Meet St. Louis

We can’t all hop on a plane and head to Hawaii when the craving for authentic poke calls but you can make the drive to the Tower Grove East neighborhood of St. Louis City and find a pretty great alternative. That was the entire goal behind Buzz’s Hawaiian. Thomas Moore, better known to everyone as Buzz, started with a food truck after retiring from a career in aviation. After moving back to St. Louis after years in Hawaii, he missed the food of the islands. He shares the story behind the business, which has expanded to a brick-and-mortar restaurant, including the can’t miss items on the menu that will have you taking a vacation via your taste buds.

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra kicks off its 145th season this month, and this week on the podcast, we sat down with Music Director Stéphane Denève. This season is a bit unique as it’s a nomadic season, and historic Powell Hall is undergoing a major expansion and renovation. Stéphane shares his excitement for the upcoming season, which includes shows for everyone, including movie lovers, families and kids, and the most enthusiastic symphony fans.

The season kicks off with their free concert in Forest Park on September 19. For more information and the full schedule of shows for the season, visit slso.org and if you haven’t seen the renderings for the future of Powell Hall, head to our Meet St. Louis Instagram and Facebook pages.

Located in West County, The Wolf is a neighborhood gathering spot serving up organic food with a heavy focus on sustainability. It's the kind of place owners Bob and Denise Birbin want to visit, which is why they created a restaurant they felt was missing in their community. The two met in the restaurant industry in 1978, and when they got the chance to take over The Wolf, they only wanted to do it if it could be exactly what they wanted in a restaurant. It's become a staple in Ballwin, known for their healthy options, but it's much more than a lunch spot. It's a pizza spot, a place to see live music and a spot to sneak away for a late-night bite or drink in their lounge area.

With two locations, both in residential areas, Sasha’s Wine Bars are your quintessential neighborhood spot. A lengthy but approachable wine list is what makes it such a popular place. We sat down with owner Alexandra Richman, also known as Sasha, as well as the restaurant groups program coordinator Denise Mueller to talk all about wine and community. From their location in Clayton Demun to the St. Louis City Shaw neighborhood, both restaurants offer a little something for everyone, and that’s always been their goal to make everyone feel welcome and to learn to enjoy a great glass of wine.

If you’re a fan of breakfast all day, stick around because we have an interview for you. UKRAFT started as a food truck and has since evolved to restaurants in Chesterfield and Downtown St. Louis. Their newly expanded and much larger Downtown location is where we sat down with co-owner Matt Ratz to talk about the concept, their growth and the love of creating a space for locals and tourists to grab a bite.

The new Downtown location is open at Peabody Plaza Mon-Friday 7 a.m.-3 p.m., and weekends, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

St. Louis is full of great breweries. We’ve taken you behind the scenes of most of them here on the Meet St Louis Podcast, sharing the brewing secrets, the collaborations and the camaraderie. This week we headed up to North St. Louis County to sit down with Robb Wiesen at Ferguson Brewing Company. Robb took over as owner a few years ago but has been with the brewery since they opened their doors in 2010.

The brewery has been through some tough times, including protests and unrest in the Ferguson community and a bad fire, but through it all, they’ve stood fast as more than just a brewery but a community gathering spot. We sat down with Robb during the busy lunch hour to talk about 14 years in business.

This week we’re taking you inside one of our city’s greatest treasures: The St. Louis Zoo. Established in 1910 the zoo holds a special place in the hearts of locals and visitors. It started with the giant birdcage and has grown decade after decade, and the growth continues. With new animals, new exhibits and soon a new park in North St Louis County, we sat down with Zoo Director Michael Macek and Director of Conservation Education Jared Bixby to get the inside scoop of our beloved attraction.

Located in a historic mansion in Bellville, Grafted Wine Bar brings something unique to the Metro East town known for its German heritage. The wine bar brings a European feel with wines not found in many other spots in town. Magda Gilpin discovered her love of wine several years ago – learning to be a sommelier and then bringing that knowledge to Belleville when their family moved here from Washington, DC. We sat down to talk about wine, travel and the charm of Belleville in this week’s episode.

Grafted Wine Bar is open Wednesday-Sunday

This month marks six years of the Meet St Louis Podcast. With more than 280 episodes, it has been the biggest joy to share the stories of our city’s local businesses. To mark six years – we thought we’d chat with one of St Louis’ best – Loryn Nalic – the chef and owner of Balkan Treat Box and the recently opened Telva at the Ridge. We first sat down with Loryn back in 2018 – our first year of the podcast as she prepared to open their first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Webster Groves. Fast forward, and the growth and success has been incredible. Balkan Treat Box has landed on numerous best-of lists both locally and nationally, and Loryn has been named a James Beard Semifinalist for Best Chef Midwest multiple times – basically the Oscars of the food world. I sat down with Loryn at their new café Telva for a revisited conversation about bringing Balkan food to the forefront of the restaurant world, plans for expansion and the biggest risks and rewards over the years as a restaurant owner.

You can try these dishes and experience the Balkan food for yourself Wednesday - Sunday at Telva and Tuesday - Saturday at Balkan Treat Box. You heard Loryn mentioned plans for dinner, stay tuned to their social media for the official launch date of weekend dinner service.

Comet Coffee is a coffee lover's dream located in St. Louis City, right next to the beautiful Forest Park. They don't have their own roastery but instead source beans from around the world, bringing some of the best coffee to St. Louis. Plus, they have a bakery program that rivals Paris, France. The cafe opened in 2012 and now is under new ownership, with a bit of a new look, a few new ideas but the same great coffee and croissants. This week on the Meet St. Louis Podcast, we sat down with general manager David Varwig, who moved back to St. Louis with the hope of working at Comet. We talk coffee beans, what excites him about running a cafe in a coffee-loving city and more of what's to come in the future.