St. Louis Magazine | July 2020 by St. Louis Magazine

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FEATURES

VOLUME 26 / ISSUE 7

A-List Awards 2020 Illustrator Mark Caneso created a cover design that he described as “Fourth of July retro,” inspired by vintage fireworks packaging.

Celebrating the region’s resilience and the businesses moving our city forward By Dave Lowry, George Mahe, Jarrett Medlin, Nicholas Phillips, Samantha Stevenson, and Amanda Woytus

Iron Maidens

The women of St. Louis’ Iron Workers Local 396 Text by Samantha Stevenson Photography by R.J. Hartbeck

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D E PA R TM E N T S

VOLUME 26 / ISSUE 7

From the Editor

G AT E WAY

TASTE

Whale of a Cocktail Frozen drinks from Narwhal’s Crafted

Beyond Fast Food How drive-thrus are helping some St. Louis restaurateurs adapt during the COVID crisis

11 Brave Face Helping frontline workers access mental health care 12

By the Numbers

29 E

ELEMENTS

Research stats on COVID-19 and mental health 14

Before work commences on POWERplex, its mastermind honors high school seniors with drive-in graduations. 16

St. Louis to a Tee

With Honors

Proceeds from these locally made T-shirts benefit COVID-19 relief initiatives. 32

Smart Design St. Louis architects and designers envision postpandemic changes in restaurants.

Blast From the Past Victoria Cates’ clothing line feels familiar yet entirely new.

Safe Search To protect people experiencing domestic abuse, a judge turns to the internet.

46 48

Pep Talk The scrappy owner of Peno in Clayton perseveres as restaurants pivot.

ANGLES

St. Louis Sage

RHYTHM

80 19 Dramatic Pause How theater companies are returning to the stage amid the shut-down 22

Life’s a Joke 10-plus funny things to distract you from 2020

Living History

35 Dr. Yusef Scoggin

MoHist looks to the past and documents the present during the pandemic. 25

See This Now A pop-up drive-in movie theater comes to St. Louis in July.

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Tackling homelessness for St. Louis County 38

Against the Odds A would-be science guy nurtures the dreams of his children.

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Jul20

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

VOLUME 26 / ISSUE 7

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 Cheryl Baehr, Kerry Bailey, Jeannette Cooperman, Dave Lowry, Melissa Meinzer, Chris Naffziger, Jessica Rapp Intern Kelly Siempelkamp

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.

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 Mark Caneso, R.J. Hartbeck, Matt Seidel, Britt Spencer Stylist Ana Dattilo ADVERTISING Director of Digital Sales Chad Beck Account Executives Jill Gubin, Brian Haupt, Carrie Mayer, Kim Moore, Liz Schaefer, Susan Tormala 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

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 on your A-List? “Civil Life canned beers on sale in stores, specifically the Rye Pale Ale.” —Kevin A. Roberts, staff photographer “Lone Elk Park. It provided muchneeded, free respite when a family vacation wasn’t possible. For our 4-year-old, it was better than a trip to Colorado.” —Jarrett Medlin, editor-in-chief “The pivot to to-go cocktails. Enjoyed responsibly, of course. Next on my list to try is Pastaria’s Unusual Negroni— a fitting name for 2020.” —Amanda Woytus, deputy editor

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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 7

Creative Type Artist Mark Caneso, who created this month’s eye-catching cover, has also produced works for the likes of Adidas, Facebook, and Lowe’s.

Adaptation A CELEBRATION OF THE CITY, our A-List is always evolving.

Throughout the year, we tuck away ideas, collecting string that can be used later. We’ll be at a show, a park, a restaurant and make a mental note—This should be on the A-List—eager to let other St. Louisans know about such gems. We’ll also ask readers for suggestions, hosting a monthslong ballot process in which thousands of St. Louisans nominate and vote for their favorites. We always look forward to the results, the perennial favorites and surprise winners. It all culminates with the A-List Awards, one of our favorite annual traditions. But like every other annual tradition, from Opening Day to Mother’s Day, this year was different. On March 7, just as we were preparing to launch A-List voting, the governor announced the state’s first presumptive positive case of the novel coronavirus, in St. Louis County. From there, the numbers began to tick upward, slowly at first, then dramatically. Less than two weeks later, officials announced a state of emergency, banning large gatherings and closing restaurant dining rooms. Schools moved to online learning, baseball was postponed, and beloved institutions closed their doors. Suddenly the idea of highlighting what’s outstanding about our region, without knowing whether even the most successful small businesses would survive, became a murky endeavor. In the weeks that followed, as we rushed to cover the pandemic online—the latest developments, where to find testing and masks, how to talk to children about the virus—we also shared how businesses were finding ways to adapt and survive. Rick and Elisa Lewis at Grace Meat + Three decided to forgo their salaries to help keep their staff employed, opened another walk-up window, and offered a Grace Gives Plate, with a portion of the proceeds going toward furloughed food service work-

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After working as a journalist in Beijing, writer Jessica Rapp returned to Missouri, where she writes about business, fashion, and restaurants. This month, she details how retailers and dining establishments are adapting to the new normal (pp. 32, 46).

Casting Iron Photographer R.J. Hartbeck has captured images of food, fashion, cityscapes, interiors, and more. For this issue’s photo essay, he turned his lens on a different subject: a group of determined St. Louis ironworkers (p. 72).

ers. St. Louis Shakespeare Fest i v a l , Ve n t u re Ca f é, a n d t h e St. Louis Aquarium took their offerings online, hosting webinars, Q&As, and livestreams of exhibits. Developer Steve Smith hosted a fundraiser at City Foundry. And local designers fashioned masks for frontline health care workers, who selflessly rose to the occasion. (Look for more on that in the August issue.) Among the doctors working long hours under trying circumstances: Dr. LJ Punch (p. 60), who not only cared for some of St. Louis’ most vulnerable citizens, working overnights in the intensive care unit at Christian Hospital, but also reached out to educate underserved neighborhoods and gathered personal protective equipment for colleagues. Well before the pandemic, Punch co-founded St. Louis’ Stop the Bleed program, teaching trauma first aid to treat gunshot victims. In many ways, Punch embodies compassion for those in need and resilience in the face of adversity—a spirit that’s crucial in times like these. So as many businesses temporarily closed in mid-March, A-List voting opened. We decided to move forward with the annual awards because they recognize local businesses and people who provide experiences, services, and support you can’t find anywhere else. They exemplify not only what’s outstanding about our region but also how we can work toward a brighter future. They are driving St. Louis forward at a pivotal moment. Now, more than ever, that’s something to celebrate.

Follow Along @stlmag @stlmag @stlouismag

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WITH HONORS p.14 SAFE SEARCH p.16

GATEWAY

BRAVE FACE TOPIC

Helping frontline workers access mental health care BY AMANDA WOYTUS

IMAGINE YOU’RE AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN. You don’t have enough personal protective equipment. You’re

caring for multiple COVID-19 patients—some critically ill—and you must serve as liaison with their families because visitors aren’t allowed. Second hypothetical: You’re a grocery checker. You’re wearing a mask and shielded by a plexiglass barrier, but last week someone in line had a cough. He wasn’t wearing a face covering, and you’ve been worried ever since that you were exposed. Now put yourself in the shoes of a nurse in an assisted living facility. There’s an outbreak among the residents. Dr. Terri Weaver, a Saint Louis University psychology professor, has spent her career studying the impact of traumatic events and stress on people’s emotional, mental, and physical health. Now she and her students are turning their focus to help frontline workers during COVID-19.

Photography by Dean Mitchell / E+ / via Getty Images

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TOPIC A

China. Although it was conducted over just six days, frontline workers did report higher rates of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and distress related to the spread of COVID-19. Weaver thinks that certain groups of frontline workers, because of their proximity and the volume of patients, are going to be more vulnerable to mental health struggles. Health care workers are a resilient group, she says, but they’re dealing with exposure to the critically ill, the fear that they themselves might get sick, and the responsibility of acting as a proxy to communicate with patients’ families. “It’s just this terrible mix of ingredients that create a real recipe for traumatic response,” she says. “I think the pace and intensity of the work is such that [we’re going to see more] responses when The types of traumatic events things get quieter.” Weaver normally studies are relaTo make sure that frontline tional: child abuse, sexual assault, workers get the support they How to Reach intimate partner violence. Howneed, Weaver has pulled together Out for Help ever, she says, we can learn about seven of her clinical students and Weaver’s Essential and the stress COVID-19 causes by launched an eight-week hotline Resilient Hotline is open looking at these traumas. to provide care. The free one- or to health care, grocery, delivery, retail, postal, Weaver believes this disease two-time service will be accessiand transportation has the potential to cause postble by phone to all frontline workworkers. Call 314-977traumatic stress because there ers, be they employed in trans2194 for more. is a threat to life, a loss of life, a portation, health care, or grocery chronicity of the event, and a loss work. They’ll talk through strugof resources. When she talks to her students, gles, receive resources and tools to cope, or a Weaver describes COVID-19 as a mix of a longreferral for longer-term care if it’s appropriate. standing natural disaster and 9/11. The pandemic has triggered an expansion of But there are some unique elements. For one, telemedicine, and thus, unprecedented levels of the threat is invisible. “We are being tasked with access to mental health services. But Weaver trying to protect ourselves from something that says one of the biggest roadblocks is making we can’t see or feel,” Weaver says. The pandemic sure people know that they can reach out for also affects many aspects of everyday life— help. Frontline workers might think there isn’t health, family, finances—and is an ever-evolving time to stop and take care of themselves. They event. “We’re constantly needing to scan and might be embarrassed. Or they might not see evaluate and learn, and that’s taxing,” Weaver its utility. “We have a lot of really good researchsays. “It magnifies that sense of uncertainty.” supported strategies that we could share with A new study published in JAMA Network people,” Weaver says, “but it’s about closing Open surveyed 1,257 health care workers who that loop, and getting the word out, and havtreated COVID-19 patients in 34 hospitals in ing people call.”

ONLINE

For more on Weaver, visit stlmag.com.

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BY THE NUMBERS

RESEARCH STATS MO R E A B O UT T H E S T UDY O N COV I D-19 A N D ME N TA L H E A LT H

1,257

Number of respondents

60.8% of respondents were nurses 39.2% of respondents were physicians

50.4% of respondents reported symptoms of depression

44.6% of respondents reported symptoms of anxiety

71.5% of respondents reported symptoms of distress SOURCE

“Factors Associated with Mental Health Outcomes Among Health Care Workers Exposed to Coronavirus Disease 2019,” in JAMA Network Open

Photography by Wavebreakmedia / iStock / Getty Images Plus / via Getty Images

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WARNING: GRAPHIC BY AMANDA WOYTUS

POWERplex was able to accommodate 2,700 graduates and more than 3,500 guests. Before showtime, students were grouped into pods, no more than 25 kids per group, and each pod was assigned to meet at one of the stores inside the old mall. Chairs were kept 6 feet apart, and— sorry, grads—there was no kissing or hugging. Students then walked out to a 100-by-140-foot artificial turf field with a stage, took their socially distanced seats, and waited their turns to receive diplomas. Two 30-foot screens and video trucks meant that parents parked in the lot could see their grads cross the stage. Families used FM radio to listen to the ceremonies. Twenty confetti cannons shot a colorful shower 50 feet into the air. Graduates whose commencement ceremonies took place at night were sent off with 6-foot sparkler fountains.

With Honors Before work commences on POWERplex, its mastermind honors high school seniors with drive-in graduations.

FYI Participating Schools Marquette Lafayette Rockwood Summit Eureka North County Christian McCluer McCluer North

WHEN POWERPLEX OPENS, in January 2021, on the site of the former St. Louis Out-

let Mall in Hazelwood, the youth sports complex is going to look like every kid’s dream: volleyball courts, a climbing gym, basketball courts, minigolf, turf fields, and more. The groundbreaking was in June. But before that, Dan Buck, the man behind POWERplex, did something else for area kids. He had heard from parents with high school seniors who were going to miss out on commencement because of COVID-19. Buck had plenty of open space—160 acres—and parking spots. A call to the St. Louis County Health Department, a call to audiovisual company Fogarty Services, a call to staging company Klance Unlimited, a call to Schnucks, a call to U.S. Bank—and pretty soon Buck had everything he needed for drive-in graduation ceremonies. “This is what POWERplex is all about: bringing communities together to celebrate youth and to celebrate health,” Buck says. Here’s how he pulled it off.

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INSIDE INFO BY AMANDA WOYTUS

ON HOW SHE MADE IT SAFE FOR VICTIMS TO FILE ORDERS OF PROTECTION ONLINE: On

our website, at the top of the order of protection webpage, we have an escape button. If someone is in the middle of filling out an order of protection and needs to get out of it very quickly, they can push that escape button, and Yahoo .com will pop up, so another person wouldn’t be able to see what they were doing online. At the courthouse, we have protections in place. We have our security staff. The sheriff is at our fingertips. But at home, we wanted to make sure we put some safeguards in place for victims. ON WHY ONLINE FILING OF PROTECTION ORDERS ISN’T COMMONPLACE: Pre-virus,

Safe Search

To protect people experiencing domestic abuse, a judge turns to the internet. Judge Amanda B. McNelley knew she’d have to get creative. As the novel coronavirus began to spread and stay-at-home orders were imminent, the St. Louis County associate circuit judge foresaw a crisis: Not everyone’s home is a safe space. Thousands of cases of adult abuse are filed in St. Louis County each year; how would people needing an order of protection get one from a judge if they aren’t supposed to leave their homes? Enter the IT department. Together with McNelley and St. Louis County Circuit Judge Jason Dodson, they were able to create an online form for filing orders of protection, the only circuit in the state to do so. In fact, St. Louis County’s is one of the few circuits in the whole country that offer a process for filing online, and that system might remain in place after the pandemic. But it wasn’t as simple as just creating a webpage. McNelley had to ensure that someone sheltering in place with an abuser could access the website undetected. Here, she reflects on how they arrived at a solution.

ONLINE

there were a lot of benefits of going to our adult abuse office. We have domestic violence advocates who are there if victims need additional resources. If they need a place to stay, we have resources that are available in terms of shelters. Additionally, our staff can help them through the paperwork, which can sometimes be onerous. Sometimes, the domestic violence has just happened, and they need help walking through that paperwork. There’s a staff there that can help. ON ANOTHER CHANGE THE CIRCUIT COURT MADE DURING THE STAY-AT-HOME ORDER, ASSURING ONE JUDGE IS ALWAYS ON CALL TO REVIEW ORDERS OF PROTECTION: In

the courthouse, we have duty judges who have to handle search warrants and those types of things, but we never before had a judge who was dedicated to domestic violence. So now we have a judge 24-7, and the judge has a DV duty phone. The police department and the adult abuse office can now call that judge in the middle of the night if an order of protection needs to be put into place. If you are experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Visit the St. Louis County Circuit Court’s order of protection page, at stlcountycourts.com, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline’s site, thehotline.org. Call the hotline at 800799-7233 or text LOVEIS to 22522.

