West End wine merchants enjoy fruit of their labor

 (This is for all my fellow wine drinkers AND wine aficionados. We join so many of our friends on nearly weekly trips to area wineries for food, beverages, live music, and dancing. Here's a story I did from a couple very lengthy, in-person interviews with lots of questions for a spring 1989 West End Word piece. I have no idea how I received all those extra, highly-detailed facts about wines!)

Are wine aficionados born or made? Considering the contrasting backgrounds of two Central West End establishment owners, the answer maybe ‘yes’ to both choices.

Steve Casagrande, co-owner of Bevco Wines and Liquors, 5127 Delmar Blvd., was born into the business.  The 76-year-old father of this 1964 St. Louis University Business graduate still runs his own wine-selling entity in Casagrande’s native Spring Lake, NJ.

“I worked for 20-plus years as a CPA for an international firm,” Casagrande said. “This is my retirement—working 18 hours a day. But I don’t really look at it that way because I’m doing what I enjoy doing.”

Casagrande, who shares ownership with wife Karen, has quite an eclectic background in wine. He has lived near some of the famous European vineyards, collected wines, lectured, judged wines in Missouri and Kentucky, and is an original member of the Augusta (MO) Wine Board.

Meanwhile, John Sappington, co-owner of West end Wines, 309 Belt Ave., Has discovered that his more recently-found love for wines keeps growing with age.

Sappington entered the wine business in 1975, shortly after completing graduate school with a degree in classical studies from Washington University. He says he fell into the field because he needed money and enjoyed tasting wine.

“I was just a consumer who knew very little about wine, but I was always interested in food, cooking, and related things,” said Sappington, who has shared a two-year partnership with fellow Central West End resident Melanie Harvey.

“It seemed interesting enough for a temporary job, but I became even more interested when I learned more about it,” he said. “Now I’m very happy with it because it’s a continual learning process. There’s a tremendous amount of information. It’s a lifetime study.”

Obviously, the greatest fascination surrounding wine is centered around its distinct taste. Physiology is of the utmost importance in that respect. Different areas of the tongue can detect sweetness, sourness, acidity, and astringency.

People swirl the wine glass to aerate or cause heightened activity in the molecules. They then sniff the wine to experience the much higher density of those active molecules.

“My perception is that there’s a lot of ritual to it which seems kind of silly to some,” Sappington said. “Sniffing corks at the table doesn’t tell you anything about wine. But tasting starts with your eyes—evaluating the color and clarity. It proceeds to the nose—the wine’s aroma. People get intimidated by tasting criteria, but it’s really supposed to determine whether you like the wine or not.”

The most important knowledge to be gained from wine sampling is a consistent approach to differentiating preferences for some wines over others.

“All the testing is done to build up your individual taste memories,” Casagrande said. “One way to help you do that is to put a little time into learning terminology. Terms are important as they relate to sensory perceptions. They help you classify taste memories and communicate with others about them.”

Terminology is especially important considering people’s sharply different opinions about what is good or bad wine. Various areas of preference include sweet to dry, heavy to light, and extremely concentrated versus a close to water consistency.

Color is another area of individual preference. It is often dependent upon how the grape is vinified, although red wines are often akin to the color of grapes. Pinot noir grapes are often used in red burgundies, while a Swiss grape called Rote has les color and is used to make lighter wines.

Blush wines, whose name was changed from rose by a group of Californians in 1973, is made from a red grape whose skin was removed earlier in the process than it would be with red wines. Champagne differs from wine in that it goes through as many as three fermentations within the bottle.

Headaches have long been a problem in wine drinking, with 10 to 15 per cent of the population susceptible to them. The cause is the buildup of sulfur dioxide, and the solution is to expose the opened bottle to air for 15 minutes before drinking.

To a lesser extent, the preservative tannin has been known to cause headaches for those drinking young red wines. But a greater concern to vintners is the belief that wine drinking leads to serious alcoholism.

“Alcohol in moderate amounts is actually prescribed to people with high blood pressure,” Casagrande said. “Thomas Jefferson once said, ‘A nation that drinks wine is not a nation of drunkards.’

