On this episode of the STL Bucket List Show, we sit down with Ono Ikanone, the chef and owner behind Levels, an authentic Nigerian restaurant in the heart of downtown St. Louis on Washington Ave.

Ono Ikanone moved from Nigeria to St. Louis at 14, the youngest in a family that already had deep roots in the city. He figured out American life on his own, from traffic tickets to property taxes. He also learned to cook by calling his mom back home and following her recipes. What started as cooking for friends, with pregame hangouts at his place and parties that pulled together Nigerian friends, SLU students, and everyone in between, turned into a restaurant that opened in July 2023. He tells the story of buying the building, how his parents’ hopes for a doctor, lawyer, or engineer gave way to pride, and what it takes to own real estate in a tough industry, where one broken roof or HVAC unit can wipe out a month.

He walks through the evolution of the Levels menu, from the pepper soup with goat meat to spice levels that every guest can choose for themselves, plus Sunday brunch, catering, festival appearances, and pop-ups. He shares the story of a campus pop-up where a summer class left early and the college professor who said it was all his fault. He also talks about a trip back to Nigeria to reset and take in its hospitality scene, and about his dream of becoming a chef who cooks special dishes, comes out to tell the story behind them, and hosts dinner series.

He also shares some of his favorite spots around St. Louis, including Mama’s on the Hill and Me Hungry.

It’s a conversation about culture, hospitality, and building something bigger than a restaurant, one plate at a time.

They discuss:

• Moving from Nigeria to St. Louis at 14 and learning to cook by calling mom
• Buying a building on Wash Ave and winning over skeptical parents
• Turning friend gatherings into Levels, which opened in July 2023
• Pepper soup, adjustable spice levels, Sunday brunch, catering, and pop-ups
• The realities of owning a building in the restaurant industry
• A trip back to Nigeria, dinner series dreams, and his favorite St. Louis restaurants

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🤝 WORK WITH STL BUCKET LIST Interested in partnering or sponsoring an episode? Email ▶ show@stlbucketlist.com Website ▶ https://www.bucketlistcreative.com

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube
📍 Recorded at Bucket List Podcast Studio, St. Louis, MO

On this episode of the STL Bucket List Show, we sit down with Mark Sawyier, the founder behind GiftBetter. He’s reinventing the gift card so that every dollar stays in the community, one local business at a time.

Mark came from New York City to go to WashU and started his first business from his dorm room. He stayed in St. Louis for 20 years of building companies, including a digital marketing agency and the employee engagement platform Bonfire. When Bonfire’s clients kept asking for local gift card options, Mark dug into the numbers. Americans spend nearly $270 billion a year on gift cards, and about 90% of it goes to national chains. In St. Louis alone, close to $2 billion a year leaves the region. GiftBetter connects to the gift card systems local merchants already use, like Square, Toast and Clover. It adds video messages, custom physical cards you can load on the spot, and lets the recipient choose where to spend it. Merchants pay nothing to join.

It’s a conversation about why St. Louis is built for founders, what a gift card really says about the person giving it, and what happens when a startup’s growth is measured in dollars kept at home.

They discuss:

- Mark’s path from NYC to WashU, and why St. Louis’s affordability, access and talent kept him here
- How Bonfire’s corporate clients sparked the idea for GiftBetter
- GiftBetter’s pillars: local spending, personalization, custom physical cards and recipient choice
- How the platform helps merchants with cash flow and gives companies easy gifting with built-in tracking
- Advice for young founders on de-risking, staying focused and ignoring vanity metrics

Support the show

🎙 New episodes drop every Wednesday.

🔔 SUBSCRIBE FOR NEW EPISODES EVERY WEEK 🔔

🎧 LISTEN ON: Apple Podcasts ▶ https://apple.co/36ycuuO Spotify ▶ https://spoti.fi/3svGoqS

🔗 CONNECT WITH STL BUCKET LIST: Instagram ▶ https://www.instagram.com/stlbucketlist Website ▶ stlbucketlist.com

🤝 WORK WITH STL BUCKET LIST Interested in partnering or sponsoring an episode? Email ▶ show@stlbucketlist.com Website ▶ https://www.bucketlistcreative.com

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube
📍 Recorded at Bucket List Podcast Studio, St. Louis, MO

On this episode of the STL Bucket List Show, we sit down with Charles Whitt, co-founder of the Mound City Film Festival — a free, full-day celebration of Saint Louis and the Midwest, one film, band, and bite at a time.

What started last year as a monthly Mountainfilm series at Four Hands Brewing Co. downtown, created to celebrate Open Space STL's 60th anniversary, is now taking over Atomic by Jamo in The Grove on Saturday, November 7th. Charles walks us through the day, from live art demos curated by Third Degree Glass Factory and climbing clinics with Climb So iLL to sets from Atomic Junction and chef-driven Atomic Eats pairings with Four Hands, plus the Mountainfilm tour lineup and regional filmmakers tackling our rivers, reforestation, native pollinators, and healing outdoors. He also shares why the festival leans environmental, what it took to screen 42 films this summer, and his vision for turning Mound City into a walkable, multi-venue neighborhood festival.

It's a conversation about Saint Louis stories, the great outdoors, and what happens when a city stops waiting for big events to come from somewhere else.

They discuss:

- Growing a brewery film series into a full-day festival
- Live art, local music, and food and drink pairings at Atomic by Jamo
- Regional films on rivers, reforestation, and native pollinators
- Bringing Mountainfilm's tour and outdoor adventure to STL
- Planning your free day out and where Mound City goes next

Support the show

🎙 New episodes drop every Wednesday.

🔔 SUBSCRIBE FOR NEW EPISODES EVERY WEEK 🔔

🎧 LISTEN ON: Apple Podcasts ▶ https://apple.co/36ycuuO Spotify ▶ https://spoti.fi/3svGoqS

🔗 CONNECT WITH STL BUCKET LIST: Instagram ▶ https://www.instagram.com/stlbucketlist Website ▶ stlbucketlist.com

🤝 WORK WITH STL BUCKET LIST Interested in partnering or sponsoring an episode? Email ▶ show@stlbucketlist.com Website ▶ https://www.bucketlistcreative.com

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube
📍 Recorded at Bucket List Podcast Studio, St. Louis, MO