St. Louis Magazine | April 2020

April 2020

The Heart of the City Has Momentum.

Where Does It Go From Here? P. 5 6

DOWNTOWN

EVOLUTION

Story Time How One of the World’s Great Storytellers Overcame…Well, Everything P.66

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APR20

FEATURES

VOLUME 26 / ISSUE 4

56 Downtown Evolution

The heart of the city has seen significant momentum in recent years.

Where does it go from here?

By Nicholas Phillips

➝ North Broadway in downtown St. Louis

P.

66

Story Time

How one of the world’s great storytellers overcame… well, everything For this month’s cover, photographer @sekondtry captured an unexpected view of St. Louis’ most famous landmark from a street on Laclede’s Landing.

Photography by @sekondtry

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P.

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Top Dentists 2020 Local pros to know and dental insights

Stories by Samantha Stevenson

By Jeannette Cooperman

April 2020 stlmag.com

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D E PA R TM E N T S

VOLUME 26 / ISSUE 4

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From the Editor

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G AT E WAY

TASTE

Little Macs Macarons at The Tipsy Goat

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Cunningly Creative Little Fox pounces on success in Fox Park.

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Big Hitter Clark & Bourbon steakhouse fires up Ballpark Village.

11 Counting Change

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New Brew

Card Trick

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Read This Now Hiding in Plain Sight by Sarah Kendzior

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ELEMENTS

Don’t Call It a Comeback Tricia Thurman has created a hotel gift shop like no other.

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How Jim McKelvey’s Square leveled the payment field 17

Unfiltered and artisan ciders for the change of seasons

The second-best thing to wearing a crown

Billy Busch Sr. and family star in an MTV reality series.

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Perfect Pairing

Head Turners

Making climate activism bigger, better, and more equitable 14

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Mingle St. Louis Arts Awards, An Evening With the Cardinals

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ANGLES

50 Jackpot Soulard’s newest gathering place is a solid bet for burgers and cocktails.

RHYTHM

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Hot Spots Steve’s Hot Dogs, Takashima Records, and Sabzi

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Ins, Outs & Almosts Signature Tap House, Orzo Mediterranean Grill, and other notable newcomers

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Inking Deals A tattoo artist scribes a mini-empire that includes several restaurants.

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St. Louis Sage

Scales of Opportunity Fueling a passion for music in kids of all backgrounds 22

Sam Fiorello 38

Our Bodies, Her Self

Watch This Now Mrs. America on the new FX on Hulu

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Wheels of Fortune Racing season gets underway again at the recently reinvented World Wide Technology Raceway.

Photos of 56 women reveal that age is a state of mind.

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Cortex’s next chapter

Agenda Opening Day, Iliza Shlesinger, Pearl Jam, and more

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35

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Wild in the Streets St. Louis has a long history of dramatic animal escapes.

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BROUGHT TO YOU BY

VOLUME 26 / ISSUE 4

EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Jarrett Medlin Deputy Editor Amanda Woytus Senior Editor Nicholas Phillips Dining Editor George Mahe Associate Editor Samantha Stevenson Contributing Writers & Editors Kerry Bailey, Jeannette Cooperman, Holly Fann, Dave Lowry, Laura Miserez, Denise Mueller, Jen Roberts, Stefene Russell Intern Kelly Siempelkamp ART & PRODUCTION Design Director Tom White Art Director Emily Cramsey Sales & Marketing Designer Monica Lazalier Production Coordinator Kylie Green Staff Photographer Kevin A. Roberts Contributing Artists Diane Anderson, Wesley Law, Matt Marcinkowski, Britt Spencer, Sekondtry, Micah Usher Stylist Ana Dattilo ADVERTISING Sales Director Kim Moore Director of Digital Sales Chad Beck Account Executives Jill Gubin, Brian Haupt, Carrie Mayer, Liz Schaefer, Susan Tormala Operations Director Cheryl Rockwell Sales & Marketing Coordinator Elaine Krull Digital Advertising Coordinator Blake Hunt EVENTS Director of Special Events Jawana Reid CIRCULATION Circulation Manager Dede Dierkes Circulation Coordinator Teresa Foss Newsstand Consultant Joe Luca

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SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscription rate is $19.95 for 12 issues of St. Louis Magazine, six issues of Design STL, and two issues of St. Louis Family. Call 314-918-3000 to place an order or to inform us of a change of address. For corporate and group subscription rates, contact Teresa Foss at 314-918-3030.

ONLINE CALENDAR Call 314-918-3000, or email Amanda Woytus at awoytus@stlmag.com. (Please include “Online Calendar” in the subject line.) Or submit events at stlmag.com/events/submit.html.

MINGLE To inquire about event photos, email Emily Cramsey at ecramsey@stlmag.com.

(Please include “Mingle” in the subject line.)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send letters to jmedlin@stlmag.com.

What’s your favorite downtown spot?

“The Central Library.

With its high ceilings and cool, quiet vibe, it’s like a cathedral of knowledge.”

—Nicholas Phillips, senior editor “The Old Courthouse, because of the deep history and architecture.”

—Dede Dierkes, circulation manager “The Last Hotel’s rooftop bar. On summer evenings, you can lounge poolside and order a burger and fries with a sunset backdrop.”

—Samantha Stevenson, associate editor

MARKETING AND EVENTS For information about special events, contact Jawana Reid at 314-918-3026 or jreid@stlmag.com.

ADVERTISING To place an ad, contact Elaine Krull at 314-918-3002 or ekrull@stlmag.com.

DISTRIBUTION Call Dede Dierkes at 314-918-3006.

Subscription Rates: $19.95 for one year. Call for foreign subscription rates.

Frequency: Monthly. Single Copies in Office: $5.46. Back Issues: $7.50 by mail (prepaid). Copyright 2020 by St. Louis Magazine LLC. All rights are reserved. Reproduction in part or whole is strictly prohibited without the express written permission of the publisher. Unsolicited manuscripts may be submitted but must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. ©2020 by St. Louis Magazine. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 1600 S. Brentwood, Suite 550 St. Louis, MO 63144 314-918-3000 | Fax 314-918-3099 stlmag.com

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FROM THE EDITOR

VOLUME 26 / ISSUE 4

A New Perspective After featuring Sekondtry in last month’s issue, design director Tom White hired the street photographer to capture downtown from all angles (p. 56).

ON A CRISP evening last fall, my wife and I climbed into one

of the St. Louis Wheel’s heated gondolas with our 3-year-old daughter and took a ride 200 feet above Union Station. From the top of the wheel, you could see downtown’s potential.

At the time, the St. Louis Aquarium was on the cusp of completion. A block northwest, just past Market, was the site of the future home of our Major League Soccer team, a planned 22,500-seat stadium, and surrounding restaurants and retail. To the east, beyond the neon green of the Enterprise Center and the elegant Stifel Theatre, One Cardinal Way was taking shape above Busch Stadium, and the nearby PwC Pennant building was preparing to open—the first new Class A office building downtown in 30 years.

In the distance, St. Louis’ iconic landmark gleamed. The grounds below the Gateway Arch had recently undergone a years-long overhaul, yielding a minimalist entrance to the new museum that perfectly mirrored Eero Saarinen’s visionary creation. A manicured stretch of green now connected the Arch to the rest of the downtown, including the recently revived Kiener Plaza and imaginative Citygarden.

Then there were the smaller gems, businesses that had sprouted up across downtown. My wife and I had recently met for lunch at Union 30 in Hotel Saint Louis, and she’d joined friends for an event on the rooftop of The Last Hotel. Nearby, some of the region’s most colorful dining concepts—Hi-Pointe Drive-In, Gringo, Sugarfire Smoke House—flanked the National Blues Museum and America’s Center, the latter of which is poised for its own expansion.

Nearby, T-REX was preparing to open its new Geosaurus geospatial resource and innovation center, a hub to connect the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s forthcoming western headquarters to local corporations, startups, and universities. And Square had announced plans to transform the former St. Louis Post-

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Memorable Affairs You might see photographer Micah Usher at such charity events as the St. Louis Arts Awards and An Evening With the Cardinals (p. 32).

Civic Pride Before joining SLM, production coordinator Kylie Green worked at 417 Magazine in Springfield, Missouri. Her favorite part of working at a city magazine: getting to know and love a community for countless reasons.

Follow Along

Dispatch building into its own forward-looking destination.

At the same time, much work remained. A few weeks later, the Design Downtown STL initiative would host an open house in which it shared about the neighborhood’s history, progress, and residents’ concerns, including parking and infrastructure, vacant buildings, the perception of crime (largely because of car break-ins, like other major downtowns), and the need for more housing, public spaces, and street activity.

The goal of the open house: to build on the new momentum and gather ideas to create a more cohesive, vibrant neighborhood.

Of course, we’ve been here before.

Over the years, there have been grandiose proposals to improve downtown, some gaining more traction than others. We can certainly build buzz and create green space, but lasting change requires buy-in from residents and small business owners. There are no easy answers to some of the region’s most complex issues—education, housing, crime, employment—which ultimately affect the neighborhood’s long-term success. Downtown may never again be the same as it was a century ago, but as senior editor Nicholas Phillips notes (p. 56), it is finding avenues on which to reinvent itself, both its historic institutions and its modern additions. In so many ways, it remains the beating heart of the community.

So on that fall night, as we were momentarily suspended atop the Wheel, the neon lights filling my daughter’s bright-blue eyes, I couldn’t help but gaze toward the Arch and hope for a brighter future.

@stlmag @stlmag @stlouismag

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NEW BREW p.14 CARD TRICK p.16 READ THIS NOW p.17

GATEWAY

COUNTING CHANGE TOPIC

A

Making climate activism bigger, better, and more equitable

BY AMANDA WOYTUS

WALKING INTO HER first meeting for the St. Louis climate strike,

at a Panera in West County, Brianna Chandler, age 19, was a little taken aback—she was the only person of color on the planning committee. ¶ Chandler is a first-year Washington University student who grew up in St. Louis. She served as the master of ceremonies for the city’s climate strike in September 2019.

Students around the world, inspired by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, protested by skipping school, marching, and making a list of directives for leaders and politicians to mitigate the

Illustration by brainmaster / iStock / Getty Images Plus / via Getty Images

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April 2020 stlmag.com

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TOPIC A

longer and more intense pollen seasons, which, combined with pollution, adversely affects people with asthma. In the city, black children made 10 times the number of emergency department visits for asthma as white children in 2015.

“During the climate strike,” Chandler says, “[Congressional candidate] Cori Bush gave a speech about how people of color engage with environmental justice, and she was saying, ‘Years ago...I did not have time to worry about the environment, because my children have asthma. But now I know that my children have asthma because in St. Louis, there are more pollutants in communities of color.’ Environmental injustice is taking place in our community. Naming it isn’t enough: We have to actually address it. Doing effects of climate change. Now, that is difficult because the peoChandler and a group of activists ple in these communities are dealare planning another event for ing with so many other hardships.

Learn More How do we help solve these probEarth Day, on April 22. But this For details on the year, the strike will look different. lems without a savior complex?

Earth Day strike, check Chandler and a group called SunHow do we solve them in a way Sunrise STL’s Facebook page, @sunrise rise STL, co-founded by Grace that’s best for the community?” movementstl. The Tedder, are aiming to bring more The Earth Day event will focus group also hosts diverse voices to the movement to on community-building, with meetings on the first and third Tuesdays make it more equitable, because stakeholders and concept tables of the month. climate change in St. Louis often to encourage discussion. “We affects communities with fewer want to diversify the planning resources disproportionately. committee and uplift the indigenous commuIn a September 2019 report titled Environ- nities in the area however we can, because they mental Racism in St. Louis, the Interdisciplinary have been leading the movement long before Environmental Clinic at the Washington Uni- other groups got involved,” Chandler says. versity School of Law, Action St. Louis, ArchAlthough the movement is youth-initiated, City Defenders, the Dutchtown South CommuChandler says, there are still parts for older gennity Corporation, and the Sierra Club defined erations to play. environmental racism as “the disproportion“If you can’t come out to marches or you can’t ate impact of environmental hazards on peoorganize, fund us. There’s always a way for people of color,” naming lead poisoning, asthma, ple to be involved. Don’t just say that we’re going mold, air pollution, home energy costs, limited to be the ones to fix it. It is a compliment, and access to healthy food, vacant properties, and I’m grateful that they have that confidence in illegal trash dumping as environmental risks us. But it’s still on all of us.” that lead to health disparities. For example, climate change, the report pointed out, causes Brianna Chandler

ONLINE

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BY THE NUMBERS

GREEN SCENE H OW S T. LO UI S’ EA RT H DAY F E S T I VA L S TAC K S UP

Earth Day is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and to mark the occasion, the nonprofit earthday365 is packing our city’s festival with vendors and exhibitors looking to raise awareness on issues in agriculture, social sustainability, transportation, alternative fuels, and more. At 11 a.m. April 25 and 26, head to the Muny grounds in Forest Park to sample food, learn about opportunities to volunteer, and more.

200

Number of vendors and exhibitors

15

Number of Green Dining Alliance–certified food vendors

4

Number of Green Dining Alliance–certified local craft beer vendors

250

Number of volunteers

90%

The percentage of waste generated from the event that will avoid the landfill by being recycled or composted

For more about the young activists raising awareness around climate change, visit stlmag.com.

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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

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WARNING: GRAPHIC

BY AMANDA WOYTUS

New Brew Billy Busch Sr. and family star in an MTV reality series.

THE BUSCHES are back in business—and this time, it’s showbiz. Billy Busch Sr., great-

grandson of Anheuser-Busch co-founder Adolphus Busch, stars with his family in a new MTV reality series, The Busch Family Brewed, which debuted March 5. The show is focused on the lives of Busch; his wife, Christi; and their seven children—who all call a lush 700-acre estate home—as they navigate love and adulthood. And oh, there’s beer—the show also chronicles the Busches’ work breaking new ground on a family brewery on their farm. Busch Sr., who founded the William K. Busch Brewing Company, announced in July that he would stop production of his Kräftig beer, but the show must go on. Meet the stars of The Busch Family Brewed and learn where they sit in the family tree.

1806

EBERHARD ANHEUSER

1839

ADOLPHUS BUSCH

1880 1913

1865

AUGUST A. BUSCH SR.

1934

1899

AUGUST A. BUSCH JR.

1989

1959

W I L L I A M “ B I L LY ” B U S C H

THE CHILDREN, FROM LEFT

Billy Jr.

(28) The oldest of the seven children, Billy works to get his family—OK, mostly Mom and his sisters—on board with his girlfriend.

Haley (27)

Will Haley choose her dream of acting in Los Angeles over longtime boyfriend Clark and her home in St. Louis?

Abbey

(25) Outgoing, with zero filter, is how Christi describes Abbey— and how Billy Sr. describes Christi.

Maddie

(17) Maddie is a sidekick to older sister Grace, and the pair are often seen trying to advise their father on the brewery (or sister Haley on her love life).

Gussie

(24) The breakout star of the seven-pack of kids, wild child Gussie’s eager to move out of his parents’ house—and into another of their residences, a farmhouse on the property, with his older brother.

Peter (13)

The baby and selfdescribed boss of the family.

Grace

(22) A competitive showjumper, she’s got no shortage of horses to ride. Fifty live on the family’s farm.

FYI For more on The Busch Family Brewed, visit mtv.com.

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Photography by Robby Klein

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ON CREATING A PRODUCT WITHOUT A ROADMAP: What has stopped me so many

times before was this feeling of inexperience, that I lacked the expertise to do what needed to be done. I made the excuse to say, “I must first learn to be an expert before I proceed.” And what I realized was that, yes, in most situations, that’s an appropriate feeling.

I’m a pilot, but I didn’t go and say, “I’m going to figure out how to fly planes now.” I took lessons and lessons and lessons. But the first pilots, Wilbur and Orville Wright, get into the plane—they didn’t get to study. Nobody had been in the air. So there are times when we don’t get to be an expert, because there can be no experts in the new. That’s what the book’s about. I wanted to reach out to everybody who has the potential to do something new and say to them, “Look, I get it. You’re going to feel unqualified, and that’s the only way you can feel. But history is full of great successes, when other people have been in the same position.”

Card Trick

ON DESIGNING A SQUARE CARD READER THAT WAS SO SMALL, IT ONLY WORKED 80 PERCENT OF THE TIME—AND WHY HE DIDN’T GO BIGGER: No good engineer—and I con-

How Jim McKelvey’s Square leveled the payment field Before Jim McKelvey launched fintech company Square with Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey, he was the owner of a glassblowing studio—Third Degree Glass Factory—who missed out on a sale because he couldn’t accept American Express. That experience propelled him to delve into the world of payments, creating a tiny card reader that would eventually be displayed in New York City’s Museum of Modern Art. Now McKelvey, who’s expanding Square’s footprint by moving into the former St. Louis Post-Dispatch building, is releasing The Innovation Stack: Building an Unbeatable Business One Crazy Idea at a Time. In it, he reveals the titular strategy that allowed then-tiny Square to go up against Goliath—Amazon.

ON WRITING THIS BOOK NOW: I’m a guy

who gets obsessed with problems, and I often find solutions but don’t know why they’re solutions. After we beat Amazon, that surprised me. I’m glad we won, but I couldn’t figure out why, so I started looking around. I thought, Oh, what happened here, it must have happened some-

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place else, but it hasn’t—nobody beats Amazon—so I had to explain it. For several years, I had this question burning in my head that I couldn’t answer.

When I found the answer, I had to write the book.

sider myself a good engineer—would do what I did. I built something that didn’t work as well as something else that I built. Oh, and by the way, we manufactured both of those. It wasn’t like these were prototypes. I actually ran 40,000 of the big ones and 40,000 of the little ones. The little one didn’t work as well as the big one, but the little one had this magical spell, and I thought the magic spell was probably important. Even though there’s no management course on magic spells, there’s no way to explain cool, there’s no way to explain beauty.

The risk was trusting my instinct—I had data against the little unit. The little unit read 80 percent of the time, and the big unit read 100 percent of the time. But there was also this feeling, and maybe my years as an artist gave me a respect for that feeling. It was something that tugged at me.

Photography Gieseking Photographyby byAshley Kevin A. Roberts

3/9/20 9:05 AM

Q&A

BY AMANDA WOYTUS

The other thing about the little unit that turned out to be magical was that it wasn’t as easy to use. Because of that, once we started shipping, people became obsessed with learning how to use it. My wife and I like to drive manual cars. She grew up with a manual car; I grew up with a manual car. We buy stick shifts. Do you know how hard it is to find a stick-shift Volvo? It’s darn near impossible to. We have to buy used cars. They don’t make them anymore. But if you learn to drive the stick, you kind of like driving a stick. Remember who uses the Square reader. It’s a merchant, who uses it again and again and again. Well, if you use this thing three times, five times, you can learn it...people practiced using the product.

ON HIRING 15-YEAR-OLD JACK DORSEY, W H O M M C K E LV E Y C O N N E C T E D W I T H THROUGH HIS FAMILY’S COFFEE SHOP : Jack

was quiet as a teenager—never interrupted, didn’t say much at all—but his work was exemplary. And I noticed—he didn’t have to package it up and come running into my office, saying, “Here, Jim, look what I did.” When I noticed that he had redesigned the company logo, it was because I happened to look at the logo on his desk. I said, “Well, that’s way better than what we’ve been using, so let’s use yours.” The lesson for employers is that here is a very good example of extreme competence at age 15. Don’t discount somebody because they don’t look like something you would expect to be great. Competence comes in surprisingly oddly shaped packages.

ON WHAT HE’D SAY TO SOMEONE HESITATING TO LAUNCH A NEW PRODUCT OR BUSINESS: Taking that first step is really the

hardest part. You’re confronting one type of fear, which is the fear of incompetence. After that, you get a different type of fear, and that is the fear of survival: This isn’t gonna work. This isn’t working. I don’t know what I’m doing, but this isn’t working. It stays with you

FYI The Innovation Stack will release on March 10.

until you figure it out. That’s the process. I have never found a shortcut.

There’s no guarantee of success.

ON THE SMARTEST BUSINESS DECISION HE’S EVER MADE: Ignoring the advice of my

attorney, banker, and accountant, all three of whom advised me not to open Third Degree Glass Factory. The reason Third Degree is called Third Degree is because I got the third degree from my banker when I did exactly the opposite of what she recommended.

AND THE WORST: I could talk about bad

relationships—people I’ve trusted who have betrayed my trust. I could talk about the 20 bad decisions [I’ve made] this week and it’s only Thursday. I’ve made jokes that have killed sales. I don’t regret making a joke—I mean, I wouldn’t make that joke again, but I still cut up at meetings.

That’s me. I think the biggest one for me was when I was a young manager, trying to be a manager. I am not a good manager...so now I just find myself great ones.

ON MEETING SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO-FOUNDER HERB KELLEHER, WHOM MCKELVEY CALLS ONE OF THE GREATEST EXAMPLES OF THE INNOVATION STACK:

It was almost exactly three years ago when I flew down to Dallas and met with the legend. There was no book until I talked to Herb. I had all my research and all my facts, and I laid it at the feet of this towering figure, and he said: “Jim, you’re right. And here’s how we did this, and this fits here, this connects here.” This was a guy who is a legend, and he said, “Brother, you got it. When’s your book coming out?” I said, “Well, as soon as I can get it written.” It took me another two years. He died before I could show him. … I never expected to talk to somebody like that. That, to me, is like having an afternoon with Elon Musk. [Pauses.] Now, I mean, I’ve met Elon…but Herb was so generous and insightful and so fun. He was my inspiration for writing the book.

Read This Now H I D I N G I N P L A I N S I G H T: T H E INVENTION OF DONALD TRUMP AND THE EROSION OF AMERICA

Journalist Sarah Kendzior didn’t want to be right. In the fall of 2015, from St. Louis, she predicted the outcome of the 2016 presidential race: that the country would elect Donald Trump, a real estate businessman–turned– reality TV star–turned–Republican politician, whom others—even those in his own party—wouldn’t consider a serious contender for quite a while, over former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The Wire later called Kendzior a Cassandra in Trumpland. Kendzior, who has a Ph.D. in anthropology from Washington University and studied authoritarian regimes in such former Soviet republics as Uzbekistan, had noticed similarities between Trump and Uzbekistan’s first president. She had also seen, through life in St. Louis, how the Midwest had lost cultural and economic standing, transforming into a solidly red state. Her first essay collection, The View From Flyover Country: Dispatches From the Forgotten America, published in 2018. In a new book, Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America, out April 7, Kendzior traces the series of events that led to Trump’s candidacy, beginning in the 1980s. “I wanted it to be clear to people that Trump and his cohort did not come out of the blue, that this is not some sort of fluke,” she says. Does she have any predictions for November? “The main thing I’m worried about is election integrity,” she says. “I’m worried about voter suppression, about foreign interference, about unsecure machines.”

—AMANDA WOYTUS

April 2020 stlmag.com

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Photo By MATT SAYLES

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Cancer clinical trials may be the right option for you or a loved one. The more information you have about clinical trials, the more empowered you will be to seek out your best treatments.

Learn more at StandUpToCancer.org/ClinicalTrials Stand Up To Cancer is a division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

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PRELUDE

SCALES OF OPPORTUNITY Fueling a passion for music in kids of all backgrounds

BY LAURA MISEREZ

Photography by Matt Marcinkowski

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PRELUDE

THE MUSIC MAN The Suzuki Method and its creator

Japanese violinist Shinichi Suzuki modeled his music curriculum on the ways in which children acquire language, surrounding them with music from an early age and teaching them to play an instrument before they learned to read sheet music. Here are the eight tenets of the Suzuki Method.

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HEN RENITA LUEHRMAN was a violin

student at University of Missouri–St. Louis in the late 2000s, she imagined having her own students one day, perhaps even dreamed that one would follow in her footsteps and study violin at the college. What she likely didn’t anticipate: that she’d start a nonprofit that provides private music lessons, many at reduced cost or free, to students ages 4 to 18.

As a student, Luehrman was part of an outreach group that performed in communities around the university. She realized that not enough of the kids she met there would have the opportunity to study music, so she set out to do something about it. Her mission is simple: to eliminate the financial barriers that stop St. Louis kids from pursuing music.

She started Suzuki Harmony STL in 2017 with just herself, her violin, four students, and borrowed space at her alma mater. The program has since grown to 34 students and a waiting list, with two violin teachers and one cello teacher. At 3 p.m.

April 26, the students will perform their biannual recital at Unity Evangelical Lutheran Church.

The nonprofit is named for the curriculum it uses—the Suzuki Method—which builds character alongside musical talent. Suzuki creates an environment in which students feel empowered by learning not only music but also such life skills as discipline and perseverance. “The goal is not

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to make prodigies but to create good passionate humans,” Luehrman says. Although the Suzuki Method traditionally involves classical music, she has started monthly group lessons in such genres as jazz and hip-hop.

Dawn-Marie Culbert moved to the city in 2016, when her granddaughter Adriana, 14, was in the fifth grade. Adriana started playing cello in her school orchestra and fell in love with the instrument. Her younger sister, Aaliyah, 9, desperately wanted to play the violin, but at around $50 for 30 minutes—the average cost of a private violin lesson in St. Louis—Culbert told Aaliyah she’d have to wait until she could take orchestra at school, in the fourth grade. But then a friend introduced Culbert to Luehrman, and soon Aaliyah was enrolled in private violin lessons at Suzuki Harmony.

“I’m a disabled grandma with custody of two girls and not a lot of income,” Culbert says. “I never thought in a million years that I would be able to help them have private music lessons.”

When Luehrman learned that Adriana also played an instrument, she arranged for her to start private cello lessons. That was more than a year ago, and Culbert says she’s seen a maturity in her girls that wasn’t there before.

“It’s been a godsend for me and my family,” Culbert says. “This is an opportunity these kids would not ordinarily have. It is a true blessing.”

Parental involvement Parents tag along to lessons so they can serve as in-home teachers.

Early beginning Lessons usually begin at age 3 or 4.

Listening Children listen to music every day so they begin to recognize certain pieces.

Repetition Children incorporate pieces of music they’ve learned into their repertoires and use them in increasingly sophisticated ways.

Encouragement Children support one another’s playing.

Learning with other children Children are motivated by one another.

Graded repertoire Instead of technical exercises, students learn to overcome musical problems by playing the pieces themselves.

Delayed reading Students learn to play instruments before learning to read music.

Source: Suzuki Association of the Americas

Photography by Matt Marcinkowski

3/5/20 5:38 PM

BE MOM’S FAVORITE AND PAMPER HER THIS MOTHER’S DAY

SUBSCRIPTION FOR ONLY

$19.95

AND SAVE 67% OFF THE NEWSSTAND PRICE ORDER ONLINE AT STLMAG.COM/SUBSCRIBE

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AGENDA

Apr 10 THINGS TO DO MARK YOUR CALENDAR

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The relationship of music and dance takes center stage in the world premiere of The Big Muddy Dance Company’s Moves & Grooves.

This St. Louis–NYC collaboration is set to the electronica of DJ Henry Saiz and Fancy Feelings. April 4 & 5. Grandel Theatre, thebigmuddy danceco.org.

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St. Louis’ oldest continuously operating choral society honors Johann Sebastian Bach with its St. Louis Bach Festival, in which classical fans can learn how his music affects the mind and hear new renditions.

April 17–May 15.

The Bach Society of Saint Louis, bachsociety.org.

Iliza Shlesinger, the only woman to win NBC’s Last Comic Standing, has a book, a sketch show, late-night TV stops, five Netflix specials, and a brand of “feminist comedy” that the Los Angeles Times calls “quick and smart.”

April 23. Stifel Theatre, stifeltheatre.com.

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Conductor John Storgårds leads violinist Jennifer Pike and the St. Louis Symphony in Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony, more than 200 years after the composition’s first public presentation. April 3–5.

Powell Hall, slso.org.

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A revival of The Color Purple, adapted from Alice Walker’s 1982 novel of the same name, hit Broadway in 2015 in what a New York Times reviewer called “a glory to behold.” The moving story is now a traveling production loaded with Grammywinning music. April 11. Stifel Theatre, stifeltheatre.com.

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Comic Michelle Wolf’s nowfamous monologue at the 2018 White House Correspondents’ Dinner left few White House staffers unscathed and racked up 7 million–plus YouTube views. Bet Wolf pulls no punches in her touring set. April 16–18. Helium Comedy Club, st-louis .heliumcomedy.com.

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Opening Day in St. Louis is practically a holiday. (If only employers saw it that way.) This year, the Cardinals play the Baltimore Orioles, and dreams of a 12th World Series title officially begin. April 2.

Busch Stadium, cardinals.com.

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Pearl Jam rose to fame with the Seattle grunge movement of the 1990s, but the rock band has tried on other subgenres for size. In 2020— with their first album since 2013—they lean into a pulsing, pop-rock sound.

Eddie Vedder’s voice? Distinctive as ever. April 4. Enterprise Center, enter prisecenter.com.