“You have to realize that wine is food, basically, or at least a natural accompaniment to food. I lived in Italy for three years. They drink about a bottle a day per person. There’s no drunkenness there because they drink wine in moderation with food.”

That brings up another question. What type of wine should be served with various foods? To some, that seems as trite a consideration as the processes some use to sample wines. But there are certain truisms.

“It’s based on certain flavor affinities,” Sappington said. “Certain wines and foods marry so nicely from a chemical standpoint. Red wine and beef is a combination that seems to work better than white wine and beef, while a lot of seafood dishes go better with white.”

Naturally, price is another consideration in choosing a wine. But according to Casagrande, the highest priced wines are not always the best. He refers to a variety of mediocre Missouri white wines which are far more expensive than some good Italian imports. On the other hand, he believes that Missouri’s fruit wines are often better despite their relatively lower cost.

Sappington cited factors other than sheer quality in determining the price of wine.

“It basically boils down to one or two factors,” he said. “First, the cost of producing wine, and second, the ability of the winemaker, or more likely the people between the winemaker and the consumer, to sell it. It will also be based on the wine’s reputation and its demand and supply.”

Additional information on wine may be obtained from “Wine Spectator,” a magazine designed for consumers; Kevin Zraly’s book, “Windows of the World Wine Course,” local wine tasting group called Les Amis du Vin (The Friends of Wine), and various programs through the St. Louis Community Colleges.

Kristoffer Simpson is named new Creve Coeur city administrator

 (Here is my full, unedited, most recent article for West Newsmagazine.)

After the announcement that he was moving on to become the CEO of the Great Rivers Greenway (GRG), the June 23, 2025 Creve Coeur Council meeting ended with Mark Perkins, city administrator for 26 years, beginning a nationwide search for an organization to lead the quest for his own replacement. MGT was that eventual chosen entity.

Fast forward to the Jan. 12, 2026 meeting, and ironically, no one really had to look very far to complete the selection process among some 44 applicants.

Kristoffer Simpson, who is no stranger to Creve Coeur, was unanimously voted into the city administrator position after Mayor Bob Hoffman read the resolution.

                                   (Photo is courtesy of the city of Creve Coeur.)

“It’s my pleasure to present Kris Simpson this evening as my nominee for the position of city administrator for the City Council’s consideration and vote,” Hoffman said. “Kris is a St. Louis native with more than 15 years of municipal government experience and a deep commitment to public service. He currently serves as City Administrator for Crestwood—a role he’s held with distinction for the past 10 years. Prior to that, he worked for Chesterfield and Maryland Heights, building a strong reputation as a thoughtful, collaborative, and result-driven leader.”

Before those achievements, Simpson attended Priory School in Creve Coeur. He then moved on to earn a Bachelor of Ats in Political Science from Loyola University of Maryland and a Masters of Public Policy Administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Hoffman added that, “Kris is a credential manager through the International City/County Management Association, reflecting his dedication to the highest professional standards in local government.”

The highlight of Simpson’s recent accomplishments was leading a significant financial turnaround that nearly doubled Crestwood’s General Fund reserves, which resulted in a major boost to a AAA credit rating. Other accomplishments noted in an official Creve Coeur report was Simpson’s ‘guiding the redevelopment of a 47-acre former mall site into a vibrant mixed-use community, leading a $33 million bond initiative to fund a community center construction project, and implementing strategic technology investments to enhance city services.’

In addition to all that, Simpson serves on the Board of the St. Louis Area City/County Management Association, the St. Louis Area Insurance Trust, the Missouri Municipal League, and several other professional municipal organizations.

In a previous statement to the city staff, Simpson said, “I am honored to serve as Creve Coeur’s next city administrator. This city has a highly engaged community, a talented staff and leadership team, and exciting projects underway. I look forward to working with the Mayor, City Council, staff, residents, and local partners to build on the city’s strong foundation and achieve its long-term goals.”

Hoffman ended his resolution speech by thanking Council President Mark Manlin (Ward 1), members of the City Council, City Attorney Carl Lumley, and Interim City Administrator Sharon Stott for all their hard work in the process.

“The selection of a city administrator is one of the most consequential decisions we will make for the future of our community,” he said. “Based on where Creve Coeur is today and where we want to be in the foreseeable future, I firmly believe Kris Simpson is the right leader at the right time to serve our city.”

