In Our Summer 2020 Issue

Dear Reader,

I can’t help but reflect on all that has happened since we prepared for our spring issue back in February, before Covid-19 took a foothold in our state. Since then, we’ve witnessed unfathomable loss; faced wide-ranging emotional, familial and economic challenges; and adapted to necessary but burdensome life-saving behaviors. Yet through it all, I continue to find reasons for hope— hope inspired by acts of kindness, creative problem solving, human resolve and sheer determination, much of which you will read about in this issue.

Perhaps more than any industry, restaurants have been uniquely challenged by this crisis. The resulting number of unemployed hospitality workers is profound, as is the number of permanent restaurant closures here and across the country. The pathway back to restaurant dining as we knew it is filled with uncertainly for the small businesses that make up the majority of our state’s restaurant industry. (Read the story here.) Chefs and owners are working hard to pivot and remain viable. Let’s be there to help them succeed! Continue ordering takeout, support newly reopened and black owned establishments and voice your concerns over the future of our hospitality industry and its workers by contacting your congressional delegation and state representatives.

Over the last several months, I’ve taken part in daily Zoom meetings with Rhode Island’s state government and nonprofit agencies, stakeholders and advocates who joined together to find ways to get food to those who need it, to help save our struggling fisheries and to address the needs of farmers in this time of unprecedented uncertainty.

These productive meetings have resulted in numerous positive outcomes. To name just a few: the collaboration between Farm Fresh RI and the Rhode Island Community Food Bank for the USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box program; long-awaited approval for direct sales from fishing boat to consumer; and a number of creative food strategies for at-risk students and their families. (Read the stories related to these important initiatives.)

How can we reshape our future based on what we’re learning from this pandemic? The surge in demand for local food is unequaled. Our state’s food system has been challenged but it is weathering the storm because of years of work and positive change leading up to this point. (Read about it here.) If we want to reduce reliance on longer food supply chains and increase access to safe food from trusted sources for all Rhode Islanders, now and in the future, we need to continue to support our local growers and producers and all those who advocate for a strong local and regional food system.

That includes us. Thirteen years ago, Edible Rhody started out on a mission to tell the stories of the people who bring us our local food and drink so we could inspire positive change. Since then, we’ve chronicled stories of nearly 700 of Rhode Island’s farmers, fishers, chefs, food and beverage producers and nonprofits and explored how their livelihoods make a difference for people living in the Ocean State. And we’ve helped people cook with over 375 recipes utilizing local, seasonal foods that showcase our local waters and farms.

Our work is not done. If you believe in the work we do in support of our local food community and the efforts of our talented team of contributors, please partner with us as an advertiser, consider underwriting an ad for your favorite local restaurant or farm or subscribe. If you want to learn more, please email us at info@ediblerhody.com.

Meanwhile, we’ve got a marvelous new how-to cocktail video to inspire summer drinks at a safe distance, a whole host of local buying resources, including pick-your-own farms where you can enjoy the great outdoors this summer. And when you’re ready to put up some jam but don’t know where to begin, we’ve also got your back.