Photograph by Matthew O'Shea
The blue cheese and buttermilk had been puréed, the almonds toasted, the Meyer lemon zested and juiced, the bulgur wheat cooked through. It was time for the fish. We all leaned in—20 of us, including my wife and me, inside the Kitchen Conservatory in Clayton—to watch Harvest’s executive chef go hand-to-gill with a fresh and gleaming rainbow trout. We’d all paid for this evening education, and this was the most anticipated teachable moment. The young chef—smart, kind, a good listener and explainer—broke it down for us in words and actions: how to de-scale, fillet, de-bone (with pliers!), sauté… [Crackle, crackle…] Fifteen minutes later, as we devoured that night’s lesson plan word for word, our fulfillment levels surpassed that of a normal meal, since we’d consumed not just food, but information. We departed full of knowledge.
The value St. Louisans place on education—not just our own, but that available to the children we’re raising—helps explain the popularity of St. Louis Magazine’s annual schools issue. Our goal every year, including this one, is to provide families with examples of what’s great about the education scene (“A+ Work,” p. 57) and useful tools to compare the region’s offerings (our exclusive charts begin on page 64). From star students and inspiring teachers to unexpected classes and innovative programs, the cover story’s offerings should assist choice-making
families, but also encourage schools to learn from each other’s successes. The education scene is certainly one of the prime reasons St. Louis is so often referred to as “a great place to raise a family.”
Throughout this issue, you’ll see examples of other qualities so many of us value about St. Louis: the periodic emergence of new underdog neighborhoods (“Midtown Revival,” p. 50), the diversity of cultures (“Practical Arrangements,” p. 108), and the longtime traditions without which we might not know our seasons (“Good Fridays,” p. 120). Regarding the last of those, a fish-fry portfolio: While I realize my imminent meals in area church basements can’t compete with a just-caught trout, I expect the evenings will be just as fun.