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Dubbed “the most eclectic and versatile band in town”

by Steve Pick in the book St. Louis Sound: An Illustrated Timeline, Brothers Lazaroff balance the vibes of both a band playing the café crowd and one headlining a 300-person show. Luckily for us, they’re both.

April 4. The Sheldon, thesheldon.org.

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After stints with The Hollies and Crosby, Stills & Nash (and later Young, with the addition of Neil Young), British folk rocker Graham Nash started his solo career in 1971.

The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee proves he’s still got it, touring with a wealth of songs and stories.

April 1. The Pageant, thepageant.com.

Photography by Danny Clinch, Jeremy Daniel, courtesy of St. Louis Cardinals

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NOM I N ATED F O R BES T YO GA ST U DIO Vote for us at stlmag.com/alist

$ 1 0 CLASSES 2758 Wyoming Street, 1st Floor St. Louis, MO 63118 brickcityyogastl.com

April 2020 stlmag.com

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STUDIO

MORE TO SEE Two more shows to catch at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild

OUR BODIES, HER SELF

Photos of 56 women reveal that age is a state of mind.

BY JEN ROBERTS

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OOKING OUT INTO the audience at the

Sarah Community, an assisted living center in Bridgeton, wildlife photographer Marian Brickner saw something familiar. Brickner, who has captured images of animals and insects for 27 years, her work taking her to Malaysia and Indonesia, is drawn to her subjects because they give an honest, candid look. She recognized it—this time, in the assisted living center’s residents. “All these 90-year-old girls were sitting there, looking at me from their wheelchairs.

Ninety-year-olds have a genuine look,” Brickner says. “I was, like, ‘Oh my God, I have to photograph them.’” But it was Brickner’s photo of herself— no makeup, gazing into the camera—posted on Facebook, that caught the eye of her friend Suzy Farren and inspired a collaborative project called Her Self, an exhibit and accompanying book. Produced by the HEARding Cats Collective, it opens April 10 at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild.

Brickner, 82, wanted to capture images of older women, staring straight into the camera, demanding to be seen, as if to say, “I will not be invisible.”

Farren offered to help recruit women to be photographed. Together they enlisted and took pictures of 56 women, all between the ages of 63 and 105. To achieve the look Brickner was after, she

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Her Self opens at 5 p.m. April 10 at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild.

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asked that participants come as they were—no makeup, no posing, just natural. “They’re willing to do it,” Brickner says. “They say: ‘We’re 90. What the hell.’”

Writer Susan Fadem joined the project later, captioning the photos with candid 80-word descriptions. She asked all the women the same question: “What are the surprises upon reaching our age?” The interviews were as short as five minutes and as long as 25, depending on the women’s responses. “We were astonished at the candor, the poignancy of what they revealed,” says Fadem. “It became an unmasked sharing.”

The answers to that one question are varied.

Some of the women talked about the importance of friendships or their innate sense of curiosity that’s led them to enroll in classes. One is even studying to be a nurse. Some admitted that they’re still trying to find themselves; others wish they’d taken better care of their bodies when they were younger. There were two commonalities: A belief that old is 20 to 30 years older than they are. “Most of us don’t feel old,” says Fadem. At the same time, “there was definitely a happiness to have reached this age.”

Clearly Human IV April 10–May 23 Like Her Self, this allmedia juried group exhibition is focused on representation of the human figure, showing a range of diversity in age and ethnicity. Works will range from “traditional to contemporary, realistic to fanciful, beautiful to unsettling,” and artists will be tasked with using the human form to explore beauty standards and perceptions, our relationship with nature, and more. In the past, this show has turned out oil paintings of mother and child, plastic resin and paper pulp sculptures of skulls, even a form outlined in watercolor on Scantron paper. Selecting the artists and their works this year will be Thomas Piché Jr., director of Sedalia’s Daum Museum of Contemporary Art. Constructed Visions III June 5–July 11 Artists working in sculpture and fine crafts—ceramics, fiber, paper, stone, wood, and more—will display their pieces in this show that explores both traditional and nontraditional forms. The last time the St. Louis Artists’ Guild featured Constructed Visions, first place went to a chair, delicately mottled and meant to look like bone, titled “Osteoporosis: Chair.” stlouisartistsguild.org.

Photography by Marian Brickner

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Watch This Now MRS. AMERICA

St. Louisans remember Phyllis Schlafly as a firebrand who, in the 1970s, through ultra-effective grassroots organizing, stopped the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment...after Congress had approved it and 30 state legislatures had already ratified it. Schlafly, a conservative who opposed samesex marriage and reproductive choice, believed that it would open the door to the draft of women into the military. A new FX mini series, Mrs. America, centers on this period—the movement surrounding the ERA, Shirley Chisholm’s race for president of the United States, Gloria Steinem’s launch of Ms. magazine. It stars Cate Blanchett as Schlafly, Rose Byrne as Steinem, Uzo Aduba as Chisholm, and John Slattery as Schlafly’s husband. But even more than capturing the events of the era, Mrs. America reveals the unfulfilled ambitions and complicated desires of these women. Schlafly held a master’s degree in political science and, as the series depicts, was an expert in national defense. Yet, she once said, “women find their greatest fulfillment at home.” She ran three times, unsuccessfully, for Congress. Mrs. America shows Schlafly, muffins in hand, visiting her husband in his office to talk about a third go. They’re delicious, a co-worker remarks. “Have you ever thought of starting a baking business?” he asks. Blanchett smiles.

“No,” she replies. “I’ve never thought of that.” —AMANDA WOYTUS Mrs. America premieres April 15 on the new FX on Hulu.

Photography by Sabrina Lantos/FX

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR! St. Louis Magazine’s Upcoming Events

BE WELL STL FITNESS & WELLNESS BOOT CAMP June 20 | Westminster Christian Academy Presented by Missouri Baptist Medical Center, the 5th annual Be Well STL Boot Camp will feature an array of workout classes, a buzzing marketplace, and an all-new fitness and wellness program for kids.

A-LIST PARTY AWARDS July 9 | Location TBD SLM’s annual A-List Party celebrates the top of the town— dining, shopping, culture, and more. Mix, mingle, and dance while enjoying food samples, creative cocktails, and more from some of the region’s best spots.

PUMPKIN WARS: CHEFS VS. SURGEONS October 18 | Location TBD A family-friendly fall festival where surgeons and chefs go head-to-head to carve the most creative pumpkins

VISIT STLMAG.COM TO KEEP UP WITH ALL OF SLM ’S EVENTS. Interested in becoming an event sponsor? Call 314-918-3002 or email ekrull@stlmag.com for details.

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ELEMENTS

TRENDING

Vintage paisley head scarf, $12.

Parsimonia Vintage.

Head Turners The second-best thing to wearing a crown

BY ANA DATTILO

Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

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ELEMENTS

TRENDING

Yellow padded headband, $9.99. H&M.

BaubleBar twistedmetal headband, $48. Nordstrom.

Pearl headband, $15. Koho.

Rhinestone headband, $15. Koho.

Polka-dot headband, $25. Koho.

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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

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ELEMENTS

Don’t Call It a Comeback Tricia Thurman has created a hotel gift shop like no other.

BY SAMANTHA STEVENSON

RICIA THURMAN SITS, her bulldog ensconced on her lap, in a wingback chair at the front of CLR-MNSTR (pronounced “color monster”), the retail space she recently opened on the ground floor of Midtown’s Angad Arts Hotel.

Over the beat of Big Data’s “The Glow,” she greets customers, often curious passersby. “What a beautiful dog!” one exclaims. “This is Harley,” Thurman, a Ballwin native, says. “Oh, you have pink on your head,” the woman says, spotting smudges on the dog’s fur. “Oh!” Thurman exclaims, laughing. She points to her lips: “From my lipstick!” It feels more like you’ve entered her home than her business. Perhaps that’s because she’s been at it since she was in her twenties and this is her third store (and the second version of CLR-MNSTR, which first opened on Washington in 2012 and closed in 2015).

“Take a look around,” Thurman says, gesturing. “Everything we sell is made by artists and makers, small indie brands. We also have vintage stuff, and not everything is priced, so don’t be scared to ask questions.” It’s the only retail shop in Grand Center, the hotel’s gift shop (of sorts), and possibly the only place you can pair a purchase of a Beyoncé candle with a “Satan Is a Woman” T-shirt. It’s perhaps not what you’d expect to entice a Fox Theatre or Powell Hall crowd, but, Thurman says, so far “people are drawn to anything that’s feminist-inspired and anything that says “f—” on it.”

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Learn more about CLR-MNSTR at shopclrmnstr.com or visit 636 N. Grand.

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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

3/9/20 9:08 AM

SHOP TALK

On choosing the Angad: Initially, I was a little apprehensive about buying things for the shop and making the store what I wanted, because I thought it was going to be too risky and too in your face... It’s almost like we’re the misfits on the corner, in a way, because the hotel is a little more polished and buttoned up. The hotel is like fine art; we’re street art.

On the reality of owning a retail shop: It’s a hustle. You’re never going to have enough time or money. It’s just hard work. You are doing everything by yourself. You’re taking out the trash, ticketing goods, watching shoplifters— everything the kids in the malls do—and you’re spending 90 percent of your time doing that.

On the range of CLR-MNSTR’s inventory: We sell anything from vibrators and condoms and lube to electronics, speakers, stationery, graphic T-shirts, cut-andsew couture fashion pieces, made locally.

We have a little bit of downtown L.A. fashion. Original arts and prints.

How she connects with local makers and artists: Instagram. There are a couple of makers that I stalked religiously to get into the shop for this opening. A lot of people have been coming to us, through word of mouth.

Tricia Thurman with her bulldog, Harley

On CLR-MNSTR’s mission: The whole concept of the store is to make art and cool shit accessible and not elitist. Let’s say you walk into a streetwear shop or an art gallery. It’s very intimidating—you feel like you have to know art-speak and intently stare at an art piece and have an intellectual conversation about it.

That freaks most people out. We’re for everyone. We just don’t take ourselves that seriously; you can tell when you look around at the product. We’re unapologetically transparent.

What goes through her mind when she’s buying for the store: Is it sold anywhere else? Are they working with any other local retailers? If they are, that’s cool, and I will still buy the same product as other places, but I try to make sure that there’s only, like, six of them in the St. Louis market.

How retail has changed in St. Louis: Before, I kind of felt like a big fish in a small pond—again, that’s because I took myself too seriously—now, I feel like I’m a piece of the pie and the market is big enough for all of us. I’m just tagging on to what the community has built in the last five years that I was closed.

How this version of CLR-MNSTR differs from the store’s first iteration: Here, we’re more of a hotel gift shop and less of a clothing store.

On what she looks for in products: Quality. It has to be not hastily made, with attention to detail. It has to have almost a street art or contemporary art vibe. We don’t really do a lot of abstract pieces.

It has to be more so off the beaten path.

What she would tell her younger self: Not to take myself too seriously as a business owner. I’m 36; I was in my twenties [when I first started]. At the end of the day, I’m just selling shit that says “f—” on it.

It’s not like we’re doing brain surgery.

On her hopes for CLR-MNSTR: I don’t want it to be just a store that sells products, and I don’t want to be a store that sells handmade products. I want to be a culture space. And what I really want to do is drive culture and build that community, give people a platform to meet other like-minded creatives or noncreatives and feel a connection.

April 2020 stlmag.com

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ELEMENTS

MINGLE

John O’Brien, Michael Baxter

Naretha Hopson, Chuck Stewart, Natina Hopson

Heather McCorkle Maness, Adam Maness

Tom and Joanna Wingbermuehle Sherry Sissac, Gregory Glore Andrew Kuhlman, Jack Lane, Joe Grandy

Jessie Youngblood, Colin Gibbs Antonio DouthitBoyd, Adaron Jackson

SPOTLIGHT

Tracy Mitchell, Neuka Mitchell, Kelly and Matt LaMartina

St. Louis Arts Awards ON JANUARY 27 at The Chase Park Plaza, the Arts and

Education Council honored St. Louisans who’ve made significant contributions to the arts community. This year’s ceremony recognized Jack Lane and Michael Hamilton, Ambassadors of Harmony, the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, Adam Maness, and Nikki Spotts, among others.

An Evening with the Cardinals

Grace Moore, Andrea Purnell

Penny Pennington, co-chair, St. Louis Arts Awards “I believe it’s important for all of us to make a difference in our communities, and there’s nothing that contributes to our society quite like the arts.”

Rick and Elizabeth Hall, Maurice and Catherine Quiroga Ozzie Smith, Ted Simmons

CARDINAL HALL OF Famers Ted

Simmons and Ozzie Smith discussed their careers in a January 11 Q&A moderated by Dan McLaughlin to benefit families affected by childhood cancer.

Held at St. Louis Union Station Hotel, the event also featured a silent auction that raised nearly $400,000 for The National Children’s Cancer Society.

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Photography by Diane Anderson, Micah Usher

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Congratulations to St. Louis Magazine’s 2020 Excellence in Nursing finalists.

PRESENTED BY

HO NO RING T HE HE A RT O F HE A LT H C A RE

ACUTE CARE / FAMILY PRACTICE

Lauren Carqueville Gina Heberlie Michelle Jackson Janice Meyer ADMINISTRATION

Becky Allen Pam Golden David Potter Beth Riemer ADVANCED PRACTICE

Vijay Divakaran Samantha Marquard Mary Sullivan CARDIOVASCULAR

ST. LOUIS MAGAZINE’S 2020

Brittany Ash Amanda Cross Debbie Gray Sonja Green Anastasia Schmidt COMMUNITY CARE / AMBULATORY CARE

Crystal Bailey Terra Borkowski Kimberly Ewing Kim Pastrana Allison Vierling EDUCATOR

11th Annual Awards Reception APRIL 16 | 6–9:30 P.M. | WINDOWS ON WASHINGTON

The remarkable efforts of nurses in St. Louis often go unnoticed.

To honor these dedicated nurses, St. Louis Magazine is hosting its 11th annual Excellence in Nursing Awards. Join us for an inspirational evening as we introduce the 2020 finalists and announce the winners, as chosen by a prestigious selection committee. The celebration features hors d’oeuvres, a three-course dinner, cocktails, and music.

Janelle Holthaus Jean Krampe Deirdre Schweiss EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

Jennifer Elbert Rachel Hager Kathryn Sanders Lashonda Walton EMERGING LEADER

Connor Abts Amina Musa Kerry Zimmerman HOSPICE / HOME HEALTH / PALLIATIVE CARE

V ISI T S T L M AG .COM /NUR SES O R C A L L 314.918. 3026 TO PURCH A SE T ICKE T S .

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INTENSIVE CARE

Kathleen "Kitty" Bess Mary McCoy Jessica Tocco MEDICAL-SURGICAL NURSING

Ashley Comeau Mary Moll Julia Williams NEUROLOGY / PSYCHOLOGY / BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

Nicholas Bauer Denelle Cordia Kaitlyn Stumpe ONCOLOGY

Cristina McGroarty Ashley Morton ORTHOPEDICS

Leslie Hasamear Jean Kiburz Megan Knetzer PEDIATRICS: NEONATAL

Heather Miller Kimmie Pacatte Lisa Silverman PEDIATRICS: NON-NEONATAL

Ellen Coates Renee Davis Allison Faron Angela Kaminski RESEARCH

Cynthia Copeland JoAnn Franklin SCHOOL

Heather Christman Pam Holzer Mary Ellen Simmons WOMEN'S HEALTH

Jody Bakameyer Annie Lee Kelly Lovan-Gold

Flora Badra Rachel Sauer

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ANGLES

Q&A

SAM FIORELLO

Cortex’s Next Chapter

BY NICHOLAS PHILLIPS

Photography by Wesley Law

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ANGLES

Q&A

BY NICHOLAS PHILLIPS

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AM FIORELLO SPENDS a lot of time with his head in the future.

As chief operating officer of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and president of its affiliated research park, he helped launch 39 North, a 600-acre innovation district in Creve Coeur. Now Fiorello is leaving to become CEO of another innovation district, Cortex in the Central West End. Launched in 2002 with a focus on biotech, Cortex has grown to more than 425 companies and nearly 6,000 employees. In 2018 alone, these firms generated more than $1 billion in economic activity. Fiorello’s task when he takes over this spring: grow the district in a way that benefits everyone.

How would you describe the relationship between 39 North and Cortex? I would say they’re siblings. We collaborate a lot. Five or six years ago, the fourth-largest seed company in the world, based in Germany, KWS, announced they were looking for a North American research headquarters.

It boiled down to a final four of Boston, the Bay Area, Research Triangle Park [in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina], and St. Louis. We ended up winning. They said we scored very high on “collaborativeness.” It mattered to them that there wasn’t a lot of turf-fighting.

What are Cortex’s biggest challenges?

Like in a lot of urban settings, there are issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

If we in 10 years have all these other metrics of great success—hundreds or even thousands of jobs created and millions of square feet of developments and new money flowing to the region—but only a select few benefit from that, I’m going to count it as a failure.

Cortex has considered expanding to sectors beyond biotech. What areas would be a good fit? I need to learn more, but I’ve got to believe that with the huge investment the federal government is making in geospatial [technology], that’s going to be a great opportunity for us. Financial technology—you know, St. Louis also has some of the largest buying power and presence for fintech in the world. And health care: not only do you have fantastic resources and skills of [Washington University in St. Louis] and [Saint Louis University] medical schools, but you also have BJC and the other hospital networks.

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“THE CURRENCY FOR HIGH-TECH JOBS IS TALENT. IF WE CAN’T WIN THE TALENT BATTLE, WE WILL LOSE, FULL STOP.”

Do you think Cortex should expand in the CWE or launch a Cortex East campus near, say, the new Square office downtown? I just don’t know enough right now to answer.

But during the interview process, board members and others asked, “Is Cortex a place or an idea?” And I said it’s both.

Of course there’s a physical place—acreage and buildings. And the idea is that Cortex works with other enterprises, so its presence can be felt throughout the region. Does that mean you have to have the Cortex logo and a flag planted everywhere? No. The danger is, when you try to do too many things, you’re distracted and you’re diffusing your resources.

What does Cortex need right now? The currency for high-tech jobs is talent.

If we can’t win the talent battle, we will lose, full stop. We need to recruit the young, the best, and the brightest, and also we need to mine our pool of citizens who are underemployed and unemployed and increase their skill sets.

And what about recruiting young talent?

Wash. U. and SLU get them here. We should keep a larger number of them here. We need to figure out what it will take. It’s not enough to say, “I’ve got a terrific high-paying job for you.” We’ve got to tell a story that meets their needs in terms of live-work-play.

Cortex’s outgoing CEO, Dennis Lower, said innovation districts take 30 years to fully bloom. Do you think that will be true for Cortex? I would say 30 years is right—it does take a long time—but if we show progress and incremental changes, those will add up to be big changes. One of the things I really believe is that it’s folly for any community to aspire to out-Boston Boston, because you’re never going to win that game. What we should do with great authenticity is become the best St. Louis we can be—and that’s damn good.

At stlmag.com: More with Fiorello, including his take on recruiting companies.

Photography by Wesley Law

3/5/20 3:14 PM

ROOFTOP BAR & RESTAURANT ATOP THE HILTON AT THE BALLPARK

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ANGLES

NOTEBOOK

BY JEANNETTE COOPERMAN

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WHEELS OF FORTUNE

Racing season gets underway again at the recently reinvented World Wide Technology Raceway.

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T WAS AUGUST, with heat that

could melt asphalt, and I heard a roar, loud as an airplane engine’s, as oil was vacuumed off the track. The jumble of event names and garish logos was dizzying, and the air itself vibrated as engines revved for the biggest race of the year: the 2019 IndyCar Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500—a national race with a St. Louis name behind it.

I preferred the calmer, anticipatory spectacles: the skydivers who floated toward us with an American flag spread wide; Charles Glenn singing the national anthem like a man in love. At least, I thought I preferred the sedate stuff— until the qualifying trials heated up, and I heard the angry buzz of a Godzillascale beehive and the high forced whine of stuck throttle, and it sucked me in.

Sucked everybody in, hyperfocused the crowd until we shared a brain.

The race’s darling was Josef Newgarden, who’d won the 2018 championship.

“If he wins, the championship could be determined here,” murmured Curtis Francois, the owner and savior of World Wide Technology Raceway. “But trust me, every other racer out there is not wanting to let that happen.”

We climbed to the roof of the VIP suites building. I could see the Bommarito logo meticulously painted on fresh-mown grass, the giant video screens, the entire 1.25-mile oval of the racetrack.

In truth, it is more egg than oval, and it is famously tricky. The first two turns, tight and banky, require entirely different handling than the second two, which corner fast. “They come into turn one at 200 miles an hour, and they have to downshift and even brake,” explained Francois. “You can see people hitting the walls even in practice”—he said, pointing to black scuff marks. The Indianapolis Star once compared the challenge to “racing jet fighters around a paper clip of a race track.” But the shape gives drivers great opportunities to pass, and it calls for careful strategy, requiring a change in gearing and the geometry of their turns.

Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

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ANGLES

NOTEBOOK

BY JEANNETTE COOPERMAN

Curtis Francois

Now, as the crowd swelled, people lined up at the track wall, balancing camera lenses long enough to shoot lions on the Serengeti. I headed for the Midway, a gantlet of corn dogs, fresh-squeezed lemonade, and sugar-dusted funnel cakes. On to the vintage tent, where I got a lesson in the evolution of the drivers’ uniforms, from cotton overalls to DuPont’s flame-resistant Nomex.

Every time an engine revved to life, all heads turned, transfixed.

The real action, though, was at the oval track: Those drivers were racing for the rest of us. Their adrenaline jazzed us, easing the frustration of creaky knees, flat feet, wheezy lungs.

Their speed was our catharsis.

Francois started racing at Gateway Motorsports Park decades ago, first in club races, then pro, steering “anything with four wheels.” In time, he married, and he and his wife had a baby girl.

Then came the sign: “I was in an Indy car, circling the track at close to 200 miles an hour, and I had just a little—the back end of the car started to, I would say, step out on a corner, and it was not going to end well. I was able to save the car and avoid hitting the wall, but my next thought was of my 6-month-old daughter.”

He quit racing and went into real estate. He did well. But he never stopped loving racing. In November 2010, when Gateway Motorsports Park closed, possibly for good, he said, “Listen, guys, if you don’t find a viable solution to this, call me. I want to make sure the racetrack doesn’t go away.”

Five months went by. Then his phone rang. The track was out of options, and the grandstands were set to be demolished. Francois swiftly pieced together a complex deal, using his real estate expertise and his old racing skills. He had to “know how far you can push a machine, find the limit and go right up to it”—and the same held true for negotiating. He wangled a handshake promise from then–National Hot Rod Association president Tom Compton to bring his series every year. And as Francois began improving the amenities, more races returned—NASCAR’s truck series, IndyCar series, Formula DRIFT, RallyCross.

Then, at the start of the 2019 season, World Wide Technology gave the track its name. New programs introduced the racetrack to a more diverse group of fans. Kids could come to assemble and race karts and get a boost of STEM education. Even the track’s marketing added flair, from a mascot being designed by comics publisher Lion Forge (run by David Steward II, son of World Wide’s founder) to giant race banners.

On this night, the race started after dark, sparks dancing as cars zoomed around the egg, downshifting, shooting forward again. The winner? Takuma

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THOSE DRIVERS WERE RACING FOR THE REST OF US. THEIR ADRENALINE JAZZED US, EASING THE FRUSTRATION OF CREAKY KNEES, FLAT FEET, WHEEZY LUNGS. Sato, who was, two years ago, the first Asian driver to win the Indy 500. He was gracious in victory, saying he felt “very, very privileged” to beat Newgarden.

Francois was just happy at the turnout, proud of the way his team had “reenergized racing in our region. This is the only raceway in the country that hosts premier competition for NASCAR and IndyCar and the National Hot Rod Association. People feel they have a home track they can brag about.”

It’s a big change in just eight years.

He moves fast.

Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

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We are humbled to be nominated for

Best Home Health Care!

ASSISTANCEHOMECARE.COM | 314-HOMECARE

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ANGLES

SNAPSHOT 13TH & MARKET

Wild in the Streets In spring 2017, the St. Louis Six—Chico, Spirit, Eddie, Houdini, Roo, and Johnny Cash—busted out of Star Packing Co., leading police on an hours-long chase. The footage made national news. But we have a long history of dramatic animal escapes, including these pigs, who lounged on a street in 1903. There was also Murphy, a monkey who leaped into the arms of a policeman while fleeing dogs, and an “immunized goat” used for medical purposes who fled Bethesda Hospital. And there are several accounts of spirited red steers—like Chico—making their escapes. One sought safety inside the Skinner & Kennedy Stationery Company store. After the clerks shooed him out, “a shepherd dog, on the trail of the animal, arrived on the scene. Two cowboys on galloping, perspiring horses were also near at hand.” The trio wrangled the poor fellow back to the Bremen Stockyards, from whence he came. As for the Six (who are now Five…Spirit’s passed on into the, uh, spirit realm)? They’re alive and well, living at The Gentle Barn in Dittmer. As a man who watched Chico run down North Florissant that day told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “He needs to go down in history.” —STEFENE RUSSELL 42

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Photography courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society

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PRESENTED BY

Do you know an incredible kid?

Whether it’s a youngster who’s overcome a daunting obstacle, launched an entrepreneurial endeavor, or reached an impressive milestone, we want to hear about it.

VISIT STLMAG.COM/INCREDIBLEKIDS TO NOMINATE AN INSPIRING CHILD.

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LITTLE FOX p.46 CLARK & BOURBON p.48 JACK NOLEN’S p.50

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THE DISH

Little Macs

Home bakers who test their skills with macarons may be in for disappointment. “They’re time-consuming, intricate, particular little things,” says Mallory Stewart, co-owner of The Tipsy Goat, based at The Bakers Hub in Chesterfield. A macaron’s ingredients must be carefully weighed, the filling is carefully hand piped, and the shells (made of egg whites) must be allowed to rest. If the filling underwhelms, so will the macaron. Stewart and co-owner Emily Lamb attended culinary school together and reunited while working at the commissary bakery for Baileys’ Restaurants. The duo discovered a shared love of wine and goats, hence the name. The Tipsy Goat uses local ingredients and fresh fruit and zest for the fillings. The shop features six flavors at any one time (from a selection of 30 or 40), including Boozy Caramel Corn, the Margarita, the S’More, PB&J, any variation on gooey butter, and Tipsy Goat’s Signature Macaron (infused with Chambourcin wine). To avoid customer confusion over how to pronounce “macaron,” Lamb says, The Tipsy Goat “just calls ’em macs.” —GEORGE MAHE

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Cunningly Creative

Little Fox pounces on success in Fox Park.

BY DAVE LOWRY

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F

IDDLE LOX? HUH? Oh, sorry. My

hearing’s still a little iffy.

Little Fox, in the Fox Park neighborhood, recently replaced the Purple Martin, and the space has been handsomely rehabbed.

Brick walls, geometric oak panels, and muted colors intersect with blond wood tables and comfy chairs. There’s enough of the early–20th-century feel to lend a nostalgic note, but it’s plenty hip as well.

And it’s loud: Even by current standards, under which eateries compete in decibel production with a Mötley Crüe concert, the roar here is impressive, which means your companions aren’t going to hear you raving about that incredible soup.

The French onion soup’s perhaps the most powerfully concentrated broth you’ll ever try. It’s a dark-caramel slurry, graced with onion slivers, shavings of Comté cheese, and a marrow-stuffed roasted shank bone, upended in the bowl. It’s amazing. You’ll also appreciate how the noise drowns out the piggy noises your pals might make when your “tomahawk” pork Milanese arrives.

Roughly the dimensions of a cow’s leg, this mega-chop is flayed open, breaded, and fried just long enough to produce a magnificent golden crust that gives it a schnitzel-like crunchiness. The meat’s less porky, more like veal. It’s moist and delectable. A dollop of pickled mustard seed is dribbled over the chop, adding a welcome piquancy. Alongside is a gribiche sauce of chopped eggs with a hint of mustard and herbs, all emulsified in oil, that does its part in cutting the opulent meatiness of the crusty chop.

The concept at le Petit Renard is small plates for sharing, with just a few larger entrées on the menu. In addition to that tomahawk chop, there’s a flatiron steak and a fish of the day. Sliced and slathered with an aromatic herb butter that accentuates the beef, the steak is pink, luscious, and splendidly textured. The fish (a whole trout, on our visit) is boned and stuffed with lemon slices and a cilantro-flecked salsa verde. It’s then grilled to a perfect golden crust.

The small plates are equally worthy.

They display even more creativity than the main offerings, and it’s tempting Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

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MAIN COURSE

Clockwise from opposite page: Little neck clams in sherry broth; stracciatella; Brooklyn Inn drink

Little Fox 2800 Shenandoah 314-553-9456 littlefoxstl.com Dinner Tue–Sat

to make a leisurely meal of them alone.

