In Our Spring 2018 Issue

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

I often experience a feeling that runs for a season as the undercurrent to my life. This winter, that feeling was generally being snowed under. Even before the flakes started falling by the foot, I found myself paralyzed by the enormity of life’s circumstances—planning for the future, potential stories for the magazine, securing funding, sometimes even simple shopping trips would be overwhelming.

At an inspiring recent conference of Edible publishers, I fully realized the immense variety of style and personality each of the 91 active publications brings to the collective of Edible Communities. We are united in a goal—to publish a beautiful, informative and sometimes subversive magazine that seeks to raise consumer awareness of the local food system. And yet, all of us differ in how we accomplish that aim. Some publishers are organized and purposeful with an editorial calendar planned well in advance and systems in place to track each stage of the process. A few publishers tend toward the opposite, embracing a more organic approach and letting the stories drive themselves. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle. Despite our different methods, each new magazine becomes a work of art, the culmination of these unique creative processes.

This is certainly true of Edible Western NY. Each of the first four issues took on a life of its own, and this new spring issue is no exception. We plant seeds, give them soil, nutrients and water; still, the flowers that unfold have their own purpose and personality.

Often, when it feels like plans are spiraling out of my control, I have learned to let go. It is during these moments that treasures emerge. I refer to this issue as the water issue. It was originally intended to be about health. But, as water does, it trickled down through the editorial cracks, nurtured a little bit of every article and seeped its way into the core of this publication. And as the ice and snow begin to melt, I can’t think of a better way to begin the conversation for our new year. 

I am humbled by the support we have received over the past year and want to extend a huge thank you to our writers and photographers who battle life’s disrupting situations to provide amazing content and stories about the region. I also want to thank our advertisers, who continue to believe in the effectiveness of print media while supporting the local food movement, as well as the distributors who share and display the magazine. Please eat at, dine in, shop and explore their businesses. Be sure to thank them for helping to bring you each new issue of Edible Western NY.

And with that, I am proud to say that we have made it to year two—I hope you enjoy our first anniversary issue!

To your health,