The Raymond Experience

Experience the words and impressions of some of St. Louis’ busiest “movers and shakers” and beyond. Check out this month’s interview!

MARCH 2009

Kristen Cornett, Meteorologist, KMOV Channel 4

Kristen Cornett, meteorologist for KMOV Channel 4 is new to St. Louis and making an impact as soon as she arrived. In addition to letting you know if you will need a shovel or sunscreen in the morning, Kristen is also diving into the STL social scene and writing about it in her blog, Kristen in the City.

This busy Kentucky native took time out to talk to The Raymond Experience®. Here is what the Mississippi State University grad had to say about St. Louis, her entry into meteorology and what’s up with her blog. Read on…

What is your career background? What cities have you worked in?

I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to do weekend weather at the CBS station in Columbus, MS my last year in college. My first full-time job was weekend weather in Huntsville, AL. Then I did the morning weather for 3 years at WHAS-TV in Louisville, KY. NBC in Cincinnati for morning weather was next and then I landed at the NBC network in New York working for NBC WeatherPlus. I was one of 5 meteorologist who provided all of the weather for the NBC Network. I appeared not only on WeatherPlus, but also regularly on MSNBC, Early Today on NBC and CNBC and a few times on NBC Nightly News and The Today Show.

How long have you been in St. Louis and what is your favorite thing about St. Louis so far?

I arrived in October ‘07, so I’m coming up on a year and half here in St. Louis. I’ve really embraced the city and I can truly say I love it here. I have a top 3 in no particular order…Cardinals Baseball, The City Museum and watching Kim Massie play at Beale on Broadway on Thursday nights.

What is your blog, “Kristen in the City” about?

When I first arrived in town, I tried to find a website that was a one stop shop for what’s happening in town for young professionals. I couldn’t find anything like that. I had to check a bunch of different websites to find out about events. Since I was already researching things to do on my own and sharing it with friends, I thought it would be nice to share it with the entire young professional community. That’s how the idea was born. I post a weekly calendar of events every Monday, essentially my “top picks.” I go to a lot of these events too so I blog about my experiences and add pictures and sometimes a few video clips. Sometimes I just go do fun St. Louis stuff like spend a day at the zoo or an afternoon at the Art Museum and I’ll blog about that. Recently I began featuring a different Young Professional organization once a week to hopefully encourage more to get involved.

What is your favorite St. Louis neighborhood?

Lafayette Square! I live there so I’m biased. There are still a bunch of neighborhoods I haven’t seen since I spend most of my time in the city. I do think Soulard is very cool and I find myself in the Loft District around Washington Ave a lot.

What do you want your viewers to experience when they see you on the news?

I want them to think “she’s pretty cool, I’d like to be her friend.” I’m exactly the same way on the air that I am in real life and I think people can tell that and appreciate it. I want you to feel like I’m just talking to you, like we’re just having an ordinary conversation. Viewers tell me they feel like they know me, like I’m the girl next door. I like that.

DECEMBER 2008:

Greg Lukeman: A Message For The Holidays

The Raymond Experience® welcomes special guest editorial from Greg Lukeman, Executive Director of Food Outreach to share a message of giving to those in need.

It is an immense honor for me to be invited to speak to you today, and I mean that very, very deeply. AS I grew up, there was much talk about the phrase, “chosen people”. And while I do not want to get into a philosophical or theological discussion of that concept, I do want to tell you that as I have lived life I have come to relate to that phrase in a way that is different from what was meant when it was taught to me.

I have come to believe that the truly “chosen people” are those who choose themselves, those who are leaders and moral examples to the rest of the world, because of the choices they make and the lives they lead.

And the way I do see it is that people can be amazing examples of human beings operating in the way that I truly think God, Mohammed, Buddha, or any other higher power intended for human beings to operate. As a matter of fact, I have watched people band together and work in the trenches for the lion’s share of the twenty years that HIV/AIDS and now cancer have dominated if not controlled our lives and our consciousness. And I have found my experience of this community not only instructive but inspiring.

As a result, the society that was formed became, amazingly, a model of what society should be and has the potential to be. It was a society that cared for people not because they were related to them or because they had some legal or familial obligation to them, but simply because they were people who needed care. And that was the point: they were people. This community responded to humans with humanity and to needs with both compassion and resourcefulness.

