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Delish on Delmar: Reviving Delmar Boulevard
Local pop-up restaurants and artisan booths lined the streets of the Delmar Maker District as live music played and people of all ages celebrated the revival of Delmar Boulevard for this year’s Delish on Delmar. The festival, held on Friday, Oct. 18, welcomed various food vendors, local boutiques, and musicians from around St. Louis in an effort to showcase the sounds, smells, and tastes that St. Louis has to offer.
Organizers hoped to drive up economic development, promote sustainability, and boost the local arts and food scene.
“It’s really about celebrating the restaurants and getting people to see what is happening along Delmar,” Tonnie Smith, President of Delmar Main Street, said. “There’s so much opportunity for St. Louis to rewrite the story of Delmar, and that’s what we’re working to do.”
The event brought together St. Louis foodies across all ages for a chance to indulge in food from 10 different restaurants (Deli Divine, Soul Burgers, Alpha Brewing Company, Beyond Sweet Kitchen + Bar, Crooked Boot, Too Much Sauce, Steve’s Hot Dogs, Olio, Esca, Florentin, Nixta, and Scoops of Joy), nine of which will be opening up on Delmar Boulevard by the start of 2025.
Cher Williams from Too Much Sauce, a local wing spot showcased at the festival, emphasized the importance of revitalizing Delmar Boulevard.
“The area has been kind of dead the last four years. I’ve been in business since 2020, and it’s been very, very slow around these parts. So I was very excited to be a part of the festival, and it’s a great turnout. So happy to be here,” she said.
In addition to serving up a variety of tasty bites at the restaurant, Too Much Sauce can be enjoyed in a dorm room-friendly style as well. When asked about the best food to keep stashed in miniature freezers, Williams exclaimed, “Wings, wings, and meatless wings, of course!”
Among other popular food booths were Deli Divine’s hot pastrami and smoked salmon melts, pressed to golden brown perfection, and Nixta’s chicken tacos, topped with cabbage slaw and creamy white sauce. Steve’s Hot Dogs had hungry foodies waiting in long lines for the chance to try their special: the St. Louis Style Dog topped with grilled peppers and onions, banana peppers, bacon, provolone, and house-made pepper mustard. Those looking to secure themselves a sweet treat to end the night indulged in fan-favorite butter cake and strawberry shortcake-infused ice cream from Scoops Of Joy.
Along with various food vendors, festival attendees could browse items from a wide selection of local artisan boutiques in the St. Louis area.
“I love doing events like this in areas like this, because I think it brings a lot of people out who might not normally…walk down Delmar or have anything to do in the area,”Steffy Gonzalez, owner of Pretty Okay Candles, said. “Lots of small businesses like me come to events like this. So I think it’s like a win-win for everybody.”
Events like Delish on Delmar hope to leave lasting effects on the surrounding community.
“Commercial corridors, when they thrive, help the neighborhoods that are connected to them, and it makes the whole city more livable and more viable,” Smith said.
According to Smith, the impressive turnout at this year’s Delish on Delmar was an indication of it’s success and has vendors already anticipating next year’s festival.
“The amount of people [and] the diversity of the crowds [will make people want to] come again and so we can be bigger, and even better next year,” Smith said.
Smith described an upcoming, long-term project for those hoping to continue to engage with Delmar Boulevard: “Delmar Main Street is doing a public arts initiative because we’re a strong art town,” Smith said, explaining that
“people [will] naturally come to see all the different murals and the sculptures and things that we have planned for the next few years.”
Whether you are an avid foodie, looking to support local artisans and musicians, or just want to venture out of the WashU bubble, Delmar Boulevard is the perfect place to spend a laid-back Saturday afternoon, especially if you are looking for more events like Delish on Delmar.