The Sauce - A St. Louis Restaurant Show
For over 25 years, Sauce Magazine has been the go-to guide for St. Louis’ best culinary experiences. Now, The Sauce podcast is back with a new host and a renewed mission: to take listeners behind the scenes with the incredible people shaping the local hospitality industry – from chefs and restaurateurs to brewers, bartenders, bakers and beyond.
Hosted by Sauce Magazine’s executive editor Lauren Healey, who has spent her career honing her writing, editing and photography skills at various media outlets in the Midwest, the show blends insider stories with inspiration on where to eat and drink right now. Since joining Sauce in 2018, Lauren’s passion for St. Louis’ culinary scene has only deepened, fueling her pride in calling the city home and her drive to help you discover your next great meal.
The Sauce - A St. Louis Restaurant Show
Jason Tilford – Session Taco + Lapez Mod Mex
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On this week’s episode of The Sauce Podcast, host Lauren Healey sits down with Jason Tilford, chef/owner behind Session Taco and the newly opened Lapez Mod Mex in the Central West End.
Jason walks through nearly two decades of building chef-driven concepts in St. Louis, starting with a tiny, made-from-scratch Tortilleria in the CWE, to opening Mission Taco Joint in 2012, and now evolving the brand back to its roots while launching Lapez as a more elevated, sit-down experience.
In this episode:
- How Jason and his brother Adam got started with Tortilleria, handmade tortillas and scratch cooking before it was common in STL
- Opening Barristers, St. Louis’ first soccer pub, and building a chef-driven bar food concept
- Milagro in Webster Groves, early acclaim, and how it helped spark what became Mission Taco Joint
- Why scaling the “taco joint” model didn’t work everywhere, and what they’re doing to course-correct
- What sets Lapez Mod Mex apart, Spanish-forward drinks, curated wines, seafood-driven dishes, and knife-and-fork plates
- A real conversation about the current restaurant climate, closures, and what the industry is facing right now
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📅 New episodes drop every Tuesday.
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