kinds of pepperoni, Italian sausage, and basil), but also unique offerings such as muhammara dip and yellow gazpacho. thedaisytavern.com
If peace deserves a chance, a masterpiece—like the MasterPeace Grill sandwich shop—deserves two or more. A no-frills stop for hoagies, wings, wraps, and the like, MasterPeace Grill succeeds on good grub and good vibes. The chicken salad is fantastic, and for a go-to sandwich, try “The Chumpy,” which nestles chicken, bacon, pepper jack, and ranch into a brioche bun with lettuce and tomato. masterpeacegrill.com
For one of Conshohocken’s most festive culinary experiences, take a seat in the dining room (or at the congenial bar) at Pepperoncini Restaurant & Bar on Poplar Street. The cuisine is authentic Italian, the happy hour specials are generous, and the vibe is 100 percent Conshy. pepperoncinirestaurant.com
The cheesesteaks are next level at Pop’s Steaks. They’re also absolutely giant (almost the size of a newborn baby, wiz wit) but the cheese fries … good heavens, the cheese fries. Cooked in beef tallow, these glorious fries achieve an artful balance of crispy potato and Cooper sharp cheese sauce. The homemade chicken cutlets, which are a core part of various sandwich iterations, aren’t too shabby either. popssteaks.com
With a vibe defined by plush purple chairs, the occasional live music performance, and large windows that open to the summer air on a warm day, The Rabbit Hole is a hidden treasure in Conshy. Sharing plates such as “The Rabbit Hole Picnic” will suit diners of varied tastes, as will the variety of creative cocktails. For a sip of summer featuring strawberry syrup, grapefruit, Aperol, and Lillet rosé, try a “Paint the Roses Rosé.” therabbitholeconshy.com
A relative newcomer to the scene, Salt & Stone offers upscale global cuisine and standout happy hour specials on drinks and dishes including goat cheese lollipops, wings, and stuffed long hot peppers. saltandstoneconshy.com
Vive la France at Spring Mill Cafe, which has been connecting local diners with the finest of rustic French country fare since 1978. The dessert menu at this BYO is as lovely as one might expect, featuring inspired items such as Gâteau à la Pistache, which features an almond and pistachio genoise with crème fraîche sprinkled with a kiss of powdered sugar. springmill.com
Photos courtesy of Pieri Hospitality
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, June 2026.
