BradenSTL - Foodies Eat First Fest

On this episode of The Sauce Podcast, host Lauren sits down with Braden— one of St. Louis’ fastest-growing food influencers — to talk about the highly anticipated Foodies Eat First Fest and how he’s turning the city’s food scene into a national destination.

Braden breaks down the vision behind the festival, built “for foodies, by foodies,” and how he’s bringing together some of the most talked-about chefs, restaurants, and creators in one place — all at an accessible price point. From VIP all-you-can-eat experiences to curated vendor lineups and afterparties, this isn’t your typical food festival.

But the conversation goes deeper than just the event. Braden shares his journey from corporate America to full-time creator, how he built a following by spotlighting local businesses, and why he believes St. Louis is one of the most underrated food cities in the country.

They also dive into the future of Foodies Eat First — including expansion plans, restaurant week, micro festivals, and how content creators are driving real economic impact in cities like St. Louis.

From toasted ravioli to Wagyu, from social media to city-building — this episode is all about passion, hustle, and putting St. Louis on the map.

In this episode:
 - The concept behind Foodies Eat First Fest
 - How the festival makes high-end food more accessible
 - Featured chefs, restaurants, and unique food experiences
 - VIP vs General Admission breakdown
 - Expanding into multiple festivals and events
 - The rise of the creator economy in St. Louis
 - Braden's journey from corporate to content creator
 - How influencers are driving tourism and local growth
 - Favorite underrated food spots around St. Louis
 - The future of Foodies Eat First

Come for the conversation. Stay for the culture. 🌿

 ✨ Presented by SWADE Dispensary, with 12 locations across Missouri. Learn more at swadecannabis.com. Our other podcast sponsors are 4 Hands Brewing Co. and LHM.

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 📅 New episodes drop every Tuesday.

Transcript

Cold Open + Sponsor (Swade Dispensary)

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You know how hard that is to say a lot? Foodie Z first fest.

SPEAKER_01 0:03

It's hard for me to talk to the camera.

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Talk to the camera. Well, I'm I'm gonna like whenever I'm like that look, you know, I'm like that could be your that could be the cue for the short.

SPEAKER_01 0:12

Suede Dispensary, now with 12 locations across Missouri, is taking convenience to a whole new level. The cannabis brand just opened its first ever 24-hour drive-through storefront in Overland, meaning you can order online and pick up anytime, day or night. Whether you're planning ahead or making a late night run, Suede is ready when you are with quick pickup, expanded delivery, and a seamless experience.

Intro + Meet Brad (STL Foodies)

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Okay, hello, welcome to the Sauce Podcast. I'm your host, Lauren, and I am here with Bradden Tuwaldi, otherwise known as Bradden STL. He is a big influencer here in St. Louis. Uh, and he is also hosting the Foodies Eat First Fest coming up the first weekend in May. Uh, so tell us about that.

SPEAKER_00 1:00

Yes, so

What Foodies Eat First Fest Is + Why It Matters

SPEAKER_00 1:01

it's for Foodies by Foodies, and what does that even mean? So um I love exploring all the mom and pops all around St. Louis. I get to eat a lot of really, really good food. And I also have a decent following of people that they want to eat that kind of food. They want to try it, but it's very, you know, at times it could be intimidating. Uh, you know, going out to eat, it adds up. So sometimes that you're you're nervous to try something, not like it, and spend a lot. So what I've been able to do is work out with a lot of the the talented folks in St. Louis, the chefs, the people we know that have beat the Bobby Flays, the Chef of the Year, the you know, one of the top 10 cocktail bars in the country. Bring all these people together for an affordable price to where let's just say this could take you two, three thousand dollars to even eat at these places for dick nights. Um, bring them all into one place where you you buy your ticket, you could get uh VIP, try all these spots. Uh VIP is all you can eat and drink. And then your general admission, you pay to come in, and the food's between four to eight dollars, which we all know in this economy is like so unheard of.

SPEAKER_01 2:06

You can't even get fast food for that anymore.

SPEAKER_00 2:08

Yeah. I sometimes I slip up and I I went to a place recently and I was like, oh yeah, that's a dollar because I haven't been in like 15, 16 years, which is weird to say. But uh went to a place and it was like 3:30, and I was like, probably be another 15

Event Details (Location, Timing, Experience)

SPEAKER_00 2:21

years before I'm back, even it might probably be seven dollars then.

SPEAKER_01 2:23

Uh-huh. Okay, so where's the event taking place?

SPEAKER_00 2:26

Yeah, so the event's taking place at Trust. It's uh 401 Pine, it's in downtown. It's uh a prime weekend. Uh that's one of the big focuses with what I do is you know, we get people coming in from all over the country to this event, so I want to make sure they have other things going on. So obviously it's a Cinco de Mayo weekend. Um, we have the Dodgers in town, but this is taking place downtown, about 70% of it's inside. And I know how St. Louis is.

SPEAKER_03 2:50

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 2:50

If it's rain, they're like, if it's raining, they're like, oh, we're just gonna stay in. No, we have you covered. If it's a hundred degrees, I'm a foodie, right? For foodies, buy foodies. If it's hot outside, I'm sweating. I don't want to eat. So that would that's why we have air conditioned. Yeah. Um, but yeah, it's broken out. It's Saturday, May 2nd. We have two sessions. Uh VIP kicks off at 10:30, and then uh general admission is 11 to 2. And then our next session is from um VIP is 3 to 3 30 to kick that off and 3 30 to 6 30. And so the reason we do that is um, you know, just we want to make sure we we don't overcrowd the space. Uh, like you're gonna keep hearing me say for foodies, buy foodies. One of the things that gets me is like when you're waiting in a super long line.

