Joe Edwards hardly needs any introduction. If you haven’t yet heard of the local business magnate, or visited his flagship restaurant Blueberry Hill—a St. Louis staple by any stretch of the imagination—you may need your head examined. ELEVEN quickly caught up with Joe to find out about his latest projects, and more importantly, learn how he likes his burger cooked.
We know in Blueberry Hill there’s hundreds of photos of you with celebrities you’ve met. Who’ve you enjoyed meeting the most?
Joe Edwards:
It’s hard to say one person; I’ve enjoyed meeting so many of them. The ones that surprised me that I’ve met…if you asked me years ago if I’d meet a President of the US I’d have said “I Doubt it!” and now, I’ve met three of them—Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Jimmy Carter—and even the chief justice of the US had dinner at Blueberry Hill one time…those are the unexpected ones. Many, many movie stars have been wonderful to meet, from Clint Eastwood to Chuck Berry to Paul McCartney to Andre 3000.
Anyone you’re still hoping to meet someday?
Joe:
Oh, I’d love to meet a bunch of people, still. Gwen Stefani and Lady Gaga would be two of them.
That’d be a lot of fun. Tell us about the latest with the Trolley Project.
Joe:
I’m very excited about the Loop Trolley project. It’s going to be up and running in approximately two years, in the summer or fall of 2012. The federal transit administration just awarded almost a 25M grant for the project, which is huge—over 60 cities were competing for the grant and only five of them got it, and I’m pretty thrilled that St. Louis is one of those five. And it’ll mean so much to the St Louis community in general…not just the Loop. It does [a few] main things: by having a fixed-track vintage trolley system in the area, there’s clean electric transit right away, it spurs economic development, it increases tourism, possibly tips a few more conventions our way, [and] in connecting the Loop to Forest Park attractions it improves neighborhood stability greatly. It’s a win-win project for St Louis and for the residents and merchants in the area.
So once that’s here in two years…you think anything’s still missing?
Joe:
Well, I’d love to see a really good grocery store with fresh produce, and home baked bread and everything in the Loop, and I think a lot of people would. There aren’t many pieces to the puzzle missing.
Out of everything you’ve done, what’s been your favorite achievement thus far? Can you pick one?
Joe:
I think the overall revitalization of the Loop—to reclaim an urban street and see it thrive again with unique owner-operated business has been a thrill. It’s been exciting. Having the Delmar Loop designated as one of the 10 greatest streets in America by the American planning association was a great honor.
What’s a new, non-Joe Edwards business or project that caught your eye recently?
Joe:
I think the fact that there are a couple of groups studying how to better join downtown with the archgrounds better, I’m really excited about that. I think that’s going to mean a lot for St. Louis. I’m looking forward to seeing what plan is picked this fall, and see what the design is. That’s pretty exciting. Or that interests me. I probably used the word ‘exciting’ too much already. (laughs)
What’s been your favorite concert experience?
Joe:
Favorite concert experience I think [would be] the legendary concert series that Chuck Berry performs at Blueberry Hill once a month. I mean, people come from the Netherlands, and Japan, and the UK to see him. That’s wonderful. When Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings played in the Duck Room, that was one of the hottest, sweatiest, most exciting concerts in a decade, I mean, that was really, really fun. The whole audience was exhausted afterwards; they really participated in that concert by being so free, and open, and dancing, and singing…
So Chuck Berry’s your favorite artist, too, or is there someone else that gets more playtime?
Joe:
Well, I love listening to Chuck Berry and I love watching him. He intuitively choreographed the first rock and roll stage shows by moving around the stage, by playing the guitar over his head, behind his back, by creating the Duck Walk, that musicians do on their own now. I love to watch him interact with a crowd, he really does a great job of sizing up a crowd.
How do you approach a new project? What’s your mindset?
Joe:
I try to go about things in a practical way as possible, and by observing and digesting information about the project, “would it work in this area? What area would it work in?” Just try to make few mistakes or no mistakes is the goal. So far things have worked uot pretty well.
Maybe the most important question: How do you like your burger?
Joe:
I like my burger with soft-spread cheddar cheese on it, and tomato, served medium or medium well.
Is that a menu item at Blueberry Hill?
Joe:
It is! I’m a strong proponent of the three B diet: Breakfast, Burgers, and Bourbon. That’s my daily routine.
