Explore every episode of the podcast The STL Bucket List Show

Katie Lee, of Katie’s Pizza and Pasta Osteria has quite the story to tell. A STL native, pillar, friend to many, mother, restaurateur, creative, and now writer, Katie’s story is being written each day. During her youthful years she struggled with addiction until a moment of clarity came to her to embark on a path of success and purpose. Now, a successful business owner of three locations, a new one on the way, and a series release of her new book and life story, Katie Lee embodies the true meaning of the comeback story. 

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It’s officially wedding planning season. If you just got engaged over the holidays, you need to give this episode with Carol from Bride St. Louis a listen. 

Bride St. Louis is the premier wedding event company in the region, trusted by over 12,000 brides. As the leading force in St. Louis and beyond, they host 7 spectacular wedding shows each year across St. Louis, Columbia, Missouri, and Southern Illinois, connecting brides and grooms-to-be with the best vendors and inspiration to make their dream day a reality.

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We hosted our friends at Vetta Sports on the podcast. Vetta Sports was founded in 1988 with the mission of providing high-quality sports programs and facilities to the St. Louis community. Initially starting with indoor soccer, Vetta quickly expanded its offerings to include tennis, volleyball, fitness programs, and more, becoming a multi-sport hub for youth and adults. Over the years, Vetta has grown significantly and now operates multiple locations across the greater St. Louis area.

As of today, Vetta Sports has 11 locations, including:

• Concord x 2 (offering indoor soccer, tennis, and pickleball)
• St. Charles (indoor soccer for kids and adults + camps)
• Manchester (soccer, leagues, and fitness)
• Vetta 70 (soccer, inline hockey, multi-sport programs)
• Soccerdome (indoor soccer)
• Vetta Racquet Sports - West (tennis and pickleball)
• Vetta Sunset - (tennis and pickleball)
• Vetta Gametime - (pickleball, outdoor soccer and volleyball)
• Vetta Woodlands - (indoor soccer and outdoor soccer)
• Frontenac Racquet Club (tennis and pickleball on newly renovated courts)

These locations are dedicated to providing top-notch facilities and a wide range of leagues, classes, and recreational opportunities for all ages and skill levels, making Vetta Sports a staple in the region's sports community.

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Good friends of the show, Elliott & Jordy joined us for an episode about their extremely popular pop-up ‘Dinner at The Loft’ and news about the opening of Scout’s in late 2023.

During the pandemic, the service industry took a huge hit. Brown & Logan decided to do something about it by hosting intimate loft dinners at Browns apartment. In less than 2 years, the team has done 100+ dinners alongside their other partner Brandon Panosh. The dinners have evolved into offsite catering, pop-ups at local venues, and even brunch. 

Over the past 10 years, Elliott knew his mission was to open a restaurant. The future home of Scouts will be located in a building that has been in Brown’s family for 40 years. Listen to the full episode to learn more. 

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Zach Conley, co-founder of Una Vida Tequila joins us on the STL Bucket List Show. Conley, originally from the St. Louis area graduated college and began working in the alcohol industry in Colorado. He quickly fell in love with the business side behind big brands and eventually came across his business partner Bryce, where they decided to partner in 2018 to create Una Vida Tequila.

Una Vida’s mission is to build a culture and community around tequila. They are more than just another tequila brand and it goes way beyond liquid in a glass. We only have One Life, and it is meant to be lived to the fullest, with purpose, surrounded by good people, and most importantly with a good drink.

In this episode, we talk with Zach on building a brand in a competitive industry, entrepreneurship, future goals & more. 

https://unavidatequila.com

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Marcus Howard is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GreaterHealth Pharmacy & Wellness, a radically inclusive, culturally responsive pharmacy focused on providing quality patient-centered care to St. Louis residents. Marcus is a St. Louis native and Metro High School graduate. The flagship location of his pioneering pharmacy is located on the ground floor of the Delmar DivINe, and is committed to revolutionizing the way we approach, talk about, and treat healthcare in St. Louis. Marcus is working hard so that all residents, specifically those from historically marginalized backgrounds, achieve greater health and a greater quality of life.

Marcus has watched is Pharmacy Start-up come to life right here in his hometown of St. Louis. In this episode we chat with Howard about his childhood, career changes, and also navigating entrepreneurship. We are excited to welcome GreaterHealth Pharmacy & Wellness to the neighborhood. 