Visit stlmag.com for more on how judges heard cases during the stay-at-home orders.

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Photography Photography by by Kevin Kevin A. A. Roberts Roberts

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LIFEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S A JOKE p.22 LIVING HISTORY p.24 SEE THIS NOW p.25

RHYTHM

PRELUDE

DRAMATIC PAUSE

How theater companies are returning to the stage amid the pandemic BY MELISSA MEINZER

Photography by KLH49 / iStock / E+ / via Getty Images

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RHYTHM PRELUDE

CURTAIN RAISER

The Muny plans around a pandemic. Sharon Hunter

N A TIME when shared experiences are moving online,

the St. Louis performing arts community is figuring out how to spread creativity virtually. Still, we’re all eager to come together again. So when St. Louis city and county began relaxing stay-at-home orders, allowing businesses to reopen with certain restrictions in place, St. Louis theater companies wondered how they were going to stage live experiences while protecting audiences, actors, and crew members. There might not be a group of artists better suited to the task. “The thing about theater is, you’re always making everything out of duct tape and a stapler. It’s the life we live,” says Mike Isaacson, the Muny’s artistic director and executive producer. “It’s not like we don’t have the toolkit. We are a spunky bunch.” Isaacson is one of the members of the new St. Louis Theatre Community Task Force, formed by Sharon Hunter, artistic director and producer of Moonstone Theatre Company. Hunter figured that all of the city’s theaters—from the big guys, like The Muny and The Rep, to niche troupes such as Stray Dog Theatre and That Uppity Theatre Company—had to be asking themselves some of the same questions. How do we conduct auditions and rehearsals? Hunter asked herself. The more she interacted with her fellow theater professionals, the more questions came up. Hunter reached out to her network—artists, directors, venue operators, and more—and convened the task force. The group has been meeting (online, of course) since late April to contemplate theater’s place in the new and ever-shifting normal.

FYI

Visit facebook.com/STLTheatre to learn more about the task force.

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The Muny is planning an abbreviated season of five productions, starting July 20. Chicago July 20–26 The classic Fossechoreographed musical set in the Jazz Age in the Windy City The Sound of Music July 29–August 4 After quarantining, we need a little excitement. Enter the Von Trapp family and their daring escape from Nazioccupied Austria. On Your Feet! August 7–13 A jukebox musical based on the music of Gloria and Emilio Estefan Smokey Joe’s Cafe August 15–21 A Muny debut, the musical revue set in St. Louis’ Gaslight Square features more than 35 Leiber & Stoller songs. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers August 24–30 A new bride tries to teach her husband’s six brothers how to woo a woman on the Oregon frontier.

“This is not about budgets and who’s bigger and who’s smaller, who’s union and not union,” Hunter says. “This is about theater companies’ coming together to be a united front, to project to the audiences, the actors, the creative teams, and the technical teams—they need to know we’re working together to keep them safe.” At the first coalition meeting, Hunter invited Dr. Shephali Wulff, an infectious disease specialist and member of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, to provide a clear-eyed public health perspective. Hunter says audiences can expect single-ticket sales with two seats in between, temperature checks and masks upon entering venues, entering and leaving from specific doorways, and mingling-free intermissions. Theaters and artists will see more understudies in case actors get sick. There’ll be masked rehearsals, and two-performance days will be eliminated to allow for cleaning. Air conditioning, singing, and laughing audiences will have to be evaluated for the potential to spread the virus. For example, at press time, The Muny’s plan was to present a truncated season starting in July, but even that compromise was subject to reevaluation based on public health realities. “Everybody’s saying, ‘OK, what are the questions?’” says Isaacson. “You take something as simple as a prop— How is it cleaned? Who’s in charge of it? In a rehearsal scenario, how are people positioned? Does everyone need to be in a room at all times? You take your normal process and you evaluate it step by step.” He’s quick to credit Hunter for putting the task force together and says that the meetings have been useful for defining the scope of the issues at hand, as well as how a return to “normal” will look. “It’s a lot, but it’s necessary while we trickle back,” says Hunter. “The goal is to bring people back. I believe it will happen. It’s just going to take time and creativity.”

For more information, visit muny.org.

Photography by Barry Morgenstein NYC

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COMEDY BY AMANDA WOYTUS

Life’s a Joke 10-PLUS FUNNY THINGS TO DISTRACT YOU FROM 2020

First the pandemic. Then the UFO. Then the murder hornets. We need a laugh, and we need it now. Who better to guide us than St. Louis’ independent comedy scene. Here’s what local comedians are streaming and listening to that’s funny enough to take their mind off current events.

“In the evenings, we’re lucky enough to have resources for local comedy,” says Chris Cyr, standup and creator/host of the podcast Impolite Company. “The Improv Shop has a number of shows doing live streams. Back Door Comedy and We Are Live! have weekly shows.”

Performer Bobby Jaycox can’t pick one favorite—so here are two: “Follow Nikki Glaser on Instagram to see hilarious content from a famous comedian from St. Louis. And watch the new show Robbie on YouTube for free. It's from Rory Scovel, who is one of the funniest comedians today.”

“The Dress Up Gang is a hilarious show on TBS that had been canceled but has been given a second life streaming online,” says Rafe Williams, who released a comedy album, Young Grandpa, this year. “Their online sketch ‘Cute House’ is a great example of their style of comedy. If you haven’t seen it, Google it right now and enjoy.”

“I’ve been watching Big Time Adolescence, starring Pete Davidson from SNL, on Hulu,” says Mollie Amburgey, host of The Casually Mollie Podcast. “I also got to interview Rafe Williams about his comedy album, Young Grandpa. It’s a great listen, because he does a lot of storytelling.”

Comedy Clubs. Most of my favorites can be described as ‘Two funny women having a friendship.’ These include The Jackie and Laurie Show, Baby Geniuses, and my favorite local podcast, Slop City. On Slop City, Tina Dybal and Libbie Higgins tell stories, segue in and out of improv, and just fill the time being hilarious and talented.”

“Probably the closest thing to standup I’ve been listening to is podcasts,” says Jeremy Hellwig, who has been hosting his live storytelling podcast, Sorry Please Continue, on Zoom through Helium

“I also have a ticket to watch the Mr. Show full cast reunion show on Zoom,” says Hellwig. “That show was a big reason why I got into writing sketch comedy and eventually standup, so I’m glad I get to see [the cast] together again.”

“I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend Kyle Kinane’s standup,” says Williams, “all of it. Start at the beginning—Death of the Party—and watch all his specials. He has a command of language and an uncanny ability to approach a subject. When you hear it, you know you’re in for something special. He’s the closest thing to Carlin we got left.”

“I almost exclusively watch that Say Yes to the Dress show and pretend I’m one of the brides,” says standup comic Angela Smith. “Having a televised meltdown in a $12,000 dress and someone still marrying me is my biggest fantasy. I’m also watching a new YouTube show, Frank & Chuck With Chuck & Frank, by local comics Frank Chubb and Charlie Winfrey.”

“I love comedian Erica Rhodes’ comedy album Sad Lemon. She has great material regarding relationships, family, and awkward situations that are pretty relatable, even in quarantine,” says Amburgey. “There’s a great bit about how being an adult is when you have an actual headboard and not just a bed from IKEA.”

10.

“I was a huge Ally McBeal fan as a kid,” says Tina Dybal, standup and cohost of the Slop City podcast. “I’ve been rewatching it. They tackle some pretty progressive topics in the show, considering it was made in the late ’90s. They have a unisex bathroom in the office that everyone uses and meets in. Listen, if Ally McBeal in 1997 could get hip to a unisex bathroom—technically gender-neutral, but they didn’t know it at the time—why can’t some people today? Favorite current running bit in the show is a lawyer they’re negotiating with named Caroline Poop [played by Sandra Bernhard]. They never address it, which makes it so much funnier when they talk about her.”

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S T UQD&I O RHYTHM A

GREAT CLIP Behind the scenes of “St. Louis Strong”

Samantha Stitch and Chris Beseau

LIVING HISTORY

MoHist looks to the past and documents the present during the pandemic. BY CHRIS NAFFZIGER

R. JODY SOWELL appreciates that Mr. Rogers’ quote about finding calm during a crisis by looking for the “helpers”—those trying to help everyone pull through. In fact, says Sowell, the managing director of strategic initiatives at the Missouri History Museum, “there are a lot of stories that focus on people who helped St. Louis through difficult times.” On March 17, just weeks from the opening of Beyond the Ballot: St. Louis and Suffrage, the museum closed its doors to the public because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the staff has adapted to the new reality of serving the museum’s audience in a digital space. Part of that is sharing those stories of helping during challenging times in our city’s past, and part is documenting the present. Uplifting STL started the day the museum closed. Shared across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram under the hashtag #UpliftingSTL, the 300-word snapshots are each focused on a famous figure or event from St. Louis’ history. “We wanted

FYI

To submit to Stories of the Pandemic, visit mohistory.org.

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a daily positive story from St. Louis’ past,” Sowell says. Featured recently was Adaline Couzins, a nurse who worked through the cholera epidemic of 1849, another challenging time in St. Louis history. The History Museum has also long collected stories and historic items from contemporary events. Under a section of its website titled Stories of the Pandemic, users can submit their experiences living with the novel coronavirus. In one photograph, newlyweds kiss while wearing masks on their wedding day. Three women wrote in with their accounts of pregnancy during the pandemic. “We hope that one day this will be a crazy story to tell our daughter and [it] will all be in the past,” one, Lara Gillham, wrote as part of the series. At press time, there was no opening date for the museum. When it does reopen, Sowell envisions more digital exhibits. But he’s also looking to the future, thinking about Beyond the Ballot. “That exhibit was just about finished when we were sent home,” he says. “It’ll be waiting there for us when we return.”

Perhaps the most moving contribution to documentation of the pandemic is the “St. Louis Strong” video the Missouri History Museum staff produced remotely, without ever meeting in person. “What does it look like to live through history?” the video asks. “In 2020, it looks like the view out a living room window, online meetings, and empty streets.” It then pans to show images of resilience: neighbors visiting, 6 feet apart, on lawns; children holding up signs thanking health care workers; and happy sidewalk chalk messages. It also remembers the 1918 flu and how St. Louis was one of the first cities to flatten the curve then. For Sowell, “St. Louis Strong” was about bringing the community together, tying it to the past, and fostering a hopeful outlook for the future. The Missouri Historical Society has since launched an STL Strong collection of T-shirts, baseball caps, a mug, a tote, and more and is donating 10 percent of its profits to the Gateway Resilience Fund, which is awarding grants to locally owned businesses.

Photography by Susan Stitch. Stories of the Pandemic: A St. Louis COVID-19 Digital Archive, Missouri Historical Society.

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See This Now A P O P - U P D R I V E - I N M OV I E T H E AT E R C O M E S T O S T. L O U I S I N J U LY.

Add “going to the movies” to the list of seemingly innocuous acts that COVID19 has ruined. As of press time, our beloved Hi-Pointe Theatre was still closed for the public’s safety, and The Moolah Theatre & Lounge had become an unfortunate casualty of the pandemic. Fortunately, a retro pastime is coming back into vogue: the drive-in movie theater. There are already three drive-ins within about an hour’s trip of us. A new option: The Drive-In Cinema Club is hosting a pop-up drive-in movie theater for four nights in July. The location’s still a secret, but admission for each car (holding a party of up to five) costs $40, each screening ticket (which much be purchased for every member of the party) is $3, and a $20 food and beverage add-on will get popcorn and candy delivered to you. The Oscar-winning Bohemian Rhapsody, the 2018 biopic about Queen’s Freddie Mercury, kicks off the screenings on July 16. July 17’s movie is Deadpool, followed by The Greatest Showman on July 18. Fight Club closes out the program on the 19th. Screenings begin at 8:30 p.m., but it’s recommended that you arrive by 8 to pick your parking spot. As usual in the time of coronavirus, cars must be spaced at least 6 feet apart, and if you get sick and can’t make it, you’ll get a full refund. Finally, something that feels not like a compromise but rather a cool addition to our summer bucket list. Visit driveinmovieclub .com for more. —AMANDA WOYTUS Photography by shaunl / iStock / E+ / via Getty Images

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ELEMENTS

T-SHIRTS

“Flatten the Curve” St. Louis limitededition tee, $25. STL Style. #314TOGETHER Polished Prints “Love Your Neighbor” tee, $28. 2Lu. “We Are in This Together” shortsleeve unisex tee, $28. Series Six.

Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

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TRENDING

St. Louis to a Tee

Proceeds from these locally made T-shirts benefit COVID-19 relief initiatives. BY ANA DATTILO

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ELEMENTS TRENDING

2 1. “Support Local” shortsleeve unisex tee, $28. Series Six.

2. Here for Good “Maven” unisex CVC jersey tee, $20. Tiny Little Monster.

3. #314TOGETHER STL flag gray tri-blend tango tee, $20. 2Lu.

4. “Eat Local” St. Louis short-sleeve unisex tee, $28. Series Six.

5. #314TOGETHER Emily Stahl Design Co. “We are St. Louis” white Juliett tee, $24. 2Lu.

6. #314TOGETHER Polished Prints “Love Your Neighbor” kids’ tee, $22. 2Lu.

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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

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ELEMENTS

STYLE PROFILE

Blast From the Past

Victoria Cates’ clothing line feels familiar yet entirely new.

