Tag: photography

Posted in News and Features

KG “Ksmilesfoodpeople Gibson” Sharing Positive Messages and Small Town Food Reviews

Posted on by Amanda

If you live in Franklin County and follow some of your favorite local restaurants on social media, odds are you’ve probably seen a food review video about it posted by a local page called Ksmilesfoodpeople Gibson. The man behind the account is Kordel Gibson, but most people call him KG, or “the food review guy.”

He’s built a following by sharing videos of the various dishes he tries at area restaurants, as well as by showcasing the dining options that are locally owned in small town Missouri. His content features restaurants in Pacific, Belle, Rosebud, St. Clair, Washington, Union, Hermann, Sullivan, and beyond. In fact, KG isn’t just the food review guy, he’s the small town food review guy, a distinction that sets him apart from other Missouri-based food influencers, and a feature that he has no intention of changing.

Food influencer KG sitting at a table holding a plate of chicken wings in each hand
KG’s videos feature food reviews on items the average person is likely to order, like chicken wings, burgers, or desserts. Photo via Ksmilesfoodpeople Gibson on Facebook.

“People tell me that I could get a lot more followers if I would go to St. Louis and try the restaurants there, but I don’t want to do that,” he shares.

And while some social media based foodies tend to focus their content on trying the most “extreme” eating challenges or the biggest, most calorie-dense options available at restaurants, KG sticks to the menu items that the average person is likely to order.

Over the years, he has made videos about trying baked goods from cottage bakeries, breakfast foods, ice cream, coffee shops, barbecue, burgers, and just about everything in between. And because there’s no certain kind of food or establishment that he wants to review over others, it allows him to also put his focus on the people who own the restaurants he visits. 

Although there’s lots of food reviewers and influencers throughout Missouri, and some of those influencers with a massive following have made visits at local restaurants, they don’t seem to have quite the same impact as the review videos that come from KG. Maybe that’s because he has a different method, or to put it in foodie terms, a secret sauce that isn’t easy to replicate.

His charismatic, narrative style pulls viewers in and the tantalizing shots of food, and his natural, conversational interview approach sets people at ease and helps them open up. The end result gives viewers a unique, behind the curtain experience that you don’t often find in other food review videos. A true people person, KG shares that the real stars of his videos are the folks behind the business.

A selfie of food influencer KG and his two daughters
KG shares snippets of his everyday life on his social media accounts and often posts pictures with daughters. Photo via Ksmilesfoodpeople Gibson on Facebook.

“I don’t like just going to places and eating the food. I like sitting down with the owners and talking to them. That’s my favorite part,” KG explains.

Drawing inspiration from a Food Network legend

Inspired by Guy Fieri, the TV personality that shows both the food and the back of the house experience on “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,” KG started filming restaurant reviews two years ago. While his followers can’t get enough of his candid takes on the local food scene, take a quick scan of any of his social media profiles and you’ll notice that his content is about more than restaurants. 

KG’s social media posts consist of positive messages, slices of his personal life, including his fitness routine and the time he spends with his two daughters. On more than one occasion he’s shared photo evidence of his “girl dad” moments, like when his daughters have acted as stylists or makeup artists and dressed him up with clothes, accessories, makeup, or painted toenails.

Food influencer KG posing with makeup and little girl's jewelry while playing dress up with his daughters
The girl dad proving he’s a good sport by posing for a picture after his daughters dressed him and did his makeup. Photo via Ksmilesfoodpeople Gibson on Facebook.

While on the surface these content areas might seem unrelated, they represent what’s truly important to KG and lend an authenticity that keeps his audience engaged and feeling like he’s an internet friend they just haven’t met in real life yet. 

For daily doses of positivity, humor, people, and food content, follow KG on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. On Sunday, July 26, I’m releasing two videos that are snippets of an hour long conversation between me and KG. You can watch me interview him and catch me a little flustered when the tables are turned and I get interviewed by KG. Both videos will be published on YouTube and will kick off a new podcast series I’m launching that focuses on conversations with people making an impact in the community, so be sure you’re following me on YouTube to find out more!

Posted in News and Features

Meet the Artists Making Union Merry and Bright This Christmas Season

Posted on by Amanda

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in downtown Union, thanks to the work of two local artists. Eileen Wade and Donna Huellinghoff are the duo behind the festive paintings that grace the windows of various businesses as well as Union City Hall during the holiday season.

What started a few years ago at one business, has quickly grown to a fun and jolly way for downtown businesses to get into the holiday spirit.

Each window’s design varies, but the scenes are always colorful, festive, and often feature a bit of whimsy.

On a chilly Tuesday morning, I sat down with Eileen and Donna at White Rose Cafe in Union, and over a delicious cup of hot chocolate, the artists shared the story of how they started painting windows in downtown.

Both artists have been creating art in one way or another for most of their adult lives, but started creating together in 2016 at a studio Eileen had at that time. Donna taught various art techniques at the studio, like creating barn quilt designs.

Eileen (left), and Donna (right), putting the finishing touches on the window designs at White Rose Cafe on a chilly November morning.

Although Eileen ended up closing her studio due to personal reasons, a few years later in 2022, the artists decorated their first set of windows on a business in Union, at the White Rose Cafe. After that first holiday season, it grew from there.

“It’s all word of mouth,” Donna says of the process. “We’d be out there painting and someone at another business would come up to us and ask us to paint their windows.”

The windows at Union City Hall are decorated with colorful holiday characters.

In addition to the Christmas season designs, Eileen and Donna also paint windows in the downtown area for other holidays, like Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, and for the Union Homecoming celebration.

“It’s fun to share our art and challenge ourselves and think, ‘what could we fit in this window’s space?'” Eileen shares.

The process takes anywhere from two to six hours, depending on the number of windows and the design, among other factors.

“It depends on how many people stop and chat with us,” Eileen says with a laugh. “But that’s what’s fun and that’s why I laugh about it.”

The window decor at Sip on Main depict Santa and Rudolph after they’ve enjoyed a few too many “sips,” along with beautiful holiday cocktails.

Along with the painted windows, there’s also some permanent art installations that Eileen and Donna have created in Union. Together, they’ve painted eight murals that can be found throughout town, including the scene that runs along the wall inside Hansen Park, a mural along the wall at the MU Extension Center near the Pasta House, and several others.

The artists have also painted several murals around Union, including this one that is along the exterior wall of the Franklin County Historical Society in downtown Union.

See more photos of the holiday window paintings on Facebook. And be sure to take a stroll through downtown Union to look at the designs first-hand, they’re sure to make you smile and put you in the holiday spirit!