What I Do: William Pauley of Confluence Kombucha

When Confluence Kombucha owner William Pauley began home-brewing fermented tea about 10 years ago in a quest to heal his stomach ulcers, he had no idea how it would culminate. After a few stints at local restaurants, he opened his storefront in The Grove in September 2016 and began selling “booch,” along with a limited menu of health-focused eats like the Jarrahdale pumpkin salad, which made our list of dope salads last summer. Here’s how the creative force behind Confluence Kombucha went from dishwasher to owner.

“When I graduated from Webster [University], I couldn’t find a job. My buddy got me on as a dishwasher at Maggiano’s.”

“In one week, my whole life turned. I’d always liked cooking but never thought about it as a career. After six months at basically boot camp for what was to come, I got the last cook position under chef Chris Bork at Blood & Sand. I immersed myself in that detail-oriented culture; I got to see all those techniques – all that passion. It was inspiring.”

“I was still brewing kombucha out of my house that whole time. I did 15,000 bottles the first five years. I delivered to houses and works. I’d pick up bottles, wash them and fill them back up. It was mostly friends in the beginning, but I had a post up on Craigslist, so every now and again, someone would message me for a scoby, and we’d meet in a Walmart parking lot or something.”

“Around the five-year mark, I was like, ‘Alright, what is it going to take to open this dream of mine?’ We stumbled into this space, which was exactly what we needed. The Grove is a good neighborhood in the crossroads of St. Louis.”

“Three months after we opened, on New Year’s Eve 2016, I locked up and walked to my car out front on the street, then woke up in the hospital. That’s all I remember. Four kids were running from the cops and slammed into me at 70 mph. I had 11 broken ribs, my diaphragm ruptured, and my scapula was completely smashed. I was in the hospital for two weeks.”

“I have four titanium ribs now. … The shop was only closed two days because my business partner, Julienne Villarini, opened it up, just with a limited menu. She really helped me through the recovery. I was back three weeks after the accident, but I still live with chronic pain.”

“As a society, we’re kind of sick and don’t really care about the preventive side when it comes to health. People are starting to notice that, and that awakening is needed.”

“It’s definitely not a cure-all but, depending on other foods you ingest, it can aid your digestion pretty quickly. For a category to grow as much as it has, it’s pretty phenomenal.”

“[Washington University] called me recently out of the blue, and now we’re on tap at the cafe in their library. That’s a big move for us. Kaldi’s [Coffee] basically got made that way.”

Lauren Healey is associated editor at Sauce Magazine. 

What I Do: Jeff Stevens, founder of WellBeing Brewing Co.

Jeff Stevens is founder of WellBeing Brewing Co.​, a craft brewery dedicated to nonalcoholic beer and ...

What I Do: Timothy Nordmann, owner of Mr. Meowski’s bakery​

The story of Mr. Meowski’s bakery​ is a story of one man’s determination to produce the ...

The butcher team at The Smoke House Market are Ford Hotel Supply's Chefs of the Month

Every month, Ford Hotel Supply shares their pick for St. Louis Chef of the Month.