Baltimore Man's Second Time in St. Louis Was the Charm

Kreskin J. Torres, who's spent 7 years driving cross-country, said St. Louis now ranks highly

Jun 5, 2023 at 8:08 am

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COURTESY PHOTO

Kreskin J. Torres has been driving across the country sampling local food for seven years.

Kreskin J. Torres has 395,139 miles on his 2012 Honda Accord. The reason? He has spent the last seven years driving across the country trying local food, meeting people and driving for rideshare services. Along the way he's visited Indian reservations, eaten chili and cinnamon rolls (his favorite dish), couch surfed and tried his first green bean casserole. (His favorite place so far? Mississippi, specifically Jackson.) The 35-year-old Baltimore native is currently in St. Louis for the second time and says the city is far livelier than the last time he visited — during the pandemic.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How was it when you first came to St. Louis in 2020?

It was terrible. I had a situation where [my lodgings] had bed bugs. My favorite restaurant changed that all around. I go to Mai Lee's mainly to try the St. Paul's sandwich, and I met Qui Tran. He's one of the owners, super nice guy, super fun guy. I ended up sitting in that restaurant till closing and met so many incredible people who gave me recommendations.

Have you tried Imo's yet?

I haven't had it yet, but people keep telling me it's either you love it or you hate it. It's a cracker crust, and I'm not a fan. I don't really like cheese unless it's pizza. I do mozzarella, but if it's like a cheddar blend or any other kind of cheese, I don't do it. I heard this is a Provel cheese or special cheese blend that they put together. So I don't know.

What do you think of the rest of the food here?

Oh, it's fantastic. I had Salt + Smoke, I had toasted ravioli, I had Ted Drewes Frozen Custard. Strawberry Shortcake is my favorite. They give you extra cake for a $1.40 extra.

What made you start traveling like this?

I wanted to see how other people live and put myself in their shoes. I also wanted to find a way to bring people together, people in America, and I found that food is a great common ground to learn about someone's culture.

What's the biggest lesson that you've learned?

If we take the time to learn about somebody else and their way of life, people don't care what you look like or where you're from. They will share their culture and way of life with you.

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About The Author

Rosalind Early

Rosalind is the former editor-in-chief of the Riverfront Times. She formerly worked for Washington University's alumni magazine and St. Louis Magazine. In 2018, she was selected as a Rising Leader of Color by the Theatre Communications Group. In 2014, she was selected as an Emerging Leader by FOCUS St. Louis...