Episode 97: David Kirkland |Turn

Explicit content warning

06/08/20 • 33 min

After starting in the St. Louis dining scene in the early 1990s, David Kirkland took his turntable talents to the west coast as a DJ in San Fransisco. Even as a member of the Bay-area music scene, he never lost his passion for the kitchen. After cooking for family and friends for years, he moved back to St. Louis to return to being a professional chef. After helming Cafe Osage for nearly a decade, he branched out on his own in 2016 with Turn, located in Midtown. He sat down with Meet St. Louis to talk about his winding road, his restaurant philosophy, and what a surprise pandemic does to even the best-laid plans. We also talk about how, as a black business owner, he's seen the community step up to support him as discussions of racial inequality are at the forefront across the nation once again.

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Episode 96: Paul Hamilton - Vin de Set, PW Pizza, Eleven Eleven Mississppi

Opening almost a dozen restaurants in less than two decades will teach you a thing or two. But nothing could have prepared Paul and Wendy Hamilton for the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The two operate restaurants like Vin de Set, Eleven Eleven Mississippi, PW Pizza, Hamilton Urban Steakhouse and more under their restaurant group Hamilton Hospitality. You can walk to all of their businesses in a matter of minutes, sometimes just by taking the stairs from one floor to the next. The husband and wife duo fell in love with Lafayette Square and built their own restaurant row. With years of experience, they're hopeful they can survive the pandemic and help other restaurants do the same.

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Episode 98: Orlando Watson I Prime 55 and Rockhouse Entertainment

As a music producer for two decades, Orlando Watson saw a void in the St. Louis restaurant scene: an upscale, sexy restaurant in the likes of those found in Miami and LA. In May 2019 he and longtime friend Tony Davis opened the doors to Prime 55 in the Delmar Loop. The COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in both the restaurant business and the music business and Watson says it will take creativity from every industry to survive. Watson joined us on the podcast to talk about navigating the waters of opening his first restaurant, his hopes for the future of the Delmar Loop and his advice for young entrepreneurs.