Intro & Meet Luke and His Dad

SPEAKER_03 0:00

I always hear these horror stories of working with your family, right? The things that can go wrong. But I never had to worry about that because I know A, what type of guy my dad is, and B, there's nobody else I would have rather learned from than my dad. I think that's a good idea.

SPEAKER_05 0:13

The STL Bucket List show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor and the official banking partner of STL Bucket List, Royal Banks of Missouri. Royal Banks is a full service, independent community bank, locally owned, locally run, and proudly investing in St. Louis since 1964. That's more than 60 years of taking care of the people and businesses who make this city special. From checking and savings to mortgages, business banking, and wealth management, you get real personalized service from neighbors who actually know your name. With 16 locations across St. Louis, St. Charles, Illinois, and Northeast Missouri, there's a branch right around the corner, Royal Banks of Missouri, proudly investing in our communities.

SPEAKER_00 0:52

If you wanna hear about St. Louis, tune in to the Bucket List show weekly. Hear what Marissa and Luke stay. It drops every Wednesday. Got a dope new guest every single week. Buckle up for the ride. Who's it gonna be? Who's on the show today? They rap St. Louis. What to do in the loo on a late night? I maybe what to do on a date night. Yeah. Bucket list as you cover, they know what's going on. What's going on? They'll give you a 18 different things to do on 19. If you need one more to choose, yeah. This city, city, city is a place we call home. A place we call home. Yeah. St.

SPEAKER_05 1:30

Louis,

The Vision Behind Fox's Finest & the Move From Automotive

SPEAKER_05 1:31

welcome back to the STL bucket list show, the show highlighting the people, places, and events that make St. Louis special. We've been doing this podcast for over four years, recorded over 200 episodes highlighting local entrepreneurs. We have the first time in the studio today a father-son duo, I think. I'm pretty sure that you guys are the first. You're like LeBron and Bronny James right now. So we have the father and son duo in uh of Fox's Finest. Um, you guys, people have been posting about the sign up. You guys have been getting close to open by the time this podcast episode comes out next week. You guys would have already had your opening, correct? Yeah. Yeah. So walk me through um, you know, this whole vision because when I met you guys, you guys weren't in hospitality before this. You guys um grew up in the Kirkwood area, you have this corner spot with so much history right there in the corner of West Argonne. Walk me through the vision of why you guys decided to do this because this isn't just something you wake up one day and just say, Hey, we're gonna open up a fine foods market.

SPEAKER_03 2:28

Right. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 2:29

Luke, you want to go first? Yeah, sure.

SPEAKER_03 2:31

Buddy. Awesome. First, thank of all, thank you very much for having me. We're very excited to be here. Um, so yeah, a little bit about this is Kirkwood was always a spot that we wanted to open up a business. And while we definitely were not part of the fine foods industry before this, we actually come from the automotive industry in a couple different sectors, right? So not a very easy transition. But, you know, all best things come from a need. And we've always had family dinners at home, always been great home cooks, and that was always something that was very important to us. Order to find what we were looking for, we were driving 25 minutes in either direction. Um, and we just took a look around the Kirkwood community and we're like, we bet there's other people around here that have the same problem as us. So uh that's where the first idea came from. But in terms of Kirkwood, Kirkwood has always been important to us. Uh, I didn't always live in St. Louis. I grew up and was born and raised, went to high school, but ended up moving down to Texas and Florida, but I always knew I was coming back. And it was always a goal of mine to have a business in downtown Kirkwood and ultimately work with my dad. Um, so that's kind of where we started building this idea from.

Finding the Historic Kirkwood Building

SPEAKER_02 3:35

Yeah, and just to uh uh echo on what Luke said, Kirkwood community certainly has a need. And that's the first thing when you look at a business, is there a need for it? Yeah, and there is. And so then the building popped up, and this building I had looked at 25 years ago as pure happenstance, and I thought, you know, that might be a neat place for a butchery. And then life took over and businesses, other businesses took over. And then when Luke came up with the idea, hey, let's do this, I thought, oh yeah, it's a natural. I said, Why don't we look at some locations? And we started looking in Kirkwood, and lo and behold, I don't know whether it was fate or just happenstance, but that very building, which sits on a corner, I think it's an idea location. It was built in 1875. Uh, great, great view from the street. So it has uh has a great look to it. And uh so we decided to go ahead and make a move and jump in that building, and uh here we are today in the food business. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_05 4:29

What has been, I know you guys work together with the automotive company as well. So obviously, like, you know, there's there's some challenges that come with that, but there's also something beautiful about getting to work with your dad, and then vice versa of being, you know, a lot of us like my dad's in a completely different industry. I talk to him, but like when you're working together, you're talking every day. Yeah. When I was on the phone with you guys, you're you're at the house working on stuff, you're at the business working on stuff. Like, let me let me pass this to you. Is like what's so what's the most special thing about just being able to spend every day with your kids and around your family?

SPEAKER_02 4:58

Well, I think

What It's Like Working With Family

SPEAKER_02 4:59

I think that's it, being able to spend every day with my kid, right? Because I enjoy him.

SPEAKER_05 5:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:04

Uh he's uh not only my kid, and of course, you know, with that comes the natural, but you know, you love your kid, but I'm also very proud of him.

SPEAKER_01 5:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:11

Uh through the automotive business and so forth, he proved himself to be not only uh a son, but a wonderful uh entrepreneur. Uh Luke did a fabulous job uh up at those locations. So I have a great deal of confidence uh in him as somebody um uh who can make a business perform and make a business grow. But just being around him uh every day is a is a thrill. Watching him grow, a lot of people don't get that chance. Yeah uh when their kid goes out and starts uh starts his own life in a in a in another industry or another business, what have you, they're gone.

unknown 5:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:44

Right? They're they're out of the home, they're out of contact. Life takes a dramatic turn. I don't know if it's dramatic, but there is certainly a turn. It's not the same as it was. Here we have the opportunity to maintain a closeness, and uh, I'm just fortunate that he's not a dud. That he's that he's a that he he he knows what he's doing, and I have all the faith and confidence in him in the world.

SPEAKER_05 6:05

Yeah, no, that's awesome. And let me pass it to you. I mean, what what what does that mean for you?

