From the Editor: May 2015

There’s something about a grocery store—with its glowing dairy coolers and glistening heads of lettuce, its neatly stacked cans of corn and freshly baked bread—that just feels like home.

Maybe it’s because, years ago, my grandfather owned a grocery store. My mother spent her childhood playing in the storage room, where stacked boxes doubled as a jungle gym. During summers, she’d ride with my grandfather to an outdoor market and help load fresh watermelons. She still recalls my uncle counting glass bottles he’d sell back to soda companies, my grandfather greeting customers with a shopping cart and a smile, my grandmother teasing him about driving by the IGA to see how many cars were in the parking lot.

It seemed only natural, then, that my first job, at age 14, would be as a carryout. I quickly learned the nuances of paper and plastic, how to stack and straighten cans just so, the fact that nearly any job (no matter the weather or pay) can be enjoyable with the right co-workers. There was something fundamental about that grocery store, a place where the community gathered for food, conversation, and other essentials. But eventually, after I left for college, a megastore moved into town and the grocery store went out of business.

So today, it’s something of a comfort to know that when it comes to food, what’s old is new again. Last fall, chef Chris Bolyard left his longtime gig at Sidney Street Café to open Bolyard’s Meat & Provisions, where the chops are always cut to order and the suppliers are always local. Around the corner, you can find other shops selling specialty foods, spices, and oils. Restaurants such as The Block and Pastaria are also getting into the ingredient game, offering fresh meat and pasta. And across the region, farmers’ markets are thriving.

St. Louis seems to have a newfound appreciation for local farmers and corner markets, meat-cutters and produce managers. Grocery shopping is starting to feel like home again.