Simpson will officially begin his duties as Creve Coeur city administrator on Feb. 17.

 

Creve Coeur approves changes allowing more oversight on data center proposals

 (Closing 2025 with a very hot topic article I did for a December West Newsmagazine issue.)

A bill changing the classification for facilities hosting or processing data from permitted to conditional passed unanimously at the Dec. 8 Creve Coeur City Council meeting.

The council and staff had discussed the measure, concerns about data centers and how such developments will factor into emerging technologies at the council’s Nov. 24 meeting.

“Data centers have been a hot topic in the region,” Director of Community Development Jason Jaggi said on Nov. 24. “Lately, a lot of proposals have generated a lot of public interest such as in the city of St. Charles and the city of St. Louis next to the Armory, which have been two of the more high-profile projects.”

Recently the Festus City Council voted in favor of annexing land to build a 240-acre data center.

Jaggi said Creve Coeur has had a good number of discussions regarding how it would treat data centers, which are currently classified under data processing, hosting and related services by the North American Industry Classification System.

“Those would be permitted uses right now,” Jaggi said. “As permitted uses, they wouldn’t be subjected to any sort of review in how they operate and what potential impacts they may generate. They would just be permitted by an occupancy permit, inspections and any permits needed to fill the space.

“What we’re proposing is to change the categorization of this use – which isn’t exclusive to data centers, but it includes them – from permitted uses in the planned office, research office, planned commercial, central or core business and light industrial districts (to conditional uses).” 

Residents attending the Aug. 22 special meeting where the vote for the St. Charles City data center moratorium was taken. (Jessica Marie Baumgartner photo)

Jaggi said those account for the majority of Creve Coeur’s commercial districts. This change means a proposed facility under that classification would require a review by the Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) as well as the council. 

“Any sort of impact or issues that may arise for a data center application, we would be able to understand how that specific use would be operated, and there would be the ability by the city to place restrictions in terms of mitigating the impacts that data center applications might pose,” Jaggi said. 

Council member Mara Berry (Ward 4) noted common concerns about data centers are the potentially large usage of both water and electricity at the Nov. 24 council meeting. She asked if, during a data center application, a business would be able to note how much water, electricity and noise disturbance would be required. 

“They would be able to provide that information and also give us the ability to check in with the utility provider if we felt the need to determine if there is capacity even though we don’t regulate that directly,” Jaggi said. “But that’s the information we can obtain.”

However, Jaggi said the importance of data centers should not be underestimated, and that they are the backbone of many new emerging technologies. 

“They provide data power or data storage, and they also power AI,” Jaggi said. “A lot of the growth we’re seeing now is that you need these data centers to power the artificial intelligence places we’re seeing all over. They also have the ability to mine crypto currency.”

Jaggi noted that there is a wide range of data center sizes. The facility that had been proposed, then withdrawn, in St. Charles was a 400-acre site referred to as a hyperscale center.

“I don’t know if we have the land for something like that in Creve Coeur,” he said. “But we certainly have some vacant properties in our L.I. (Light Industrial) area that could potentially serve one.”

Council member Drew Newman (Ward 3) said at the Nov. 24 council meeting that as someone who works in tech, he appreciates the need for data centers, but said he “would be hesitant if it was to support crypto currency. 

“I think that’s a tremendous waste of resources,” he said.

Wayne Kaufman named 2025 Creve Coeur Citizen of the Year

(On Dec. 5, I was sent some details on the 2025 Creve Coeur Citizen of the Year for a West Newsmagazine story. I immediately thought of questions to ask, then left a message with the Kaufman Fund. Wayne Kaufman called me the very next morning, I conducted the interview, transcribed my notes, then attended one of his organization's events the very next day. I spoke to nearly 10 people and took a dozen photos. From there, I made a brief stop at the closed office for a couple more pics, then wrote the story and sent it to my editor with six photo choices. Here is the story as I submitted it on Dec. 7. The first pic is from the city of Creve Coeur with the mayor. The rest are mine.)

A formal annual event was held on Dec. 2 at the Creve Coeur Government Center to honor the city’s 2025 Citizen of the Year.

