Inside the Clayton Farmer's Market

Clayton Farmer's Market: Meet Kris and Stacey Larson of Riverbend Roots

The couple share a passion for farming, family and an honest day's work.

First-generation farmers Kris and Stacey Larson have two great love stories to tell their future grandchildren—one about how they met, the other about how they found their shared passion. Each spouse loves farming, and each intentionally chose to make farming a career. But the couple didn’t follow a traditional path: Unlike many farmers, neither grew up on a farm. Instead, each discovered farming in college. The best part: This all happened before they ever met. “We both independently discovered it,” Kris Larson said. “I was volunteering on a local farm a few hours a week, and Stacey had joined a farm as a farm apprentice.” He said his volunteering led him to consider farming as a full-time job. The couple met and fell in love after they …

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Patch Picks

Clayton Ice Rink Brainstorming, Delta Gamma's Paper Shred Day and More

Here's what's happening in and near Clayton, Richmond Heights, Ladue and University City starting Thursday and continuing through Sunday.

Clayton-Richmond Heights Patch teams up with neighboring Patch sites each week to round up events and happenings in the area. Here are our picks for this weekend. Thursday, May 17 Friday, May 18 Saturday, May 19 Sunday, May 20 Did we miss your event? Share it with the community in the comments section, below!

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Brilliant Antiques to Close After 35 Years in Clayton

Store owner Arlene Brilliant calls herself competitive. She shared the challenges and joys of buying antiques in England—along with a celebrity encounter—in an interview this week.

Arlene Brilliant remembers being woken by a midnight phone call during an antique-buying trip in England. She asked whether the caller realized what time it was. The call proved worthwhile: An employee of her store, Brilliant Antiques in Clayton, was phoning to say that Liberace had just purchased nearly every piece of merchandise in the building. Turns out, the pianist had been dying to visit from the moment he arrived in St. Louis. She met the celebrity on a subsequent visit. Those are some of the many adventures Brilliant, 85, recounted this week during an interview at her home in Ladue. She will close her business by the end of next month after more than 35 years in Clayton. A sale is underway at the store, which will remain open to …

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Do You Think Farmers' Markets Are 'Fresher'?

Local farmers’ market vendors say that the fruits and veggies they grow are superior to grocery store produce for many reasons.

Do you buy the freshest produce possible? According to many area farmers, the fruits and vegetables you buy at the grocery store may not be as fresh as you think. With farmers' markets open now (or about to open) around the St. Louis area, including Wentzville, Lake Saint Louis, Webster Groves, Kirkwood, Clayton, Ellisville, Wildwood, Arnold and elsewhere, we wanted to talk a little about what "fresh" means to you. Tim Hess, owner of Silent Oaks farm and a vendor at several area farmers’ markets, told Patch that most of the produce sold in local grocery stores comes from Calfornia or Florida, areas where many farms are staffed by migrant workers. “It’s a long trail and at the end of the trail you’ll find that migrant Mexican workers do …

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Ed Norman

1:28 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The two greatest deterrents to lo locally grown produce and fruits are... 1. Convenience - everyone wants to have their needs met close to home, easily accessible and inexpensive 2. Instant Gratification - "I want it NOW, even though it is not in season I want it and should be able to have it!" Gone are the days of waiting for the peaches and tomatoes to ripen in the backyard! I personally would …   more ›

Bar Les Freres Set to Open on Wydown by Summer's End

Clayton aldermen approved a permit for the business at a meeting last week.

An operating permit has been approved for Bar Les Freres, a petite French cafe and bar planned on Wydown Boulevard. The Clayton Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to move forward with the development at a meeting Tuesday. Construction is expected to begin in a couple of weeks, and the restaurant is set to open by the end of the summer, owner Zoe Robinson said. Like Starbucks a few retail spaces down, Bar Les Freres will feature outdoor dining. The outdoor area will double the number of patrons the restaurant can accommodate. "I have a little bit more space, so we're terracing it," Robinson said. "… The whole space is very elegant." It also boasts what she described as "beautiful arched windows." Robinson said she is working with fire …

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Fortune 500 Includes Graybar, Centene

Seven other St. Louis companies also made the list of big U.S. corporations, the St. Louis Business Journal reported.

Clayton-based companies Graybar Electric and Centene Corp. have been named to the Fortune 500, the St. Louis Business Journal reported last week. Quoting from the Business Journal article: "Fortune magazine has released its annual ranking of America’s largest corporations, and nine St. Louis-area companies made the list." Read the complete list and learn whether the businesses moved up (or down) in the full Business Journal article.

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WATCH: Heights Members Share Stories of Fitness, Family

The Heights community center in Richmond Heights is the subject of a recent YouTube video.

A children's fitness area and other amenities are featured in a recent video from All About Business TV spotlighting The Heights community center. There's also a shoutout for the Richmond Heights Memorial Library. Check out the YouTube clip attached to this article to learn more about this Richmond Heights institution.

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