This episode is guaranteed to make you happier... or at least crave something sweet. You know those classic "perfectly imperfect" Smiley Face cookies from McArthur's Bakery? We'll take you inside the kitchen where a team of hard-working employees who are the spirit behind every batch, and we talk to the bakery owner who says cooking with love is simply good business. Plus, we have some food news worth bragging about and news on Dori's second favorite chili spot in STL. For more information on job training, employment at McArthur's, and the Step Up Program, click here. Follow us on Instagram for food news and updates all week: Abby Eats St. Louis Contact us anytime by emailing podcasts@ksdk.com. Until next time... Seize the plate!

In our final episode of the year, we share stories of traditions, memories, recipes and celebrations — even in another "not quite normal" holiday season. We'll also wrap the top food stories of this year and reminisce on the best things we've had to eat in the last 12 months. Happy holidays, Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year wishes: we'll be back in your feeds in January! Follow us on Instagram for food news and updates all week: Abby Eats St. Louis Contact us anytime by emailing podcasts@ksdk.com. Until next time... Seize the plate!

We’re popping in on pop-up bars: the Christmas staples are the new St. Louis tradition that bring out the merry misfit in all of us. Hear how three local bars come up with their creative ideas for making spirits bright, why they bother and the ways they’re making the season fun for big kids. We want to hear from you for our upcoming holiday call-in episode! Leave us a voicemail at 314-532-6012 or send us a message at podcasts@ksdk.com. Check out the links below mentioned in this week's episode: 2021 Holiday Pop-Up Bars Guide List of holiday events Holiday-themed food and drink specials Holiday light displays in the St. Louis area Follow us on Instagram for food news and updates all week: Abby Eats St. Louis Contact us anytime by emailing podcasts@ksdk.com. Until next time... Seize the plate!

… unless it is! Whether it’s sugar, sprinkle, chocolate chip or gingerbread, we are here for the sweetest holiday tradition: baking cookies. We talk with the owner of Grandma’s Cookies in St. Charles about why the key ingredient isn’t flour, sugar or butter. And a longtime pastry chef who’s literally written the book on curing your cookie craving shares her tips to make your next baking extravaganza a tasty success. Plus, get your filling of holiday markets and fun food news. We want to hear from you for our upcoming holiday call-in episode! Leave us a voicemail at 314-532-6012 or send us a message at podcasts@ksdk.com. Check out the links below mentioned in this week's episode: 2021 Holiday Pop-Up Bars Guide List of holiday events Holiday-themed food and drink specials Holiday light displays in the St. Louis area Follow us on Instagram for food news and updates all week: Abby Eats St. Louis Contact us anytime by emailing podcasts@ksdk.com. Until next time... Seize the plate!

DON'T FORGET TO CALL IN FOR OUR HOLIDAY EPISODE: Share what you love most, what you're cooking/eating and even your favorite memories of this time of year with us for our annual holiday call-in episode! Leave us a voicemail at 314-532-6012. Love it? Hate it? Love to hate it? We've got eggnog on the noggin this week as we prepare to cozy up with the most controversial of winter treats. Hear the work that goes into making the batches at The Royale every winter, how many cartons Prairie Farms sells every year and why we only really drink the stuff around Christmas. Then, spirits just keep getting brighter with a fun-filled weekend planner to help start your December! Cheers. Check out the links below mentioned in this week's episode: 2021 Holiday Pop-Up Bars Guide List of holiday events Holiday-themed food and drink specials Holiday light displays in the St. Louis area Follow us on Instagram for food news and updates all week: Abby Eats St. Louis Contact us anytime by emailing us podcasts@ksdk.com. Until next time... Seize the plate!

... but since it is, it's time to break out some of our favorite traditions! We'll check in with the owner of the O'Fallon Missouri, restaurant that feeds thousands of people for free every Thanksgiving. And we're checking in with you: the line is open for our annual call in episode! We have the much-anticipated tour de holiday pop-up bars, and a weekend planner to warm your spirits. Call 314-532-6012 to share your holiday message and traditions with us to be shared on a future podcast episode! Read more about Brass Rail's Thanksgiving efforts. See the restaurants offering to-go Thanksgiving meals and sides. Check out the full 2021 Holiday Pop-Up Bars Guide. And browse our continually updated list of holiday events. Follow us on Instagram for food news and updates all week: Abby Eats St. Louis Contact us anytime by emailing us podcasts@ksdk.com. Until next time... Seize the plate!