At stlmag.com: Cates’ thoughts on fashion post COVID-19, her line of masks, and more

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S A T E E N , c outure ar t-

ist and designer Victoria Cates was, in her words, a bit of a Goth, but as she got older, she fell in love with color and never looked back. Just take a look at her clothing collection, Potion23. The line is a dream of vintage prints, feminine ribbon details, and puffed-sleeves in such tones as periwinkle and pastel pink. Cates repurposes vintage fabrics to create fresh styles, inspired by everything from historic buildings’ wallpaper to antiques. —JESSICA RAPP Why did you create Potion23? I was working at Parsimonia Vintage and handling the clothes directly. I just found myself so constantly inspired, particularly by the 1930s and 1940s pieces that would come in. I fell in love with them. I was enamored with the bold colors and prints. I also loved the bias cuts and the figure-flattering silhouettes of each piece, and how it seemed like whoever made them spared no expense on the tiny details that made them special. Potion23, in a way, is autobiographical, because I wanted to [use] the colors, the prints, the things that really inspire me. At the end of the day, I created [the clothes] for myself. How did your personal style develop? From a young age, I knew I wasn’t like anyone else. It took me so many years of trying to fit in to get to the point of realizing I was not happy. I was, like, I don’t care anymore about what other people say. As soon as I started really listening to myself and what it was that made me happy— if that meant wearing bright colors or prints—then the people who were right to be in my life would show up, and the people who weren’t really good friends or didn’t really care about me as a person went away. It was actually a blessing. You start to really find your group when you decide to let yourself express yourself externally. I think fashion is one of the most classic ways to do that.

Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

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ANGLES

Q&A

DR. YUSEF SCOGGIN Tackling homelessness for St. Louis County BY NICHOLAS PHILLIPS

Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

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ANGLES Q&A BY NICHOLAS PHILLIPS

F THE ECONOMY fails to rebound, the St. Louis area could see a

surge in homelessness. Last year, a detailed census in the city and county revealed that 1,440 individuals were already living in shelters or transitional housing, plus 80 on the street. The big worry for Dr. Yusef Scoggin, who oversees St. Louis County’s homeless services, is the much larger group of folks who were struggling when the pandemic hit. Nearly 168,000 St. Louisans are living below the poverty line; an uncountable number live in hotels week to week or couch-surf, staying with family here or a friend there. The couch-surfing group, he says, includes thousands of children. Says Scoggin: “It’s an uphill battle, but we’re trying to be as creative as possible.” Has the homeless population grown during the pandemic? We’re currently seeing slight increases in those seeking shelter. We are anticipating more as a result of the unemployment rate, so we’ve opened additional space to make sure folks who want shelter can get it. We’re watching the data on the pre-filing of eviction cases in the courts, and we’re looking at how best to attack that. Those cases can’t be adjudicated right now under the moratoria [on eviction orders’ being enforced], but eventually some landlords will want to proceed. We’ll have to figure out how to rehouse some of those people. It’s going to be quite a bit of work—not just over several months but [even] over years—for folks to recover from this fallout. How does being unsheltered make someone more vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic? You have no idea where you’re going to rest your head any given night, where you’re going to bathe or wash your clothes or store your items. You may be out in the community, where you’ll be exposed to people you don’t have control over. All those unknowns create an opportunity for someone to be exposed. Many in this population don’t have health coverage or a primary care physician, so if and when they seek medical attention, it’s typically at a later stage. They’re going into the ER and only being stabilized enough to be discharged, so that means they tend to have multitude of health issues that put them in the high-risk category.

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“IT’S AN UPHILL BATTLE, BUT WE’RE TRYING TO BE AS CREATIVE AS POSSIBLE.”

What did you think when, in May, St. Louis City Hall disbanded the tent community in the park across Market, then offered people there access to housing? Some folks took advantage of that opportunity. There are also those who don’t want to go into a shelter, maybe because of a previous experience that was unfavorable. I try to focus less on an encampment and more on the individuals inside it and on what kind of outcome each is getting from the delivery of services as a whole. We can move people into various locations, but how long can those stay open? Certainly we all should be interested in holistically addressing the needs of those we encounter on a case-by-case basis. Is the county helping homeless folks get testing? Yes, and we came together regionally to make sure there is a quarantine/isolation space for those who either test positive or must wait for test results. It’s here in the county; we keep the location undisclosed for the protection of the owners and the patients. We’ve also signed memoranda of understanding with the city and some other rural areas in Franklin and Jefferson counties to ensure they have access to that space. Over 50 people have spent time there. Then, after clearance, we don’t discharge anyone; we transition them into a shelter or some other housing situation. Will the problem of homelessness always be with us? Housing instability will be experienced by some people at some point in their lives, but our goal is to make sure homelessness is rare, brief, and nonrecurring. I’d urge people to ask questions. If you’re in a parent-teacher organization, ask: How many young people in your school district are experiencing housing instability, and how can you help with that? Figuring out a way to get involved is truly important. At stlmag.com: Scoggin on the importance of building trust with the homeless population

Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

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ANGLES NOTEBOOK BY JEANNETTE COOPERMAN

AGAINST THE ODDS

In the midst of a pandemic, a would-be science guy nurtures the dreams of his children.

S A KID, Steven Jones was smart and a little nerdy, an only

child who secretly wanted to be Bill Nye the Science Guy. Now he’s 33, unemployed, disabled, and facing a global pandemic that none of the scientists can quite explain. His fiercest hopes are for the careers his daughters might pursue—doctor, lawyer, journalist—whatever gives them a foothold on a future as bright as the one he’d once envisioned for himself. A military brat with a strict single mother, Jones says he “dressed properly, didn’t sag. She kept me very structured, in a smaller box than other children.” He didn’t know his dad and doesn’t remember his birthplace, Frankfurt, Germany; the memories start with a succession of military bases in the States. By middle school, his mom had moved them home to St. Louis because her mother had fallen ill. They stayed on the South Side, and Steven was bused out west, to LaSalle Springs Middle School in Wildwood, then to Eureka for ninth grade. That was a different world. “The stuff at the school was great, but the people didn’t understand us, ’cause we were just from that other side of town. And they got Six Flags in their backyard. I mean, what do you expect them to be like? ‘Every one of y’all have a Six Flags pass for the next five years, and you get in your brother’s car and drive there and have fun, and we go find some park.’”

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He was in class with those kids the morning of September 11, 2001, when his mother called and said, “I’m coming to get you.” He transferred to Normandy High School on September 12 because his mother had been hired by the U.S. Department of Defense. Normandy was worse, though. “I thought, ‘I gotta go through this for another two years?’ Without telling his mother, he took the GED test as a sophomore—and passed. After that, bored by classes, he “started hangin’ with the wrong crew and started making money. And then, when I should have been a senior, I made a baby.” He decided he’d better go to Job Corps and learn a trade. His Bill Nye dream was long over: “I’d found out a lot of the things we thought we knew really weren’t science, just a bunch of people who thought that way. When I started researching and found out no one really knew, nothing became real anymore. “I said, ‘Hey, Mom, I’m kind of on this journey to find truth.’ She’s so militant and by the book—Department of Defense, Captain America [he laughs] that she never had that thought process.” He stops, considering. “Then again, maybe she did, but because she was so compartmentalized in her job for so long, to pay her bills, she was all right with it. Anyway, I told her, ‘I just don’t feel like going to school for a $80,000 bill to maybe make $80,000 a year. It’s different from when y’all grew up, when the harder worker made the most money.’” His mom was still trying to take it all in. “What have I been giving you lunch money for?” she blurted. Jones chose culinary training, figuring people would always have to eat, and at 21, he was hired at the Bridgeton Red Lobster. Four years later he was a grill master. By then, his girlfriend had taken their daughter, Nevaeh, to North Carolina. “We were in what I thought was a happy relationship,” he says, still bemused. “One day I wake up, and she’s not there. I had our daughter until she was about 2 and a half. No contact, Photography by Wiley Price/St. Louis American

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ANGLES NOTEBOOK BY JEANNETTE COOPERMAN

nothin’. The mother finally pops back up—and I come home, and my daughter’s gone. There’s a letter. She moved to North Carolina.” He was with another woman, and they had two daughters, when, at 25, he had his first grand mal seizure. “It lasted five days,” he says, “and I had to learn how to walk afterward.” He missed the birth of his fourth daughter, Yah’el—first time he hadn’t been there. “My neurologist told me that if I hadn’t had the muscle memory from being a football player, and the hand-eye coordination, my brain and body would never have reconnected right,” he says. “There were times when I’d think I was talking to you, and it would be coming out ‘blah-blah-blah.’” After a year of rehab, Jones tried to go back to work but couldn’t handle the fatigue. Eventually, high-dose medications brought the seizures to a stop. He tried a few more times to work, but the only jobs he could find were too physically demanding. Then, in 2018, his first girlfriend abruptly dropped Nevaeh, now age 12, at his door. He was thrilled: “I got her enrolled in school here. She’d been having reading problems, and it turned out she couldn’t see. I took her, and she needed a triple bifocal. So the second month of school, her reading comprehension’s better, her teachers are calling me saying she’s excelling. And one day I’m waiting for her to get off the bus — and she’s not there. Her mother came and got her. ‘So you just wanted to have a free summer?’” Around the same time, a red-white-and-blue flyer came in the mail, saying, in essence, You have a right to work. Don’t let a disability stop you. After child support for four children was deducted, Jones’ disability check barely topped $400—yet his rent was based on the full $772. And with the girls visiting all the time, $175 in food stamps never went very far. So he called. Jones knew there was a limit on how much he could earn, but he didn’t realize that included his full disability check, before deductions. In a few pay periods, he worked extra to buy his girls presents—and then came the letter. He’d lost his Medicaid, disability, and food stamps. He was able to find a slightly better-paying job, driving a scooter around the garage above the Schnucks Culinaria downtown, picking up trash. Then, this February, he learned of a janitorial opening at the Boeing Learning Center, in Florissant. It meant a two-hour bus trip each way, but it would pay $18 an hour. He’d just finished the training when the county went into lockdown. “And because I never received a first paycheck, I’m not unemployed by them,” he adds, his tone weary. Now he has no disability or unemployment. Jones quickly paid his electric bill, “because you can go three months without paying rent, but if you get your lights cut off, it’s 30 days and you’re evicted. That’s why you gotta have some money saved; I don’t care if it’s change in a drawer.” In April, Nevaeh’s mother called to ask if he wanted Nevaeh to come up for her birthday. “With COVID stuff going on?” he burst. “You want to put her on a bus from there to here?” All he could imagine was his child alone in a pandemic on a bus that stopped every 10 miles. “She’d go into Burger King to use the bathroom and come back out and the bus gone!” During quarantine, they’ve kept in touch by phone. That phone’s been her lifesaver, he says. “She’s TikTok dancing all day!” Until schools closed, Before Ferguson Beyond Ferguson, a nonprofit racial equity project, is telling the story of families in 63106 during the pandemic. Jones’ story is one of as many as 10 that will be shared with St. Louis media outlets for what will likely be months to come. Visit stlmag.com for further dispatches from Jones’ life, and find an archive of other stories at beforefergusonbeyondferguson.com.

the younger girls were going to Pierre Laclede Junior Career Academy, on Goodfellow, and Jones says he was there a lot: “All public schools, especially in the black neighborhoods, need more men in the schools. It’s just too much feminine energy!” His second-oldest, Ali’yah, misses school desperately. “She says, ‘Daddy, I’ve read all my books!’ She loves learning. She saw me with seizures, so she wants to learn to be a doctor so she can fix my brain. And she wants to be a lawyer— which I understand, because we were staying in Ferguson when the Michael Brown situation happened—and a journalist. I said, ‘OK, baby girl, sounds like I’ll be paying for school for a while, but OK!’” Nine-year-old Zak’Yah is staying cheerful, playing on her tablet, and for Yah’el, who’s just turning 6, “it’s whatever her sisters are doing. She just wants to be part of the party.” Jones chose all the girls’ names himself: “I was raised up in

EVEN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, LIFE EXPECTANCY WAS SHORTER IN 63106 THAN IT WAS IN 63105 (CLAYTON). “EIGHTEEN YEARS,” MUSES STEVEN JONES. “THAT’S A LIFETIME OF EXPERIENCE BY ITSELF.” the church, but I’ve been runnin’ from that for a long time—and I wasn’t so great around the baby-making stage. So I gave all my daughters names that had some kind of reference to God—like, ‘Hey, I’m going to give them to you. Even though I messed up all my life, they’re yours.’” For himself, he’s resigned to COVID-19’s risks, but when his daughters visit, he does more cleaning and laundry than he’s ever done. “They say, ‘Don’t be close to people, don’t breathe around people, don’t touch,’” he remarks, “but

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now y’all are going to reopen the state? And what are you reopening? How was Burger King drive-thru open but not where I get my ID, not the government buildings?” If he does get sick, what will he do? “I’m going to be honest. I never really trusted health care,” he says. “I think African-Americans don’t trust anything that was never built for them from the jump. If it wasn’t for us, it was against us. We have been spoon-fed the worst foods. We are the people that need the health care the most, yet we always get the worst plans. We get the worst deals, the highest interest rates. My copay for a colonoscopy was $500. Then what the hell’s the insurance for—minor stuff I can fix with home remedies? I need the stuff y’all went to school and wear the white suit for!” Told that this project was inspired by a study comparing his 63106 neighborhood with Clayton’s 63105, Jones isn’t surprised by the difference in life expectancy. “Eighteen years,” he muses. “That’s a lifetime of experience by itself.” He swiftly sees the implications for COVID-19: “Living down here, you’re not going to be secluded. Out there, you, your wife, and your kids have their own cars, and if you have a job, it’s most likely somewhere that has taken the right precautions.” Is he worried about getting sick? “Honestly, no, because I have yet to know anyone personally or anyone who knows anyone personally that’s gotten it, anything past being sick.” He can guess one reason the rate is roughly 2.7 times higher among African-Americans than whites: “Have you not seen the hair stores and nail salons open? Ain’t nobody rollin’ into those neighborhoods saying, ‘Hey, you’re not following quarantine.’ They don’t feel that we’re necessary.” Support for this story has been provided through a grant from the Buckingham Strategic Wealth Pillar Grant Program.