SPEAKER_01 3:34

Yeah, that's a problem.

SPEAKER_00 3:35

Yeah, by the time you get up to the front, you're just like, um, you know, first off, you're sweating and and you don't know what to get. So um we also have like a cleaning crew. So, you know, when trash cans are getting all overfilled and you're trying to buy another dish, but this is full.

SPEAKER_03 3:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

We we have a cleaning team. We like really just address all the the pain points. Um, and I'm very particular, like I want everyone to have a good time. So we really did our best to curate this.

Tickets, Schedule + Extra Events (Workout + After Party)

SPEAKER_00 4:01

But this is uh 401 Pine Street. Tickets are at foodieseatfirst.com. And yeah, they start off. I mean, we have four packs this year, and literally the lineup is so stacked.

SPEAKER_01 4:13

Yeah, who's there?

SPEAKER_00 4:14

All right, yes. I have to have my list, and even as we talk, um, like this morning, uh, we're finalizing foodies stay fit. So that's gonna be a kickoff.

SPEAKER_02 4:24

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:25

So that's gonna be from seven to nine in the morning. Oh, and right now tickets are literally seven dollars. We just want people to come because I eat a lot of food.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

Uh-huh. Me too.

SPEAKER_00 4:34

But but I, you know, we we work out, we get our steps in, and it's a balance. So, really just show showing people that. Um, then we have the the main festival, and then we're also doing a uh foodies after party, foodies eat first after party.

SPEAKER_02 4:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:48

So that one's gonna be from nine to midnight. So therefore, you know, if you're like, oh, I'm bit busy during the day, oh, we got you in the morning or night.

SPEAKER_01 4:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:56

Um, this lineup. Have you seen this lineup?

SPEAKER_01 4:58

No, I haven't seen it.

SPEAKER_00 4:59

So I'm gonna kind of go through it just for probably the next minute

Vendor Lineup + Must-Try Food Highlights

SPEAKER_00 5:04

or two. You know, Nikki slices that Detroit style pizza.

SPEAKER_01 5:07

Oh, yeah, he's so good.

SPEAKER_00 5:09

You know he beat Bobby Flay, right?

SPEAKER_01 5:11

No, I didn't.

SPEAKER_00 5:12

See, that's our yep. That that's one, right? You get to try a dish from someone that has done that. We have uh good company. Um, obviously, people are talking about them and they have their new concept of it.

SPEAKER_01 5:23

I know we just broke that news yesterday. And I'm so I'm so excited.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

So we won't have Baia there, but we're gonna have their other new concept, Chico Bueno.

SPEAKER_01 5:31

Okay, yeah, we need to do a story on that as well. Yep. It's looking very cool, that fancy Mexican.

SPEAKER_00 5:37

And you'll be able to try the food.

SPEAKER_01 5:38

Okay. It's a festival. You know what sucks is I'm gonna be out of town and I'm gonna miss it. So I'm bumped, but our listeners can still check it out.

SPEAKER_00 5:45

Yes, and this is also why we have two festivals this year.

SPEAKER_01 5:48

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:48

We'll talk about that.

SPEAKER_01 5:49

We're gonna get into that.

SPEAKER_00 5:50

Yeah. So uh we have Umoja Food Group, which a lot of people know Chef Juwan.

SPEAKER_01 5:54

Juwan.

SPEAKER_00 5:55

Juwan, he's coming back in.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

Nice, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:57

He can't escape me. I'm always like, hey man, he can't escape. No, I'm like, hey, you gotta come back. And we're working on something too for all the the foodies that are listening. Um, that may come out this summer.

SPEAKER_01 6:06

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 6:06

We're working on a special project. Fufu and sauce.

SPEAKER_01 6:10

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:11

Oh, incredible. Actually, I'm going there after this for some incredible African cuisine.

SPEAKER_01 6:15

Nice.

SPEAKER_00 6:16

STL toasted.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

Okay. I haven't tried that yet.

SPEAKER_00 6:19

Are you oh my gosh. So I know this is the sauce podcast. I can make a hot statement on here. I think they make the best toasted raviolis in St. Louis. Like they stuff them, they make them by hand. Um, I know at their current location they have uh, I believe, uh, was it cheese and original, but like he is so creative. Like I fell in love with the jalapeno poppers tea revs. Um the dessert one, always delicious.

SPEAKER_01 6:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 6:46

Like carrot cake, carrot gooey buttercake one. I mean, yeah, literally I said jalapeno popper, buffalo chicken. Uh literally, I'm just like, I'll I'll call him up a week before. Hey, I want you to make this one. Oh, really?

SPEAKER_01 6:59

We'll do it.

SPEAKER_00 6:59

Um, we have La Chica Bonita, which is Chef Brandy of uh Four Hens.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

Oh, right, okay.

SPEAKER_00 7:06

She's you know, uh she's been able to do so many great things here in St. Louis, and now she's expanded. So we're flying her back in to St. Louis for this festival.

