Ladue Florist Heads Visual Designs for Butler's Pantry Catering

Butler’s Pantry has been in the business of catering corporate and private events since 1966. Richard Nix, owner represents the second generation of running the company.

Butler’s Pantry has grown into the premier catering service in town much because Nix has been nimble, and shown the ability to think outside the box.

One of his finest coups was bringing Ladue resident Brian Blasingame on board. A native Chicagoan, Blasingame has run floral businesses previously in Chicago, Seattle and most recently St. Louis.

He used to be in the bricks and mortar end of the business with a local store. He had a shop in Seattle on First Street in the heart of the thriving downtown district. “That’s the equivalent of being on Michigan Avenue in Chicago,” he said.

The internet business began to chance those arrangements drastically for florists. No longer did Blasingame need walls and floors and display cases for his company the Rebel Florist.

His St. Louis operation was run out of home on Oak Bend Drive in Ladue, right next to Tilles Park. “We created a website with 2,000 photographs and it took off,” he said.

In 2010, Nix was looking for a director of visual design and the two shook hands on a deal.

On July 1, Blasingame and his fellow workers celebrated the first year in their subterranean shop on the lower level of the Palladium Banquet Hall in the Butler’s Pantry complex at the revamped Old City Hospital complex. All of this is near Lafayette Square on Park Avenue.

His studio has an eastern exposure and is bathed in bright sunlight. Tall windows stretch from the first level all the way into the lower level, giving it the aura and feel of a Parisian setting.

Blasmingame and his staff do all the design work for some 40 plus weddings, many very high society. Visual activities including working with the clients esthetic and lighting needs. They handle everything from the center pieces on the tables to the linens, chair covers, lighting and visual effects for the room. In a sense, Butler’s Pantry is one-stop shopping for its many customers.

The team is all over town, setting up design work at Bixby’s in the History Museum in Forest Park; the Piper Palm House in Tower Grove Park; the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and other unusual venues where the company does a regular book of business.

Blasingame, who studied theater and design work at the University of Illinois-Champaign just fell in love with his kind of work.

“We have a motto we believe in here: “Yes is the answer...now what is the question.”

Blasingame was particularly excited about his summer floral display currently in the shop. All of his displayed flowers had been flown in from Hawaii or South America.

“Summer heat is so conducive to vibrant colors. He ticked off the hot pinks, yellows, reds and purples. All very colorful,” he revealed.

“Orchids do well in this very hot weather and can be long-lasting. In other seasons we do different flowers and different colors, but for now, its the vibrancy of these tropical flowers is for us.”

So what is the most unusual display done by Rebel Flower?

“We designed a replica of a Coy Pond for a gala at the Ritz-Carlton for a St. Louis Children’s Hospital benefit. “The guests were just blown away when they saw the center piece displays.” They thought the styrofoam gold fish were real."

By the way, Rebel Florists is still a very much stand-alone business. They send out orders on a daily basis. They can be reached at 314-962-3232. Website.