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B E YO N D FA S T F O O D p.44 SMART DESIGN p.46 PENO’S PEPE KEHM p.48

TASTE

THE DISH

Whale of a Cocktail First, the co-founders of Narwhal’s, Brandon Holzhueter and Brad Merten, applied craft cocktail standards to the boozy slushy to create elevated frozen drinks. They use real fruit purées, fresh herbs, and offbeat tinctures to produce a rotating roster of 16 frozen concoctions, from a basic hibiscus gin and tonic to a potent riff on the innocent chocolate-covered strawberry. The partners followed with carbonated cocktails on draft, traditional classics shaken with local spirits, and spiked ciders, as well as such hot offerings as a bananas Foster latte. Narwhal’s two locations (Midtown and St. Charles) switched to a curbside-only model in April, but the partners are eager to introduce a sister concept, Loaded, next to the St. Charles Narwhal’s. It’s not what you think, though: The duo have taken the same make-it-better philosophy and applied it to… nachos. “Taco chips are a blank slate,” says Merten, “so our idea is to showcase different cuisines and present nachos in an inspired and Instagrammable way.” —GEORGE MAHE Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

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TASTEFUL TRENDS

Beyond Fast Food

How drive-thrus are helping some St. Louis restaurateurs adapt during the pandemic BY CHERYL BAEHR

The drive-thrus at Nachomama’s, in Rock Hill (left), and Byrd & Barrel, in South City (below)

ATCHING THE LINE of cars

snake around the Nachomama’s parking lot, John St. Eve can’t help but chuckle—a moment of levity in such serious times. A quarter century ago, the request that he and his wife, Nancy St. Eve, made for a drive-thru addition for their fast-casual Mexican spot was anathema to Rock Hill officials. They said it would jam up traffic on Manchester Road and pose a safety hazard, he recalls. Getting that license turned into a fight, but now, nearly three decades later, the business model is thriving. “Thank goodness this is the direction I went,” St. Eve says. His ability to maintain a nearly normal

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level of business during the stay-at-home orders points to the role that drive-thrus could play in the restaurant industry once the pandemic subsides. Many restaurant professionals suspect that COVID19 will alter people’s dining habits. Already, it’s made restaurateurs rethink how they conduct business. Many anticipate a dining public that remains wary of full-service dinein restaurants. Chris LaRocca of Crushed Red wishes that transitioning to a drive-thru were as easy as putting in a window and speaker

system. The food portion of his business model—healthful pizzas and salads— easily translates to a take-and-go operation. Though, as he explains, it’s not that simple: “We developed a drive-thru prototype for a franchise group and have one in the hopper, but that’s a free-standing building. Most of our locations are in-line [attached buildings], which takes drivethru out of the equation.” LaRocca expects the virus to have lingering effects on patrons’ behavior and anticipates a dramatic impact. “I’m a restaurateur who crams as many seats as I can into my restaurant, because we need it,” he says. “You have a business model that requires a certain number of seats to pay rent and be profitable, and now that doesn’t pencil out.” LaRocca is not hopeless, however, because he sees a likely uptick in take-home orders. Delivery, carryout, and curbside pickup seem here to stay, with drive-thru providing a lifeline for those who can find a way to make it work. When Bob Brazell, a respected chef who spent the first part of his career in fine dining, opened Byrd & Barrel in a former Popeye’s in 2015, his peers mocked him for having a drive-thru, perceiving it as meant for frozen premade food that could be prepared in under three minutes. Five years later, it represents 20 percent of his business, give or take, and he’s set up for what he believes will play a larger part of his operation going forward. Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

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“I think curbside, pickup, and drivethru are going to be huge because the culture has changed,” Brazell says. “I think businesses are going to have to adapt, whether that is a pickup window or a drive-thru window. We’re lucky that’s been a part of our business since day one.” Like Brazell, John and Mary Bogacki opened Yolklore in a building that came with a pickup window—but at the beginning, they never imagined that it would play a part in their business. Mary’s sister, the mother of young children, pushed her to embrace the drive-thru, insisting that there was a demand for good food that didn’t require getting the kids out of the car. With a little prodding, the Bogackis relented, but it meant translating their service element to the format without sacrificing the guest experience. “We have standards with the drivethru like we do with dine-in,” Mary explains. “If you hear the bell, you have three seconds to greet the guest, even if you can’t immediately take their order. We treat them the same as if they are standing in front of us: Tell them the specials; ask about their day. We have regulars who only come through the drive-thru, so we build relationships just as if they came in.” Although Mary believes that drivethrus can help restaurants in our changed landscape, she notes potential structural challenges. “It’s really hard to find a place where you can put one, let alone somewhere that already has one,” she explains. “I don’t see guests flocking to dining rooms anytime soon, so businesses will have to adapt to a carryout crowd however they can.” For those like St. Eve, Brazell, and the Bogackis, the drive-thru is providing a lifeline. “I got into cooking because I love feeding people and seeing them come together and have a good time,” Brazell says. “Hopefully someone will come through our drive-thru, get a beer and a good chicken meal, take it home, and have laughs around the table with their family. If I can do that, it’s all good.”

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Smart Design

St. Louis architects and designers envision post-pandemic changes in restaurants. BY JESSICA RAPP

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O U S E S U GA R C OAT I N G it: Some restaurants aren’t going to make it through the pandemic. While many eateries’ patios have seen an uptick in business during pleasant weather, the dining rooms for those that do survive will likely be transformed by the experience. So how might dining inside restaurants look in a post-pandemic world? It’s something that SPACE Architecture + Design’s Tom Niemeier and his colleagues have spent quite a bit of time pondering. “Adapting to the new normal will take strategy to build confidence in the public to come to their restaurant,” the design firm noted in a recent white paper. “Restaurants at the forefront of creating safe environments will have the best chance of succeeding. Ideally, adaptations to the physical space should reinforce the restaurant’s existing brand. Just as each restaurant has its own unique atmosphere, each one will require its own specific resolution to the new environment.” The challenge is figuring out how to provide those safety precautions while being mindful of the establishment’s economics and vibe. “We’ve been trying to look for ways that you can achieve separation without necessarily cutting out half of your seating,” Niemeier explained this spring. “The trick for us is to try to come up with solutions that can promote safety and are, in fact, functionally safer but don’t detract too much from the aesthetics and ambience.” One solution: a movable L-shaped glass partition, with a heavy steel base, to preserve an open atmosphere. Other options: replacing freestanding tables with a run of booths separated by high panels, retrofitting lower booths with a pane of glass or a wooden divider to extend vertical separation, or installing droplet-proof drapery between patrons. Niemeier says he and his team are also considering traffic flow: “How do you keep people from coming too close when they’re walking through the restaurant?” Customers and employees might move in a clockwise direction, for instance, to avoid having to pass one another. Most

Renderings courtesy of SPACE Architecture + Design

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RESTAURANT REDESIGN

Glass dividing panels are one way that SPACE envisions preserving both patrons’ health and the existing atmosphere.

customers are already attuned to the ordering process at counter-service restaurants, but implementation requires planning and clear communication. Along the same lines, designated carry-out zones could become a staple, with many dining establishments setting up carryout menus and operations during the stay-at-home orders. “I don’t think that’s going to go away anytime soon,” says Lori McElvain of LoriO Interiors. “We created a standalone element at Billy G’s in Kirkwood that is separate from the host stand,” she says. “That has been very good for them in terms of flow and access.” She believes that more restaurants will make use of dedicated parking spaces for pickup orders as well. Looking ahead, Helen Lee of Tao + Lee says she thinks the future of restaurants will be smaller spaces, with an emphasis on carryout. For example, the management of one of her clients, Nami Ramen,

recently reassessed their needs while moving: “I think they want to focus more on their online presence and takeout— still providing a little bit of seating but maybe not a lot.” Hammer Out Design’s John O’Brien, on the other hand, believes that a large footprint can provide more flexibility. He and business partner Christi Dietze created the layout for the forthcoming 21,000-square-foot Olive + Oak in Webster Groves. “I believe it’s an asset that they have a big space,” O’Brien says. “This building is big enough that we can kind of experiment.” Similarly, large restaurants could serve a valuable role in their communities, at least while revenue from regular business is constrained, as venues for everything from farmers’ markets and networking events to community meetings and wine tastings—all with appropriate distancing. “This space has that opportunity,” O’Brien says. “If I could have a beer and talk to you 6 feet away, that sounds great.” O’Brien believes that the best approach to the reopening process is for restaurants to engage in a dialogue with customers. “I’ve always been a firm believer that you watch the public, you listen to the public, and they will tell you what to do,” he says. “The public will tell us if they’re comfortable. If I have too many tables in that area, they’ll tell us.”

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TASTE

Calabrian. Dishes go into my head and come out nuanced in a way that makes sense to me. To me, it all boils down to technique. Thomas Keller says, “All my food is simple, with technique.” I could say that, too.

Pep Talk

The scrappy owner of Peno in Clayton perseveres as restaurants pivot.

FTER RIDING THE restau-

rant roller coaster for 40 years, Pepe Kehm has no intention of getting off, despite recent developments that have presented “a challenge but also an opportunity” for Peno, his Calabrian soul food restaurant in Clayton. Kehm planned to slowly reopen the tiny restaurant in early June. “I’m a hustler,” he says. “I’ll survive.” —GEORGE MAHE

ONLINE

But you’re an American. Right. But I cook with American chefs, I trained with French chefs, and my ancestors are

To learn about Kehm’s ideas for the future, go to stlmag.com.

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What was your first memory in the kitchen? The first dish I remember actually cooking was rice with egg and cheese. You’d temper in whole eggs and Parmesan or pecorino to make what we called poor man’s risotto. Calabrian dishes like that define who we are and what we do.

Your culinary résumé is long. What are your takeaways from a few places? Rigazzi’s: When I was a bar back there, washing, like, 1,500 fishbowls a night, it was full-tilt boogie. I couldn’t wash ’em fast enough. But I’d walk out with $50, which was a lot for a 13-year-old kid to make back in 1978. Deli Mirelli: In 1981, my mom’s friend basically gave it to me, at age 21. He was crazy to give me that place at that time. I was too young and too wild. It was where Stone Turtle is now. T.P. Neill’s: There I got to cook with two of the best—Eddie Neill and Greg Perez—and the crew were all VIP oldschoolers. It was downstairs at the Galleria when it first opened, around 1985. Hôtel l'Écrin: This was inside a threestar hotel in Plancoët. Chef Jean-Pierre Crouzil was the antithesis of a French chef: loving, understanding, low-ego. He took me everywhere and showed me everything. Blue Water Grill: Having [owner] Tim Mallett and [chef] Greg Perez under the same roof was mixing oil and water, but together they started the whole smallplates thing here; they called theirs “flying saucers.” Girarrosto: It was where Capital Grille is now. It was a great concept, before its time, run by all-stars. In the front was Jimmy Kristo, with Eddie Neill and Bernard Douteau working the rotisserie. Many people still remember Bernard from his days at Chez Louis and Bernard’s in the Seven Gables Inn. Spaghetteria Mamma Mia: A simple concept I based on the little spaghetterias found all over Bologna—one or two fresh pastas with a few different sauces for lunch and dinner. I still like the idea. Corky’s: It was a casual steakhouse in Dogtown located where Sunny’s Cantina is now. We dry-aged steaks in house, which no one was doing at the time. Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

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HOT SEAT

“I’VE ALWAYS BEEN LIKE BLACKBEARD. PENO IS MY LITTLE PIRATE SHIP, AND THE PLAN IS TO KEEP SAILING.” At Spaghetteria Mamma Mia, you set a demitasse of soup before each customer who sat down. That was an old family thing started by my uncle Frank [Grandinetti] at Pagliacci’s in Denver. I do a lot of that informally at Peno with antipasti, but I may make it more of an organized thing that’ll change seasonally. Things like that make people feel welcomed and comforted. And our family are givers by nature, so it’s genuine. Discuss the name and how Peno came about. In Italy, Pino is the nickname for Giuseppino, but I had a neighbor who spelled his name Peno. In Italian, Peno, pronounced PAY-no, means my burden, my pain. Italian people constantly ask me why I named a restaurant after my pain, and I have to tell them, “No, I named it after a guy named Peno Sharamitaro.” I named Spaghetteria Mamma Mia after my mom, Corky’s after my dad, and Peno after my hardworking neighbor. How did Peno pivot once the pandemic hit? We changed the menu to be more takeout-friendly, added value meals, and began our dining room–to–door program. Our chef gave his paycheck away to those who didn’t get one. Our bar manager, who’s an artist, painted several canvases, and we auctioned them off. We gave all that money, like, $7,500, directly to the staff. How will you reopen? People will still want the visuals and vibe of the old place, but they’re now demanding a sustainably safe atmosphere, which is why I’ll have

things like movable dividers containing plants and fresh ideas like offering occasional micro-movies and dinner on our parking lot. The focal point is a new live wall, with lettuce, herbs, baby fennel—lush colors. I brought in my copper dishes for cooking tableside. Like Calabria, it’ll be simple but amazing. Talk about the new menu. There are some Calabrian dishes that we haven’t gotten to yet, specific handmade pastas like my mom used to make: spinach-andegg pasta, anchovy pasta with capers and breadcrumbs, potato pasta, and “poor man’s risotto.” We’ll smoke a little ricotta at the table, and people can make it as smoky as they want. You’ll see more antipasto, more creativity with fish, and more one-off dishes based on traditional Calabrian ingredients. Will bar service change? You’ll see touchless table bartending using airplane bottles and ice brought to the table. Wine will be served at the table off a cart by someone wearing gloves. Bar service will be as contactless as is practical. What’s one lesson you've learned over the years? To change my approach. At Blue Water, for example, the kitchen was teeny, so if your station was messy, the whole place was. If I had my stuff spread out, Greg Perez would come along and sweep it onto the floor with his hand... We have a small kitchen at Peno, too, and although sometimes I feel like pulling a Perez, now I just take a picture and show it to the cook at fault. I don’t have to say a thing.

Peno makes two different styles of pizza, thin and Sicilian, which I assume will not change. And we might tinker with a third—pinsa—a thicker but lighter pizza that I saw when I was in Rome. The style has been around forever, but the current version is made from three different doughs that get to rise for 72 hours. Discuss the HARP program, which you’ve tailored specifically to Peno. The name is an acronym for hazardous analysis restaurant protection. For Peno, it means everybody in masks; handwashing every 15 minutes and changing disposable gloves with every movement; a visible silverware sterilization machine; see-through dome covers on all food; damp sterilized towels at the end of the meal; a completely touchless bathroom. The kitchen will be thoroughly cleaned between service. We’ll have a dedicated person doing the cleaning, not a busser, and we’ll fog the restaurant once a week. Some people will think it’s overkill, and other people won’t think it’s enough, but it’s everything that I feel we need to do. You say that Peno is like your little pirate ship and the plan is to keep sailing. And I’m Blackbeard, for sure, and we have all sorts of interesting characters aboard. Some end up walking the plank, and I figure out a way to get the rest of them back on board. Over the years, the captain and crew have learned to give a little. How have you changed over the years? I became more appreciative, more settled, and I’ve tried to refine my approach. I still preach what’s right, but now I do my best to live it. I had a bad drug habit; I was an alcoholic. I’m grateful to be in the restaurant business. It saved my life. I realized it was my channel of creativity, my channel for love and service. The restaurant business, specifically this restaurant, gave me an opportunity to become a different person. For me, there’s no better place to be in the whole city than in this little joint.