There’s that remarkable onion-thick soup, but consider sharing it. Don’t hesitate to tackle a tureen of littleneck clams on your own, though. The steaming broth, fragrant with sherry and garlic, is restrained, heightening the sweetness of those chubby clams. Or try the stracciatella (think of it as a creamier burrata), which arrives as a buttery lagoon surrounded by shores of puréed squash, all of it to be swiped up on cloud-like bread.

A sprinkle of bottarga (the finely grated cured mullet roe that Anthony Bourdain so loved) lends a briny smack.

A small plate of wild mushrooms deserves special mention: You’ll likely order it because the menu says they’re dressed with a soubise sauce. The oniony sauce is mild and fragrant; the mushrooms are sautéed to a dark brown.

A spritz of sherry and chive oil makes

THE BOTTOM LINE

things even more interesting. Every ingredient works to highlight the taste and texture of those mushrooms. It’s a great dish. Two versions of crostini are available. One, topped with cannellini and escarole, was lackluster on our visit; the other, loaded with a house-cured leaf of smoky pancetta and mushroom butter, was lovely. (Three bucks for each is too much, however.)

Though service was sharp on our visit, there was an notable lag in the kitchen’s timing. If you’re featuring an open kitchen, you’re aware that diners can see a staff moving without crispness, lacking a sense of urgency. A kitchen producing such outstanding dishes should have them at the pass with a quickness.

Speaking of those elevated dishes, this is one place where you don’t want to skip dessert. If that’s simply a platter of cheeses served with a cherry-and-apricot mostarda, that’s fine—but if you’re the kind of diner we know you are, you’ll try the tartlet, a Reese’s cup–looking puck of dark chocolate dusted with sea salt and a cocoa crumble and filled with a luxuriant ooze of caramel that spills out beneath your fork, mixing into a stream of raspberry curd. Oh man, is it good.

Though you might not be able to conduct an intimate conversation over dinner, you will find excellent fare at what’s one of the better new restaurants in town, L’il Flocks—at least that’s what I think we heard.

Little Fox is hip, charming, and bustling with excellent food, mostly on small plates.

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FIRST BITE

Big Hitter

Clark & Bourbon steakhouse fires up Ballpark Village.

PERFECT PAIRING

U N F I LT E R E D A N D ARTISAN CIDERS FOR THE CHANGE OF SEASONS

Local Favorite: Brick River Cider’s Homestead This semisweet farmhousestyle cider—“as close to the orchard as it gets,” says cidery owner Russ Johns— is made with fresh-pressed juices from regional growers.

2000 Washington.

Pick Your Poison: Le Père Jules’ Le Cidre Brut The apple orchards of the gorgeous Pays d’Auge area of France have been given appellation d’origine protégée status. Le Père Jules employs the “traditional” second-fermentation method used to make Champagne to create gorgeous bubbles in this fruity yet rustic unfiltered cider. The Vino Gallery, 4701 McPherson.

EVEN BASEBALL NAYSAYERS will be tossing out

baseball metaphors after seeing how the new Live! By Loews hotel knocks it out of the park with its food-and-beverage offerings. Instead of coming at you like a 100-mph heater, the small ball references are subtle and wily, more like an Adam Wainwright 11-to-5 curveball.

The lobby floor is scribed with overlapping blueprints of Busch stadia. The front desk is etched with retired Cardinals jersey numbers. At Bar Bourbon, pillowy nooks and casual seating are the box seats. Semicircle pendant lights are trimmed in dark baseball-stitched leather. While perched on a red leather stool, consider the double-patty Widmer cheddar burger with onion strings, paired with a dram of hand-selected barrel-strength Ezra Brooks bourbon, then gaze out the windowed back bar onto the carnival that is game day. In the

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A 12-ounce Creekstone Farm New York strip, frites, and malt aioili

restaurant, Clark & Bourbon, gray-upholstered loveseats conjure Ruthian pinstripes.

(They see far more skinny jeans than designer suits, so dress accordingly.) Executive chef Matt Lange serves up a Prime Delmonico ribeye and lamb rack, but don’t overlook the lobster dumplings and misoyaki-glazed salmon, fresh from the waters of Tierra del Fuego. Inside the signature Whiskey Room, guests can sample from 480 different dark spirits. Take a postprandial stroll upstairs, past a Busch II mural made of—are those open books?—and settle in at The Bullock, a vast league-of-its-own terrace overlooking Ballpark Village, the stadium, and, conveniently, the 216-room hotel. 799 Clark. —GEORGE MAHE

The Wine Critic's Darling: Manoir du Kinkiz’s Cuvée Blanche A wine nerd’s dream, this cider is made from a historic variety of apple, the Guillevic, known for its golden, almost white juice. The Cuvée Blanche undergoes a slow fermentation during which it develops elegant aromas of wild rose and white peach and a taste of tart citrus fruit. The Wine & Cheese Place, 7435 Forsyth.

Explore a New Region: Trabanco’s Sidra Natural If you’re a fan of natural wines, here is just the cider for you. Produced in Spain’s Asturias region, this refreshing variety is intended to facilitate “friends and families to gather at the sidrería to solve the world’s problems.”

Parker’s Table, 7118 Oakland.

—DENISE MUELLER

Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

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SECOND HELPING

Jackpot

Soulard’s newest gathering place is a solid bet for burgers and cocktails.

BY HOLLY FANN

A

T FIRST GLANCE, Jack Nolen’s

appears to be yet another charming but nondescript establishment in a centuryold brick corner building in Soulard. Inside, a wooden bar seating about 15 takes up half the room. Tables with room for another dozen or so diners fill the other half. Laughter and chatter waft over Tom Petty tunes. Nothing out of the ordinary— but the mouth-watering aromas of griddlecooked beef and fries crisping in hot oil signal that Jack Nolen’s is more than just a neighborhood watering hole.

Brothers Jim and Ryan Grindstaff, together with their mother, Patti Grindstaff, opened Jack Nolen’s in midDecember. The family has run franchises in both Belleville and Mascoutah. That knowledge has resulted in the understated, straightforward menu, featuring Island dressing) or Fire Sauce based meat substitute called Double items with big, bold flavors. (a spicier version). A vinegary cheeseChick’n, display a golden crust burger on a Jack Nolen’s uses quality ingrediKicking Carolina sauce and ranch on one side of the tender dough. potato bun dressing are also available.

The dumplings are served with ents. A tangy-sweet cucumber salad comprises local hydroponically grown Other sandwiches include a Stinging Honey Garlic Sauce, a cucumbers marinated with roasted red soy-based dip tempered with sweetness.

Reuben with Style Sauce on rye. The pepper and onion. Crunchy and refresh- pesto grilled cheese—Parmesan and Other sides include grill-smoked deviled ing, the acid provides the perfect foil to a mozzarella with pesto on grilled soureggs, filled with a pickle-spiked yolk and burger, served on Martin’s potato rolls. dough—is perfectly balanced. smoked bacon and paprika.

(Shake Shack uses them, too.)

There are standard and Jack Nolen’s offers a half dozen perFor years, Jim’s been travelfectly mixed classic cocktails made with loaded versions of the crisp, ing, eating, and reviewing burgshoestring fries. Fries topped top-shelf brands, costing $6 each, as well ers nationwide for his private with melted American cheese as craft beers and Budweiser products. blog, Cheeseburger Central. and grilled onion are available Valuing warm, personal interaction, That passion project led to the with Fire or Style sauce. “Blu- the proprietors decided not to have a perfect burger patty blend: 25 etine,” a kickier poutine, is phone and don’t have a menu posted Jack Nolen’s percent short rib, 25 percent 2501 S. Ninth topped with blue cheese crumonline. If you have a question, they brisket, 50 percent chuck. jacknolens.com bles instead of curds. encourage you to just drop by. After Beyond the standard toppings, Lunch Tue–Sun, Potstickers from Crispy trying one of the burgers and an order you can add the house-made dinner Tue–Sat Edge, stuffed with juicy pork of loaded fries, you’ll see that they know Style Sauce (a riff on Thousand exactly what they’re doing. or lemongrass and a plant-

THE BOTTOM LINE

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The Soulard spot serves a small but solid menu built on perfect burgers and awesome fries.

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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

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A UNIQUE GATHERING PLACE FILLED WITH

CONTEMPORARY CUISINE AND CREATIVE COCKTAILS

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2019 FINALIST 14156 Olive Blvd. Chesterfield, MO

314.469.1660

ADDIESTHAIHOUSE . COM

Hot Spots W H AT ’ S N E W A N D N O TA B L E THIS MONTH

1. Clark & Bourbon Located inside the Live! by Loews hotel, this casual, cozy steakhouse holds the 480-bottle Whiskey Room (the first in the country) and The Bullock, a huge second-floor terrace overlooking Ballpark Village and Busch Stadium. 799 Clark.

2. Takashima Records  The city’s first Japanese whiskey–and–record bar also includes a dozen house cocktails and sake.

The food menu runs the gamut from bar snacks to such izakaya selections as sashimi, onigiri, a rotating soup menu, and even a potato salad with Japanese accoutrements. 4095 Chouteau.

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3. Sabzi In The Grove, the short-lived Iron & Rye gave way to a vegan/vegetarian restaurant and small event space operated by the owners of nearby Sameem. (The Persian word sabzi loosely refers to all vegetables but also to any cooked vegetable dish.) 4353 Manchester.

4. Wellspent Brewing After a six-month hiatus, brewmaster Kyle Kohlmorgen and his wife, Angela Kohlmorgen, are running 15 taps. Expect more barrel-aged and bottle-fermented beers in 2020, all made just behind the bar. 2917 Olive.

5. Steve’s Hot Dogs In late February, angel investor Danni Eickenhorst helped The Urge frontman Steve Ewing reopen his fledgling hot dog business. The staple dogs remain, and several new offerings will appear, as will Ewing on a more regular basis. 3457 Magnolia.

Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

3/5/20 4:59 PM

INS, OUTS & ALMOSTS AS OF AN EARLY-MARCH PRESS DATE

CLOSINGS

‘ZZA Pizza + Salad 282 N. Skinker, Feb. 1

Chicken Out (Piccione Pastry) 6197 Delmar, early May

Guerrilla Street Food 3559 Arsenal, Feb. 9

9 Mile Garden 9375 Gravois, late May

Joanie’s Pizza 2101 Menard, Feb. 16

Edera Italian Eatery (Scape) 48 Maryland, May

Al’s Café 2500 Dekalb, Feb. 28

OPENINGS

Schlafly Bankside (Trailhead Brewing Co.) 921 S. Riverside, spring

Signature Tap House 51 Lincoln, Fairview Heights, Feb. 1

Shake Shack (Pei Wei) 8885 Ladue, spring

Orzo Mediterranean Grill 11627 Olive, Feb. 3

Uncle Julio’s Frontenac Commons, spring

Takashima Records 4095 Chouteau, Feb. 20

Blue Violet 6112 Shoger, Edwardsville, early June

Clark & Bourbon 799 Clark, Feb. 26 Nomad (Mac’s Local Eats) 1227 Tamm, Feb. 27

COMING SOON

Sunny’s Cantina (Manchester Public House) 6655 Manchester, early March Beffa’s 2700 Olive, mid-March

Asador Del Sur (Reeds American Table) 7322 Manchester, early summer City Foundry STL 214 S. Vandeventer, mid-summer Diego’s (Momos Ouzaria Taverna) 630 North & South, summer

MOVING

Sabzi (Iron & Rye) 4353 Manchester, mid-March

Boardwalk Waffles From 7326-B Manchester to 7376 Manchester, early March

Reign Restaurant (Copia) 1122 Washington, late March

Bombay Food Junkies From 3580 Adie to 12955 Olive, late March

Zenwich (Taze Mediterranean Street Food) 8 ½ S. Euclid, April

Olive + Oak 102 W. Lockwood to 216 W. Lockwood, April

Mission Taco Joint (Kirkwood Station Brewing) 105 E. Jefferson, April

Brennan’s From 4659 Maryland to 314 N. Euclid, late spring

Beautiful Smiles for All Ages Located in the heart of Rock Hill, Missouri, Dr. Keith F. Anderson and his staff at Radiant Smiles Dentistry have provided quality, caring dental services to families in the surrounding communities for the past 30 years. The practice provides general dental services including Invisalign® orthodontic treatment, Philips Zoom teeth whitening, white composite fillings, porcelain crowns, veneers and implants. Dr. Anderson practices in a comfortable, nature-inspired office with state-of-the-art equipment including iTero® digital scanning for Invisalign® and crowns.

Dr. Anderson is a member of the American Dental Association, the Missouri Dental Association, the Greater St. Louis Dental Society and the American Academy of Clear Aligners. Dr. Anderson is a lifelong St. Louisan who graduated from Washington University School of Dental Medicine in 1985. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family. His hobbies include nature photography, hiking, fishing and golf.

9225 MANCHESTER ROAD, STE. 202, ST. LOUIS, MO 314-961-5866 | RADIANTSMILESSTL.COM

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How’d you get your start here? If you were alternative or creative, you went to The Loop, and I wanted in. By that time, I had a tattoo portfolio—which was garbage, in hindsight—and Brad [Fink] at Iron Age gave me a job. I spent my twenties in the Loop, doing 10 to 15 tattoos per day.

Brad and I began traveling to tattoo conventions all over the world, both working and observing. They were the only place you could learn, long before you could find it all on the internet. Those conventions opened my eyes to the different styles of tattooing worldwide but also how different cultures dined and socialized, which influenced my future projects in St. Louis. But tattooing was the thread that tied them all together.

You eventually moved on from Iron Age. In places like Spain or Japan, tattoo artists went about things differently, more gypsy-hippie, which was the way I wanted to approach it. A friend in Sweden convinced me to do my own thing, and I opened Tower Classic Tattooing in The Grove in 2010. A decade ago, we were one of the first daytime retailers there.

Inking Deals

A tattoo artist scribes a mini-empire that includes several restaurants.

H

IS BUSINESSES— Knife & Flag

Aprons, Union Barbershop, Scorpion Front Publishing, Cúrador Natural, Parlor, Taco Circus—read like there’s no common thread. Yet they can all be traced to Sean Baltzell’s first endeavor, Tower Classic Tattooing, in The Grove. Baltzell’s latest, Takashima Records, is an amped-up version of the popular Japanese vinyl record bar and a first in St. Louis. —G.M.

ONLINE

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Visit stlmag.com for more with Baltzell, including the entrepreneur’s first job.

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How did tattooing become your profession? I was part of the rebellious ’90s subculture, which is now nostalgic and cool but wasn’t then. Being from a small town and obsessed with it all—the skateboarding, pot, punk rock, and rap music—I came to St. Louis, where that whole subculture was into tattoos. They were a way out of being a normal person.

This was long before they became any kind of fashion statement.

What other projects are you involved in? I needed a good heavy apron for tattooing, so Frank Uible and I started Knife & Flag. The tattoo shop also spawned Scorpion Front Publishing, which publishes tattoo books—hardback, case-bound collector books. If you’re a tattoo artist, you’re only as good as your library, so we’re more like a curator.

We’ve done seven titles to date. Then the barber community fell in love with the aprons, right at the time that the cutand-shave places were seeing a resurgence. My friend Megan was a talented barber, so we put together Union Barbershop. Then some restaurants picked up on the apron thing, and that’s how I got to know that business. One door opened for me, which opened another.

My goal was to make every brick-andmortar project an immersive experience.

How did Parlor come about? In my travels, I saw arcade bars popping up all over.

The Grove was booming but had nothing like that, plus there were things I’d Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

3/9/20 9:09 AM

HOT SEAT

“MY JAPANESE FRIEND SAYS IT’S THE CLOSEST THING TO THE CONCEPT HE’S SEEN SINCE HE’S BEEN IN TOKYO.” collected—neons, signs, tattoo posters— and if you can store that stuff publicly, why not? But Parlor is more of a bar with arcades than an arcade house that serves drinks. Some people who come there don’t even play ’em. But they’re there; the nostalgia’s there.

How did you get involved with Taco Circus?

The founder [Christian Ethridge] is an insanely creative dude and a stubbornly passionate artist, so we hit it off immediately. I saw the scalability in his tiny taco business. I’d drive by the vacant Three Flags [Tavern] and think, Why not expand here? and we became partners.

There’s a robust bar program there now, business has been through the roof, and that huge party patio only saw a month of service in the fall. I could see doing several locations.

What was the impetus for Takashima Records? Studying Japanese tattooing got me obsessed with that culture, so my friend Paul Fullerton and I spent a month there.

Paul, who’s a total record head, took me to a vinyl bar. The whole back bar was records, thousands of them, and one dude was playing vinyl while shaving ice into different shapes for cocktails. Here, we do Jäger Bombs; there, drinking is artistic. Due to my immersive nature, I became obsessed with that whole concept. We learned that much of the discarded vinyl from the U.S. was shipped to Japan. They kept collecting, and we didn’t, which resulted in hundreds of vinyl bars in Tokyo alone. We visited a bunch of them. We were both thinking, We’re going to do one of these, right?

And Takashima Records was born? A few months later, we took another trip, this time with investors, where we solidified the space, vibe, and direction. It was interesting that we had gotten reinspired, because the Japanese had gotten inspired. Takashima means “tall island,” something elevated and imposing, which fit, since our concept was going to be different than people listening to vinyl, drinking cocktails, and eating only salty snacks.

How so? Takashima Records has more robust food and its own record label.

We’ll be doing repressings of old St. Louis R&B, soul, jazz—maybe four records per year, beginning with Oliver Sain’s 7-inch single of On the Hill, recorded on The Hill. The kind of records most people have forgotten about but tracks the younger generation wants to hear.

Walk us through the space. Two levels, two rooms, dark wood, dim lights… It’s like you’re sitting inside a record collection that’s 15,000 strong. Big Altec hi-fi speakers from 1966 showcase clarity, not how loud they can get. The lobby lounge feels like a Japanese tiny bar; all wood, ceilings are low, everything is compact.

Inside the main room are traditional tables and six booths built inside shipping containers. Above the bar are the records. In front of it is a bank of fixed barstools. There’s a mezzanine top of the shipping containers that can host public and private events and that won’t interrupt the vibe downstairs.

Is there a DJ? If we’re open, there’s a DJ, and it’s all-vinyl. If there is an overarching theme, it’s pre-2000 soul, jazz, and rare groove, early blues-rock. If there is hip-hop, it’ll be older. When touring acts come through, our talent buyers will see if someone can come after their show and do a vinyl set, because someone in the band is apt to be a collector.

Are any records for sale? There will 15 to 20 records available for purchase at any one time, artists we love and want to support. We’re approaching it like a wine collection: “We have these 15 offerings available this week.”

Talk about the food. Chris Krzysik, who lived in Japan and is familiar with the cuisine from working at places like indo, put together an izakaya-style menu of simple but stylish Japanese foods: sashimi, odin [a light dashi broth soup containing several ingredients], onigiri [filled rice balls], deep-fried tofu. A year from now, I could see the menu being twice as big.

How is the beverage selection? Classic cocktails, some with a twist, bottled wine, bubbles, a few draft beers, lots of sake and shochu. Cocktails that respect the Japanese cocktail habits, like highballs—the Japanese love highballs. To get a membership vibe going, we’ll have a members bottle program to store a bottle of Japanese whiskey or sake.

How’s the response been? My Japanese friend says it’s the closest thing to the concept he’s seen since he’s been in Tokyo. Spoken to a guy who was obsessed with it, that’s the best thing he could have said. St. Louis plays it pretty safe with concepts as compared to larger cities, but we’re entering an era where we can get more globally edgy. We wanted to be part of the next evolution.

Do you have a five-year plan?

I think people pass on great opportunities by sticking with their five-year plans. I try to stay fluid.

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THE HEART OF THE CITY HAS MOMENTUM. WHERE DOES IT GO FROM HERE?

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Downtown West, just a mile from the riverbank where Frenchmen founded St. Louis to trade fur, Lance Levine trades in fur fedoras. He’s the fourth generation of his family to run the Levine Hat Company. It has endured on Washington Avenue since 1903, even during the bleak ’90s, when retail here was scarce. But these days, it’s surrounded by new neighbors. On a brassy winter Saturday, Levine stands on the front sidewalk, checking them out.

“There’s The Last Hotel,” he says, pointing at the former International Shoe Company building. After a $60 million renovation, it reopened in June as a 142room hotel (named after the shoe-molding tool called a last). A few blocks west, Levine notes, he can now buy groceries at Fields Foods, which occupies the street level of The Monogram, a former factory converted to luxury apartments with a $51 million investment. And right next to his hat shop is The Selfie Room, a space where visitors pay to photograph themselves in bright décor designed to pop on social media. “I was worried about them at first,” says Levine, “but I looked on their Instagram. They’re doing a ton of business!”

Downtown has momentum these days. It may even be headed toward a boom.

True, we’ve heard such talk before. Various schemes over the past half century have failed to turbocharge the city’s urban core, that area between Jefferson and the Mississippi River, from Cole to Chouteau. For now, the young-and-hungry demographic that’s necessary to revive any downtown is flocking elsewhere: Locally, they seem to prefer the rest of the central corridor or neighborhoods such as The Grove and Cherokee Street; nationally, they migrate to Nashville, Austin, or coastal megacities instead of the Gateway City. Still, some observers and participants alike believe that the stars are aligning for downtown.

“What’s extra special is that the investments are so diverse,” says Steve Smith of the Lawrence Group. “There are many, many players—and that, to me, is a more sustainable model than one big, intense investment.”

Consider some of the major projects completed in just the last decade or so.

There’s the Arch grounds renovation; Ballpark Village; Kiener Plaza; Citygarden; Stifel Theatre; Soldiers Memorial; the Central Library; Union Station’s aquarium and the St. Louis Wheel; the Mercantile Exchange District, which includes the National Blues Museum; the Old Post Office Plaza and apartment tower; the Schnucks Culinaria; the Saint Louis University School of Law… Add to all this smaller retail successes, such as the many eateries that have hung out shingles: Sugarfire Smoke House, Pi, Gringo, Hi-Pointe Drive-In, Sauce on the Side, Sen, Mango, Kaldi’s, The 314, Bridge, Baileys’ Range, Chris’ at the Docket, Blondie’s…

Now consider what’s in the works: the second phase of Ballpark Village, the Major League Soccer stadium and adjoining plaza, the expansion of America’s Center, the renovation of the former St. Louis Post-Dispatch building into offices for Square, a revitalized Laclede’s Landing, a crop of boutique hotels. And don’t forget what’s going on right outside downtown, including City Foundry in Midtown and the massive National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s new western headquarters, in the St. Louis Place neighborhood. Threading some of these developments together will be the pedestrian trails of the soon-to-be-renamed Chouteau Greenway.

All told, the projects planned, underway, and recently completed represent an estimated $2.3 billion in public and private investment.

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WASHINGTON AVE. ST. CHARLES ST.

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Thanks to the efforts of MLS4TheLou—Major League Soccer’s first majority-female ownership group—St. Louis will soon have a team. Plans call for the club’s future home to encompass roughly 31 acres, across both sides of Market Street. Designed

by HOK and Snow Kreilich Architects, the 22,500-seat stadium will have entrances on all four sides and a modern angular canopy. But that’s just the start, with plans for nearby restaurants and retail—a district MLS4TheLou member Carolyn Kindle Betz says will not only be “the heart of St. Louis soccer, but also a special piece of downtown that will fuel the renaissance currently underway.”

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The National GeospatialIntelligence Agency’s forthcoming $1.7 billion western headquarters marks the COLE ST. largest federal investment project in St. Louis history.

Slated to open in 2025, the 97-acre campus, in the St. DR. MLK DR.Louis Place neighborhood, will be managed by the NGA, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Army Corps of EngiDELMAR BLVD. neers. It’s being hailed as a significant difference maker LUCAS AVE.for both the city and the geospatial technology community at large.

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This summer, the former Century Electric site in midtown, across the street from IKEA, will begin a new chapter as an imaginative mixed-use destination, the brainchild of the Lawrence Group’s Steve Smith.

TheAVE. CLARK ambitious project will span more than a dozen food stalls, as well as Fassler Hall, Punch Bowl Social, 18Rails | The Venue event space, and offices. Fresh Thyme also plans to open a location on site, and Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will later serve up flicks and fare.

UNION STATION Last fall, the 200-foot St. Louis Wheel began turning, a colorful LED-lit addition to the city skyline. At its base, families flock to a carousel, mirror maze, ropes course, 18-hole mini-golf course, and a variety of restaurants. The main attraction, however, is the PGAV-designed St. Louis Aquarium, home to more than 13,000 animals, all housed inside downtown’s historic train station.

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DESIGN DOWNTOWN STL MEASURED EACH BLOCK’S “STREET FRONTAGE,” AMONG OTHER FACTORS. FOR DETAILS, VISIT DOWNTOWNSTL.ORG.

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SQUARE St. Louis natives Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey’s mobile payment processing company will relocate its St. Louis offices from Cortex to the 235,000-square-foot former St. Louis Post-Dispatch building. The move will allow the tech company to expand its local workforce from approximately 500 to as many as 1,400.

AC NEXT GEN PROJECT America’s Center is getting a $175 million facelift, including 92,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 65,000-square-foot ballroom and meeting area, new loading docks, an outdoor pavilion, and a refurbished entrance on Washington. The enhancements are estimated to drive nearly 36 percent growth to a facility already hosts 100 events a year and that generates an estimated $265 million for the community.

CHOUTEAU GREENWAY Through community input, Great Rivers Greenway’s ambitious project will get a new name this year. It aims to connect some of the city’s MISSISSIPPI top attractions and parks,RIVER from Forest Park to the Gateway Arch, Fairground Park to Tower Grove Park. Along the way, the trail will wind past some of the region’s new hubs—Cortex, City Foundry, the Armory—as well as green spaces and neighborhoods.

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Illustration courtesy of Downtown STL, Inc.

phase takes the sportscentric attraction to new heights—literally. In February, the Live! by Loews hotel opened, replete with the sleek Clark & Bourbon steakhouse. It comes on the heels of the new PwC Pennant Building, housing the namesake firm and FOX Sports Midwest. Beyond the Class A office building, the 29-story One Cardinal Way residential tower will offer luxury apartments with a view and even more restaurant, retail, and entertainment options.

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D OWNTOWN E VO LUTION

“In order for this momentum to stall,” says Richard Callow, who served as spokesman for former Mayor Francis Slay and has lived on Washington since the early ’90s, “a lot of rich people with a track record of success and a lot at stake would have to be wrong.”

Yet challenges abound—and downtown denizens know it. The central business district’s comprehensive development roadmap is 20 years old. To create a new one, nonprofit Downtown STL has collected a trove of data and solicited input from hundreds of people who live, work, and frequent the area. The findings: People see potential but also too many empty spaces, such as parking lots, vacant storefronts, ultra-wide boulevards. Crime, or at least the perception thereof, is also an issue. What people crave is more retail, residents, street activity, and, overall, density and cohesion.

“St. Louisans have done remarkably well at large-scale catalytic projects,” says John Hoal, professor of architecture and urban design at Washington University. The task now, he says, is to be proactive in knitting them together with brand-new spaces and structures—particularly residential ones. “We’re obviously redeveloping old building stock, which is good,” notes Hoal, “but if you look at comparable downtowns that people would say are more successful, they’re building new residential. We need to take on this next level.”

To Levine, foot traffic on his stretch of Washington is picking up, even on weekdays. “You see people walking the dog, people on scooters, people walking to work,” he says. “I think it’s for real this time.”

When Levine’s great-grandfather Benjamin Levine arrived downtown at the turn of the last century, he entered a canyon of brick high-rises. Flowing through it was a jumble of immigrants, streetcars, horse-drawn carriages, and sometimes even herds of livestock. St. Louis was then one of America’s largest cities. It was about to host the World’s Fair. The riverfront hummed with commerce, and Broadway drew throngs of shoppers. But the Russian-born Benjamin Levine, like many immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe, decided to make a living in the Garment District. He opened his hat store in 1903. Customers were plentiful; everyone wore hats at the time.

The Garment District reached its zenith in the 1940s, and the city’s population peaked the following decade. In those days, Levine Hat was a major institution at 923 Washington. It manufactured hats in the back and sold them in the front. But then hats became optional in men’s fashion, and America underwent massive societal shifts. City residents fled to the suburbs. The economy deindustrialized and manufacturing jobs went overseas. Crime levels began a long climb upward. (One sign of things to come: In June 1960, Edward Levine was driving downtown with $2,500 when a robber brandishing a knife stopped his car in broad daylight and stole the money.)

For the next few decades, all levels of government tried to reverse the tide. City Hall gave out tax abatements; federal agencies offered grants and tax credits for rescuing historic commercial buildings. Those policies spurred the construction and renovation of more than 70 structures downtown. Out-of-town developers even launched two downtown shopping centers, St. Louis Centre and Union Station, but neither could compete with such malls as the Saint Louis Galleria in Richmond Heights, which was closer to the suburbs and offered free parking.

People continued to work downtown, but few wanted to live there.

