CEO Ryan Rich has a sweet tooth for helping his community. With a career path like no other -- from transactional law practice to food tech investor to cookie entrepreneur -- he's applied everything he's learned into building and operating his company, Hot Box Cookies. 

People love his product and Hot Box Cookies has grown quickly as a result. 2020 was poised to be a year of huge growth... and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. 

Ryan sits down with GiftAMeal founder and CEO, Andrew Glantz, to discuss what it meant to face this disruption and how he came out stronger. 

Hear about how he used his company to lift up the community, take care of his employees, and feed thousands, on this episode of Food on the Table.

Episode Links:

Hot Box Cookies website

Jules and Tracy are sisters who opened Espresso Yourself with a simple mission: to create good vibes and serve great coffee & food. Located in the Macklind Business District of St. Louis, their joy-inspiring cafe lifts up the community, the people, and the businesses around them. 

They joined us on this episode of Food on the Table to share their story, and it's a fun one. 

And their story is great --- we talk about: 

This is a freewheeling episode with lots of laughter. Get ready to get happy. And stick around for a special postscript segment about how a television show proved just how much their customers care about stepping up for what's right!

Links from the episode:

Gerard Craft is an incredible chef, a James Beard Award—winner and the owner of Niche Food Group, whose 7 restaurants have delighted St. Louis and Nashville alike.

He comes on the show to share some of the uplifting things his restaurant group has done recently, like staffing a nonprofit community kitchen and raising more than $1,000,000 for local small businesses and workers displaced by COVID-19.

Links from the episode:

https://www.nichefoodgroup.com/donate

Brasserie web, facebook, instagram

Pastaria (STL) web, facebook, instagram

brassWELL web, facebook, instagram

Sardella web, facebook, instagram

Taste Bar web, facebook, instagram

Cinder House web, facebook, instagram

Pastaria (Nashville) web, facebook, instagram

Donate to the Gateway Resilience Fund

What does the coronavirus pandemic mean for family-owned fine dining establishments?

Napoli 2 owner Ande Pietoso and his family at Café Napoli and Bar Napoli have spent decades perfecting the art of consistently delighting guests with wonderful meals and impeccable service in a refined, inviting atmosphere. With dining rooms closed across the state, they had to move quickly and thoughtfully to keep serving their community.

We asked Ande to share his story, from growing up polishing silverware in his parents' Clayton restaurant, to opening Napoli 2 in Town and Country, to the challenges and triumphs of the last few months. 

Hear what it was like crafting a whole new take-home Napoli experience, how the community has responded with support, and what the future holds for family-owned fine dining. 

Links from the Episode:

Napoli 2 website

Cafe Napoli website

Connect with Napoli 2 on Facebook and Instagram

How do you take fine dining and hand-crafted cocktails to curbside? At Blood & Sand in downtown St. Louis, Brad Phillips and his team started preparing months in advance to find the answer.

From menu redesign to wine tastings held online, hear the story of how this restaurant, once a private club, rose to the challenge of staying relevant in a time of pandemic.

Links from the episode:

Blood & Sand website

Virtual Wine Tasting with Fred Dame, M.S.

Check out the Wine Club

Blood & Sand: Instagram

Blood & Sand: Facebook

What does it take to heal hunger during a pandemic? 

Operation Food Search collects and distributes nearly 50 tons of food daily to those in need throughout the St. Louis region. And with hundreds of  distribution sites and partner agencies depending on their continued work, they've had to really adapt quickly to the unique pressures of COVID-19.

Executive Director Kristen Wild joins us for an interview about how the organization has risen to the challenge with new distribution methods and strategies to make sure the community we love stays safe and fed.

Learn more and see ways to help at: 

https://www.operationfoodsearch.org/covid-19-give-help/ 

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