On the Cover: Hospitality Begins at Home
Del Bono in the Delmar Maker District.
Photo by Carmen Troesser
Current Issue
Sophisticated Giving Charity Register, Presented by Stifel
A comprehensive guide to non-profit organizations and charitable giving in St. Louis.
Highlights from the September/October 2026 Issue
Remembering John Ferring
Every city has its visionaries. Every city has its philanthropists. And, every so often, a city is fortunate enough to have someone who is both — a person whose influence quietly extends into nearly every corner of civic life, not because they sought recognition, but because they simply believed they could make things better.
For St. Louis, that person was John Ferring.
His sudden passing has left an unmistakable void, not only for his beloved wife, Alison, and theirfamily, but for an entire community that is stronger, healthier, more beautiful and more compassionate because of the life they built together.
Text: Craig Kaminer
Sculpted by Nature
Thomas Wall Designs a Contemporary Retreat Where Architecture, Landscape, and Craftsmanship Become One.
Text: Craig Kaminer
Photo: Alise O’Brien
Cover Story: Hospitality Begins at Home
When Ben Poremba talks about restaurants, he rarely begins with food. Instead, he talks about people. “Food is a catalyst for people to get out of their house and go somewhere,” he tells me as we sit inside Del Bono, the newest addition to his growing collection of restaurants in the Delmar Maker District. “Less and less, we have reasons to gather. You can work from home. You can order everything online. You don’t have to leave your house anymore. Going out to eat is one of the last things we actually do for social reasons.”
It is a deceptively simple observation, but one that explains nearly everything Poremba has built during the past decade. While many restaurateurs talk about concepts, menus and market demographics, Poremba speaks about gathering, belonging and creating places where strangers might eventually become neighbors. Food, in his mind, is the invitation. The real objective is human connection.
That philosophy comes into sharp focus in the Maker’s Yard, where three distinctly different Bengelina Hospitality restaurants — Nixta, Florentin and Del Bono — surround a welcoming outdoor commons
Text: Craig Kaminer
Photo: Carmen Troesser
Art of the Possible
Every serious art collection begins with recognition. You stand before a work of art and something happens before you can explain it: the room changes, your attention sharpens and an object you did notknow you needed feels inevitable. The best collectors trust that response, then study the artist's development, provenance and condition. They learn the difference between something fashionable and something that will keep revealing itself long after fashion moves on.
St. Louis is fertile ground for that kind of looking. The city has produced artists of internationalconsequence, nurtured careers before the wider art world recognized the artist and preservedimportant chapters of American modernism that remain surprisingly accessible. The deeper storyextends beyond our museums into studios, universities, private homes and galleries where artists andcollectors have built relationships for decades. If architecture gives a city its silhouette, art gives it aninterior life.
To understand which St. Louis artists deserve closer attention now, I turned to three gallerists withcomplementary perspectives: William Shearburn, Philip Slein and Tanner Steslow.
Text:: Craig Kaminer
Shown, artist Sarah Giannobile
Edward Boccia’s Long-Awaited Renaissance
Not long ago, pickleball still carried the reputation of being a quirky retirement-community pastime — a recreational diversion associated more with Florida condos than serious athletic culture. That perception no longer exists.
Today, pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the United States, reshaping the recreational, social and even professional sports landscape across the country. Increasingly, St. Louis finds itself not merely participating in the trend, but helping define what the next chapter of racquet sports in America may look like.
Since Sophisticated Living last explored the rise of pickleball in 2022, the sport has exploded in virtually every measurable category. Participation has soared. Facilities have multiplied. Professional leagues have emerged. Younger players have flooded into the game. Developers, hospitality groups and private investors have begun building entire business models around it.
Text: Craig Kaminer
Top Photo: Edward Boccia in his St. Louis Studio, 1960. Courtesy of the Edward E. Boccia Artist Trust, St. Louis
Bottom Photo: Edward E. Boccia, Bird of Paradise, 1982, oil on canvas, 38 x 46 in., Courtesy of Philip Slein Gallery, St. Louis
The Chair That Changed the World Began in St. Louis
Few pieces of furniture are instantly recognizable by name alone. The Eames Lounge Chair is one of them.
