Meet St. Louis

Episode 136: Salt + Smoke by Meet St. Louis

After closing through the winter months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a St. Louis favorite is opening their doors once again. Bogart's, the Soulard staple and sister restaurant to the internationally-renowned Pappy's Smokehouse, serving customers once again. To celebrate, we are re-airing our 100th episode, where we talked to John Matthews, co-founder of Pappy's and the restaurant group that has m...

From competing on an international level as team captain for the U.S. Culinary Olympic Team, to opening a new restaurant in the middle of a pandemic, Chef Ben Grupe thrives on a challenge. He started out as a dish-washer when he was a teenager but discovered there was a passion to be found in cooking. He soon discovered the competitive side of the culinary world, from an intense apprenticeship to...

Brandon Holzhueter and Brad Merten have been friends since they were teenagers, but it wasn't until after college that the friendship turned into a partnership. Together, they opened two Pickeman's Deli franchise locations, but the draw to make their own business decisions kept them dreaming of something more. The idea for a frozen drink bar, inspired by the budding cocktail craze was born. They o...

On International Women's Day, we have an episode celebrating the future of women in St. Louis, in part thanks to a new endeavor by Rung for Women. Ali Hogan started Rung Boutique, a nonprofit resale shop, as a place where women could find the clothes and the confidence for a job interview. But she knew it was going to take much more. So after, years of creating and crafting an idea, Rung for Women...

For La'Crassia Wilderness, her journey to loving her skin started years ago. She suffered from dry skin as a child and it was thanks to a woman at the St. Louis African Arts Festival that she first discovered shea butter. She started crafting up body butters in college but it wasn't until she moved back home to St. Louis and had the push from friends and her parents that she decided to share it wi...

Andrew Shih looked around his hometown of St. Louis and realized something was missing: a poke spot. They were all the rage on the coasts and around the country, but the diced chunks of raw fish dish hadn't found their way to the Midwest. Shih and his siblings, who come from a restaurant family, opened Poke Doke in 2017 in the Central West End neighborhood and it's been a huge hit. Four years late...

It's February, the month of love, so about we take you to St. Ann in North St. Louis County where Chef Jason Lamont is wooing customers with BBQ that he says is love at first bite. That's the name of his new takeout-only spot, a name he's kept in his back pocket for years working in other people's kitchens. He started as a teenager as way to earn a few dollars, but there was always something that...

For the first time in 42 years, there will be no Mardi Gras parade in the streets of Soulard. This time last year the final touches were being put on the floats, beads were being bought and the bars in Soulard were preparing for the biggest party of the year. Mardi Gras 2020 was, for many, one of the last big events before the COVID-19 pandemic brought everything to a halt. Now one year later, the...

Episode 128: Aaron Tietelbaum | Herbie's and Kingside Diner by Meet St. Louis

The end of January is right around when most people give up on their New Year's resolutions, but for Jillian Tedesco, the founder and CEO of Fit-Flavors, to make a resolution and a life change stick, it's about much more than a date on the calendar. Tedesco started in the fitness industry at an early age and soon realized creating a healthy lifestyle requires both changes in the kitchen and the gy...

When the Prapisilp family emigrated to the US in the 1970s they opened Jays Asian Foods, now known as Jays International on South Grand. Soon after, they opened the King and I, St. Louis' first Thai restaurant. For the last several decades, they have continued to open restaurants and grocery stores including Oishi Sushi, Chao Baan, Global Foods and United Provisions. Along with their son Shayn, wh...

Well before wine lovers flocked to Napa or Sonoma, Missouri was once the destination for wine in the US. Stone Hill Winery in Herman opened in 1847 and soon become the second largest winery in the country. Prohibition of course changed everything and it wasn't until the 1960's that the Held Family decided to restore and reopen the winery. Now decades later, it's still family owned. Jon Held grew u...

For 100 years, in the shadow of Anheuser-Busch Brewery, generations have been twisting pretzels by hand. Gus Koebbe III, the fourth generation to carry on the tradition of Gus’ Pretzels, shares the history of his family business. From beginning to the present day, and the future that lies ahead. A century in business is no easy feat, but Gus’ Pretzels has found its way into the celebrations of fam...

It was anything but the first year in business Craig and Mowgli Rivard imagined. The owners of Little Fox in the Fox Park neighborhood of South St. Louis opened their restaurant in December 2019, their doors open just a few months before the COVID19 pandemic forced them to close. In order to survive, the couple who both worked in New York City prior to moving back to Craig's hometown, have continu...

Even with a COVID-19 vaccine on the horizon, many local restaurants are fighting with everything they have to survive until it's available. Several beloved St. Louis restaurants have closed for good due to the pandemic, and Tara Gallina, co-owner of Vicia and Winslow's Table, is part of a group pushing lawmakers to help the remaining eateries while there's still time. [https://www.saverestaurants....

This year it’s more important than ever to shop locally this holiday season. This week we’re chatting with Maeghan Moeller, one of the owners of Lusso, a boutique in Clayton that’s been around for 20 years. Her message to shoppers is that every dollar counts when it comes to owning a small business. And to help encourage shopping small this year, Lusso has teamed up with #314Together, The Women’s...

This time of year it’s important to pause and be thankful. In 2020 that might be more important than ever. Thanksgiving will look very different this year for so many families across the country and here in St. Louis. We invited some of our past guests of the Meet St. Louis podcast to share what they’re grateful for this year and how they’re altering their holiday traditions. David Weglarz, owner...

Episode 119: Volpi Foods by Meet St. Louis

Inside STL Foodworks in the Central West End, you’ll find all the equipment of your culinary dreams. The ghost kitchen or culinary incubator is helping the food start up industry in St. Louis. This week, STL Foodworks general manager Daniel Movitz joined us on the podcast to talk about the business model. Joining him is Rachel Burns of Bold Spoon Creamery and Joel Anderson of Anderson and Son Pepp...

Episode 117: Knead Bakehouse by Meet St. Louis

Episode 116: Johnnie Brock's Dungeon by Meet St. Louis

Lavinia McCoy started Gourmet Soul because the pieces fit together; the timing, the funding, and of course the love that goes into her cooking. The catering and carryout spot in Downtown St. Louis offers up soul food with a twist. It starts with family recipes and is carried out with the help of family, whether it’s mom stopping by or AJ Martin, her younger brother who helps run the restaurant. So...

Like many great ideas, it all started with a family recipe. Pat Upchurch has been cooking with her father and grandmother since she was a child and when her grandmother passed on her cheesecake recipe and mixer, an idea for a business grew. Patty’s Cheesecakes are beloved across St. Louis, especially in their mini format. Upchurch works out of the Baker’s Hub in Chesterfield, a unique communal kit...

Episode 113: Beets & Bones by Meet St. Louis