Friends in St. Louis

Where does the time go?

I wanted to write about this St. Louis tweet-up when it happened, but instead found myself swamped (in the best of all possible ways) with the holidays, travel and time with our (my fiance and my) families.

One of the highlights of all of that holiday craziness was the Christmas Eve meet-up that so many good friends in St. Louis joined me for at Hartford Coffee Company in South City, St. Louis. Amidst the bustle of the Christmas holiday and with very short notice, ten of my friends made the time to get together with me.

Thank you, @VersaDave, @Nanna_J, @NickGilham, @mamarcus17, @Tojosan, @michaeltomko, @TabithaKMeyer, @STLWineGirl, @Velo_City – and of course, my fiance, Nick – for starting my Christmas weekend out warmly. It meant the world to me to see everyone while I was home!

STLWineGirl and MilliGFunk

Let’s face it – The stress of these super-close World Series games is a lot to handle this week. Wouldn’t it feel good to get out on Friday night for some good, hard, live rock music? If I still lived in Missouri, I’d be at Off Broadway on Friday night to see Kentucky Knife Fight.

I saw the band for the first time at Off Broadway on New Year’s Eve 2010, and I was impressed enough that I immediately emailed friends in Brooklyn and San Francisco, both of whom work professionally in the music industry, to share Kentucky Knife Fight with them.

So…On our off-night from World Series excitement, go check out some local music at a local venue. Namely, check out Kentucky Knife Fight at Off Broadway. While you’re at it, have a Schlafly for me. I’m feeling mighty homesick for the home state this week, and nothing cures the blues like some good live music.

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Who: Kentucky Knife Fight w/the Upright Animals and John Paul Keith & the One, Four, Fives (from Memphis)

When: Friday, October 21,

What Time: Show starts at 9 p.m.

Where: Off Broadway – STL

My 3 Favorite Men & Me at Coors Field, 2011

(Check out this YNPN post about the need to fill my position and a colleague’s.)

YNPN was formally organized and opened to new participants at around the same time I arrived in Missouri in February of 2009, and I became involved immediately. From helping to create and later maintain the organization’s social media accounts to writing content for the YNPN blog to helping to organize events,  my involvement with  YNPN has been a great experience. I’ve made valuable connections in the St. Louis nonprofit sector through my involvement with YNPN, and I’ve had fun in the process.

It’s time to hang up my YNPN hat, and I’d like to help YNPN fill my role on its marketing committee. I wonder if you know someone in the St. Louis area who is interested in spending a few hours each month volunteering their time and marketing skills to help this great St. Louis-area nonprofit young professionals group.

If you’re interested in learning more about YNPN, leave me a comment!

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YNPN on Twitter

YNPN’s call for new committee members

Small Town Girl’s Post on Mentorship for the YNPN Blog

This event was special for me because my beau, who lives out of state, happened to be in town. When we arrived at Nebula Coworking – a seriously rad coworking space - near Cherokee Street in South City, St. Louis, we were warmly greeted by Angela and asked to write our name and our blog’s URL on a “Hi, My Name is…”-style paper label nametag.

MilliGFunk, photo by Nick

I did exactly as instructed, my clever, clever boy toy got…well…clever. Nick isn’t a blogger, so while my name tag said, “@MilliGFunk” and “SmallTownGirlsGuide.com”, here’s what he wrote on his name tag:

"What Blog?" photo by MilliGFunk

Once everyone arrived, Angela introduced herself and explained that this course would be a wine tasting only (not a food and wine pairing), and was designed to be a sort of a Wine 101; an introduction to generic styles of wine rather than a tasting to highlight particular wine makers or vintages.

Angela gave us a handful of tips on handling wine, including tips on wine storage. She explained that wines should be stored in a dark, temperature-controlled environment like a closet or a wine cooler,and that wines shouldn’t be stored in direct sunlight.

STLWineGirl's Will Write for Wine, photo by MilliGFunk Photography

Wines shouldn’t be stored in a room where temperatures tend to fluctuate, Angela explained. And do you know which room in your house has temperatures that change the most in any given day, month or year? Your kitchen! What does that tell you? Don’t store you wine in your kitchen, silly. Store it in a room were temperatures are more stable.

And for those of you wine your wine collection sitting on the top of your fridge? For shame! It’s all kinds of hot up on that fridge, so go right now and move that wine someplace cooler.

Speaking of moving wine, wine doesn’t like being moved around a lot. What does that mean? If you’ve got a cross-country move planned, maybe you should invite all your closest friends over to help you drink you wine. Okay, maybe that’s not necessary, but your friends would probably appreciate the invitation, and there is a chance that your wine might go bad in transit.

Another tip Angela offered was the 30/30 rule for chilling wines. Red wines should be put into the fridge to chill roughly 30 minutes before you’d like to serve them. Whites, on the other hand, should start out chilled and should be removed from the fridge 30 minutes before you imbibe.

