Mourning in Winter 2017
When I first moved to New York, I didn’t have any designs to become a food writer; I just knew that I wanted to continue with my journalism career and see where it led. I ended up finding my way to food conferences, meeting bakers who moonlight as judo fighters and interviewing cheese entrepreneurs— all while flying under the radar as a bar reviewer.
I’ve never studied culinary arts or commanded a kitchen. When I worked for a small-batch butter company and womanned a produce stand at the farmers market, it was always the people behind the scenes that caught my attention. These farmers, producers, movers and shakers, full of dreams and passion, informed my own. I discovered that food was the perfect lens for exploring every facet of the human condition—spanning commerce, politics, family, gender issues and every vertical in between.
In many ways, I feel like an outsider, and I keep waiting for someone to find me out. I come from the South, not Queens; from a military family with a flair for experimentation at the dinner table. Every night I sat down to try something new. We sampled new American classics and Southern staples—stroganoff to mac and cheese, fresh steamed vegetables to chicken fried steak— whatever struck our fancy.
Like many in Queens, I came here from somewhere else. And Edible Queens is where I’ve come to continue my exploration and celebration of all cultures and identities. This issue is coming out at a historic moment in time: It marks the beginning of a hostile takeover in Washington, and we mourn for what may come of our rights and freedoms, particularly in a borough richly comprised of such a melting pot of cultures.
While putting together this issue, we grappled with questions that most publications are currently facing: Does our work matter at a time when basic human values are being challenged? Our answer is that, yes, this still matters—perhaps now more than ever—and we are dedicated to continuing our mission of telling the stories of a diverse, vibrant Queens and its people, many of whom are proud immigrants as well as food business owners.
We’ll continue to tell stories like Michael Berman’s Authentic Meal on Wheels, highlighting food truck owners across Queens who craft down-home foods inside their tiny mobile kitchens. We’ll find ways to remember, like former Edible Queens editor Jesse Hirsch did, retelling the day before the election he spent at Spa Castle, in Flushing for Bulgogi Bento and Bliss, reveling in the infamous spa’s quirky ways, experiencing a bit of calm before the storm.
We’ll find ways to cope, like our web editor Allie Misch did in her review of Sourdough: Recipes for Rustic Fermented Breads, Sweets, Savories and More, where she explores healing through bread baking and breaking.
We will continue to support our beautiful community by telling its multitudes of stories.
Please join us.
We at Edible Queens stand beside you and are committed to telling
