What’s it like to meet the biggest celebrity on campus for chili? Well, I had the opportunity to find out first-hand. I walked into the interview with men’s basketball coach Rick Majerus with palms sweating and knees shaking.
We were meeting at The Fountain on Locust. It happens to be one of the coach’s favorite spots to eat around campus. This certainly has its advantages, one being that the restaurant features Coach Majerus Chili on its menu, made from the recipe that Majerus’ mother herself uses.
He ordered me a large bowl of the Coach Majerus Chili. I knew I was in at that point, and I could tell that Majerus was just a nice Midwestern guy. I had to try the chili, especially if that’s what got me the interview in the first place. Joy Christensen, the proud owner of the restaurant, soon joined us. She was more than eager to explain the history of the building, located in “Historic Automobile Row.” It is also “The most photographed restaurant in St. Louis,” according to the
Website.
The chili is heavy on the meat, full of ground beef with a nice helping of crunchy onions on top.
Majerus agreed that it was a very meaty chili, and the difference between this one and his mother’s was the presence of both spaghetti noodles and more tomatoes and kidney beans in his mom’s chili. The spaghetti noodles were there to make the food stretch a little further, which is a valuable lesson to anyone beginning to cook. Next time I’m struggling to make mac and cheese, I’ll remember to just add spaghetti noodles and it should turn out fine.
This chili, though, is making its way around the city. J. Bucks was the first restaurant in the area to serve the chili. The second was The Fountain, and his relationship with The Fountain began like many others seem to, with a chance mention and a memorable first trip. He was looking for a good place for dessert, and he heard that the Fountain had good ice cream.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
An entertaining interview, a free meal and a chance to meet the biggest celebrity on campus.
Not bad at all.
