Captured Event

April, 26 2005 - Miso and Alive Magazine Present Miso is Alive

What: Cocktails and h'ors doeuvres under the tent at Miso on Meramec.

Where: Miso on Meramac

When: April 26, 2005

Time: 5:30 PM

Ticket Prices: Free

Attendance: 400 Guests

Attire: Casual

Information: Cheresse Pentella 314-367-8954

Blacktie Photos by: Asher Edelstein

Shannon Miller, Rita Zheregi
View all photos

Miso and Alive Magazine Present Miso is Alive On Tuesday, April 26, 2005, 400 party goers joined ALIVE magazine cover models, pro athletes, local celebrities, and DJ Scott McMurray for cocktails and h'ors doeures under the tent across from Miso on Meramec in Clayton. Later that evening, the event continued in the basement of Miso with the kickoff of Miso's new elemental sauces and DJ Gary Mac. Put on by restaurant owner Brad Beracha, Attilio D’Agostino and Elizabeth Tucker of Alive Magazine and Cheresse INK, this swanky party in middle of Clayton brought out every who’s who around town. Cars were backed up for blocks as the women kept coming out in backless outfits in the middle of a chilly day to be show this town what ALIVE really means. As the crowd grew the following could be seen: Chris Balish and Heidi Glaus of KSDK 5 Show Me St. Louis, Vickie Newton of KMOV 4, now so skinny Steph & Courtney for the Y-98 show, Marc Mulder-Cardinals Pitcher, Barret Jackmen and Ryan Johnson from the Blues now Otters players, Keith Harris Director of PR for the RAMS, Tim Embree of Mayor Slay's campaign team, McGraw Milhaven of the Big 550 KTRS, Ellen Soule head of PR Neiman Marcus, Priscilla Visintine (another pr guru), Michael Hetelson owner of the Steamers with several of his players including Justin McMillian, Lindsay Kennedy not to mention hip hop stars VICE and Vincent, Bobby & Danny Slavin, Ira Dewitt, Kevin Glazer, Mayor of Clayton Ben Uchitelle, Gilerto Pinela host of Best of the STL and UPN Latino, D-Sly from Charter Entertainment, Molly & Doug Sansone, Michael Wagner of the River Front Times, Mike & Serena Proctor (McDonald’s), Margo Kopman of Byrd, Scott & Anne Sutter of Mount Pleasant, Jacob Laws-new designer, Rick Gould photographer, Bill Bruce, Frank Schmitz of BARcelona, John Rogers criminal defense attorney of Rosenblum, Schwartz & Rogers, Andrew Kroupen….and many more! The free event served a dual purpose to celebrate: MISO’s anniversary and ALIVE Magazine’s launch. Miso on Meramec, the first full-service sushi and Pan-Asian restaurant in Clayton is ALIVE. This 4,000 square ft. multi-level sushi and tapas restaurant is approaching the close of their fourth year of business. Known for its “Best of” rankings in the Post-Dispatch, the RiverFront Times, and Sauce Magazine over the past three years, owner and creator, Brad Beracha and sushi chefs Hisohiro Kurata and Richard Almgren, felt it was time to kick it up a notch and created an Ele-Mental experience extraordinaire! There is a delicious alternative to sushi menu that is already represented with French, Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai, Chinese and Indian dishes that include beef tenderloin, duck breast, sautéed grouper, lamb chops, pork tenderloin, and sea scallops. But if you are a fan of Miso’s sushi, you will have four new Ele-Mental dipping sauces to choose from to enhance any order of sushi, sashimi, or maki (rolls) that you order, coinciding with, and empowering the four basic tastes that our palates can detect, to become “Alive”. The sauces, named after for the 4 basic elements: earth, fire, water & air are distinguished by their own style and euphoric taste. Air (Champagne), looks just like a dreamy, thick cloud and taste like a great bottle of Dom with a kick. The Soy-Based Spicy Sauce (Fire) is just that, a very spicy topping that has little scallions floating mimicking tiny fireballs. Water (Sashimi Sauce), moves in like the waves and enhances the roll with a push to the senses. Earth (Wasabi Aioli Sauce) is used on their popular fried calamari, and is an instant hit with Miso regulars. Labeled because of its earth tone, this creamy sauce has just a hint of wasabi and goes great with any tempura items such as spider rolls and shrimp tempura rolls. Presentation is key to every good element, so, when ordered, the 4 sauces (vibrant in color) will come in 4 white bowls on top of a glass plate with delicately sliced carrot sprinkled across the bottom of the plate keeping the four elements together. From the diverse seating arrangement of lush couches, chairs, round bar tables and private dinning sections, Miso continues to create that spiritual and mystical quality around town. The groovy soulful House music, plasma televisions, friendly staff providing excellent service, has kept Miso ahead of the curve since their inception. Miso has been designed to handle a large volume of people, while maintaining an intimate, comfortable upscale lounge atmosphere. Miso also mixes a wide selection of drinks including, hot and cold sakes, an extensive wine list, and all Japanese imports. Miso is located in the heart or Clayton on Meramac; can take private parties and also caters. For more information on Miso or to become a Miso member visit their website at