The Jeffreys Sessions

Description
How did a seasonal floating hamburger stop become the foundation for some of the Lake's most memorable dining and nightlife destinations? Kym Ebling joins Ken Lawler to tell the story.In this episode:• Growing up between St. Louis and Lake of the Ozarks• Working every job in her family's seasonal resort business• Dick Ebling's decade with Ralston Purina and the family's repeated moves• Buying The Floating Clown after Dick's unpaid 30-day trial• The 1978 fire and the decision to rebuild• Learning the bar business and creating the Poop Deck• Expanding the original Topsider into a major Lake nightclubPresented by the LOZ App and LOZ Podcast Network and simulcast on KRMS Radio.
 
Chapter Markers
00:00 — Opening: The Jeffreys Sessions
00:17 — Ken Lawler introduces Kym Ebling and the Lake-history mission
01:10 — Kym's seasonal childhood between St. Louis and the Lake
02:10 — Moving permanently and attending School of the Osage
02:45 — A teenager, a 12-foot aluminum boat and early Lake life
03:15 — Working every job in the family resort business
03:35 — The difficult economics of a 90-day season
04:05 — College, teaching and the vow not to return
04:35 — Dick Ebling, Ralston Purina and repeated corporate moves
05:30 — The division sale and the return to St. Louis
06:15 — A Lake trip, a realtor and The Clown for sale
06:40 — What made The Floating Clown unique
07:15 — Dick's unpaid 30-day trial before the purchase
08:15 — "Congratulations - you are the new owner of The Clown"
08:35 — Making a seasonal hamburger business work
09:35 — The 1978 fire
10:30 — Using the setback to rebuild and expand
11:15 — Learning the bar business in real time
12:10 — The St. Thomas story behind the Poop Deck name
13:00 — Creating income beyond Labor Day
13:30 — The original Topsider
14:15 — Dick's nightclub vision and Kym's numbers-first perspective
15:00 — Finding inspiration and building the larger Topsider
15:35 — Packed nights, outdoor concerts and thousands of guests
16:15 — The pool-bar debate and a lasting Lake legacy
17:05 — Closing
 
Keyword Bank
The Jeffreys Sessions, Kym Ebling, Kathryn Ebling, Dick Ebling, Richard Ebling, The Floating Clown, The Clown Lake of the Ozarks, Topsider Lake of the Ozarks, Poop Deck Lake of the Ozarks, Lake of the Ozarks restaurant history, Lake of the Ozarks nightlife history, 1978 Clown fire, Ralston Purina, School of the Osage, Lake of the Ozarks podcast, Ken Lawler, LOZ App, LOZ Podcast Network, KRMS Radio, Osage Beach history, floating restaurant, Missouri hospitality history
 

Apple Podcasts Description
Jeff Super and Mary Jung, owners of Jeffrey's Prime Rib & Lobster in Osage Beach, sit down with KRMS host Kevin Burns for a candid conversation about more than four decades in the Lake of the Ozarks restaurant business.Jeff traces his path from washing dishes at age 13 and training through Johnson County Community College's Chef's Apprentice Program to becoming chef at Potted Steer and head chef at Blue Heron under legendary restaurateur Joseph H. Boer. Mary recalls leaving Chicago for a summer job at Tan-Tar-A, discovering a career in hospitality, and later finding the building that would become Jeffrey's while walking her dog.Together, they revisit the Copper Pot years, the major renovation required to turn a former golf-course facility into a classic steakhouse, the mentors who gave them confidence, and the operating principles that have kept their reputation strong: pay people first, protect the guest experience, stay persistent, and be ready for long hours.Recorded at Jeffrey's Prime Rib & Lobster. The Jeffreys Sessions is an LOZ App podcast series distributed through the LOZ Podcast Network and simulcast on KRMS Radio.
 
