More from Game Changer Joe Edwards

In our April cover story, senior staff writer Ligaya Figueras spoke with 11 visionaries who have altered St. Louis' culinary scene. They told us their experience in their own words. All month long, we'll be revealing the parts of the interview with these men and women that you didn't see, along with their favorite recipes, right here in Extra Sauce. And now, more from Game Changer Joe Edwards. The Delmar Loop had been in great decline. It was a really nice high-fashion shopping and restaurant district based along the streetcar system. Little by little, as America began to prosper, the high-end shops started moving to the malls. In the 1960s, America changed dramatically. There was great white flight. A lot of open-minded and tolerant people stayed and moved in. The result is the way America could be. Diversity became a strength of The Loop. The Loop has more variety of cuisine than any other area of St. Louis. It’s great to have different levels of cuisine and variety of cuisine in one area. If you want casual fine dining you go to Eclipse. Pin-Up Bowl: I wanted to create a really good martini bar that just happened to have bowling. It was different in the country at that time and it worked. Eventually, as the 6000 and 6100 blocks [of Delmar] get stable, the East Loop will be the 5800 and 5900 blocks. That’s what the trolley is going to help solve. The Howdy Doody collection, The Simpsons collection and the jukebox collection – I love those. People think of Blueberry Hill a lot of times as an upscale bar-food place. It’s so beyond that. We’re known most for hamburgers, but trout almondine is one of the favorite dishes. For decades we’ve had vegetarian dishes. The red beans and rice is probably the most popular dish in the vegetarian section. I love the broad selection on Blueberry Hill’s menu. There is something on the menu for everybody. I just added goat cheese this year. That was the first change in 20 years as far as an additional selection for the hamburger. I’m shocked at the volume that comes out. I don’t know how they are getting all these dishes out. One day, I counted 250, perhaps 300 people. For our staff to be able to serve all those people, I’m in awe. The beer selection early in Blueberry Hill was a key. They wouldn’t give us a liquor license in the beginning. For the first six months, it was only 3.2 percent beer. Then finally, a 5 percent license! “Real” beer! I’ve always believed in fresh beer. There are 18 beers on draft. I won’t add a tap unless I know we can go through at least a half barrel a week on each brand to make sure we are supplying fresh beer to people. For a recipe of one of Edwards' favorite dishes, click here.