Learning From Dad, One Phone Call at a Time

SPEAKER_03 6:08

I mean, well, it all first started when I was coming out of college uh down to SMU in Dallas, and I had the opportunity to stay there and do a corporate job. My dad called me and had the opportunity to work with him. Uh, I ended up moving to Florida for that job, but I got to be on the phone with my dad every day. And I know everybody growing up, I always hear these horror stories of working with your family, right? Of things that can go wrong. But I never had to worry about that because I know A, what type of guy my dad is, and B, there's nobody else I would have rather learned from than my dad. I saw not only is he a successful businessman, but um, he was able to teach me a ton just over the phone. So having the opportunity to move back to St. Louis, to Kirkwood, and learn from him and just be with him every single day as we continue to open this uh venture. I mean, this is a dream come true. I have not, you know, I haven't even thought of this as work so far. It's just been a lot of fun. It's been a lot of work. I get to continue to oh, it's been a lot of work. It has been.

SPEAKER_02 7:02

There's been some pain. There has been a little bit. There's certainly a learning curve in this, baby.

SPEAKER_05 7:07

For over 150 years, SSM Health has been providing hope, healing, and opportunities to the St. Louis community. With over 40,000 employees across four states, they're not only delivering exceptional care, they're one of the region's largest employers, shaping the future of healthcare. We're proud to present SSM Health as the official healthcare partner of the STL bucket list show. If you've dreamed of a career where you're truly making a difference every day, SSM Health can help you take that to the next step. Learn more at their website in the link in the show notes. So, for the people that are listening that have are just now discovering Fox's finest market, um, walk me through, Luke, the vision of the store. Tell people, you know, in in a way of like what they can expect when they walk through that door.

SPEAKER_03 7:49

Absolutely.

Inside the Market: Meat & Seafood Program

SPEAKER_03 7:50

So this idea has kind of evolved as we've been opening up this business, right? First, it started as something that we were looking for on both the seafood and the butchery side, right? We always knew we were gonna have dry goods, but we really wanted to focus on the quality of meat and seafood that we have. Here in Missouri, I mean, we with modern-day logistics, we can get fresh seafood. The same freshness on the coast, but the problem is it's not an everyday part of our diet here in St. Louis and in Missouri. So we wanted to A give people availability to the freshest seafood in town. Uh, and B, we wanted really high quality meats to go in our cases. So what we're focusing on in three different areas, and we can get to the dry goods and the prepared foods in a little bit, but uh those three main cases we're gonna have on our fish side, we're bringing in whole fresh, never-frozen fish that we're actually gonna be flaying on site. We have the skill behind the counter to be able to do that, which is something that's pretty unique in the St. Louis area. So we're gonna bring things in from all over the world, all over the United States. You know, we just shipped in fresh fish from Hawaii that's gonna be here later this week. Um, we're working with local fisheries, or uh not local St. Louis, obviously, but um local in the area, local fisheries as well as distributors that are bringing in really high quality, fresh seafood to us. Uh on the steak side of things, we're bringing in you know, really high quality steaks, but we're trying to make them apport uh affordable to the local community as well. So whether somebody's coming in looking for a waggy ribeye or they're looking for something to take home that's you know gonna be a really good cut, we're gonna have everything. We have a 12-foot case that's uh dedicated to nothing but steak, which is gonna be great. Um on the pork side of things, we're bringing in whole hogs, actually, that are Missouri-born, Missouri-raised, and we're gonna be butchering them on site. So you're gonna have fresh pork, we're making sausages in-house. Um, our chickens that we're gonna be selling as well. Uh, they are air-chilled, which is something I didn't know about outside of this, but makes a huge difference in the quality of chicken that when you cook it at home. So we're gonna be doing that. We as this evolved, we started getting more into the prepared food side of things, and I'll let my dad tell a little bit talk a little bit more about that. But um, you know, then we really expanded everything on the dry goods side as well. So we have bookshelves that are floor to ceiling that we're carrying and highlighting things from not just the St. Louis area uh and local vendors, but we're also highlighting stuff that we're bringing in um from international, right? Uh imported goods. We're gonna have olive oils, everything that you would need to make a really nice family meal at home, we're gonna be carrying in the store.

SPEAKER_05 10:18

Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, the prepared foods is every every good butchery and market you think of, you you see those stapled prepared goods. And I know when we first met, you're like, that's gonna continue to evolve, but it sounds like the team that you guys have behind you now is just putting out some amazing stuff. So talk about some of the prepared stuff that you guys are doing.

Building Out the Prepared Foods Kitchen

SPEAKER_02 10:34

Yeah, I was excited about the business uh generally speaking, as we were moving forward and opening it. But then we made the move to really put in a full kitchen. Uh we had to run some additional electric into the building, and we got that full kitchen, which of course allowed us to expand and really get into the prepared foods. And we made a hire of uh two chefs and uh they've turned out to be absolutely fabulous. Uh our prepared foods are salads, we probably have 12 to 15 that we will be offering, as well as an array of pastries, cookies, uh they have the skill to do that as well. So now I'm even more excited because along with certainly what is the core to the business, which is the seafood, the pork, the chickens, the steaks, et cetera, what surrounds that uh as a coutramante, so to speak, uh, is quality food. And we we started actually because the kitchen wasn't open. We were at my house, right? And so, you know, for three weeks, I think I, you know, I could have turned into a mayonnaise jar, you know, for a while on some of the foods. But um, yeah, it's it's fabulous. So it's got a great flavor, uh, and I'm excited to present that as well.

SPEAKER_05 11:44

So the name Fox, the the city of Kirkwood, the building history, you guys partnering with the high school to help with branding, like all this has ties to Kirkwood. Tell me about the name, tell me about what it means to be in the historic building, what it means to be in the town that you grew up in, right there on the corner by the church, all these different things. Like kind of walk me through that branding, that that that name, and why that name's important to you guys too.

The Fox's Finest Name & Full Circle With Kirkwood High

SPEAKER_02 12:09

I'll start with the uh with the name of the business. Yeah. Um, you know, we're of course we're sitting there and say, okay, what are we going to name this thing? And you know, and it's more difficult than you would think to come up with a name that not only resonates with yourselves as you're coming up with it, but you think might be applicable to the community as a whole. And so Luke comes up to me and says, Hey, I've got the name. Okay. So what is what's the name? And he says, Foxes. And I thought, I thought, oh my God, he's absolutely correct. You know, it's perfect. And the reason it's perfect is my middle name is Fox. It's been in our family for generations. And uh I saddled Luke with it, right? It's kind of an un uh unusual name. And so he has a middle name as Fox as well. So I think it was just a perfect fit, kind of blends with the business. Uh so we named it uh Foxes. So that's how the genesis of the name came and let you take over a little bit here.