"Wayne Kaufman has dedicated his life to supporting veterans and their families, ensuring they have access to the care and resources they deserve," said Mayor Bob Hoffman. "Through the nonprofit he founded over three decades ago, he has touched countless lives in meaningful, far-reaching ways."

Hoffman was referring to the Kaufman Fund that serves military veterans in a multitude of ways.

“I started it in 1990 in memory of my brother Ralph who was an Air Force veteran for four years. He was about 12 years older than me, so he was like a father and a mentor,” Kaufman said.

“When I got out of the Army in 1971, I went to work for him (mostly in the home improvement industry) until 1990 when he passed away. He was a very well-liked, generous guy who did a lot of volunteer work. He helped a lot of people in general; not just veterans, but also children. He was on many committees and boards. I picked up all that from him as I was growing up. So, when he passed, me being a Vietnam veteran and he being an Air Force veteran, I wanted to remember him. So, I started the Kaufman Fund in 1990 in his memory.”

Kaufman added that it was a 100% volunteer organization with no official employees until 2023. Throughout those years, everyone worked from their homes on laptop computers and cell phones.

They would also meet from time to time when businesses would allow free use of their office space. But that was totally sporadic. It led to purchasing a building at 10131 Old Olive Street Road in the northeastern section of Creve Coeur.

“Back in 2023 is when I first hired an Executive Director. Her name is Shelia Schneider. She’s a military wife, spouse, and she used to work at St. Patrick’s Center. She’s very familiar with the military, veterans, and families. She’s really come in and opened up a patio door so to speak on everything else that we’re doing. So, now we have a couple of employees, I’m still blessed with over 100 volunteers, and a building that’s our first real home.

“Every program we have started with a phone call from a veteran saying, ‘Hey! Can you help me over the Christmas holidays?’ That’s how the free trees started. Then I got a call from a veteran saying ‘Do you guys do dental? I need dental care.’ So, I started with one dentist friend of mine. Now we have over 20 dentists, and we’re partnered with the dental school here in St. Louis, one at SIU, and we give free dental care.”

Kaufman added that he had an impoverished veteran call years ago requesting for divorce help. That has led to a collection of 150 lawyers helping veterans.

Since mental health issues have become a major societal issue, the Kaufman Fund now has a mental health collaborative program with about 10-12 therapists for veterans and their families. They also have a chiropractic program with about 27 different chiropractic offices around the St. Louis area giving free chiropractic help.

Starting in March, there will be free tax prep of veterans through Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) organizations.

“One of the really nice things we do every other month is give free groceries to veterans in different locations throughout St. Louis. Our last one was at the VFW Post 3944 on Midland in Overland. We budgeted for 150 veteran families to come and pick up groceries, but we kept getting calls and calls and calls. Shelia said, ‘We don’t have more budget.’ I said, ‘I don’t care. We’ve got to make it work. We got to take care of these veterans.’ So, we ended up with 210 families that came through to get free groceries.

“Right now, our #1 goal is to get the Kaufman Fund name out to the public because the more people who know of us, the more veterans and their families we’ll be able to help.”

A recent annual Trees for Vets event, coincidentally held on Pearl Harbor Day, is a perfect example of Kaufman’s hands-on work desire.

Held from noon to 4 pm at the Manchester branch of Enterprise Bank, Kaufman was there to greet the driver and family members of every vehicle that entered the route behind the bank.                                       

    Wayne greeting visitors and with Deanna Pfaff, Senior VP of the Enterprise Bank locations.

During the event, each family was offered a free Christmas tree that was loaded onto their pickup truck or like-sized vehicle. They also received a free $50 On the Run gas card, a turkey voucher, sweatshirts and clothes, hot dogs, Cane’s chicken, and the cupcake lady with coffee, and hot chocolate, too. Their children received brand new backpacks with school supplies.

In addition to dozens of volunteers on hand, there was Wayne’s daughter Cindy Oberkirsch plus Creve Coeur Council member Nicole Greer (Ward 2) and daughter Sydni. CHAMP Assistance Dogs educational department member Bobbie Wieman was there with her Weimaraner named Opal. And no one can forget one of the organization’s Advisory Board members, Cardinals Hall of Fame pitching great Al Hrabosky, and a Victorian Santa Claus.