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BY DAVE LOWRY, GEORGE MAHE, JARRETT MEDLIN, NICHOLAS PHILLIPS, SAMANTHA STEVENSON, AND AMANDA WOYTUS

TYPO GRAPHY & LETTERING BY MARK CANESO

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★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

OUR ANNUAL A-LIST AWARDS

celebrate the region’s best. Most years, that means superlative service, one-ofa-kind wares, and experiences worth bragging about. This year, though, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many St. Louis businesses to slim down, reconfigure, or rethink their entire business model. The St. Louisans in these pages rose to the occasion, in many instances not only finding innovative solutions to adapt but also giving back to the community. With time for reflection during the stay-at-home orders, we came to appreciate even more the creative and can-do spirits who are persevering in the face of the pandemic and pushing the region forward as a result. These are the folks for whom “good” isn’t good enough, who are upholding traditions but also sparking new ones. So to all of the A-List Awards recipients, we thank you not only for being a standout in your industry but also for making St. Louis better for it.

UPSCALE DINNER DELIVERIES

D OUBLE R BRISKET PLATTER

WHOLESALE CHANGES

At-Home Fine Dining

BEAST Butcher & Block

Customer-Direct Wholesalers

On Easter and Mother’s Day, many restaurants delivered holiday extravaganzas to St. Louis homes. Two of them provide over-the-top splurges on a regular basis. Blood & Sand offers rotating Feasts for Two, including a $140 four-courser with two bottles of wine and cocktails. And Stone Soup Cottage’s $150 all-inclusive Cottage to Carriage meals arrive with linen napkins/napkin rings, a candle, and stemware.

Marvelous things come from the six smokers, none more amazing than a brisket of Snake River Farm’s Wagyu beef. Co-owner David Sandusky keeps things local when possible, but he insists that this American Northwest beef is unparalleled. Taste that oak-smoked brisket, with a side of potato salad and beans cooked in pork drippings, and you’ll agree. 4156 MANCHESTER.

MILLSTONE, ST. CHARLES; 2225 CHEROKEE; 704 KUNA INDUSTRIAL COURT, DUPO, ILLINOIS; 13560 NW INDUSTRIAL.

ITALIAN IMPORT

Noto’s Wayne Sieve & Kendele Noto Sieve

THE BEAT GOES ON

New Concepts

Despite COVID-19’s crippling effects on the restaurant industry, hip spinoffs (by former A-Listers) will emerge in 2020. Check out Chicken Out, a fried chicken sandwich joint from the Sugarfire Smoke House group. Lazy Tiger, a barfocused concept from the Yellowbelly/Retreat Gastropub team, arrives this summer, as does The Lucky Accomplice, a spinoff of Savage. In the CWE, the Italianleaning “evolved concept” Edera is planned for the former Scape space later this summer, and 801 Grille, a more casual version of 801 Chophouse, is coming to Frontenac later this fall.

When restaurant orders slowed to a trickle during the stay-at-home orders, several local meat and produce wholesalers pivoted by selling to customers directly. Some, such as Sunfarm Produce, Ole Tyme Produce, Kern Meat Co., and Kuna Foodservice, have arranged for products to be picked up curbside at their warehouses. Meanwhile, Bridgeton-based Fabulous Fish offers new menus weekly and delivers restaurantquality seafood directly to homes at prices just above wholesale. 2427 N. 9TH; 3840

IT’S IN THE BAG

GIVE-BACK GIVEAWAY

To-Go Cocktails

Una Vida Tequila

A COVID-reactive maneuver that helped replace some restaurants’ lost profitability: to-go alcohol, notably premade cocktails. Elmwood batches its in waxsealed bottles. Salt + Smoke offers barrel-aged cocktails in 32-ounce glass decanters, and Pastaria sells its in plastic gelato pints. And at Cobalt Smoke & Sea, cleverly named cocktails are packaged in pouches, like juice boxes for grownups.

When the COVID-19 pandemic idled the community’s restaurant workers, the young owners of Una Vida Tequila did not have money to donate to the cause, but, as they said, “we had the goods.” So they hand-delivered free bottles of tequila to laid-off workers of age. About 700 bottles were given away by the so-called “Tequila Fairies” before the regional requests stopped in mid-May.

This couple fell in love with Italy—and brought it back with them. After operating a trailer serving up Neapolitan pizza, they converted Kendele’s family’s bakery into Noto Italian Restaurant. Raves poured in for the couple’s strict adherence to authenticity—the ingredients, technique, the 1,000-degree oven—all as Italian as a wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano. And in mid-May, after the stayat-home orders were lifted, they continued with curbside pickup, which they’d learned to embrace as well. 5105 WESTWO OD.

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★ ★ ★

WIND OW SHOPPING

Grace Backyard BBQ

When Rick and Elisa Lewis opened Grace Chicken + Fish, running the side business out of a side window at Grace Meat + Three, they didn’t know it would be a harbinger of how they’d operate during the pandemic. When the dining room was forced to close, they asked the landlord for permission to install a second window, this one in the front of the business, to launch Grace Backyard BBQ. In mid-May, when the dining room reopened, the Lewis’ crew stayed busy (and safe) by working the windows. “We’ve even considered putting in a third,” says Rick. 4270 MANCHESTER.

PHOTO GRAPHY BY KEVIN A. ROBERTS

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CHEF-INSPIRED CONCEPT

Nomad

It might not be a surprise when an accomplished fine-dining chef dials things back and launches a globally inspired sandwich shop, but it’s rare for the menu to be all hits, no misses. At Nomad, chef/owner Tommy “Salami” Andrew serves up a killer grass-fed beef burger, curried chicken salad, a smashed porkburger, Tommy’s (memorable) pastrami, salsiccia arancini, and a 10-ounce meatball that somehow fits on a brioche bun. 1221 TAMM.

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★ ★ ★

SMART IDEA

RAISING KANE

Rocket Bowls

Citizen Kane’s Market Place

Eric Heckman of Tani Sushi Bistro fame opened Rocket Bowls in Greenville, Illinois, just before the state’s shelter-in-place order took effect, but even that couldn’t stop the new place’s meteoric rise. Located on the town square in the new Greenville Smart Center, a hub for university students, businesses, and startups, Heckman switched to pickup and delivery for Rocket Bowls’ fast-casual lineup of nine flavor-packed bowls (most served with seasoned rice and sautéed broccoli or green beans), which draw on various global influences—Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Hawaiian, Mexican. Heckman says incorporating the newest speed and convenience technology will pay dividends as he expands, to St. Louis and then beyond, when he franchises the rocket-hot concept. 102 S. SECOND.

CAN O’ STAN

Urban Chestnut’s #6 Classic American Lager

In a city that loves its baseball, a limited-edition beer gets no better than #6 Classic American Lager, named in honor of Stan “The Man” Musial, No. 6 on his jersey and No. 1 in fans’ hearts. We tip our collective Cardinal cap to Urban Chestnut for crafting a beer similar to what a local light lager would have tasted like in 1920, when Musial was born, and releasing it a century later.

After the COVID-19 outbreak, many restaurants began selling premade items and groceries. By that time, Citizen Kane’s Market Place, which opened last December, had already earned a loyal following among many who’d never set foot in Frank Kane’s legendary Kirkwood steakhouse next door. The Market Place is a one-stop shop for the accoutrements necessary to enjoy the Kane’s experience at home. It stocks the restaurant’s three signature steaks (and rubs), plus sauces, salad dressings, sides, desserts, and even a memorable chicken salad. 127 W. CLINTON . CHEF COUPLE

DINING DESTINATION

Little Fox’s Mowgli and Craig Rivard

9 Mile Garden

TEMPURA SOFT SHELL CRAB

After cooking at acclaimed restaurants in New York and private kitchens in London, the culinary couple brought what they’ve learned to Little Fox, the masterfully delectable eatery that they opened in Fox Park last December. The restaurant is convivial and creative, a fabulous addition to the St. Louis dining scene. 2800 SHENAND OAH.

After much anticipation, the state’s first food truck garden is slated to open July 3. Situated less than 10 minutes east of Grant’s Farm, the Affton site includes a rotating lineup of 30 food trucks; a selection of draft beer, wine, and cocktails; as well as movies, music, and more. At a time when alfresco dining is particularly popular, it’s a timely idea. 9375 GRAVOIS.

Akar

That tempura-crusted crab poses atop a tangy scarlet slurry of Malaysian chili sauce flecked with fresh corn and a sprinkling of crunchy emerald saltwort. It’s an innovative take on a Singaporean classic; the combination of textures and explosive tastes takes the seasonal delicacy to a whole new level. 7641 WYD OWN.

DIY PHO

DD Mau

Eating this pho as takeout might just be more enjoyable than having it at the restaurant. That succulent broth in a tub of chewy noodles, bean sprouts, and pungent basil—along with meatballs, brisket, and a separate bag of steak—are clamshelled in Styrofoam. Consider reheating it all the next morning for a classic Vietnamese breakfast. 11982 D ORSETT. JULY 2020 STLMAG.COM

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MOST ENTERPRISING COMEDIAN

Yale Hollander

We like comedian Yale Hollander because he gave the Loop Trolley a new life as a rolling comedy club (before it eventually succumbed to bankruptcy—and then Hollander joked that it was the comedians who did it in). We love Hollander because he sees the possibility of comedy everywhere, and for every set he performs, he creates an opportunity for five more comedians by hosting his own showcases. When the novel coronavirus hit, Hollander became Today in St. Louis’ humor correspondent, proof that laughter can be a balm in a worst-case scenario.

THE A-LIST AWARDS 2020 / CULTURE & ARTS

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★ ★ ★

BEST USE OF BRASS

The Red and Black Brass Band

In Italy, the quarantined took to their balconies to sing. In NYC, denizens of the five boroughs clap every evening at 7, during shift change at the hospitals, to thank health care workers. In St. Louis, we have The Red and Black Brass Band, playing in the streets of Tower Grove South to boost our camaraderie. Every few days during the stay-at-home order, roomies Dominique Burton (trombone) and Benjamin Kosberg (tuba) grabbed their instruments, picked a direction, and set out to lift their neighbors’ spirits.

BEST ADDITION TO THE GRAND

THOUGHT-PROVOKING

CENTER ARTS DISTRICT

NEW D O CUMENTARY

The High Low

33 and Counting

What’s on our to-do list when we return to the before-times? Attend a reading at The High Low, the literary destination that the Kranzberg Arts Foundation opened in 2019. Or take in an exhibit in the 600-square-foot gallery space. Or simply settle into the café with one of the works from the rotating library, a cup of joe from Blueprint Coffee in hand.

In the documentary 33 and Counting, St. Louis PostDispatch columnist and filmmaker Aisha Sultan examines the life of Missouri’s oldest incarcerated woman, 70-year-old Patty Prewitt. More than true crime, Sultan reveals the humanity of her subject: her fears, her triumphs. By the end of the film, you’re left wondering: Why is Prewitt still locked up?

BEST D O CUMENTARY ABOUT A FORMER LO CAL LEADER

St. Louis Superman

This powerful documentary traces the path of former Ferguson protester and state representative Bruce Franks. The 25-minute short, which was nominated for an Oscar this year, shows how Franks copes with the loss of his brother to gun violence, a trauma he must face to become a leader.

BEST NEW NONFICTION BO OK BEST NEW

Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America

It feels a little empty to congratulate journalist Sarah Kendzior for how all of her predictions about the Trump presidency were spot-on. She didn’t want to be right, after all. So instead we’ll laud her for her newest book, doggedly researched and masterfully written, which traces the series of events that led to Trump’s candidacy, beginning in the 1980s. The chapters in which Kendzior writes of the hope she holds for future generations are one of the bright spots of our 2020.

STORYTELLING VENUE

Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge

St. Louis has a rich history of cabaret, but we love Blue Strawberry because it includes not only your typical nightclub acts but also any artist who tells a story, be it in the vein of R&B, blues, or rock and roll. The intimate venue and food by chef Kevin Sthair don’t hurt, either.

BEST PHOTO GRAPHY EXHIBIT

BEST YOUTH PRO GRAMMING

BEST NEW FICTION BO OK

International Photography Hall of Fame

St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra

Topics of Conversation

A well-spent $5 grants virtual admission to “Masterworks,” a 360-degree view of more than 50 works by such photographers as Ansel Adams, Margaret Bourke-White, and Alfred Stieglitz. COVID-19 may have slowed some operations, but it’s only emboldened IPHF to speed up moving its exhibits and programs online for all to access.

Two special concerts showcasing the SLSYO were canceled because of COVID-19, but its 50th anniversary isn’t any less significant. Founded by Leonard Slatkin, the youth orchestra selects 100 talented musicians each year. Its members represent more than 40 schools, and it’s turned out more than 2,000 alumni, including seven in the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Wash. U. grad Miranda Popkey’s debut novel explores power, desire, and sexuality through the discussions of an unnamed narrator. The New Yorker compared it to Sally Rooney’s Conversations With Friends and Normal People. Popkey had us hooked with this line: “I was reading Plath’s journals that summer because I was twenty-one and daffy with sensation.” We can relate. JULY 2020 STLMAG.COM

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CUTTING-ED GE GALLERY

Walker-Cunningham Fine Art

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

“Hair Love”

When “Hair Love,” a sixminute film that celebrates black hair by showing a father learning how to style his daughter’s hair for the first time, won the Oscar for Best Animated Short, it was one of the greatest feel-good moments in recent Academy Awards history. That Lion Forge, the media company founded by David Steward II, was one of the film’s producers was even sweeter. Up next? Lion Forge is teaming up with Starlight Culture Entertainment for a film about the pandemic and its impact on people and nature.

MOST ANTICIPATED FESTIVAL

St. Louis Shakespeare Festival

While we waited for Much Ado About Nothing, August 12–September 6, the fest launched ShakespeareTV, streaming everything from quarantined actors reciting favorite Shakespeare lines from bed (Shakespeare in the Sheets, a play on the popular Shakespeare in the Streets) to Zoom performances by the Shakespeare Squadron. The New York Times called SFSL’s performance of Cymbeline a “cutto-the-chase adaptation of the text” that frames “the play so lucidly that even the newest of Shakespeare novices will have no trouble orienting themselves amid its myriad complexities.”

THE A-LIST AWARDS 2020 / CULTURE & ARTS

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Sarah B. Cunningham may be running the most intimate art gallery in St. Louis out of her Central West End home. With that come the challenges of scheduling viewings around family life. So when social distancing nixed the opening reception of the pop-up exhibition “Bipolar Holiday: Kyoto Girls. New Work by Daniel Jefferson,” Cunningham made the whole thing available online—one of the first galleries we’ve heard of doing so.

