St. Peters residents now have a new place to dine on authentic Italian cuisine. Dino’s Pizza Italian Restaurant and Café, located on Mexico Road, opened in October. The eatery is a full-service Italian restaurant, serving everything from pizza by the slice, to pasta dishes to appetizers and breads. The restaurant offers carry-out, has a few tables for dining in, delivery when available and also offers full catering. “People can expect to get food that is like what’s served on The Hill here in St. Peters,” Dino’s owner and chef, Tony Borrelli, said of the menu. Borrelli said some of the things…

Decorative artist Judy Dodson enjoys working in a multiple mediums, but got her start as a painter. In fact, Dodson said she has two passions: painting and teaching. The artist divides her time between her two talents. The painter has taught for 25 years. During that time she has instructed others both privately in her home as well as teaching area Girl Scout leaders how to create fun art projects. The leaders then in turn teach their troops the skill. “In many cases they haven’t even held a paint brush,” she said of her pupils. Dodson said she loves instructing the troop leaders, partly …

Legal Shield is a national pre-paid legal service company with 40 years of experience. For one low monthly fee, members gain access to legal service for issues that need legal attention, from the trivial to traumatic, according to independent associate Alice Vierck. Members can get advice about credit, identity protection and gain knowledge about their lawful rights. Vierck sums up the importance of being educated on rights in a simple philosophy: a lack of knowledge is as good as forfeiting liberties. “If you don’t know what your rights are, you don’t have any,” said Vierck. Vierck also said…

Alfreeda Meyer, who recently turned 93, has had many experiences throughout her years. She worked as an Avon representative, played in a band and got married in a Las Vegas wedding chapel. Meyer lived in St. Peters for many years, but moved to Meadowlands Assisted Living in 2009 when the facility opened. Meyer was born in the small town of Morely, Missouri, located near Cape Girardeau. One of four kids, she moved to the St. Louis metro area at 9 years old. Meyer and her siblings came by train to Union Station. Upon her arrival, Meyer said she didn’t know what to make of the new city. “When I …

When looking for a photographer to take a family portrait or senior pictures, it's important to not only find someone with expertise, but also someone who can put their subjects at ease. “It’s all about making people comfortable when having their portraits done,” said Dave Seidel of Dave Seidel Photography. While making his clients feel comfortable is an important part of his job, Seidel said there are a couple things that make his studio unique—one of which is getting to know his photography subjects before the shoot. He said he spends time with his clients, before they ever step in front of…

As any serial dieter can attest, losing weight can be a fairly simple process. It’s keeping the weight off that can prove difficult. There can be numerous factors for regaining weight that has been previously lost, from the lack of having a support system or weight loss buddy to simply not changing one’s lifestyle. Take Shape For Life is a national health and weight loss plan with local representatives, called a health coach, who guide clients on their journey toward better health. “Our objective is not only to lose weight, but to create optimal health,” said Take Shape For Life health coach …

St. Peters residents will soon have a new local place to get their wedding and other specialty cakes from. Cake creator Laura Andert, owner of Laulie Cakes, has plans to open a new store in the city. The business will be Andert’s first official store, but she has been making delicious creations out of her home for the past few years. Andert expects to be fully moved into her new location and open for business by early September. Andert has been baking professionally for three years, but said she started making cakes eight years ago. Andert said when she couldn’t find anyone that could make …

The musical group Clockwork is an up-and-coming band based in St. Charles County. Like most unsigned bands, they’re promoting their music, playing local shows and trying to get their name out there. However, Clockwork is unique from other bands due to their age. The trio is young—two of the musicians are still in high school. Yet this group of adolescents are writing songs and performing at gigs. In fact, one listen makes it hard to believe the group is so young. With Logan Mohler, age 15 on drums, Logan Slone, age 15 on bass and backup vocals and Jordan Slone, age 18 on guitar and lead …

According to its website, Zonta Club of St. Charles, chartered in 1962, is one of 1,255 clubs of Zonta International, a worldwide service organization of executives in business and the professions working together to advance the status of women. Zonta Club is an organization that was founded in part by Amelia Earhart in 1919—one year before women in the U.S. had the right to vote. “The mission of the club is to support and promote women, no matter their ethnic or economic background, the organization strives to support women of all backgrounds,” said Gladys Schubach, president of Zonta Club …

Mary Reynolds, owner of Mary’s Morsels and More, makes items traditionally found in a bakery, while also offering a variety of food. The eatery carries coffee cakes, gooey butter cake, pies and large cinnamon rolls, with all the items baked fresh daily. Breakfast and lunch are also served six days a week. The baker has been making goodies professionally for 13 years, but said she began baking in childhood. “I’ve been baking for friends and family for years,” Reynolds said. Over the years, she has perfected her recipes to include a lot more than cakes and pies. Reynolds said Mary’s Morsels and…