For nearly seven decades, its graceful molded wood shell, supple leather cushions and unmistakable silhouette have appeared everywhere — from architect-designed homes and executive offices to Hollywood films and the permanent collection of New York's Museum of Modern Art. Introduced in 1956, the chair has become an enduring symbol of modern design.
Yet what many people don't realize is that one of the world's most celebrated furniture designs traces its origins to St. Louis.
Text: Lou Ann Wilcox
Photo of Drs. Michael Nayak and Charles Nathan: Luke White
Event Calendar,
Presented by Spirit Jets
Happenings of note in September & October
Share your celebrations with us, or let us know what events you want to see featured on our pages by emailing editorSTL@slmag.net.
Sophisticated Celebrations
Presented by
Mind in Bloom: Miriam School Fundraiser
Forest Park Forever Hat Luncheon
Groovy Do Hairspray at the Muny
Rung for Women Drag Me To Brunch
Zoofari
Saint Louis Fashion Week is Back!
Tennessee Williams Pool Party
From the Publisher
Every year, the SOPHI Awards remind me just how much extraordinary creative talent exists in St. Louis. Our city is filled with architects, interior designers, builders, landscape architects, artisans and craftspeople whose work shapes the way we live — often without receiving the recognition it deserves. The SOPHIs were created to change that, and what began as a celebration of exceptional design has grown into one of the most anticipated evenings in our creative community.
This year, the SOPHI Awards will quite literally be in full bloom.
On November 12, we will gather at the Missouri Botanical Garden for the 2026 SOPHI Awards — an evening designed to be as imaginative, beautiful and memorable as the work we are honoring.
Text: Craig Kaminer
Get To Know Us
At Sophisticated Living, we are dedicated and passionate about all the finer things life has to offer. Whether your interests are close to home or in far-flung places, each issue shares highlights of the good life in St. Louis and beyond.
Craig Kaminer, Publisher
A native of New York City, Craig has spent the last 35 years developing award-winning marketing programs for some of the leading consumer/lifestyle brands in the US and St. Louis including The Ritz-Carlton, Tiffany & Co., Marriott, Italian Tourism, Simon Property Group, and Danon. His marketing experience includes senior management positions at Twist, Influence, Weber Shandwick and Fleishman-Hillard.
Craig is an accomplished sailor, art collector, jazz promoter, and frequent traveler to Italy. Craig received his bachelor’s degree in architecture and art history from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and graduate studies in business management at Columbia University. He is married to Debbie and has two sons, Philip and Barrett, who live in Austin and Nashville respectively.
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craig@slmag.net
Christy Marshall, Editor-In-Chief
After earning her masters at the University of Missouri, Christy started her journalism career at Advertising Age, first in Chicago, then as the Southwest Bureau Chief based in Dallas, and finally in Ad Age’s New York office. She lived in Manhattan for the next decade. While there, she ended up working for Adweek and New York Newsday, while also freelancing for a variety of publications including the New York Times, USA Today, Forbes, and Cosmopolitan.
Christy moved back to her hometown of St. Louis to work on the brand-new daily the St. Louis Sun. When it was shuttered after seven months, she joined the U.S. Attorney’s office as the Public Information Officer. While there, she married her husband, Michael Gans, and they adopted their daughter, Katie, from China.
Always a reporter and writer at heart, Christy returned to journalism. First she was Executive Editor at St. Louis Homes & Lifestyles and then spent a decade at St. Louis Magazine as the founding editor of St. Louis At Home (now StL Design) and St. Louis Family. She joined Sophisticated Living in 2014, retired two years later, and then returned to resume her previous post in 2023.
Christy loves to read, cook, travel, play mah jongg with friends, spend time with her family including their Boxers, Buddy and Dot, and at her family’s farm in Grubville, Missouri.