Meet St. Louis Meet St. Louis

Chef Mike Risk heads up the kitchen at Clover and the Bee and O + O Pizza in Webster Groves. He’s part of the O + O Hospitality family that’s found huge success with some of the best restaurants in town. But Mike got his story early in life, starting off in his first kitchens as a teenager. It was the iconic Trattoria Marcella that changed his life. Italian is his passion, and it’s what inspires his work at O + O. But a recent diagnosis with multiple sclerosis is changing everything. We sat down with Mike to talk about what it means for him in the kitchen, how he’s found balance over the years as a chef and a father and why food sparks so much joy for him.

Soulard Farmer’s Market is one of the most treasured and historic spots in St. Louis. It’s been in operation since 1779, when farmers would gather in the area to sell their goods. Fast forward to now and there are 146 stands with a waitlist of dozens of people who want to sell at the market in the heart of the city.

This week, we sat down with the market manager Bob Ray and the co-owners of Soulard Spice Shop, Miriam Schnur and Dana Frenzel. The spice shop is one of the long-time vendors, selling spices since the 1920 and it’s always got a line on weekends when Soulard Market sees 10 thousand shoppers.

We talk about the past, the present and the future of the market.

The Soulard Farmer’s Market is open Wednesday – Saturday.

If you’ve driven down Manchester Road recently in The Grove neighborhood you might have noticed a new building with a big N-G on the outside. Inside is a unique greenhouse using hydroponic farming to grow the freshest lettuce around. Neon Green just opened, and owner Josh Smith hopes to make some big changes to the way we eat, think and grow our food. The St. Louis native moved to New York to be a set designer for television and movies, but the pandemic created a pivot. The pivot eventually brought him home to St. Louis to open Neon Green, a made-to-order craft salad eatery. We’re taking you behind the scenes in this week’s episode of how they’re taking farm-to-table to the next level.

Baseball is back, St. Louis. There’s nothing quite like Busch Stadium, and there’s no greater fans in baseball than Cardinals fans. And for 10 years, Ballpark Village has been the next-door neighbor to the one and only St Louis Cardinals. In celebration of the start of the season and to commemorate 10 years, we sat down with Mike Lamartina, the Chief Operating Officer, to talk about it all. We discuss the significance of the work-play-live concept of BPV, how they’re preparing to celebrate a decade in business and how they continue to grow and expand. Ballpark Village lives and breaths Cardinals, as well as sports in general in St. Louis, but they also have to think beyond baseball for many months of the year. You can find local favorites like Salt and Smoke, Katie’s Pizza and Pasta and Arch Apparel. The full calendar of events can be found: https://www.stlballparkvillage.com/events

Sugarfire is a BBQ staple in St. Louis. From their brisket to their wild named specials, there’s a reason they’ve been winning awards for over a decade. Now we had owner Mike Johnson on the Meet St. Louis podcast way back in the beginning. All the way back on episode 50. So now, on Episode 271 we’re revisiting the beloved BBQ spot. But this time were talking to the woman of Sugarfire. The 14th location just opened in Florissant, and it’s the first with a majority female ownership group. Corporate Chef Kat Wallace, Director of Hospitality Veronica Schuster and Operations Manager Montana Patterson. The three sat down to talk about working in a male-dominated industry, how they work together as a team and the launch of the first Sugarfire location in North County.

Jackie Price found a love of cooking when she was a young teen. And while she loved working in a restaurant, her true passion she found was teaching others. She saw a need in the St. Louis community for more hands-on cooking classes, and the Fennel Cooking Studio was born. Little did she know just how much of a demand there would be. Classes sell out and people are setting alarms to secure a spot when the new batch opens each month. We sat down in the bright and cheery classroom space of her Midtown St. Louis studio to talk about building her business, her favorite things about teaching, and a new partnership she has with the Tower Grove farmers market helping St. Louisians learn how to cook what's in season each week.