All Entries in the "Classic Businesses" Category

The Great NoCo Pizza Challenge: Fresh Italy vs. Ponticello’s

Well, here we are in Round Seven of the Great NoCo Pizza Challenge, and this is our first week with a repeat contender. As you may recall, Fresh Italy just barely edged out Faraci Pizza for the reader’s choice in Round One. For editor’s choice, it was a tough call, but I went with Faraci.

I know we had some voting problems in the first week, with many readers complaining that they were unable to cast their vote. I considered calling it a draw, but since both sides had voting issues, I’ve decided to let the results stand. I will, however, be sampling another Faraci pizza this week, but that’s only for the editor’s choice category. Readers, these are your two choices:

As far as I’m concerned, if you haven’t been to Ponticello’s, you haven’t been to North County. For five decades, this classic Spanish Lake restaurant (pronounced pont-uh-sell-o’s) has been serving up delicious Italian family recipes, and for many people who grew up in the area, especially baby boomers, it’s a place that holds a lot of fond memories.

I remembering coming to Ponticello’s as a kid, and the amazing thing is it still feels exactly the same way. Even with a new addition masking the original building (a Victorian-era farmhouse), this is one restaurant where you can definitely have a time-warp experience. And I mean that in a good way.

Something about Ponticello’s just feels old-timey. The wallpaper, the dark paneling, I don’t know. All I can say is there’s some classic ambiance here, and it’s totally worth a visit. Especially after you’ve worked up an appetite hiking around Spanish Lake Park or Fort Belle.

Ponticello’s offers a full range of pasta dishes, sandwiches, salads and entrees, but we’re here for the pizza. It’s St. Louis-style, “homemade from top to bottom,” and you can replace the provel with mozzarella if you choose. Specialties include the White, with virgin olive oil and no tomato sauce, the Deluxe, with salami, pepperoni, sausage, bacon, mushroom and onion, and the Vegetable, with onion, broccoli, green pepper, mushroom and tomato. Large single-topping pizzas start at $11.95.

Ponticello’s – 12260 Bellefontaine Road, 63138, (314) 741-3637. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday: 4-9, Sunday 3-9

You met Fresh Italy back in Round One, so I won’t repeat the same information. But since this Florissant favorite made it past the first level of the Pizza Challenge, I figured we should at least take a peek inside. I dropped by today, and I have to say, the dining room is really great. Warm and cozy, with a nice amount of privacy in the booths, it seats around 90 people and has vintage-style gas station lights that are so cute I wish I had one for myself.

I happened to chat up a customer while I was taking photos there, and she told me it was her third time at Fresh Italy this week! The funny thing was, she only discovered the restaurant 10 days ago! “Everything we’ve had has just been so good,” she said, giving particularly high marks to the house-made salad dressing and Pasta con Broccoli.

But alas, we’re here to talk pizza… At Fresh Italy, you can select your own toppings or choose from four specialties – Rick’s Favorite, with breaded chicken, cheese and garlic butter sauce, the Veggie, with tomatoes, green pepper, onion, mushroom and black olive, The Sizzling Hot Sicilian, with sausage, jalapenos, green pepper and onion, or the Vacationer’s Dream Delight, with ham and pineapple. Large single-topping pizzas start at $14.95.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to delight in that dreamy vacation… Sounds good.

Fresh Italy – 119 Florissant Oaks Plaza, 63031, (314) 830-0600. Hours: open every day but Monday starting at 11am

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Cast your vote! Round Seven voting ends Wednesday, February 16, at 11am…

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If you need a contest bracket, you’ll find it right here.

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The Gardens of NoCo: Imperial Crown

Down this pathway lies one of North County's most peaceful gardens...

With all of this snow, I figured you might need a little warming up, NOCO fans. And what better way to catch some sunshine than to take a stroll through a garden? I haven’t done a Gardens of NoCo story for quite some time, and I suspect you’ll find this installment a bit surprising, maybe even odd. But I also hope you’ll see the beauty in this unique place, which truly is one of my favorite “secret” spots in North County.