SPEAKER_03 13:00

Talking a little bit about Kirkwood High and you know that experience, this is a little bit of a full circle moment for me because uh when I graduated from Kirkwood Higher, I was getting ready to graduate, I was actually in that advanced marketing class. And it's something super cool that was unique in my high school experience. Uh, we used to be able to work with local startups and help them with their branding, help them with their marketing and launch and all of that. We got to work with businesses and in the Kirkwood community, which was really cool. And I always thought as I was sitting there helping those businesses that I wanted to be on the other side of that at some point. Um, being a Kirk Kirkwood High grad, my dad also being a Kirkwood High grad, Kirkwood had a really strong draw to us. Uh, we really wanted to be part of the Kirkwood community, and that starts at the high school, right? I mean, it's it's a it's one of those old school towns where everything revolves around the high school athletics and everything like that. So it was really cool to be a part of that. They did an absolutely phenomenal job. Um, you know, and just being on the other side of that as we're presenting to them what our business ideas and hearing their ideas for us was it was it was something super cool.

SPEAKER_05 14:00

And like the branding just feels like it fits with the building, you know. Some they did something that that that I just saw. I drove by there when I was at Forehands the other day and and saw that you guys unveiled the, you know, the print and all that, which looks unbelievable with the print, but it just feels like when a historic building, a name like Fox, and the the logo of the drawing and everything like that, like it just feels like everything's like coming together. And it's like hard to do that in marketing where everything fits all in one and you're seeing it with the engagement you guys are already getting. I mean, every time you guys post, people are going crazy, people are excited for you guys to open. Um, now the next phase of that is like, how do we deliver on these customers, you know? And you guys are so dialed in on the customer from every conversation I've had with you, is like everything is what can we do to take care of the customer the best way possible. The STL bucket list show is proudly sponsored by Suede Dispensary with 11 Missouri area locations. Suede does so much for the St. Louis community. We've been working with this team for a couple of years, back since Medical was here, and we're excited to support their new product launches, events, and community initiatives. We couldn't be happier to work with this premier cannabis brand, and we're excited for them to sponsor the show. Enjoy the rest of the podcast. Opening a brick and mortar. Tell me about some of the challenges that you guys have came through because obviously that's that's part of entrepreneurship, is dealing with that. I'm sure each and every day there's a phone call. I just saw you take a call right before you got in here. Sure as a contractor, sure as a contractor or something. But um, you built businesses in like the auto-body shops and like different things. There's so many more loops you got to jump through with free FDAs and different things right there.

SPEAKER_02 15:29

There

Challenges of Opening a Brick & Mortar

SPEAKER_02 15:30

was yeah, there was uh certainly a learning cam or a learning curve with this particular type of business.

SPEAKER_01 15:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:35

Um the building itself was built in 1875. And while there's uh you know, there's been some changes obviously in the building, but when you look at the footprint and you look at the outside, it's basically the same building. This number of the same windows, because I've looked at some of the pictures from 1875, and it's crazy how similar it is, even though it's dissimilar, but with this particular building, you know, out in front, it was meets dry goods, you know, we're on the land, you know, this is exactly what this was, you know, you know, almost a hundred years ago. Um so certainly more than a hundred years ago. So when we when we looked at it and we got into the construction end of it, there were a lot of challenges uh with it. The landlord's been absolutely phenomenal, Larry. He's just a a great guy, great building, which helped us through some of those challenges. And as far as you mentioned, you know, opening a business in a community, because you have to deal with, you know, the Kirk with the councils and you have to deal with, you know, county in in getting approvals. But along the way, what I was really surprised about is the quality of people we've met. And Kirkwood has been absolutely phenomenal, helping us with permitting, et cetera, guiding us and saying, hey, you can we want to be aware of this, this is what you need, as well as the county. The county came up, stepped up when it got to the health department, et cetera. We've met nothing but quality people. So I've been impressed with that. They've certainly helped us along the way. Um and then just getting to know the business wasn't really a challenge, I guess. It was it was more, you know, just a learning experience. But there again, meeting all of our vendors, et cetera, we've met a lot of quality people in this industry. And uh so it's made the transition uh smooth.

SPEAKER_05 17:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:13

Uh so while it's a a hectic and and fast-paced environment to get ready for opening, we've just had a lot of great people around the way uh coming to this point that has made it, you know, pretty easy, pretty seamless.

SPEAKER_05 17:25

It's gotta be something special about coming from your guys' previous industry where you're all across the country, right? You're dealing with fast-paced environments, and now you've almost, in a way, slowed your life down to where you're right there in Kirkwood, all those other local businesses just on your street from the little offs that just opened, which she does an amazing job down there, the the Billy G's of the world and the bread, uh the bread baker right there, like all those businesses right there, the train track getting ready to reopen, Four Hands and Peacemakers completely changed that corner. I mean, with third third building, it's just unbelievable. Um, but there's something special, and I feel like that with our businesses too, is like we're local to St. Louis. Every day I'm in St. Louis talking to other business owners, and there's like a slow paced life where you don't need to travel, you don't need to you know go out of your way. You just wake up, you turn the lights on on the business, and your vendors come in. And it's like in an AI technology driven world, you could have done so many different businesses and you decided to do a market, you know, which is so out of the box of other things that you could that you could build. But there's something beautiful there, and I and I think that you guys are gonna build a legacy on that street, and it's like there has to be some type of privilege and pressure that comes with that too, of like, you know, how to deliver on those customers too. Oh, for sure.

SPEAKER_03 18:33

No,

Life on the Road Before Coming Home

SPEAKER_03 18:34

I mean you hit the nail on the head. I mean, it no one thinks of the collision repair industry as something that's gonna be nationwide, you know, traveling, all that sort of stuff. But that was a great experience. I mean, part of what led up to this was I was getting the opportunity after we sold the auto body shops uh to a private equity firm, was they were acquiring body shops throughout the country. So I got to live on the road for two and a half years with my wife. We were um in different cities from six weeks to three months at a time. Uh we'd pick up and move every six weeks, three months, right? Uh, but you know, during that, I always I started feeling that really strong pull back home and uh really wanting to settle down within the Kirkwood community within St. Louis. I feel it's a privilege to be able to open up a business there in this within this market. I absolutely love it. Um, you know, and it's it just it it feels right. So it's really cool.