SPEAKER_01 7:15

Nice.

SPEAKER_00 7:16

Crispy Sips.

SPEAKER_01 7:17

Oh, the dirty soda, dirty sodas, yeah. Such a thing.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

That is crazy. Like, I my wife put me on to them a while back, and I think they may have been one of the first few

Food Trends + Unique Offerings (Dirty Soda, Creative Dishes)

SPEAKER_00 7:26

I reached out to really for the festival. And I'm just very excited to have them there and also be able to just try so many different flavors. Because once again, like, you know, to try food or drinks, it's intimidating at times. But if it's in front of me and I can try like two different options, then maybe I'm I'm gonna fall in love.

SPEAKER_01 7:43

Now, for our listeners who don't know what dirty soda is, can you explain?

SPEAKER_00 7:47

I'll do my best, but I believe it's kind of like um you know, there are people that drink cocktails, mocktails. I think this is the soda version of that. I guess like a approachable mocktail for all ages.

SPEAKER_01 7:59

Yes. So it's basically soda with like whipped cream or marshmallows or candy or caramel syrup, you know, a bunch of crazy stuff.

SPEAKER_00 8:08

It's kind of like like I love ice cream. Actually, when I uh I was last here at the studio, I left here and then went to the yesterday. Yeah, yesterday. I left I was like, oh, Ted Drews is on my way home, and I I just get my same all the time. Eminem's cookie dovrecent peanut butter cups.

SPEAKER_02 8:21

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 8:22

So imagine I'm I can't wait to find out that mix for the uh crispy sips.

SPEAKER_01 8:27

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:28

I don't know what that's gonna be.

SPEAKER_01 8:29

Okay, that sounds good.

SPEAKER_00 8:31

Ozzy's Market.

SPEAKER_01 8:32

Oh, yeah, they're so fun. The service in there is so nice too. I just felt very welcomed.

SPEAKER_00 8:38

It's very green, yeah, you know, uh retro, very retro, and their food's good. Well, like you said, the service is good too, because they know people a lot of people are coming in for the first time. And just the energy there, like you know, Kenny and and and the team, they're just so creative. And I just love it, like when people can immerse you into, you know, like it's all green and it's this inspired by like a a bodega, is what they say.

SPEAKER_01 9:02

Yeah, with their little market, it's super cute.

SPEAKER_00 9:05

Now we have uh Chef Bailey and company.

SPEAKER_01 9:07

Oh, nice.

SPEAKER_00 9:08

Chef Bailey, he's he's worked for a lot of uh restaurants around St. Louis, I think different hotels. He's somebody I think is very underrated in the food space.

SPEAKER_01 9:16

Yeah, I'm supposed to go to his infused dinner next weekend, actually. Okay, he's doing all the the cannabis infusions. So um I've been in contact with him for a while, and I'm finally gonna get to go to one of his private dinners.

SPEAKER_00 9:28

I'd love to hear that. Yeah. I've I've been to a few of his, and I'm like, hey, I got it, I gotta get to like that's how a lot of this happens is I have the food. I even even for my August lineup, I'll try something. I'm like, yo, people like the masses want this. This is good. So I always uh we get so many people in our festival that have never done a festival before, but we really help prepare them and and really help them understand. And that's also why we have different sessions, yeah. So they're not um overbuying tick or over buying food, like they know exactly how many people are coming um and they're prepared. But yeah, I'm really excited for him. Have you had put in puddin?

SPEAKER_01 10:02

No, okay.

SPEAKER_00 10:03

So I believe they're selling it at Straub's now. Oh but um Ismail, like his like um like gooey, like cheesecakes,

Premium Vendors + High-End Food Access

SPEAKER_00 10:13

um like gooey butter cheesecakes. Um it's just so so good. The problem is like he'll give me a few and they're gone in like 36 hours. So I'm like, let me throw a festival so I could try some, and then like everybody can like you know, also indulge in it.

SPEAKER_01 10:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

We have uh Pass the Pass Coffee, okay, Central Weston. Yeah, they'll have these um oh what are they called? Like uh caffeinated caffeinated popsicles. That's what it is. Caffeinated popsicles. Um it's super good, and it like like once you have one, you're gonna be like, where can I get this all the time? Because when it's hot outside and you don't really want to drink coffee, you need a popsicle with caffeine.

SPEAKER_01 10:54

I have not tried that.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

We have uh Tenacious Eats, okay, Chef Liz. She's going to have a film playing the whole time. Uh, we're working through the rights of that right now. Oh working on the rights, but we're working on a movie. People may have heard about it, and maybe on uh a play this summer at the Muni. I I can't say. Secret. Secret, yeah. It may happen. Like I said, we're looking to finalize that. She's very talented. We have Amy's Cake Pop shop.

SPEAKER_01 11:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:20

Um, and then we needed we need a hot dog, right? Because we have the Dodgers, we have so many people, so many tourists coming in. So we have Steve's Hot Dogs, the best. We have Dad's Cookies, we have Trust, obviously the cocktail bar. Yeah, Four Hands, and then we have um the Standard Meat Club who they provide steaks. I I personally think they have the best steak selection that I've experienced in St. Louis. And you know, that's especially on a podcast like this for sauce, it's it's hard to, you know, you're like, really? Show me.