One of the things I didn’t know before this class was exactly why it is that a server will let you taste a small pour of the wine you select while dining out. It’s not so that you act hoity-toity and return the wine if you don’t like it. The only time it’s okay to send the wine back is if the wine is “corked”; in other works, if the wine has turned bad in the bottle.

Here’s where it gets neat, IMHO;  the restaurant doesn’t take a loss on the corked bottle. They sent it back to the distributor, who sends the restaurant a new bottle. And the wine maker replaces that bottle for the distributor. The lesson here is that if you’re poured a glass of wine that’s gone bad, you can return it without feeling guilty, since the restaurant won’t be hurt in the pocketbook (and neither will your server).

Missouri Rose, photo by MilliGFunk Photography

Through the course of the class, we tasted a Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay, a Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Missouri rose, discussing the basic characteristics of each wine. Angela provided us with a helpful glossary of terms often used to describe wines, and I got the impression that all 20 of us in the class learned at least a few new things about wine.

Angela was one of the first friends I made after moving “home” to Missouri two and a half years ago.  I genuinely enjoy her classes, and I think she’s building a good business. Her mission is, “Creating a personal experience with food & wine that is approachable & accessible”, and she’s done this and more in each of the wine experiences I’ve shared with her.

Thanks for another great class, Angie!

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Sharing this class were: @cityjars, @MoEats, @kimberly9938, @ironstef, @maddie_em, @katiethatcher, @goblueELTblog, @mamamarcus17 @stlsouptonuts, @citydiva, @deliciousstl, @4leafclovergirl, @stlveggirl, @hannahviolin, @eatlocalstl and @howmomrolls

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Other bloggers’ write-ups on the Will Write for Wine Event:

Bridget McGuire’s Filling Station

City in a Jar

Every Little Thing

Hannah Violin

Michelle A. Marcus

Tony Loves Food

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To learn more about STLWine Girl, visit her online!

It’s Missouri and it’s mid-April, and you’re used to cool, rainy days after a long gray winter. You’ve just run 13.1 miles, and it’s 90 degrees outside. What do you want to do next? Where do you want to go? If your answer doesn’t involved eating Ted Drewes’ Frozen Custard, you may not be a St. Louisan at heart.

Ted Drewes is exactly where my running friends and I went with our families after the Go! St. Louis Half Marathon (and after a relaxed brunch at another St. Louis landmark; the Boathouse at Forest Park). We ordered our frozen custard and enjoyed the hot and muggy St. Louis afternoon on park benches outside of Ted Drewes.

Are you new to St. Louis? Are you planning a visit to St. Louis this summer from whatever town or city you call home? Add Ted Drewes Frozen Custard to your “must-eat” list. You can thank me later – preferably by sending a Ted Drewes custard bowl my way in my little nook of Small Town Missouri. To learn more about Ted Drewes, visit them online!

Vietnamese Noodles at Pacific Cafe, photo by MilliGFunk (taken on my iPhone4)

Today for lunch I took full advantage of *not* being in small town Missouri. When my morning meeting ended at Westport Plaza, I used Yelp to do a quick search for nearby restaurants I’d not yet tried. When the listing came up for Vietnamese food at Pacific Cafe, my tummy grumbled and my appetite kicked into high gear – it had been two years since I’d last eaten Vietnamese food!

My experience at Pacific Cafe was directly in  line with what other Yelpers had written in their reviews; the restaurant has sparse decor, cheap food, and a diverse menu. Marketed as a Vietnamese/Asian Fusion restaurant, Pacific Cafe also serves espresso drinks, Thai food and gyros. That said, I’m not sure how much excellence can be provided when the menu is that diverse. On the bright side, the price was right - For under $9.00 I had a Vietnamese iced tea (strong coffee served over ice with condensed, sweetened milk), an egg roll, a bottle of water, and more noodles  & tofu than I could eat.

Pacific Cafe is located in Creve Coeur, Missouri on Olive Boulevard, just off of I-270.  Creve Coeur had a population of 16,888 in the 2009 US Census, so even though it’s inside a busy region of St. Louis County, it technically qualifies as a small Missouri town.

If you’re a business owner who’s interested in maximizing your business’s online presence, using social media to promote your business, or improving your business’s search engine rankings, Market St. Louis is a good place to start.

The conference is small; only 100 tickets are sold. This means that sessions are personal, and that you’ll have the opportunity to talk with the speakers and network with other attendees.

My session, “Great Social Media Isn’t Accidental: Planning for Success” will focus on integrating your overall strategic plans (even your informal ones), your marketing plans (assuming you’ve got them – if not, we’ll talk some about developing them) and your social media strategy (yes, your social media outreach should be strategic).