BEST NEW LIBRARY INITIATIVE

No Late Fees

If libraries represent truth and knowledge, then step one to making those equitable for all is removing the barriers to visiting them. The decision by the St. Louis County Library and St. Louis Public Library to stop charging fines for late materials was a win for accessibility across the region.

BEST USE OF ZO OM & ALCOHOL

BEST NEW PRINTSHOP

We Are Live!

Grafik House

Before any of us was living the Zoom life, one St. Louisan had perfected the art of live entertainment by way of video feed: Chris Denman, co-founder of Mid Coast Media and the host of the We Are Live! podcast. So when he launched the We Are Live! Virtual Happy Hour with STL Barkeep in March, showcasing comedians, musicians, and inventive cocktails with common ingredients, it was the perfect way to give us what we need: entertainment and a stiff drink.

We love Grafik House, the new offshoot of Tom Hück’s Evil Prints, because it’s one of the only places where you can plop down $5 for a zine or $200 for a print from an ever-changing selection of works by local and national artists. The print facility in the back of the shop means it’s also contributing to the next generation of printmakers in St. Louis, with residencies that provide 24-hour access to the facility and a press assistant.

BEST QUARANTINE PLAYLIST

Terry Adkins

Music is everywhere in the work of the late artist Terry Adkins—in the weldedtogether sousaphones of Nenuphar and the stacked bass drums of Muffled Drums. So when the Pulitzer Arts Foundation had to postpone the opening of “Terry Adkins: Resounding,” an exhibit encompassing 30 years of the artist’s work, because of COVID-19, the museum instead created a Spotify playlist of jazz and blues musicians who’d inspired Adkins. Add to that a reading list about the artist, as well as selections from his book collection. PHOTO GRAPHY BY KEVIN A. ROBERTS

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★ ★ ★

BIG IMPACT

Big George Brock

You knew him by his voice: deep, throaty, singing about the hard times. When Big George Brock died in April, at age 87, it was a loss not only to the local blues scene but also to the very culture of our city. Brock, who grew up in a sharecropping family in Mississippi and arrived in St. Louis in 1950, certainly knew about hardship. He was pulled from school at age 8 to work in the fields. Still, he made a life of performing: He operated a series of clubs in St. Louis and shared the stage with acts including Muddy Waters, Albert King, Little Milton, and Jimmy Reed. He was also the subject of the 2006 documentary Hard Times. Now, we find new meaning in his lyrics, including the song that shares a name with his documentary: “Talk about hard times, y’all don’t know what a hard time is.”

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VISIONARY AWARD

Packing a Punch Whether combating COVID-19 or gun violence, Dr. LJ Punch looks out for St. Louisans who are most in need of care.

In the realm of public health, Dr. LJ Punch is like a wrecking ball swinging at information silos, trying to plant knowledge in people’s minds to bolster the physical wellbeing of underserved populations. Whether speaking in a college classroom or on a streetcorner in North St. Louis, the Ohio-raised physician exudes the charm, identity, and experience that are key to conveying crucial health-related facts to just about anyone. “I’ve been calling Dr. Punch a hero of mine,” says Jason Purnell, an associate professor in the Washington University’s Brown School who leads the college’s Health Equity Works initiative. Punch has “stepped up in a major way” during the COVID-19 pandemic, Purnell says, and remained a “consistent voice of conscience in this crisis as it relates to racial and socioeconomic disparities.” Before the onset of the pandemic, Punch, an associate professor of surgery in the Washington University School of Medicine, was focused in large part on challenging med students to think of gun violence as a disease and bullets as vectors. In 2018, Punch received a Loeb Teaching Fellowship to develop a multifaceted curriculum called The Anatomy of Gun Violence.“If we break [gun violence] into pieces and dissect it out,” explains Punch, “just like we understand the body, we can understand and become part of the treatment and prevention.” Outside the classroom, Punch launched Power4STL, a nonprofit of health care professionals and students aimed at reducing the impact of trauma, injury, and violence. Its activities include youth mentoring and participation in Stop the Bleed, the nationwide initiative that trains people to save lives with first aid before first responders arrive.

When the pandemic hit, Punch began putting in shifts as an intensivist at Christian Hospital in North County. “It feels like a flood in that it’s hurting the people who are in the ‘low country’—those who did not have excellent health to begin with,” Punch says. “The water begins to rise, and there’s uncertainty where it will crest. And it feels like a flood, because it leaves people breathless. The halls are empty in the hospital. There’s no family, no visitors. There’s this eerie stillness about it, as if we’re all just floating.” The novel coronavirus has presented a challenge unlike any that Punch has ever experienced. “We understand it has effects on small blood vessels, and it’s causing clots and heart attacks, kidney failure, heart failure, and, now, direct effects on the central nervous system. It causes really intense delirium in some patients—it might be because of oxygen or blood flow, but they’re just completely unresponsive,” says Punch, who’s also practiced in Houston and Baltimore. “I’ve seen trauma after trauma. I have never seen anything like this.” When not at the hospital, Punch has been gathering and disseminating personal protective equipment in coordination with Prepare STL, an ad hoc coalition addressing the pandemic. Punch has also engaged in outreach with such groups as Tent Mission STL, which serves the city’s unhoused population. The response to COVID in underserved communities is similar to common responses to violence, Punch says: Some fight back, some flee, and some just freeze. “I don’t blame people,” the doctor says. “It’s normal. But those responses give COVID more power, not less. We’ve got to show people they have power and that they can move past trauma response, and if they have resources, they have the power to act.”

THE A-LIST AWARDS 2020 / VISIONARY AWARD

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FASHIONISTA TO FOLLOW

EMBROIDERY STUDIO

WORKOUT HAVEN

Pysche Southwell

Daily Disco

Onelife Fitness

2103 MARCONI.

3 CARDINAL WAY.

Economy of Style, Southwell’s Instagram and website, is a lookbook of color, trends, and some serious #ootd. (That’s “outfit of the day,” in case you’re not already following.) Southwell has covered fashion for local publications. Nationally, she’s graced a 2015 cover of Redbook. Southwell also showcases what St. Louis has to offer and even shared the city’s best in last August’s issue of Good Housekeeping. But her mission goes beyond trends: Southwell shares affordable outfits so fashionistas can wear what they want without breaking the bank. Cheers to that.

If you wanted to personalize your favorite jean jacket, you called Abbey Eilermann and set up an appointment at her embroidery studio. Now, you can shop chainstich patches, personalized berets, rhinestone hair clips, and more cutesy gifts at her brick-and-mortar on The Hill, where Eilermann pays homage to the neighborhood with “Holy Cannoli” mugs and “Hot Salami” pins.

After following virtual workouts at home, fitness fanatics might just run to this two-story gym. Part of the second phase of Ballpark Village, the fitness center is Onelife Fitness’ second Midwest location. Around its 31,000 square feet, members have their pick of barre, yoga, spin, and Zumba classes, as well as turf and strength training areas. Goodbye, at-home gym.

@ECONOMYOFSTYLE.

ECO-FRIENDLY OFFERINGS

Sustainable Products

RISING RETAIL STAR

A MINIMALIST’S DREAM

Avery Callan

Descendant

She first became a business owner at age 14, when she opened a Depop shop to sell vintage clothing. Callan, 18, has since made a name for herself with her handmade clay jewelry business, Nova Vita Co. Callan’s pastel earrings and necklaces are sold at Honeycomb, the Contemporary Art Museum, and May’s Place. And she just graduated from Lindbergh High School. THE A-LIST AWARDS 2020 / SHOPPING, SERVICE & WELLNESS

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The couple behind the Midcentury Modern shop Future Ancestor have ventured into fashion and accessories. Descendant, which opened in Webster Groves earlier this year, offers a neutraltoned collection of independent, designer, and vintage clothes, fragrances, and skincare products. There’s an emphasis on natural goods, sustainability, and the beauty of simplicity. 8715 BIG BEND.

The products in Daphne Benzaquen’s leather-goods label, daph., are made of llama leather and baby alpaca fur, sourced from Peru. To get the most out of her materials, many of her purses have a cross stitch, alternating between both the smooth and rough side of the leather. Self-care brand Dharma + Dwell’s items are bought in reusable containers, which customers can refill to purchase product by the ounce. Try Bonboni Mercantile Co.’s Be Bright Candles, bespoke creations poured into vintage vessels. And Olivia Jondle’s label, The Rusty Bolt, reuses otherwise wasted fabric and is helping the ’70s make a comeback.

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POSITIVE PIVOTS

Face Masks

Filling a vital need, local boutique owners began producing masks for purchase and donating some to medical professionals. For every mask sold, Daily Disco donates one to an essential worker or health care professional. Hello Dobson debuted a collection in its recognizable fabrics (pictured). St. Louis– themed brand Arch Apparel launched a one-size-fitsall design in a T-shirt fabric and sold packs of eight; the first release’s proceeds benefited Lunches for Clinicians–St. Louis and the second’s the Gateway Resilience Fund. STL-Style, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, began selling “Flatten the Curve STL” T-shirts and created a mask featuring the city flag’s design. The company’s website puts it aptly: “We live and breathe St. Louis, and now you can, too.”

A GIFT SHOP LIKE NO OTHER

NEWISH GIFT SHOP

COMPANY TO WATCH

Holliday

Summersalt

In 2019, the McPheeters family opened another endeavor across the street from Bowood Farms and Café Osage in the Central West End: Holliday. The market delights with thoughtfully curated items, including home décor, clothing, paper goods, soaps, and pottery. All of the items focus on comfort and making home feel even cozier. 4600 OLIVE.

The likes of Vogue, InStyle, and Cosmopolitan have praised St. Louis–based swimwear line Summersalt, which takes a modern and sophisticated approach peppered with vibrant color. Since the brand launched in 2017,it’s expanded from swimsuits to loungewear, dresses, jackets, and sweaters. This year, the label launched a swimwear collab with designer Tanta Taylor to create comfortable and cute suits for all bodies.

CLR-MNSTR

Tricia Thurman’s CLRMNSTR (pronounced “color monster”) opened this year as a gift shop to Midtown’s Angad Arts Hotel, though we can’t imagine anyone strolling in to purchase Advil. Instead, the shopper’s attention would go to the store’s original art, array of cheeky paper goods, racks of vintage threads, and numerous celebrity-themed candles. It’s Thurman’s second CLR-MNSTR; the first iteration opened on Washington in 2012 and closed in 2015. Five years later, CLR-MNSTR beckons even the Fox Theatre and Powell Hall crowds with its color, vibrancy, and playfulness. 636 N. GRAND.

SMART SHIFTS

Salons at Home

When hair and nail salons closed during the pandemic, stylists and owners got creative. Colorist Amanda Lux Wissman started “Just a Tip Tuesday” to teach customers how to style and color their hair at home. The Glam Room’s Lauren Billen, who also hosted tutorials on Facebook and Instagram, offered porch drop-off of products. Local loc stylist Savis Davis offered at-home gypsy loc tutorial kits with 75 locs inside. And PAINT Nail Bar St. Louis launched an at-home “nail rescue” gel manicure kit, with six polishes in spring shades. JULY 2020 STLMAG.COM

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ANTICIPATED STAYCATION

FO OD HAUL

Live! by Loews

City Foundry

Without baseball at Busch Stadium this spring, all we could do was plot. Rather than head to Jupiter next spring, we thought, we’ll book a room here. We can almost taste that Delmonico steak we’ll order at Clark & Bourbon, the whiskey we’ll sip at Bar Bourbon (sneaking a peek in the Whiskey Room at the red travel trunks the Cards toted in the ’30s), and the beer we’ll enjoy while watching the game on the big-screen at The Bullock’s outdoor terrace. We might just skip the ballpark and stay at the hotel. 799 CLARK.

Though City Foundry’s unveiling to the public wasn’t quite what developer Steve Smith first imagined, it was even more meaningful in some ways. In late April, the much-anticipated Midtown development hosted the Restaurant Rally fundraiser, benefiting the Gateway Resilience Fund and The Little Bit Foundation. Patrons in cars got a sneak peek at the former industrial site, whose plans call for a food hall, beer garden, a movie theater, and more. Shortly before the event, Smith (who matched $25,000 in donations) told SLM, “It’s really exciting to unveil it, and I’m thrilled that we can unveil it with a good cause to boot.”

HO CKEY HAT TRICK

Centene Community Ice Center

Before the NHL’s season was put on ice during the pandemic, St. Louis experienced a year in hockey unlike any we’ve witnessed. First there was the Blues’ historic Stanley Cup win and ensuing celebration. Then there was the 2020 NHL All-Star Game and Skills Competition, where Jordan Binnington starred once again. And between passes of the national spotlight, St. Louis scored yet another goal: the $83 million Maryland Heights facility where the defending champs now practice. It boasts three indoor rinks, a restaurant, and a covered outdoor rink set to be transformed into the Saint Louis Music Park.

IMAGINATION STATION

RETAIL REINVENTION

Union Station

The District

First, the neon St. Louis Wheel provided a colorful addition to the city’s skyline last fall. Then the equally colorful Soda Fountain opened its doors. Finally, the St. Louis Aquarium, the crowning jewel of the ambitious $187 million redevelopment, greeted crowds on Christmas Day. After the new attraction temporarily closed its doors during the pandemic, the aquarium’s staff found new ways to teach the public about the life aquatic, hosting virtual visits and family-friendly activities—ways to keep tykes engaged.

Having already dramatically shaped much of Chesterfield Valley—from the 2-mile stretch of retail south of I-64 to the new Maryville University Hockey Center—The Staenberg Group set its sights on two ambitious redevelopments. First it announced plans to transform the Taubman Prestige Outlets into The District, with family fun at Main Event and concerts at The Music Factory. Next they plan to turn Chesterfield Mall into the multifaceted Downtown Chesterfield development. At a pivotal time, the investment could be transformational.

IN AN INSTA

Whatever your interest—art, interiors, fashion, wellness, food, architecture, street art, parenting—St. Louis Instagrammers offer a wealth of entertaining, engaging, and unexpected options. Here’s just a sampling.

@saturday marnincartoons

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@wtfdid harryshoot

@stl_toilets

@mikaross

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POWER OF THE PRESS NET GAIN

RFT Journalists

MLS4TheLou

In mid-March, a day after the RFT announced that it would furlough seven staffers, music editor Daniel Hill proclaimed that he wasn’t about to stop. “I don’t care if I get paid or not for doing it,” he wrote. Alongside some of his colleagues, Hill continued producing timely, candid stories. The alt-weekly also launched the Riverfront Times Press Club, an initiative to raise funds and support. As Hill wrote, “The work the RFT does is more important than ever right now as we are facing down a threat the likes of which none of us have ever seen before. Local journalism is as necessary as it ever was, and frankly doubly so at this exact moment.”