SPEAKER_01 11:51

Yeah. I know I'm like, I'm gonna I need to try this.

SPEAKER_00 11:54

It's literally like they'll get the Australian Wagyu, the Japanese Wagyu. Uh, they provide the steaks for like 801 Chop House and other places around St. Louis. Okay. But they're pr they're giving out a hundred free steak skewers per session.

SPEAKER_02 12:07

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 12:08

And I mean, that's just unheard of. I don't know any other festival you'll go into, buy a ticket, and you'll be able to

Growing STL’s Food Scene + National Attention

SPEAKER_00 12:13

try that.

SPEAKER_01 12:13

So that's not cheap.

SPEAKER_00 12:15

It's it's not cheap, but that's the thing. Like, we we've been able to just build so many good relationships. A lot of people want to see our city move forward. I mean, this is something that you can experience on the coast, uh, you know, uh, the you know, New York, the LA's, the uh the uh like Miamis, and we're bringing that here. So we're and and like with SoCool is not only St. Louisans are participating in this, like last year, we were able to bring YouTube to St. Louis for the first time in history, and they were, and this was the very first uh ever festival that I threw, but we were able to bring them in, and like people like even the Mr. Beast and all their creators got an email highlighting this festival.

SPEAKER_01 12:52

Really?

SPEAKER_00 12:53

They brought in over a hundred creators. This was literally broadcasted all over the world, all over these kind other creators that flew in for this, um, all over their social feeds, and it's like so cool to be able to do that to like literally like like we know how good our food scene is, and we read you you write about it, we read about it, we talk about it. But then when we get these creators that have like, you know, millions of followers to start talking about our scene, that's how we help grow.

SPEAKER_01 13:20

Wait, did you say Mr. Beast came? No, he didn't come. He didn't come okay.

SPEAKER_00 13:23

He got he, um people like him and his team, they got the uh they got the email because all everybody that posts on YouTube got an email about the festival. Uh because they usually send out like a few events going on. But um, you know, with that last year, like I was like, how do I come in and be taken serious? Because we hear about events all the time. And one thing I'm always up against, like, especially in a city like St. Louis, is like, oh, you're you're like this or you're like that event. Oh, we tried on that side, but that one we we don't have any success. And so I'm like, okay, how do I get taken serious? I brought in Cats Deli from New York for the first time in history.

SPEAKER_01 14:02

So cool.

SPEAKER_00 14:02

Yeah, it they brought in over 500 pounds of pastrami. Wow. I partnered, like I said, with YouTube. That does not happen normally. Um, and then I partnered with like Doordash. And this is in addition to having like a lineup like Minarui and others, but it was like I had to be taken serious because I think a lot of times we we doubt um, we doubt our I'm not saying us, but like St. Louis St. Louisans can doubt the the their own or they won't take it as serious. Yeah. And so when we start bringing in these out-of-town names, and you know, like what was cool with Cats Deli was someone said, like, I you know, you have some people like, oh, well, why don't you feature this other deli or that other deli? And I'm like, well, you know, I tried, we're gonna try to bring them in. But then you have these other people that were like, Hey, I haven't been there in 20, 30 years. I can't believe I'm just going down the street to eat it. And so they brought in over 500 pounds of pastrami. And, you know, there is another festival this year. I don't know if they're gonna be able to make it, but they may be back in St. Louis this year.

SPEAKER_01 15:00

Yeah, that's awesome. Okay. So last year was your first year.

Expanding the Festival + Future Events

SPEAKER_01 15:04

Now this year you're totally up in the ante. You've got um several things planned throughout the year. So fill us in on all that.

SPEAKER_00 15:11

Yes. So the next one is uh food easy first 2.2.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

Cool.

SPEAKER_00 15:17

Um, this one we're locking in, and I I can tell you because this just happened.

SPEAKER_02 15:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 15:20

We're locking in the old post-dispatch building. Oh, cool. So I believe like um Square, Cash App, Block, they may have their offices in there. Uh-huh. But we're locking that one in for Foodie Z First 2.2. Uh, you're gonna you can expect almost an entirely different food spread. We may have some of the same vendors, but they're they're they're just so cool. They know that, hey, this is a different festival. We may get some of the same people. Let's switch up the food. Uh, we're definitely looking at some special guests on that one. But that one, I have the confidence to say it could be one of the greatest foodie festivals our city has ever seen.

SPEAKER_02 15:55

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 15:55

Because, I mean, just like I said, the the the lineup, the spread, August is hot.

SPEAKER_01 16:01

Yeah. When is that one? What are the dates?

SPEAKER_00 16:02

That's August 22nd and 23rd.

SPEAKER_01 16:04

Why do you keep doing this when I'm out of town?

SPEAKER_00 16:06

Out of town? Well, we're working on maybe one more thing this year.

SPEAKER_01 16:09

Okay, yeah, tell us about that.

Restaurant Week + Micro-Festival Vision

SPEAKER_00 16:11

Um, well, I can't talk about that one uh just yet, but we also have uh the Foodie Z Eat First Restaurant Week.