 

The organization’s site, https://www.thekaufmanfund.org/, features about 20 relatively brief videos explaining precisely what the organization does. 

   

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill is heading to Creve Coeur

 (Here is the second restaurant piece for recent West Newsmagazine publications.)

Lately, nearly all the attention of the far eastern corridor of Creve Coeur has gone to the Olia Village and Centennial Greenway projects. But a different success story was added to the mix on Oct. 27.

The City Council unanimously approved a Conditional Use Permit granting a Firebirds Wood Fired Grill location at 10590 Old Olive Street Road in the Creve Coeur Pavilion Shopping Center.

The 6,285-square foot, full-service restaurant with indoor seating for 183, will also feature patio dining. Offerings include wood-fired seafood and steaks plus beer, wine, and cocktails. It will replace the California Pizza Kitchen which had been vacant for roughly two years in the general commercial zoned site.

Per an inquiry from council member Donna Spence (Ward 1), Director of Community Development Jason Jaggi noted that the gas-powered, wood-fired grills will be located within an enclosed area in the front of the building within the covered patio. He added that they will also be considered a decorative element.

No opening date was mentioned, but hours of operation will be Sunday from 10 am to 10 pm, Monday-Thursday 11 am to 10 pm, Friday from 11 am to 11 pm, and Saturday from 10 am to 11 pm.

The first Firebirds Wood Fired Grill location opened in Charlotte, NC in 2000. There are currently about 60 in the country, including the first Missouri one at 1501 Beale Street in St. Charles, which opened back in Sept. 2016.

Shibam Coffee is set to bring a true taste of Yemen to the city of Ballwin

 (This is the first of two new restaurant pieces I wrote for West Newsmagazine within the past month or so.)

On Oct. 13, the Ballwin Board unanimously passed legislation for Shibam Coffee to move into the address of 15256 Manchester Road in the C-1 Commercial District. According to City Planner Lynn Sprick, that 5,000 square foot site was occupied by Advance Auto Parts from Oct. 2016-March 2020. 

This Saint Louis location of Shibam will serve as the headquarters, the flagship store, product development center, operations management base, and training facility for what petitioner Omar Abdel Baset sees as a rapid expansion across Missouri over the next 3 to 5 years.

What’s uber interesting about the name ‘Shibam’ is that it refers to an historical city in Yemen. With some 7,000 inhabitants, Shibam is not only recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its mudbrick skyscrapers and other unique architectural buildings, but it’s also often called ‘The Manhattan of the Desert!’

And Shibam’s mission statement reflects the culture of its background. They strive to ‘bring the authentic flavors of Yemeni coffee and Middle Eastern-inspired drinks to Missouri, blending tradition with a modern café experience in a warm, welcoming space.’

Some of the site’s featured items will be a wide variety of signature Yemen drinks including coffees, teas, Espressos, specialty drinks, sandwiches, wraps, pastries and other desserts, both imported and locally made.

The 100-seat capacity site will also feature Yemeni-inspired interior design that includes communal tables.

No opening date has yet been disclosed as the owners are currently working on building permits. But once it does open, it will do so from 7 a.m. to midnight daily, starting with a Grand Opening offering free tasting samples.

There will also be seasonal drink launches, sponsorship of cultural festivals and events plus the site’s own cultural event tie-ins.

Circle of Concern is ready to help for Thanksgiving Day and beyond

(I was given this assignment Friday afternoon, Oct. 24. I instantly thought of questions, contacted Circle of Concern the next day for the interview, a call for photos, then did my note transcribing. I wrote the article on Oct. 26.  It appeared online the next day for West Newsmagazine!)

Back in March 1967, Circle of Concern was born into what was still considered an emerging swath of West St. Louis County.

Just like that region itself, what was formerly known as a food pantry has also grown exponentially over the past six decades into a prime social services agency. Circle of Concern has become more like a vastly-enlarged, three-dimensional sphere.

“It started with a group of church leaders who decided they wanted to help people in need,” Communications and Development Manager Tim Elwell said. “Since then, we’ve been providing a lot more services in our area trying to make a big difference in people’s lives.”