The neighborhood hit rock bottom in the ’80s and early ’90s. Levine was just a kid back then. He remembers galloping up and down the aisles of his father’s hat AP RIL 2 02 0 ST LM AG.COM 62

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shop, which had moved to its current location, at Washington and 14th.

“It was a bad period down here,” recalls Levine, “ C O M PA R A B L E D OW N who’s now 37. “It had a dustiness, a dinginess. It was kind of desolate.”

But as the ’90s rolled on, the clouds began to TOWNS…ARE BUILDING part. On downtown’s northern edge, the Dome rose to host the Rams. The adjacent America’s NEW RESIDENTIAL. Center was completed, as was the convention hotel. To the south, the arena now known as EnterW E N E E D TO TA K E prise Center became home to the Blues. Bars and clubs on Laclede’s Landing attracted revelers.

O N T H I S N E X T L E V E L .”

Lofts came onto the market; loft-dwellers multiplied. A public-private partnership group called Downtown Now! drafted a master redevelopment plan in 1999. In one program, it offered grants of up to $20,000 to spruce up storefronts. The recipient of one of those grants, Levine Hat put up a new sign.

Then, in the mid-2000s, the new Busch Stadium opened its gates to Cardinals fans. Washington also got a facelift: special streetlights, widened sidewalks, and a stone median with a zipper pattern to honor the history of the Garment District. Much of downtown’s new energy came from the young people who cruised and club-hopped at night. In the minds of many loft-dwellers and office workers, though, the 2009 opening of the Schnucks Culinaria, at Eighth and Olive, was a signal event—proof that the area was finally becoming a real livedin neighborhood again.

By that time, Levine was in his twenties and working for his father at the hat shop. He’d served as a suave headwear model in a commercial that ran on latenight television (“I was cheap talent,” he jokes). Young ladies who came into the shop recognized him from TV. The customer base for hats was broadening again, this time in a more youthful direction. There were 4,400 residents living downtown in 2006, the year Levine filmed that commercial. Today, there are about 11,200.

The Downtown STL office is on the 28th floor of One Metropolitan Square—so high up that when you look out the window of its swank conference room, pedestrians below look like ants. Seated at the head of a long table, the organization’s president and CEO, Missy Kelley, is explaining why a new development plan is needed.

“The plan can help us make sure downtown is for everyone, not just one developer’s idea of what we should do,” says Kelley. “It will be adopted by the city. The idea is that it’s intentional: It locks into place a sense of direction.”

The project, christened Design Downtown STL, got underway last year at a cost of $600,000. Arch to Park, a civic-minded investment organization, partnered with the neighborhood nonprofit to plan, launch, and manage the process; Philadelphia-based urban-planning firm Interface Studio is working on it as well.

To define both downtown’s current state and where people want it to go, organizers conducted more than 50 “stakeholder interviews,” ran online surveys, and staged events, including interactive open houses last October. At the open houses, attendees were asked to write on sticky notes how they would finish the sentences “Downtown today is/has ” and “Downtown tomorrow can be .”

They picked points on a collaborative map and left detailed observations and suggestions about, say, a certain sculpture or intersection. They were also asked how they might improve major streets.

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“People took it seriously,” says LaShana Lewis, a business consultant and downtown resident since 2014. Currently the board chair of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, Lewis joined the Design advisory committee and helped facilitate the open house. “I was expecting a bunch of negativity, since I’m on the board and I hear that a lot, but that’s not what I got,” says Lewis. “People were taking a moment to think.”

According to the initial findings, the consensus was that downtown has “potential.” A plurality of respondents wanted more retail—cafés, coffee shops, stores.

Respondents also wanted more pop-up markets, beer gardens, and temporary street closures. (These would supplement downtown’s already generous offerings of professional sports. The St. Louis Cardinals alone during their 2019 season drew 3.48 million fans to the neighborhood for an estimated economic impact of $344.8 million, according to the St. Louis Regional Chamber.)

Meanwhile, the Design organizers have collected some surprising data from the built environment. Nineteen percent of all downtown parcels are devoted to parking, they found—too many, in the view of many respondents. (A more detailed parking study is underway.) They also surveyed the street frontage of the area and determined that 83 percent is “unfavorable,” be it because of “parking garages and lots,” “blank, windowless walls,” or “long expanses of reflecting glass without entrances.”

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D OWNTOWN EVOLUTION

Two of the largest office buildings by square footage in St. Louis—the former AT&T tower and the Railway Exchange Building—sit vacant. Giant vacancies like those, the Design organizers say, reinforce negative perceptions. Otis Williams, the executive director of the St. Louis Development Corporation, says a helpful response to such vacancies would be large St. Louis companies moving part or all of their operations downtown. “I think what we need is a commitment from the corporate community,” says Williams. “That has happened in Detroit. That has happened in Indianapolis.”

As for the residential market, about 92 percent of downtown housing units are occupied, according to a 2019 report by Downtown STL. There aren’t many older buildings left to convert to lofts or apartments. In recent years, only two new apartment buildings have appeared: the Tower at OPOP and One Cardinal Way in Ballpark Village. Trey Buffington, the group’s director of economic development, says the upcoming influx of employees from the NGA or Square could mean that ground-up residential construction is “on the horizon.”

Another problem related to street frontage is connectedness. Downtown’s two interstates function as psychological barriers; walking under I-70 to get to Laclede’s Landing, for example, can feel daunting. Yawning boulevards have a similar effect. The data team found that Tucker is actually wider than I-64.

“Definitely Tucker needs a road diet,” says Kelley. Possible remedies, she says, include wider medians and pocket parks on the outer edges to calm traffic.

Susan Trautman, executive director of Great Rivers Greenway, says downtown has several “super-wide” streets, where pedestrian trails or landscaping could, in theory, be added to the right-of-way. Portland, Oregon; Indianapolis; and other cities have made similar modifications. “It just feels good to be in a lush, green environment,” says Trautman. “You feel good about yourself there.”

ACCORDING TO THE Another calculation by the Design organizers: Downtown has 539 retail storefronts, about 116 of which are empty. Residents have certainly INITIAL FINDINGS, THE noticed. One of them, Denis Beganovic, lamented in a November tweet that seven of nine commerCONSENSUS WAS cial spaces on just one side of a block of Washington were vacant. “@downtownstlouis is partially T H AT D O W N TO W N H A S responsible for that,” he noted. “Their focus has been big projects and they’ve lost focus of the little “ P OT E N T I A L .” ones like small business.”

Kelley says that although her organization does in fact work with real estate brokers who help businesses find office space in the central business district, Downtown STL’s focus is more on retention and learning why businesses leave. “It’s the nature of a walkable urban space that things will turn over,” she says. “I don’t want to fill that space and then a year from now it didn’t work out. It’s important we pick the right things.”

Levine agrees that more retail would be a boon to downtown, but he recognizes that it’s not the only solution. As far as he can tell, the biggest foot-traffic generators for his hat shop these days aren’t retail at all. Rather, they’re The Last Hotel; the much-loved City Museum, a few streets north; and the Fashion Fund, up the block, which began as a fashion incubator but has morphed into a design co-op. Those places have brought an appreciable number of hat buyers in over the past few years, he says.

“The No. 1 thing for me,” says Levine, “is that there’s always action.” Continued on p. 106 A PRIL 2020 STLM AG.COM 65

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Even surrounded by the coffeehouse’s morning bustle— steamer hissing, beans grinding, names yelled every few seconds—the famous storyteller speaks softly, his demeanor as calm as those of the Zen monks he’s learned from. I poke and prod, trying to fathom the contrast between Bobby Norfolk with a mug of tea in his hand and Bobby Norfolk with a mic. Is this really the guy who did standup comedy, opening for Lou Rawls and B.B. King and slaying the crowd in Haight-Ashbury before losing out to Louie Anderson? The actor who starred at the Black Rep, playing a gang leader so plausibly that two older women were terrified to meet him at the afterparty? The guest artist who can have a clutch of cranky toddlers shrieking with glee in seconds and can melt even the most hard-edged students, in the toughest classrooms in St. Louis, into a worshipful puddle?

“He’s a shy guy,” his son tells me, “a fly on the wall at a party—but when he’s performing, he flips a switch.”

Nan Kamman-Judd, the first executive director of the St. Louis Storytelling Festival, says it’s more “like a rocket takes off.” She remembers showing up at the Ronald McDonald House for an experiment in community outreach: “I walked in the door, and I could hear him jumping and shouting up on the second floor. I thought, Oh my gosh, there must be a huge audience up there. When I got to the top of the stairs, a parent and two kids were sitting on the floor.

Bobby did the whole 45 minutes, giving everything he had to those three people.”

I look across at this man quietly sipping his tea and ask if he’ll tell me his story.

“That would go back to my childhood,” he says, “when I stuttered.”

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fter dinner—roast pork, mustard greens, cornbread, and bubbly candied yams—Bobby’s parents trade one-liners, trying to crack each other up. “I knew a girl so skinny, she could HulaHoop with a Cheerio,” his mom says, and his dad groans, then flashes back: “Why did the baby bottle of ink cry?

Because his daddy was in the pen, and he didn’t know how long the sentence would be.”

As soon as the three boys have cleared the table, their father dims the lights and flips on the huge Magnavox radio he bought with his discount at Stix, Baer & Fuller, where he runs the elevator. They all settle in, Bobby

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hardly blinking as he stares at the huge glass tubes in back, waiting for them to glow gold so the signal will kick in. They listen to Inner Sanctum, The Lone Ranger, The Shadow, Amos ’n’ Andy…

Later, they’ll buy a television set, but Bobby will always prefer radio’s theater of the mind. One day he hears “Big Bad John,” and he loves it so much, he memorizes the lyrics—then realizes with a whoop that he can recite them without stuttering. He hears Mel Tillis sing, smooth as silk, on The Tonight Show, then stutter his way through the interview, and thinks, That’s me!

He reads fluently, but when he has to say something out loud at school or church, sentences twist themselves into knots in his throat. The words are there, just stuck.

He takes a run at them, machine-gunning the consonants. Later he’ll learn about selective mutism and realize he went quiet in self-defense, sometimes shutting down altogether, sometimes clowning around to ease the tension.

When the afternoon bell springs them free, he and his brothers sometimes take the streetcar to visit their mother, who works as a store clerk at a Jewish confectionery in Wellston. “Boys, you have free rein,” Mr. David Bean announces, and they grab chips and soda and a Dagwood sandwich and stuff their pockets with Mary Janes. Other days, Bobby drags his little brother, Paul, from store to store, looking for the next Marvel comic.

By eighth grade, his favorite reading material is heavier. “Hey, man, treat those books gently,” Bobby scolds Paul. Books are sacred; they hold knowledge, which is treasure. At Sumner High School, there’s more to learn, and the bullying eases up.

“Bobby wasn’t a guy you would tease,” Bobby Norfolk performs for his friend Carlton Jones, a quarterback students at on the football team, recalls. “He was Jana Elementary School. quiet and reserved, but you always knew something was going on with him, and we were smart enough to let that happen. You know how someone’s deep in thought and you touch their shoulder and they jump?

We didn’t touch Bobby’s shoulder—and he kind of transformed right before our eyes.”

The shift starts sophomore year, when Bobby joins the Glee Club and gets involved with drama. It’s not an obvious choice for a guy who stutters, but the idea of losing himself for a while and crawling Continued on p. 108 APRIL 2020

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TOP DENTISTS 2020 N TA

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INTRODUCTION

DENTAL ANESTHESIOLOGY

This list is excerpted from the 2020 topDentists™ list, a database that includes listings for more than 340 dentists and specialists in the greater St. Louis area. The St. Louis–area list is based on thousands of detailed evaluations of dentists and professionals by their peers. The complete database is available at usatopdentists.com.

MICHAEL J. HOFFMANN

The Dental Anesthesia Center 314-862-7844

DISCLAIMER This list is excerpted from the 2020 topDentists™ list, which includes listings for over 340 dentists and specialists in the St. Louis metro area. For more information call 706-364-0853; or write P.O. Box 970, Augusta, GA 30903; or email info@ usatopdentists.com or visit usatopdentists.com. topDentists has used its best efforts in assembling material for this list but does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions herein whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

Copyright 2009-2020 by topDentists, LLC of Augusta, GA. All rights reserved. This list, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission. No commercial use of the information in this list may be made without permission of topDentists. No fees may be charged, directly or indirectly, for the use of the information in this list without permission.

Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine 618-474-7120 BARRY A. POLINSKY

SEAN M. THOMS

The Dental Anesthesia Center 314-862-7844

SELECTION PROCESS “If you had a patient in need of a dentist, which dentist would you refer them to?” This is the question we’ve asked thousands of dentists to help us determine who the topDentists should be. Dentists and specialists are asked to take into consideration years of experience, continuing education, manner with patients, use of new techniques and technologies and, of course, physical results.

The nomination pool of dentists consists of dentists listed online with the American Dental Association, as well as dentists listed online with their local dental societies, thus allowing virtually every dentist the opportunity to participate. Dentists are also given the opportunity to nominate other dentists who they feel should be included in our list. Respondents are asked to put aside any personal bias or political motivations and to use only their knowledge of their peers’ work when evaluating the other nominees.

Voters are asked to individually evaluate the practitioners on their ballots whose work they are familiar with. Once the balloting is completed, the scores are compiled and then averaged.

The numerical average required for inclusion varies, depending on the average for all the nominees within the specialty and the geographic area. Borderline cases are given careful consideration by the editors. Voting characteristics and comments are taken into consideration when decisions are made. Past awards a dentist has received and status in various dental academies can play a factor in our decision.

Once the decisions have been finalized, the included dentists are checked against state dental boards for disciplinary actions to make sure they have an active license and are in good standing with the board. Then letters of congratulations are sent to all the listed dentists.

Of course there are many fine dentists who are not included in this representative list. It is intended as a sampling of the great body of talent in the field of dentistry in the United States.

A dentist’s inclusion on our list is based on the subjective judgments of his or her fellow dentists. Though it is true that the lists may at times disproportionately reward visibility or popularity, we remain confident that our polling methodology largely corrects for any biases and that these lists continue to represent the most reliable, accurate, and useful list of dentists available anywhere.

CHARLES F. POESCHL

DEMOCRATIZING DENTAL CARE

Faced with medical and dental issues, veterans and individuals in underserved communities often must choose which takes precedence. It’s why the Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health created The Missouri Smile Forward program, which provides oral health care to veterans and others who demonstrate need. Since its inception, in 2016, the program has aided 179 veterans in the area.

St. Louis nonprofit Give Kids A Smile started providing children in need with free dental care, in two-day clinics at Saint Louis University in October and February, in 2002. The American Dental Association later adopted it as its “national children’s dental access program.”

“Nationwide, our emergency departments are overloaded with people with dental abscesses and dental problems because they cannot afford to see the dentist,” St. Louis Dental Center’s Dr. Poonam Jain says. “The mouth is just another part of the body...

Because insurance companies don’t cover dental health—like they cover medical or overall health— that has further added to this artificial separation.”

R. PATRICK ROACH

ENDODONTICS

Endodontics of Greater Saint Louis & Arnold 636-379-4500

ROXANNE P. BENISON

EDWARD T. ROSE

GREGORY T. BERG

SHELLY L. SARICH

Signature Endodontics 618-659-2030

B RI D GI N G GAP S

314-727-3350

Berg Endodontics 636-928-6000

STEVEN D. CHOD

Rose + Uhrich Endodontics 618-288-7372 Endodontics of Greater Saint Louis & Arnold 636-379-4500

314-727-3350

GENERAL DENTISTRY

CHARLES W. CLARKE

AQSA AHMAD-MAJEED

GILBERT J. CYR

TYLER M. AHOLT

DANIEL A. DUNBAR

MARGARET S. ALBIN-WILSON

Advanced Endodontics 314-894-5600 Southwest Endodontics 314-781-1919 314-961-9225

Dental Care Saint Louis 314-968-3533

South St. Louis Dental Group 314-752-7468

314-427-0525

SPENCER J. ELMORE

Endodontics of Greater Saint Louis & Arnold 636-379-4500

JORGE AMORIN

AARON W. ETCHESON

KEITH F. ANDERSON

618-530-1868

Creve Coeur Dental 314-375-2522 Radiant Smiles 314-961-5866

ERIC M. FOSS

Saint Louis County Endodontics 636-778-9901

CRAIG E. ANZILOTTI

MARILEANA GARCIACORRETJER

SHERINE R. APTE

Sage Endodontics 636-220-3553

Anzilotti Family Dentistry 314-993-8017 Dental Care Saint Louis 314-968-3533 ALI A. BADIHI

JOHN F. HATTON

Saint Louis University Center for Advanced Dental Education 314-977-8363 WILLIAM J. KOWALSKI

636-225-2330

314-739-7900

MARK G. BECK

Sunset Hills Dental Group 314-842-5000 DANIEL E. BERGMAN

Bergman Family Dental 636-391-9666

TIMOTHY P. MAHER

Southwest Endodontics 314-822-2210 SCOTT D. NEWLIN

Newlin Endodontics 636-928-3552 RICHARD T. ORRICK

Creve Coeur Endodontics 314-994-3737 CHRISTOPHER A. PALMER

Apex Endodontics 636-391-8080

ROBERT L. BLACKWELL JR.

Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine 618-474-7064

RICHARD R. BOATMAN JR.

Troy Family Dental 618-667-8020

CLARE E. BORELLO

Rieser Family Dental 636-332-2044 AUGUSTINE J. BORGMEYER

Borgmeyer Dental 314-351-6554

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DAVID J. BORGMEYER

Borgmeyer Dental 314-351-6554

WILLIAM C. BURCKHARDT

Town and Country Smiles 314-567-5477

DARRELL N. DRISSELL

Kehrs Mill Dental Arts 636-230-7557 GEORGE L. ELLIS

636-458-3193

HOLLY C. ELLIS ELIZABETH J. BURNS

Burns Family Dentistry 636-928-5550

Ellis Dental 314-965-1334

MORGAN A. EMERY GREGORY D. CAMFIELD

314-993-6262

DAVID T. CAPPETTA

314-862-7007

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Dental Medicine 618-474-7000 R. ERIC EMERY

LINZI A. CAVANAUGH

Sheldon Dental Group 314-991-0103

Midwest Dental–Seven Oaks 314-821-7100 MICHAEL J. FADDIS

STEPHEN CHRISTY

314-645-6400

MATTHEW P. CLINE

Cline Dental Group 636-230-8081 GENE C. COHEN

636-532-2522

Brentwood Dental Group 314-962-6643 VINCENT A. FALLERT

Fallert Dental 314-842-3333

JAMES A. FEIGENBAUM

Feigenbaum Dental 314-628-8146

JON M. COPELAND

Town Center Dental 636-273-5866

LOUISE R. FIRST

Smiles By Choice 314-837-2120

AMANDA D. COYLE

636-532-3208

AARON J. CREGGER

314-567-7737

THOMAS C. FLAVIN

Healthy Smiles of Saint Louis 314-832-1366 ANDREA M. FOLEY

TYLER CREWS

Brentwood Dental Group 314-962-6643

Foley Dental Group 618-288-9670

JOCELYN C. FREEMAN JOSEPH CUTRONA

Plaza Dental Center 314-361-1818

Foley Dental Group 618-288-9670

WAT E R WO RKS THE BENEFITS OF FLUORIDATION

In January, KMOV reported, well water in Lincoln County tested at a fluoride level of 4.2 milligrams per liter, exceeding the recommended level of 4.0. A local dentist cited more cases of fluorosis (white lines or streaks on teeth), a chronic condition caused by too much fluoride intake, in Troy than in his previous workplaces.

At the right level of 0.7 parts per million, the addition of fluoride “is effective to reduce the decay of children’s and adults’ teeth up to 25 percent,” says John Dane, Missouri’s state dental director.

MICHAEL P. FRITH JEFFREY B. DALIN

Dalin Dental Associates 314-801-2294

Masterpiece Smiles 636-394-5200 ALMA R. FULTON

AMANDA DARLING

Legacy Dental Care 636-203-7519

VICTORIA Q. DAUGHERTY

The Dental Anesthesia Center 314-862-7844

314-544-3434

CHRISTOPHER G’SELL

Eureka Dental Group 636-938-7827

DANNY M. GENNAOUI

Ballwin Dental Care 636-552-9647

ADAM C. DECOTA

DeCo Dental 636-349-2400

RIVKA GOLDENHERSH

Delmar Family Dental 314-432-5988

JENNIFER R. DECOTA

DeCo Dental 636-349-2400

MICHAEL F. GRASSO

BRET K. DEFOREST

DAVID E. GREAVES

DeForest Dental 636-561-2378

MICHAEL B. DIETRICH

314-291-2777

JEFFREY M. DOUGHERTY

636-272-5015

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636-660-0490

Butler Hill Family Dentistry 314-892-8060 SUZANNE E. GREGOIRE

314-558-4181

Fluoride’s history goes back to 1901, when a Colorado dentist was puzzled by brown staining on young patients’ teeth and the children’s few cavities.

In 1945, Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first to adjust its water supply’s levels, as part of a study. In 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named it one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century.

Dane says to consider the economic impact: about $135 or more to fix a single surface cavity: “If you have four kids with two cavities each year, you’re close to $1,000 per year.”

JOSEPH S. GRIMAUD

AYSE KILFOY

Watson Pointe Dental 314-963-2000

Woodlawn Dental 636-240-9211

CHRISTOPHER J. GUILFOY

MICHELLE P. KLEINHEIDER

Oakville Dental Care 314-487-0333

The Dental Suite 314-822-0018

CHRISTOPHER G. HAFFNER

KATHRYN R. KOSTEN

Sunset Hills Dental Group 314-842-5000

Foley Dental Group 618-288-9670

WILLIAM “CHIP” HAINES

MATTHEW J. KRANER

Ballas Dental Care 314-432-5544

Kraner Family Dentistry 636-856-5274

ZORA S. HANKO

FRANCIS J. KUBIK

314-721-1660

314-361-7700

ADIS HASANAGIC

RONALD T. LANG

SouthTowne Dental 314-487-8844

314-638-8040

WILLIAM J. HERMAN

Wild Horse Dental 636-537-0447

Apple Dental 636-225-4555

EARL R. LARSON

JEFFREY M. LAUTZ

JASON M. HERRICK

Herrick Dental Care 314-842-6200

Innovative Dentistry for Complete Health 618-258-0028

CHRISTOPHER B. HILL

JOSEPH M. LAVENTURE

Smile On Dental Studio 314-375-5353 MARK F. HILTON

314-831-4660

Franklin County Dental & Implants 636-923-4211 GERARD R. LEDOUX

LAWRENCE M. HOFFMAN

314-997-7500

Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine 618-474-7164

CHRISTA D. HOPP

ALAN S. LEVI

Family & Cosmetic Dentistry 314-968-7979

314-432-0960

ERIC J. HURTTE

314-569-0106

Boardwalk Family Dental 636-561-4117 ARNOLD S. JACOBSON

314-726-1644

LESTER C. JOERN JR.

South Saint Louis Dental Group 314-752-7468 EMILY JOHNSON

Magnolia Family Dental 314-822-4521 VANESSA N. KELLER

Clayton Family Smiles 314-725-4343 KEVIN J. KELLERMAN

Kellerman Dental 618-288-3535

ANDREW T. KEMLAGE

Kemlage Family Dentistry 636-225-1777 THOMAS K. KEMLAGE

Kemlage Family Dentistry 636-225-1777

ROBERT A. LEVY JUDEL LEW

Lew Dental Group 314-569-2208 JENNA LEW-FEIT

Lew Dental Group 314-569-2208

BARRY R. LIEBMAN

314-845-3100

EDWARD M. LOGAN

O’Fallon Family & Cosmetic Dentistry 636-561-5445 ROCKY F. LUPARDUS

Eureka Family Dental Care 636-938-4450 HEATHER MAHASSEK

Signature Family Dental 618-345-1400 PHILIP G. MANNHARD

Lemay Family Dentistry 314-638-2121 JACK M. MARINCEL

Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine 618-474-7225

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ANTHONY J. MARINO

314-645-7247

MICHAEL J. PERNOUD

CAROLINE A. SAINT JOHN

BRUCE K. STOLLE

JEREMY A. PFEFFER

MARC R. SATTOVIA

GREGORY M. STUDT

Hawk Ridge Dental Care 636-561-4540

Family Dentistry of Ellisville 636-220-1104

Hawthorn Dental 314-487-0200

ERIN L. MARISCAL

Arnold Smiles 636-464-6444

STL Family Dentistry 314-353-1851

Chesterfield Dental Associates 636-532-3208

CRYSTAL L. MARTIN

636-227-0507

YAMUNA A. MATHEW

Des Peres Family Dentistry 314-394-0540 JAMES W. MAXWELL

Crestwood Dental Group 314-821-2134 SCOTT A. MCCLAIN

Dr. Waite & Associates 314-251-5775 LISA J. MCDONALD

314-727-1319

GENA F. PINEDA

Creating Smiles 618-345-7676

Lakeview Dental 636-332-3322 Lakeside Dental 636-561-0800

KEVIN F. POSTOL

Sleep Disorder Dentistry 636-238-3197

636-394-5215

Chesterfield Valley Dental 636-537-5240

SCOTT J. MEYER

STEPHEN J. RANEY

618-281-7300

VINCENT U. RAPINI JR. KRISTIN A. MILLER

Miller Family Dentistry 618-234-3700

Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine 618-474-7056

PHILIP A. MILLER

DAN H. RATHGEBER

314-892-4445

MICHELLE M. REGA KEVIN M. MORGESTER

Morgester Dental 636-227-6500

Premier Dental Partners 636-300-4380 RANDALL C. REYES

314-830-9990

Boulevard Dental Care 636-939-6868

PATRICK M. MURPHY

MATTHEW L. RIESER

DENNIS J. MUNSON

636-464-2200

Rieser Family Dental 636-724-2044

DANIEL A. NARUP

314-821-4410

PETER N. NGUYEN

Hampton Hill Dental 314-288-0630 STACY B. OCHOA

Precision Dental Care 636-461-2255 JAN S. OLIVIER

Ballas Dental Care 314-432-5544

KENNETH E. RIGDEN

Rigden Dental 314-849-2222

JULIE L. RING

Generation Dental Group 636-532-2228 DANIELLE RIORDAN

Family Dentistry of Saint Peters 636-928-1100 LORI W. ROSEMAN

KYLE PALMER

STL Family Dentistry 314-353-1851

Family Dental Services 636-757-1800 STEVEN C. ROSENBERGER

PAUL R. PENCE

Ladue Family Dental 314-991-0722

Woodland Dental Care 314-839-9339

AARON C. ROWBOTTOM ANGELA K. PERNOUD

Hawk Ridge Dental Care 636-561-4540

JULIA M. SUDEKUM

Sunset Hills Dental Group 314-842-5000 MARK D. SUEOKA

314-838-5030

JAMES L. SCHMIDT

Family & Cosmetic Dentistry 314-968-7979

ANTHONY J. TEGENKAMP

JAMES J. SCHNEIDER

DEAN F. TELTHORST

314-434-5757

SHERRI L. POETTKER

ROBERT RAHM

Chester Family Dental 618-826-5017

Meramec Dental Center 573-468-2774

JENNIFER PLESSNER

TERRY M. MCKENNA

Meyer Dental 314-894-9700

MARK A. SCANTLAN

314-567-5556

Meramec Dental Center 573-468-2774 THOMAS C. RUZICKA

South County Smiles 314-487-0799

START I N G EARLY

314-567-7737

GOOD DENTAL HABITS, DENTISTS SAY, NEED TO BEGIN WITH BABY TEETH.

SHERRYL K. SCHOENING

Dental caries, or tooth decay, is the most common chronic disease of children ages 6 to 11, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That’s why each February, to celebrate National Children’s Dental Health month, the St. Louis Dental Center, a partnership between A.T. Still University and Affinia Healthcare, offers free Tooth Fairy Care Packages—containing a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a “tooth fairy box”—to kids.

ETHAN J. SCHUMAN

There’s a common misconception, St. Louis Dental Center’s Dr. Poonam Jain says, that because baby teeth fall out, tooth decay in those tiny teeth is not significant. But the risk factors that caused decay, if not addressed, will continue as permanent teeth grow in around age 6.

Possible outcomes include abscesses and, later, serious complications.

One of the best habits kids can learn: “Healthy snacking and beverages,” Jain says.

Second, develop a daily oral hygiene routine, including brushing teeth and tongues.

Later, add flossing to the routine. “They become habits of the mind—and need to be learned early on.”