www.misolounge.com. Attilio’s Nutrition*Fitness*Weight Loss stores founder, Attilio D’Agostino has created a new magazine on health and fitness entitled ALIVE. This evening's event served as the magazine's formal launch. Attilio, got his start in the weight-loss industry as a personal trainer, then branched out into nutritional supplements by recommending them to his clients and eventually began selling them via home delivery. That is, until he opened his first store; now there are a total of 12 stores: seven in the St. Louis area, three in Indianapolis, Ind., and two in Illinois. All carry a combination of weight-loss and sports supplements and emphasize weight-loss and fitness solutions; the stores themselves are between 1,200 and 1,600 square feet and have an upbeat, energetic atmosphere. One of its flagship products, the T-Burn 20/30 Plan, part of the T-Burn W eight Loss System by Nutrition That Clicks™ (sold exclusively by Attilio’s), is promoted as helping a person lose 20 pounds in just 30 days, according to Elizabeth Tucker, executive director for Attilio’s. She has heard numerous stories of customers losing excessive amounts of weight (100 pounds or more, or from seven to 12 pounds in two weeks) using this plan, which comes in different formulations, depending on the person’s dietary goals and nutritional needs. “People see results and continue to take it,” Tucker said, “which leads to repeat business.” In fact, approximately 50 percent of the chain’s sales comes from repeat business, according to Tucker, which she attributes to the good relationship Attilio’s staff establishes with customers. “W e have a really good relationship with our clients because we try to educate them along the way and then we sell them products that work,” Tucker said. The staff also sticks to the foundation supplements it recommends for sports nutrition and weight-loss (a combination of supplements including protein, creatine, a fat-burner and multivitamin) and educates customers on why the foundation is so important. Individual supplements that can enhance that foundation can also be added for optimal performance and results. Having an educated staff with good customer service skills is also very important because the clientele base is so varied. The stores attract a variety of customers, including young men trying to bulk up, older persons looking for a glucosamine chondroitin product and everyone in between, according to Tucker, who described the chain’s customers as “urban professionals.” In an average month, 750 to 1,500 customers visit each location and the gender split is approximately 50/50. Attilio’s takes pride in educating its staff, and all go through an extensive training program and series of tests on topics such as weight-loss and sports nutrition. Once they complete this process, they become “Nutritional Consultants” and work with clients to assess the best supplements for them to take and what work-out regimen(s) might work best for them to attain their goals. Because D’Agostino has Cystic fibrosis, nutritional supplements, weight loss and fitness are a way of life for him. He spends much of his time training individual employees and managers and working on the chain’s magazine, Alive: Your Journal for Personal Wellness. The lifestyle magazine started out as a newsletter that was circulated internally for fun, and has since grown into a glossy, 48-page magazine published six times a year. Attilio’s plans to beef it up once more readership and advertisers have been secured. The free magazine is popular enough that people are requesting an annual subscription. Prior to this, Tucker said there was no lifestyle magazine in St. Louis. The chain is now using a distribution service for the magazine’s circulation, to get it out to grocery stores, club stores, local restaurants, personal care salons and advertisers; it is also available in Attilio’s stores. The primary goal of the magazine is to help educate customers and, secondly, to bring in other revenue, according to Tucker. “It gives us another educational tool. We can help people understand the power of supplements and help integrate them into their lives,” she said. A number of freelance writers contribute to the magazine in addition to Attilio’s staff, including personal trainers, physicians, herbalists, dietitians and veterinarians. Other than the magazine, Attilio’s gets its name out to the public by way of radio advertising, mainly in the St. Louis and Indianapolis areas. Word of mouth is the chain’s next biggest hitter, followed by advertising in local papers. The chain also uses various frequent buyer programs as part of its marketing strategy. The chain’s employees are also involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and host an annual fundraising event—Spring Swing—held every year in Missouri. The chain donates $10,000 to its cause and are involved throughout the year with the foundation; it also raises monies in various ways for other local charities. Amazing stories of miraculous weight loss have been told in Missouri since the first of 12 Attilio’s Nutrition*Fitness*Weight Loss. For more information about ALIVE magazine, please call Cheresse Pentella at 314-367-8954.