What do you do when there are no employees to hire? Simple: you don’t hire them. While many of our favorite spots have had to adjust hours or even close altogether due to staff shortages, more and more restaurants are finding creative ways around it. We talk to an industry expert about what to expect when we go out to eat, post-pandemic and beyond. Plus, we have the food news you’ll want to hear before you go Thanksgiving shopping and a very Saturday-centric weekend planner! For the Thanksgiving meals to-go list, click here. Follow us on Instagram for food news and updates all week: Abby Eats St. Louis Contact us anytime by emailing us podcasts@ksdk.com. Until next time... Seize the plate!

It's hard to mess up. There's a reason it's a go-to for Sunday afternoons, office potlucks and tailgate parties during these cold and cozy months — but when it's really good, chili can be something special. Ahead of the Schlafly's Full Moon Festival Chili Cookoff this weekend, we sat down for a virtual chili "roundtable" with chefs from Edera, Mission Taco and Pastaria. Hear their tips for making your own batch at home, how they replicate their recipes without a recipe, and why they call the food particularly "inspiring" for chefs. Plus, we have a fun-filled weekend planner and a good news only edition of What's Cookin' in the Lou! For a list of fall-related food and drink specials click here. For a list of fall-related events click here. Follow us on Instagram for food news and updates all week: Abby Eats St. Louis Contact us anytime by emailing us podcasts@ksdk.com. Until next time... Seize the plate!

She’s lived around the world and even has her degree in international relations, but it took Charlene Lopez Young moving to St. Louis to fully dive in to her love of cooking Filipino food for friends and family. Now, she and her husband Darren are bringing it to the masses with The Fattened Caf. Their pop-up dinners, catering and collaborations aren’t just building a following, they’re building a community. Along with their story, we have some food news and your Halloweekend planner! For a list of Halloween-related events click here. For a list of fall-related food and drink specials click here. For a list of fall-related events click here. Follow us on Instagram for food news and updates all week: Abby Eats St. Louis Contact us anytime by emailing us podcasts@ksdk.com. Until next time... Seize the plate!

It's like big kid apple juice, and soon Brick River Cider Company hopes it'll be flowing through the taps and in cans for purchase around the country. How the owner found fertile ground for his Midwest roots to start something traditional and new all at the same time, why he's technically classified as a winery, and the surprising role toothpaste has had in his R + D process. Plus, a fall-tastic weekend planner! For a list of fall-related events click here. For a list of Halloween-related events click here. For the list of places participating in St. Louis Taco Week click here. Follow us on Instagram for food news and updates all week: Abby Eats St. Louis Contact us anytime by emailing us podcasts@ksdk.com. Until next time... Seize the plate!

Does this time of year have you seeing orange? We got the gourds: this episode is all about pumpkins, punkin’! We’ll teach you some fun facts to bring up at your next festive fall gathering and take you to Pumpkin Land, the Thies Farm mainstay that’s been doing it big every fall for decades. Then, we have a hearty helping of food news and a weekend planner that gives you everything except an excuse to be bored this autumn in #STL! For a list of fall-related events click here. For a list of Halloween-related events click here. For the list of places participating in St. Louis Taco Week click here. Follow us on Instagram for food news and updates all week: Abby Eats St. Louis Contact us anytime by emailing us podcasts@ksdk.com. Until next time... Seize the plate!

This week we're introducing you to someone who should probably write a book or run for office or be making millions as a big time corporate CEO — or at the very least be relaxing on the sandy Gulf Shores beaches — but is instead pouring himself into his Gulf Shores Restaurants. How he says keeping busy during the pandemic will set them up for future success, why he calls the restaurant his "pulpit" and the conversations he hopes you're having with strangers in his dining room. Plus, we have all the fall fun in your weekend planner and a chance to help Dori make a big decision. Seize the plate! Follow us on Instagram for food news and updates all week: Abby Eats St. Louis Contact us anytime by emailing us podcasts@ksdk.com.

Dale Schotte left a successful IT career to help people get wired and connected in a different way: over a good cup of coffee. Now, Park Avenue Coffee has locations around St. Louis and helps make about 100 other local shops happen. We talked to him about how an offhand comment became his new vocation, why he believes the industry will bounce back and what he says is the best decision he's ever made. Plus, we'll help you celebrate International Coffee Day, and we have a jam-packed planner for your first weekend of October! Check out Coffee Day deals here. Follow us on Instagram for food news and updates all week: Abby Eats St. Louis Contact us anytime by emailing us podcasts@ksdk.com. Until next time... Seize the plate!