Phoenix Village Dental 636-561-1154

Lake Forest Dental 314-725-2232 JENNIFER THARP

Creative Smiles 636-561-6035

Schuman Center 314-432-1444

KEVIN T. THORPE

ERIN S. SCIMONE

MICHAEL E. THUM

The Hills Dental Care 314-481-3369

314-727-6110

314-991-1400

GARY S. TRAUB VEDRANA SEDIC

Affton Dental Center 314-842-5700

South County Dental Group 314-821-6800 WILLIAM E. UTHOFF

KATHY J. SHAFER

Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine 618-474-7080 DOXEY R. SHELDON

Sheldon Dental Group 314-991-0103

My STL Dentist 314-842-0440

MELANIE L. VADNAL

Infinite Smiles 314-892-8853

JAY VANDEWATER

636-394-7330

JAMES G. SHORTELL

314-781-7352

DAVID E. WAGNER

314-731-2273

JONATHAN W. SILVA

Chesterfield Family Dentistry 314-878-9808

STUART D. WAITE

Dr. Waite & Associates 314-251-5775

KIMBERLY D. SIMONDS

Ballwin Dental Care 636-552-9647

MICHAEL P. WALLACE

JEFFREY M. SINDELAR

THOMAS J. WARD

Oakville Dental Care 314-487-0333

314-968-0003 314-993-0014

DOUGLAS T. WATANABE JEFFREY P. SMITH

636-946-9009

Ballas Dental Care 314-432-5544

ELIZABETH B. SPATARO

ADAM T. WEHRMEISTER

JORDAN SPENCER

KURT A. WEISENFELS

Spataro Dental 314-721-1660

Troy Family Dental 618-667-8020

Baxter Dental Group 636-227-9666 314-961-3244

MATTHEW S. WENZEL HARRY W. STADNYK

Kehrs Mill Dental Arts 636-230-7557

Webster Groves Dental 314-918-9666 W. KYLE WHITSON

CHAD R. STEWART

Infinite Smiles 314-892-8853

Concord Dental Group 314-842-2038 ALAN J. WICKENHAUSER

618-377-0044

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TODD J. WIND

314-843-2078

BRENT D. WOHLFORD

Ginger Creek Dental 618-692-1110 JUNE K. WOLFF

Clayton Dental 314-727-4900

MICHAEL R. HESTERBERG

MICHAEL K. PARSONS

STEPHEN W. HIATT

ROBERT RETI

Southern Illinois Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery 618-233-8080

Midwest Oral Maxillofacial & Implant Surgery 636-379-1333

Northwest Oral Maxillo-Facial Surgeons 314-291-3810

Wolken Family Dental 314-727-6676

Midwest Oral Maxillofacial & Implant Surgery 636-379-1333

CHRISTOPHER M. WOLKEN

GREGG W. HOSCH

Wolken Family Dental 314-727-6676

Southwest Oral Surgery & Dental Implants 314-822-3322

SCOTT M. WOLTER

618-462-7471

JAMES J. WOODRUFF

Baxter Dental Group 636-227-9666

STEVEN J. HYTEN

Edwardsville Oral Surgery and Implant Center 618-656-3100 DAVID M. IVEY

STEVEN M. WORKMAN

Workman Family Dental 618-281-7178

First Capitol Oral Surgery 636-928-7217 BRENT L. KINCAID

JEFFERY YENZER

Yenzer Family Dental 636-549-8020 TRISHA M. YOUNG

Clayton Family Smiles 314-725-4343

Saint Louis County Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery 314-434-0493 ANTHONY C. KRAMER

Southwest Oral Surgery & Dental Implants 314-822-3322

JOSEPH M. ZEIGLER

314-872-7590

JEFF KRATKY

NINA J. ZEIGLER

314-872-7590

Midwest Oral Maxillofacial & Implant Surgery 636-536-5158

ELENA ZEREGA

TYMAN LOVELESS

Sunset Hills Dental Group 314-842-5000

Archway Oral Surgery & Dental Implants 314-328-5995

MARK R. ZUST

Family Dentistry of Saint Peters 636-928-1100

ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY JOHN N. CHIAPEL

Saint Louis Center for Oral & Facial Surgery 636-405-1400 SCOTT A. DROOGER

Midwest Oral Maxillofacial & Implant Surgery 636-536-5158 WILLIAM A. GRAY

Saint Louis South Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery 314-325-0288 EUGENIO G. HERBOSA

Greater Saint Louis Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery 314-842-0020

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Doyle Orthodontics 618-281-5896 DEBRA F. FINK

Southwest Oral Surgery & Dental Implants 314-822-3322

DONALD C. HOFHEINS ANDREW M. WOLKEN

RENEE DOYLE

GLENN A. MILLER

Oral Surgery & Implant Institute of Illinois 618-397-2464 JOHN R. MONTERUBIO

Monterubio & Herbosa 314-721-1010

STEWART E. MORELAND

314-310-5653

REZA MOVAHED

314-878-6725

MICHAEL W. NOBLE

Oral Facial Surgery Institute 314-251-6725 SCOTT F. NOLEN

Gateway Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons of Saint Louis 314-921-1129 BRIAN R. OGLANDER

Southwest Oral Surgery & Dental Implants 314-822-3322

HOW WILL VAPING AFFECT ORAL HEALTH?

Created as an alternative to cigarettes, vaping has become popular among youth. In a 2017–2019 study, 27 percent of 12th-graders, 22 percent of 10th-graders, and 21 percent of college students reported vaping in the previous 30 days.

Considering vaping’s potential impact, “the most important thing to remember is that oral diseases are chronic diseases—they take a long time to manifest as clinical diseases and for us to measure them clinically takes time,” says Dr. Purnima Kumar, an Ohio State professor of periodontology.

What researchers do know: “Vaping changes the acidity level of your saliva. It impacts the type of bacteria that live in our mouth,” Kumar says. “The content of the vape aerosol also appear to increase the stickiness of our oral bacteria.”Together, these factors may increase the risk for cavities. And people who vape “have lots of inflammatory molecules that are being secreted by the lining of their mouth,” Kumar says, noting that vapers are at higher risk for such chronic inflammatory illnesses as gum disease and oral cancer.

JOHN R. FIRTH

BRADLEY W. ROBERTS

618-465-9000

Bankhead & Firth Orthodontics 314-487-1141

RISHAD SHAIKH

R. ANDREW FROST

Midwest Oral Maxillofacial & Implant Surgery 314-677-3030

P UFF P I E CE

Saint Louis Orthodontics 314-984-9900

Frost Orthodontics 314-567-1888

ANDREW M. HAYES MARYANN L. UDY

Northwest Oral Maxillo-Facial Surgeons 314-291-3810 DAVID E. URBANEK

Midwest Oral Maxillofacial & Implant Surgery 636-536-5158 RICHARD W. WEBER JR.

Saint Louis County Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery 314-434-0493

Hayes Orthodontics 636-527-2237

MARY E. HELMKAMP

Pickard & Helmkamp Orthodontics 636-256-2626

JODI K. HENTSCHERJOHNSON

Hentscher-Johnson Orthodontics 618-281-2929

ELIZABETH M. HITE TIMOTHY M. WEBER

Saint Louis County Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery 314-434-0493

ORAL PATHOLOGY

Bauer Hite Orthodontic Specialists 618-692-1044 SUE-YOUNG HONG

Arch Orthodontics 314-328-1207

BRAD A. SEYER

Seyer Oral Pathology 314-278-9375

ORTHODONTICS CYRUS M. ALIZADEH

Alizadeh & Schreiner Orthodontics 636-394-5455

MATTHEW J. BAUER

Bauer Orthodontics 636-447-2083 TERRY M. BLAKE

636-272-6666

STEVEN W. HOUGH

Hough Orthodontics 636-391-1959 DIDEM O. INCE

Ince Orthodontics 636-978-9300 JAMES G. KLARSCH

Klarsch Orthodontics 314-993-2483 LARRY J. LEVENS

Levens Orthodontics 314-872-3218 RANDALL C. MARKARIAN

BLAKE R. BORELLO

Borello Orthodontics 636-271-5057

Markarian Orthodontics 618-236-7846

WILLIAM L. MASTORAKOS C. DAVID BRICKMAN

Brickman Orthodontics 618-656-3837

Mastorakos Orthodontics Associates 314-966-4117

CHRISTINE L. BRINLEY

JEFFREY S. MASTROIANNI

JEFFREY T. CAVANAUGH

JULIE F. MCCRAY

STEFANIE B. DOUGHERTY

JACQUELINE M. MILLER

Brinley Orthodontics 618-288-3384

Century Orthodontics 636-391-0499

Dougherty Orthodontics 636-825-1000

Amazing Smiles Orthodontics 618-288-0600 Amazing Smiles Orthodontics 314-721-5551 Walde Miller Orthodontic Specialists 636-239-5151

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FARHAD MOSHIRI

RICHARD J. WHITE

MAZ MOSHIRI

PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY

Moshiri Orthodontics 314-427-2237 Moshiri Orthodontics 314-427-2237 RICHARD J. NISSEN

Orthodontic Consultants of Saint Louis 314-727-6162 GENEVIEVE M. OTTO

Otto Orthodontics 636-887-3731

KEVIN C. BEYERSDORFER

Associated Pediatric Dentistry 618-288-5437

DARREN RODABOUGH

EMILY BROWN

Pediatric Dentistry of Sunset Hills 314-822-2764

BRIAN A. SCHLUETER

Embrace Our World Orthodontics 314-842-4105

JAMES E. BURCHETT

BECKY F. SCHREINER

KRISTEN M. CUMMINGS

Alizadeh & Schreiner Orthodontics 636-394-5455

My Child’s Dentist 636-294-5437 All Grins 4 Kids 618-628-4400

ANDREW J. DILL JACLYN SCROGGINS

Junction Orthodontics 314-821-1101 EDWARD J. SHAHEEN JR.

Shaheen Orthodontics 314-991-0697

Dentistry for Children and Adolescents 314-567-1122 AURELIA A. DUNAGAN

Chesterfield Pediatric Dentistry 314-576-4335

GARY H. SHANKER

Embrace Our World Orthodontics 314-842-4105

MARK A. FERNANDEZ

Pediatric Dentistry of Sunset Hills 314-822-2764

JONATHAN A. SHANKER

Shanker Schlueter Orthodontics 314-842-4105

CRAIG S. HOLLANDER

Pediatric Dentistry of Sunset Hills 314-822-2764

ROBERT A. SHAPIRO

Orthodontic Specialists of Saint Louis 314-569-2050

KELLY M. JOBE

Pediatric Dentistry of Sunset Hills 314-822-2764

JAMES L. UNGER

636-939-3777

ZACHARY L. VARBLE

Varble Orthodontics 314-567-3444 KEVIN C. WALDE

Walde Miller Orthodontic Specialists 636-239-5151 ROBERT WAXLER

Century Orthodontics 636-391-0499

ANDREW M. KIM

Midwest Pediatric Dentistry 314-731-1688 JAMES E. LENAHAN

Lenahan Smiles 314-843-8500

MEGAN E. LENAHAN

Lenahan Smiles 314-843-8500

Naylor Periodontics 618-288-1550

Periodontics of O’Fallon 636-379-6905 JOSEPH A. RENNER

Dentistry for Children and Adolescents 314-567-1122

CHARLIE RIES

Bankhead Orthodontic Specialists 636-978-8848

Accent Dental of Saint Louis 314-862-2006

MURRAY H. APPELBAUM

Comtrea Dental Clinic at the Valley 636-321-0151

JEFFREY R. NAYLOR

SARAH NORTHCOTT KENNETH G. RAWSON

West County Pediatric Dentistry 636-527-2779

Rediger Orthodontics 636-282-0550 Ries Orthodontics 636-230-6100

Pediatric Dentistry of Sunset Hills 314-822-2764

SHAHNAZ B. AHMED

DANIEL M. AUTRY DOUGLAS H. REDIGER

JOSEPH P. OSDIECK

White Orthodontics 314-838-8762

SM ART M O UT H A TOOTH SENSOR MIGHT HELP DETECT DISEASES.

A group of Washington University professors—Erica Lynn Scheller, Shantanu Chakrabartty, and Srikanth Singamaneni—combined their expertise, ranging from engineering to biology, to design a sensor that could predict risk for periodontal disease or know if the disease has gone into remission after treatment. That tiny sensor is envisioned to be a smart chip, inserted alongside a patient’s gum line or as part of a dental appliance.

The team was met with challenges: What was the best way to package the sensor? The sensor must continuously monitor and sample saliva, looking for target biomarkers (substances that indicate disease or infection). Then, you need that tooth to wirelessly transmit data to an external reader. Next, they’re partnering with Saint Louis University to obtain saliva from patients in the college’s periodontal clinic.

The smart tooth might still be years away, Chakrabartty says, but some of the project’s techniques are already being used in other areas. And the technology is customizable, he says, “so you can apply it to other diseases as well.”

SARAH A. SMITH

Pediatric Dentistry 636-477-1200

Periodontics of Southern Illinois 618-233-7300

ADAM M. SNYDER

THOMAS V. SCHABERG

Southern Illinois Pediatric Dentistry 618-655-3272

Westport Periodontics 314-434-4676 JOHN W. SCHAEFER

DANIEL C. STOECKEL

Saint Louis Children’s Hospital 314-454-6250

Sunset Hills Dental Group 314-842-5000 JUSTIN M. SCHLAIKJER

LARRY W. THOMAS

Mercy Hospital 314-872-8590 AMY VARBLE

Dentistry for Children and Adolescents 314-567-1122

314-729-7840

SCOTT R. SCHLUETER

Schlueter Periodontics & Implants 314-842-6151 STEPHEN C. SNITZER

314-858-6529

CANDACE T. WAKEFIELD

Children’s Dental Zone 314-830-9663

ROBERT A. STRATHMAN

CAROLYNN F. WOLFF

PROSTHODONTICS

636-537-3600

636-394-9177

KYLE E. DONAHUE MICHAEL WONG

314-567-1122

Donahue Dental 636-946-6117

PERIODONTICS

R. DUANE DOUGLAS

ELIZABETH BINZ

ProsDoc & Associates 618-258-1300

WILLIAM M. COHEN

BARRY S. GOLDENBERG TK

314-434-2101

Greater Saint Louis Periodontics & Implants 314-991-7730 JEFFREY A. COLLIGAN

618-258-1244

314-997-7972

ERIC M. LANGENWALTER

ProsDoc & Associates 618-258-1300

THOMAS M. MATTHES VIDESH D. DESHMUKH

Periodontal Specialists 314-725-4221

Matthes Prosthodontics 314-989-9777 JOSEPH F. SHEA

GEORGE V. DUELLO

Masters Institute of Implants & Periodontics 314-356-8683

Saint Louis Prosthodontics 314-822-9446

JOHN C. HOPPIN

636-946-9890

JAMES A. KOPFENSTEINER

Saint Charles County Periodontics 636-928-8790 D. DOUGLAS MILEY

Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine 618-474-7024

April 2020 stlmag.com

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Do you know someone who is making a difference in your community?

Honor them and their positive impact in your area by nominating them as a Hometown Champion, presented by Together Credit Union. The winners and their achievements will be recognized in St. Louis Magazine and on stlmag.com.

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

ST. LOUIS’

2020 FIVE STAR AWARD WINNERS REAL ESTATE AGENTS

MORTGAGE PROFESSIONALS

Five Star Professional partnered with St. Louis Magazine to identify real estate, mortgage and insurance professionals in the St. Louis area who deliver outstanding ser vice and client satisfaction. The Five Star Professional research team surveyed homebuyers, home sellers and industry peers, and analyzed online consumer evaluations. Survey respondents rated their service professional on criteria such as overall satisfaction and whether they would recommend the provider to a friend. The research methodology allows no more than 7% of professionals in each category to receive the award.

HOME/AUTO INSURANCE PROFESSIONALS

FIVE STAR PROFESSIONAL

Proprietary Research Process Nomination of Candidates The Five Star Professional research team surveyed homebuyers, home sellers and industry peers, and analyzed online consumer evaluations to identify professionals that excel in key attributes of customer service.

Evaluation Score

Recognizing Outstanding Real Estate Agents, Mortgage Professionals and Home/Auto Insurance Professionals RISING STAR AWARD WINNERS Meet the next wave of outstanding real estate agents in the St. Louis area! Five Star Professional’s research team contacted branch managers, real estate veterans and consumers to identify up-and-coming real estate agents in the industry. Rising Star award winners are held in high regard by their peers and mentors and have received a qualifying nomination for the award. Evaluators were asked to identify an agent who has been in the industry for five years or less and embodies professional excellence, exhibits superior customer service and shows great potential to excel in their profession. All Rising Star award winners must be actively licensed, satisfy minimum production criteria and have a favorable regulatory history to be eligible for award consideration.

RESEARCH — How Our Winners Are Chosen • The 2020 Five Star Real Estate Agents, Mortgage Professionals and Home/Auto Insurance Professionals do not pay a fee to be included in the research or the final lists.

• Each professional is screened against state governing bodies to verify that licenses are current and no disciplinary actions are pending.

• The inclusion of a real estate agent, mortgage professional or insurance professional on the final list should not be construed as an endorsement by Five Star Professional or St. Louis Magazine.

Using our scoring algorithm, each nominee is given an evaluation score based on surveys in our database.

High scorers are named candidates.

Candidate Submission of Business Information Candidates must complete either an online or over-the-phone interview.

Eligibility Criteria Candidates must be in the industry for at least five years, have a favorable regulatory history and meet minimum production thresholds.

Blue Ribbon Panel A Blue Ribbon panel of industry experts reviews the final list of candidates.

Determination of Award Winners Professionals who satisfied each of the following objective criteria were named a 2020 St. Louis Five Star Real Estate Agent, Five Star Mortgage Professional or Five Star Home/Auto Insurance Professional: Evaluation Criteria: 1. Qualifying rating. Eligibility Criteria: 2. Holds an active license and employed in their field for a minimum of five years. 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review. 4. Satisfies minimum production on a one-year and three-year basis.

5. Successful completion of a Blue Ribbon Panel review.

Real estate agents, mortgage professionals and home/auto insurance professionals are pooled only with other candidates from their profession.

The final list of 2020 St. Louis Five Star award winners is a select group, representing approximately 2% of real estate agents, 2% of mortgage professionals and 1% of home/auto insurance professionals in the area. To see the full list of winners, visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.

Final Selection Less than 7% of professionals in the market are selected.

2020 FS • 1

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REAL ESTATE AGENTS

Sue Torbeck Broker, Salesperson, CRS

The Torbeck Team Is Sold on St. Louis ∙ No. 1 Coldwell Banker Realty – Gundaker South Regional Office agent, 2019 ∙ No. 1 Coldwell Banker Realty – Gundaker agent in South County, 2019 ∙ Member of the Coldwell Banker Realty – Gundaker Hall of Fame

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Left to right: Larry Torbeck; Stephanie Torbeck; Fifteen-year winner Sue Torbeck; Monica Torbeck; Matt Torbeck

As a proven leader in the real estate market, we will work tirelessly with professionalism and integrity to help you achieve your real estate goals.

Sue and The Torbeck Team are grateful for the many wonderful people they have served throughout the past 37 years, and would appreciate the opportunity to show you why The Torbeck Team is sold on St. Louis!

9964 Kennerly Center • St. Louis, MO 63128 Phone: 314-845-0042 • Cell: 314-660-0042 • sue.torbeck@cbgundaker.com www.thetorbeckteam.com • @TheTorbeckTeam • #thetorbeckteam Real Estate Agent Award Winner

The Sabina Dehn Group Committed to Excellence. Dedicated to You. ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙

Ranked in the top 3% of all Coldwell Banker agents 22 years’ experience in full-service real estate services Member of President’s Elite Club Certified Relocation Professional® (CRP®) Certified Marketing Specialist™ (CMS) Town and Country — the No. 1 Coldwell Banker Gundaker office

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For 22 years, we’ve been dedicated to providing you real estate excellence through a concierge experience with our professional expertise and detailed service. We’ll handle the entire process for you with leadership, personal understanding and great optimism. We promise you will find success and begin your new lives feeling more empowered and energized. We’ll be there all the way to lighten your load and elevate your experience.

14 YEAR

1100 Town and Country Crossing Drive • Chesterfield, MO 63017 Office: 636-394-9300 • Cell: 314-941-4000 sabina.dehn@cbgundaker.com • www.sabinadehngroup.com

WINNER Fourteen-year winner Sabina Dehn Real Estate Agent Award Winner

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

REAL ESTATE AGENTS

Lisa Adkins

Samantha Richardson

Agent, Broker

Broker, Owner

Main St. Real Estate

14

YEAR WINNER

410 Crestview Drive O’Fallon, MO 63366 Cell: 314-324-6219 Office: 636-980-8200 lisa@lisaadkins.com lisaadkins.com

304 E Main Street Warrenton, MO 63383 Cell: 314-713-2455 Office: 636-456-1111 sam@mainstre.com www.samr-realtor.com

The Lisa Adkins Team

Hometown Realtors With Hometown Heart

∙ One of the top teams in the St. Louis and St. Charles County markets ∙ Proven record of success with all aspects of buying, selling, relocation and investments, including 401(k) purchases ∙ President of St. Charles County Women’s Council of Realtors, 2017 ∙ Board of Directors, St. Charles Realtors, 2013 – 2017

∙ Voted favorite Warren County Realtor six years in a row ∙ Professional Property Stager certified ∙ Military Relocation Professional ∙ 2020 Five Star Real Estate Agent award winner

I have been a full-time Realtor for over 22 years, helping well over 1,000 clients buy and sell their property! We have a strong and experienced team, and Integrity is our greatest asset. Doing the right thing is always the right thing! These attributes set us apart and are contributing factors to our continued success. We specialize in custom homes, homes on acreage, equestrian properties, farms and land.

As a Realtor with over 22 years of experience, I am proud to be immersed in my local community, both as a Realtor and an industry leader. I work relentlessly on my clients’ behalf for both buyers and sellers! I am proud to be a local expert, providing my clients with professional staging tools for best results! When you trust me to help you with your real estate needs, you have my promise to work hard on your behalf to give you the best experience possible!

Real Estate Agent Award Winner

Real Estate Agent Award Winner

Beth Rogers

Sue Martin

Real Estate Consultant

Broker, Sales Associate

10805 Sunset Office Drive, Suite 102 St. Louis, MO 63127 Cell: 314-452-2384 Office: 314-775-0370 bethrogers@kw.com bethsellsstlouis.com

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YEAR WINNER

Matching You With the Home of Your Dreams

∙ The matchmaker ∙ Licensed since 1990 ∙ Specializing in the Lindbergh and Rockwood school districts ∙ Giving back to the community as a member of Crestwood and Sunset Hills rotary since 2010 A home is about how you feel when you walk through the front door — the way you can instantly envision your life unfolding there. This is about more than real estate.

It is about your life and dreams. Let Beth and her team of professionals match you with the home of your dreams!

Real Estate Agent Award Winner

Coldwell Banker Gundaker Fenton, MO 63026 Cell: 636-795-3400 Office: 636-717-6000 suemartinteam@gmail.com www.suemartinteam.com

13

YEAR WINNER

A Tradition of Excellence, a Reputation for Results

∙ Ranked by MLS as the No. 1 Realtor in the Fenton area, 2002 – present ∙ Honored to have been nominated by my clients for the Five Star Real Estate Agent award for the 13th year As a consistent market leader and long-time area resident, Sue Martin’s commitment to first-class customer service has earned the respect and loyalty of her clients.

Complemented by a team of experienced specialists, Sue and her team employ proven systems to give their customers the professional service and attention they deserve.

The team’s innovative and proactive marketing efforts are geared to help home sellers maximize their equity when selling and to best assist homebuyers in the search of their dream home. Sue has been proudly serving the Greater Fenton area, Southern and Western St. Louis counties and Northern Jefferson County for over 24 years.

Real Estate Agent Award Winner

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REAL ESTATE AGENTS

Christi Miceli

Jean Burkemper

Listing and Buyer Specialist

GRI, ABR®, CRS, CRB, SRS, e-PRO®, GREEN, PSA

Jungermann Realty, Inc. 115 First Street Old Monroe, MO 63369 Cell: 636-299-3078 Office: 636-661-5300 jmrburke@yahoo.com www.jungermannrealty.com

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YEAR WINNER

Left to right: Ten-year winner Christi Miceli, Listing and Buyer Specialist; Britani Schubert, Licensed Assistant

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Always Personal Service Christi has 28 years of experience and is an area leader in sales. “It’s always an honor to receive this award. Again, we would like to thank our clients for their business. Every year we continue to grow and stay educated with the constant change in the real estate market. Buying or selling, we excel from start to finish.” — Christi Miceli Christi is a proud sponsor of the Children’s Miracle Network, The BackStoppers, P.A.W. Stoppers and Susan G. Komen foundation.

Chesterfield, MO 63005 • Office: 636-812-4400 Christi: 314-750-0765 • Britani: 314-223-4240 christim@remax.net • britanischubert@gmail.com

Jean Burkemper has been handling residential real estate transactions throughout the St. Louis area for over four decades. She specializes in handling classic country properties and prioritizes giving her clients an excellent experience. Jean’s extensive real estate education and training have prepared her to expertly handle your real estate purchase or sale, no matter what your specific situation may be. Allow Jean to bring you home!

Real Estate Agent Award Winner

Real Estate Agent Award Winner

Frank Krajczar

Kim Anderson

Realtor

Residential Realtor

400 Old Smizer Mill Road Fenton, MO 63026 Cell: 314-630-4539 Office: 636-680-8383 fkrajczar@bhhsall.com frankkrajczar.com Full-Time Focus on You

∙ Knowledge

∙ Over 46 years of real estate expertise ∙ Representing buyers and sellers ∙ Short sale and foreclosure experience

∙ Experience

∙ Results

With over 30 years of professional, client-centered service, I offer a one-stop buying and selling experience throughout St. Louis. From consultation to closing, you will benefit from my experience in all facets of real estate in both buying and selling.

Let me show you how my team of professionals from all specialties are by your side every step of the way. I am proud to say that 80% of my clients come to me as referrals from happy customers and their friends and family. If you are looking for an expert negotiator that will exceed your expectations, call, text or email me at any time.

Real Estate Agent Award Winner

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10 YEAR

11785 Manchester Road St. Louis, MO 63131 Cell: 314-704-1276 Office: 314-775-2050 kim@choosekim.com www.choosekim.com

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Referred for a Reason!

WINNER

∙ No. 1 individual agent companywide ∙ Full-time Realtor with proven results ∙ Strong negotiator on your behalf ∙ Honest, ethical and knowledgeable ∙ Tech-savvy market expert ∙ Excellent customer service Whether you are buying or selling a home, Kim will ensure you make educated decisions every step of the way. You can rely on Kim’s honesty, positive attitude and loyalty. You will appreciate her strong negotiation skills as well as her sense of humor, friendly manner and high energy. Kim loves her job — and it shows. Call Kim today!

Real Estate Agent Award Winner

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

REAL ESTATE AGENTS

Dan Snodgrass

Kathy Renaud

Realtor

Marketing Specialist, RRES

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10805 Sunset Office Drive, Suite 102 St. Louis, MO 63127 Cell: 314-808-0549 Office: 314-966-4700 dansnodgrass@kw.com

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Serving St. Louis and the Surrounding Areas

YEAR WINNER

∙ Residential and investment property expertise ∙ Relocation knowledge ∙ Handles multiple property types ∙ Experience with short sales and foreclosures Welcome to the best resource for searching for homes, provided by Dan Snodgrass of Keller Williams Realty. A home is not a home because of its dimensions or the color of the walls. It is about how you feel when you walk through the front door, and the way you can instantly envision your life unfolding there. This is about more than real estate — it is about your life and your dreams. Dan Snodgrass utilizes the latest technologies, market research and business strategies to exceed your expectations.

More importantly, he listens, and that means he finds solutions that are tailored to you.

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YEAR WINNER

Honesty, Integrity and Service

∙ Served 2,200-plus satisfied clients ∙ Over $340 million in sales since 1997 ∙ Top 1% of all area real estate agents ∙ 2007 – 2020 Five Star Real Estate Agent The Renaud Team’s goal is simple: to offer excellent service with honesty and integrity.

Your needs and interests are served above our own. Whether buying or selling, a move can be complex and stressful. Our objective is to reduce your stress and simplify the process.

Real estate is incredibly demanding, yet extremely rewarding, as we see families satisfied and grateful with the professional assistance we have provided to them. After over 40 years of marriage, Kathy has six children and nine grandchildren. We know how busy and complex life can be. Our values and work ethic are rooted in our commitment to God and family. We hope to have the privilege to serve you!

Real Estate Agent Award Winner

Real Estate Agent Award Winner

Kathleen Lovett

Brandy Dudenhoeffer • Steve Clark

Sales Associate

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2458 Old Dorsett Road, Suite 100 St. Louis, MO 63043 Office: 314-298-5454 Cell: 314-504-6655 KathyRenaudCBG@gmail.com www.RenaudTeam.com

12

YEAR WINNER

YEAR WINNER

Left to right: Twelve-year winner Kathleen Lovett; Laura Donovan

Twelve-year winner Brandy Dudenhoeffer; Two-year Rising Star Real Estate Agent Steve Clark

Janet McAfee Real Estate

Your No. 1 Real Estate Source in St. Louis and St. Charles Counties!

