2023: The Year In Review
compiled by Grayling Holmes / photos from Sophisticated Living Magazine archives
The advent of 2024 is upon us. Let’s take a moment or three to look back on a banner year, the year that was 2023.
January/February 2023
Players rev up crowd from north end of field.
Soccer City…A Symbol of Our Future
Over the years, St. Louis has been called a great sports city, a great arts city, a great music city, a great architecture city, and recently, a great food city. Now with the debut of St. Louis CITY SC, all of these great assets come together in one place.
Building Home
Lisa and Steele Crissman at MASONMADE worked carefully with the homeowners to choose the right materials that would inform people’s first impression of the house.
When this St. Louis couple started looking for a new home, they had no trouble finding the perfect neighborhood: one with nearly two-acre lots, plenty of mature trees, and close to their friends. The problem was finding the perfect house – so they decided to build it.
Old Courthouse Renovation
The vaulted dome at The Old Courthouse was designed by the firm of Laveille & Morton, who also designed early buildings at Jefferson Barracks as well as The Old Cathedral. The Federal-style courthouse was completed in 1828.
On January 31, more than 100 community members and civic leaders joined the National Park Service and Gateway Arch Park Foundation for a groundbreaking ceremony to commence the historic renovation of the Old Courthouse at Gateway Arch National Park.
March/April 2023
Small Towns Become Big Business
(LtoR) Jeremy, Jeff, Jim and Elliot Glik in front of new Glik’s corporate offices and distribution center.
Starting small with just one store in St. Louis, MO in 1897, today the family owns a chain of fashion forward, on-trend retail stores and boutiques in 71 small towns run much the way they were in 1897 by a team who have been with the company for decades.
Perhaps what stands out the most is the humility of the 4th and 5th generation owners, who rather than boast about their success, their ancestors’ vision, smart strategy, or size, downplay the fact they are one of the few families left in the small town retail business – and while they readily admit that nothing about running a retail business in 2023 is easy – they have remained profitable and growing all except for 3 years during the Great Depression.
Parker Gelber.
Don't Consign, Prosign With RP Exotics
Parker Gelber is a walking car encyclopedia for newer luxury model cars. He read everything he could get his hands on and watched endless Youtube videos to educate himself. When his parents moved to a home on Litzsinger and Warson Roads, he would listen to the cars riff down the road from his bedroom window and be able to discern the type of cars and engines from their sounds. “I used to know who all of these guys were, and Facebook stalk them and their car collections,” described Gelber. “I always loved the Lambos, the Ferraris, the exotics, and the new modern stuff, and I knew everyone in St. Louis who owned one of those cars.”
Shades of Home
When these homeowners first made the move from Oklahoma to St. Louis, they had a big job ahead of them: “We came without any furniture because the buyers who purchased our home wanted basically everything,” says the homeowner.
In the dining room, a joyful, hand-painted Gracie wallpaper is as much of a star as the intricate millwork.
She knew she’d need the help of a professional to start over from scratch. Luckily, she soon met – and instantly clicked – with Kelly Johnson of Kelly Johnson Design. “I fell in love with her style. Kelly did the whole home: the master bedroom, three kids’ bedrooms, the living room, and entertaining space. I trust her completely, so when we bought our new home, I knew she’d be able to coordinate our existing pieces with the new ones we’d need for this space.”
May/June 2023
Chef, Chocolatier and NOW Cannabis Escoffier
Sticky-bun flavored cannabis-infused milk chocolate edible.
You may know Dave Owens from his times as a chef at Cardwell’s and Terrene, or as the Chief Chocolatier at Bissinger’s, but it may be his role as Director of Culinary at – of all places – Proper Cannabis, a locally owned and operated manufacturer and dispenser of medical and recreational cannabis products, that will forever change how your think of him and his expert confectionary skill.
Fine chocolates are decadent and scrumptious. Cannabis edibles are now commonplace. Owens’ delicious edibles elevate the senses to levels of ecstasy.
