Meet St. Louis Meet St. Louis

Mike Evans didn’t start off with the dream of running a cookie empire, but that’s the goal he’s currently building on each and every day. He grew up surrounded by the food world but it wasn’t the path he took originally. But a desire for entrepreneurship and a discovery on the internet about the possibility of warm cookies straight from a vending machine launched his company, Alibi Cookies. It started with that unique idea. A vending machine that serves up the perfect cookie for your snacking needs. Then it grew to a brick-and-mortar, the first location in Dogtown. And from there it continues to grow – all within just a few short years. We sat down with Mike to talk about the journey and the advice he has for other young entrepreneurs. Hope you’re hungry because there’s a lot of cookie chatter in this conversation.

Locations in Dogtown, Kirkwood, Edwardsville and Statesville, NC. You can find the vending machine in Dogtown and Rolla, Mo.

A lot of times, we're taking you inside the best spots around town, but this week we're heading outside. At least in terms of the topic of the conversation.

Have you heard of Great Rivers Greenway? If not, you’ve likely experienced and enjoyed their work without possibly knowing the story. Started in the year 2000 the public agency is working to connect St. Louis through a series of greenways. So far, they have created 135 miles with an ultimate goal of 600 miles. From rural trails and bike paths to urban walking paths, the goal is to make our city and region a more vibrant place to live and work. We sat down with Shaughnessy Daniels and Emma Klues with the organization to talk all about it – from the basics of what even is a greenway to what the future holds for some of your favorite parts of town. This episode lets us dive deep into the plans of connection, the importance of engaging the community and some of the new trails you don’t want to miss.

There are so many events happening every day on the greenways. From yoga to adventures for families and kids, check out their website greatriversgreenway.org to learn more.

Growing up in St. Louis, the taste of a Dad’s Original Scotch Oatmeal cookie is one of those classic flavors. The crispy, crunchy cookies have been around for more than a century but now the company based out of South St. Louis City is celebrating a new milestone. We sat down with Chad Huber, one of the three brothers who purchased the long-standing business last year. Chad, just like so many of us, has memories of growing up with Dad’s Cookies. He shares the history and the plans for the future in this episode. Something you might not know, Dad’s Cookies isn’t originally from St. Louis. It started off in California and became a franchise, but now St. Louis is the only place baking the classic cookies, and they’re shipped around the country every day.

If you haven’t visited the storefront, you should take a drive down to Louisiana Avenue in South St. Louis to step inside the building that’s stood the test of time.

The storefront is open Monday -Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Located in a storefront on Cherokee Street in South St. Louis City is a place where Reginald Quarles says all are welcome. Teatopia is a tea shop and café serving up nearly 100 varieties of tea. The business came out of tragedy, Reginald says he soon realized life is too short not to chase your dreams. So with the love of tea, and passion to create a safe space for all, he opened his doors in 2017. Seven years later and he’s still learning. But it’s all with the mission to serve his mission, brewing better lives one leaf at a time.

https://www.teatopiastl.com/

When Steph Hampton started hiking with her kids, she never imagined she’d create an entire community of people who just want to get outside and explore. But that’s exactly what has happened. Her friends called her the park lady, now she inspires thousands to explore St. Louis and beyond. Her Instagram is Explore STL Parks, and she vividly remembers hitting 100 followers. Now she’s at almost 100K. We sat down with Steph, a mom of four, to talk about getting outdoors, the vast number of parks to explore in Missouri and Illinois and how to get over the fear or apprehension of taking your kids on a hike.

You can learn more about the parks we discuss in this episode and how to join the family hiking group by heading to Steph’s Instagram page, @explorestlparks

Step inside Casa Don Alfonso at the Ritz Carlton in Clayton and your eyes are instantly drawn to the open kitchen. Inside, you’ll watch them craft and create fresh made pasta, on the walls are hand painted tiles. It’s all part of Mario Laccarino's mission to bring you to his homeland of Italy. To his family. The Italian restauranteur is in town from his home in Positano to visit his one and only restaurant in the US. And it’s right here in St. Louis. The Michelin-starred restauranteur sat down with us on the Meet St Louis podcast to share how he came to open Casa Don Alfonso in Missouri, where the recipes come from, and his favorite thing to hear from his customers when he visits.