SPEAKER_05 19:23

Yeah, yeah. No, it's it's awesome. I mean, there's so many, you know, like like I mentioned, there's just so much things that are great about being in Kirkwood and and you've seen Kirkwood for because you said you went to high school in Kirkwood. Yeah, I grew up there. I'm not gonna ask you how long ago that was. But you've seen the you've seen the area change now, and like the the the there's there's certain towns in St. Louis that are still so local focused, the Websters of the World and all these areas, but like Kirkwood is so local focused. I mean, I I drive down and I mean almost every business is local there. I mean, there's obviously your chains and stuff like that, but there's gotta be, you know, some it's just gotta be cool to be able to, especially some of these legendary businesses that are in the area, the Call Dees of the World and all these other places, and now you guys are just part of that fictional. Right.

SPEAKER_02 20:03

It's great, it's

Customer Service as the Core of the Business

SPEAKER_02 20:04

great to be part of that that community without without question. And you know, there's there there's a bit of a crossover uh commonality, I think, in any business. And what made you know Luke tremendously successful uh with the shops is is a is a personal touch in customer care and really looking at. I mean, our our customer service numbers in that business were the best in the nation for Geico. We're their number one producer. And I think that travels back into this. It's a it's always a people business. I don't care what industry you're in. And so I think we're we're very attuned to that. And that's what we're gonna be about at this location, is being able to service that customer, make them feel welcome in there, have enough people to answer questions, to provide guidance and whether it's fish, if they're looking for it, uh, with menus and how to pair things and how to prepare them. Yeah. So we're gonna be be heavy on on personal experience in there, tasting. We're in the food business. Yeah. And it's you know, how do things taste? That's what people are interested in. So we're gonna try to deliver on that and say, here, well, this will have a lot of tasting going on in that location so they know what they're getting. And we feel we've got good quality food. And you know, with this, we're a Kirkwood is our core, right? But I think this will appeal to surrounding markets uh as well, you know, the Webster's, the Front Nex, uh, you know, et cetera, all the communities that are around. I think we're offering and and hopefully we deliver on that is something unique uh at that location.

Curating the Dry Goods Selection

SPEAKER_05 21:33

Yeah, so you were involved in a lot of the product um discovery, which is you think that the store's footprint, and you're like, oh, it can't be that bad. It's you know, uh how big is the store square foot?

SPEAKER_03 21:41

It's about 3400 square foot.

SPEAKER_05 21:42

Yeah, so 3400, you're like, okay, this isn't a grocery store, like a huge supermarket. How hard can it be? But then we were talking and you're like, Man, I'm looking at all these dry goods, and I'm you're you're trying to, you know, find products that for one, people can't find anywhere else, which is important, but then also stuff that people know and that That they trust because there's two, there's two sides of that. So, how long? Like, tell me about the RD research and development that went into that. You've obviously traveled across the country. So you've seen stores, couple locally, that are doing a really good job too. So, like walk me through the dry goods and all the other stuff that that really fills up the store.

SPEAKER_03 22:16

Yeah, I mean the dry goods was something I think there was a level of you know naivety when I was getting involved in it, thinking like, oh, I'm a little bit of a foodie, I'll be able to pick all this stuff out. I that 3,400 square feet felt like 30,000, right? When you're trying to fill the shelves with good quality products that you're sourcing from all over. Yeah. But as my dad mentioned earlier, we really ran into great people along the way. And the word of mouth of being able to say, hey, you should check out this person. They're doing something really cool here. Uh recommendations for imports, and we were able to really see and pull in a lot of cool products, right? Um, you know, we we wanted to really focus on things that complemented our proteins, really focus on the family aspect of when you're cooking meals at home. Yeah. Right. So whether you're going to try and cook Asian food or, you know, cook fish in an Asian style, we have some great products to go along with that or Italian. We have fresh pastas that were made down in Soulard that are going to be sold in our refrigerated section. We have imported dried Italian pastas. We have all sorts of stuff. But one of the main areas that we wanted to focus on as well is that St. Louis section. Um, so being able to find and go and taste and try all the different products, you know, and cool stuff that, you know, Kirkwood community, St. Louis community is coming up with has been awesome. I ran into a guy, you know, at the Kirkwood wine walk last year who he's a Kirkwood family, ended up buying an Italian winery over in Italy and is now a producer of wine. And so I got to talk with him, and now we're actually going to have his products in our store, which is just, you know, super cool. So that's just an example. You meet people all over in areas that you weren't expecting. Right. Um, but you know, the challenges of of filling up a shelf and thinking, oh my gosh, do I have enough mustards right on the you know, that appeals to whatever somebody's looking for, or um all the different types of noodles and rices and you know, going deciding when you're going to be importing something versus when you're going to be buying local is uh you know, was definitely a learning curve. But I think we have a really cool product selection that complements, you know, whatever somebody is looking for.

Focus Groups & the "Approachable Gourmet" Balance

SPEAKER_02 24:16

We've done a couple focus groups, sounds a little more sophisticated than what it actually was. We were bringing in people and saying, showing them our product lists, et cetera.

SPEAKER_01 24:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:25

And uh we had a we had a group of four or five in, and one thing that popped up that kind of resonated was like, well, you know, I I like these, these are these are recognizable, but you don't have some of the stuff that's really familiar. And, you know, you don't want me walking by your store to go to another location to get something, which which led to, believe it or not, I don't know whether I should be saying it or not, but you know, you'll walk in there and we have a lot of different, but you're gonna see a Heinz ketchup. Yeah, you know, you'll see a Hellman's Man A to pop in there next to the QP and next to the Dukes and next to the other, you know. So there's there's a blend there. And as you mentioned, it's it's a balancing act. Uh we certainly are uh, I guess what I would say is we're an approachable gourmet market.

SPEAKER_01 25:06

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_02 25:07

There's something in there for everybody at all levels when they walk in that door. And uh so we're excited to be able to present that.