Clean cut jacket and pintuck cropped trouser in crème fraîche double wool suiting.
A Dad’s Influence on His Designing Daughter’s Fashions
It's not every day that a European-trained fashion designer from Delaware comes to St. Louis, starts a business, launches a full line of women’s custom and ready-to-wear clothing, falls in love, and decides to stay. But that is exactly where Audra Noyes Herndon’s success story starts-with a little inspiration provided by Susan Sherman and the St. Louis Fashion Fund. Audra has produced 14 collections since moving here and fashion critics are abuzz by this hard working, self-starting millennial who is succeeding against all odds in an industry known for chewing up promising designers before their careers take off.
The Message is the Medium: Anamorphic Sculpture
Alan Touring image in dominoes at Facebook headquarters, Photo provided by Connor Wright.
You may have seen the artwork of Connor Wright around St. Louis, or on the news, or in another city where he is making headlines. This 25-year-old artist from St. Louis attended Priory and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Cognitive Neuroscience, with an aptitude for math, algorithms and all things visual. With a wild imagination and the ability to take an idea–a big idea–and turn it into a 3D work of art, he is being sought by companies, cities, collectors, and the art world in general...and he is fetching top dollar for his work.
July/August 2023
Jazz Is Alive and Everywhere
Jazz St. Louis CEO Victor Goines.
When I sat down with Victor Goines, I became infected — infected by his knowledge of jazz. I was bitten by the jazz bug and his enthusiasm for the uniquely American art form. And “jazzed,” pun of course intended, by his insight into how jazz touches and inspires. The man made a believer of me when he spoke these words that will forever be in my ears — “There are only two kinds of people in this world, those who love jazz, and those who don’t know it yet.”
That sentence says everything one needs to know about Goines’ vision—past, present and future.
Chihuly Amazing
Dale Chihuly
Summer Sun, 2010
Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, installed 2023
© 2023 Chihuly Studio. All rights reserved. Photo by Nathaniel Wilson
St. Louis has been graced with the magnificent glass art creations of Dale Chihuly in private collections, museum collections and two exhibitions in conjunction with the Missouri Botanical Garden, first in 2006 and now thru October 15, 2023 in what is called “Chihuly in the Garden 2023.” The artist’s world-renowned glass sculptures have captivated audiences around the globe. His presence here has added a new dimension to the city's artistic landscape, creating a visual spectacle that enchants and inspires all who encounter it, more than doubling the garden’s attendance during his first show and hopefully eclipsing that for his second.
Chefs Craig Rivard of Little Fox and Jacob Siwak of Forsythia.
Cooking with Intention: The New York City/St. Louis Culinary Connection
Not so long ago, chefs competed for attention and patrons. Of course, they still do. But now more chefs are collaborating, working side by side, learning from each other, creating additional buzz in the food community, and filling more seats in their restaurants. Perfect example: when Jacob Siwak joined Craig Rivard for a three-day chef collaboration in St. Louis. It immediately sold out.
September/October 2023
Sleeping with The Artwork
Stunning contemporary lobby of 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis with glass orb as the focal point of the entrance.
Welcome to the 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis, a groundbreaking concept that revolutionizes the way we experience art. If you didn’t collect before your stay, you are sure to get the itch by the time you check out. Already operating in 10 cities across the United States, the 21c Museum and Hotel not only showcases contemporary artworks but also offers a luxurious and immersive stay for art enthusiasts and travelers alike.
Growing Up Without a Silver Spoon
Having grown up in a first-generation immigrant family, I know what that’s like and the expectations that come with it. Education comes first, then hard work, take nothing for granted, and stay humble. Foye Oluokun and his brother, Fade, are first-generation Americans (born to Nigerian immigrants) who are smart, extremely hard working, and despite their football player statures, are as soft spoken as they come.