There is, of course, no more profound demonstration of this than organizations across the country like Food Outreach. They saw the need and created the solution — out of nothing. And there they are—still, every day of every year, providing the most basic human needs to the neediest of our own.

Can you imagine what it would be like if everyone lived like this—the power of walking the walk and just not talking the talk? I think you should take time to reflect on that, and really let that sink in. It can not have power outside you until you have empowered it within you.

The volunteer community needs to be recognized as the role model for the world that it in reality is. But that cannot happen unless you have the courage to recognize it and claim it —not out of arrogance but out of responsibility. You will only be followed if you are willing to lead.

We are all one. We are all responsible for and to each other. If one person is in need, we are all affected.

We need to be, as Gandhi said, “The change we want to see”. We need to be the ones who step up to the challenge of literally leading the rest of the world in opening our hearts and minds to the less fortunate.

Thank you for all you have done, all you are doing, and all that I know you will do.

Food Outreach is a volunteer-based organization in the metro St. Louis region focused on providing nutritious meals and nutrition counseling to men, women, and children living with HIV/AIDS or Cancer. In 2007, we provided more than 298,000 meals to 1,450 clients; we anticipate serving 1,600 clients in 2008. Our clients live in 137 Missouri and Illinois zip codes. For more information and to learn about volunteer opportunities, visit www.foodoutreach.org.

We act out of a sense of urgency because hunger and illness cannot wait.

AUGUST 2008:

Holly Cunningham has made a sweet business out of desserts with Hollyberry Catering. In between raising twin girls and being a cover girl for the May 2008 issue of St. Louis Woman Magazine, Holly has a full cupcake plate of activities but she found time to talk with The Raymond Experience®. Read on….

Hollyberry Catering is known for its amazing array of desserts. How did you develop such an extensive selection?

I always enjoyed baking growing up, and had some of the best “practical bakers” in my own family. In fact, a few of the recipes came directly from family recipe boxes like our Holly Dolly Bars. But for the most part, our sweets menu has been created by my own staff after I give them a recipe concept. I am very committed to providing a good variety of made-from-scratch sweets but everything has to be that same homemade taste and look that sets our product apart. Our big word is each item has to be “craveable” so it will be “gooey, going, gone”! My new favorite is our Gooey Butter Cupcakes – so totally divine.

When & how did you expand into full catering and how many venues list you as a ”Preferred” caterer?

We started our box lunch division early on (2001), but our full-service event catering really took off in 2004. Mainly we started doing events upon special request from our corporate box lunch clients, and the menu started to evolve from there. We realized we had a particular niche with “Small Plates” or tapas – style menus that are focused on appetizers verses large sit-down meals. At the time, a small plates menu was a fairly new concept. We now find very few clients who are interested in the “sit down sagas” and they want more variety and interaction with their menus.

We have a lot of fun stations such as our Bruschetta Bar and Chinese Takeout Bar (complete with little red takeout boxes and chopsticks!). We have even created some decadent dessert stations such as our Gooey Butter Bar and Wine and Sweets Flights. As for Venues, we can cater at over 50 venues in St. Louis, and to make it easy on our clients we provide a list of many of them on our website www.hollyberrycatering.com. Some of the venues that list us specifically as a “preferred vendor” are Tower Grove Abbey, PHD Gallery, Third Degree Glass Factory, Hoffman LaChance Contemporary (gallery), Mildred Lane Art Museum, Moto Museum, The Thaxton, Soulard Preservation Hall, and the Rialto Ballroom. We are always working on building our list and trying to put together the perfect event combo of a unique venue AND menu.

Is the R&D process of desserts fun and fattening?

Well- I laugh sometimes when my employees complain about the multiple taste-tests of sweets that happen a few times a year. It sounds funny, but it does get old after the first few times. Our Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake with Bissingers Chocolate took 26 trials until we got the right one. By the end I could hardly tell which one was the best. Thankfully, I had lots of willing volunteers with clients and friends that would try it with me and give honest opinions.

What is the most interesting special request you ever received?

We have had a few – one recent event was for Reba McEntire when she came into town, and she wanted no carbs! For us that IS a special request since many of our signature items are Sweets! She ended up being very pleased however, and we did end up sending her a St. Louis favorite - our Original Gooey Butter Cake – for a little indulgence!

