south city | Denizens of the Gateway City like their breakfast all day and all of the night, like the Kinks sang in the early 1960s (probably about love, not the love of breakfast). But the legendary Uncle Bill’s Pancake House, open 24 hours back in the day, closed in October when the owner retired. When news broke of the iconic joint’s impending doom, the wait to get in was intolerable. But a local real-estate company run by people proud to call themselves hoosiers—no, not anyone born and raised in Indiana; that moniker starts with a capital ‘H.’ They’re hoosiers from south city, and hoosiers can be found mostly anywhere south of I-44 and throughout southwestern Illinois: IYKYK. Garcia Properties plans to revive the restaurant and bring it back better than ever by late summer or early fall. They’ve already done it once: With his brother Berto, Ivan Garcia opened The Golden Hoosier bar and grill a stone’s throw north of Uncle Bill’s on Kingshighway. Ivan and Jenifer Garcia founded the company in 1999 with a sharp community focus. But the firm hadn’t ventured into a restaurant project until a BBQ restaurant vacated their building in the 3700 block of Kingshighway. Ivan Garcia notes Uncle Bill’s kitchen needs some serious TLC, and they’ll tweak the menu just a little with some surprises. Though the timing isn’t ideal, as Garcia has plenty of irons in the fire already, they didn’t want somebody to swoop in, demolish the sorta-Tyrolean building and put something stupid in its place. Garcia has pride in what they call the Crown District, thus has been trying to prevent the spread of shady businesses like paycheck-cashing places. Uncle Bill’s is but one beloved breakfast-centric eatery in the metro that’s been revived under new ownership, to wit: Spencer’s Grill in Kirkwood, which closed in June 2024, was resurrected by November. It may be the only place in town with scrapple on the menu. First Watch cafés, serving breakfast, lunch and brunch, are spreading like dandelions. But they close in the early afternoon. Anyone hankering for a full breakfast in the wee hours can still flip a three-sided coin for Waffle House, Denny’s or IHOP.
ladue
A modern-day Jackie Robinson in tap shoes, renowned hoofer Jennifer Jones will detail her journey to one of the world’s most celebrated dance troupes in discussing her poignant and painful memoir that goes behind the velvet curtains at Radio City’s legendary holiday show. In a presentation of her book at our County Library—Becoming Spectacular: The Rhythm of Resilience from America’s First African American Rockette—Jones will appear Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Clark Family Branch. The Rockettes are as American as baseball, apple pie and the Fourth of July. Their synchronized leg kicks, precise lines and megawatt smiles have charmed audiences for a century. But when the Rockettes began in 1925, Black people were not allowed to dance on stage with white. That was one of the remarkable changes realized during the Civil Rights Movement: Black and white dancers were permitted to perform together, a moment of progress and inclusivity in the world of dance and entertainment. Even so, as late as the early 1980s, Rockettes director Violet Holmes remarked that having “one or two Black girls in the line would definitely distract.” So, it wasn’t until 1987 that Jones broke the 63-year color barrier at Radio City, although she was still met with a fierce resistance that she details in this intimate and ultimately inspiring memoir. Visit slcl.org/events. Books will be available for purchase and the author to sign.
city museum
Anyone who ‘got’ Pulitzer-prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance probably saw the underlying message that Black history is U.S. history. Curators and staff seem to ‘get’ that at our weird and wonderful City Museum downtown: “Blessed by the Ancestors,” celebrating Black artists from St. Louis, is open there through April 30 in celebration of Black History Month—and beyond. Curated by artist Brock Seals, this collection includes paintings, sculptures, mixed-media pieces and other forms of visual art that reflect artists’ personal perspectives and experiences. Visitors can expect a vibrant tapestry of storytelling through art, each piece contributing to a larger narrative that pays homage to the ancestry that has shaped and inspired the creators. The exhibition is included with admission. What’s more, on Feb. 25 from 5 to 9 p.m., for a nominal extra charge you’ll be able not only to see art, but to make some! Visitors will be able to join in on repainting the spinning posts that serve as banister supports at select spots throughout the museum; now vertical, the spindles used to be the horizontal rollers for conveyor belts that operated in the one-time industrial space. To give the spindles some vibrant TLC, the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RAC) has recruited local artists, and guests 21 and older are invited to participate. Art supplies are provided. A portion of the proceeds will go to support the RAC. City Museum, housed in a former International Shoe Co. factory and warehouse, is an ever-evolving, artist-built playground full of uniquely odd spaces to explore. The museum is at 750 N. 16th St. (63103). Visit citymuseum.org for more details.
notable neighbors
brentwood
Not much older than 4, she knows exactly what a golf scorecard is for. Why, it’s another flat paper surface for coloring and scribbling. Margaret Heitmann hasn’t really started trying to play the game—but her father, Tim Heitmann, was swinging clubs right around age 3 and a half. Tim and his wife, Julie, are both avid golfers, and golf is Tim’s career. He wasn’t on the golf team at De Smet nor at Xavier University. And he’s not a club pro nor is he on the tour. He has a business focus, an entrepreneurial bent. He works full-time on the tournament circuit, making sure that all the i’s are dotted and t’s crossed before and during a particular event. Heitmann’s responsible for a team of six and about 60 vendors, from companies that install scaffolding, hospitality tents and bleachers to firms that provide telco services and plenty of bottled water. As a director of operations for HNS Sports Group, he’s where the buck stops on the golf course. And, for much of the time, off the course as well. Because if the devil is in the details, golf tournaments are detail-intensive. Sometimes it’s only a little devil: Is there anything that shouldn’t be in the camera shot? Oops; the bathroom just inside the frame. Occasionally the devil arrives with his entire hellish host, it rains—hard—for a few days, and it’s muddy nearly everywhere. Mostly, however, it’s just another detail, and they just keep coming. “It’s putting out a lot of fires,” says Heitmann, who’s been doing this for almost 13 years now. Here’s a guy who absolutely thrives in his work environment. “I’m fortunate to be able to call this a job!” he exclaims. And it’s anything but 9 to 5. For instance, when we sat down to chat, Julie was a few days away from having their third child—Tommy, we learned during an email thread, joined Margaret and Patrick (1 and a half) on Feb. 11. Follow-up questions and clarifications continued for almost a week after our interview. Suffice it to say, when most everyone has left the course and hung up their cleats or attendance badge lanyard, Heitmann is still ‘on the clock,’ but he’s doing something he truly enjoys. In a word: Hospitality. What should the golfers, older pros or collegiate players, do for entertainment when they aren’t on the links? Maybe there are new restaurants or attractions near the course, be it in Santa Cruz, California; at Pebble Beach, in Monterey; St. Andrews in Scotland; or Norwood Hills in north St. Louis County. Maybe the Cardinals are in town—they’ve been known to play Major League Baseball a lot of the time. At present, Heitmann and crew have been gearing up for the 2025 Stifel Charity Classic, presented by Compliance Solutions Inc., in September at Norwood Hills: PGA Tour champions, that is, golfers over 50 who made the cut years ago. “They’ve made their money,” Heitmann says. “They fist-bump and high-five each other down the course.” Since its 2020 inception, the charity tournament has donated more than $3.4 million to organizations in north county and beyond. It’s a big deal. “Yes, it’s long hours and high stress,” Heitmann admits. “But it’s a golf tournament. Have fun!” Visit hnssports.com and stifelcharityclassic.com.