Follow @GreaterHealthPharmacy on Instagram to stay up-to-date with their Grand Opening event. 

You can also visit their website below if you are interested in learning more about the mission or switching your prescriptions over

www.greaterhealthpharmacy.com

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Russell Ping is the owner & chef of Russell’s Cafe (Fenton & South City) and Lola Jean’s Pizza. In fourth grade, Russell began his entrepreneurial journey selling cookies in his local neighborhood, even getting the nickname ‘The Cookie Chef’. 

At 22, Russell opened his flagship cafe in Fenton with his mom. In 2006, Russell’s Cafe was elevating the baking game by selling delicious hand-crafted sweets. Ping mentioned that he wanted Russell’s Sweets to be at the center of everything you celebrate in life. 

Living in the South Hampton neighborhood, Russell was shortly led to opening up a second location on Macklind. With this larger location, they were able to expand their cafe into a hot-spot for brunch and dinner hours. In 2023, Russell and Em Ping came out hot by re-opening a pizza pickup concept called Lola Jeans, which is open 3 days a week for pre-order only. 

Russell’s also has an extensive line of wholesale sweets & gooey butter cake that is sold at local grocery stores and also available to ship nationwide for those missing the St. Louis staples. In this episode we chat with Russell about his childhood, entrepreneurship, being in business with the family, and more. 

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Kevin Lashley - More Than a Soup Kitchen 

In 2023, we made a commitment to highlight one non-profit each month with our new ‘Bucket List Gives’ initiative. We kick it off with Kevin Lashley from St. Patrick Center, as they celebrate their 40th anniversary in 2023. 

St. Patrick Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, established in 1983 to combat homelessness in the City of St. Louis and surrounding area. With a Housing First emphasis, SPC works collaboratively with individuals, businesses, government and other service providers to solve homelessness for individuals and families in the St. Louis region.

Along with this podcast episode, we will be volunteering with SPC while also helping promote their anniversary initiatives in the month of January. In this episode we chat with marketing & communications director Kevin Lashley about the impact St. Patrick Center provides to the St. Louis community. 

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Mother, Wife, Pastry Chef, Empress Trainor, Model, Fashionista and Lifestyle blogger.

She is Executive Pastry Chef for La Patisserie, a French-Asian fusion Cake and Pastry Shoppe in Florissant, Missouri.  She is also CEO of Empress Consulting LLC, a Human Resource Training and Development Firm which was established in 2014 together with her husband, Ken Corbin. 

Her life mission is to bring out the best in every individual who accepts her in their life path and inspire others to be the best that they can be as they pay the good deed forward.

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Ben Poremba is the founder of Bengelina Hospitality Group which boasts St. Louis staples like Olio, Elaia, Nixta, Benevolent King, AO&Co, and newly opened Bar Moro. 

Originally from Israel, Poremba began his culinary career in the states as a private chef, and then transitioned his experience into launching a catering company while still in college, Taste Fine Catering. Poremba is moved by how food plays a central role in celebrations, rituals, holidays, and virtually every ceremony humans are engaged in. In this episode we learn more about Ben’s upbringing, entrepreneurship, and more. 

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Brad Sowers, President & CEO of Jim Butler Auto Group. On this episode, we speak with Brad about their $100,000 giveback initiative called ‘Good Taste’. Brad has a unique story that led him to the auto industry, follow along this entrepreneurial journey for a wonderful episode on The STL Bucket List Show. 

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Larry Bommarito AKA Sekondtry is known as one of St. Louis’ most talented photographers. Larry truly takes photography to new heights, scaling some of the tallest buildings in the city to get images unlike anyone has seen before. It all started in 2016 after a bad breakup, Larry picked up a go-pro and started driving downtown to take photos. Bommarito immediately became obsessed with capturing frames and angles from the tops of buildings in St. Louis. Flash forward 6 years later, Larry (Sekondtry) has became one of St. Louis’ most known photographers and worked with some of the biggest brands in our city.

In this episode, we chat with Larry about his upbringing, what drives him, and goals for his career in photography. 

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It truly is more than comedy. In this episode, Luke & Marissa sit down with globally known comedian Nikki Glaser. Nikki is a stand-up comedian, actress, podcaster, TV host and more. Since the early 2000’s Nikki has performed on The Tonight Show, Conan, Comedy Central Roasts, and most recently her own HBO Special & E! Reality Series ‘Welcome Home Nikki Glaser’ which was filmed at her parents house in St. Louis. 