If you’ve driven down Lindbergh near the Florissant Dierberg’s, you’ve probably passed right by and not even noticed. But tucked away (almost invisibly) behind a battery store and an apartment complex, you’ll find the beckoning pathway and towering trees of Imperial Crown Pet Cemetery, the oldest pet cemetery in St. Louis.

Founded by veterinarian Charles Bauer in 1924, Imperial Crown sprawls over 2.6 lush acres and would be an impressive garden in its own right. But add in the fact that more than 10,000 dogs, cats, gerbils, birds and other family pets have been lovingly put to rest here, often with very touching monuments, and the beautiful heart energy of this special haven is impossible to deny.

The city of Florissant recognized that in 2002, when the cemetery was designated a historic landmark and given irrevocable protected status. I discovered it a few years later, following the death of my cat Bailey, who became one of many cherished pets my family has buried at Imperial Crown since the 1960s.

I’ve visited here countless times since then, often when I’m feeling down, and I have to say….the sense of pure LOVE emanating from this magical woodland never fails to cheer me up. On this cold winter evening, here’s hoping it brings you joy as well…

Imperial Crown Pet Cemetery is located at 115 N. Hwy 67, 63031. It is open for visitors every day of the year.

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Bigfoot 4×4: A North County Original

Bigfoot #5, featuring ten-foot wheels from an Alaskan land train, is one of 17 Bigfoot monster trucks made by Bigfoot 4x4 of Hazelwood.

I have to be honest, motorsports are not my thing. I don’t follow NASCAR or know anything about drag racing or motocross. And up until recently, the whole idea of monster trucks seemed…well, kind of silly to me. But that was before I went to Bigfoot 4×4.

On a private tour of the Hazelwood headquarters that thousands of fans visit every year, I not only learned a lot about Bigfoot and gained a greater appreciation for the sport of monster truck racing. I also met some of the most talented and creative people in the automotive world.

From its familiar location at Lindbergh and 270, Bigfoot 4×4, Inc. has become the unrivaled leader in monster truck and four-wheel drive innovation on the planet, with many employees who are truly world-class experts in their field. A multi-million dollar enterprise founded right here in NoCo, the family-run company builds, customizes and continually repairs its small stable of monster trucks, participating in at least 700 races, car crushes and other events every year.

Since the early 1980s, Bigfoot vehicles have visited 17 countries, appeared in eight films and dozens of TV shows, and inspired one of the best-selling toys of all time. That’s why it’s hard to believe that prior to 1975 monster trucks didn’t even exist.

The birthplace of Bigfoot: 175 Paul Avenue in Ferguson

How it all Began
There aren’t many people who can say they invented a sport, but Bob Chandler is one of them. In the mid-1970s, after teaming with his friend Jim Kramer to open Midwest 4-Wheel Drive Center in Ferguson, he had an idea to create a rolling billboard for his business. Never imagining it would gain so much attention, he took a Ford F-250 truck and beefed it up with big tires, heavy-duty suspension and a high-performance engine, nicknaming it “Bigfoot” because of his own lead foot behind the wheel.

Before long, it was obvious that Chandler’s advertising gimmick had worked. As hoped, customers started clamoring for his 4×4 parts, but more than anything, they wanted to see Bigfoot in action. Chandler kept tweaking the design of his unique “monster truck,” eventually adding rear steering and numerous other modifications, until he finally landed his first paid Bigfoot gig at a Denver car show in 1979.

Two years later, on a lark, he drove Bigfoot over a few junk cars, which led to his first public car-crush in 1982. The rest, as they say, is history.

A marvel of modern automotive engineering, Bigfoot #16 (without its 66" tires)

Building an Industry
Over the years, Chandler has built 17 Bigfoots, each more high-tech than the last. While his early vehicles were stock trucks modified with parts from farm equipment and heavy machinery, today’s Bigfoots are fiberglass “shells” almost entirely created from scratch.

“There probably aren’t more than 10 parts on a truck that we don’t modify,” says Bryan Bertoletti, Bigfoot’s lead mechanic and jack of all trades. “The fans keep wanting bigger, faster, longer, so we’re always challenged to make the trucks better and stronger.”