Today, Foye plays linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars; he recently signed a new contract for $45 million for the next three years. Did that go to his head? Hardly. In the offseason, Foye interned in the front office for the Brooklyn Nets to get experience and, when he can no longer play professional football, a leg up for a job one day on a professional sports team. The truth is, Foye is an excellent basketball player, and while in high school at John Burroughs in St. Louis, he thought his future may involve a basketball rather than a football.
Foye Oluokun.
Shining the Light On St. Louis
Missouri Historical Society Chief Executive Officer, Jody Sowell.
Jody Sowell’s a master of exhibits. His first as a full-time MHS employee was “Our Olympics,” detailing the first Olympics held in the United States—and in St. Louis—in the summer of 1904. After being named director of exhibitions and research in 2013, he and his staff created such award-winners as “250 in 250,” an exhibit commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of St. Louis that included the stories of 50 people, 50 places, 50 objects, 50 images and 50 memorable moments; “#1 in Civil Rights: The African American Freedom Struggle in St. Louis”; “The Louisiana Purchase”; and “A Walk in 1875 St. Louis.”
Before the pandemic, the museum welcomed more than 400,000 visitors annually. Then 2020 swooped in and Sowell had to make some quick pivots. He oversaw “Uplifting STL,” a social media series featuring inspirational stories from the city’s past, and created a video “St. Louis Strong.” The following year, he debuted as the host of STL History Minutes, which is aired weekly during CBS’ “Sunday Morning.” The museum also implemented a series of walking tours dubbed See STL (followed by either the name of the neighborhood or the subject, i.e. Urban Renewal, Gay Liberation in the Gateway, Downton Origins, Beyond the Ballot, Vietnam in St. Louis.)
November/December 2023
Art on the Line
Isabella’s Two Chairs by Michael Eastman.
Michael Eastman has become a nationally renowned photographer. From 1972 until 2000, Eastman made his living in commercial photography (family portraits, etc.). His first piece of “real art” was hung in an informal gallery space at Washington U. in 1972. It was an egg study (the play of light and shadow around it).
Over time, like lichen over stone, Eastman’s notoriety has spread; his art is now sold across the globe and has been hung in the hallowed halls of (among others) The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Art Institute of Chicago. He is nonchalant. Or perhaps just humble. One of his photographs recently appeared in a photo spread in Veranda magazine; he didn’t even know it.
Eastman says he is proud to be a part of the St. Louis art community, which he readily describes as healthy, ever-evolving.
Celebration of Life
Chef Lou Rook, Liam Schnett, Janet Schnett, Thom Schnett.
Annie Gunn’s and The Smoke House have remained one of the area’s great restaurants, and gourmet grocers. With a loyal team ranging from Chef Lou Rook who has been with Annie’s Gunn’s for more than 30 years, managers including Ryan Krissinger, Judy Scheer, Kelly Robbins, and Mike Veninga to back-of-house employees many of whom have worked there for 25 years or more, Annie Gunn’s and The Smoke House Market are where you want to work if you're in the culinary or hospitality business. Glenn Bardgett, who is perhaps the most knowledgeable and experienced wine expert in the Midwest, has overseen and curated the two-time James Beard National Semi Finalist wine program which has won the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence 17 consecutive years. And Thom’s sister Therese Ravens has been the catering manager for 35 years. All this translates to customer satisfaction and respect that few in the business enjoy.
After the race, Spike celebrates on the podium.
Speeding to Success
Meet Spike Kohlbecker. He likes fast cars. He likes burning rubber, scorching across asphalt, and feeling the G-force jolt through his veins as he reaches speeds up to 175 mph.
He’s 20 years old, and a sophomore at Boise State University. At first glance, his dorm room looks like any other. Then you notice the jet-black race car simulator in the corner. At his young age, the Kirkwood native has competed in hundreds of auto races across the world, with hundreds of local, regional, and national wins under his belt. At 16 years old, he became the first U.S. driver to score wins in both the Canadian and U.K. Formula Ford National Series championship events.
Spike never shies away from boasting his local pride, with a “#STLMade” sticker and the logos of several St. Louis-based sponsors adorning his car and gear.