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W
HEN HOTELIER TIM DIXON was
in the early stages of plan-
ning The Last Hotel, open-
ing June 28 in the former
International Shoe Company building
downtown, Evy Swoboda was his culi-
nary ambassador, revealing St. Louis’
neighborhoods and culture through
its restaurants. She became the hotel’s
executive chef and could easily moon-
light as its spokeswoman. —G.M.
I'm sure you’ll get this question a lot:
What’s the story behind the name of The
Last Hotel? The hotel and restaurant
are in the old International Shoe Com-
pany building, and a last is a tool—the
mold used to provide shape and solid-
ity. But the name works because, just
like a shoe, a lot of components come
together to make a hotel work. We’re
creating an experience from something
most people never knew existed.How does St. Louis fill all the new hotel
rooms? Starting with the renovation of
the Arch grounds, St. Louis has experi-
enced billions of dollars in local invest-
ment. Out-of-town developers see the
local commitments—the NGA project,
City Foundry, the success of Cortex and
St. Louis attracting more tech in gen-
eral—which attracts their investment.
They’ve seen other cities turn the cor-
ner, and I’ve been told that St. Louis
is next, that it only makes sense that
a city with more history, more appeal,
and more stock available for rehab proj-
ects should be next.Can you share the hotel’s various food and
beverage concepts? We thought long and
hard how to name them, but in the end,
we thought it’s the facility you remem-
ber, not the specific name of the restau-
rant, as in, “Let’s go to The Last.” So we
named them The Last Kitchen, The Last
Pantry, and The Last Rooftop. [Laughs.]
It was a natural three-month decision.Talk about The Last Pantry. It flanks the
main hallway and includes a show cooler
and retail space where guests can pick
up everything from hotel swag and hot
sauce to the house rye whiskey from
StilL 630. Everything that we make in
house can be taken home with guests.How about The Last Kitchen? The din-
ner menu revolves around our in-house
butcher, so we’ll have different cuts of
meats on different days cooked on a live-
fire grill. The bar has a separate tavern
menu with sandwiches, wood-fired piz-
zas, fresh pasta, and sharable snacks.
Then there’s the brunch menu. In the
end, it’s a “Say yes” kitchen—a guest can
get any item off any menu in any part of
the facility, and food and drink guests
get free valet parking for two hours.You’ve said dining at The Last is experien-
tial. What does that mean? Many different
dining experiences are possible. There’s
a private table for four on a mezzanine.
The tables in front of the kitchen can
be used for special dinners or tastings.
The bartenders come out from behind
the bar to tend to the bar tables, a nod