Kathleen Ann Lovett and her team member, Laura Donovan, are part of a top-producing team with over 40 years of combined experience. They represent the next generation of Janet McAfee agents with a multigenerational and diverse client list. They pride themselves on a high level of communication with their buyers and sellers. Kathleen is an experienced real estate agent with a demonstrated history of working in the industry.

Her skills include negotiation, sales, new home sales, relocation and luxury properties.

Steve Clark and I merged businesses in 2018 to create STL Premier Realty Group, powered by Keller Williams Realty. We have a combined 22 years of real estate experience to assist buyers and sellers throughout St. Louis and St. Charles counties and the surrounding areas. Whether buying, selling, building or investing in real estate, our team can help. Our goal is to provide a high level of service and build relationships that make us our clients’ Realtors for life!

Janet McAfee Real Estate

9889 Clayton Road • Ladue, MO 63124 Cell: 314-610-7408 • Office: 314-997-4800 kathleenlovett@hotmail.com www.janetmcafee.com/kathleenlovett Real Estate Agent Award Winner

Keller Williams Realty West 856 Waterbury Falls Drive, Suite 200 O’Fallon, MO 63368 • Phone: 314-440-8900 brandy@stlprg.com • www.stlprg.com Real Estate Agent Award Winner

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REAL ESTATE AGENTS

Joyce Burgan

Steve Mathes • Joe Mathes

Realtor, Lic. 2009029268

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2

YEAR WINNER

17369 Wild Horse Creek Road, Suite 100 Chesterfield, MO 63005 Cell: 636-634-5559 Office: 636-720-3838 joyce@burganteam.com www.edgestl.com/Joyce-Burgan Results That Move You

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YEAR WINNER

Left to right: Thirteen-year winner Steve Mathes, GRI, CRS; Five-year winner Joe Mathes, J.D.

∙ Experienced in both residential and commercial sales ∙ Expertise in sourcing builders and contractors ∙ Extensive local knowledge of the St. Louis area As a St. Louis native and seasoned Realtor, Joyce has been a top-performing agent serving not only St. Louis, but also the surrounding counties. She values her clients and strives every day to exceed their expectations. The most important thing to Joyce is providing excellent service to buyers and sellers in order to earn their trust, referrals and repeat business. Being married to a custom homebuilder has provided invaluable expertise when it comes to marketing a home, working with new construction or just guiding a client on the home selling and buying processes.

Call Mathes to Help Guide You Home!

Buying or selling a home is an exciting, complex adventure.

With over 40 years of experience, excellent negotiating skills and the best resources and technology at our fingertips, we would be honored to help you with all of your real estate needs!

9651 Clayton Road • Ladue, MO 63124 Steve: 314-503-6533 • Joe: 314-276-1604 stevemathes@realtor.com • joe.mathes@gmail.com

Real Estate Agent Award Winner

Real Estate Agent Award Winner

Courtney Kallial

Jessica Tumminello

Sales Associate

Real Estate Broker, Salesperson

∙ Positive and knowledgeable throughout the buying and selling process I am dedicated to providing my clients with high-quality, loyal service. I specialize in listing and marketing homes, so they sell as quickly as possible. I am committed to finding perfect homes for my buyers. I want you to walk into your new home and feel it is the perfect fit for you.

6

YEAR WINNER

1100 Town and Country Crossing Drive • Chesterfield, MO 63017 Cell: 314-599-3797 • Office: 636-394-9300 courtney.kallial@cbgundaker.com

Glenn Miller

SRES®

Realtor, ABR®, CRS, e-PRO®, MHA, SRES®

∙ 25-plus years of dedication As a native St. Louisan with more than 25 years of experience selling real estate in the St. Louis area, I have experienced every level of seller and homebuyer. I provide dedicated, expert guidance in every step of the process and was awarded Realtor-Associate of the Year by the St. Louis Association of Realtors in 2001.

Every client gets outstanding, quality service!

8077 Maryland Avenue • Clayton, MO 63105 Direct: 314-872-6731 • Cell: 314-795-9549 homsh@sbcglobal.net • www.celiahomsher.com Real Estate Agent Award Winner

∙ Delivers high-quality services ∙ An expert in the local area ∙ Helps orchestrate your move

10

YEAR WINNER

Success in real estate is a result of only one thing: satisfied clients.

That’s my unwavering goal and ultimate achievement. Credit for repeatedly being a Five Star Real Estate Agent award winner rests with my clients to whom I am deeply grateful.

1100 Town and Country Crossing Drive • Town and Country, MO 63017 Phone: 314-484-1448 • info@millermovesyou.net • millermovesyou.com Real Estate Agent Award Winner

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Real Estate Agent Award Winner

Celia Homsher

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∙ More than 95% of business from referrals ∙ Gets to know each client personally ∙ Operates by the golden rule Jessica has been selling real estate since 2012. As a platinum, multimillion-dollar Realtor, she consistently ranks at the top of her profession. Jessica understands that buying or selling a home is a huge step in your life, so she focuses on your needs and makes your priorities her priorities.

2029 Marconi Avenue • St. Louis, MO 63110 Cell: 314-884-1064 • Office: 314-772-8600 jessica@jessicatumminello.com • www.jessicatumminello.com

Real Estate Agent Award Winner

YEAR WINNER

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

REAL ESTATE AGENTS

Georgia Ferretti

Cathy Shaw-Connely

Sales Executive

13

YEAR WINNER

I believe in serving my customers the same way I want to be served.

Listening closely to my clients’ needs and wants has been the foundation of my success in real estate for the last 18 years. Communication is the key to all relationships. I believe that service doesn’t stop after contracts and closing. At the end of the day, my approach is simple. A good agent isn’t a salesperson — they’re an advocate, and that’s what I always try to be with my current and future clients.

Realtor, Home Sales Manager

∙ Oldest residential real estate company in St. Louis ∙ Residential homes and farms sales expert For nearly 100 years, Tom Shaw Realtors has been a leader in the sale of homes, homes on acreage and horse properties as well as the sale and development of 150,000 acres of land. Cathy has been in the business since 1978. She works hard for her customers day and night, seven days a week.

Cathy has been a Five Star Real Estate Agent since 2006.

15

YEAR WINNER

Coldwell Banker Gundaker 1100 Town and Country Crossing Drive • Town and Country, MO 63017 Cell: 636-675-0329 • Office: 636-394-9300 georgia.ferretti@cbgundaker.com • www.michaelandgeorgia.com

17736 Edison Avenue • Chesterfield, MO 63005 Cell: 636-346-4960 • Office: 636-532-1922 Squawky1@aol.com • www.shawrealtors.com

Real Estate Agent Award Winner

Real Estate Agent Award Winner

Maria Elias

Leslie A. Owens

Real Estate Agent

13

YEAR WINNER

∙ Multimillion-dollar sales club ∙ Top 1% of St. Louis Realtors — St. Louis Association of Realtors ∙ Luxury property specialist ∙ Relocation and listing specialist Maria Elias is a listing, marketing and relocation specialist with over 20 years’ experience moving families to the St. Louis area with a special focus in the central corridor of St. Louis.

8077 Maryland Avenue • Clayton, MO 63105 Phone: 314-872-6721 • maria.elias@bhhsall.com • homeswithmaria.com

Real Estate Agent

∙ Excellent negotiator and problem-solver ∙ Dedicated to making lifetime clients ∙ Relocation specialist

11

YEAR WINNER

Laura McCarthy Real Estate

Real Estate Agent Award Winner

Renee D. Schultz

Realtor

Realtor

∙ Client-first philosophy

12

29 The Boulevard • St. Louis, MO 63117 Cell: 314-276-5858 • Office: 314-725-5100 leslie@leslieaowens.com • www.lauramccarthy.com/agent-profile Real Estate Agent Award Winner

Chrissy Wagner

YEAR WINNER

Leslie is an 11-year Five Star Real Estate Agent. She treats each client as if they were her only client. Many of her clients are referrals from past clients, and almost all of them become her clients for life. She treats everyone with respect and offers customer service beyond what is expected. No detail is too small for her attention. She makes homebuying or selling a joyful experience.

As a seasoned Realtor, I understand that buying or selling a home is more than just a transaction — it’s a life-changing experience.

That’s why I am dedicated to providing exceptional, personalized service for all of my clients. I treasure the relationships I am able to build with my clients and always work diligently on their behalf to help them achieve their real estate goals. Thank you for giving me the opportunity and privilege to do what I love to do!

17107 Chesterfield Airport Road, Suite 160 • Chesterfield, MO 63005 Cell: 314-412-9938 • Office: 636-237-6000 chrissy@redkeystlouis.com • www.realestatebychrissywagner.com Real Estate Agent Award Winner

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YEAR WINNER

Having sold homes in West and St. Louis counties, St. Charles County, St. Louis and the surrounding areas for more than 25 years, Renee prides herself on her unsurpassed skill of helping her clients buy or sell their homes. Her professionalism and proven negotiating skills ensure that her clients get the best price possible! Renee specializes in assisting seniors and facilitating the highest profit from as-is sales. Call Renee to make your real estate dreams become a reality!

17107 Chesterfield Airport Road • Chesterfield, MO 63005 Cell: 314-520-3396 • Office: 636-237-6000 reneedschultz@gmail.com • reneeallday.com Real Estate Agent Award Winner

Lynn Bodenheimer Broker, Sales Person, GRI, CRS

∙ Ranked in the top 1% of all St. Louis Realtors (St. Louis Association of Realtors)

14

YEAR WINNER

“We’ve worked with Lynn for over 30 years on multiple transactions.

You won’t find anyone more detail oriented than Lynn. She knows the St. Louis area inside and out! She is awesome with numbers and never stops working, even on vacation. She is the best!”

— SG, client.

“Your heart has to be in the right place — you have to genuinely desire to make a difference in your clients’ lives.”

— Five Star award winner

St. Louis, MO 63141 • Cell: 314-308-9362 • Office: 314-965-3030 lynn.bodenheimer@cbgundaker.com • www.lynnbodenheimer.com Real Estate Agent Award Winner

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REAL ESTATE AGENTS

MORTGAGE PROFESSIONALS

HOME/AUTO INSURANCE PROFESSIONALS

To see the full list of winners, visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.

Real Estate Agents All Areas Lisa Adkins ∙ RE/MAX Platinum Page 3 Kim Anderson ∙ Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select Properties Page 4

Ellen M. Murphy ∙ Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Caroline Nenonen ∙ Coldwell Banker Gundaker Leslie A. Owens ∙ Laura McCarthy Real Estate Page 7

Karie Lyn Angell ∙ Coldwell Banker Gundaker

Kathy Renaud ∙ Coldwell Banker Realty Gundaker Page 5

Mary Bay ∙ Coldwell Banker Gundaker

David Rumpf ∙ Coldwell Banker Gundaker

Ginny Lynn Becker ∙ Tarrant & Harman Real Estate

Debra Sartori ∙ Keller Williams Chesterfield

Charles Bent ∙ Coldwell Banker Gundaker

Pam Schneider ∙ Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Alliance Real Estate

John Besmer ∙ Landmark Realtors Jamie Lynn Bone ∙ Realty Executives Premiere Lucyann Boston ∙ Laura McCarthy Real Estate Rachel Boxdorfer ∙ Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Kathy Bradley ∙ Keller Williams West Joyce Burgan ∙ RE/MAX Edge Page 6 Jean Burkemper ∙ Jungermann Realty, Inc. Page 4 Catherine Ann Cline ∙ Coldwell Banker Gundaker Susan Damsgaard Brand ∙ Keller Williams Aimee Davison ∙ SCHNEIDER Real Estate Wayne Deen ∙ Coldwell Banker Gundaker

Renee D. Schultz ∙ Red Key Realty Leaders Page 7

Innsbrook

Wildwood

Steven Waters ∙ Innsbrook Properties

Paige Elizabeth Hellmann ∙ Keller Williams Chesterfield

Ladue Stephanie Connell ∙ Janet McAfee Real Estate Grace Lowell ∙ Janet McAfee Real Estate

St. Charles Shara Balotti ∙ Real Living Now Real Estate Lori A. Dillick ∙ Keller Williams West Jerry Roark ∙ Realty Executives Advantage

St. Louis

Chrissy Wagner ∙ Red Key Realty Leaders Page 7

Rising Star Real Estate Agents All Areas Rebecca Gasperoni ∙ Main St. Real Estate Brandon Gray ∙ Red Key Realty Leaders Maggie K. Hase ∙ Main St. Real Estate

Kevin Buchek ∙ Roanoke Realty

James Lee McDermott ∙ Realty Executives of St. Louis

Ted Disabato ∙ TdD Premier Real Estate

St. Louis

Denise Dowd ∙ Keller Williams St. Louis

Joe Bobnick ∙ Garcia Properties

Dan Snodgrass ∙ Keller Williams Realty Page 5

Celia Homsher ∙ Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Alliance Real Estate Page 6

William B. Springer ∙ Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Alliance Real Estate

Peggy Stewart ∙ Realty Executives of St. Louis

Joanne Iskiwitch ∙ Coldwell Banker

Roxann Taylor ∙ Worth Clark Realty

Frank Krajczar ∙ Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Alliance Real Estate Page 4

Mortgage Professionals

Louise Shapleigh ∙ Worth Clark Realty Cathy Shaw-Connely ∙ Tom Shaw Realtors Page 7

Kristin Pfau Templeton ∙ Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Sue Torbeck ∙ Coldwell Banker Realty Gundaker Page 2

Kathleen Lovett ∙ Janet McAfee Real Estate Leaders Page 5 Jody Newport ∙ Red Key Realty

Laurie Abshear ∙ Together Credit Union MaryAnn Braun ∙ Citizens National Bank of Greater St. Louis Greg Carlson ∙ CIBC Bank US Marie Bergin Cuddihee ∙ F&B Financial Group

Denise Tower ∙ Coldwell Banker

Sarah Nguyen-Bani ∙ RE/MAX Gold

Jessica Tumminello ∙ Savio Realty Page 6

Karen Ratteree ∙ Realty Executives

Debbie Dutton ∙ Coldwell Banker Gundaker

Sue Voigtmann ∙ Keller Williams

Debbie Smith ∙ Susie Weiler Group

Maria Elias ∙ Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Alliance Real Estate Page 7

Jamie Lee Walsh ∙ TdD Premier Real Estate

Maria Strizhev ∙ Coldwell Banker

Sherri Welner ∙ Coldwell Banker

Kelli Uxa ∙ Keller Williams

Georgia Ferretti ∙ Coldwell Banker Realty Gundaker Page 7

Cindy Wilson ∙ RED Realty

Cheryl Wambach ∙ Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Alliance Real Estate

Kathy Golden ∙ Golden Realty

Aviston

Laura Wehnes ∙ Keller Williams

Kelly O’Connell ∙ Guild Mortgage

Nancy A. Gordon ∙ Realty Executives of St. Louis

Jackie Schmitz ∙ Kues Bros Realty

Chesterfield

St. Peters

Matt Scott ∙ F&B Financial Group

Irene A. Hasegawa ∙ Keller Williams Rose M. Hefele ∙ Coldwell Banker Gundaker

Ann Aranda ∙ Keller Williams St. Louis

Donna Johnson ∙ Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate

Linda Graves Arnold ∙ Coldwell Banker Gundaker

Brandy Dudenhoeffer ∙ Keller Williams Realty West Page 5

Leah Petras ∙ Real Living Now Real Estate

Sunset Hills

Eileen S. Dalhoff ∙ Flat Branch Home Loans Kate Day ∙ Flat Branch Home Loans Victoria DiGregorio ∙ USA Mortgage Janie Lynn Evans ∙ Carrollton Bank Melissa Imo-Moffitt ∙ American Eagle Credit Union Jeff Kofron ∙ New American Funding

Stephanie Shipley ∙ Guild Mortgage Todd Solomon ∙ Delmar Mortgage Amy Wulf ∙ USA Mortgage

Dawn Gluesenkamp ∙ RE/MAX

Beth Rogers ∙ Keller Williams Real Estate Page 3

Creve Coeur

Town and Country

Gina Koerner ∙ Keller Williams

Lynn Bodenheimer ∙ Coldwell Banker Realty Gundaker Page 7

Sabina Dehn ∙ Coldwell Banker Realty Gundaker Page 2

Brenda S. Ladd ∙ Coldwell Banker

Des Peres

Warrenton

Tammy Luechtefeld ∙ State Farm

Colleen Maginn ∙ Coldwell Banker

Kathy Rainey Bussmann ∙ Red Key Realty Leaders

Fenton

Samantha Richardson ∙ Main St. Real Estate Page 3

Brent Mathany ∙ State Farm

Steve Mathes ∙ Coldwell Banker Realty Gundaker Page 6

Sue Martin ∙ Coldwell Banker Gundaker Page 3

Washington

Angela Rule ∙ State Farm

Ginger Groff-Brinker ∙ RE/MAX Gold

Festus

Cindy Johanning ∙ Coldwell Banker

Craig Snavely ∙ Snavely Insurance and Financial Services

Claudia Counsell ∙ Realty Executives

Mary Jane Schriewer ∙ RE/MAX Gold

Frontenac

Webster Groves

Carolyn Tumminia ∙ Keller Williams St. Louis

Susan Schiff ∙ RE/MAX Results

Courtney Kallial ∙ Coldwell Banker Gundaker/ CK Real Estate Specialist Page 6 Maya Kefalov ∙ RedKey Realty Leaders

Rick McClew ∙ Coldwell Banker Gundaker Colleen McCoole Payne ∙ Red Key Realty Christi Miceli ∙ RE/MAX Results Page 4 Glenn Miller ∙ Coldwell Banker Gundaker Page 6

Shari Wynn ∙ Gershman Mortgage

Home/Auto Insurance Professionals Matt Crismore ∙ The Crismore Agency

Christopher Natsch ∙ Crane Agency

Gary Thomas ∙ Thomas Insurance Advisors

REALTOR® is a federally registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a Member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR

THE ULTIMATE HEALTH, F I T NE SS, AND WE LLNE SS E VE N T

FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

SATURDAY, JUNE 20 / 8AM–1PM WESTM I NST ER C HR I ST I AN AC ADE MY

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NEW THIS YEAR

KIDS’ FITNESS & WELLNESS PROGRAM

Fitness, nutrition, and other wellness-related classes will be available for children to participate in while parents attend classes.

THE BEST WAY TO TRY OUT EXERCISE CLASSES BEFORE COMMITTING TO A GYM MEMBERSHIP! EXPERIENCE THE BEST OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS IN ST. LOUIS, INCLUDING: HIGH-ENERGY FITNESS CLASSES FOR BEGINNERS & PROS FREE BODY COMPOSITION SCREENINGS AND AVAILABLE MAMMOGRAMS A VENDOR MARKETPLACE FEATURING LOCAL HEALTH & BEAUTY EXPERTS KIDS’ FITNESS & WELLNESS PROGRAM

TICKET INCLUDES ACCESS TO 20+ WORKOUT CLASSES, LUNCH, AND A DRAWSTRING BAG!

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit stlmag.com/bewellstl or call 314.918.3026.

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Family Dentistry of St. Peters The dentists at Family Dentistry of St. Peters provide the finest comprehensive dental care, with patient comfort and convenience as their utmost priorities.

While patients can enjoy luxurious massaging chairs or benefit from the expediency of same-day crown capabilities, it is the entire team’s relentless focus on the patient experience that is truly unique.

Dr. Mark Zust has been in practice for more than 40 years and, in 2010, was joined by his daughter, Dr. Danielle Riordan. Dr. Zust and Dr. Riordan are proud of the practice’s father-daughter dynamic and believe this has helped create the family atmosphere that makes their office warm and anxiety-free.

The office is a state-of-the-art facility that contains the latest technology in the field, including Invisalign®, digital X-rays/3-D imaging, and much more. The doctors embrace technological advancement and look to the future for even better ways to improve their patients’ experiences.

Both Dr. Zust and Dr. Riordan are extremely active in organized dentistry and have held multiple leadership positions at the local, state, and national levels.

While Dr. Zust and Dr. Riordan are very proud of their practice and the patient relationships they have developed, they are just as passionate about giving back to their community by providing free dental care to those most in need. They do this through programs such as Give Kids a Smile, Missouri Missions of Mercy, and Missouri’s Donated Dental Services.

“My father and I recognize that we are extremely fortunate to practice dentistry, and we believe strongly in giving back to our community,” says Dr. Riordan.

Dr. Zust, Dr. Riordan, and their entire staff are honored and humbled by another topDENTISTS recognition.

80 Gailwood Drive, St. Peters, MO 63376 636-928-1100 | familydentistryofstpeters.com

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WHETHER YOU’RE IN NEED OF A SIMPLE CLEANING OR A COMPLETE SMILE MAKEOVER, THESE PROVIDERS SHOULD BE ON YOUR LIST OF PROSPECTS.

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PROFILES

FROM LEFT: Megan Fasanella,DMD; Ellen Blattel, DDS; Erin Mariscal, DDS.; Sarah Graesser Gordon, DDS

Arnold Smiles FAMILY DENTISTRY The goal at Arnold Smiles is to provide modern dentistry in a caring environment that works with your schedule. All of the dentists at Arnold Smiles are busy, working moms that understand what it’s like to juggle everything life throws at you.

Patients’ comfort is the primary focus at Arnold Smiles. All treatment rooms have televisions on the ceiling and directly in front of the chairs to keep you entertained. In addition, they have massaging chairs, blankets, and offer nitrous oxide (laughing gas) for anxious patients.

They do their best to care for everyone, as if they’re part of the family.

They treat patients of all ages with a focus on prevention and beautiful restoration to health when needed. Each dentist within their group has areas of interest within dentistry that allow them to provide many different services. It doesn’t matter if it’s been six months or 16 years since you’ve seen a dentist; the team at Arnold Smiles can make a plan to restore your smile and maintain it for life.

The office is open from 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m.–3 p.m. on Friday.

124 Richardson Crossing, Arnold, MO 63010 | 636-464-6444 | arnoldsmiles.com

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Movahed OMS ORAL & MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY Dr. Reza Movahed has been practicing and performing surgeries since 2012 with offices in St. Louis and Los Angeles and routinely treats patients from all over the country and the world.

“I’m very proud to call St. Louis my home base,” he says, “and I feel lucky to work as a clinical assistant professor at Saint Louis University, which is the birthplace of orthodontics and one of the nation’s leaders of oral and maxillofacial medicine.”

Dr. Movahed earned his undergraduate degree in biology and art history from Rutgers College in New Jersey, then a doctorate in dental medicine (DMD) from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in 2007. He then completed an internship with Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery of New York, completed his residency in Florida at Nova Southeastern University and his fellowship at Baylor specializing in temporomandibular joint (TMJ) reconstruction and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), as well as corrective jaw surgeries for dentofacial deformities.

Understanding patients is central to his practice and something Dr. Movahed takes personally, especially since he’s undergone maxillomandibular advancement himself. He keenly understands what patients experience and can guide them through each step.

“It’s never one-size-fits-all. Each treatment is specifically tailored to the needs of every patient,” he says. There are multiple dimensions of treatment goals, including achieving success in the airway, improving function and bite, as well as aesthetics. “All these elements can sometimes be a tough needle to thread, a very fine balance to achieve,” he says, “but we have a systematic way of going about diagnosis and treatment.”

He frequently works in a multidisciplinary fashion across a spectrum of other providers that can help patients depending on their need, which may include experts in sleep medicine, neurology, radiology, orthodontics, and ear-nose-throat specialists, as well as postoperative physical therapy and myofascial therapy to improve jaw range of motion.

“We study patient outcomes over time and are constantly improving based on case data,” he says. Dr. Movahed aims for durable procedures that will stand the test of time, so he approaches each case with a long-term vision. “It’s incredibly rewarding to help patients overcome these jaw and airway problems that they’ve usually had to contend with for many years,” he said. “Patients need to know they can achieve a pain-free and highly functional life and avoid some very bad problems down the road.”

1585 Woodlake Drive, Ste. 208, Chesterfield, MO 63017 | 314-878-6725 | movahedoms.com April 2020 stlmag.com

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Ballas Dental Care SEDATION DENTISTRY As a dental care provider in the St. Louis and surrounding areas for more than 45 years, serving three generations, Ballas Dental Care stands out as one of the top dental offices in the region. Ballas Dental Care places emphasis on clear communication. Innovative services include conscious oral sedation dentistry, dental implants, cosmetic dentistry, crowns, bridges, and dentures.

Oral sedation dentistry provides outstanding results with less time in the dental office. Patients with anxiety or fear receive extensive treatments in as little as one appointment and can relax through their visit. It is fulfilling for the dentists when they are able to resolve years of neglect for patients who have avoided treatment—all while patients are completely at ease.

As a trusted, well-established practice grounded in integrity, Ballas Dental Care treats each patient as a family member. The doctors care about their patients’ well-being in addition to their dental health.

“Our philosophy is very simple: Our patients come first,” Dr. Watanabe says.

“This is paramount to every facet of our practice. State-of-the-art techniques and equipment are used to benefit our patients.”

Ballas Dental Care happily accepts new patients of all ages. The office opens weekdays at 7 a.m., with extended evening hours on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and every other Saturday for patients’ convenience. Patients also are offered several payment options, including interest-free financing through CareCredit.

Ballas Dental Care’s goal is to help patients achieve and maintain overall dental health. Contact the practice to see how they can help you achieve a healthy, beautiful smile.

FROM LEFT: William “Chip” Haines, DMD; Douglas T. Watanabe, DDS; Jan Olivier, DMD

2821 N. Ballas Road, Ste. 140, Town & Country, MO 63131 | 314-432-5544 | ballasdentalcare.com

Affton Dental Center

GENERAL DENTISTRY

Dr. Vedrana Sedic has been practicing dentistry in the St. Louis area for more than a decade.

She received her Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry degree from SIUE School of Dental Medicine, becoming the first Bosnian-American dentist in the St. Louis metro area. Dr. Sedic and her staff’s multilingual abilities allow them to serve a large community of immigrants from former Yugoslavian countries, such as Bosnia, Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia.

Affton Dental Center specializes in improving smiles by practicing a comprehensive menu of services, some of which include general dentistry, teeth whitening, periodontal exams, and single-appointment crowns using Sirona’s CEREC state-of-the-art digital scanning and 3-D printing technology.

All professionals at Affton Dental Center maintain the highest levels of accreditation and pursue continuing education to stay abreast of the latest best practices.

11 Ronnie’s Plaza, St. Louis, MO 63126 314-842-5700 | afftondental.com

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Ballwin Dental Care GENERAL DENTISTRY When it comes to caring for your teeth and oral health, trust the qualified staff at Ballwin Dental Care. The family-owned practice has been providing the West County community high-quality dental care for more than 45 years. In 1974, Dr. Robert Schrameyer opened Ballwin Dental Care in a small office on Manchester Road. In 2001, Dr. Schrameyer’s daughter, Dr. Kimberly Simonds, joined the practice and purchased it in 2015 to carry on the legacy of providing the very best dental care in the region.

Utilizing the latest technology and exercising the very best in patient care, Ballwin Dental Care moved into their new, state-of-the art facility, located at 14649 Manchester Road, in February. “We needed to move, but we wanted to do it in a way that our patients were not inconvenienced,” Dr. Simonds said.

“We were determined to stay as close to our existing location as possible.”

Office manager Jeannie Kratz said, “In the 39 years that I have been with Ballwin Dental Care, we have grown from a tiny office of one doctor, one assistant, and one hygienist to a facility with three doctors and six hygienists that is bursting at the seams.”

Dr. Simonds added, “We are genuinely concerned about the comfort and dental health of our patients, and this new office will allow us to continue to provide the very best in general and cosmetic dentistry.”

Whether you need a new dentist for regular check-ups, toothaches, implants, dentures, straighter teeth, or a whiter smile, give Ballwin Dental Care a call today.

14649 Manchester Road, Ballwin, MO 63011 | 636-238-4997 | ballwindentalcare.com

Chesterfield Valley Dental GENERAL, COSMETIC & IMPLANT DENTISTRY Chesterfield Valley Dental is locally owned by Dr. Robert Rahm, a Chesterfield resident and St. Louis native. A graduate of Marquette University, Dr. Rahm offers a family-friendly practice as well as cosmetic and implant procedures. Chesterfield Valley Dental’s reputation is one of patient-focused, quality dental care delivered with personal attention.

If you’re looking for a dentist who understands the fear that prevents a patient from having their ideal smile, you’ll be in good hands with Dr. Rahm. His numerous positive online reviews attest to his gentle and calming nature. In addition, he has an excellent team supporting him in providing superior service in a state-of-the-art facility. Dr. Rahm loves his profession and spends many hours in continuing education each year to keep up with the latest techniques in dentistry. From checkups to cosmetic veneers or BOTOX® for TMJ pain and headaches, you can depend on Dr. Rahm for your comprehensive oral healthcare needs.

6 McBride and Son Center Drive, Ste. 100, Chesterfield, MO 63005 636-537-5240 | chesterfieldvalleydental.com Robert Rahm, DDS

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Barry S. Goldenberg, DMD, MS PROSTHODONTICS Dr. Barry Goldenberg is a board-certified prosthodontist in Missouri. A 1982 graduate of Washington University School of Dental Medicine, he later attended the University of Missouri–Kansas City and completed his specialty residency in prosthodontics while also attaining his master’s degree. Dr. Goldenberg is a global educator in the field of implants.