In this episode Nikki opens up about her childhood, career, and what keeps her motivated. 

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Sara McCarty opens up about the inspiration behind the online resource, website, podcast,  community, and magazine, Run Wild My Child. McCarty expresses the importance of getting families outside, and offers a resource of ideas and activities to engage in the outdoors. The community of writers highlights voices from all around the globe. Run Wild My Child’s mission is to emphasize the importance of outdoor play and to inspire, encourage, help, and support parents to prioritize time spent outside. Tune in to learn about the importance of engaging your family in nature.

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In this episode we talk with Langford Cunningham about hope, adversity, and purpose. We hear from Langford about his upbringing in St. Louis and what the city means to him. He touches on points important to him about changes he wants to see in our community. Langford, a man who became blind in his adult life, created a podcast known as Blind City Podcast, to speak passionately about these issues. 

He gets vulnerable with us sharing the adversity faced when he began to lose his eye sight. Feeling hopeless, Langford leaned into the struggling voices in his head, which eventually led him to a road of purpose. After signs from God to persevere, he now uses his challenges as motivation to help those in the community. As his mission would say: “I had to lose my sight, to find my vision” and he shares that vision with our listeners on this episode. 

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Introducing our new theme song - 'Bucket List Anthem' Alex Rich 

In this episode Alex Rich shares how he is man of different trades. He follows the path that presents him the greatest opportunity for personal growth. You may have heard his voice on Y98’s The Wake up with Brett and Julie, or singing live music a STL pregame event. 

Alex shares how the path chosen isn’t always the path taken. He radiates positive energy and a love for the Saint Louis community. By using his rising social platform as a chance to connect and do things for the greater good of Saint Louis, Alex Rich promotes philanthropic work through the power of voice. 

Rich explains how music has impacted him through his years of growing up, and how he hopes to use his talents to connect more with the people of St. Louis. 

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It was pleasure to have Marc Connor on the show, Co-Founder of Rootberry, a popular plant-based food service here in St. Louis. Marc's story is inspiring, growing up with his Father in the food industry and also following dreams of being apart of early Start-ups all across the nation. Marc's mission with Rootberry is simple, eat more plants more often. 

Rootberry keeps it fresh and simple by offering delicous plant-based options that are also convenient. Marc has had a unique journey to land himself into the industry, his health playing a key role in pursuing a life with vegan and vegetarian options. Rootberry is only 16 months old, but with extreme innovation they have their sights set on becoming a leader in the wellness world. 

Dive deep into Marc's story to learn more about entrepreneurship, Rootberry, his story, and more. 

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On this episode, special guests Christina Weaver and Lindsay Skredenske share the hard work that goes into growing their business, while helping creatives build theirs. 

This episode addresses how the Women’s Creative got its start, and has continually built connections within the St. Louis up and coming businesses. From discussing the value of joining the membership, vendor markets, to networking opportunities and workshops, the Women’s Creative works hard to mentor new business owners so that their experience of growth is a celebratory one. 

This is a group that continues to push the limits and supports the community that make up St. Louis. They represent all things growth, diversity, and opportunity. 

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Sami Maurer, founder of Series Six, has quite the story to becoming one of St. Louis’ leading apparel brands. What started as a project in college, quickly led to creating a staple brand in St. Louis. 

Sami’s love for sports, the city, and fashion started when she was young. She mentions going to local sporting events with her family and supporting local businesses all over town. In high school, she was always the first to design the themed t-shirts and that momentum carried into college where she saw apparel brands popping up in the south. 

Sami’s story is truly inspiring. From stacking countless boxes and orders in her home to signing a lease for a storefront and warehouse, she represents the determination every entrepreneur should have. In this episode we chat with the Series Six founder about entrepreneurship, St. Louis, favorite local spots to dine, and more. 

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Bucket List Gives is an initiative of the STL Bucket List mission, dedicated to serving the people that make St. Louis special. With Bucket List Gives, we are committed to highlighting the work of 1 Non-Profit each month. Our team will focus on working in the community, to help build with the community. A podcast episode will be dedicated to interviewing the organization, along with digital and media support provided based on the organization's needs. 

The St. Louis region offers a range of opportunities to build up those in need. As a team, our priority is to use the bucket list platform to lend a helping hand, while also encouraging our community the chance to get involved. 