SPEAKER_01 16:19

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:19

And my thought on it is like, I don't know how many times like there's all these different restaurant weeks which are important we should go and we should yeah, we should support them. Yeah, but I've never seen one that was like completely like citywide. And so we're working for September 1st through 13th. Um, that's traditionally, traditionally a slower time for restaurants because you know, um, kids are going back to school, people are getting used to their routines, and Labor Day weekend, people are vacationing and that's their focus. And so we know kind of like what we're up against for that weekend. And so our goal is to have at least a hundred restaurants part of year one.

SPEAKER_03 16:56

Cool.

SPEAKER_00 16:57

And the way we'll do it is if we can't get, you know, like every brick and mortar in a certain, you know, certain area, we're launching micro festivals across the city.

SPEAKER_01 17:06

Okay. So I don't what does that mean?

SPEAKER_00 17:08

Micro festivals, like I don't think that's something I even talked about really with others just yet. But micro festivals really is anywhere between two to four hundred people.

SPEAKER_03 17:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 17:17

So we are hoping to launch a soul food festival in a pocket, one pocket. Okay. We may do more of a breakfast themed festival. We may work with some other entities to like kind of like uh a running festival. So like you run along a certain trail, have a few bites. Physically running? Yeah, you could run or walk, you know. We don't want people to choke, right? Um, because that is one thing about festivals. We when we do have to charge is because like you got to pay for insurance and permits, right? Yeah. So um, but yeah, we're looking to launch other micro festivals um across the city and then also work with other collaps um other we're looking to collaborate with like other um creatives around town because we all have big followings, we all have our own favorite restaurants, and kind of like early on when I got started with social media, it was like I knew it was always bigger than me, so I would always work with other people, kind of help them get up and going. And the traditional mindset was like, why are you training your competitors? I'm like, guys, the world is so much bigger.

SPEAKER_01 18:14

Yeah. There's room for everyone.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

Yeah, there's room for everyone. And my goal was always to work with like Google, which when I worked with YouTube, I was able to kind of you know scratch that off.

SPEAKER_01 18:24

Close enough, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:25

But it's it's like all these creators, I'm helping them to like learn how to throw their own events as well.

SPEAKER_01 18:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:29

Um, because they also have a large following, not just in St. Louis, but people around the country

Creator Economy + Driving Tourism

SPEAKER_00 18:34

and around the world. And so that's how we're really gonna drive tourism. Like, I don't think like people don't realize, like, yeah, I make you know content, I'm a storyteller. Um, I'm very passionate about St. Louis. Like, I don't get paid to promote our city. I I live here, I grew up here. But like we are driving tens of millions of dollars each month in economic impact, right? Um, people don't realize just like with you all in sauce, you're driving people to these restaurants, and it's often overlooked when they look at, you know, hey, let's build this and let's build that. Well, it takes us to get people in there. And so my goal is to, you know, with this restaurant week is to also work with these other creators to help them get to that point because you know, St. Louis, we only have X amount of entities that will support it. But when we get all these other content creators and influencers and those who are actually in it for the right reasons, um, that's how we're gonna continue to get more and more national attention, national brands.

SPEAKER_02 19:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:33

That's what we have to be striving for. And I tell people all the time, like, don't strive for the few that are here that are putting their dollars in all the big markets and not in their backyard. Let's go strive to get the the big entities from outside and bring them in to support us. And that's how we're gonna build that ecosystem. Um, I could dive down this more because the creator economy is worth over $250 billion.

SPEAKER_01 19:57

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 19:57

And St. Louis has not tapped into it.

SPEAKER_01 19:59

So a lot of potential

Sponsor Break (4 Hands Brewing)

SPEAKER_01 20:01

with our podcast sponsor is Forehand Brewing Company, which is celebrating 10 years of citywide here in St. Louis. The 10th anniversary celebration will feature collaborations with fellow iconic St. Louis companies, including Sauce on the Side, High Point Drive-In, Sugar Fire Smokehouse, Gus's Pretzel Shop, Fritz's Root Beer, Blue City Deli, STL Toasted, Strange Donuts, Peacemaker, Lobster and Crab Company, Clementine's Ice Cream, Strange Donuts, and more.

Brad’s Story (Corporate to Creator)

SPEAKER_01 20:30

How did you become a creator?

SPEAKER_00 20:32

Okay, so I never saw myself living this life. Yeah. Uh, the life that I live, I was in corporate for about a decade after I graduated college.

SPEAKER_02 20:42

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 20:42

And I mean, when I was younger, like that was like in the early days of YouTube.

unknown 20:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 20:46

So we would make some fun videos, but I never saw myself doing it. And what happened is my wife and I would go on these different trips to other cities, and we would plan our trips around what we saw on like Instagram and YouTube, and what other creators were doing, like people that we felt like we could kind of trust. And um, it was right around a Battlehawks game. My buddy's dad suggested I create a blog, and I was like, hey, I don't like I read enough. I was working on my MBA. Uh, I was working a corporate job, I was working and reading so much, I was like, I'm more of a visual person. And so he's like, you know what, you should create it. So I I launched on April 13th of uh 2020.

SPEAKER_01 21:25

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_00 21:26

Yeah, right in the pandemic. Okay, yeah. So it was like for me, I you know, I was thinking about it too. Like, I was getting ads from big chains, but like my wife and I, most of our like my greatest memories were at the mom and pop's. And you didn't know who was open, what they were selling. And so I saw that as an opportunity to really like um just like go there. Okay, they're selling these four items. Let me share that on social. And then I started to dive in. I was listening to people like Gary Vaynerchuk very early on, and you know, he was talking about community and ways to build it, and so I was like thinking I Like, there are five things that are gonna bring people together: food, music, laughter, sports, and art. Some people don't care for music, they don't care for laughter, sports, or art. We all gotta eat.

