The Scarato brothers own Anthonino’s Taverna on The Hill. It combines both their heritages: Greek and Italian, and even after 20 years in business, they're still the new guys on the block when it comes to this historic neighborhood. But they’ve made their stamp on St. Louis and beyond... in part thanks to Guy Fieri; His episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives still brings people from across the country and the world to their corner restaurant. The toasted raviolis may be what gets people in the door, but these brothers say there’s a lot more to keep customers coming back.

Tis the season for shopping, and this podcast is always about shopping local. Whether it's on Small Business Saturday or any day of the year, your effort to purchase from a local business can make all the difference. That’s the message John and Kelley Barr share on this week’s episode. The couple has slowly been renovating and revitalizing the Old Orchard neighborhood in Webster Groves. They own Frisco Barroom, Civil Alchemy and The Annex, plus a brand new ice cream shop. Their vision has always been to create a main street like feel for the community. From a coffee shop to the neighborhood tavern to a general store where you can find functional but beautiful things, each spot helps further their vision.

The holidays are here, and you don’t have to do it alone. This week, we headed to Webster Groves to talk to Ann Marie Lemke and her daughter Kate at the Art of Entertaining. Ann started the company almost thirty years ago when she noticed a missing need in St. Louis: a place to buy prepared meals for friends who had a baby or for a sick relative. And decades later, while there’s a lot more options and basically everyone has carryout, the family business is booming. And the holidays are the busiest time of the year. Two generations are helping St. Louis families make dinner just a little easier and we’re hearing how they do it.

Bella Milano opened its doors 20 years ago in Edwardsville with family at the heart of the Italian restaurant. Two families joined together to fill a void in their community for a restaurant where anyone would feel welcome. 20 years later and two more locations, they’re still going strong, even as the food scene in the Metro East has expanded more than ever. We sat down with Craig Kalogerou and Tom Guarino to talk history, food and family. Tom’s dad Sam was the original owner along with Craig but he sadly passed away in 2020. But his memory and his legacy carry on at Bella Milano and the lessons he passed down, known fondly as Sam-isms, help ensure the family business will carry on for another 20 years.

Earlier this year, we went to St. Charles and sat down with the owners of Grandma's Cookies. Now we're revisiting this listener favorite.

Last November, we visited Vintage Vinyl, a staple for St. Louis music lovers.

Two years ago, we visited Kate of Katie's Pizza & Pasta. Now, having just opened a new location Downtown, we are revisiting our original interview.

Last year we visited Pharaoh's Donuts for a conversation outside their busy Downtown location. In this listener favorite, we revisit one of St. Louis' favorite donut shops.

Some people in the food world might scoff at the term fusion – but for Kurt Eller, it's about a collection of memories from different places. That’s the vision behind the tacos at his incredibly popular spot – Taco Buddha. The University City location has seen major success over the years and this summer, they opened a second location in Kirkwood. Serving up tacos inspired from Kurt’s upbringing in Austin TX and his love of global flavors. But the real success at his restaurants, he says, is his team. We sat down at their original location to talk about how he dove back into the restaurant world, the inspiration behind his menu and staff that’s become family.

Located in the heart of Webster Groves sits a bookshop beloved by locals. But online Novel Neighbor’s reach goes even farther, garnering a huge social media presence thanks in part to BookTok, a social media community passionate about reading. In a time when the internet is having a negative impact on our locally owned bookstores, shops like Novel Neighbor are using it to reach new audiences, audiences who are making St. Louis a destination just to visit a favorite bookstore. Director of Events Stephanie Skees and Director of Marketing Kassie King joined us on this week’s episode of the podcast to talk all things books. The importance of independent bookstores in a community, the impact of author events and the joy they get from helping someone discover a new world through the pages of a great book.