Edible Queens Relaunched, Issue #1
Had you asked me as a child about my future career, I doubt that my answer would have been publishing a magazine focusing on the food and drink of my native borough. To some, food is simply sustenance. For me, it is a banquet of delicious stories waiting to be told. I am happiest when I don an apron and am stirring a pot, with pen and paper (and iPhone!) close at hand. My love of food and writing led me to relocate to Sun Valley, Idaho, some four years ago and start Edible Idaho magazine. While I was fortunate to work with passionate local food pioneers, many of whom are friends, the time came to return home to New York to be with family and friends. Edible Queens was a logical next step.
Edible Queens magazine has endured stops and starts since it was first launched in 2009. Leah McLaughlin, the first publisher, tirelessly promoted its message before passing the baton to Jay Soysal, who continued to advocate the publication’s local food mission. But Edible Queens’ eventual absence left a palpable silence in this caring and engaged food community. Despite the challenges, McLaughlin and Soysal recognized that the rich culinary diversity within Queens deserves its own voice. We are relaunching Edible Queens and remain faithful to its local food mission while celebrating Queens’ ethnic variety. We plan to tell good food stories, not just highlight trends.
With “New Legs for Old Kegs,” seasoned hops contributor Niko Krommydas invites us into the world of barrel-aged beers crafted at Glendale’s Finback Brewery. Neil Chiragdin, in his “Corporation for the Community,” explores how an unlikely hero named Turtle combines altruism and a passion for coffee into a winning one-two combination at COFFEED. And in “JetBlue Puts Down Roots,” Astoria native Julia LoFaso divulges that Queens County is more than just highways and airports. In fact, by relying on employee volunteers, JetBlue is farming over 100 varieties of vegetables and herbs on roughly 24,000 square feet right on the roof of JFK’s Terminal 5!
As exciting as it is to share this first issue with you, returning to my old stomping ground is not without trepidation. It’s a vast borough with lots to cover and an infinite number of stories to tell. We want to build an engaged readership with loyal advertising partners, allowing us not merely to stay afloat, but to thrive. Like us on Facebook; Follow us on Instagram; Buy a Subscription. If you’re touched by something, please say so. If you’re disappointed, we would love to hear about that too.
Today, it seems impossible to pick up a major food and travel publication that hasn’t featured our fascinating, multi-cultural borough. As a Queens native, that makes me especially proud and extremely motivated to turn Edible Queens into the definitive voice of the local food community.
Claudia Sanchez | @claudiasanchezmahedy
Edible Idaho | @edibleidaho
Edible Queens | @ediblequeens
Finback Brewery | @finbackbrewery
COFFEED | @coffeednyc
