For more than three decades, Chef Lou Rook III has been the creative force behind one of St. Louis’s most celebrated restaurants, Annie Gunn’s. Early on, Lou found himself choosing between two passions, football coaching and cooking, ultimately trading the field for the kitchen. But his love of coaching never went away. Today, he channels that same passion into mentoring and inspiring the next generation of chefs. In this episode, we talk about his journey from joining Annie Gunn’s after the Great Flood of ’93 to earning multiple James Beard Award nominations, the stories from the kitchen, and how he keeps a St. Louis classic fresh and relevant for new generations of diners.