St. Louis: 250 Years, 250+ Cakes. Here we go....: #68: Soulard Restoration Group

Thursday, June 26, 2014

#68: Soulard Restoration Group

Since this cake pretty much represents Soulard as a whole, I think I'll share the history of this legendary neighborhood area in St. Louis.

Soulard is the oldest surviving residential community in St. Louis.
Named after Antoine Soulard, who was a surveyor for the Spanish government (which ruled St. Louis in the late 18th century), and was a refugee from the French revolution.
The land was developed by Soulard, where he started the Soulard Market, which of course still stands.
Today, the Soulard neighborhood hosts several events, most notably Oktoberfest, and oh yeah, Mardi Gras!
The neighborhood consists of several bars, restaurants, residential areas, and the North American headquarters of Anheuser-Busch. Bar and pub crawls are often hosted here.

St. Louis is known to be the second Mardi Gras capital in America, after of course, New Orleans. This is possibly due to its French heritage, or maybe its relations with the Mississippi River, who knows! Nonetheless, tens of thousands of St. Louisans love to party and celebrate in the (often) cold and chilly weather with beads and Cajun/Creole food!

The Soulard Restoration Group has existed since 1972, and has always welcomed members and volunteers. With the help of volunteers, fences have been built, planted trees, painted places and built parks. The group meets every month. Soulard continues to thrive with its special events with many thanks to this group.

The cake, of course has a Mardi Gras theme. Rich Brooks made sure this was 'family-friendly' as some parts of Mardi Gras have adult-themed nature. Rich believes Soulard is a great place to live and be aspired. (He regularly does art shows and displays his work at the Soulard Art Market (SAM).)