Issue #34 Spring 2016

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHERS

We all know of heroes, but do we know a hero? Have we spent time with someone we admire and respect for the qualities they possess and freely share? One who could help us become better at what we want to do? These are hard questions I know. I ask them every day when I walk out the door. 

As you read through the pages of edibleWOW, you will meet the local food and farming heroes our readers chose in an online vote. The Local Hero award is an honor bestowed on those who make significant contributions to the local food scene.

This award comes from voting by you, the readers of edibleWOW, not from the staff of edibleWOW. Perhaps that is what makes the award so special to our recipients. 

There are many reasons these heroes do what they do—maybe it's a family legacy, maybe to earn money for a better living, maybe to introduce a new product or technique. What they all share is a passion for the food and flavors of our region.

Congratulations to the 2016 Local Hero award winners.

Chef: James Rigato of Mable Gray & The Root
Beverage Artisan: Eli Tea
Farmers' Market: Eastern Market
Farm: Michigan Urban Farming Initiative
Nonprofit: Gleaners Community Food Bank
Food Artisan: J.D.'s Motown Mustard

Additionally there is one hero we at edibleWOW would like to mention: our food editor Pam Aughe.

Pam—a Registered Dietitian, a cookbook author, blogger and recipe developer—to name just a few of her talents has been our food editor from the start. Pam reached out to us before we even printed our first issue, because she shares our passion for healthy and fresh foods. She has brought her expertise, passion, style and great joy to her position as Food Editor of edibleWOW testing and creating recipes and writing articles for 34 issues.

We are sad to see her go and will miss her creative contributions to the magazine. At the same time, we are excited about what lies ahead for our good friend.

Thank you, Pam, for sharing your knowledge, passion and humor with all of us. 

You can follow Pam's adventure on her blog. 

—Kate and Robb Harper, Publishers