There are issues to be addressed, awareness to be made, and opportunity to grow as an active member in our city. Bucket List Gives offers a chance to not only recommend non-profits, but invite the community to invest their time to making St. Louis a greater place, for the greater good. We can’t wait to see how the committed community comes together. 
 
Learn more here: https://stlbucketlist.com/bucket-list-gives 

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Angela Ortmann is a Jill of all trades. She has conquered the hospitality industry by working back of house, to front of house, and all things in between. Her curiosity has led her to other major cities across the country to indulge in the learning opportunities of wineries, breweries, organic farms and creameries. 

After returning to STL a few years back, she has become a close friend to those in the industry. She is dedicated to understanding the art that happens in the kitchen, and appreciates what is served on the plate in the dining room. 

Angela jumps at presented opportunities to bring together her passion for food and community. Through her non-profit organization, Love to eat, eat to love, she puts a focus on crucial social issues and raises awareness to support those in need.

This episode we learn how embracing the path unplanned can be sweet, and how we can promote change when life is savory. Listen to how Angela’s entrepreneurial journey has led her to raise not just a glass, but raise the stakes for others to give back to the community. 

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Gregory Bowdry, better known by his stage name Stringz EMB, is a St. Louis-born, award winning American singer, songwriter, record producer, national performer, entrepreneur, and community advocate. 

The most unique part about Stringz story is that he fell back in love with music after he was already married with children back in 2014. Dating back to his early days in North St. Louis, Stringz became fond of R&B & Soul Music, even singing ‘Lean on Me’ in his grade school graduation. 

In this episode Luke Farrell chats with Stringz EMB about his music influences, family, future aspirations, and even his dream collab. 

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Mike & Ben are quite the power duo here in St. Louis. You may know of staple fast-casual restaurants like Sugarfire, Hi-Pointe, and Chicken Out. These guys are professionals at creating unique concepts and scaling to different markets around the area. 

With goals of expansion and a key focus on building a strong team, this team is just getting started. In this episode we talk with Mike & Ben about entrepreneurship, building a strong team, creating quality concepts, and more. 

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Malik Wilson, former D1 football player, always had a special gift to entertain the people around him. Malik is a multi-skilled journalist for Show Me St. Louis. With being new to St. Louis, we chat with Malik on his journey to getting here today and the impact he is making in the community. 

Originally from North Carolina, Malik landed his first journalism job in North Dakota. Eventually making his way to St. Louis, Malik had made a splash in the city by making connections all over town and using his platform with KSDK to entertain and educate our community. 

In this week's episode, Malik sheds light on his childhood, faith, football, and future aspirations. 

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We’re joined by Craig Kaminer of Sophisticated Living Magazine. In this episode we discuss the upcoming SOPHI Awards, his career before the magazine, and more. A native of New York City, Craig has spent the last 35 years developing campaigns for some of the leading consumer/lifestyle brands in St. Louis -- and the world. It was cool to see what goes on behind the scenes to put out a print magazine in 2024, Sophisticated Living is the definition of luxury. Listen to the full episode and visit the link below to get tickets for the upcoming SOPHI Awards.

https://sl-stlouis.cpjam.com/Sophi-Awards-2024

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In this episode, we get to talk with Dr. Mike Gibson about his start up and process of creating his non-profit, The Young Professionals Academy. Dr. Gibson has a passion for education and continues down his own path of educational excellence. Holding an MBA, as well as Doctorates degree, he focuses on mentorship, leadership, and provides opportunities to the youth of the Saint Louis Community. 

As a high school business teacher, Dr. Gibson discovered a need in his students. He developed a program to help tutor students so they could improve their grades. Within the program, he focused on teaching students life skills and mentors them by showing them the ways of professionalism. With a background in higher education, he works with students and families to find the best scholarships to support the financial burden that comes with going to college. 

Mike Gibson works hard to reform education by intersecting the community of Saint Louis with the school systems. He opens doors for students across the Saint Louis region and is growing his non-profit with the help of sponsors and inspiring entrepreneurs within the area. 

This episode is full of passion and lessons about how to help set the youth up for success, so that there is open opportunity and wealth for the young professionals of Saint Louis. 

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We’re excited to announce our 2nd Annual Local’s Choice winners live on the podcast. Marissa and Luke go through all 56 categories along with the generous sponsors that helped make this years event a reality. We’re extremely grateful for the support from the entire city of St. Louis. 

