Meet St. Louis

The Fabulous Fox Theatre is an institution in St. Louis. The marquee shines on Grand Avenue and welcomes St. Louisians to experience the best of Broadway right here in the Midwest. Opened as a movie theater almost 100 years ago, and then renovated and reimagined as a theatre in the early 1980s. Now it’s one of the premier destinations for live theater across the US. We sat down with John O&r...

This year marks 10 years for St. Louis’ micro creamery Clementine’s. For the last decade, Tamara Keefe has helped put St. Louis on the map when it comes to ice cream. Award after award, including sweeping the national awards for best ice cream, the local ice cream parlor continues to shine. But for Tamara, it’s not about the accolades but the ice cream fans here in St. Louis and...

The spirit of spring is in the air and that means Farm Spirit is busier than ever. Farm Spirit has earned a loyal following over the years at the Tower Grove Farmer’s Market, but the brand is much bigger than a stand on Saturday mornings. Between the market, farm dinners and now the food partner at Blue Jay Brewing in Midtown, you can find their famous smash burgers and seasonal offerings mo...

We can’t think about the future without first understanding our past. That’s the message in this week’s episode as we head to Forest Park to the Missouri History Museum. We sat down with Jody Sowel, the President of the Missouri Historical Society and one of the most fascinating interviews I’ve had in a while. Jody is a transplant of St. Louis but you’d never know it....

Chef Alec Schingel has worked in some of the best restaurants in the US and here in St. Louis. Learning from some of the top chefs, each experience helped shape him as a chef and helped him craft the story he’s telling at this first restaurant of his own. Robin, named for his mom, opened in Maplewood this spring. The menu is a prix fixe menu for $75 with a focus on local produce, highlightin...

If you want to live a more sustainable lifestyle but don’t exactly know where to start, this episode is for you. The Green Dining Alliance is a unique program in St. Louis that certifies restaurants who are making the commitment to be more green. They just hit their 100th restaurant and the list includes favorites like 4 Hands, Bailey’s Range., Buzz’s Hawaiian – many restaurants you’ve met right h...

Maxine Clark came up with the idea and opened the first Build a Bear store inside the St. Louis Galleria in under a year. But it wasn’t her first experience in retail. The Florida native moved to St. Louis with her job with The May Company and would go on to be president of Payless Shoes. In her career she became an innovator in the retail industry. She joined me on the podcast for an in-depth con...

314 Day is a day we can all get behind: a day to celebrate our love for St. Louis. That was the goal for the founders almost 20 years ago - take a day in March that signifies our city’s iconic area code and turn it into a day to hype our community, small businesses and the people that make it special. We sat down with one of the founders, Tatum Polk, and one of the board members for the 314 Day Fo...

Ron Himes never intended to spend his life on the stage but when he saw fellow Black students at Washington University left out of productions he wanted to do something. In 1976 he created his own theater company which would eventually evolve into The Black Rep of St. Louis. For nearly 50 years they’ve put on shows of all sizes and in all forms with the goal of sharing the African American experie...

If you’ve ever wanted to play life-size Connect 4 or giant ping pong, then you’ll want to listen up. This week’s episode is all about the kid inside all of us. We headed to Rec Hall, a huge indoor game spot in St. Charles. Imagine a bar with games and an arcade with good food. That’s exactly the vision Chris Honstain had when he quit his corporate life to open a business. Chris shares the journey...

Bartolino’s is a family affair, a generational restaurant group for not just it’s owners but it’s diners. It all started with a pizza joint on the hill and then the Saracino’s opened the first Bartolino’s in 1969. Since then they’ve opened several additional locations including their newest restaurant in Twin Oaks. We sat down with the second generation on this week’s podcast, Mike, Bart and Chris...

For more than a decade Cleveland Heath has helped shape the dining scene of downtown Edwardsville. It is now owned by husband and wife duo Evan and Gina Buckholz. Evan is in the kitchen, and Gina is in the front of house. Together they are bringing farm-to-table and beloved comfort food to diners in the Metro East. Their whole goal is to connect with the community and create a space where all are...

