From the Publisher

With all the news of violence, political in-fighting, declining economic opportunity, and a clash of ideologies in St. Louis and worldwide, it’s no surprise that some of our best and brightest leave our community each year for greener pastures. However, as our readers know, we choose to focus on the people and things which make our city great. We leave the bad news to the hard-hitting journalists and promote the people who have come here – stayed here – and are making significant contributions to a better, more equitable, more dynamic, and more forward-thinking future for St. Louis. Keep turning the pages for plenty of that.

In this issue, I have featured Audra Noyes Herndon, who trained under top names in luxury fashion from New York City to Paris, including Alber Elbaz at LANVIN, John Galliano, and Ralph Lauren. She launched her namesake brand, AUDRA, during Paris Fashion Week in 2014 and moved to St. Louis to incubate her company at the Saint Louis Fashion Fund. Since then, Audra fell in love with St. Louis and loves building her business – which is being covered by all the top fashion writers – and life in St. Louis. With 19 collections under her belt and the production of couture, ready-to-wear, made-to-measure, and fully custom bespoke tailoring for women, Audra is still flying under the radar despite her retail showroom being in the heart of Ladue and her clothing being worn by A-listers here and worldwide.

We have covered Ben Poremba’s restaurants and rise to fame in the culinary world previously in these pages, but when he told me of his latest venture, Deli Divine, an authentic New York kosher-style deli on the ground floor of Maxine Clark’s Delmar Divine in the East Loop, I knew I had to drop everything and pay him a visit. I grew up in a deli family and have been craving a top-tier deli to open in St. Louis. In fact, I almost did it myself. While not our typical foodie story, there are so many things that appeal to me about what he’s doing. He’s chosen to locate his new concept in an old Jewish neighborhood (where most St. Louisans don’t travel), painstakingly focusing on the best of Jewish deli culture while satisfying his yearning to do right by his Israeli Jewish upbringing and expanding the offering of quality ethnic food in a transitional neighborhood being reinvented by another pioneering St. Louisan, Maxine Clark. If you have secretly wished for a Barney Greengrass, Russ & Daughters, or Katz’s to open here, this should be as good as it gets.

I have written about the burgeoning cannabis market in Missouri and Illinois before but with the expansion of cannabis laws to include recreational sales, some really adventurous types are innovating in ways few imagined just a few months ago. Dave Owens, who was a highly regarded chef in the food scene here, moved in 2008 to Bissinger’s to head up chocolate making, especially its high-end truffles. Fast forward, Owens is now in charge of product development at Proper Cannabis and is making the best cannabis-infused gummies, chocolates, and soon an entire menu of cannabis-infused treats and fine dining inspirations. Borrowing a line from the University of Texas at Austin…"what starts here changes the world.” And Owens is doing just that. If you partake, you may want to try these.

Hot on Owens’ heels, Dena Ladd was asked by the late Dr. William Danforth to be the executive director of The Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, now called Missouri Cures. The goal of the organization is to protect and promote medical research in the state of Missouri. While many of us are enamored with celebrities or sports stars, Ladd is in awe of researchers - the people who dedicate their lives to finding a cure for cancer, Parkinson’s, and other devastating diseases. Since leaving Missouri Cures last year, Ladd has been advising organizations on government and community relations and founded the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association (MOCANN). She is now the chair of the board, a role she was hesitant to take on at first. Ladd’s latest venture ties her experience in fashion with her passion for research. She launched a jewelry and accessories line in gold and silver featuring delicate cannabis leaves called Flora Jaine. Don’t miss this story about Ladd and discover all the things that keep her so engaged and in St. Louis.

As a dedicated art collector, I am always finding new artists to follow which is how I discovered Connor Wright. While watching the news one night, I saw an installation he did with guitar picks which was bought by a high-profile collector for a pretty penny. It turned out that Connor was still in college, not really studying art, and just saw the world in a very unique and compelling way. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania – no slouch – and is now accepting art commissions from around the globe. I just saw his latest cityscape of St. Louis, commissioned by Saint Louis Bank, which is hanging in Ladue. Connor grew up in St. Louis, and although he now lives in New York, he is back here regularly.

Finally, I am working on a big feature for our next issue, July/August, on 21c – the museum hospitality company, founded by heirs of the Brown-Forman Corporation (think Woodford Reserve and Jack Daniels), which is opening downtown in the former YMCA Building at 15th and Locust Streets. With luxury accommodations, two new restaurants, two ballrooms, and a full-fledged art museum (no joke), this property may be the coolest thing to open in St. Louis this year. While most hotel operators wouldn’t even consider investing in this part of St. Louis, 21c is attracting former St. Louisans back to run the hotel and be the change needed downtown.

Just when I thought St. Louis was in a bad place and getting worse, I continue to discover greatness wherever I look. Join me on this quest to find the great in our region. As Ted Lasso would say, you’ve gotta “BELIEVE!”

Craig M. Kaminer, Publisher craig@slmag.net