Enjoy! View all the winners below:

Food and Dining

Bakery: 

Russell’s Cafe and Bakery

Coffee Shop:

Kaldi's

Brunch:

Russell’s Cafe & Bakery

Overall Dining Experience:

Olive & Oak

Patio:

Rockwell Beer Garden

Brewery:

4 Hands Brewing Company 

BBQ:

Salt + Smoke  

Ice-Cream & Frozen Custard:

Ted Drewes

Donut Shop:

Donut Drive-in

Happy Hour:

Katie’s Pizza and Pasta Osteria

Cocktail Bar:

Planter’s house 

Wine Bar:

Sasha’s on Shaw

Winery:

Cedar Lake Cellars  

Asian Fusion:

Seoul Taco 

Sandwich/Deli Shop:

Gioia’s

Tacos:

Mission Taco

Italian Restaurant:

Charlie Gittos

Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurant:

SweetArt

Pizza:

Imo’s Pizza

Food Truck:

Balkan Treat Box 

Mexican Restaurant:

 La Catrina

Seafood Restaurant:

Broadway Oyster Bar

Sports Bar:

Paddy O’s

Thai Restaurant:

King & I

Hot Wings:

Sybergs 

Burger:

Hi Pointe

Rooftop Bar:

Three-Sixty

Arts/Culture & Retail

Art Gallery:

Contemporary Art Museum

Clothing Store:

Arch Apparel

Gift Shop:

STL Style House 

Best Park:

Forest Park

New Business of the Year:

Bar K 

Book Store:

Left Bank Books 

Non-Profit Organization:

Stray Rescue 

Person of the Year

Michelle Li

Artist:

Maxine Thirteen

Tattoo Shop:

Iron Age

Medical Dispensary:

Swade 

STL Hair Salon/Barber shop:

Union Barbershop

Entertainment & Influencers 

STL Insta Influencer:

(@bradenstl)

Photographer:

Tori Rose (helloimtoriii) 

Vlogger:

Epic Eats STL

STL Foodie:

Ashley STL Foodies (stlfoodies)

Band/Artist or Rapper:

Funky Butt Brass Band

Radio Host:

Courtney Landrum

Radio Show:

Rizzuto Show

Podcast:

Eat me in STL Podcast

Bartender:

Tim Wiggins (Yellowbelly & Lazy Tiger)

STL Mom/Family Blogger:

St. Louis Mom (@stlouis_mom)

Hotel Staycation:

Four Seasons

Concert Venue:

The Pageant 

Chef:

Jessica Mendica (Olive + Oak)

Family Activity:

The Saint Louis Zoo

Yoga Studio:

Brick City Yoga

Gym:

Club Fitness 

Golf Course:

Forest Park

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Jayvn Solomon is a St. Louis based artist, designer and brainchild behind the concept ‘Loutopia’. LouTopia, an art experience that envisions a more creative, sustainable, & mindful version of St. Louis. 

You may have seen Jayvn’s recent mural projects all around town. In this episode Lucas & Marissa chat with Jayvn about his creative process, mindset, favorite projects, and more. 

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Maxine leads with heart in every business adventure. She encourages the curious mind and welcomes the opportunity for growth. With a passion for education and philanthropy work, she uses her success to reform neighborhoods, businesses and support underserved communities. Clark has accomplishments such as Chief executive Bear, KIPP Inspire Academy, Blueprint4, The Fox-Clark Foundation, and The Delmar DivINe to name a few. This episode tells Maxine’s journey of growing up in Miami, Florida during the late 50’s and 60’s and how she took the leap of putting the heart back into the community.

She reminds us to stay open-minded, ask questions, and find your passion. 

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Akeem Shannon embodies the definition of not “sticking” to the safe route. Growing up in the St. Louis area, Akeem headed off to college with big plans to make his family proud. Quickly into his college career, Akeem found himself struggling to make the grades and eventually landed on the academic probation list. He was embarrassed to tell his family and tried to hide the fact that he was flunking out of school. 

Quickly after coming home, Akeem found himself in the cellphone industry working his way up the ladder with his success in sales. Although he was earning more than most his age, he didn’t feel fully fulfilled and ended up leaving the job. Akeem’s enthusiasm led him to a role at Square as a business consultant but he always felt like he wanted to pursue his own business, he quit Square a year later. 