Machining, painting, fabricating, even driving...Bryan Bertoletti does it all.

From a design standpoint, Bigfoot has been responsible for countless monster truck innovations, including advanced safety features and Chandler’s ground-breaking tube chassis, which made the trucks lighter and faster. But for Bertoletti and other crew members, most of their daily work revolves around a never-ending stream of maintenance issues.

“Broken axles, body repairs…there’s always something needing to be fixed,” he says, noting the inevitable damage caused by racing, jumping and sometimes rolling a five-ton truck. “Generally we work on seven trucks in a week, with just 2-3 days turnaround for each one, so we’re pretty much always busy.”

For safety, Bigfoot's headlights are just decals and its doors are fake too. To enter the vehicle, driver Dan Runte climbs up through a small hole in the truck floor.

The Driver’s Life
If the schedule is hectic at Bigfoot headquarters, it’s even more grueling for drivers on the road. Working 40 weekends a year, with at least 180 days away from home, the nine men and one woman who drive Bigfoot monster trucks for a living are also required to deal with myriad other tasks.

Before shows, they spend up to two hours just putting the wheels on their truck…then two hours afterward to get them off. Many times, they also sign autographs, pose for photos with fans, sell Bigfoot merchandise, drive the semi that carries their truck, and tend to any number of mechanical glitches and body repairs.

Driven by Amber Walker, Ms. Bigfoot was reintroduced in 2010 after an initial debut in 1985.

“Everybody thinks it’s great to be a driver, and it is, but a lot of guys give up after a month,” says Dan Runte, a 22-year Bigfoot veteran. “You have to have a wide mix of skills to do this, because most of the time it’s just you out there. You’re the driver and the PR person and the mechanic.”

To his credit, Runte hasn’t missed a single event in his career. A lifelong daredevil, magnetic people person and genuinely nice guy, he worked his way up from crewperson to driver and now holds three monster truck Guinness World Records, including one for which he jumped 202 feet over a 727 airplane!

When Runte first started as a driver, Bigfoot trucks won 95% of the races they entered. Today, with more and more companies (and individuals) creating their own vehicles, that figure is down to 80% or less.

“The whole world of monster trucks just keeps growing and evolving,” Runte says. “But Bigfoot is still the best out there. The innovation, the quality, the teamwork – that’s what makes us special.”

Bigfoot graphic designer Jeff Cook & VP Bob Trent show off the company's extensive array of merchandise, which is shipped all over the world.

At Home in Hazelwood
As for Chandler, the man who invented it all, there’s still more work to be done. In 1987, he co-founded the Monster Truck Racing Association, drafting rules and safety guidelines for the sport and designing several important safety features. Today, at age 69, he still comes to the office every day and spends much of his time thinking up ways to make monster trucks even stronger and safer. His wife, Marilyn, serves as Bigfoot’s CFO, working alongside their three children and five grandchildren.

“Bob is just a true innovator,” says Bob Trent, Bigfoot VP and Chandler’s son-in-law. “There’s a lot I love about my job, but the coolest thing is working with a guy who basically created an entire industry…and did it right here in North County.”

Runte agrees. “I don’t know what all of us would be doing if it weren’t for Bob, but I can guarantee you we wouldn’t be having this much fun!”

To meet Bob Chandler, Dan Runte and the rest of the very talented Bigfoot crew, head to Bigfoot 4×4 on Saturday, June 26, for the company’s annual Open House. Lindbergh and 270 in Hazelwood, 10am-4pm. Admission is free. For more info, visit the Bigfoot website or call (314) 731-2822.

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The White Barn: a NoCo tradition for 29 years

Despite its small size and, some would say, dodgy location, the White Barn in Moline Acres serves up nearly 1,000 pounds of fresh hamburgers every week.

If you’ve been to Crown Candy or Dad’s Cookies or Eat-Rite Diner, you’ll understand what I mean. Every so often, a local business sticks around long enough, and changes so little over the years, it’s almost like you stumbled into a time warp. The food is the same. The decor is the same. And the people – those interesting characters who color the business and shape its unique feel – well, they’re still doing exactly what they’ve always done, and all of us are just lucky to enjoy it.

