You'll Want to Read Our May/June Issue Cover to Cover

Highlights from the May/June Issue of Sophisticated Living St. Louis

by Grayling Holmes

When Sophisticated Living Publisher Craig Kaminer first showed me the cover of the upcoming May/June issue, all I had to say was, “Wow!” Just looking at the cover communicated the true nature of the pub…that it truly exemplified sophisticated living in 2023.

Decide for yourself when you read your copy either online or by flipping through the printed pages of the slick, glossy one that I can’t wait to get my hands on when it’s hot off the presses next week. It has articles from the local to the global that, as usual, will capture the interest and imagination of any reader who wants to feel pulse of the luxury lifestyle in our multi-faceted world.

Click here and you can be one of the first to preview the upcoming issue.

There you will find intriguing and topical stories like:

Chef, Chocolatier and NOW Cannibis Escoffier — written by Craig Kaminer, photo by Spencer Pernikoff

Article excerpt…

You may know Dave Owens from his times as a chef at Cardwell’s and Terrene, or as the ChiefChocolatier at Bissinger’s, but it may be his role as Director of Culinary at–of all places–ProperCannabis, 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.

Raising a Glass for Good — Eric LeGrand and Brian Axelrod launch Eric LeGrand Kentucky Bourbon, with a portion of the sales benefitting the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation — written by Bridget Williams, photo courtesy of Eric LeGrand Kentucky Bourbon

Article excerpt…

Eric LeGrand launched Team LeGrand in September2013 as a fundraising arm for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, raising nearly $2 million for spinal cord research in the last decade. "We are grateful for Eric's long partnership with the Reeve Foundation and his dedication to carrying forward Christopher Reeve's legacy and dreams for the spinal cord injury community–a world of empty wheelchairs," said Colleen Coppla, Chief of Development at the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. "With a resolute commitment to his passions, Eric has become a leading entrepreneur, and we're thrilled to be able to support and benefit from his ventures. Eric LeGrand Bourbon helps to achieve Eric's goal of getting us to the endzone–cures for spinal cord injury and paralysis–and we couldn't be more excited to be involved." The launch of Eric LeGrand Kentucky Bourbon is Eric's latest entrepreneurial venture, having debuted the clothing brand Shop Fifty Two in 2019, a coffee brand in 2021, and co-founding Knight Society, a Rutgers collective with former Rutgers basketball player Geo Baker in 2022.

Homecoming: Indigo K. Sams takes center stage at COCA written by Courtney Scott, photo by Kelly Pratt of Pratt + Kreidich, courtesy of COCA

Article excerpt…

A new act beganat COCA when Indigo K. Sams took on the role of president and CEO this past February. Indigo’s warm and welcoming demeanor, along with her passion for the arts and the organization, make her a great fit. Sams is just the third person to take on the leading role at COCA, following former Executive Director Kelly Pollock and Founding Executive Director Stephanie Riven.

The Message is the Medium: Anamorphic Sculpture, written by Craig Kaminer, photo courtesy of Carmen Troesser

Article excerpt…

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.

A Dad’s Influence on His Designing Daughter’s Fashions — written by Craig Kaminer, photo courtesy of AUDRA

Article excerpt…

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.

And MUCH more MUST-READ content in this issue…