Michael Del Pietro has opened more restaurants than he wishes to remember. I talked with Michael about growing up in his parents’ restaurant, training at The Culinary Institute of America, and opening his first restaurant, Portabella. Did you enjoy this episode?

Ken Bland may be less well known that some of his restaurants, such as The Leather Bottle, Cork ‘n Cleaver and Dierdorf & Hart’s. I talked with Ken about his restaurant career at his home in Clayton. Did you enjoy this episode?

Kopperman’s was an institution in the Central West End for over thirty years. Myron Kopperman passed away in 2019. But Sanford Rich is still alive and well and living in Miami. Did you enjoy this episode?

Mel and Alan Sherman opened Sherman Brothers Deli in 1963. From its longtime home at Olive & Mosley to the Pastrami Joynt to Shermies, the family business thrived for almost 40 years. Mel Sherman’s sons, Mark and Stuart, shared the story of knishes and corned beef and more. Did you enjoy this episode?

David Slay is an acclaimed, award-winning chef, with four thriving California restaurants along the southern coast of Santa Monica Bay, and a vineyard nestled in the hills near Santa Barbara. But David’s roots are in St. Louis. David was in town for the weekend, and he told me the story of how he built a successful restaurant career on the foundation of a healthy dose of failure. Did you enjoy this episode?

You may not have heard of Scoville’s Cafe. I hadn’t. It was a fixture in the National Stock Yards in National City, a suburb of East St. Louis, from the late 1920’s until 1988. Someone suggested I learn about it from 90-year-old Jack Scoville, which I did at his home in Belleville. I was glad I did. Did you enjoy this episode?

Mickey Garagiola’s younger brother Joe was a catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and went on to host NBC's "Today" show and broadcast baseball on NBC's "Game of the Week." But Mickey didn't stand in his brother's shadow. He made a name for himself as a waiter at Ruggeri's and as the ring announcer on Wrestling at the Chase. Martina Garagiola Bettlach & Bob Garagiola told me their father’s story. Did you enjoy this episode?

Julius Hunter was born and raised in St. Louis. He graduated from Sumner High School and taught school for a year or two after graduating from Harris Teachers College. In 1970, Julius secured a job in television with Channel 5 news. He moved to Channel 4 in 1974, and a year later was teamed with Steve Schiff, anchoring the 6 and 10 o'clock weekday news. By the mid 1980s, Channel 4 news became the highest rated local newscast of any CBS-owned and operated station. Julius Hunter was on the top ...

Rothschild’s Antiques was a fixture in the Central West End for 43 years. It was the springboard for Pete Rothschild’s real estate empire, much of it in the Central West End and much of it housing restaurants. Pete told me about his multifaceted career as a landlord, starting with where he grew up! Did you enjoy this episode?

Rich and Terri LoRusso met in a restaurant as teenagers and would go on to open their own restaurant, LoRusso’s, an institution on The Hill for 38 years. I sat down with Terri in her home, and she told me the bittersweet story of how she and her larger-than-life husband made it all happen. Did you enjoy this episode?

Peter Spoto opened the South City Diner on South Grand in 1992, and under his leadership, the diner thrived for 24 years. But Peter got his start in the restaurant business at the other end of the dining spectrum, working at high-end restaurants like Balaban’s and Fio’s La Fourchette. Did you enjoy this episode?

John and Anna Mineo opened John Mineo’s Italian Restaurant in West St. Louis County in 1973. John Mineo Jr. shared his family’s story when I interviewed him at his restaurant in November of 2023. Did you enjoy this episode?

Salim Hanna opened a Lebanese restaurant on South Grand in 1974. What followed was a career of almost 40 years in the restaurant business. I interviewed Salim at his home in Ballwin in May of 2023. Did you enjoy this episode?

Tony Pietoso’s Napoli restaurants are certainly not lost. In fact, Tony is making them easier to find, as he and his sons continue to expand their footprint in the greater St. Louis area and beyond. But we don’t want the story of Tony growing up in Italy to be lost, or the winding road to his first small restaurant on South Bemiston in Clayton. Tony told me that story as we sat in the backyard of his home in West County. Did you enjoy this episode?

Lia and Benedetto Buzzetta opened restaurants throughout St. Louis, including Benedetto's on Manchester and Benedetto's in Frontenac. Lia told her family's story at her restaurant in July of 2021. Did you enjoy this episode?

Wade and Lois DeWoskin owned Port St. Louis from 1960 to 1992. I visited with their son Tom and his wife Karen at their home in the Central West End, surrounded by relics from their parents’ restaurant. Did you enjoy this episode?

Legend has it that the Mother In Law House, at 500 South Main Street in St. Charles, was built in 1860, with one side for the owner and his wife, and the other side for his mother-in-law. But that was legend. Donna Hafer purchased the Mother In Law House in 1981. I visited with Donna at her home in St. Charles in January of 2019. Along with her son, Bob, she told me the story of how she came to St. Charles from a small town in Illinois and fell in love with Main Street. Did you enjoy this epi...

Soulard's Restaurant and Bar was opened at the corner of Seventh and Soulard for almost forty years. Dan Badock told the story of his family’s restaurant over coffee in April of 2023. Did you enjoy this episode?

In 1978, Bob Mepham bought a small outdoor fish stand in the University City Loop. He called his new business Bob's Seafood. In 2005, Bob bought a building on Olive, just east of I-170, and moved Bob's Seafood to the western outskirts of University City. But University City forced Bob to close his doors in 2022. I interviewed Bob Mepham about 2 weeks later. Did you enjoy this episode?

Giovanni’s on the Hill was the lifeblood of Giovanni Gabriele for almost 44 years. In 2021, Carmelo Gabriele recounted his father’s story, with an assist from his 78-year-old mother, Fina Manno Gabriele. Did you enjoy this episode?