Bethany Budde

Bethany Budde chose a career perfect for her personality and passions. For 30 years in the restaurant hospitality industry she has found a way to involve family and community in the work she does each day. As food and beverage manager for the Webster Grill, The Missouri Athletic Club, The Junior League and now as the proprietor of SqWires she has savored the opportunity to craft menus, create a showcase for great food in outstanding settings – making it a labor of love, working with top professionals.

In 2001 she opened SqWires Restaurant; reclaimed an historic factory building as a handsome venue, investing in the people, the neighborhood and the city. She has been a linchpin for renewed development, supporting fundraisers, employing and training youth, rekindling the spirit of Lafayette Square.

She is a St. Louis pioneer serving local foods that each season has to offer - supporting regional growers and food producers, a champion of the success of local restaurants, as chair of organization of independently owned and operated restaurants, spreading the passion she has for her City, her neighborhood and her work.