As St. Louis grapples with the present, we take some solace in looking toward the future—not just the day when businesses and baseball are back in full swing but also what’s even further beyond. Take Major League Soccer, for instance. Our soccer-loving city’s team is slated to take the field in a shiny new Downtown West stadium in 2022. It will mark a milestone not only for the region but also for the league, with the first majority-female ownership group at the helm—yet another sign of a brighter future.

RETAIL REINVENTION

POWERPlex

SUPPORTING STARTUPS

MULTITALENTED JOURNALIST

Venture Café + STL Startup Week

Sarah Fenske

Last November, the inaugural STL Startup Week provided a much-needed hub where local innovators could connect. The idea built upon the efforts of such initiatives as Venture Café, which supports budding entrepreneurs through events and programming—doing so digitally even during the pandemic and despite economic challenges.

@jessica_ hitchcock

@zacksmithey

@vanishing_stl

The accomplished journalist first made a name for herself as editor of LA Weekly and the Riverfront Times. Then, last summer, she took the reins at St. Louis Public Radio’s St. Louis on the Air. The transition was seamless, proving that a solid understanding of the region, the ability to ask insightful questions, and a knack for delving into compelling subjects translate no matter the medium.

@muralsofstlouis

On the heels of the Blues’ move to their new Maryland Heights practice facility, Centene Community Ice Center (see p. 64), St. Louis Mills is being transformed into a destination for youth sports (see p. 14). The $63 million Hazelwood development encompasses six sports venues (catering to baseball, basketball, pickleball, volleyball, hockey, dance, and more), restaurants, and sports-focused retail. And though one pro team may have left, another pro (NBA star and St. Louis native Bradley Beal) is supporting it. Beal said in a statement, “This place will change lives and impact kids for decades to come.”

@weeatstuffstl

@nourished bynutrition JULY 2020 STLMAG.COM

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Great Forest Park Balloon Glow & Race

Mission Taco

Union Station

Saint Louis Ballet

Saint Louis Zoo

Hi-Pointe Drive-In

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MUSEUM (NON-ART)

RV SALES AND SERVICE

Saint Louis Science Center

Apache Village RV

MUSICIAN

TIRE SHOP

Brian Clarke

Combs Auto Service & Tire Center

NIGHTCLUB

Pop’s

BEAUTY

OUTD O OR EVENT

Great Forest Park Balloon Glow & Race

BLOW DRY BAR

STAYCATION LO CATION

CO OLSCULPTING

Union Station

The Face & The Body

TOURIST SPOT

COSMETIC INJECTABLES

Saint Louis Zoo

Aurora Medical Spa

VO CALIST

DAY SPA

Brian Clarke

Ginger Bay Salon and Spa

WEEKEND GETAWAY

EYELASHES

Lake of the Ozarks

Wink iBoutique

Drybar STL

FACIAL/SKIN CARE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

COMEDY CLUB

AUTOMOTIVE

The Face & the Body

ACTOR

CONCERT SERIES

AUTO DEALER (NEW)

HAIR EXTENSIONS

Christina White Salon

Whitaker Music Festival

Bommarito Automotive Group

Jon Hamm ACTRESS

DANCE CLUB

AUTO DEALER (USED)

Jenna Fischer

Casa Loma Ballroom

Grow Automotive

ART EVENT

DANCE COMPANY

AUTO REPAIR

Saint Louis Art Fair

Saint Louis Ballet

Dobbs Tire & Auto Centers

Infinity Laser Hair Removal & Skin Rejuvenation

ART GALLERY

CAR DETAILING

MASSAGE

Artisans in the Loop

Premier Entertainment

General Grant Car Wash & Detail Center

The Face & The Body

ART MUSEUM

FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT

Saint Louis Art Museum

Saint Louis Zoo

The Funny Bone

HAIR SALON/STYLIST

Blu a Color Salon LASER HAIR REMOVAL

NAIL SALON CAR WASH

Beautiful Nails

Waterway Carwash ATTRACTION

FESTIVAL

Saint Louis Zoo

Festival of Nations

TANNING SALON IMPORT AUTO DEALER

Palm Beach Tan

Plaza Motors AUTHOR

LIVE MUSIC VENUE (LARGE)

Jeff Burton

Fox Theatre

WAXING LUXURY AUTO DEALER

European Wax Center

Plaza Motors BAND (COVER)

LIVE MUSIC VENUE (MEDIUM)

Top Gunz

The Pageant

MECHANIC

Schaefer Auto Care BAND (ORIGINAL)

LIVE MUSIC VENUE (SMALL)

The Urge

Broadway Oyster Bar

FOOD + DRINK 24-HOUR RESTAURANT

MOTORCYCLE/OFF-ROAD

Uncle Bill’s Pancake House

VEHICLE DEALER BOWLING ALLEY

LIVE THEATER GROUP

Tropicana Lanes

The Muny

Doc’s Harley-Davidson

BAGELS

Panera Bread OIL CHANGE

CASINO

MOVIE THEATER

Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles

Marcus Wehrenberg Ronnie’s Cinema

Dobbs Tire & Auto Center

BAKERY

Nathaniel Reid Bakery

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BAR

DINER

JAPANESE RESTAURANT

Sasha’s Wine Bar

Southwest diner

Kobe Steakhouse

BARBECUE RESTAURANT

DISTILLERY

KID-FRIENDLY RESTAURANT

Sugarfire Smoke House

StilL 630

Fitz’s

BARTENDER

D ONUTS

LATE-NIGHT BAR

Katharine Eckert, Sasha’s Wine Bar

Strange Donuts

The Gramophone

FAMILY RESTAURANT

MARGARITA

Crown Candy Kitchen

Mission Taco Joint

FARMERS’ MARKET

MARTINI

Soulard Farmers’ Market

Baileys’ Chocolate Bar

FO OD FESTIVAL

MEXICAN RESTAURANT

Food Truck Friday

Mission Taco Joint

FO OD TRUCK

MICROBREWERY

Mission Taco Joint

4 Hands Brewing Co.

FRENCH FRIES

MIDDLE EASTERN

Mac’s Local Eats

Aya Sofia

BEER SELECTION

Castlewood State Park

International Tap House BEST RESTAURANT

Olive + Oak BREAKFAST

The Shack BREWERY

4 Hands BRUNCH

Fitz’s

The Shack FRENCH RESTAURANT

NEW BAR

BUFFET

Vin de Set

Up-Down Arcade Bar

Landmark Buffet at Ameristar Casino

FRIED CHICKEN

NEW RESTAURANT

Hodak’s

Balkan Treat Box

FROZEN CUSTARD

PATIO

Ted Drewes

Billy G’s

FROZEN YO GURT

PIZZA (NON-ST. LOUIS-STYLE)

froYo

Dewey’s

GREEK RESTAURANT

PIZZA (ST. LOUIS-STYLE)

Olympia

Imo’s

HAPPY HOUR

POKE

Basso

BLK MKT Eats

HEALTHY DINING

PUB FO OD

Crazy Bowls & Wraps

Three Kings Public House

HIDDEN GEM RESTAURANT

ROMANTIC RESTAURANT

Liliana’s Italian Kitchen

Sidney Street Café

HOT D O G

RO OFTOP BAR

Woofie’s

Three Sixty

Kaldi’s

ICE CREAM

SALAD

Crushed Red

CUPCAKES

Clementine’s Naughty & Nice Creamery

BURGER

Hi-Pointe Drive-In BUSINESS LUNCH

Three Kings Public House BUTCHER

Kenrick’s CHEF

Lona Luo, Lona’s Lil Eats CHINESE RESTAURANT

Mai Lee

Olive + Oak

CHO COLATIER

Crown Candy Kitchen CO CKTAILS

Planter’s House COFFEEHOUSE

Jilly’s

SEAFO OD RESTAURANT

House of India

Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co.

IRISH BAR

SOUL FO OD

John D. McGurk’s Irish Pub

Grace Meat + Three

ITALIAN RESTAURANT

SPORTS BAR

Trattoria Marcella

Syberg’s

INDIAN RESTAURANT DELI

Gioia’s DESSERTS

Clementine’s Creamery

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STEAKHOUSE

HEALTHY HOME

BATHRO OM REMODELING

Tucker’s Place

DINING DELIVERY

Anne Marie Design Studio

Time for Dinner SUB/SANDWICH

Gioia’s Deli

COND O COMMUNITY HIKING SPOT

Brentwood Forest

Castlewood State Park SUSHI

Sushi Ai

CUSTOM CLOSETS/ LASER EYE TREATMENT

STORAGE SOLUTIONS

Brinton Vision

Saint Louis Closet Co.

Guerrilla Street Food

MEDICAL SPA

DRIVEWAY INSTALLATION/REPAIR

St. Louis Resurfacing

TAPAS

Nayak Plastic Surgery & Avani Derm Spa

TAKE-OUT

Barcelona Tapas Restaurant

ELECTRICIAN PARK (BESIDES FOREST PARK)

THAI RESTAURANT

Paramount Electric

Tower Grove Park

King and I

FLO ORING/CARPET STORE PERSONAL TRAINER

Evans Flooring

Lulu’s Local Eatery

Jason Burch, Burchbuilt Strength & Conditioning

FURNITURE & HOME

VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT

PHARMACY

Mai Lee

Walgreens

WINE BAR

PHYSICAL THERAPY/REHAB

Sasha’s Wine Bar

Judice Sports & Rehab

WINE SELECTION

PILATES STUDIO

Sasha’s Wine Bar

PLNK

WINERY

PREPARED MEALS

Chandler Hill Vineyards

Time for Dinner

WINGS

SPORTS/ORTHOPEDIC REHAB

AIR-CONDITIONING COMPANY

Syberg’s

Washington University

Hoffmann Brothers

SWIMMING PO OL

HOME APPLIANCE STORE

OR WATERPARK

Slyman Bros Appliances

VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT

ACCESSORIES RESALE SHOP Sugarfire Smoke House

Miriam Switching Post FURNITURE STORE

Carol House Furniture GARDEN STORE/NURSERY

Bayer’s Garden Shop GUTTER SERVICE

St Louis Gutter & Siding HEATING AND

HEALTH + FITNESS

Kirkwood Aquatic Center

ACUPUNCTURIST PLNK

Modern Acupuncture

HOME BUILDER (TIE)

St. Louis Skin Solutions

Lombardo Homes Payne Family Homes

URGENT CARE

HOME DÉCOR STORE

Urgent Specialists

HomeGoods

Vidan Family Chiropractic

VEIN TREATMENT

HOME ELECTRONICS STORE

Best Buy

DIETITIAN

Allison Lesko, Fit-Flavors

Dr. John Ohman, Washington University Physicians

DRIVING RANGE

WEIGHT LOSS CLINIC

Topgolf

Weight Watchers

GOLF COURSE

YO GA STUDIO

Riverside Golf Club

Brick City Yoga

no.102

TATTO O REMOVAL

BOUTIQUE FITNESS STUDIO

PLNK CHIROPRACTOR

HOME HEALTH CARE

BJC Home Care HOME IMPROVEMENT STORE

Ace Hardware HOME LIGHTING COMPANY

Metro Lighting HEALTH AND FITNESS CLUB

Zfit Studio

HOME + GARDEN

HEALTH FO OD STORE

ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY

Trader Joe’s

Delmar Gardens

HOME REPAIR SERVICE

Mr. Handyman HOME SECURITY

Ring JULY 2020 STLMAG.COM

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HOUSECLEANING

CARDINALS PLAYER

INVISIBLE FENCE

Katie Mae’s Green Clean

Yadier Molina

INSTALLATION

Yadier Molina

Invisible Fence KITCHEN REMODELER

COLLEGE ATHLETE

Premium Cabinets

Brandon Baumgartner

LANDSCAPER

INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT

Quiet Village Landscaping

@Shutternaut

LANDSCAPING MATERIALS

POD CAST

Kirkwood Material Supply

Our True Crime Podcast

LUXURY COND OS/APARTMENTS

RADIO MORNING SHOW

Clayton on the Park

Bud And Broadway, New Country 92.3

PET SITTER

RADIO PERSONALITY

PET SPA

Bud and Broadway

Shakers Dog Wash

RADIO SHOW

PET STORE

Bud and Broadway

Treats Unleashed

RADIO SPORTS ANCHOR

PET TRAINER/

Doug Vaughn

OBEDIENCE SCHO OL

PET BOARDING

The Watering Bowl PET DAYCARE

The Watering Bowl PET GRO OMER

Shakers Dog Wash

Rover

MOVING COMPANY

Two Men and a Truck OUTD O OR FURNITURE

Forshaw PAINTING COMPANY

House of Paint & Design

Fitness With Fido

PEST CONTROL

Rottler

RADIO STATION

New Country 92.3

VETERINARIAN

SPORTS TEAM

Bret Shaw, Kingsbury Animal Hospital

PLUMBING

O.J. Laughlin

Moonrise Hotel

St. Louis Cardinals PO OL MAINTENANCE

St. Louis on the Air

SHOPPING + SERVICES

Tina Knox, Worth Clark Realty

TV METEOROLO GIST

ACCESSORIES

Glenn Zimmerman

Paperdolls Boutique

RUG STORE

TV MORNING SHOW

ACTIVEWEAR

Amini’s

Fox 2 News in the Morning

Athleta

SWIMMING PO OL BUILDER

TV NEWS ANCHOR

ANTIQUES STORE

Baker Pools

Mike Bush

Two Chicks Vintage Marketplace

TREE SERVICES

TV NEWS ANCHORWOMAN

G&G Lawn Care & Tree Service

Laura Hettiger

Baker Pool

TALK/NEWS RADIO SHOW

REAL ESTATE AGENT

BABY APPAREL STORE

Once Upon a Child TV SPORTS ANCHOR

WIND OW TREATMENTS

Frank Cusumano

Discount Draperies

BARBER

Sir Carrawell TWITTER FEED

WIND OWS & D O ORS

@LauraKHettiger

Renewal by Andersen

MEDIA + SPORTS

BEAUTY PRODUCTS

Ulta

PETS

BED AND BREAKFAST

Lemp Mansion

ANIMAL HOSPITAL

Webster Groves Animal Hospital

BICYCLE SHOP

Ally Things Beauty BLUES PLAYER

D O G PARK

BO OKSTORE

Jordan Binnington

Queeny Park

Left Bank Books

BLO G

The Bike Center sammysoap

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Made. by Lia

CATERER

RESALE CLOTHING SHOP

WEDDING DRESS BOUTIQUE

The Art of Entertaining

Clothes Mentor Ellisville

Clarice’s Bridal

CHILDREN’S CLOTHING STORE

RESIDENTIAL

WEDDING ENTERTAINMENT

Kangaroo Kids

CLEANING SERVICES

House DJ St. Louis

Woodard COMPUTER REPAIR

WEDDING FLORIST

MGSTL

SHOE REPAIR STORE (TIE)