WHAT IS A PROSTHODONTIST? Prosthodontists are highly trained specialists in state-of-the art techniques and procedures for treating many diverse and complex dental conditions and restoring optimum function and esthetics.

THE PRACTICE: Passion describes the philosophy of Dr. Goldenberg’s practice, which is a leading referral practice in prosthetic dentistry, including implant and aesthetic dentistry. The practice is known among dental professionals for providing the kind of excellent service to the finest detail. Dr. Goldenberg has had the distinct opportunity to lecture about implant dentistry worldwide in 10 countries.

NEW INNOVATIONS: Dentistry is a profession that does not stand still.

Dr. Goldenberg is committed to continuing education, both as a student and a mentor. Dr. Goldenberg has been dedicated to placing the latest equipment and technology into his state-of-the-art facility. His practice is backed by more than 35 years of clinical experience providing life-changing solutions to complex dental problems.

DR. GOLDENBERG’S MISSION: Dr. Goldenberg strives to devote sufficient time to and genuine care for patients and their unique set of problems; to be aware of the multiple disciplines in dentistry and refer patients to the proper specialist when planning their treatment; to consistently provide a high standard of work that will stand up to the scrutiny of dental peers; and to constantly improve.

555 N. New Ballas Road, Ste. 100, St. Louis, MO 63141 | 314-997-7972

Doyle Orthodontics

ORTHODONTICS

Dr. Renee Doyle is a specialist in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics. She received a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Southern Illinois University and a master’s degree in orthodontics from Saint Louis University. For the past 10 years, Dr. Doyle has provided orthodontic care to patients of all ages.

While the trend in orthodontics leans toward larger practices, Dr. Doyle keeps her practice more intimate, allowing for incomparable attention and communication throughout her patients’ treatments. In addition, the practice’s modern office features top-notch technology, including an intra-oral scanner, to ensure you receive the best results.

Doyle Orthodontics wants the path to your new smile to be fun, personalized, and convenient. You will not only love your smile, but you will also enjoy the journey to achieve it!

Renee Doyle, DMD, MS

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106 Veterans Parkway, Columbia, IL 62236 618-281-5896 | doyleorthodontics.com

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Dr. James L. Schmidt & Associates FAMILY & COSMETIC DENTISTRY Dr. James L. Schmidt is a graduate of Northwestern University Dental School.

He completed a one-year residency program at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and he is a member of the American Dental Association (ADA), the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

Dr. Schmidt also teaches part-time in the Restorative Department at Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Dental Medicine.

Dr. Christa Hopp is a graduate of SIU School of Dental Medicine. She also completed an Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) residency from SIU. She is a member of the ADA, the AGD, and the Academy of Operative Dentistry. She is currently a full-time associate professor and head of the operative section at SIU School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Hopp works part time at Dr. Schmidt’s dental office.

Dr. Katie Meister graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry. She completed a one-year general dentistry residency at the University of the Pacific in San Francisco, California. She practiced for several years in San Francisco before returning to the Midwest. Dr. Meister is a member of the ADA and an Invisalign® provider.

Dr. Feras Al Khatib is an associate of Dr. Schmidt and works part-time in the practice. Dr. Al Khatib is a member of the ADA, AGD, American Association of Orthodontics, and the World Federation of Orthodontics.

Dr. Schmidt’s office uses state-of-the-art technologies, including digital radiography and in-office digital scanning, design, milling and cementation of ceramic restorations with CEREC technology in a single appointment.

FROM LEFT: Feras Al Khatib, DMD, MS; Katie Meister, DMD; James L. Schmidt, DDS, PC; Christa D. Hopp, DMD

7809 Watson Road, St. Louis, MO 63119 | 314-968-7979 | drjamesschmidtdds.com

Didem Ince, DDS, MS, PhD

Ince Orthodontics

ORTHODONTICS

Dr. Didem Ince, a graduate of Saint Louis University, has practiced orthodontics in the St. Louis area for more than 20 years. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and a member of the American Dental Association and the American Association of Orthodontists.

Dr. Ince has contributed to scholarly dental and medical literature as an author in the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, The Journal of Rheumatology, Journal of Prosthodontics, and many other internationally recognized journals. She is honored to be recognized by her peers as a top orthodontist in the St. Louis region 12 years in a row.

“My first priority is to provide the highest level of orthodontic care in a friendly, comfortable environment,” says Dr. Ince. “Our state-of-the-art facilities are equipped with the latest technology that improves patient comfort and reduces appointment frequency and treatment times.”

9022 Mexico Road, Ste. 2, O’Fallon, MO 63366 | 636-978-9300 2444 Taylor Road, Wildwood, MO 63040 | 636-458-8848 inceorthodontics.com

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Generation Dental Group FAMILY DENTISTRY Dr. Julie Ring is once again elated to be selected by her peers in topDENTISTS for the eighth consecutive year. Dr. Ring and her team are proud to have served multiple generations of families with excellent dental care for 26 years.

Among procedures offered are ZOOM whitening, extractions, crowns, bridges, implants, partials, dentures, root canals, Invisalign, and periodontal cleanings.

Born and raised in Creve Coeur, Dr. Ring attended Ladue Horton Watkins High School and graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s exclusive six-year program. After graduation, she completed both a general practice residency and a hospital dentistry fellowship at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Dr. Ring has worked extensively with patients who have special needs, Down syndrome, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and autism.

Generation Dental offers convenient early morning and evening appointment times, as well as Saturday appointments. If you’re looking for a new dental home, Dr. Ring would love to meet you.

Julie L. Ring, DDS

1001 Chesterfield Parkway East, Ste. 202, Chesterfield, MO 63017 | 636-532-2228 | generationdental.com

Kevin J. Kellerman, DMD

Kellerman Dental

FAMILY & COSMETIC DENTISTRY

Patients frequently mention service, integrity, and trust as core feelings they experience when describing Kellerman Dental. They describe the office as “the only place where I will receive my dental care from now on.”

“We treat our patients in a holistic way,” says Dr. Kellerman. “We take a closer look at the health of the patient. We not only look at gum health and tooth health, but we also look at chewing system health and whole body health. It’s what separates us in what we do”.

Services include all facets of comprehensive care, as well as 3-D radiography, Invisalign®, implants, teeth whitening, sedation, tooth replacement, and bio-rejuvenation of worn or broken teeth. Dr. Kellerman also treats pain associated with headaches, chewing muscles, and TMJ. 16 Junction Drive West, Ste. 101, Glen Carbon, IL 62034 618-288-3535 | kellermandental.com

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Kemlage Family Dentistry FAMILY DENTISTRY The practice of Drs. Thomas and Andrew Kemlage blends the familiar comfort of a traditional family dental center with modern technology found at the most high-tech of dental offices. Through an array of preventative, diagnostic, and treatment services, the team at Kemlage Family Dentistry provides patients with the highest quality of care.

Dr. Tom has been serving patients not only in the St. Louis region, but around the world for 32 years. His son, Dr. Andrew, has been practicing alongside him for the past six years. This father-son duo provides individuals and families with unsurpassed quality and affordable care in all aspects of dentistry, including dental implants; single-appointment crowns; cosmetic dentistry; full-mouth rehabilitation; orthodontics, including clear aligners; and snoring/sleep apnea treatment. The list goes on. Drs. Tom and Andrew accomplish this using the most advanced dental equipment available in the field, such as 3-D radiographs, computer-designed surgical guides for implants, CEREC for porcelain crowns and veneers, unique cavity-detecting cameras, relaxing nitrous oxide gas, digital impressions, and more.

The team at Kemlage Family Dentistry has designed their practice around total patient convenience. The office remains open as late as 7 p.m., and they even have hours on Saturdays. They also provide an in-house insurance plan for individuals or families who are fed up with the nuisances of insurance or those who simply do not have dental insurance.

The supreme quality, innovation, convenience, and affordability provided at Kemlage Family Dentistry truly place them at the top. Their family looks forward to serving yours.

1576 Smizer Station Road, Fenton, MO 63026 | 636-225-1777 | kemlagefamilydentistry.com

Sherri Poettker, DMD

Lakeside Dental

FAMILY & COSMETIC DENTISTRY

When you visit Dr. Sherri Poettker and her dedicated team at Lakeside Dental, your smile is their top priority. Everyone in the office is dedicated to providing the personalized, gentle care that you deserve. Patients routinely comment on how comfortable they were during procedures.

Along with being truly compassionate to all patients, the team strives for excellence at every opportunity and always provides patients with the information they need to make informed decisions about their oral health needs.

“My philosophy of care is to treat every patient as if they were a member of my family and to truly listen to what they have to say,” says Dr. Poettker. “My goal is to provide the smile that a patient has always wanted to boost confidence and self-esteem.” Services include state-of-theart digital radiography, teeth whitening, porcelain veneers, Invisalign®, intraoral cameras, lasers, implants, dentures, white fillings, and crowns.

3090 Winghaven Boulevard, O’Fallon, MO 63368 636-561-0800 | smilesbylakeside.com

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PROFILES

Lisa J. McDonald, DMD, & Associates GENERAL & COSMETIC DENTISTRY Dr. Lisa McDonald & Associates offer complete health dentistry and focus on elimination of inflammation and dental disease in order to help their patients achieve optimal oral and overall health.

Research continues to show a link between dental infections and chronic disease. By restoring patients’ teeth and gums to a healthy state, the risk of heart disease, stroke, and other chronic disease is reduced.

All of the doctors in the practice focus on quality, personalized care. They educate patients about their dental needs while providing state-of-the art service in their newly remodeled office. The doctors are continually advancing their training to stay on the leading edge of dentistry. The doctors and team completed training in evaluation of airways and treating sleep apnea and incorporated the latest in 3-D technology to enhance patient care. Their new “green” 3-D X-ray machine provides the highest quality images at a low radiation dose.

The group’s dental team is the best in the business. The dental hygienists, Amy and Katie; dental assistants, Bree and Cassie; and business team, Wendy, Reya, and Stacy are dedicated to making each patient’s visit a wonderful experience.

The doctors and team are also proud of the service they provide for the community. The team enjoyed helping local families have a wonderful Christmas this past year and also participate regularly in the Give Kids a Smile event at Saint Louis University. Giving back is an important value in this practice.

7247 Delmar Boulevard St. Louis, MO 63130 | 314-727-1319 | dentalhealthandwellness.net

Markarian Orthodontics

ORTHODONTICS

Excellence. Innovation. Compassion. Integrity. For more than 25 years, Dr. Randall Markarian has been putting these words into practice on every patient. Excellence: Dr. Markarian is certified by the American Board of Orthodontics, an honor that few orthodontists aspire to and attain, and has also been selected by his peers for inclusion in topDENTISTS in the field of orthodontics for the St. Louis region. Innovation: By merging traditional orthodontics skills with modern technologies like Invisalign®, MVP Aligners, 3-D imaging, and 3-D printing, Dr. Markarian can provide truly amazing smiles in a shorter, more efficient treatment than previously possible. Compassion and Integrity: Dr. Markarian treats each patient with respect for their concerns and goals. Markarian Orthodontics has not forgotten that the patient is the center of their orthodontic team. To get the smile you have always dreamed of and be treated in a caring, fun environment, schedule an appointment. When you think braces, think Markarian Orthodontics!

Swansea, IL: 618-236-7846 | O’Fallon, IL: 618-622-9229 thinkbraces.com Randall C. Markarian, DMD, MS

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PROFILES

Midwest Smiles Family Dentistry FAMILY DENTISTRY Dr. Kenneth Ausmer is committed to improving the lives of his patients through excellence in dentistry. From the age of 7, he knew he wanted to be a dentist and help others. He is a dentist committed to his craft and has served in the St. Louis community for the past 30 years.

He opened Midwest Smiles in 2007 in beautiful Florissant. From the moment you walk through the door, you are greeted with a smile from one of their team members. Dr. Ausmer says his joy comes from the response he receives from his patients when they experience improved dental health and appearance.

He loves to ease the minds of “dental-phobics.” Dr. Ausmer and the Midwest Smiles team are committed to providing the highest level of patient care with each interaction. Their five-star reviews are evidence that the dedication to a patient’s experience is aligned with the Midwest Smiles mission.

Dr. Ausmer uses modern technology and precise hand skills to achieve a patient’s best smile. Whether you want to replace missing teeth or have a smile makeover, Dr. Ausmer is equipped and skilled to help. The office mantra is to help each patient maintain healthy teeth and gums for a lifetime.

Each staff member is trained in the essence of the Midwest Smiles standard to provide quality service and maintain each patient’s trust while delivering quality care. Services include general dental procedures, various options for replacing missing teeth, and state-of-the-art smile makeover solutions.

Patients are eager to refer their friends and family and trust their services.

The office is always accepting new patients; its clientele always appreciates the personalized care and attention provided.

Kenneth Ausmer, DMD

4169 N. Highway 67, Florissant, MO 63034 | 314-653-1200 | bestmidwestsmiles.com

Otto Orthodontics

ORTHODONTICS

For the past 11 years, Dr. Genevieve Otto has provided patients with top-of-the-line orthodontic care. With a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in orthodontics from Saint Louis University, Dr. Otto provides the full scope of orthodontic treatments. She strives to provide the best care possible to her patients by offering a comprehensive set of options—from traditional braces to Invisalign® and esthetic braces in colors such as clear and rose gold—to ensure that she has an orthodontic solution that will be perfect for you, regardless of your age or needs.

Dr. Otto believes that great care extends past knowledge. She has created a fun office atmosphere where kids love to be treated and adults feel equally at home. Patients of this practice are not just patients; they are family.

12360 Manchester Road, Ste. 204, Des Peres, MO 63131 1002 Schroeder Creek Boulevard, Wentzville, MO 63385 636-887-3731 | ottoortho.com

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PROFILES

Sheldon Dental Group FAMILY DENTISTRY With so many dental practices in the St. Louis area, how can you possibly know which office to choose? What sets Sheldon Dental Group apart from the other practices? Why should you entrust the dental care of your family to Sheldon Dental Group? The answer is simple. Sheldon Dental group has a reputation of excellence and experience.

Sheldon Dental has created an environment in which they spend the necessary time to treat each and every patient. They do not rush through procedures, allowing plenty of time to ensure that each patient is at ease reviewing treatment and encouraging questions. They are truly a family practice and not a “dental factory.”

Sheldon Dental Group has a wealth of experience treating patients.

Dr. Sheldon and Dr. Cavanaugh have more than 50 years of combined experience in providing caring and compassionate dental care to those in the St. Louis community. Each and every member of the team has been with Sheldon Dental Group for at least 10 years, contributing to the continuity of care their patients receive. The entire team—from the those at the front desk to the hygienists and assistants working with the doctors—are truly dedicated to making sure you have the best dental experience possible.

Whether your dental needs are simple exams and cleanings twice per year or restoring your dental health to what it once was, Sheldon Dental Group promises to provide exceptional dental treatment with their vast experience and excellent care.

809 S. Lindbergh Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63131 | 314-991-0103 | sheldondentalgroup.com

Signature Family Dental

FAMILY DENTISTRY

Dr. Heather Taylor grew up in the Metro East area and is proud to serve the community she calls home. A graduate from Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Taylor has a work ethic that embodies compassion and integrity. Signature Family Dental’s committed team encourages patients to be involved with their treatment through education and empowerment to identify and address their dental needs. By offering a wide range of procedures from ZOOM whitening and Invisalign to implant restorations and dentures, Signature Family Dental strives to deliver a high-quality dental experience for you and your family in a comfortable setting. The office is always accepting new patients, so call today to see how Signature Family Dental can help you achieve your dental goals.

1170 Beltline Road, Collinsville, IL 62234 | 618-345-1400

FROM

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

For more than 10 years, Foley Dental Group has been committed to providing excellent oral health care to its valued patients. Owner Dr. Andrea Foley and her associates, Dr. Jocelyn Freeman and Dr. Katie Kosten, are proud to lead a team that is committed to complete health, utilizing the latest in dental technology and constantly advancing their education to offer effective and evidence-based treatment options.

Now with locations in both Maryville and Glen Carbon, Illinois, Foley Dental Group is more equipped than ever to provide patients with the convenience and excellent treatment their patients are accustomed to experiencing. The team utilizes the most advanced technology to assist in providing excellent care.

All X-rays, including 3-D CT scans, are taken digitally. Crowns are completed in one day using 3-D milling technology. Messy impressions with trays are no longer required. Instead, Foley Dental Group utilizes a digital scanner. Patients interested in tooth alignment with industry-leading Invisalign are able to see their before-and-afters instantly with computer simulation.

Patients who choose Invisalign receive close supervision throughout the process to achieve the desired result.

The team at Foley Dental Group takes seriously their responsibility to share their expertise on oral health as it relates to a patient’s overall health. Research has convincingly established that the health of the mouth and the body are connected. Educating patients on how their oral health reflects their overall health and how to improve both is a passion and mission at Foley Dental Group.

From the time patients enter the office until they leave, their positive experience is a top priority. Freshly baked cookies, massage chairs equipped with Netflix, and the latest in dental technology all ensure patients will find comfort and ease.

Whether a patient requires simple routine X-rays and cleanings or an extensive restorative plan, Foley Dental Group is a trusted partner in advanced oral-systemic health and dental care.

FROM LEFT: Jocelyn Freeman, DMD; Andrea Foley, DMD; Katie Kosten, DMD

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2016 Vadalabene Drive, Ste. C, Maryville, IL 62062 618-288-9670

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SP EC I A L A DV E R TIS IN G S ECTION

Fundraising Events Calendar LOCAL NONPROFITS RELY ON THE GENEROSITY OF INDIVIDUALS LIKE YOU TO CARRY OUT THEIR MISSIONS OF HELPING OTHERS. MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR ONE OR MORE OF THESE LIVELY EVENTS THAT SUPPORT A VARIETY OF CAUSES.

FRIDAY, MAY 8 | 6:30PM

An Iconic Evening with Chef Gerard Craft GATEWAY ARCH PARK FOUNDATION

_ Join the Gateway Arch Park Foundation for "An Iconic Evening with Chef Gerard Craft." Guests will enjoy an after-hours evening in the Museum at the Gateway Arch with a chef-curated menu, live music, cocktails, and more. Limited seating available. Purchase your tickets today. Proceeds benefit the Gateway Arch National Park.

314-881-2015 • ARCHPARK.ORG/ICONICEVENING

THURSDAY, JUNE 25

Purses and Pumps for Pooches and Pals HUMANE SOCIETY OF MISSOURI

_ Enjoy an evening of cocktails, great food, auctions and adorable animals, all capped off by a raffle of 25-plus high-end designer purses and shoes. All proceeds support the Humane Society of Missouri’s Animal Cruelty Fund. 314-951-1562 • HSMO.ORG/PURSES

SATURDAY, JUNE 27 | 7:30 A.M.

Seize the Day 5K Run/Walk EPILEPSY FOUNDATION OF MISSOURI & KANSAS

_ Join the Epilepsy Foundation of Missouri & Kansas for the Seize the Day 5K Run/Walk. This family-friendly event features a timed 5K, 1-mile walk, the Bubble Bus, balloon art, face-painting, and more! One in 26 people are diagnosed with epilepsy, and the Epilepsy Foundation of Missouri & Kansas needs your help to continue the fight to stop seizures.

314-781-4949 • EFMK.ORG

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SP EC I A L A DV ER T IS IN G S ECT ION

SATURDAY, JUNE 27

St. Louis Walk to Defeat ALS®, Forest Park ALS ASSOCIATION

_ Each year, thousands from the St. Louis community gather together in Forest Park with determination, energy, and passion for the Walk to Defeat ALS®. Register today and help raise money for people with ALS and for those fighting each day to create a world without ALS. 888-873-8539 • WALKTODEFEATALS.ORG

FRIDAY, AUGUST 21

“Swing for a Cure” ALS Association Golf Tournament ALS ASSOCIATION

_ Tee off for a day of fun, sun, and golf at historic Glen Echo Golf Club. Proceeds help the ALS Association St. Louis provide free services for local people with ALS and their families while also funding research for treatments and a cure.

888-873-8539 • ALSA-STL.ORG

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

Glow in the Park HUMANE SOCIETY OF MISSOURI

_ Enjoy the 12th annual Glow in the Park, held under the auspices of the Great Forest Park Balloon Race and on the eve of the beloved St. Louis event. The event includes dinner, valet parking, and an unforgettable view of the Glow. All proceeds support the Humane Society of Missouri’s Animal Cruelty Fund.

314-951-1562 • HSMO.ORG/GLOW

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7

150th Anniversary Gala HUMANE SOCIETY OF MISSOURI

_ The Humane Society of Missouri is celebrating 150 years of creating second chances for animals in need. Join them for a birthday celebration 150 years in the making, featuring cocktails, dinner, live entertainment, classic birthday games with a twist, and, of course, cake!

Creative black tie encouraged.

314-951-1562 • HSMO.ORG/CELEBRATE150

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21

ALS Dinner Gala, St. Louis Union Station ALS ASSOCIATION

_ After five successful years, the ALS Association is changing up the Ice Bucket Bash to something new, fresh, and exciting at historic Union Station, all to support people with ALS and to aid those working every day to find new treatments and a cure.

888-873-8539 • ALSA-STL.ORG

APRIL / JUNE / NOVEMBER

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis Fundraising Events BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GREATER ST. LOUIS

_ On April 25, join the young professionals group, Friends of the Club, for Casino Night—an evening of live music, dancing, casino games, raffles, and more. The Jim Butler Golf Tournament takes place on June 15 to support Club Health & Life Skills programs. It includes food, a live auction, on-course games, and raffles. The Great Futures Gala on November 6 is the largest fundraiser benefiting the BGCSTL. Funds from this event are crucial to continuing programs such as Diplomas to Degrees, Mentor St. Louis, Keystone Clubs, Money Matters, and Career Launch.

314-335-8000 • BGCSTL.ORG

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Downtown Evolution Continued from p. 65

TO AMOS HARRIS, THE DEVELOPER

behind the MX District, on Washington, the “central organizing principle” for all downtown governance must be attracting talented young people. For now, he asserts, it’s not.

“Our default metric is job creation,” says Harris, “but a big reason that our peer cities like Indianapolis and Kansas City and Columbus are experiencing more growth is that they’re trying to create a culture that attracts young people.” That age cohort is critical, Harris contends, because fully repopulating downtown will require transplants from elsewhere, and Americans under 40 are far more likely to move from one region to another, according to a study by the Pew Research Center.

They’re also far more likely to make babies. Once they do, schools become an issue. The city’s public education system has no schools downtown; charter schools such as Confluence Academy have partially filled the void. But the risk remains that young parents downtown will move to districts elsewhere in the city or county where performance rankings and standardized test scores are higher. Harris argues that topquality schools are not a precondition for a vibrant downtown; instead, they can be an effect of one.

“What I’ve seen in other cities is that if you start with a culture that attracts [residents] before they have kids, then they will advocate for the things they need to stay—they’ll put the pressure on for better schools,” says Harris. All the more so in downtown St. Louis, he adds, where the cost of living is lower than in many suburbs.

So what kind of culture will attract talented young people? “Density,” says Harris. “The whole idea of a downtown is running into people and the collisions you get to have.” That requires a mix of options in a tight radius, sprinkled with public art, people spilling out onto sidewalks, and enough lighting at night to

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make everyone feel safe. Nashville’s Lower Broadway and Kansas City’s Power & Light District are on the right track, he says. “It takes a shockingly small area to become dense and vibrant and infuse an entire region with that. You have to pick an area to understand why you’re picking it.” He thinks Seventh Street, for example, shows promise because it’s a straight shot between Ballpark Village and the Convention Center. (Harris does own property along Seventh and admits: “I have a vested interest in that.”)

As a property owner, Harris pays an assessment on his property tax that goes into downtown’s Community Improvement District, a 180-squareblock area in central downtown. In accordance with the petition voters have approved and renewed, the CID is administered by Downtown STL; the two organizations have overlapping leadership. Harris’ primary criticism of the CID is that it’s not focused on building the density that young people crave, but he has other concerns.

Harris complains that the CID has not been effective on crime. According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, downtown had the highest total number of reported crimes in 2019 of all city neighborhoods. Downtown STL argues that although crime is an issue, the perception has outpaced reality. The vast majority of reported crimes—1,900 of 2,250—fell into the category of property crimes, and most of those were car break-ins. In addition, downtown’s crime rate is not an outlier nationally, and it’s nowhere near the highest among city neighborhoods if one factors in the 75,000 people who come into the neighborhood to work on weekdays, or the tens of thousands who attend Cardinals and Blues games and conventions.

The CID spent 61 percent of its total budget of $3.65 million in fiscal year 2019 on such “Clean & Safe” programs as hiring secondary police officers to patrol downtown. Other programs in that category included Real Change, the CID’s awareness campaign that guides residents and visitors on how to interact with panhandlers and how to volunteer with organizations working in that space. Harris argues that there should be a more coordinated effort downtown and that the CID should be “right in the middle of it.” (City Hall’s Homeless Services Division is tasked with coordinating the use of state, federal, and

local funds to address homelessness.)

Harris laments that the CID’s board, which has about 30 members, is too large.

It includes “well-meaning people,” he says, but many don’t own property in the district. CID president Missy Kelley recognizes that small boards can be nimbler, but she believes it’s more important for the board to be representative of downtown’s diversity. She also notes that it’s common for members to miss board functions because of work obligations; a larger board mitigates that problem.

The CID legally expires in 2021. The leadership has hired consultants to gather input from members on how they’d like to change it. (One property owner has sued the district for hiring consultants, alleging that it was an improper use of funds; as of late February, the CID had not filed a response.) Harris says he wouldn’t vote to renew the CID in its current form. To his mind, it’s not providing a return on investment, because commercial and residential rents have not gone up over the past 15 years, but he says he’s open to a modified CID. “I know there are property owners that are just done with the CID and will vote against it no matter what,” says Harris,“but I believe we do face common concerns that are in fact better addressed collectively. I’m cautiously optimistic.”

SOME ST. LOUISANS LOOK AT THE

northern edge of downtown and see the future. Near the river, developer Brian Minges of the Advantes Group has already had one success on Laclede’s Landing: the fully leased Peper Lofts.

Now he and a second developer, David Messner, have bought a clutch of other buildings in that handful of cobblestone blocks next to the base of the Eads Bridge. Their aim: to rejuvenate that area and ultimately create what they’re calling The Founders District, 140 acres of mixed developments stretching north to the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge.

They expect that larger project to take 10 years; for now, they’re waiting for guidance on the new state historic tax credit program to jumpstart the Laclede’s Landing phase.

“What I’ve seen so many times in St. Louis is that someone tries to hit a grand slam, and when it doesn’t happen, everybody says, ‘Aw, nobody can do it,’” observes Messner, “but

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Laclede’s Landing is a base hit. The plan we’ve put out is achievable.”

Six blocks to the west, another transformation is in the works: America’s Center is on track for a $200 million expansion.

The project calls for a 65,000-square-foot ballroom on the Ninth Street side, near a new pavilion and green space. All of it will be paid for by 40-year bonds; no new taxes are required, because the fund that had financed the construction of the Dome will be repurposed for the expansion.

Steve O’Loughlin, president of Lodging Hospitality Management, says both Indianapolis and Nashville have invested in their convention centers and reaped windfalls. Now St. Louis has a chance to catch up after losing several large conventions, such as the O’Reilly Auto Parts Managers Conference, which grew too large for the America’s Center.

The new and relatively small boutique hotels—Hotel Saint Louis, The Last Hotel, Hotel Indigo, The Moxy, and 21c Museum Hotel, in the former YMCA building—are more of a response to the closure of the giant 780-room Millennium Hotel than a bet on a revamped convention center, O’Loughlin says, but he predicts the new convention center will galvanize retail downtown. According to Explore St. Louis, each year, the convention center hosts an average of 109 conventions and 600,000 attendees who account for about 350,000 room nights and generate $258 million in direct spending.

The new green space added to the west side of America’s Center will serve as a backyard of sorts for the building at 911 Washington, which is now owned by startup incubator T-REX. On a February morning, T-REX CEO Patty Hagen peers out a window in the back of the building. “It’s starting to look like a real campus,” she says. Hagen points to her left. “You can see the top of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch building right there.”

The significance: Square is renovating that building as a space for its 500 employees already in St. Louis at the Cortex Innovation District in the Central West End. Her main interest, though, lies precisely 1.4 miles past the church steeples on her left. That’s where the $1.7 billion campus of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s western headquarters is slated for completion by 2025. “You can almost see it,” she says.

Already, the NGA itself has leased

space on the seventh floor of T-REX. On the fourth floor, the incubator is putting the finishing touches on the $5 million Geosaurus geospatial innovation center, which was funded by federal and corporate grants. Hagen says it’s fully leased by such startups as Geodata IT and teKnoluxion. T-REX estimates that by 2026, Geosaurus companies will have created more than 5,000 jobs in the geospatial industry and will generate more than $500 million in revenue.