Many people visit a jeweler when they’re shopping for that special piece of jewelry or when their favorite trinket is in need of repair, but a certain amount of trust is needed between a jeweler and the customer. Juan Ramirez, owner of Amante Jewelers, said he understands how crucial that relationship is. “Everything is built on trust and within the first 10 seconds when someone comes in, they know if they’re going to do business with you,” he said. For Ramirez, a good relationship with his customers is built through rapport and making sure all their needs are met. “Everyone says ‘We give …

The St. Charles County Habitat for Humanity will soon have a new location for their Habitat ReStore shop. The home improvement store, which has been open since 2008 in St. Peters, will relocate to O’Fallon next year. The majority of the money made in the store goes to helping the organization to build more homes. “It’s a tremendous way that we can be self-sufficient as a non-profit, since we’re telling our homeowners to be self-sufficient as well,” said Ashlee Johnson, St. Charles County Habitat for Humanity Executive Director. Johnson went on to say that the store helps provide diverse …

For designer and artistic painter Julie Dale, owner of Artistic Effects Studio, creating impressive and distinguished interiors is all in a day’s work. Living up to the name of her business, Dale takes something practical—like painting a wall, refinishing a cabinet or resurfacing a countertop—and adds an artist’s touch to each project by adding textures and depth. While she works in many different mediums, she admits to having an affinity for the classics, and loves working in plaster. “I’m kind of a purist when it comes to the Italian plasters,” Dale said. Dale earned a Master of Fine Arts …

Anyone looking to enjoy live music in the St. Peters-area can check out rock cover band Two Dollar Pistol. The group specializes in playing a variety of hits from the late 60s to the early 90s. The rockers officially formed as a band in August of 2010, but most of the members have known each other a lot longer. Their style is eclectic, as they play a little of everything from classic rock to blues. Guitarist Rob Heady said the group tries to play things that other bands in their genre don’t. “We try to stay away from what the average cover band plays,” Heady said. Another thing that sets them…

Our Lady's Inn is a facility that helps area women who are in need of emergency shelter. The shelter has two locations, one in St. Louis and one located in St. Charles County. The organization has been helping expectant mothers and their families in the St. Louis area for 30 years. The St. Charles County location opened its doors five years ago, in a building that was previously used as a nursing home. Because of the building’s previous history, each family at Our Lady’s Inn has their own private living quarters, which makes the shelter unique. “Each family has their own room, and their own …

As many people in today’s job market know, the face of business is changing. Whether it is due to technology, emerging social media or just finding a work/life balance, it seems the rules are constantly evolving. Luckily there are groups and organizations in place to offer support, networking and knowledge about our ever-changing business world. Those looking to make new contacts, network or needing help with growing their business might want to look into joining the St. Peters Young Professionals. “We’re a group within the subgroup of the St. Peters Chamber of Commerce,” said John Wehmer, St…

St. Peters resident and artist Jan Groenemann had it all figured out at a young age. “As a child, if anyone ever asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I knew I was going to be an artist, from as young as four years old,”  she said.  The southern Missouri native paints abstract and mixed media art, often depicting nature. She holds a dual bachelor degree in art education and business and earned her master’s in studio art, with an emphasis in painting. In addition to painting, Groenemann is also an art instructor, a humanities professor at Lindenwood University, an award-winning poet and…

Traditionally, coffee houses are known for being a mecca within the communities they serve, and a local St. Peters coffee house is no exception. "We're almost like a quasi-community center," said Jack Heckenkamp, owner of Saint Charles Coffee House. Heckenkamp runs the family-owned business together with his wife, Julie and their daughter, Melissa Schiller. The coffeehouse gets their coffee beans from local micro roaster, Chauvin Coffee based in St. Louis, which uses an old European-style gas roaster, guaranteeing a full-flavored brew. Saint Charles Coffee House offers a variety of coffee and…

The St. Peters community theater group ACT II was started in 1993. What many may not know is that it was started by a group of parents whose children were involved in the Young People's Theater. “We came up with this crazy notion that we could pull off doing a show, and it would be fun,” said Jessie Resimius, former ACT II president and current board member. Fast-forward 18 years and more than 70 productions later, and ACT II has grown into a community theater group comprised entirely of volunteers. “Being a not-for-profit, all-volunteer community theater group we owe all of our success to …

Michelle Johnson holds the formal title of life enrichment director at Oak Tree Village Retirement Community, but said she wears many hats in her day-to-day job. “My job is to make sure every resident is touched in some way every day,” she said. “... Touching 170 people a day could mean anything, from planning activities inside and outside of the community." Johnson said she will have been in her current position for three years this August, and said she knows that working in this field is her calling. The path to her current position was a winding road through a career in real estate and …