Another time was the story of how our Gooey Butter Cake was born. A local radio station company wanted a St. Louis-themed lunch with Gooey Butter Cake. We did not make it at the time, and we had 24 hours to create one. We used my recipe from home and it got rave reviews! The guests in town for the lunch meeting were from New York, and they craved the Gooey Butter so much after they left, that our client continued to send them overnight to New York as the year went on! Now we have our Gooey Butter Cake in everything from Box Lunches to the Event Menu to Gifts and it continues to be a best-seller.

What is the best experience you’ve had as a caterer?

I think one of our best experiences was our recent 10 year celebration that we held at a Penthouse near the Fox. My staff did an amazing job on the food and presentation as we showcased our new Small Plates Event Menu, and many of my best clients, all of my wonderful staff, and even my own family was there to experience the night. It had been raining before the event but cleared up to be the most beautiful spring evening, and after the event my staff and family went up on the roof to watch the sunset (it is a 360 degree view of St. Louis!) We were also on the cover of St. Louis Woman that same month and could hand it out at the event - it was really special and was a great way to celebrate.

MAY 2008:

Pat Shannon-Von Matre is a downtown gal with uptown sophistication when it comes to opening hot spots with attitude. To find out how she navigates the waters of her famous name and famous folks like Nelly, keep reading…

How did the concept for Lumen evolve and why did you choose downtown for its location?

With my experience in the restaurant business I was aware of the need for a unique event space in this market. The Packard Loft Building located in Downtown’s West Loft District lends itself perfectly to this concept. Having already been beautifully restored by McGowan Walsh, my partners Buddy Coy, Pete Ferretti and I put the crowning touches on this space by designing an LED lighting program that lights the 2 story arched windows and architecturally beautiful columns with millions of color choices, allowing the client to brand the space for their event. With a full service kitchen Lumen Private Events can create the perfect experience for Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, Charity Galas and Corporate Affairs.

You have a famous last name but now you are becoming well known for your own business ventures. How has the Shannon name helped or has it been a challenge that you’ve overcome?

What the Shannon name means to me, and what I hope it means to anyone who recognizes it, is putting my heart and soul into doing what I love in the city that means so much to me and my family.

Sky Box is shaping a hipper view of the Landing. How is it working with power players like Nelly and Marshall Faulk to bring Sky Box to life?

It was an amazing experience for me to see a power player like Nelly use his power to invest in and promote the city that he loves.

Any new ventures on the horizon?

Yes and of course my next venture will be located in beautiful Downtown St. Louis.

In five words, what do you love about the downtown St. Louis experience?

Excitement, energy, potential, tradition and Family.

April 2008:

Marcia Masulla, co-founder of Loudmouth Management talks about music, Indie-Rock and how loud her mouth can be.

Where did the name “Loudmouth” come from?
When Damon Johnson, my partner and I were putting together the concept/daydreaming of this enterprise we originally came up with the name Springboard Productions because we want to catapult independent artists and also the local music scene. However, we were dismayed to find out that another music related company was already out there with the same name…we all know by know that I don’t like to share. So we were brainstorming, and realized that we needed to “Be Heard.” Loudmouth is a very direct word sprinkled with a little humor….wonder who the muse for that is? Ha.

What types of music do you represent?
We both have diverse palates in music and I have a strong affinity for what is considered “Indie-Rock” but our clients include hip-hop, rock, singer songwriters, DJs, etc. We are being approached by artists of practically every genre, and in practically every locale in the United States.

We specialize in music management, booking, and promotion and have assistance from our team at Loudmouth Andrew Scavotto and Phil Marshall.

What do you have coming up?
It’s going to be a busy year! We are doing a ton of booking in and out of St. Louis for artists all over the country. Our clients the hip hop group Earthworms are producing magical things and picking up a lot of press with their recent CD release “Bottle Full of Bourbon” and we will book a tour and do public relations to support their new album. We also have a huge media campaign and CD Release for Chicago singer/songwriter Todd Kessler revving up in March. In between all of that, and continuous bookings and events….see more at www.myspace.com/loudmouth we have the launch of our website/community www.loudmouthstl.com and the launch party for our new company in the works. Be ready to Be Heard.

In five words or less, what do you want the world to Experience with Loudmouth?
Music Will Be Seen & Heard.