That’s the story of the White Barn, a no-frills hamburger shack in Moline Acres that has barely changed one bit since 1981. It’s also the story of Rich Robson, the 75-year-old chef and original owner whose beaming smile and juicy burgers draw devout customers from all over St. Louis.

Rich Robson with his "beautiful ladies" - current White Barn owner Debbie Mueller (left) and her sister Lisa, who both grew up in North County

Robson opened the White Barn 29 years ago, on Halloween, following more than two decades as the owner of a lunch truck. Once known as “Dick the Diner,” he peddled sandwiches and hamburgers outside of companies like GM and Carter Carburetor, until one day he noticed a “for sale” sign on a little barn-shaped building on Chambers Road, right next to the Moline Acres Police Department.

Built in 1968 as a drive-thru dairy, the barn measured just 481 square feet, but to Robson, it was just the right size. “Coming from a lunch truck, I didn’t need a lot of room,” he says, ever the cheerful optimist. “And I need even less now that my hair is gone!”

The belly-busting, one-pound White Barn double cheeseburger

Indeed, size doesn’t seem to matter at the Barn, where more than 90 pounds of fresh beef is ground, balled and cooked every day. Customers order at one window then pick up their food, 5-10 minutes later, at another window just a few feet away. Inside, 3-4 employees prep, cook and bag in nearly perfect precision, constantly on the move.

“I guess our volume is pretty incredible,” says Debbie Mueller, a salt-of-the-earth, lifelong North County gal who bought the hamburger stand from Robson in 2003 and now works there five days a week. “A restaurant equipment guy came by recently and couldn’t believe the business we do on a 24-inch grill and two fryers. Especially for a place that doesn’t advertise!”

Perhaps it’s due to the Barn’s savory burgers, which are made using meat from nearby Riverview Dairy. Or maybe it’s the fact that you can get a 1/2-pound cheeseburger, fries and a soda for the bargain price of just $4.50, always served with loads of personality.

“We get a lot of utility guys coming here,” Mueller says, just as one of her regular “boyfriends” pulls up to the drive-thru. “Hey there, honey! What can I get you today?”

Rich's White Barn burgers, formed into 1/2-pound balls every day

After jotting down his order – all in shorthand, on a piece of scrap paper – Mueller tells me that many of her customers grew up eating White Barn and now come from all over St. Louis to bring their kids back. “They like the burgers, but I think they really love Rich,” she says. “If they call him Dick the Diner, you know they’re from way back.”

“It’s just my pretty face,” Robson jokes. “Actually, I’ve been frying here almost every day since 1981 and I still don’t know how to cook hamburgers. I just do this for fun.”

Nonsense, Mueller retorts. Not only does Robson cook great burgers – “worth the weight,” as the Barn’s slogan says – but he also makes delicious pork steak, meatloaf, catfish, Polish sausage and a whole array of fried delights, including funnel cake!

For her part, Mueller keeps the restaurant stocked and ready, often buying ingredients from local vendors. “We try to stay local whenever we can,” she says. “Our sausage is from Piekutowski’s in North City, our buns are from Wonder, our soda is from Vess. We also get a lot from Tocco Foods on East Prairie.”

And from now on, all of those orders will be doubled. That’s because Mueller and her husband recently opened the second White Barn location – in the former Rally’s, near the Florissant Post Office.

White Barn #2, in Florissant

Robson, a grandfather of five who lives in Ferguson, won’t be working there, which is too bad. But the new restaurant will still be serving his original recipes and maintaining the Barn’s legacy of good, simple food for a reasonable price. “Rich created all of this,” Mueller says. “We’re just lucky that he let us be a part of it.”

The original White Barn is open Monday through Saturday, 11am-8pm, and is located at 2457 Chambers Road, 63136. Cash only.  White Barn #2, which takes cash and debit cards, is open the same hours and is located at 2182 N. Lindbergh, 63033.

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