Chapter Markers
00:00 — Opening: The Jeffreys Sessions
00:21 — Meet Jeff Super and Mary Jung
01:14 — Jeff's start in restaurants and culinary training
03:03 — Potted Steer, Joseph H. Boer and Blue Heron
04:01 — Copper Pot and finding the future Jeffrey's building
06:02 — Renovating a former golf-course facility
07:20 — Jim Klausman and the confidence to take the risk
08:06 — Building a classic steakhouse and a loyal following
10:15 — Lessons in craft, service, persistence and paying people first
12:06 — The repairman and the chefs' challenge
12:53 — Mary's journey from Chicago to Tan-Tar-A
14:24 — How Jeff and Mary met - and work together
15:18 — Classic steakhouse details and menu limitations
17:02 — Advice for anyone entering the restaurant business
17:54 — Closing
 
Keyword Bank
The Jeffreys Sessions, Jeff Super, Mary Jung, Jeffrey's Prime Rib and Lobster, Lake of the Ozarks podcast, Lake of the Ozarks history, Osage Beach restaurants, Lake of the Ozarks dining, Chef Jeff Super, Joseph H. Boer, Potted Steer, Blue Heron restaurant, Copper Pot restaurant, Tan-Tar-A Resort, Missouri restaurant history, classic steakhouse, Lake hospitality, LOZ Podcast Network, LOZ App podcast series, local business stories, restaurant entrepreneurship

In the premiere installment of The Jeffreys Sessions, KRMS host Kevin Burns sits down with Susan Koplar Brown and Peter Brown to trace the beginnings of The Lodge of Four Seasons and the development that followed around Lake of the Ozarks.
The Browns share how Susan’s father, Harold Koplar, acquired 7,200 acres when Highway HH was still a dirt road, envisioned a destination resort inspired by The Greenbrier and helped turn a largely undeveloped peninsula into one of the Lake’s defining resort and residential communities.
The conversation covers the Lodge’s early rooms and convention business, residential development on Horseshoe Bend and Shawnee Bend, the Four Seasons Racquet & Country Club, the long push for a bridge, Resort Air, Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Jack Nicklaus golf courses, and memorable stories involving Bobby Riggs, Merle Haggard and a Vogue fashion shoot.
 
Timestamps:
00:00 — The Jeffreys Sessions opening
00:21 — Kevin Burns introduces Susan and Peter Brown
01:26 — Meeting in college and moving from Denver
02:04 — Harold Koplar’s 7,200-acre purchase
03:00 — Highway HH, Al Cervantes and the original resort vision
04:03 — Early Lake life, boating and the ski show
05:08 — Building the Lodge and Susan’s first job
06:30 — Convention business and the resort’s early expansion
07:03 — Developing Horseshoe Bend and the residential community
08:14 — Builders, home sites and attracting St. Louis buyers
10:06 — Condos, tennis and Bobby Riggs
10:43 — Shawnee Bend and the push for a bridge
11:20 — The Village of Four Seasons and Resort Air
13:30 — Golf: Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Jack Nicklaus
15:07 — Celebrity stories from the Lodge
15:32 — Merle Haggard’s unforgettable boat ride
16:33 — Vogue, Chanel and a smoky photo shoot
17:36 — Closing
 
Keywords:
The Jeffreys Sessions, Lodge of Four Seasons, Lodge of Four Seasons history, Susan Koplar Brown, Susan Brown, Peter Brown, Kevin Burns, KRMS Radio, Lake of the Ozarks, Lake of the Ozarks history, Lake of the Ozarks podcast, Harold Koplar, Village of Four Seasons, Four Seasons Missouri, Horseshoe Bend, Shawnee Bend, Highway HH, Al Cervantes, The Greenbrier, Resort Air, TWA Express, American Connection, Robert Trent Jones Sr., The Cove golf course, Porto Cima, Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Riggs, Merle Haggard, Jeffrey’s Prime Rib and Lobster, Osage Beach Missouri, LOZ App, LOZ Podcast Network, Missouri tourism history, resort development, local history podcast