Audrey Schwade describes herself as a Filipina-American, aspiring candle magnate, amateur chef, rom-com aficionado, lawyer, and Cardinals fan by marriage. She and her husband Michael, also a lawyer, live in the Central West End with their two-year-old daughter Margot.
Audrey grew up in a military family, which meant she traveled around a lot, until they settled in St. Louis when she was 13. She met her husband Michael when they were both working for Kodner Watkins. Audrey now works remotely for GI Alliance. 
Chouteau Candle Co. started out as a Covid project. The couple was stuck at home, and as Audrey explained: “Michael loves candles, so we were burning a lot of them. I jokingly suggested that I should figure out how to make our own. So I ordered supplies, blended some scents, and started pouring soy candles in our kitchen.” From the early days of this venture, Audrey has sourced only vegan, phthalate-free and cruelty-free ingredients.
She gave samples to family and friends and, because of the positive response, launched Chouteau Candle Co. online in March 2021. The company’s name is a nod to the founder of St. Louis, René Auguste Chouteau, and at the time the couple were living in the Pierre Chouteau Condominium on Lindell. Audrey also loved the alliteration of the 3 C’s in the name. She designed the labels and the couple began introducing the candles to a wider audience at pop-up events, including Edera’s Night Market on Maryland Plaza.
When asked how she feels confident in choosing appealing scents, Audrey said her sense of smell enables her to determine what will be a best seller. “I try to create scents that fill a room, but not so overpowering that it’s all you can think about.” Scents trigger nostalgia, or a memory. As we all know, scent is highly subjective. She once created a gardenia candle that reminded her of her grandmother. Some people responded favorably to it, while others thought it was overpowering, and it didn’t evoke such happy memories.
You’ll find terrific descriptions of Chouteau Candle’s products on the website. “Community” and “Culture,” $24, are Audrey’s favorite candles to burn at home. There is also the “Passport to St. Louis Collection” named after St. Louis neighborhoods, including the Central West End, Tower Grove, Lafayette Square, St. Charles, and Kirkwood, $9 each. There’s a discount on the purchase of 3 candles, as well as a small discount if you return clean glass jars and lids (which are reused for testing only).
Audrey has been partnering with Kaldi Coffee Co, which is currently selling her custom Brown Sugar Rosemary Candle at its locations on Euclid and DeMun. She has also developed a partnership with Que Boutique at World Chess Hall of Fame, creating candles for each chess piece. She’s working on updating the scents that will be available in the near future.
“Candles on a Mission” is CCC’s give-back program. A $2 donation is made to Pet Rescue for the sale of each Caspar candle, the Culture candle is earmarked for the Very Asian Foundation, and a portion of sales of Community is donated to the St. Louis Area Food Bank.
I asked this talented entrepreneur if there is anything she wished she had known before going into the candle-making business.
She replied that she didn’t realize how far in advance she needed to plan before rolling out a new scent. “It’s a long process, involving among other things a safety test to see if the candle burns correctly. And now, with a two-year-old, everything is a bit more challenging.” That being said, Audrey seems to be very happy with her professional life and her creative venture. She and Michael love living in the CWE and appreciate it even more now that they have a toddler. Left Bank Books and Pass the Past Coffee are a couple of their favorite stops on their walks around the neighborhood.
Visit Chouteau Candle Co.’s website to view the selection. When you order online you’ll receive instructions on where to pick up your purchase in the Central West End. Shipping is also an option.