SPEAKER_05 25:14

I think that's important, you know. I think that the approachable, like I'm a guy that likes to try unique stuff, but there's a lot of people that want to find something that's like you mentioned, that they know, that they know the brand. But then while they're there, they try something else and then they discover something. And then the approachable and the affordability, like obviously, you're not a supermarket, you're you're there to serve the community, but to be able to in other countries or in other big cities is you know, you walk out, you live in a small apartment, you walk out, you get dinner just for the night, you cook dinner, and then you do that. Like, we don't all go to Costco and spend 600 bucks and try to batch out for three weeks, but like around the whole entire world. And like there's something special about having a local place where somebody's, you know, working downtown, they come back home to Kirkwood, they run by the market, grab a cut, grab uh, you know, some fresh goods, make dinner for the night, and that's it. Exactly. You're not wasting, you're not buying, overbuying, you're not buying a bunch of processed stuff. So that's what you know, I think that what I'm excited for you guys about is is when people can discover, especially the fish side of things, is there's a there's a couple places in town, but it's like fish in Missouri is tough. It's like where do you go? You know, you guys are bringing it in, you guys are flying that in-house. So being able to actually educate people on where the fish actually came from, um, I think is gonna be a cool thing. And and I think you um you're gonna be surprised about just your everyday, you know, your everyday dry goods, your small things like your hot dogs that you're talking about and like your your barbecue stuff and um you know, and then heading to the holidays. I mean, what what exciting things do you guys have planned for like those types of things is like those big holidays, those labor days of the world, those memorial days. I mean, you guys want to be that source for Kirkwood for everything.

SPEAKER_03 26:45

So

Weekly Shopping Routine & Holiday Favorites

SPEAKER_03 26:46

and to piggyback off something that you said, you know, one thing that we really want to focus on is being part of, you know, everybody's weekly shopping list, right? We want to be able to satisfy that need. We do we we're gonna have everything you need for when you're hosting a party or a special dinner or anything like that. But we want to have everything that for your weekly needs. If you're sitting down on a Sunday night to have dinner with your family, we want you to feel confident that you can come to our store for that. When you're hosting a party, we want you to feel confident you can find exactly what you're looking for. If you're looking for, you know, a special occasion dinner where you're really trying to uh Valentine's Day, Christmas, things of that nature, you can find everything you need in our store to satisfy that need.

SPEAKER_02 27:24

So in the holidays approach, you know, we've got a a great source for for turkeys, uh, you know, and so we're gonna be offering that. And uh and I know how difficult that is around the holiday season. And A, you want a good quality turkey because it's a big event.

SPEAKER_01 27:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:39

You know, and you will and we want to be able to deliver on that hey, you come here and you get and you land with a turkey here at Fox's, it's gonna be really good. So we're gonna be offering turkeys, of course, for for Thanksgiving. Then you move into the Christmas area, then it gets more beef heavy. But you know, our our our prime rib standing rib roasts are gonna be exceptional. We'll have those in and we'll have the quantities to to service the community of Kirkwood and surrounding communities. And when they walk in there, because this is a big occasion, and uh, you know, you don't want to make a mistake. And I've I've been there, I've made mistakes, I I've wandered and I've regretted it right immediately. But uh so you can feel confident that in for those big occasions and big dinners and small dinners, when you walk into Foxes, you're gonna walk out. The one thing that we with a high quality food that you're never gonna have to back away from. And and really our mission is to deliver a food that when you walk out of that store, whether it's a dry good, whether it's fish, whether it's poultry, whether it's meat, that when you get home, that dining experience, you're thinking, you know what, this has been great. This is really high quality food, and it can be a high quality food that's that's approachable for me, and it's it's been a great experience. And that's what we're in the business of is that we don't have to look over our shoulder. I know now, sitting in here in this podcast that we can make the big fat claim and we can back it up. Of course, right? That's the key. That's a good spot to be in. So we don't hesitate, we don't back away from the food that the foods that we have in there. I think it's gonna be a quality experience at all levels.

SPEAKER_05 29:11

You guys are investing heavy into it. Absolutely, you know, heavy into that, heavy into the staff that you're bringing in. It's not, you know, every time I talk to you guys, you're like, hey, we've changed this, we're investing in this, we're getting this, we're doing this, and it's like each time you're like, and I can't wait to see the store I'm coming on on Friday. So last time I saw it, it was there was nothing there. That was actually that was only six weeks ago, I think, or eight weeks ago.

SPEAKER_03 29:30

So completely changed.

SPEAKER_05 29:32

The STL bucket list show is fueled by Upshot Coffee. My friends at Upshot Coffee have some of the best beans in town. I got some of their new packaging here. Look at this bag. Look how big this is. Um, they have four St. Louis locations, their flagship in Coddleville, the break shop over by Lindenwood in St. Charles, their Clayton location called Hi-Fi, um, and then Flyby over in Tower Grove, their newest location. Um, and they also sell their coffee online everywhere. If you guys haven't added Upshot Coffee to your STL bucket list, it's time to try it. Some of the my favorite people in the industry and some of the best coffee in the game. What can people expect? Grand opening. So this podcast is gonna come out. Um, it'll be the 22nd, July 22nd. So you would have just started, you'll have normal business hours going and everything like that. So walk me through like hours of operation, what people can expect, what things and stuff like that.

Grand Opening Hours & What to Expect

SPEAKER_03 30:21

Absolutely. So, I mean, the grand opening is next Wednesday, which is unbelievable to say out loud. So, as this is airing, it's gonna be our first day opening. So come on in. Um, but yeah, our we're gonna be open Wednesday through Sunday. Uh so Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, we're gonna be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Uh, Saturday and Sunday, we are gonna be open from or Saturday, we're gonna be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. And then Sunday we're gonna be open up from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. So everybody as they're leaving their church services and everything on Sunday, we have some expanded hours to make sure that you can come after church and uh check out our market and grab food for for family dinner that night.

SPEAKER_02 31:01

Yeah. And I I think one thing you you you mentioned earlier, which is true, is about this business is somewhat unique. It's fluid. You know, we'll look and what we want to be is responsive. And if something and people don't like what we've got on the shelf, that's gonna move off of the shelf and we'll bring something else in. So constantly evolve uh and and look at what people's needs are and what they're telling us who they're purchasing.