“It’s great to have everyone gather around the flag of geospatial,” says Hagen. “At this point in my career, I haven’t seen people get as excited about an initiative community-wide as I have with this.” Indeed, a regional strategic planning initiative called GeoFutures has arisen to help guide the growth of the geospatial sector.

In a bid to attract talent of all kinds, a network of leaders across various sectors has launched the STLMade movement. Its elevator pitch to those outside the region is that St. Louis is rich with entrepreneurial energy and, unlike coastal megacities, is an affordable place to experiment and plant roots. These threads come together in the STLMade slogan: “Start Up. Stand Out. Stay.”

The movement is also aimed at fostering pride among native St. Louisans.

One of its collaborators, Arch to Park CEO Jason Hall, points to a recent national perception analysis revealing that St. Louisans tend to hold negative views of their own metro area. The reason: They think the rest of the country views it negatively, when in fact, the rest of the country feels neutral about the Gateway City.

“We thought, ‘Let’s start building pride locally,’” says Hall. “We need to speak in a single unified voice. Every community does this. You can’t be the best-kept secret and expect to grow.”

At the same time that St. Louis looks to geospatial tech for an economic boost, tech is seeping into the fabric of downtown’s everyday life. There are now at least seven touchscreen kiosks in the neighborhood and plans for dozens more.

They serve as Wi-Fi hotspots, provide listings and directions, and maintain communication with 911 services; unknown to many passersby, they also hold built-in surveillance cameras.

Smar t Cities author Anthony Townsend, an expert on urbanization

and digital technology, says St. Louis should develop a long-term stand-alone digital master plan, just as it developed a sustainability plan. He says automated vehicles are just on the horizon and “will challenge everything we think we know about how to design cities.” Retail transactions, he suspects, will require less travel and take less time. Automated delivery hasn’t even yet become widespread, and already online retailers such as Amazon have contributed to the closure of about 25,000 retail stores across the U.S. over the past three years, Townsend says.

In an age when you can have anything delivered to your doorstep and stream quality entertainment, Hoal believes, a place-based “experience economy” of downtown becomes paramount. It’s a far cry from St. Louis’ original economy, to be sure. The Frenchmen who clambered onto the muddy western bank of the Mississippi in the 1700s did not do so because they yearned for experience; they clustered here because it was the intersection of two rivers that served as highways for the fur trade. Today, those muddy rivers don’t matter nearly as much to the economy as the invisible river that runs through everyone’s phone and computer: the internet.

Using that river to coordinate the delivery of essential goods, human beings could, in theory, scatter much more easily across the land and still survive. But we cling together in the Gateway City. Why? For social- and place-based experience, Hoal says. And in that vein, downtown has to figure out exactly what kind of place it wants to offer the world.

“That’s why I don’t want to be pointing to another city as a model, like, ‘We’ve just got to become like Minneapolis,’” says Hoal. “No, we have to be St. Louis!

This is what the experience economy is all about. It’s not about a generic experience of downtown. It’s all about authentic and unique places.”

Levine Hat is a nexus of the digital economy and the experience economy. More than half of Levine’s business now comes from his website, but the experience of shopping for a hat in-person is still crucial to many customers.

“You never know how it’s going to look on you,” he says. “[Customers] want the experience of shopping, in addition to getting the hat. There are not many places around where you can do that.”

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Story Time Continued from p. 69

inside someone else’s skin is a powerful draw. He even loves the iconic masks, the pathos of tragedy paired with his favorite, the laughing mask of comedy.

Sumner’s young drama teacher, Claire Lockman Boyce, watches from the corner of her eye as Bobby’s photographic memory swallows five-page poems whole. His quick wit cracks her up daily— and goes deep. “He’d say something, and his tone would make you laugh,” she will remark later, “but then you’d go back and think about what he said and say, ‘Oh my God,’ and laugh again.”

Lockman Boyce relies on Bobby to keep harmony. No one gets bullied in their tight-knit theater group, because whenever one kid starts to bully another, Bobby somehow spins the insult into a compliment to both of them.

Still, he has to get past that stutter.

A teacher suggests studying relaxation techniques, and because The Beatles are over in India studying transcendental meditation, he decides he’ll try that, too.

He shows up at a TM studio and finds out that the fee is $250. Just to teach me to sit in a corner and be quiet? he thinks.

I can do that without dropping $250! He goes to the library and reads a dozen books on meditation.

By senior year, he has stopped stuttering.

Meditation makes him calmer, and compassion floods in. He pays attention to other people, listens carefully.

He’s still funny but without desperation. When Paul comes to see Sumner’s Soul ’69 variety show, done Laugh-In– style, he is gobsmacked: He didn’t even know Bobby could sing, let alone be this funny onstage.

The next year, Paul watches his brother win a martial arts competition and is blown away all over again. From gymnastics, Bobby has moved to karate, and his body is now eloquent, scotching any notion of weakness or timidity.

What he takes from the martial arts,

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though, is more spiritual than macho.

He is a Pisces, after all, and the list of traits—“introspective, intuitive, mystic, secretive, passionate, great listeners, lovers of nature and people”—gives him a framework in which sensitivity makes sense. Camping in the Ozarks, he stops Paul from swatting a giant wasp, instead gathering it into a towel and releasing it.

When his sensei says, “Be like water and conform to the shape of the container in all situations,” Bobby knows instinctively what he means.

After graduation, he goes to St. Louis Community College to figure out what to do with his life. It is 1969, and black guys have stopped slathering on Nadinola cream to lighten their skin. The civil rights struggle rages, black pride boils hot, and Bobby realizes how coddled he was at Sumner. “I never even knew who Malcolm X was,” he groans to his new friends in the Association of Black Collegians—which is modeled after the Black Panther Party for SelfDefense, which did not start out violent at all. Now the poetry Bobby memorizes is by Leroi Jones (later Amiri Baraka) and Nikki Giovanni, and the comedian he adores is Dick Gregory—a St. Louis– born civil rights activist who first makes you laugh, then follows with fiery oratory that makes you think.

That’s what I want to do, Bobby decides.

He wins a scholarship to the University of Missouri–St. Louis, then a Metropolitan Leadership Institute fellowship.

He studies psychology, philosophy, journalism, history. Senior year, a friend tells him the Gateway Arch is hiring summer workers. The chief park ranger listens to Bobby’s impassioned words on history and asks, “Can you start tomorrow?”

By now the civil rights movement has lost steam, and Bobby has lost his militant fire. Instead, he’s been studying Rosicrucianism, yoga, and mysticism, “like Moses roaming around in the desert trying to figure out where Canaan is.” The idea of teaching people about history feels so right, he leaves college to do it full time. He will finish years later, and UMSL will eventually grant him an honorary doctorate in humane letters.

He has gone from wanting to overthrow the government to working on its behalf.

I G N O R I N G T H E A P PA L AC H I A N

mountain trails, Bobby scales a cliff wall like Spider-Man. When he reaches the summit of the first mountain he’s ever seen, he lies down on a huge flat rock in the sun and falls sound asleep.

Something tells him to wake up. When he opens one heavy eyelid, a buzzard stands a few yards away, beady eyes trained on Bobby, waiting to pick his bones. They surprise each other, the buzzard squawking and flying away when he realizes that the young man is alive.

So alive. He walks to the edge and looks down at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers, filled with elation. He broke away from the other park ranger trainees to climb up here, wanting to do it alone, not dilute the experience with conversation. Now he has to shimmy back down backward.

“Man, you could’ve died up there!” his roommate exclaims. But Bobby is still young enough to feel immortal, and he’s convinced that spirits protected him.

That night he celebrates with a feast of crab cakes, baked potatoes, hot biscuits, and his first-ever apple butter. “This stuff is good,” he tells the waitress. “Give me three more biscuits so I can sop it up!”

He took his first plane ride to get here; saw his first “pink trees”—the cherry blossoms in D.C.—then rode Amtrak to Harper’s Ferry and climbed his first mountain. It was something he’d always wanted to do, but he hadn’t known how badly. Head-over-heels in love with nature, he seeks out the wilderness more and more often.

After another ranger training course, this one at the Grand Canyon, Bobby treats himself to a massive book heavier than his coffee table, The Mystic Warriors of the Plains, and creates a set of stories about the indigenous peoples of North America, how they revered and conserved nature. Their emphasis on earth, wind, and fire—his favorite band— resonates. His work now is all about nature, history, and spirit.

At night, though, his life turns edgy and urbane, influenced by Dick Gregory and Richard Pryor. Bobby’s talent for standup comedy startles his family.

Improv comes as easily to him as breath.

He doesn’t mind telling a few blue jokes, and after studying Don Rickles, he knows how to heckle the crowd before they can heckle him. Adding a little pantomime,

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George Carlin wordplay, and his beloved Three Stooges’ slapstick, he takes the mic at the Funny Bone, Bilbo Baggins, the Crazy Horse Saloon at Kiel Auditorium.

Bob Costas comes up to tell him, “You made Steve Mizerany laugh so hard, he fell out of his chair.”

What Bobby really wants, though, is to wake people up and make them think. He warms up the crowd with a little risqué humor and eases into political satire, a few cheerful insults peppering the routine. But when the guy in the plaid jacket heads to the men’s room and Bobby says they could use that jacket as a tablecloth, and then the guy comes back with the jacket wadded under his arm and only the lining showing, Bobby knows he embarrassed him too much and lets it go.

He hones his material in the backroom of Maurice’s Gold Coast Lounge, in Midtown. One night, something comes over him, and he recites “True Blues” instead.

Full of solemn fire, the lyrics were written by The Last Poets, a group in East Harlem, in 1966, and they sum up 300 years of race history in three and a half minutes. Thirty seconds in, drunks in the crowd start yelling, “Hey, where’s the comedy?” but Bobby just keeps going.

One of the other park rangers, Jan Dolan (who will later become his agent) is in the audience that night, and afterward, she blurts, “That was beautiful. What are you doing in front of all these drunk people?

Why don’t you take your poetry into the schools, use it to reach children?”

He shrugs off the suggestion. When he isn’t working standup or his day job, he’s acting with the Black Rep. His starring role is the lead in Charles Fuller’s Zooman and the Sign, but his favorite role is the royal gatekeeper to Oz in The Wiz. He wears a bright-green Afro wig the size of a beach ball, a matching cape, sequined green hip boots, and Elton John sunglasses; it’s how he figures Richard Pryor would do the Royal Gatekeeper.

BOBBY KNOWS HOW TO TELL

history’s true stories to Arch visitors, and he knows how to tell bedtime stories to his little boy, Damon. Other parents sit with books in their laps, but when Jack climbs the beanstalk, Bobby jumps onto his son’s bed to scale the stalk, then booms down in the giant’s voice. Still, he doesn’t think of stories as art.

In 1980, the first St. Louis Storytell-

ing Festival is held at the Arch. Bobby shows up for work and stands listening as some of the best tellers in the nation animate stories he thought were just a way to put the baby down at night.

When Arch staffers are encouraged to tell history stories, Bobby’s experiences in psychology, nature, comedy, music, gymnastics, and drama whirl together, lassoing the audience.

This is what he wants to do.

As soon as the festival ends, he asks his boss, a little breathlessly, whether he could work weekends and be off Mondays and Tuesdays so he can practice telling stories in the St. Louis Public Schools.

His friend Carlton Jones, who’s laughed at his comedy routines for years, marvels at this new side of Bobby: “You can be sitting there talking to him, you take a few breaths, and all of a sudden he’s somebody else.”

Bobby’s folk and fairy tales are advertised for older kids, but so many frazzled parents bring antsy toddlers that he learns to “babify” a story, not dumbing it down but instead simplifying the words, hyping the animation, leaning hard on repetition and sound effects. He also learns how to back down troubled kids in middle school, dredging up his old Don Rickles persona to cut through their posturing.

In 1988, he meets Jackie Torrence, whom he deems one of the finest storytellers on the planet. Just as delighted with him, she introduces him to her record producer and her agent, which leads to more gigs, books, CDs, and tours through Hawaii, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Ireland, Wales, Indonesia…. He quits the Arch and snags a gig with KMOV to host a children’s show, Gator Tales, winning three regional Emmy Awards by using stories to solve all the crazy problems a puppet named Grouchie Gator confides.

Bobby has his own problems, but he keeps them to himself. When he was a kid and Stix installed self-service elevators, he thought they had so disrespected his dad that they’d handed him a lady’s pink slip. Money was a worry from then on.

Plus, Bobby had to marry soon after high school, because Damon was on the way.

The rushed marriage soon lost its sparkle, but Bobby stuck it out until his son finished high school, making sure Damon had a solid, civil family life.

“I can’t say what was really hard for Bobby,” his brother Paul remarks, “because whatever obstacle he came up against, he transformed himself and overcame it. Getting bullied? He learned karate. Stuttering? He learned to sing. I think a person would be missing the point if they didn’t write about the transformations.”

Now, Paul adds, there’s another one coming: Bobby wants to get back into standup.

I do yet another double-take: This beloved world-class storyteller? I’m dubious until Bobby’s son tells me the same thing, then laughs: “I told him he’d better keep his jokes clean, in case there’s a teacher in the audience and he’s coming to their school the next day.”

O N T H E V E RY L A ST DAY O F T H E

National Storytelling Festival, the tellers are all wrung out, and the audience has heard just about everything. Bobby walks to the front of the tent and recites “The Cold Within,” about six men who would rather freeze to death than share their firewood with someone of another race, class, or creed.

James Patrick Kinney wrote the poem in 1961, when the civil rights movement was just heating up. Bobby gives the poem his all. Ten of the other featured storytellers are in the audience, and they jump to their feet when he finishes, leading an ovation that lasts twice as long as the reading.

“That poem found me,” Bobby says now. “I was going to do a keynote at Harvard for a storytelling conference called Sharing the Fire. I had my remarks, but I didn’t have an ending. I was at a high school in Atlanta, centering myself backstage, and I looked over at a table, and a track light was shining on a sheet of green paper. I went over and looked but it was blank. So I turned it over, and there was this poem, ‘The Cold Within.’”

He counts on coincidence, trusts karma. In his telling, he uses humor to wheedle attention, surprise for a spurt of adrenaline, movement and sound to appeal to all kinds of learners, putting them into a reverie he calls “story hypnosis.” Kids lean forward, their jaws loose, their eyes on Bobby, transfixed.

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turns telling a story, but their teacher can’t take her eyes off one boy. “Is anything wrong?” the Norfolks finally ask.

“Oh, no,” the teacher whispers, her eyes still glued to the boy. “It’s just that I’ve never heard his voice before.” He had not spoken in class since kindergarten.

Yet he told his story fluently, with complete composure, to a thunderclap of applause. That, says Bobby, is the power of story. And with all our digital devices, we are in danger of losing it.

The isumataq (the Inuktitut word for storyteller) is someone who creates an atmosphere in which wisdom reveals itself. Stories help us cry and give us an excuse to laugh; they honor mystery but drop clues about its underlying truths; they forge a safe path so we can go deeper into the scary woods. In The Moral of the Story: Folktales for Character Development, a book Bobby and Sherry wrote together, they give their version of an Eastern European tale about the beginning of time. Truth walks naked upon the Earth, and no one will listen to him—until Story shows him how to dress himself in purple velvet trousers and a jeweled vest and weaves ribbons into his hair. “Don’t you see?” she asks. “No one wants to listen to the naked Truth, but everyone will listen when it’s clothed by Story.”

Theatricality is what lets Bobby bring history back to life, imitating Satchel Paige or dramatizing the Underground Railroad. It lets him fulfill school requirements for character education without preaching, by using animal tales and bits of whimsy to talk about kindness, loyalty, or honesty. It takes him into the mythic past, with its folk tales about discovery, redemption, and transformation.

It lets him use Jungian archetypes of the witch, the demon, the hero, the dragon, the ogre, the king, the queen—and the trickster, who feels like kin to him.

In Bobby’s award-winning children’s books, Anansi, an African trickster spider steals hot beans, which burn his hair off; he tricks the whale and elephant with a piece of string so they will respect small creatures; he conspires with Ant to get to heaven when they’re told they’re too small. Anansi weaves a ladder, and Ant chews an opening in the clouds.

When Bobby tells an Anansi story—or any story—the kids go into that storytelling trance, giggling along with him, yelping at the funny bits, holding their

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breath. I ask whether he’s heard of Uri Hasson, a Princeton researcher who found that the brains of the listener and the storyteller actually come into sync as a story is told.

“Neuroscientists thought they were coming up with something new,” Bobby says, “that the ancients have known for centuries.” Not content to see stories only as entertainment, he did years of research. “Everything we see, hear, taste, touch, and smell revolves around story. There is this primal thing going on in our brains that grasps onto narrative and connects us; it’s like we’re plugged into a cosmic wall outlet.”

What’s new is technology, he adds, which has shut down a lot of wonder. “It has made some brain cells go dormant.

You don’t have to do deep thinking anymore; you just pull out your device.” Social media posts fracture people’s stories into a thousand slivers, and this “sucks us into a false reality,” he says, “that is totally different than imaginative reality.” He waits a beat. “If you’ll notice, there are no electronic devices at Hogwarts.”

I N A N A R R OW S T O R E F R O N T O N

Skinker, Caph Guei, a drummer from Côte d’Ivoire, in West Africa, hunches over djembe drums, tying them together for the evening rehearsal. Susan Colangelo, founding president of the Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective, sets aside a sweatshirt for the other star performer, Norfolk. The kids fondly decide that “he’s bigger than he seems,” his shoulders broad enough for an XL. Just then, he comes through the door, greets everybody, and makes himself one of each day’s many cups of tea. They discuss the acoustics of the Washington University auditorium where they will next perform. “I’ve been told it’s echo-y,” Colangelo warns. Bobby says he might come up through the audience from the rear at the opening, because he will be doing a chant, almost a dirge, as Guei drums the rhythm. Then he’ll talk about the power of story: how the first tellers spoke to people gathered around a fire (Colangelo pulls up a flickering fire video for backdrop) and the flames created shadow pictures against a cliff wall or forest, “firing the imagination.”

Then he’ll segue into “True Blues,” which still needs to be heard. “We need to find our place in the universe,” Bobby

says. “That’s what stories do. They tell us why we’re here, why there is unrest in the world, what can bring us all together.”

“You ready, Integrity?” Colangelo calls to the sound engineer. Storyteller and drummer have never met, so Bobby starts speaking “True Blues” to show Guei the beat. The two men fall into sync, setting an elaborate driving rhythm with voice and hands, building to a climax. At the end, everybody claps, and they fistbump. “One take,” Bobby jokes.

Story Stitchers was formed to let kids who had experienced gun violence redirect the energy, turning that anxious pain into art. Bobby has been volunteering for years, performing with the teenagers and coaching them individually. One girl had lost several people she loved, and she wanted to read a poem about it, but getting up in front of an audience felt like walking into a bolt of lightning. Bobby helped her find purpose and courage, and he gave her tools, showing her how to still her mind, enunciate her words, pace herself, give the audience time to build up mental images. The crowd gave her the rest with its response.

E A R LY I N T H E I R TA I WA N T O U R ,

the tiny storytelling troupe walks through a courtyard to the Taichung school’s auditorium. Children are sitting cross-legged on every inch of the floor and crammed into the balcony above.

The storytellers are to follow 12 Scottish bagpipers in full regalia. “How do we compete with that?” Sherry Norfolk whispers to a friend, who hisses back, “Let’s hope they send Bobby out first.

Half these kids don’t even speak English!” As they settle into chairs under the balcony, Sherry leans over to ask Bobby what story he’s going to tell. He shrugs; he’ll decide on his way to the mic.

He rises, makes his way to the front, and begins, his legs as limber as Gumby, his voice squeaking high or rumbling low. Beth nudges Sherry, nods toward the audience. The children’s faces have lit up like glow sticks. Eyes open wide, they shoot one another looks of delight, then lock onto Bobby, rapt. No fiddling, no squirming. Belly laughs.

His genius, says his wife, is his ability to read people and know instantly what will tickle or intrigue them. Her genius is more linear: “‘There’s not a single left-brain cell

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firing in that brain,’ I will tell him. But he spins those threads out—you know, they call it spinning a yarn—and I can almost see them reaching the audience.”

He first caught her attention at a storytelling festival: “Every single story he told was a story that’s in my repertoire—which is almost impossible. Storytelling’s a very personal thing, because once you decide to tell a story, it’s inside you, and you will live with it for the rest of your life. And he was telling folk tales I’d never heard anyone tell except me!”

She invited him to Atlanta for a storytelling gig and afterward asked how he wanted to spend his afternoon. Courteous and careful not to presume, he missed the cue completely, just said he’d like to go to the post office; he had letters to mail. They stayed in touch, though, and a friendship grew and deepened. When they married, Bobby suggested that they say their vows to each other every day, not wait for one of those 20-year renewal ceremonies.

For a quarter-century, they have done so. “Even when I was in Taiwan for two weeks and there was a 13-hour time difference,” Sherry adds. “I’d call him at 3 in the morning, and sometimes he’d call me when he was ready to go to bed, so we’d say them twice.”

They laugh a lot together, and their house pops with sound effects. If an old door creaks, they both echo the sound.

If a dog barks outside, one of them barks back to start a conversation. Phrases from their stories work their way into the quotidian: “You going to the store?”

“Yeah, I’ve got to go fast.” “Boogedyboogedy-boogedy.”

I ask Sherry how she feels about Bobby doing standup. “Yeah, I’ve never seen that side of him,” she says. “Every once in a while he’ll tell a really silly raw joke, but…he’s just not that person now.” It’s not that he wants to go back to standup, she adds firmly, only that he’d like to be in front of more adult audiences.

Jones hopes he sticks with kids. “We used to get our shoes shined at a place called House of Good Care, on St. Louis Avenue. One day a guy was asking the woman who ran it to help straighten out this kid, and she said, ‘How old is he?’ He said, ‘Fifteen.’ She said, ‘I can’t help him.’

You gotta catch them young, when the inspiration is there—and Bobby Norfolk does that.”

W E G E T H O P E L E S S LY L O S T

following written directions to St. Francis Borgia in Washington, Missouri, so while my phone loops us back, we talk about Bobby’s future. “Your peeps are all contradicting one another,” I tell him.

“Do you want to go back to standup?”

“Yes and no!” he tosses back. “I’m conflicted. When I do programs at high schools and colleges, it basically is standup. One kid at Marquette High said, ‘Why don’t you go on Comedy Central?’ I said, ‘I’ve been there, done that.’

But I started calling myself a standup storyteller. I tried a comedy routine once with Jack Buck’s daughter Beverly Brennan, and it went well, except the sound was horrible—SLU was having a fireworks display, maybe they’d won some championship, and the building was vibrating, and Bev panicked and started yanking plugs and finally we had no sound at all, just explosions. I said, ‘OK, this is a harbinger!’”

He is still shy, deep down, and not sure how to launch another transformation.

But beneath his hard-won calm (only later will he admit that he was frazzled about getting lost and scared we wouldn’t get to the school on time) is an intense wanting. Not to do to raw jokes in nightclubs but instead to reach the grownups, satirize this crazy time we’re living through...

We pull up and hurry inside, met at the door by a teacher who’s all excited because she’s heard about Bobby for years. Slinging his backpack onto the stage, he ducks into the restroom to change into a Crayon-bright yellow T-shirt. He’s adjusting his mic when four classes, pre-K through third grade, troop into the gym. Bobby pushes the mic stand closer to them and grins. “My favorite stories in the world are folk tales and fairy tales,” he begins, then sings the Dewey decimal code with them so they’ll remember: “three-ninety-eightpoint-two.

“One day I said, ‘Teacher’”—he squeaks his voice high and wiggles his butt—“who’s the author of that story about the rabbit and the turtle?” He plays around with “Aesop” till he’s sure they’ll remember, then says, “Let’s change the story around. Let’s call it ‘One Foot at a Time.’” He makes bunny ears with his fingers, waggles them, and brags that he can run faster than a car.

The story unfolds, the kids cracking up

at the sound effects and body movements as other animals urge the turtle to race their way, and the turtle retains his dignity, insisting, “I don’t wiggle, and I don’t waggle… I don’t hip, and I don’t hop.” Soon the kids are keeping time with the refrain, “One foot in front of the oth-er,” and by the third repetition they are stomping their feet and bobbing their heads and snapping and clapping.

Bobby never asks for participation. He doesn’t wait for laughs or invite kids to clap along or shift his weight from one foot to the other, hoping someone will have a question. He’s just so warm, funny, and engaging that the response other speakers have to beg for tumbles out.

When the fifth- through eighthgraders come in, he changes the tone, adds some gravity. The first story, he sets in Ghana, after a drought so fierce, cracks have formed in the ground and the sun has baked the crops bone dry and the only things to eat are bugs and worms and tree bark. But when the cauldron talks back to the trickster spider, Bobby yells without warning, startling the kids out of their cynicism.

They laugh hard; they have decided to adore him. As he’ll put it later, “This isn’t gonna be boring, and it isn’t gonna be lame.” He does a rap about peer pressure, asks whether any of the kids writes poetry. Then he asks for questions, and a dozen hands shoot up.

“How did you become so good at acting and doing voices?” a girl wants to know, and he tells her his teacher’s secret: “You make the high sounds in the head, the middle sounds in the throat, and the deep sounds in the chest. And for sound effects, it’s lips, teeth, tip of the tongue.” They chant it back: “Lips, teeth, tip of the tongue.”

“You should be on American Idol,” a boy announces.

“What do you like better, performing in front of children or older people?” a girl calls out.

Bobby blinks. Then he laughs. “That’s a very good question. Children—y’all are my tribe.”

I tease him later: “You were busted.”

He grins. But though I’m ready to forgive him if he fibbed for the kids’ sake, it isn’t that simple—he meant his answer.

“It’s the difference,” he says, “between what I would like to do and what I was born to do.”

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S T. LO U I S SAG E

HISTORY

What was ‘sleeping sickness’ in 1930s St. Louis?

D

URING THE GREAT Depression,

local newspapers ran alarming stories about a fatal “sleeping sickness”—and it was a Washington University doctor who helped identify the cause.

On July 23, 1933, a man named Fred Green came to St. Louis County Hospital with a headache and fever. He quickly slipped into a coma. His neck, the staff noticed, was stiff. Within a week, he was dead. New patients with the same symptoms began showing up—so many that they had to be corralled in a separate facility. The ailment soon acquired the name St. Louis encephalitis.

That name endures today, as does the virus, which, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, infects up to 20 Americans each year, mainly in the South and Southwest (though it has been detected as far away as Brazil and Argentina). Of nearly 100 reported cases in the U.S. from 2009 to 2018, six patients died.

The human cost of the original outbreak in St. Louis was much higher.

During the three worst months of 1933, doctors tallied more than 1,000 reported cases in the city and county combined.

Nearly all patients started with a headache, then experienced a fever of 103 or 104 degrees. Their necks became rigid.

Dr. John W. Eschenbrenner observed

200 STL ENCEPHALITIS DEATHS LOCALLY DURING 1933 OUTBREAK

6 STL ENCEPHALITIS DEATHS NATIONALLY, 2009 TO 2018 = 2 PEOPLE

that some patients couldn’t converse or keep track of time.

“Many of these patients we feel have a mask-like appearance and a staring look,” he wrote. At least 200 people perished.

Federal and military experts converged on St. Louis to investigate. Doctors knew that similar epidemics had occurred elsewhere during hot, dry conditions and that St. Louis was experiencing its fourth dry summer in a row. As a result, the River des Peres, which functioned as a common sewer, smelled “unusually foul,” as one observer noted. It had also become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. An expert from the U.S. Public Health Service said you could dip a tumbler into the river and pull up a “living soup of larvae.”

The initial consensus among medical experts was that mosquitoes weren’t the carriers; we now know, however, that they were. As for the cause? Dr. Margaret Gladys Smith, an assistant professor of pathology in the Washington University School of Medicine, noticed “inclusion bodies” in the cells of patients’ kidneys, strongly suggesting a viral infection as the culprit.

Smith went on to become a pioneer of pediatric pathology, and though she didn’t vanquish St. Louis encephalitis, her memory endures. The medical school now gives high-achieving female students an award in her honor.

ST. LOUIS MAGAZINE, VOL. 26, ISSUE 4 (ISSN 1090-5723) is published monthly by St. Louis Magazine LLC, 1600 S. Brentwood, Suite 550, St. Louis, MO 63144. Change of address: Please send new address and old address label and allow 6 to 8 weeks for change. Send all remittances and requests to St. Louis Magazine, Circulation Department, 1600 S. Brentwood, Suite 550, St. Louis, MO 63144.

Periodicals postage paid at St. Louis, MO, and additional mailing office. Postmaster: Send address changes to St. Louis Magazine, 1600 S. Brentwood, Suite 550, St. Louis, MO 63144.

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Illustration by Britt Spencer

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Here for you.

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