On this episode of The Sauce podcast, host Lauren Healey sits down with Brandon Panosh, chef and co-owner of Scout’s and The Biscuit Joint in Midtown St. Louis, for a conversation about building two restaurants from the ground up, staying true to his own vision, and the sobriety journey that changed how he cooks and leads.
Brandon walks through how The Biscuit Joint started as a farmers market tent in Lake Saint Louis selling hundreds of biscuits a day before growing into a six-day-a-week quick-service spot, and how Scout’s began as an underground pop-up dinner series he and his business partner Elliot launched during Covid, cooking five-course tasting menus out of their home before eventually opening a permanent space designed to feel like walking through the rooms of a house.
He traces his culinary training back to Vicia, inspired by watching Dan Barber’s episode of Chef’s Table, and talks about the vegetable-forward techniques and philosophy he carried from there into dishes like Scout’s now-famous charred cabbage, walking through the entire process from the oven to the grill to the cream sauce that got better once he simplified it.
Brandon also opens up candidly about quitting drinking, how it reshaped his mental health, relationships and creativity, and how running and biking became his new outlet for stress. He closes out talking about what’s next, including a possible food hall project on Washington Avenue and plans to expand The Biscuit Joint across Missouri and Illinois.
In this episode:
• How The Biscuit Joint took off, from a farmers market tent to a six-day-a-week spot
• Scout’s origin story: pop-up dinners at home during Covid to a permanent midtown space
• Designing Scout’s to feel like walking through the rooms of a home, backyard herb garden included
• Training at Vicia and the Chef’s Table episode that changed his path
• A full breakdown of Scout’s charred cabbage dish, from the oven to the grill to the sauce
• Getting sober, prioritizing mental health, and becoming a better mentor
• Trading alcohol for running and biking as his new stress outlet
• Elliot’s sobriety journey and the night they both decided to quit for good
• Where Brandon eats around town, from Press to Saucy Porka
• What’s next: a possible food hall on Washington Ave and expanding The Biscuit Joint
From pop-up dinners to two restaurants and a clear head.
Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify and all major podcast platforms. New episodes drop every Tuesday.
Thank you to our sponsors SWADE Dispensary and LHM.