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’Brien, the Vice President of Programming and Marketing, to pull back the curtain and take you backstage. From the history to the future, and how exactly they pick which shows to put on the stage.

Take a look at the lineup for the 2025-2026 season. Tickets go on sale later this spring.

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 beyond. We sat down at their ice cream production facility to talk about expansion plans, the innovations that led to the iconic naughty and nice flavors, plus the origin story of Clementine’s and how a girls' weekend started it all.

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 most days of the week. Led by Ashley Batist and Ryan McDonald, the team is changing the game when it comes to fast casual, farm-focused food. We sat down with Ryan to talk about his journey from some of St. Louis’ best restaurants, including Monarch and Beast Craft BBQ, to fueling his creative culinary passions on his own terms.

Where to find Farm Spirit and details on Homie Hospitality farm dinners here: https://www.farmspiritstl.com/

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. He has a passion and a deep knowledge of our city that rivals those born and raised here. If you haven’t been to the history museum in a while, listen up because you’ll be shocked about everything new they have to offer and explore. We chat about it all as they gear up for some pretty big milestones.

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, highlighting Midwestern cuisine. What exactly is Midwestern food? That’s a journey the chef has been discovering for years.

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 here on the Meet St. Louis Podcast. We sat down with the program’s manager Gillian Garland to learn about the local spots serving up sustainability and how little changes can make a big difference in protecting our planet.

You can check out more information on what restaurants are included in the Green Dining Alliance, as well as information on Earth Day 2025 at https://greendiningalliance.org/

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 conversation inside Delmar Divine, the former St. Luke's Hospital turned hub for non-profits. Maxine’s passion for life and improving the lives of those around her shines through each of her endeavors and she’s got quite the story to share.

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 Foundation, Jami Dolby, to find out why this day is one to circle on the calendar and everything that’s in store for this years celebration.

List of all 314 Day events: https://tinyurl.com/mrx5n6dm

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 experience through the power of art. As they gear up for their milestone season, we sat down with Ron, the theater’s founder to talk about the story behind the company and what the future holds.

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 from his first location in The Grove neighborhood, how they helped create the Armory project and how they continue to grow and expand their destination spot in St. Charles, including the expansion into some high-tech virtual reality.