Sneek Peek at Nine PBS in St. Louis
Before Winemaking in Missouri made its on-air debut, we hosted a special screening at Nine PBS, our presenting station.
With over 400 tickets reserved, we were planning to set everything up in the Public Media Commons, an open-air digital media and event space positioned between Nine PBS and St. Louis’ NPR affiliate, KWMU. Mother Nature had other plans, however, and a chilly rain forced the Nine team to move the event into the station’s studio. After hastily lining up chairs, tables were readied for our vendors — Marcoot Jersey Creamery with their incredible Jersey-milk cheeses and Volpi Foods with their time-honored traditional cured meats, paired with (of course!) lots of award-winning Missouri wines courtesy of Missouri Wines.
As with many public media events, folks arrived early, and soon the room was packed with people. After everyone grazed the hors d’oeuvres, we asked guests to settle into a seat and Amy Shaw, Nine PBS’s President and CEO, welcomed the standing-room-only crowd to the station’s first in-person event since the pandemic. After her remarks, I took the stage and had the opportunity to highlight chef Adam Lambay and his Create cooking series, Indian Inspired. Midwest Dairy’s Amanda Hagedorn was up next, highlighting the value of supporting local makers and farmers. Finally, before the show began, I called up Amy Marcoot of Marcoot Jersey Creamery, Peter Hofherr of St. James Winery, Glenn Bardgett of Annie Gunn’s, Angie Geis of Noboleis Vineyards and Deanna Depke, fourth-generation family member of Volpi Foods who serves as the conmpany’s director of marketing. We spent the next 15 minutes or so in conversation on topics ranging from the highs and lows of running a family business to winemaking challenges. Then, the lights dimmed and the documentary rolled. We followed the film with a q&a with the audience, diving into how the episode was produced.
That evening felt like a homecoming of sorts. Before the pandemic, we hosted Taste & See in the Media Commons the third Friday of the month from May through October — for five years straight! I’d pull in makers and chefs and people featured in Feast TV for a tasting event that combined clips from the show with live interviews and cooking demos with the vendors, all while food and drink samples were enjoyed. It was an incredibly popular event series, and Amy mentioned that the station might bring the concept back. It would be wonderful to see the Media Commons filled with good food and conviviality again … the Public Media Commons was conceived by Jack Galmiche, the late President and CEO of Nine PBS — it was Jack who pushed me to create tasteMAKERS after the success of my regional show, Feast TV. Without Jack’s encouragment and support, particularly his effort to help line up underwriting to make tasteMAKERS possible, the series would never have been created. He passed away just before I began producing the second season. I am grateful to him and to the entire team at Nine for their support, guidance and encouragement.
And of course, a shout out to our sponsors, Midwest Dairy and Missouri Pork as well as our ongoing support from Missouri Wine. Without their backing, Winemaking in Missouri could not have been made.
Today, as Winemaking in Missouri makes its debut, I am in the planning stages for a new season of tasteMAKERS. My aim is to begin shooting in the spring, releasing new episodes next fall. This time, I’ll incorporate the story arc of makers and farmers with cooking demos that bring the products back to a home kitchen. I’m excited to get back on the road, telling the story of where our food comes from, and developing recipes that make the most of locally-grown and -made ingredients. More to come! Cheers :)