SPEAKER_01 22:10

Everybody likes food.

SPEAKER_00 22:12

Yeah, we all like food. And so, you know, I would connect with people early on, and and just like it was literally over St. Louis and food, and I was thinking, because I was always always getting like pushback from different friends, like, oh, why are you living in the city? There's nothing to do. And I was just so confused because what well they live they live a little further.

SPEAKER_01 22:30

Winsville.

SPEAKER_00 22:31

Yeah, Winnsville, yes, yes. Which shout out to Winsfield.

SPEAKER_01 22:34

Yeah, no.

SPEAKER_00 22:35

We you know, we welcome them to Food Easy first. Of course, but it's like you know, they they they would be like, There's nothing to do there, and I was just always confused because I wake up and I can go to the number one city. So much to do in the in the world, yeah. So it was um for me, it was like I was very intentional, and then when I was working on my MBA, I I just knew I didn't want to get back into corporate, and so you know, it was about a year after uh I got that that I took that risk because I I you know it had to be very

Monetization + Building a Business

SPEAKER_00 23:03

calculated.

SPEAKER_02 23:03

Um gotta pay bills, gotta pay bills.

SPEAKER_00 23:06

I you know, exposure does not pay my spire bill. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Or Amorin, you know, those things are going up.

SPEAKER_01 23:13

But it's um can they sponsor us?

SPEAKER_00 23:15

I mean, y'all have a lot of electric. Yeah, no, we're trying we're trying to crack that code over here. Um, so yeah, no, really for me, it's like I never saw it, but then it just even with like me doing some pop-up bars and me doing other events, I was just like, I wasn't seeing it. Yeah, so I was like, someone has to do it. And even with the festival, I never saw myself getting into this. Like, I helped other festivals and gave them marketing strategies that helped them blow up and get a lot of people, but I never saw myself taking this risk. But I was getting to a point where I was traveling to all these other cities and I just think about like, oh, I could do this, but better.

SPEAKER_02 23:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:53

And those events in other cities get all the this national attention. And St. Louis provides the route to the world's gumbo, but a lot of times we don't provide it to our own gumbo. And so I started to think more and more about it. And I'm like, well, you know, there's so many talented people here that had to leave, you know. Um, St. Louis is a great place for a family. But you know, if depending on how you want to grow as a professional, you may have to go to other cities. But those people that have moved to other cities, even the musicians, they're always willing to give back and come back. And so as I continue to connect with them more and more, it's just like it's expanding my mind and I see so much more potential.

SPEAKER_01 24:34

Awesome. Now, okay, so you started in 2020. You have quite a following now. How many followers do you have?

SPEAKER_00 24:40

I think it's about between Instagram, TikTok, I think it's close to like 80 something thousand. The festival page is like 20 something thousand.

SPEAKER_02 24:48

Awesome.

SPEAKER_00 24:49

But it's also a tough time to grow on social. It's it's uh, you know, right now it's more instead of social media, I would say it's more like attention media.

SPEAKER_02 24:58

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 24:58

Like people aren't just following a follow-up person. I I don't think as much, but it's like, how are you consistently getting someone's attention? And so it's um, I think people don't realize how much work goes into it.

SPEAKER_01 25:10

Yeah, I think a lot. So, like at what point did you start monetizing to where you could leave your corporate job?

SPEAKER_00 25:17

You know, it's funny. There were so many things I I would do for free. And I was doing, and there are still things I do that if it can help like certain people, like if you're just opening up a business and you're just trying to make it, I'm always willing to help. Um, for me, it was I think it was my first brand deal. It was like with an alcohol company during COVID. And uh it was like a few hundred bucks, and I was like, oh, okay, cool, this could be something. Because I I never saw myself as an influencer. Like, yeah, I'm just an everyday guy. I love to eat. I I don't try to be salesy, and like even with my festival, I'm just like, you guys should check it out. Like, I'm not trying to sell you on it. It is literally a great time and it yeah, because I know what I like. I I go to all these other things, and I want to bring that here. But for me, it was um, you know, it's still hard to monetize in a St. Louis market. For the first few years, I was really and kind of now. Um, I get paid more from outside entities than I do inside St. Louis.

SPEAKER_01 26:12

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_00 26:13

And most of what I do is what, like highlight St. Louis.

SPEAKER_01 26:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:16

So it's kind of crazy, but we're always a bit behind. Um, it's like, but you also get to a point that's where you learn to create it yourself. You know, I would be told, Oh, well, we we don't want to really pay you to advertise this event. We don't really know the value. And it's like you guys reached out to me. Um, and it would just keep happening. So I just started creating my own stuff because, you know, and that's the thing too. I have a great relationship with so many other creators because we're willing to just help each other however we can because we know how tough how tough it is. Um, but yeah, that's why, you know, even with people like Juwan and Chef Jo uh JR and I, we're working on things that we can get to people's homes and and their kitchens and interesting merch. I'm I'm getting tired of wearing the same stuff. You know, we got we have merch coming

Future Growth + Expanding Beyond STL

SPEAKER_00 27:03

out.

