Each month, staffers at Sauce Magazine join our program for a regular Sound Bites segment that showcases the area’s latest food trends and highlights local chefs, farmers, restaurateurs and more. But during Friday’s show, the topic wasn’t just the people and places covered within the magazine. It was the publication itself.
On Friday’s St. Louis on the Air, host Sarah Fenske delved into the history of Sauce, which first launched as a website in 1999. Twenty years later, Sauce Magazine is still going strong. A huge reason is publisher Allyson Mace, who remains with the publication to this day.
When asked how it felt to achieve 20 years in business, Mace said, “It's a little humbling, actually.”
Mace and co-founder Cat Neville launched a print edition two years after establishing their web presence — saucecafe.com. When the business partners went separate ways 10 years ago, Mace took full ownership of the publication.
She said her idea of establishing a food website derived from her 15-plus years in the restaurant industry and desire to shine a light on the people making it all happen.
“I was looking around, and there was no great representation for the people that were working so hard,” Mace explained. “I said, ‘Well, you know what, I want people to know who these people are. I want people to learn more about how to eat and dine in St. Louis. So it just came naturally.”
Mace joined Friday’s program along with the magazine’s longtime art director, Meera Nagarajan, and restaurateur Bill Cardwell, who is known for his beloved St. Louis-area restaurants, including Cardwell’s at the Plaza.
Listen to the full conversation to hear more about Sauce’s impact on the local dining scene and how it’s changed over the years:
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill, Lara Hamdan and Tonina Saputo. The engineer is Aaron Doerr, and production assistance is provided by Charlie McDonald.
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