After a late night conversation with his uncle, Akeem came up with the idea of a “sticky phone” which is now called Flipstik. Flipstik is a phone accessory that allows you to stick your phone on almost any surface. Akeem’s determination shows through the trials of building a start-up and flying all over the country to get his product in the hands of celebrities and business leaders. After an interaction with Snoop Dogg, Akeem made it onto Shark Tank to pitch his product. 

Akeem Shannon is an example of a true American entrepreneur. In this episode, Lucas & Marissa chat with Akeem about the struggles of building a start-up, his early life, and having the mindset to be successful. 

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Co-Owner: Yellowbelly, Retreat Gastropub, and Lazy Tiger

Tim is more than a bartender or mixologist. He’s a restaurant owner (3 actually), father, husband, and caring leader. We originally met Tim a few years ago at one of his restaurants, we immediately saw his deep passion and desire to provide an unforgettable dining experience, every time. Tim has navigated his businesses through covid while retaining almost all of his staff, which if you know the restaurant industry, is unheard of. 

Tim truly cares about his craft, studying the greats and continuing to stay ahead of the curve. In this episode we talk about more than just cocktails, restaurants, and entrepreneurship. We dive deep on the family, caring for your staff, and more. 

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Julie from Alpaca Picnic embodies everything it takes to make a serious pivot during the pandemic. Julie worked in entertainment previously and was even a flight attendant for the St. Louis, traveling to all the team games. 

In November 2020 after cancelling event planning gigs, Julie moved back home to start her new venture planning luxury picnic pop-ups around the St. Louis area. With the help of her team (parents) she’s created beautiful, IG-worthy picnics for couples and friends to celebrate life’s special moments. 

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Mike & Meredith Shadwick, owners of Honey Bee’s Biscuits + Good Eats join us on The STL Bucket List Show. Mike & Meredith's relationship originated from the dating app Bumble, hints their name ‘Honey Bee’. What started during the pandemic, Honey Bee has become a Farmers’ Market sensation turned brick and mortar.

Their mission is simple, BEE Kind. In this episode, we chat with Mike & Meredith about building a successful business, believing in yourself, working with your spouse, and more.

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Morgan & Donnah, founders of Date Ideas & Things To Do have had quite the journey together. From being born in the same hospital, on the exact day and reconnecting while planning their 10 year high school reunion. 

Now engaged, the couple's love story has blossomed into a successful company. Date Ideas & Things To Do is a media/community platform that’s mission is to provide date night ideas, restaurant recommendations, local events and more. Starting in St. Louis, the company has grown to 16 cities totaling nearly 600k members. 

In this episode, Marissa & Lucas relate with Morgan & Donnah on being in the public eye on social media, the ups & downs of business, and working with your partner. 

Date Ideas & Things To Do website is releasing soon. In the meantime you can stay up-to date with all the links below:

IG: @dateideasandthingstodo
FB: Date Ideas & Things To Do in STL 

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Mac Curran, Creative Marketing Director at LSL Management (Kind Goods) has a story to tell. In his life, Mac has battled through depression, anxiety, and severe drug addiction. In this episode, we speak on overcoming adversity, his new career, St. Louis, and more.

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For the past 20 years, The Bailey family has been a staple for the St. Louis culinary scene. Dave and Kara Baileys' story began in the early 2000's as they met while Dave was serving tables at Sasha's on Demun. In 2004, they opened the doors to Baileys' Chocolate Bar which has became a classic St. Louis establishment over the next 20 years. It didn't stop with Chocolate Bar, they opened other concepts including Rooster, Baileys' Range, Bridge Tap House & Wine Bar, Small Batch, along with other concepts and wedding venues. 

Dave & Kara have continued to add to their culinary legacy with the announcement of their third Rooster location opening in just a few weeks in Downtown Clayton. In this episode we talk about the journey, entrepreneurship, Baileys' Chocolate Bar 20 Year Anniversary, and so much more.

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The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis envisions a region where every resident has the freedom, resources, and opportunities to enjoy a creative life – to share and celebrate their stories, art, and culture and feel a sense of belonging wherever they live, work, or play.

In this more equitable world, every culture is valued, supported and enabled to grow and thrive. A person’s well-being and success in life are not determined by race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, religion, ability, class, or status.

We’re excited to continue to highlight the people, places, and events that make St. Louis special and with the help of RAC STL, we plan to do that on a bigger scale. 

