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HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons hosts the most downloaded sports podcast of all time, with a rotating crew of celebrities, athletes, and media staples, as well as mainstays like Cousin Sal, Joe House, and a slew of other friends and family members who always happen to be suspiciously available.
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The kitchen should feel like a home you’re invited into, and that’s exactly what we experienced with Mario Iaccarino of Casa Don Alfonso at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis. From Sorrento to Clayton, Mario shares how design, memory, and an open-kitchen stage turn dinner into a sensory journey—copper pans glowing, custom tiles whispering history, and wisteria captured in glass and paint. It’s hospitality you can see, smell, and taste.
We dig into the culinary mission that powers the room: safeguarding generational recipes from Southern Italy while honoring Mediterranean seasonality. The menu changes twice a year to mirror nature, with winter vegetables replacing summer favorites, except for the beloved eggplant parmigiana that never leaves. We explore how classics are reimagined with integrity—a feather-light parmigiano espuma gracing a house Caesar, a tiramisu included because guests crave it and done with precision, not shortcuts. Then comes a sweet new chapter: the Casa pastry boutique, where morning croissants, Sfogliatella, Babà, and Caprese cake meet Ritz-Carlton staples, inviting daily rituals from cappuccino to tea-time indulgence.
Mario also speaks to food as an investment in health, drawing on the Mediterranean diet’s proven benefits—extra virgin olive oil, fish, legumes, vegetables, and fruit driving longevity and heart health. From there, we switch gears to relationships and time: scheduling dates with partners, teams, and ourselves; saying yes to surprise nights out; and learning to take a small vacation from our routines to keep the spark alive. To cap the holiday mood, we share a practical guide to real Christmas trees—balsam or grand fir for that classic scent, Fraser for a clean piney note, and a few to avoid if you want aroma—plus local Missouri tree farms for a nostalgic outing.
If this conversation filled your cup, subscribe, share it with a friend who loves food and travel, and leave a review to help more listeners discover our show. What tradition are you savoring this season?
You can see the Live Video To all of our shows at:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcRJsM_js_n_aX6Vt-lV2lQ
https://www.facebook.com/inyourcityshow
Chapters
1. Ritz-Carlton Happy Hour Setup (00:00:00)
2. Meet Mario Iaccarino (00:01:51)
3. How The Partnership Began (00:03:22)
4. Designing A Home Kitchen In A Hotel (00:04:33)
5. Wisteria, Tiles, And Memory (00:06:10)
6. Preserving Generational Recipes (00:09:00)
7. Mediterranean Roots And Menu Choices (00:11:10)
8. Seasonality And The Famous Parmigiana (00:13:40)
9. Reinventing Classics Like Caesar Salad (00:16:20)
10. Launching The Pastry Boutique (00:17:50)
11. Pastry Culture And Daily Rituals (00:20:15)
12. New Winter Menu And Pizza Craft (00:22:30)
13. Food As Health And Mediterranean Diet (00:25:10)
14. Toasts, Gratitude, And Closing (00:28:00)
15. Turning To Relationships And Self-Dates (00:28:35)
16. Surprise Dates And Keeping The Spark (00:31:10)
17. Intentional Time And Work-Life Boundaries (00:34:40)
18. Holiday Trees: What To Buy And Avoid (00:37:30)
19. Local Tree Farms And Traditions (00:41:00)
20. Nostalgia, Decor, And Parting Saluti (00:45:20)
48 episodes
