In Our Winter 2018 Issue

Dear Reader,

Whether you are a longtime reader of Edible Rhody or new to our magazine, I know you are going to enjoy what we’ve got in store for you in this issue. As you may know, each winter season we direct our focus to a single topic to go more in depth on a subject that interests us and that we know will interest you too. So, it’s with great pleasure that we bring you The Flavor Issue, filled with stories that focus on flavor, taste and behind-the-scenes visits with local farmers, chefs and food artisans who grow and produce foods of particular taste profiles. There’s a lot to chew on!

Our cover article is all about bitter foods, including chicories, and particularly the bitter greens grown by local farmer and chicories champion Diana Kushner. While chicories are inherently bitter, chef Gina Pezza (who provides us with a wonderful recipe) informs us how they can mellow and sweeten on the palate with the right preparation.

A Q&A with author and professor Rachel Herz, PhD, an olfactory scientist at Brown University, reveals some fascinating facts about the connection between smell and taste in the foundation of flavor. Did you know that babies start developing preferences for food and flavor before they are born? Herz even sheds light on airplane food and why we all find (good) reason to complain about it so endlessly.

We explore the five tastes of salt, sour, sweet, bitter and umami in a number of ways. If you’ve been curious about umami, learn from chef and Johnson & Wales cooking instructor Neath Pal, who ventures with me in search of umami flavor while we discuss the history and science behind the Japanese word for deliciousness. And on a side note, Neath will be joining us for our next cooking class at the Gil’s Appliances demo kitchen in Bristol this coming February. He’s going to teach three delicious recipes using umami-rich ingredients, plus he’ll share more on this mystifying subject. Sign up here. 

We also travel to Mystic, Connecticut, to discover how the Food Network’s “Best Baker in America,” Adam Young, balances sugar and sweetness along with celebrity and work at Sift Bakery (with another seasonal Sift in Watch Hill) that he owns and operates with his wife, Ebbie. We venture to Daniele’s state-of-the-art curing facility, tucked into the sylvan landscape in rural Mapleville, where salt is being used to season a very unique partnership.

In the making of this issue, another partnership has sprouted. If you enjoy Jessica McGuirl’s mouthwatering illustration, the Last Bite, you’ll love the tea towels we’ve created of her design with our friends at Stock Culinary Goods on Hope Street in Providence. With that and a gift subscription to Edible Rhody, you’ve got your holiday shopping all wrapped up!

From cover to cover, this issue is filled with the unique flavors of Li’l Rhody, underscoring how food brings our community together. As we look ahead to 2019, we hope that your year is filled with peace and the fellowship that arises when people gather together over good food.

Dig in!