Real-Time Feedback & Staying Fluid

SPEAKER_05 31:24

Yeah, whether they're speaking it or you can clearly tell from the PLs, it's like, oh, like this is selling a lot. Right. Let's expand on this side of the business. And and that's what's gonna be really fun is you're gonna get real-time feedback every single day. So, you know, Wednesday, you're gonna your grand opening, it's like you're immediately gonna tell what people are drawn to. And of course, the the first couple months are kind of different because everybody's coming out, you know, just to not just to support, but they're coming out and trying everything, and then eventually during the holidays it'll start evening out. It's like this is our everyday business, and and that's what's gonna be really fun because in other businesses, like for instance, the collision world or where we're in in digital marketing, it's like sometimes it takes 60 days to get real data. Right. You're gonna be able to get real-time data and uh you know, through your POS system, and it's gonna be really fun. And with with what you guys are doing and being open, you know, those hours of like that, catching people after work during the week. I like that you're open early on Sunday, being able to get in there and and uh I wanted uh kind of dive deeper into this, some of the prepared foods, because that's big for me. I love going to I grew up in St. Charles area, Manino's market was was a staple for us. Manino's always had the slaws, the prepared goods, these prepared goods and and uh you know, the cut of meat, the brats, and all these different things. But you're the big, you're a food. I know you're a big foodie, but your dad's a big foodie. You told me about driving around all these places to get cuts of meat, whether it's in Wright City or all these different places. Right. What prepared food on the menu are you most excited about that you've been in? Because you've been trying a lot. Right, right. Of course. Oh yeah. It shows.

Prepared Foods: Pastries, Salads & Baked Beans

SPEAKER_02 32:51

Well, there's you know, I I guess I break into categories. There's from our from our baked goods, right, which are going to be prepared. Yeah, we have some things that I think are absolutely phenomenal. We've been trying to name this, you know. I ran into it in France, and it's a pastry, it's a filled pastry, but it's bite-sized. Two bites and you're done. Two and a half, maybe. Yeah. And uh the chef we brought in, it is phenomenal. And uh, you know, for for lack of a better term, right now, I think we're we're in the process of naming, you know, uh Fox's Fox's puff pastry or whatever it is we come up with. But that's gonna be phenomenal. It's like a pastry filled with some custody. Yeah, well, it's it's yeah, it's kind of like a custody, but it's when we tested it, I think the best explanation I got about it's kind of like a cream puff, but not. Yeah. Right? It is it is on steroids and it is really and those will be sold singles. Yeah, those will be sold single or in box or or in lots. And uh she makes a great torch, she makes a great gooey buttercake. And there's a lot of things that from a pastry and sweet side is phenomenal.

SPEAKER_05 33:52

And that's something that developed later, like you didn't originally know you were gonna wear it. We did not, we had no idea.

SPEAKER_02 33:56

It was it was pure blind luck. Yeah, you know, sometimes luck is a part of a business, right? And and uh and Marissa's ability to produce these has been phenomenal, and everybody without question uh loves them. So that's exciting for me. And in the salads that you mentioned, you know, I I think when you look at the the the potato salad, you know, and the slaws and all these sometimes I I think people try to get too tricky, yeah, right, that it's no longer recognizable as a chicken salad, that it's no longer recognizable as a as a potato salad. But you want something a little different. And I find I found with our prepared foods, and the list is a long list, I think everybody has a little something in mind, but there's I looked at them at first, I go, ooh, there's a lot going on in it. But all of a sudden it was like, man, this is a flavor, it's phenomenal. It's a potato salad, but it's got a little, there's something in it. What is it? But it's it's a great flavor, you know, or oil and vinegar slaw, which you know is you know, kind of you know, it's not difficult to make, etc. But there's just a a little tinge of something, wow, what makes this is really great, but it's an oil and vinegar slaw. We have a couple of different types of chicken salad that we're excited about. Love a chicken salad. Yeah, in this chicken salad, we've got one that's a summer that uh you know has a little bit more in it. But still, it's a chicken salad, but it's like got a great flavor to it. And then we're gonna do one that's gonna a dill. But it's uh you know, it's more of a more of a classic type. But our flavors are unique, but they don't dominate. It's like in meat. I like if I'm if I'm out and I'm cooking a steak, I don't, you know, I want to use some some seasoning, but I want it to taste like a ribeye. I want it to taste like a flanks, I want it to taste like the meat itself. And here again, what was delivered, not through my instruction or a video, but just when I'm um tasting these, I'm these are phenomenal. They're unique, but they're but they're the same. Yeah, you know, it's difficult to explain. So I'm excited for people to try all of our prepared foods. And then we're gonna do, you know, on the sandwich end, which is a which is a prepared food. That's that's your thing, right? Yeah, I'll let I'll let him talk. I won't take his steel.

SPEAKER_03 36:06

I do have to also give a shout out to Brian's baked beans that he makes. It's unbelievable, unbelievably good. These are simple products. They are just done right. You know what? They just taste homemade, really good quality because that's what it is, right? We're making that stuff ourselves.

SPEAKER_02 36:20

I should yeah, I mean, he he gave kudos to those beans. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that nine out of ten, right? We haven't done a study with a thousand people, but everybody who's tasted those beans said these are the best beans.

SPEAKER_05 36:32

And you were giving away the beans and the dogs just like as a simple giveaway, like the the other day you guys were cooking up, just simple baked beans and hot dogs, but the hot dogs apparently are starving. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 36:41

And that puff pastry.

SPEAKER_05 36:42

And what was that's your thing? You keep talking about actually.

SPEAKER_02 36:46

Look, if somebody doesn't like that puff pastry, come and see me and we'll get you something else, right? It's that good. And when I looked out on the sidewalk, it was really it was quintessential Kirkwood or quintessential small town. You know, we had quite a few people that came through there in the short period because, as you know, there was a lot of rain on that day. So we were out on there from maybe six to I don't know, you know, eight o'clock when people were trying to get to the fireworks, 815, and we probably went through 350 people out there. Oh wow. But there were kids just sitting down on the sidewalk, jamming that pastry in their mouth, right? Their families are around. And it was That was probably an aha moment. You're like, this is what it's all about. It was cool. That was cool. It was like, it was an it was like, yeah, this is what it's about.

unknown 37:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:28

And uh so I think we'll deliver there. But you can jump on that. Oh, yeah.