In this episode we spoke with Vanessa Cooksey  (President & CEO) and Jay Scherder (Senior Communications Manager) about RAC STL’s mission, recently awarding over $1 million in grants, the great art programs in our city, and more. 

Support The Mission - RACSTL.org 

Follow Along on IG - @regionalartscommission

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Braden aka BradENSTL is a Digital Content Creator that is "changing the way people see St. Louis, one bite at a time." He created his platform in April 2020 to help the local businesses of St. Louis throughout the pandemic, while showcasing everyday life in St. Louis. He uses food, music, and laughter to inspire people to "vacation in their own city."  He has changed the way people see mini-vlogs after announcing he would be releasing at least 13 original mini-vlog series over 3 years beginning in Fall 2021; all of which feature St. Louis restaurants. He has many more projects in the works and constantly says "I'm just getting started."

Follow @BradenSTL on Instagram

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Dante aka Original Dante embodies everything St. Louis into his brand on social media and YouTube. When it comes to highlighting our great city, you can find Dante documenting his way through the events that make St. Louis special. 

Follow Dante: @originaldante
Subscribe: https://goo.gl/z8JHQv

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Mikala has had quite the accomplished career from athletics, multi-media, and now her journey to become Miss USA. Mikala recently left Fox 2 as a reporter to chase the crown as Miss Missouri, and she won! Her life has been full of accolades including Suburban North Conference Player of the Year, Suburban North Athlete of the Year, St. Louis Cardinals Athlete of the Year, Larry Hughes Athlete of the Year, and Riverfront Times Best High School Athlete of 2012. 

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Tamara Keefe, CEO and self-proclaimed ‘Flavor Temptress’ of St. Louis based Clementine’s Naughty & Nice Creamery®, has always had a deep passion for not only ice cream itself, but also what ice cream represents, especially in the context of her own life. Her journey from a girl born into a poor family, growing up on the beaches of southern California to self-made ice cream entrepreneur is animated throughout by the “moments of connection,” in her words, that ice cream can facilitate.

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Kevin Lemp is the President and CEO of 4 Hands Brewing Co., 1220 Artisan Spirits and Withered Oak. Kevin began his career in the beverage industry with Gallo Wines in the early 2000s before going on to  start three of Missouri’s most successful craft beverage brands. Now the owner of 4 Hands Brewing Co. (est. 2011), 1220 Artisan Spirits (est. 2018), and the recently launched aged spirits line Withered Oak (est. Oct. 2021), Kevin Lemp has masterfully traversed the beverage landscape and has no plans of stopping soon. Kevin was driven by a desire to make high-quality, approachable craft beer, but his primary motivator was to build a community around beer and spirits that gives back to its employees and the city of St. Louis. Kevin took everything he learned about macro-level brand creation, team building, and wholesale relationship management from Gallo Wines and applied it. 

From the very beginning, he has offered healthcare to employees and offered a 401K by year four. In 2016, Kevin launched “City Wide,” a giveback beer that has raised more than $250,000 for over 20 different St. Louis non-profit organizations. In 2018, Kevin expanded the 4 Hands Brewing Co. brand for the first time with the launch of 1220 Artisan Spirits, and again in 2021 with the launch of Withered Oak, an aged spirits line. Kevin’s philosophy is to provide a customer with whatever they're feeling like drinking at that moment within the 4 Hands family of brands portfolio, whether it's a canned cocktail or a gin and tonic, a bourbon on the rocks, a hazy IPA or something nonalcoholic, coming soon with their new line of nonalcoholic, CBD beverages launching this summer called “Free Space.”

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Mai Lee, a first generation American was introduced to music during her childhood by her parents and siblings. She received an early music education by attending a performing arts school right here in St. Louis. 

Growing up, she experienced trouble fitting in. While other kids were out at the mall, she was working inside her family’s restaurant - Mai Lee, which was the first Vietnamese restaurant in St. Louis. There, she learned the fundamentals of hard-work and realized that she could do anything she put her mind too. 

In this episode, we touched on her music career, album “FRIENDZ” which is releasing this summer, her motivation, and more. 

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Mike Romer is a street photographer in St. Louis. Born and raised in St. Louis, he enjoys photographing things that are important. Whether it’s taking photos of people in passing or documenting weddings, current events happening within St. Louis.

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Sisters, Amanda Helman and Susan Logsdon, are the co-founders of Golden Gems, a badass brand and storefront located in St. Louis, MO. The sisters grew up on Golden Gem Road in Apopka, Florida among the orange groves. 