For many people, Fast Eddie’s Bon Air is a rite of passage. The Metro East bar hosts thousands of 21st birthdays every year. But it’s much more than that. It’s an institution in Alton, Illinois, and we head there to sit down with co-owners Eddie Scholar and Ross Laux to get the inside story. The history and the future, plus how do they manage to serve up the coldest beer in town?

When Mayra Pacheco moved to St. Louis, she struggled to find a taste of her home country of Venezuela. So she decided to do it herself. She started at the Tower Grove Farmer’s Market with the help of her sister. They started with a small menu and then expanded as customers started making requests for things like empanadas. One year ago, she made the big leap to opening her own brick-and-mortar res...

When Jeff Stevens stopped drinking in the early 90s, there were very few options when he’d go out with friends to a bar. Finally, he decided to change that. In 2017, he founded Wellbeing Brewing Company, a nonalcoholic craft beer brand that’s help shaped the way of the category in the beverage business. Now, in 2025, they have several different beer varieties, plus they are expanding into the CBD...

Steve’s Hot Dogs is a St. Louis classic. They had a massive year in 2024, opening new locations and serving up their popular hot dogs at St. Louis sporting events and festivals. But when we first talked to founder Steve Ewing on this podcast back in 2018, he was hanging up his hot dog hat, prepared to shut his doors for good. But the community said no way, and after bringing in new partners, the r...

2025 is a big year for Downtown St. Louis and Gateway Arch Park Foundation is leading the way to bridge the past and the future of our region. This week on the podcast we sat down with Ryan McClure, the executive director behind the philanthropic partner for our beloved landmark – the Gateway Arch. What exactly does the foundation do, and why is it vital for the continued growth and success of St....

Chef Cary McDowell has worked in some of the most iconic restaurants in the country, and here in St. Louis, he’s made a name for himself in our city’s best kitchens. From The Crossing to Pi Pizza to, most recently, Wright’s Tavern, he just joined the culinary team at Katie’s Piza and Pasta, which continues to grow at a rapid pace. The veteran chef came to St. Louis in the 90s and, thankfully for o...

Like so many entrepreneurs, Amy Gamlin started her business in her kitchen. She began making cake pops as a creative outlet, but with the urging of friends and family, she turned a hobby into a business. In 2021, she opened her first storefront, and the business has only continued to grow, including a big partnership with a local grocery store, which allowed her to reach a huge new batch of custom...

This week we are taking you to the heart of the holidays in our area – Main Street St. Charles. This year marks 50 seasons of holiday festivities where you can step into the history of Christmas. From characters to carolers, chestnuts and Santa, there’s a little bit of everything. But for the small businesses on Main Street it also makes the holidays especially merry as tens of thousands of people...

Most days of the week you will find Diane and Mike Wood inside their bake shop, Trolley Stop Bakery in Chesterfield. Located in a strip mall, you hear the old-fashioned ding of the bell when you walk in, and you're greeted by the delicious smell of cookies. Mike greets customers while Diane takes charge in the kitchen. The couple could be living the retired life, but instead, they’re living out Di...

Tis the season to shop local, a motto more important than ever this holiday season. Many small businesses make up the bulk of their sales over the next few months, and Aaron Park, the owner of Arch Apparel, joined us to talk about building a business and growing it over the last decade. The streetwear inspired clothing brand started in 2016, one of the first to help people rock their love of St. L...

Located in Union, Missouri, Nobletons Distillery may only officially be nine years old. But the tradition of distilling goes back generations for Demetrius Cain and his family. They can trace the beginnings to 1575 with the start of distilling in 1824. If it wasn’t for prohibition, they never would have stopped. Demetrius shares his deep family history and knowledge of whiskey and spirits in this...

Like so many, Matt Longueville started his business as a passion project. STL Barkeep started small but has turned into one of the premier cocktail businesses in town. Crafting cocktails for events around town and at their bar, The Vandy, in the Grove neighborhood. That’s where we sat down for a conversation about spirits, the changing hospitality industry and the opening of his new bar in Webster...

If you walk down Euclid in the restaurant-filled Central West End, you might miss one of the city’s most popular new restaurants. Mainlander is a bit hidden. Tucked away in an intimate space that transports you when you walk through the door. Chef Blake Askew and his partner Gordon Chen opened the restaurant in 2023, hoping to create an intimate dinner party vibe. With a prix fixe menu, they hope...