The Three Sandwiches: Porchetta, Steak & Rotisserie Chicken

SPEAKER_03 37:31

There's two sandwiches that I'm most excited about, uh, one of which is a steak sandwich. Um, you know, when we were trying to come up with the sandwich list, we realized, and this is something from my travels, I realized St. Louis is one of the best sandwich cities in the country. Um, but there's already a lot of good standard stuff already within a stone's throw from where we're opening up. So we try to narrow down our list and we're gonna keep it simple. We're opening up with only three sandwiches. The first one is gonna be a porchetta sandwich. This is gonna, it's gonna be a very interesting take on it, though. We're actually taking in suckling pigs. We have um a rotisserie, and we're gonna be rotissering the suck suckling pigs to make that porchetta meat that we're cutting in house. It's gonna be unbelievable. Uh the steak sandwich, we're actually taking steaks from the case. We're gonna be souvying them in the back, butter basting them, slicing them, and making a steak sandwich. That's just gonna be that unbelievably good. And we all also are gonna be making homemade rotisserie chickens. Um, so we're gonna be taking those chickens and we're gonna be making a sandwich from them that's uh that's incredible. So again, three sandwiches, but each are unique. Each offer, I think, something that's different than what the St. Louis than what St.

SPEAKER_02 38:37

Louis already has, and we're looking forward to sharing those with the And the and the uh the the the cooks came up with some great sauces on top of these sandwiches. I'm like, oh my god, this thing is on steroids. And when you get to the to the the chicken board, we're gonna have rotisserie chickens. And there are some good rotisserie chickens out there, there's no question about it.

SPEAKER_01 38:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 38:55

Um but I think where you know people stumble a little bit is that if it's out on that, you know, stand under the lights for too long, yeah, that turns into a yard bird quickly. It shrinks, it's dry, you know, it's turning into sandpaper and trying to cut it. Yeah. So we're only gonna have our rotisserie chickens available between 12 and 1 and 4 and 5. Okay. And when they're it's gone. And so when we repurpose that for a sandwich or whatever, we're per repurposing something that's not dried out. Yeah. So, you know, so I we think that's gonna be a good thing.

SPEAKER_05 39:24

That's the beautiful about the in-house team is like you guys are using resources from the front, the back, so all these different areas to be able to make the prepared foods, but then also be able to, you know, like you mentioned, the steak. It's like, okay, now the steak turns into Sando's the next day, and all these different things that you guys can do. And then you're getting people away to to approach the product. I was over at one of the most legendary delis and markets, Lagrand's, yesterday. And Legran's just this amazing long case of like 20 people just making, I mean, they pump out a lot of sandwiches. Um, you know, how we were working with the soccer team and they were doing a red hot ripplets collab and like red hot riplets chips and sandwiches is such like a St. Louis thing that you don't necessarily need to or want to compete with these Italian, these amazing Italian delis. And they're already the best. Yeah, there are, and you traveled, so you know, and people talk about it, but it's like how can we use what we already have in-house to create something that's nice and something that's grab and go because that lunch traffic, you know, as you know um better than anybody, like working in St. Louis is like not that many places are open for lunch anymore. It's crazy. Like the hours of ops are different everywhere. It's like being able to somebody can grab in, grab a cool imported bag of chips, grab a sandwich, grab like a quick little side uh dish of some beans or a puff pastry. And then, you know, all these different things, but that's what it seems like is what's going to be super approachable and super exciting about what you guys are doing. But that was um one one of my questions. I guess my other question is um I want to talk a little bit more about the Kirkwood community. What are some of those places in Kirkwood that you guys go celebrate, maybe like after a long day at work when you because you close at six. Oh, yeah. So what are some of the other businesses that you guys are inspired by where maybe you like to go get you know dinner after you know permit got approved or maybe the kids got installed? Are there some places that that are absolutely?

Favorite Kirkwood Spots & Local Businesses

SPEAKER_03 41:07

I mean, I ever since uh I was 21, ice and fuel has always been my go-to spot. Um I know I know. But um, you know, before that, we were always going by Haneke's market to get sandwiches and stuff like that, which was awesome. I mean, what's really cool about the Kirkhood community is again, these established businesses that have been around forever. Um, being able to go back and still get those Haneke sandwiches to be able to go to Ice and Fuel and get a burger. Cold beer. We love Billy G's down the street, Peacemaker across. And, you know, you mentioned Little's Little's Loft. That's actually a friend of mine from high school that opened that up. Oh, that's Hannah. Yeah. So she's uh she was a year ahead of me in high school. And so seeing her open that up down the street has been absolutely awesome. But you know, there's there's a lot of really great businesses to go around and get food in Kirkwood. And I think what's cool about us is uh, you know, we're we're not competing against those already established business. We're open certain hours and we're gonna be focusing on the sandwiches during lunch. Um and and you know, so that's we're we we like I'm a big uh to answer your question, I'm a I'm a big Eisenfuel guy. Yeah, that's a good spot.

SPEAKER_02 42:12

Yeah, and just and just Kirkwood and businesses in general. Yeah. You know, I'm gonna I'm gonna go off a beaten path, right? A little bit, but you know, Kirkwood hardware, right? You know, Jeff and the guys and the guys in there are fabulous, right? And so when something's going on with this, they're all interested. The other businesses in town, whether it's cornucopia, et cetera, yeah, they're all interested in what's going on, right? And that's why we're it's part of the fabric of it. Just you know, beyond food, there's just a feeling uh in that town, and that's what we want to make make foxes. Not only for people who live in Kirkwood, right? That hey, this is a go-to place, it's a lot of fun, you know, they're helpful, everybody's you know, happy, gentlemen, they've got great product. So it's a go-to place, it's part of their rotation. And we want other people who come in from from other parts, other communities to come in and get that feel in there. So it's a go-to, it's kind of a a cheers as an old analogy, right? But it's uh it's a good one. We want people to come in and feel welcome, you know, you've got good food, good people, and you know, that's that's what we're that's what we're searching for.

SPEAKER_05 43:16

And you know, you know, I'm in th I'm 30, I got two small kids. It's like I want to go into stores and I want to feel like I know the people I'm going into stores with, and and I want my kids to be able to walk around and grab things that they are from like it's just like that's what your guys are gonna start seeing at at your stores like every day, and you're gonna be on the floor. Yep. Oh, probably every day for at least a long time, you know, just because those hours from Wednesday through Sunday of just being able to talk, connect with people, and then eventually it's like after a after a few months, you're you're already known what the wine they drink, you already know what things that they like, and and uh you know, a lot of the other people, whether it's people that live there or people that work there, because a lot of your biggest customers probably gonna be people that are working and owning businesses in the in the community. You mentioned the hardware store. It's like yeah, why go to another hardware store when they can help you and they can get you what you need? Right, exactly. And all these different things and um Um so I guess my last question just to kind of wrap everything together. You guys are opening up, grand opening is today. What is the the future vision? I know it's hard to tell because you know you're just opening, but is the future vision to just build on what you're doing there? Is Fox's finest going to be in other communities, or is it really just locking in on what you guys are doing in Kirkwood?

