Singing with Sara

Alyssa “Ally” Kalishman is a huge fan of musical theater. She performs with a couple of local theater groups, including Arch City Kids Theatre Troupe, which will present a musical revue Aug. 4-6 at John Burroughs School to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The troupe features 57 St. Louis-area youngsters ranging in age from 8 to 18, who direct, choreograph and perform the revue, entitled “You Will Be Found.”

Last week, Ally, who is 14, and her mother, Amy Kalishman, went on a mother-daughter trip to New York for the sole purpose of seeing Broadway musicals. They were gone for five days and saw as many shows, including “Bandstand,” “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Come From Away.” Ally and Amy raved about the productions, but said the highpoint came on their last night when they went to see the musical “Waitress.” Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles wrote the music and lyrics for the Tony-nominated show, and even played Jenna, the lead character, before actress Betsy Wolfe took over.

Once a month, “Waitress” hosts a karaoke evening after the show, inviting audience members to sing a song from the production on stage if they are picked. Ally figured why not try, so she wrote down her name along with the song “Bad Idea.” It is performed as a duet between the pregnant Jenna and her gynecologist, who have fallen for each other.

“I wasn’t that familiar with all the songs in the show, but I did know ‘Bad Idea,’ so I picked it,” explained Ally, who will be a freshman at MICDS and belongs to Congregation Shaare Emeth. “I figured if I got chosen I would just sing both parts.”

Seven people, mostly teenagers, were called up to sing, including Ally, who was No. 6. She was the only one who had chosen a duet. 

“I went backstage, where I saw the whole cast, including Sara,” said Ally. “I recognized her right away and said hi. She said hi, too, nice to meet you.”

While that was thrilling, it didn’t compare to what came after. “The next thing I knew Sara Bareilles was walking on stage to sing the duet with me,” said Ally, who admitted she was a little nervous because half of the audience had stayed to watch. “It was so unbelievably exciting and so unexpected,” she added.

According to Amy, “Ally knocked it out of the park,” though Ally felt she was “a little pitchy.” Regardless, she had a blast and enjoyed a mother-daughter trip that both agreed will be hard to top.

To view Ally’s karaoke turn with Sara Bareilles, go to stljewishlight.com/karaoke. For more information about the Arch City Kids’ musical revue, go to archcitykids.org. 

Cooking for a cause

Lee “Popie” Shapiro loved to cook. She was known for her Nut Balls, a cookie that combined generous amounts of butter, sugar and pecans into an irresistible confection that she served at Hanukkah and other Jewish holidays. But her brisket, kasha, kamish bread and potato pancakes were also legendary.

“Pretty much everything she made was delicious,” said her son, Ken Shapiro. “My mom loved to cook for her family and friends and have people enjoy the food she prepared. It was a labor of love.”

In 1993, Ken’s brother, Mark, helped his mother self-publish a spiral-bound cookbook, with nearly 100 recipes for appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts. They named it “After I’m Gone: Recipes for the Hereafter.” 

Many of the recipes have a little story about them, with Popie supplying the commentary. “Maxine Levy sent some of these cookies over after Harvey’s last surgery and everyone loved them, including an army of ants who somehow managed to crawl into our dining room and attack the leftovers,” she wrote to introduce the recipe for Chocolate Meringue Cookies. Harvey was Popie’s late husband.

Mark Shapiro died in 2011 at the age of 60. Popie Shapiro died on July 1 at the age of 87, from complications related to dementia. Her funeral was held at Central Reform Congregation.

Ken and his family decided they wanted to be true to Popie’s — and Mark’s — intent to preserve her recipes and pass them on to future generations. So Ken re-published his mother’s cookbook and is selling it online for $20 (at recipesforthehereafter.com), with all proceeds going to the Alzheimer’s Association. So far, sales of the book have raised close to $300 for the organization.

“We wanted to memorialize my mother’s legacy through this cookbook and use it as a tool to continue the fight against Alzheimer’s,” said Ken. “I think it would make her very happy to know her recipes will live on.”

All in the family

Perhaps you heard that Emily Lohse-Busch has been named as the new executive director of Arch Grants, the nonprofit that holds an annual competition to fund startups and fuels entrepreneurial efforts in St. Louis. What you might not know is that her maiden name is Pratzel — as in the legendary Jewish-owned kosher bakery of the same name that was once a fixture on the Delmar Loop. In 1913, her great grandfather founded Pratzel’s Bakery, which also had a location in Creve Coeur, so she is clearly a descendant of entrepreneurs.

The family-run business closed in 2011. 

Lohse-Busch previously worked as the senior director of partner solutions with Global Impact, a Washington-based nonprofit focused on supporting global philanthropy, according to an Arch Grants news release. She also founded a Chicago-based strategic communications company for small businesses.

Lohse-Busch earned a bachelor’s degree from Washington University and an M.B.A. from DePaul University.

She fills a vacancy created by the departure of Ginger Imster, who left Arch Grants earlier this year for a job at the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership.