From The Publisher - Holiday/Winter 2020-2021
No matter who we are or where we are from, our heritage, our diversity and our traditions can be found at our dinner tables.
Turning the corner on a new year is always nostalgic. Looking back to last year at this time, who would have imagined how our lives would be changed? Globally, 2020 has been like no other. Food became the forefront in all of our minds. For those fortunate to have, and for those who depend on others, we all wondered where our food would come from.
Many of us spend the holidays gathered at the dinner table celebrating traditions from our past—whether it is a special declaration or action, decoration or delicacy. Each story in this issue is about heritage and tradition. Thank you Maria and Heidi for taking my inspiration and turning it into these pages.
On the cover of Heirloom Kitchen, author Anna Francese Gass features her mother’s hands cutting tagliatelle. In and of itself, that image tells the story. The book is a beautiful collection of tales and recipes from women from around the country who immigrated to the United States. Similarly, in “A Dosa Love Affair” and “Essays & Recipes,” we feature Vermont women showcasing their roots in their traditional meals.
In “Edible Voices,” Jeffrey Hamelman, founder of King Arthur Bakery and Education Center, shares his passion for baking and teaching and tells the story of how his 40-year-old sourdough starter has traveled throughout the world, birthing more than one million loaves of bread. And in “Tribal Traditions” Dr. Fred Wiseman, a Missisquoi Abenaki, speaks of his devotion to preserving the tribe’s tradition through agriculture by collecting rare seeds and cultivating them, while chef Jessee Lawyer of Sweetwaters Bistro describes his authentic indigenous cuisine with a twist.
Our Vermont Advocacy section describes how Benjy Adler of The Skinny Pancake envisioned how to sustain restaurants and farms and to feed those in need. Adler created ShiftMeals, which sparked a grassroots solution that ultimately secured $5 million in government funds and initiated Vermont Everyone Eats.
The photo above shows my mother’s handwritten recipes. My sister-in-law implored me to save them—‘trust me’, she said, “you will want them, as they are.” I cherish the memory of the hands that made these dishes and during the years I used these keepsakes to create my own traditions.
During this holiday season, however you break bread and celebrate—whatever your traditions and heritage and however they have morphed into something somewhat different —stay safe and healthy and enjoy winter in our beautiful state of Vermont.
To my family with love,
Marcia Lissak