SPEAKER_02 44:18

I

Future Vision: Scaling Beyond Kirkwood

SPEAKER_02 44:19

I think for the you know the immediate is to is to lock in. Yeah, right. We want we want to be focused. And it's like you know, prepare foods area jump on sure crisis, is we're gonna have soups, right? But the determination was made because they they can make a wide variety of soups that you know let's stay narrow and let's stay focused. But I truly believe that this business is scalable to different communities. So we we will build the model and and look to to take that model, uh, assuming this is successful, uh knock on wood, yeah, uh, and it's everything we think it can be, that it is certainly something that we could scale and move to other communities, whether it's you know, in the in the immediate area or expand beyond um uh the immediate area or expand beyond Missouri. Yeah. You know, or maybe it's Kansas City, maybe it's you know, wherever that opportunity.

SPEAKER_05 45:05

You guys have experience in that, too. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 45:07

Yeah, we got experience in that part of it, right? So yeah, so I think there's there's an opportunity. We want to stay focused here and make sure that we take care of the community, et cetera. But it's uh certainly in the uh in the thought process as well as just within the business here. Yeah, right. There's there's opportunity, whether it's in the e-commerce world, whether it's in in catering, you know, there's a lot of things we can do to expand the footprint of this store. And uh as I said, the um landlord has been phenomenal, and there's a courtyard in the back uh that we have access to. Uh and I think we've got some future plans and sights set on that. That beautiful courtyard that'll uh that'll add to the to the to the footprint.

SPEAKER_03 45:47

And you know, just one thing I'll add to what my dad said because I think he absolutely hit the nail on the head. But you know, our main focus as well as I and my grandkids when they're around, I want them to be able to come back and that storefront is still there. Yeah, you know, that downtown, we want to make that a pillar of the community, you know, part of St. Louis as a whole. We really want this to be a lasting business in that storefront.

Building a Legacy & Multi-Generational Business

SPEAKER_02 46:09

I had a good good buddy of mine I've done a lot of business with, and you know, he walked in and and looked at the location. He just said, Yeah, he goes, you know, he goes, honestly, he said, if Luke doesn't blow it, right? He said, he said, he said. He said, he said, honestly, you know, this could be a hundred-year business. Yeah. Could be. It could be. Yeah. It really could. If we if we deliver on the on the simple things, it's a tech-proof business.

SPEAKER_05 46:32

Everybody needs grocery, right? You know, you know, everybody, it's it's one of those businesses that could last, you know, a lifetime. And that's the beautiful part about it, like you mentioned with the grandkids and and great grandkids, is like, oh, Fox is fine, it's just a staple, you know, of a place that they work their first job, and you know, little kids in the neighborhood that are 16, 17 that are working, you know, some of the some of the roles at the company. It's like one of those businesses that and that's like the legacy of it, because that's where it's like there's two parts is like there's success and scalability, but then there's also just legacy and sustainability. And it's like, how can we just build a business that's sustainable? And it's and you've you've done the projections, you've done it all, and you're probably gonna those projections are probably conservative for what is actually possible.

SPEAKER_03 47:09

Exactly. And and uh one thing I was gonna add is just you know, I take a look at one of my friends' businesses here in town, his family. I own Schiller's cameras, one of my best friends. I spent a lot of money there. It's great, right? Yeah, yeah, unbelievable. It's a great business. It is, it's awesome, and what's so cool is it's multi-generational, right? I can't remember if he's the fourth or fifth generation that's involved in this. It's been around, I think it's one of the oldest, if not the oldest camera store in the U.S.

SPEAKER_01 47:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 47:35

So I mean it's an unbelievable business, and the St. Louis community has supported them for years. You know, we want to be a business like that.

SPEAKER_02 47:42

Yeah. And they're and they're around town. You know, a lot of people are afraid to mention competitors. I'm not. I mean, you know, look at the smokehouse, Annie Guns. I mean, there's somebody who's built a legative great group. And you know, I I viewed this store and hey, if you can't be first, a close second ain't bad.

SPEAKER_05 47:56

That's a completely different community out there in Chesterfield. That's uh that's hopefully those customers will travel, but like that is a completely different customer. Yeah, they've got it figured out. I mean, that's correct.

SPEAKER_02 48:04

They've done a great job, and it's it's wonderful.

SPEAKER_05 48:07

And so they're you know, that's the son that runs that now, Liam. I I've talked to Liam over there, and I think he's about our age, about 30. Yeah, the son of the owner there, and he it's simple similar situation. He's running the market side. Right.

SPEAKER_02 48:16

Yeah, it's a it's it's a great business. And you know, so I I think we're we're there, and that's what the that's what we're looking for is legacy as well as as you know, scalability.

Outro

SPEAKER_05 48:26

Yeah, no, that's awesome. Well, I appreciate you fellas. I'm super excited to come by and get a sneak peek on Friday. Yeah, um, grand opening Wednesday. Um, if uh we'll drop the website show notes and everything for people to support, but really just if anybody's listening to this today is just come out and experience the market. And it seems like you guys are open to feedback. You guys have always been open to feedback. So, you know, you're super reactive on DMs and different things like that. So um, I'm super happy for you guys and excited to see you on Friday. Well, thanks again. So appreciate you having us on your show. Yeah, yeah. Every time. All right, see you guys next week. Bye bye. St. Louis, thanks for listening. Everything we do here is about telling the story of this city, and that doesn't stop with this show. On the Bucketless Podcast Network, we're diving even deeper into the people, places, and moments that make this city what it is. Meet Me in Music with Neil Salsick captures the sound of the city, past and present, ending each episode with a live performance. For my foodie lovers, the sauce with Lauren Healy brings you inside the restaurants that define our culture every Tuesday. Gateway to Growth with Jamal Cornelius highlights the stories behind the people that make St. Louis work. And every Thursday, Bryce breaks down your weekend with This Week in St. Louis. More stories, more voices. Explore the full bucket list podcast network wherever you listen.