SPEAKER_01 27:03

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SPEAKER_00 27:36

We're looking to grow in in so many different ways. And I would say this like foodies eat first is you know, it's in St. Louis, it's starting out of St. Louis, and we're gonna have multiple events. This is my home, I live here. But, you know, we also understand how we do need to look at growing outside of St. Louis. Yeah. And so we are very strategic when and how we do that. Um that's all I can really say for the for the future of that. But it's like, you know, I think it's cool when people go on tour. You have a group of St. Louisans going to a concert, right? And then let's do that for food. And so don't be surprised when and the thing is is people outside of St. Louis love our city, they love our culture. And then they're like they come to like back to St. Louis or they come here to St. Louis, like, where do I where can I embrace this culture? And it's like that's also why I gotta host my events around like big times in St. Louis, yeah, big events. Because these like I have somebody who toured every single NFL uh stadium and ate all over the country last year, and he's coming in. Oh, that's cool, you know, and I'm connected a lot of these big food creators to where you know, and and I see we're always having family bloggers, which is great, it's important, but it's like, do we not realize working with some of these big food creators can literally give us like you know, drive tourism here? Like those folks all over the country, and I'm friends with some of them, but like they will drive people to our city.

SPEAKER_01 29:01

Love

Favorite STL Food Spots

SPEAKER_01 29:02

it. Okay now. Um, when you're not doing like your content creation, uh, where do you like to go to eat just for fun?

SPEAKER_00 29:10

So like the place is like kind of like I'm a creature of habit. That's so funny. Um, because people wonder like, like, for example, for coffee, I go to Zoomies all the time. I was just there this morning.

SPEAKER_01 29:20

It's that the cat cafe, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:23

Pet pet like they sell, I mean, I guess it's more dogs, but like you can. Those are dogs, okay. You could buy like stuff for your cats and stuff, but literally I go there because like they make their syrups in-house and it's so good. And like uh right now they have this like carrot cake latte. Um my my wife loves it. I I took a few sips of it, you know, naturally um to try it. But like they're just great service, they genuinely care. They they obviously love pets. I don't have a dog, but like it it's just a good time, and so I love their coffee. It's I mean, I would say I probably spend more money there than any other coffee shop in the so that's a great spot to just grab coffee and go on about my day. Uh a taco spot, I would say, is Dos Reyes. That's also in Princeton Heights.

SPEAKER_01 30:07

Okay, I've not been there.

SPEAKER_00 30:10

It's just it's good quality, consistent.

SPEAKER_01 30:12

Like wait, is that on Hampton?

SPEAKER_00 30:15

Yeah, Hampton.

SPEAKER_01 30:16

Maybe I have been there.

SPEAKER_00 30:17

It's right by like the pawn shop or something.

SPEAKER_01 30:19

Okay, I think I have been there.

SPEAKER_00 30:21

That's a good spot. Yeah. I tell people like uh I'd like I don't want to say like these are the greatest tacos you're ever gonna have in your life. Sure, but they're probably the greatest consistent tacos I have in my life. Like literally, I know what I'm gonna taste. It doesn't change by day, by week, time of day. They're about to close in five minutes, kind of thing. Like it's it's always consistent. Um, oh my gosh, smoke and bones. I guess I'm really going South City on this.

SPEAKER_01 30:44

That's also right on Hampton.

SPEAKER_00 30:45

Oh, I think it's like the most yeah, okay. I think it's like the most underrated barbecue in St. Louis.

SPEAKER_01 30:49

I need to give them another shot because I tried it when they first opened, and I think they're still working some things out back, but that was several years ago.

SPEAKER_00 30:56

Yeah, it's it's a tough spot right there because you also have like salt and smoke down the street, you have other places, and it's like um, but yeah, I I I like his stuff. I'm okay. Dang, this is so so tough. I mean, I love a good deli.

SPEAKER_01 31:09

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 31:09

So like Lagrands, um, I you just can't go wrong with like Lagrands. And then obviously STL toasted, because you know, like I'm married, so like what are some of the things my wife and I will agree on? Uh we enjoy the Sato, we enjoy STL toasted. Nikki Slices has been my go-to. The problem is I will eat a whole pizza in a day.

SPEAKER_01 31:28

It is a problem, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:30

Like, and I'm like, oh, it's all it's all good. I worked out yesterday and then I don't want to work out for like the next day or two. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 31:35

But um you gotta work out on those days so that all the calories do something useful.

SPEAKER_00 31:40

True, true. We we we shot something on the news the other day, but the problem was I didn't eat breakfast.

SPEAKER_01 31:44

Oh no.

SPEAKER_00 31:44

And this was at like 8:30 in the morning. I was like, oh, this is my breakfast. It comes around to lunchtime, I was like, Oh, I have nothing for lunch. This is my lunch. Uh, I'm already in this, I might as well finish this for dinner.

SPEAKER_02 31:54

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 31:55

But it's um, yeah, like I mean, I those are just a few. And then I know I'm probably gonna text you in an hour, like, oh, I forgot about you know the Clementines, Ted Drews, and all that.

SPEAKER_01 32:05

There's so many good ones. Yeah, and like people ask me that, and I'm like, my list changes every day. Today, my top place is Indo.

SPEAKER_00 32:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:12

Well, I said that last week, I think. So I'm like, you gotta get back to Indo.