She's opening a restaurant next month in Hazelwood and she's excited to meet you at Taste of St. Louis this weekend! We scored a few minutes on the busy Simply Cooking With Donna schedule to chat with the chef/owner about all of the opportunities coming her way and what she's most excited about right now. We have the details ahead of Taste, plus a rundown of all sorts of fun and exciting things happening in St. Louis this weekend and a spooky-spicy treat hitting grocery store shelves soon. For the full list of participating vendors at Taste of St. Louis 2021 click here. Follow us on Instagram for food news and updates all week: Abby Eats St. Louis Contact us anytime by emailing us podcasts@ksdk.com. Until next time... Seize the plate!

O'Connell's Pub is your quintessential Irish bar — while at the same time, is unlike any other. The legendary south city spot is familiar, quirky and after five months shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, back open and here to stay.   We'll tell you about the unexpected roots and unplanned paths that have kept O’Connell's on the map, how two generations of Parkers have now fallen in to running the place and why as he carries on the family tradition, John Parker is OK making a few enemies.   Plus, we're BACK in the booth to catch you up on food news, help you plan your weekend and make you whale-y jealous of where Dori's been.   Follow us on Instagram for food news and updates all week: Abby Eats St. Louis   Contact us anytime by emailing us podcasts@ksdk.com.   Until next time... Seize the plate!

In this special edition of Abby Eats St. Louis, we decided to just take you along for each moment of our opening morning experience at the City Foundry Food Hall! We sit down with the Director of Operations, bump in to KSDK photojournalist Joe Young and reporter Savannah Louie between live shots for Today in St. Louis, run in friend of the podcast Caiti Carrow Cheney of Jasper Paul PR, and of *course* chat with some of the chefs and restauranteurs as they prepare to open before the first lunch rush! Then we’ll have a long-view weekend planner ahead of our podcast “summer break.”   We will be back with new episodes in September! (Don’t forget to listen to our August 2020 episode, “Forging Ahead at City Foundry,” for a chat with one of the developers about how the project came to be!) Follow us on Instagram for food news and updates all week: Abby Eats St. Louis Contact us anytime by emailing us podcasts@ksdk.com. Until next time... Seize the plate!

Ten years ago, he was a guy with a good truck: now he’s making a name for himself around the country for his creative and delicious Korean-Mexican fusion brand, Seoul Taco. We sit down with David Choi to talk about Busta Rhymes, growing up in the Korean Church, and how he might owe it all to some guy’s cranky wife. Plus a pivot-edition of the food news and weekend planner!

We're starting to think Japan has a national law about all of their food being cute and photogenic... even sandwiches. This week, we'll talk to Amy from Sando Shack about how one of the STL's favorite new spots to get in on the sando trend was actually a plan B, why the Asian food scene in St. Louis is special and what's so great about starting something like this in the Midwest.   Plus, we dive in to the latest on mask mandates/requirements in St. Louis and St. Louis County and give you some fun ideas for your weekend!   Catch KSDK 5 On Your Side's complete Olympics coverage at ksdk.com/olympics!   Have a topic idea or just want to send us your thoughts or comments? Email us at podcasts@ksdk.com.   You can also follow along behind the scenes for more tasty photos and food news. Make sure to follow the Abby Eats St. Louis Instagram page.   Until next time, seize the plate!

You might not be able to travel to see the Games in person, but you can still get a taste of Tokyo as you watch the Olympics beginning this weekend with the most sit-on-the-couch-friendly food group out there: snacks. We take a dive into the colorful and quirky world of Japanese snack foods, with the help of our friends at Global Foods in Kirkwood, to learn more about what sets them apart, what you should know before taking a bite and why it could be worth your time to give them a try.   We'll also have a taste test from the pod booth, plus a busy weekend planner!   Don't forget, you can catch the opening ceremony on KSDK 5 On Your Side and read complete Olympics coverage at ksdk.com/olympics!   Have a topic idea or just want to send us your thoughts or comments? Email us at podcasts@ksdk.com.   You can also follow along behind the scenes for more tasty photos and food news. Make sure to follow the Abby Eats St. Louis Instagram page.   Until next time, seize the plate!

"Nobody drinks gin, and you certainly can't open a gin bar in St. Louis – a beer and bourbon town."   That's what Natasha Bahrami said she was told over and over again when she set out to open The Gin Room on South Grand in St. Louis nearly a decade ago – and thankfully, she didn't listen. Hear how her induction into the Global Gin Hall of Fame puts this city on the map, why non-drinkers have always been part of her business model, and what she can tell about your personality from your spirit of choice.   Plus, the weekend planner is chock-full of summer fun: burgers, ice cream and everything in between.   Gin World info: https://www.ginworld.com/about   Have a topic idea or just want to send us your thoughts or comments? Email us at podcasts@ksdk.com.   You can also follow along behind the scenes for more tasty photos and food news. Make sure to follow the Abby Eats St. Louis Instagram page.   Until next time, seize the plate!