Walter Knoll Florist

CONSIGNMENT STORE

Brentwood Shoe Repair, Cobblestone

WEDDING FORMALWEAR

The Vault Luxury Resale

Men’s Wearhouse SHOE STORE

CO OKING CLASS

DSW

Kitchen Conservatory

WEDDING GIFTS

The Woman’s Exchange SHOPPING DESTINATION

DRY CLEANER/ALTERATIONS

West County Center

American Cleaners

WEDDING HAIR & MAKEUP

Heather B. Beauty SOAP COMPANY

EYEGLASS STORE

sammysoap

Eyewearhaus

& LOD GING

Alpine Shop

The Chase Park Plaza Royal Sonesta St. Louis

TAILOR

WEDDING JEWELRY

Anthony Tailoring

Lindwedel Jewelers

TATTO O STUDIO

WEDDING PHOTO GRAPHER

Iron Age

Chelsey Logan Photography

THRIFT STORE

WEDDING PLANNER

NCJW The Resale Shop

Hillary J. Events

TOY STORE

REHEARSAL DINNER VENUE

Imagination Toys

SqWires

TRAVEL AGENCY

WEDDING RENTALS

AAA

Weinhardt Party Rentals

UPSCALE FASHION RESALE

WEDDING STATIONERY

NCJW The Resale Shop

Simply Torn Art + Design

WATCHES

WEDDING TRANSPORTATION

Clarkson Jewelers

JED Transportation

WINE SHOP

WEDDING VENUE

Total Wine

Chandler Hill Vineyards

WOMEN’S CLOTHING STORE

WEDDING VIDEO GRAPHER

Jeans Jackets & Jewels

The Youngs Photo + Film

SPORTING GO ODS STORE FLORIST

WEDDING HOTELS

Walter Knoll Florist GIFT STORE

sammysoap GRO CERY STORE

Dierbergs HOBBY SHOP

Hobby Lobby HOME ORGANIZATION

IKEA HOTEL (LO CAL BOUTIQUE)

Moonrise Hotel HOTEL (NATIONAL)

Four Seasons Left Bank Books

JEWELER

Lindwedel Jewelers LIQUOR STORE

Total Wine MEN’S CLOTHING STORE

Nordstrom MORTGAGE Chelsey Logan Photography

First Community Credit Union

WEDDINGS WEDDING CAKES/ DESSERTS

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT STORE

Made. by Lia

Guitar Center WEDDING CATERER OUTD O OR OUTFITTERS

Russo’s Catering

Alpine Shop WEDDING DESTINATION RECORD STORE

Silver Oaks Chateau

Vintage Vinyl PHOTO GRAPHY BY KEVIN A. ROBERTS, CARMEN TROESSER, MIKE CASSAMATIS, CHELSEY LO GAN, AP PHOTO/JEFF ROBERSON

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Visit stlmag.com for the list of finalists. Congratulations to all of the honorees! JULY 2020 STLMAG.COM

5/28/20 6:38 PM

IRON many ironworkers adorn their hard hats with stickers, but in St. Louis’ Iron Workers Local 396, there’s one that only the women slap on: the “Iron Maidens” sticker. The union counts more than 1,800 members in the area, but only 45 or so are women; these are the “Iron Maidens.” One of them says the nickname represents “the sisterhood within the brotherhood.” To others, though, being a woman in a male-dominated field is an afterthought: “I’m a journeyman. I don’t say I’m a journeywoman—to me, that sounds stupid,” a member explains. “A postman is a postman, even if this one just happens to be a woman.” The general consensus: It’s a hard job, regardless, one that comes with rainor-shine conditions, achy joints, and brushes with death. But oh, the things they can build...

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MAIDENS THE W OMEN

OF ST . LO U ISâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

IRON

WORK

LO C A

ERS

L 396

WORD S BY SAMA NTHA P H OT OGRA STEV PHY B ENSO N Y R. J. HART BECK

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below: After Tracy Cannovo turned 42, her everyday equipment began to feel extra heavy. When she started suffering from cramps in her lower abdomen, she figured she’d hurt herself on the job. Two years later, an ultrasound revealed something else: a 5-inch cancerous mass in one of her fallopian tubes. But her physician told her she could continue working. “My doctor obviously didn’t know what an ironworker was. I kept telling her to Google it,” Cannovo says. “I finally walked in there one day with work clothes on and they’re, like, ‘Holy shit…’ and I go, ‘Yeah…this is what I do, people.’” She started on this path as a young adult. While working at her family’s raviolimaking business, she had a boyfriend who wanted to join the ironworkers and couldn’t. The apprenticeship coordinator encouraged her to apply. I don’t have to rely on anybody—Mom, Dad, boyfriend, husband—I’m going to go out and I’m going to make some money, she recalls thinking. Cannovo, now 52, isn’t working, since having undergone 25 rounds of chemotherapy: “I’ve been back on a few jobs, but I can’t do it. Chemo has kicked my ass.”

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right: For years, Jessica Fowler worked in

construction, laying asphalt and shingling roofs. She even got a gig as a hairstylist. But then she followed in her father’s footsteps and signed up to be an ironworker. The choice doubled her salary. Before the pandemic and annual lack of work in early spring, she worked on the second phase of Ballpark Village. Every day on a job site can be dangerous, says Fowler, who is now 31. She recalls the first time she watched a co-worker fall 30 feet while connecting iron beams on a rainy day: “One of my buddies told me, ‘Ain’t nothing’s going to hurt you here. Everything’s going to kill you.’”

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below: “If your partner’s having a bad day—family issues, not sleeping good—you’re both going to have a bad day,” Sierra Fox says, explaining how close workers become on monthslong projects together. The occupational danger only makes that connection stronger: “You have to trust them; if you make a mistake, it can turn real ugly really fast.” Fox, who transferred from her San Francisco local to St. Louis’ five years ago, sees the unions as the backbone of the industry but fears for their future: “Things have been really scary with the proposed ‘right-to-work’ law. I hope the union presence gets bigger, in all trades.”

left: Nancy Akers knew she didn’t want to sit behind a

desk. She wanted to work with her hands and do something that allowed her to support her eight children. She became an ironworker at 39, after a friend in the trade showed her his paycheck and she asked him whether they accepted women. Once in the field, she fell in love with structural work. Her newfound happy place: sitting 28 stories high, feet dangling as she looked out over the city. Akers, now 53, tells her kids when they drive over a bridge she worked on. “They’re, like, ‘We knooow, Mom,’” she says, “but I hear them tell other people, ‘Hey, my mom made that.’”

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right: Barbie Bock relishes the minutiae of blueprints and piecing together the puzzle. Looking back on her 24 years in the industry, though, it’s the camaraderie and stable insurance she’s most thankful for. Before joining, the single mother worked more than one job to support her two children. As an apprentice, she spent two work nights in class until 10 p.m., then returned home an hour away. “I look back and I think, How did I do that?” she says. “You just do. Moms do what they have to do.”

above: Lily Bedwell would take breaks while working on the new SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and look out the window, envisioning what the building’s future inhabitants would feel standing there. If it wasn’t for her team, the hospital wouldn’t exist. That sense of pride offsets the hardest part of the gig: acclimating to harsh weather conditions. Bedwell, an apprentice, admits it was nerve-wracking to enter the room on her first day, at just 18 years old. In moments like these, she tells herself, Think of the women before you. “In 2020, being accepting is the ‘cool’ thing to do. The women before me suffered and went through so much,” she says. “They paved the way.”

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left: Welding is actually meditative, says

Rebekah Jarchow. “I just love that quiet time under the hood. It’s therapeutic.” The 27-year-old would know: Until last year she was a yoga teacher. To counteract the physical damage the job can cause, she practices poses on breaks and sits with her legs stretched up against a wall when she returns home. A former art student, Jarchow originally wanted a welding certification to better her sculpture work. Now she’s on a mission to make the trades accessible for all: “Women are easy to see, but there’s a lot of queer people, people of color, and people from different backgrounds who don’t necessarily have a safe place or get the attention on them. I hope the field continues to grow in diversity.”

above: Melanie Johnson (foreground) doesn’t mince words: “You have a problem with me? We’re going to hash it out right now in front of everybody,” she says with a laugh. The 36-year-old journeyman’s father, grandfather, and uncle were ironworkers. When her father told her it wasn’t a job for women, she became a medical assistant. Years later, she and her sister, who also works in Local 396, decided to try it anyway. She hopes her family’s legacy continues with her 17-year-old son. If he chose the field, she says, “I would be so proud of him… I hope my dad’s proud of me.”

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S P EC I A L P RO M OTI O N

PRESENTED BY

DECEMBER Matt Sanders RAISING CANCER AWARENESS Matt has been raising cancer awareness for The St. Baldricks Foundation since 2016. He has worked year-round to raise $8,540 for childhood cancer research. When he isn’t shaving his own head, he is convincing others to do the same.

Each month, St. Louis Magazine asks readers to nominate someone who is making a difference in the community. Presented by Together Credit Union, the people featured here were named the Hometown Champions of December 2019 through April 2020, as voted on by the community. St. Louis Magazine thanks these Hometown Champions for their positive impact on the community.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

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JANUARY Team Jakey SUICIDE PREVENTION ORGANIZATION Team Jakey works tirelessly for suicide prevention in honor of their loved one, Jake Zeller. The organization works throughout the year to raise money for suicide prevention so other families would not have to suffer the loss that they have and to spread awareness for this disease. They work concession stands at concerts and host events, culminating in their biggest fundraiser, The Annual Team Jakey cornhole tournament. In 2019, they were the top fundraising team in St. Louis.

FEBRUARY Laura Hettiger FOUNDER OF LAURA'S RUN 4 KIDS Whether she’s hosting KMOV’s Great Day St. Louis or serving as the emcee at a charity event, Laura Hettiger has an inspiring personality and a passion for helping others. Laura founded Laura’s Run 4 Kids, an event that combines a competitive 5K race with a family-friendly, 1-mile run/walk, benefiting The Little Bit Foundation, which helps break down learning barriers for students in difficult situations.

5/28/20 6:47 PM

S PECIAL P R OMOT ION

MARCH Debora Grandison SPEAKER & HEALTH ADVOCATE Debora advocates for heart health and diabetes education for all, as well as for the well-being of the elderly. Her passion to heal and empower others is evident through her poetry, writing, community talks, and speeches. People of all ages, backgrounds, and beliefs turn to her as she demonstrates the same love and inspiration toward everyone.

APRIL Chad Sabora CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MoNETWORK Chad runs MoNetwork's harm reduction and recovery outreach center in South City St. Louis and heads the organization's work on legislative policy reform. MoNetwork offers various services to the homeless population, those struggling with substance use disorder, and their loved ones. Chad’s nominator says, “He has helped so many families and individuals find help when dealing with drug and alcohol addiction.”

DEC

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MAR

APR

Congratulations from Together Credit Union! Congratulations and thank you to our Hometown Champions— all those nominated and the select few voted as winners. Your passion, energy, and spirit make St. Louis a better place to live, work and play. It is our honor to celebrate you!

FEB

Do you know a hometown champion? To make a nomination, visit stlmag.com/ hometownchampions.

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5/29/20 12:20 PM

S T. LO U I S SAG E

AV I AT I O N

Why is St. Louis’ airport named Lambert? T

H I S Y E A R , ST. LO U I S Lam-

bert International Airport is toasting a century of aviation on the plot of land it occupies 11 miles northwest of downtown. But few people know much about the bespectacled dynamo who assembled that land in the first place: Albert Bond Lambert. Lambert was born in 1875 with the “proverbial silver spoon” in his mouth, wrote one observer in the St. Louis Star, “but didn’t seem to care a whoop for the spoon.” His father owned Lambert Pharmacal, which made Listerine. At the family’s home, on Vandeventer, the young Albert staged musical and circus-style shows. In his twenties, he excelled at golf, playing in the 1900 Olympic Games, in Paris, and then at the 1904 World’s Fair, in St. Louis, when the Olympic competition was held on his father-in-law’s course, at Glen Echo Golf Club. By that time, Lambert was working for the family business. He set up factories in France and Germany. While in Europe, he grew intrigued by hot-air balloons and learned to fly them. He later brought a major balloon race to Forest Park and even trained balloon pilots for the U.S. Army, earning the rank of major. Fatefully, Lambert fell in love with airplanes. He received lessons from one of the Wright brothers, earned his license, and, in 1920, leased the farmland

FLYING IN, FLYING OUT NUMBER OF PASSENGERS SERVED BY LAMBERT IN 1933 VS. 2019

15.9 M

in Bridgeton that would one day become the airport. Lambert used his own money to have the land cleared and graded into an airfield; he even erected a hangar that any aviator could use for free. In 1923, the site played host to several days of airplane races. The event drew nearly 200,000 spectators, as well as a young pilot named Charles A. Lindbergh. When Lindbergh decided to attempt the first transatlantic flight, he asked wealthy St. Louisans such as Lambert to sponsor his effort. They agreed, and Lindbergh named his plane Spirit of St. Louis. After the lease on the airfield expired, Lambert bought that property and sold it to the city of St. Louis; that ownership endures today, even though the airport lies in the county. Lambert remained a staunch airport backer for years afterward. A resident of the upscale Hortense Place, in the Central West End, Lambert channeled his energies elsewhere, too: He was an avid fisherman, motorcyclist, and member of the Board of Police Commissioners (he sought to crack down on gamblers and reckless motorists). But his most enduring legacy is the airport. As Daniel L. Rust wrote in his 2016 book The Aerial Crossroads of America: St. Louis’s Lambert Airport, “Aviation history, and the history of St. Louis, would have been much different but for the vision of Albert Bond Lambert.”

24,113 1933

2019

ST. LOUIS MAGAZINE, VOL. 26, ISSUE 7 (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.

stlmag.com July 2020

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Illustration by Britt Spencer

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