Episode 136: Salt + Smoke by e4a4dfd0-0e48-11f0-9643-73fca0ec5888

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 made St. Louis BBQ world famous.

Pappy's was founded in 2008 by Matthews and Mike Emmerson, and since then they have become a sensation.

The Food Network named their ribs the best in America, and the walls of the restaurant are filled with testimonials from athletes, musicians, actors, and other celebrities, all of whom can't come to town without a tase of St. Louis' most famous BBQ joint.

Meet St. Louis sat down with Matthews to talk about how the restaurant got started, what it was like when they first opened, and how they prepare 3,000-4,000 pounds of food every day.

Sit back, plug in, and enjoy!

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 the culinary Olympics to competing for election for the Bocuse d'Or, the most prestigious culinary competition in the world.

As the executive chef for Elaia he was nominated for a James Beard for Best Chef Midwest. But his real dream was creating and opening a place of his own. Delays and then a pandemic meant Tempus in the Grove neighborhood opened last October during the height of uncertainty.

But they adapted to the challenge, turning to take out only. Yet they're counting down to the day they can welcome diners into the restaurant.

Dig in for a conversation about taking on challenges, what drives Chef Grupe in the kitchen and what he looks forward to most about the next year.

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 opened Narwhal's Crafted next to SLU's campus in Midtown in 2016 and eventually a second location in the Streets of St. Charles in 2019.

But another idea was churning: nachos.

They wanted nachos that went far beyond what anyone thinks of when they think of chips topped with cheese.

The business partners put their heads together and while the pandemic changed a lot of things, the new concept, Loaded, opened this year.

The business partners join us to talk about recipe developing, working through hurdles in the hospitality business, and what comes next.

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 will welcome its first class of 120 women at a brand new non-profit.

Housed in Fox Park, the one-stop shop will offer women everything from career coaching, healthcare, counseling, financial education, childcare and so much more as a way to transition into a better position in their lives.

Rung for Women combines multiple established non-profits into one place.

Ali joins us on the podcast to talk about empowering women, learning from this experience, motherhood, and how she feels women will help transition St. Louis into something better.

For more information and how to sign up to be a member or to volunteer: https://rungforwomen.org/

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 with others.

Her entrepreneurial spirit took over and she began the trial and error process that would eventually lead to her company, Butter Love by LC.

Six years later, it's grown beyond her imagination. She sells her products in shops around the country, and in this episode, she shares her journey to discovered self-love, the power of female friendship, and how the hardest year of her life became one of the most successful for her business.

Locally you can find her 100% natural body butters and bath essentials at shops like Union Studio, May's Place, Descendant, Local Harvest, and more. https://www.butterlovebylc.co/stockist

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 later and even with the pandemic, they've found their groove, serving up fast-casual seafood in a fun way.

Andrew says he's always looking for the next poke, the next food trend that hasn't reached the Midwest.

But he says so much has changed in St. Louis over the last 10 years, there's something for everyone and he says he's proud to be a part of that ever-evolving food scene.

You can find Poke Doke on Euclid in the CWE and in the Delmar Loop.

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 lured him back to the kitchen.

He's worked in tons of restaurants over the years but it was the uncertainty of the pandemic that forced him to finally dive into his dream, opening a place of his own.

Takeout was the most logical option and he's serving up smoked meats, loaded fries and seafood only Sundays.

He offers his advice to those holding on to the dream of their own and the lessons he learned of opening a business right in the middle of the craziest year for the restaurant business.

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 organizers have worked to create Carnival in the age of COVID.

Many events like the Mardi Gras 5K and the Pet Parade are going virtual and you can even celebrate at home with a box of everything you need for a COVID-safe Mardi Gras; complete with ingredients for hurricanes, beads, and the proper barware to sip your drinks.

So while you're whipping up a batch of Mardi Gras drinks, let's take you back to how St. Louis came to host one of the biggest Mardi Gras parades in the country.

We are re-sharing one of our most listened-to episodes, a 2019 interview with Mac Bradley, the president of the Mardi Gras Foundation. He shares the behind-the-scenes and little-known stories of what it takes to put on a parade of epic proportions.

Find information virtual events and the Mardi Gras At Home box here: https://stlmardigras.org/

And remember there is no parade, so organizers are asking people to not head down to Soulard just to party in the streets. It's also is expected to be one of the coldest days so far this winter. Some bars will be doing Mardi Gras events, but most will require tickets to ensure capacity is limited and social distancing rules can be put into effect.

Here's to hoping next year we can all celebrate Mardi Gras together again.

Episode 128: Aaron Tietelbaum | Herbie's and Kingside Diner by e4a4dfd0-0e48-11f0-9643-73fca0ec5888