Photograph by Matthew O'Shea
There are those individuals in our personal, professional, and civic lives whose current impact can be measured by their imagined absence. What would, to take one example, a Joe Edwards–less St. Louis look like? I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that a certain inimitable, nonmanufacturable flavor would be lost; that, quite literally, a certain music would stop. This type of thought exercise is telling—but, let’s face it, not much fun.
A sunnier way to frame the question: Who are we most happy to have living in St. Louis, working here, effecting positive change, inspiring the rest of us? That question was pivotal to the SLM editors as we chose the magazine’s first class of St. Louis Luminaries (“Lighting the Way,” p. 101): 10 individuals who are doing compelling work that enriches our shared city. As staff writer Jeannette Cooperman, who managed the project, put it to me, these Luminaries come from a variety of fields—science, education, design—but they share a lot. “They are rooted here, but they’re not provincial. They’re big thinkers—in some cases global thinkers—and they either draw their energy from St. Louis to go out into the world and change it, or they bring the world back to St. Louis.” Either way, River City’s a better place for their presence.
While we’ve started a new December tradition with this Luminaries initiative, we’ve devoted the issue’s cover story to an old one: a warm soup, a tasty sandwich, enjoyed in wintertime (“The Best Soups & Sandwiches in St. Louis,” p. 80). I think we’d be hard-pressed to find many readers whose earliest memories don’t include this beloved combo. And for good reason: It simply hits the spot. SLM dining editor George Mahe and his team have put together a best-of list that includes the classics (yes, a certain department store is represented) as well as some creative newcomers. This being big-small-town St. Louis, there’s even an unplanned point at which our soups and sandwiches feature and our Luminaries list intersect. Standing there smiling: a certain Mayor of the Loop.