The organization serves those in need in the Parkway, Rockwood, Kirkwood, and Valley Park school districts as well as residents in the 63026 and 63049 zip codes. (https://www.circleofconcern.org/contact/)

“We live in an area that just keeps growing with new developments happening all the time whether subdivisions or businesses going up. A lot of people think that out this way, you don’t need much need for a food pantry, but in reality, there’s a lot of people struggling who need assistance and those resources just to get by. It’s unfortunate that we’ve seen an increase in the number of people who have come to see us, but we’ve definitely found a way to serve them and be able to offer assistance.”

Circle of Concern used to merely pack paper bags and get things to people as they needed. But over time, they learned to fine-tune their service. They were able to add a client choice model for which they could give the clients the opportunity to pick what they need, and there’s no waste involved because they’re actually going to be eating those products.

“One of those ways of giving some dignity back to our clients is that we are a client choice food pantry which means we have our clients come through and shop just like they would at a normal grocery store, and they’re able to pick things off the shelves, review the ingredients, look at the produce, see if they like it to actually be able to use a lot of that stuff.”

Elwell added that the organization gets a great deal of help from more than 200 volunteers from all age groups 18 and older who work on a daily basis. They stock shelves, unload boxes into the warehouse, meet with and shop with clients.

Although the organization’s mission is not associated with any individual church or specific religious organization, Elwell emphasized Circle of Concern’s strong partnership with area churches Fellowship of Wildwood, Living Word, Parkway United Church of Christ, St. John United Church of Christ, Trinity Lutheran, and Bethel United Methodist. They help assemble and donate items.

“Since we’ve been around that long, we’ve learned to be able to help our clients—people in need—with the thought of doing that the best we can. Our motto is ‘Feeding Families is Just the Beginning.’ So, the food pantries are our core program, but we’ve learned to offer other things like children’s programs, holiday programs, summer camp opportunities, back-to-school campaigns. So, we’ve really expanded to offer outside the food pantries, ways to help clients.”

A terrific recent example was Circle of Concern’s Harvest Moon Trivia Night, held on October 10.  They raised their greatest amount on record--$23,000, with all proceeds earmarked to directly benefit their pantry and client programs.

Just 10 days later, the organization embarked on yet another major event. It’s their Thanksgiving Box program that comes from the idea of sitting around the table and having a traditional American Thanksgiving meal.

“What we decided to do was have some of our church partners help us with this because they wanted to make sure that a lot of our clients had a Thanksgiving meal. Our church partners help assemble and distribute boxes of seasonal foods that includes canned pumpkin, cranberry sauce, vegetable broth, instant mashed potatoes and stuff like that. It gives our clients a chance to gather with family and have an extra meal on us. In addition to all that, we also offer a $30 Aldi gift card to them to pick up anything else that they need during that holiday time. This year, that Thanksgiving program runs approximately from October 20 to November 17 or so.”

That said, donations are still much needed over the next couple weeks so clients have the items ready to bake for their family events. Per the Circle of Concern website, those items include ‘flour, sugar, vegetable oil, shortening, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract (and almond or mint), chocolate chips, cinnamon and baking mixes.’

Items can be taken to Circle of Concern’s warehouse at 112 St. Louis Avenue in Valley Park during these days and hours: Monday 9am-3pm, Tuesday 9am-3pm, Wednesday 9am-6:30pm, Thursday 9am-noon, Friday 9am-3pm, and Saturday 9am-1pm. Their phone number is 636-861-2623.

“When clients arrive here, they do need to be eligible. Some requirements are you need to live in our service area and make a certain financial amount to qualify with the federal poverty level. We offer 200% of the federal poverty levels. (https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/dd73d4f00d8a819d10b2fdb70d254f7b/detailed-guidelines-2025.pdf) Once they come here, they’re able to meet with our case worker, talk about their situation, see what we can do, then they head over to the pantry. That’s where they would pick up their Thanksgiving Box along with their gift card. Then, they would walk through our pantry, get that full load of groceries, and be able to go on their way.

“We never want to turn anyone away. So, if someone comes to us and they’re in need, we do offer one-time assistance, and they’re able to get some groceries from us to at least have something to go away with. We also serve the unhoused population. We want to be able to offer them some items as well. If someone comes to us with that need, we’re able to fill that gap, too.”