While bringing a bit of Florida to the Midwest, the Golden Gems ladies make products that inspire and empower. Their products have been seen all over the world, most recently being featured in Urban Outfitters. In St. Louis, they have a beautiful storefront in Midtown off Locust and a Disco Edit pop-up in The City Foundry. 

Susan, 3 years older than Amanda, is a lover of the creative process designing new Golden Gems products. Amanda, younger sister, is the one behind the fun @goldengems Instagram and brings attitude to the brand. 

Together, Susan & Amanda have created an iconic brand and empower people all over the region. In this episode we touch on their family dynamic, coming up with new designs and more. 

Golden Gems operates on the idea that there is a badass inside of everyone. One that sparks creativity, pushes us forward, and gives us confidence. They exist to inspire that inner badass to unapologetically be who you are, take up space, and live life on your own terms.

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At 20 years old, Juwan Rice is an award winning chef, content creator, food photographer, personal brand curator, technology engineer and just an overall creative. 

JR has been in the kitchen since he was 6 years old. His passion and creativity led him to launch JR’s gourmet in 2014, later starting his photography business and most recently launching JRice Spice which is a creative spice company that will take the guesswork out of cooking. 

Growing up in North St. Louis, Juwan has aspirations to effect change in his neighborhood by ‘Spicin’ Up Tha Block’. Juwan Rice has been featured only many national and local publications like Food Network. His goals are to inspire people that came from the same background he did. In the future, you will see JR open unique restaurants, events, and other brands. 

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Gerard Craft discusses his experience as a business owner and award-winning chef. He attributes his success to his hard-working and dedicated team, as well the ability to overcome the challenges over the last 20 years. Craft started out as a transplant to the St. Louis area and has since built a team of 400 employees with restaurants and businesses and more to come. He addresses his love for the St. Louis community and talks about the change of hospitality over the years and the beauty behind the supportive nature of the St. Louis community.  

Craft has developed many concepts in the St. Louis restaurant industry and  is inspired to keep pushing the envelope. He demonstrates humility, passion, and true craftsmanship in the kitchen. 

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Jeff & Mary Clarke have had a global presence discovering, developing, and managing top models, through their company, Mother Management for over two decades. They are active mother agents supporting and nurturing models throughout their entire career.

Their unique approach to the modeling industry has gained international media attention in The Wall Street Journal, Good Morning America, E! Scouted to Stardom, Vogue, Entertainment Tonight, ABC’s Night Line, and now The STL Bucket List Show.

Jeff & Mary are responsible for the discovery of top stars Ashton Kutcher, Karlie Kloss, Grace Hartzel, Alanna Arrington, Jay Wright & Myla Dalbesio, to name a few. They also represent a strong roster of many more successful models working globally for the top clients and magazines in the world. Over Mother Model Managements twenty five year history, includes having 50 models & counting walk the top runways of the world in New York, London, Milan, & Paris.

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Jason Bockman is the owner of Strange Donuts, a popular donut shop in the St. Louis area. Jason’s story is extremely inspiring, from facing 20 years in prison as a teenager, studying abroad in China, owning a hot dog stand in St. Louis, leading up to what he is today. 

Bockman spent his youth growing up in group homes surrounded by guns, drugs, and violence.  Jason claims his humble beginnings make him the man he is today through using his business resources to drive change in our city. 

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Joe Edwards is one of St. Louis’ most influential visionaries of the last 50 years. Joe’s creative vision, risk-taking, and leadership have helped transform The Delmar Loop into one of the most vibrant restaurant, shopping, arts & entertainment districts in the United States.

Nationally renowned restaurant and music club Blueberry Hill was the first of a new era of unique owner-operated businesses in the area. Joe’s subsequent attractions include the beautiful Tivoli Movie Theatre, the non-profit St. Louis Walk of Fame, The Pageant concert nightclub, the Pin-Up Bowl, the sensational Moonrise Hotel with the Eclipse Restaurant and Rooftop Terrace Bar, Peacock Diner and Delmar Hall Concert Club.

Joe Edwards has made it his mission to highlight all genres of music throughout the last 50 years with a key on diversity and inclusion. In this episode Joe touches on his relationship with Chuck Berry, his favorite spots to eat on The Loop, St. Louis Walk of Fame, and more.

Read Joe’s full bio - https://blueberryhill.com/joes-bio/

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