As 2025 Begins, So Also Dawns Our 13th Year of Proudly Bringing St. Louis' Finest to You
by Grayling Holmes
The clock ticks ever forward. We can count the hours, the minutes, the seconds until to ball drops and a new year dawns. Calendars flip. Resolutions are made. Time marches onward to the annual ritual that emerges again each December and in January, we start anew. Yet it is not just a dull passage of time. The new year demarks a time when we celebrate life. The old. The new. And what the future may bring many year’s into the future. Each year, when we sing old Scottish anthem, Auld Lang Syne, and bid farewell to the year gone by, we reminisce about the 525,600 minutes filled with life — with what we did to fill the time with both the sweet and sorrow. As 2024 closes, we again have a blank slate upon which to write new chapters in our lives. At galas we will gather. Our city we will enjoy. Travels we will take. Life we will savor. Welcome to 2025.
In 2012, Sophisticated Living St. Louis broke onto the scene. For almost thirteen years, we have delivered to your doorsteps, laptops, cells, and social media feeds the finest our town has to offer to hold in the palm of your hand. As we soon celebrate our twelfth year of being the quintessential source of all things luxury, we will continue to journal the tapestry that you, faithful reader, weave with the colors of your multi-faceted lives. Just as the snowflakes that fall in the early months of the year, no two of us is alike. Yet as we embark on our journey here in the Gateway to the West, we carve a path forward with a singular purpose that is alike. We all strive to savor each and every of the FIVE HUNDRED TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED MINUTES that ever tick tick tick toward new years to come and getting the most out of our animated and blessed lives.
Here in the pages of this, our first issue of the new year, we have again reached our aim — to once again bring you a sampling of the brilliant colors that make our city and our world shine and be a lustrous place in which to thrive.
Happy New Year! Enjoy the read.
Highlights from the New Issue
Excerpt from “The Chef Who Transformed St. Louis’ Culinary Landscape” by Craig Kaminer
Photo by Carmen Troesser
“Food is about more than just feeding people. It’s about telling a story, building community and creating moments that people remember.” — Gerard Craft
St. Louis has long been a city of culinary traditions, rich with its toasted ravioli, gooey butter cake and deep loyalty to local favorites. Yet over the past two decades, a revolution has redefined dining in the Gateway City. At the heart of this transformation stands Gerard Craft, a James Beard Award-winning chef who not only elevated the city’s restaurant scene but also positioned St. Louis as a national food destination.
Craft’s journey to culinary stardom began far from Missouri. Born in Washington, D.C., Craft initially pursued a career in photography in Los Angeles. To make ends meet, he started working at a small restaurant. There he discovered his true passion for cooking. The energy of the kitchen, the artistry of plating and the thrill of creating flavors ignited a spark that led him to culinary school and to some of the most respected kitchens in the country including Bistro Toujours in Park City, Utah, and Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles.
Excerpt from “Unrivaled” by Gerald Dlubala
WNBA superstar Napheesa “Phee” Collier (left) and opponent. Photo by Gabe Schneider
On and off the court, Incarnate Word grad and WNBA superstar Napheesa “Phee” Collier is soaring to new heights.
Star WNBA Minnesota Lynx captain Napheesa Collier may have a home in St. Louis but she doesn’t get back as much as she’d like. Nevertheless, the city still has a hold on her.
Napheesa's high school basketball journey began in Jefferson City, playing for Jefferson City High School and for the Lady Warriors, an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team Collier’s parents started since the existing team had a full roster. Before her sophomore year, the Collier family moved to St. Louis for Napheesa’s mother’s job in hospital administration and Napheesa transferred to Incarnate Word Academy for her remaining three years of high school. There she shattered records and gained national recognition as a standout basketball star.
Excerpt from “Going for the Gold” by Christy Marshall
Madrid al atardecer. Photography courtesy of Luxury Gold
A two-week adventure through Spain and Portugal was nothing short of luxurious.
The trip, titled "Spain and Portugal Travel in Style," involved visiting nine cities in two countries over 13 days.
It's not for the faint of heart.
But then again, when Luxury Gold is at the helm, stamina — not bravado, is the key.
Several of the 22 others on this jaunt already knew. One couple was on their fifth Luxury Gold tour. Others had already taken the company's trips to Italy, Croatia, Poland, England, and Scotland. Before we packed our bags to go home, some signed up for a trip to Egypt.
But then again, what's not to love? You travel first class, you stay in five-star hotels, the food is divine, you get private tours of the sites and cities, and every possible detail is handled by the tour concierge.