SPEAKER_00 32:16

Well, like, oh, do you ever do like a end of the year ranking?

Ranking Restaurants + Community Feedback

SPEAKER_01 32:20

I have not done that. Um, that's tough. It's so hard. I know, and like I would make the ranking, and then like tomorrow I'd be like, no, that I did it wrong. So there's just a lot of good spots.

SPEAKER_00 32:31

You get a lot of heat like if you do it. So like for me, I take it so serious. Like, people don't realize, like, I'll look at every video, every photo, whatever, and then I do like it. Takes probably like oh my gosh, at least six hours to sort through and why.

SPEAKER_01 32:46

I know it's so so many pictures.

SPEAKER_00 32:48

Yeah, and then it's like then it's the putting the video, like I probably spend 20 hours on that video.

SPEAKER_01 32:54

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_00 32:54

Each year. Because I know whatever I say, like I put Al's Steakhouse on there. Uh, you know, Al's, the one over like the Polar Express goes by. It's been there 104 years.

SPEAKER_01 33:04

Oh, yeah. I think I've been there like years ago.

SPEAKER_00 33:07

It probably hasn't changed. It's a very unique, like it, it it is so different. Like, I don't know how to describe it, but I had a great lobster, you know, there. Um, but like, you know, last year I put uh 801 shop house and I got a lot of flack. Like people are like, Oh, that's not that's not local. And I was like, well, listen, like on this one, the chef, Chef Grant, like he is so talented, so passionate. He he worked at like Trataria Morsala, went on a twisted tree, and now he's over at 801, which 801 is a representation for a lot of people. Um, it I'm gonna say for Chef Grant specifically, because Chef Grant is phenomenal. I think he's only like 32 and oh nice. Uh highly recommend if you can get him on. I can connect you.

SPEAKER_01 33:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 33:48

But he um he's so passionate. When a lot of these entertainers, celebrities, athletes, like one time I brought Kat when I brought Cats Delhi to St. Louis, there's a guy that looked so familiar right next to us. I was like, and I was like, that guy looks familiar. Who is that? And they're like, Oh, that's Carlos Stanton with the Yankees. And I was like, Oh, do you guys get close to them in New York? And they're like, Man, we we don't even see them in New York, you know. But the whole Yankees team is there, and what Grant does with uh like even the steaks from Standard Meat Club, that is their representation of St. Louis. So like uh I got a lot of heat for that one last year for putting them, but I was like, hey, oh my gosh, I love a good Japanese A5 Wagyu.

SPEAKER_01 34:29

Okay, I need to go there. I actually have never been. I've heard mixed reviews.

SPEAKER_00 34:33

Mixed review? Oh, I'll tell Grant you're coming.

SPEAKER_01 34:35

Okay, all right, cool. Is there anything else you want people

Supporting Hospitality + Final Thoughts

SPEAKER_01 34:39

to know?

SPEAKER_00 34:40

Um, really, just you know, I I I love this, I love St. Louis. I appreciate everybody in the hospitality business. And I always put in perspective. Like I come from the the business world, insurance, things like that. And I know how corporate folks at times could think of themselves as this or whatever in the hospitality, like, oh, whatever, they're this and that. And it's like I'm that person that like I bring it together and I'm I I tell someone in corporate, I'm like, look, they don't know if they're gonna have two people or 200 or 500 people walking that door. Yeah, every single day they're ready, you know, and then food costs are going up and labor, and like they just um, you know, they've lived six, seven different lives in the last few years. And so, really, for me, I just uh if if you're in the hospitality industry, if you're a dishwasher, you just take the trash out, you're the chef, the manager, I really appreciate you guys because you guys are what keep me going. I mean, their passion, uh, that's really it. I mean, I really appreciate them. And as long as St. Louis continues to to show up and support, you know, the different events and things that I do, like, yeah, I assemble it, but it's all for them. Like you can come to the festival, try their food, but then also go to the restaurant, you know, like that is the goal is just to keep supporting

Outro + Call to Action

SPEAKER_00 35:51

them. Um, but yeah, like, you know, for me, for me, and what I do is just about bringing and not just highlighting them, but we have incredible DJs that are going to be part of this. Um, I I love the arts in our city. People always ask me, well, like what TV shows and stuff I'm watching. I I do I really don't watch much TV. I keep up with the news, current events, but I immerse myself in the arts um because it's super inspiring to see, you know, like you can't mess up when you're on stage. Well, yeah, yeah, or yeah, you can, but it's noticed, but like the lights, the sound. A lot of pressure, a lot of pressure. And so, yeah, I like to do that. I like just bringing everybody together. You know, when you think about it, could cost thousands of dollars to visit all these restaurants, it could take like two, three years. I'm bringing this all to you guys at a super affordable price. I'm from St. Louis, so if you guys can get your tickets for Foodies Eat First Fest, it's May 2nd, 3rd. You can buy your tickets on foodieseatfirst.com. And I'll put a sauce code in for five dollars off for everybody listening.

SPEAKER_01 36:53

Amazing. Cool. Well, awesome. Well, can't wait to see how it all goes down and see uh what else you got in store for us this year.

SPEAKER_00 37:00

Thanks. I appreciate you having me on. Keep doing great things, and I'd love to see what you're up to.