If you’re looking for one single piece of online magic that’ll send your company’s social media presence soaring, I probably can’t help you. If you’re looking for tangible ways to improve your company’s audience engagement and brand loyalty through ongoing, strategic, online communications, I’m your gal.

Learn more about Market St. Louis and my session at the conference here.

Despite soaring temperatures and unbelievable humidity, my friend and I enjoyed the event. Live music was presented continuously from 11:30 a.m. until 10:00 p.m., though we were too busy planning projects and hiding out under shade trees to listen too closely to any one band.

The food at the festival was mostly really good. The organizers chose mostly locally-owned restaurants (Lola, Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis, etc.). Each vendor offered something that was suitable to people of very different palates, from fruit and cheese plates to Chinese to crepes, and price points were spot-on; ranging from $1.00 to $6.00 per item.

I opted for a savory crepe from Lola, and oooh, was I satisfied. It was fantastic. I’m used to spending $6.00 at festivals for a hot dog and soda. This time the same amount of money bought me a delectable lunch from Lola. For another dollar, I bought a truly refreshing strawberry lemonade from O’Charley’s.

Unlike the cool, coordinated white tents used by the other food and wine vendors, Palermo’s Pizza was served from a mobile marketing trailer covered in photos of pizza and of the Palermo’s logo. I’m sure the pizza tasted fine, but the trailer the pizza was served from didn’t fit in with the crisp, preppy feel of the event. St. Louis Uncorked should opt for one of the many fantastic local pizza joints in the city next year.

The festival itself was free, and while the food was reasonably priced, the wine was a little bit on the expensive side for being served outdoors in plastic cups. $5 bought four tasting tokens, which seemed like a good deal until I realized that two ounces of wine was valued at two tokens.

If you’re having trouble visualizing what two ounces looks like, picture a shot glass or check out this picture:

My $5.00 in tokens bought me tastes of a 2007 Argentinian Malbec from Graffigna and 2007 Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon by Santa Rita. I liked the Chilean Cab, but not enough to buy a bottle. The Argentinian Malbec and I could have spent more than two tokens worth of time together. I’ll likely seek a bottle of this wine out at some point soon.

On a whole, StL Uncorked was a lot of fun. The organizers did a nice job with the venue (Soldier’s Memorial), the view of the Arch, and a wide enough street to allow plenty of people to move through comfortably. The food was great, and the vendors were friendly. I’ll definitely try to attend again if they hold the event in 2011.

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For more information about St. Louis Uncorked, click here.

For reviews of and directions to Lola, click here.

I just left a session on “sustainable, tools-agnostic social media strategy” lead by Jay Baer of ConvinceandConvert.com. Throughout the conference today, there are two sessions at each time slot, meaning that attendees can essentially attend half of the day’s sessions at best. In talking with a colleague who’d attended the opposite session as me at 9 a.m., I decided it may be worth sharing some of my notes today for attendees who miss the sessions I attend.

Jay Baer spoke on a topic I’m passionate about in my professional life; strategy. I can’t count the number of times I’ve sat in “social media” workshops and heard “social media experts” spend their time speaking on specific tools and specific applications. With tools that are constantly changing, the value of the content of those sessions has a limited shelf life. I believe that the real social media experts understand marketing, voice, brand management, and how to be social. Apparently Jay Baer does, too.

Jay outlined a 7 step process on being social:

1. Build an Ark

2. Listen – to what your audiences and competitors are saying and pay attention to where they’re saying it

3. What’s the Point? – i.e why is your company using social media; to build awareness, to make sales, or to increase loyalty?

4. Analyze your Audience – Who is your audience and where are they online? What kind of information do they want and are they ready for? Know what kind of content your audience wants and is ready for (based on their level of engagement with your company/product/brand, but also based on their “social technographic“)

5. Find Your “One Thing” – Decide what the thing is that makes people feel the soul of your organization or company, because that’s the thing that people will connect with. Your business should be about more than a logo or product attributes. Find the soul of your business.

6. Select an Outpost – Figure out where your audiences lie and meet them there. Don’t build a presence via a certain social media presence and expect your audience to follow it if they’re not already using that platform.

7. Measure Impact – match your metrics to your goals (see point #3; are you building awareness, making sales, or encouraging loyalty?)

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The next session I’ll be attending is at 11:30 a.m. and is called “Branding within Social Media”. The session description says, “messaging, visual branding, personal brands and more”. Panelists are Matt Browne (Lending Tree), Steve Parker (Levelwing Media), Kelly Doria (Scottrade), Stephen Linn (CMT/MTV Networks), Thesesa Beffa (Conversations.net).

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Finally, if you’re attending #sofresh today, please #sayhitothefunk. I’m on twitter as @milligfunk, and I’m one of the green-shirted volunteers today at the event. Social media is about being social, and real life interactions add real value to the blogosphere, the twitterverse and this small town girl’s guide to life in rural Missouri.