Steve Neukomm opened Square One Brewery and Distillery in Lafayette Square in 2006, but he's been working in the restaurant business for decades. He's opened and closed restaurants and breweries, and moved passed a devastating fire, but never has he experienced anything like the impact of the Coronavirus.

We first sat down to interview Steve on March 6, to hear his story of the brewery and distillery. We wanted to still share his story but we checked back in to see how they are adapting during the COVID-19 outbreak. Here are both of those conversations.

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We started this podcast almost two years ago as a way to showcase and support the incredible chefs, brewers and small business owners across St. Louis. Now amidst the Coronavirus our independent businesses need all of us more than ever. While many of them have had to close their doors this week in an effort to stop the spread of COVID19, we are seeing love for all of these business as they try to figure out a way to stay afloat.

This week we chatted over the phone with a few about how they are handling the situation. First up, Kevin Lemp, owner of 4 Hands Brewery discusses how they found a way to use their resources to make hand sanitizer, a much needed product right now. Then Joel Crespo of Guerilla Street Food joined us with some real talk about the challenges they and hundreds of other restaurants are facing and the tough and uncertain future that look ahead. Christina Weaver of The Women’s Creative shares the goal behind #314Together, a movement their organization along with Jordan Bauer of @stlouisgram, created to help elevate and support businesses during this time. And the time to get creative is now. That’s what Mary Hennesy, co-owner of Urban Matter, a boutique on South Grand shares how they are adapting when customers aren’t allowed inside.

We know things are changing rapidly, and the best we can do is try to support those working to make ends meet.

Episode 85: Park Avenue Coffee by e4a4dfd0-0e48-11f0-9643-73fca0ec5888

Andrew Brewer has built a small eatery empire in Cottleville. Not even 30 years old, the owner of Plank Road Pizza, Cottleville Cookies and Cream, and 1798 BBQ has established some of the best restaurants in the region while seamlessly blending into a historic small town in St. Charles County.

His clever menus and unique locations- built into historic homes along the main drag of Highway N- have helped his restaurants stand out and draw acclaim.

He sat down with the Meet St. Louis podcast to talk about what drove him to go into business for himself, what it takes to turn home recipes into restaurant fare, and why he's committed to building community in his hometown.

Sit back, plug in, and enjoy!

Owned by husband and wife duo Cory and Karen King, Side Project Brewery was recently named the second best brewery in the world.

But as the name implies it started as a side project. Cory got his start homebrewing before working as the head brewer at Perennial Artisan Ales.

A passion for oak aged beer and a desire to try out new recipes was the birth of Side Project Brewery. Eventually they opened Side Project Cellar in Maplewood and then grew to the point of opening the brewery just around the coroner on Manchester.

But despite a small size, Side Project Brewery is behind some of the most in-demand stouts, saisons and wild ales across the country.

Whether you’re new to their beers or a long time fan, Karen and Cory sat down with the Meet St. Louis Podcast to talk about the passion behind the beer, how to navigate your first beer release and what they’re drinking when they get off work. Hint: it’s not what you might think.

When Krupa and Sid Panchal moved to St. Louis from Bombay, India, they craved the food of their homeland.

There are a lot of great Indian restaurants in St. Louis but the Panchals were looking for the street food they loved.

So Krupa started making it herself. It was a bit of a shift from her career as an optometrist but after watching a Food Network show on food trucks, she decided that was the next adventure.

Bombay Food Junkies found success as a vegetarian and vegan food truck, filling a void in the city. They opened a kitchen and brick and mortar restaurant in St. Ann but now the Panchal's are ready for their next adventure. They will open a new restaurant featuring the same authentic, plant-based food at their restaurant in Creve Coeur.

Krupa joined us on the Meet St. Louis podcast to talk about the food of her childhood, the growing vegan community and why she's ready to hit pause on the food truck.

Taco Circus is serving up Austin-style Tex Mex on The Hill. Christian Ethridge brought his love of tacos from his home state of Texas.

The taqueria first opened in the Bevo Mill neighborhood in 2015 and moved to a larger space on Southwest in the fall of 2019.

The new space means a new and expanded menu, but the same focus on authentic Tex Mex flavors.

While the crowded restaurant shows the success Ethridge has found, it wasn't always an easy road, and he tells the Meet St. Louis podcast there was a definite fork-in-the-road moment of finding a new career path in the restaurant business or taking the path that might lead him back to jail. Thankfully for St. Louis he took the path that led to Taco Circus.

On a nearly one-acre flower farm in the middle of South City, you'll find more than 70 different kinds of flowers growing.

When Mimo Davis and Miranda Duschack discovered the property almost a decade ago it was in shambles.

The land itself dates back to the 1870s and slowly the duo behind Urban Buds City Grown Flowers have transformed it back to a working urban farm. Miranda and Mimo sat down with the Meet St. Louis podcast to talk about their love of farming, the benefit of buying local, sustainable flowers and the feeling it brings to hand over a fresh cut bouquet at the farmer's market. Let's meet Mimo and Miranda.

Episode 79: Women's Creative by e4a4dfd0-0e48-11f0-9643-73fca0ec5888

At Bulrush, the space and food feel modern, but the inspiration for the food is hundreds of years of history rooted in the Ozarks.

Chef Rob Connoley works to define and showcase the cuisine of a region that expands outside of Missouri at his restaurant in Midtown.

The James Beard semi-finalist and self-taught chef shares his culinary journey from the world of non-profits, to opening a small grocery store in New Mexico with his husband, to his journey back to his hometown of St. Louis. From foraging to working towards a goal of zero-waste, Connoley hopes to help shape the restaurant industry in St. Louis and beyond.