Editor's Letter

Dear Readers,

There’s a well-trodden path for American chefs seeking the spotlight: cook at high-end restaurants, prove your talent, and create a signature eatery that reflects your experience. Perhaps, catch the eye of a more famous chef who likes your style and land a Food Network series, or become one of the acclaimed insiders who always seem to have a seat at the televised table. We all benefit from dedicated chefs who bend the rules and forge their style, especially in Idaho, where the food scene is on fire. This edition of FLAVOR celebrates these nationally known visionaries and local hero chefs who followed a passion and backed it up with natural ability and solid culinary foundations.

Our featured celebrity chef, Carla Hall, beamed at 2023's notably diverse James Beard Awards in front of a sea of new culinary genius, including Boise's KIN Chef Kris Komori. She rules the seasonal Food Network baking shows.

Our regional chef star, Aminah "Chef Mimi" Robinson-Briscoe, is expanding opportunities for all chefs of color, especially women, building connections between chefs,makers, and growers.

Danielle Christine, owner and chef of Apericena and Bistro L'Hélène in Boise’s North End, has defied naysayers and, during the problematic pandemic year, created her simple and elegant vision of European dining in a casual setting that uses Idaho-sourced bounty.

Our capital city’s past is worth remembering, and prodigal son Cal Elliott returns after nearly 30 years to breathe life into a forgotten facade downtown, honoring the traditions of the Averyl Tiner Building. The city’s only historic boutique hotel has been meticulously renovated with an upscale restaurant and latenight gastro tavern.

The oenophiles have their moment too, as Darby Tarantino expresses her appreciation for Idaho’s wine harvest and growing winery scene. We have a look at Treasure Valley breakfasts and the reasons we stand in line for them. Our photographers capture the fun at the San Inazio Basque Fest, and Man Eats Boise columnist Harrison Berry has the magic passwords to area speakeasies. Dana DuGan reveals an unusual business in Kuna, an ostrich farm building a fanbase that enjoys an alternative to beef. Finally, Tim Atwell dons an apron with Season and Taste's Christina Murray, a devoted chef who teaches culinary building blocks in a recreational working kitchen to anyone interested in upping their cooking game in a fun and convivial setting.

I play favorites with the seasons, and Fall is tops for me. It delivers us from stultifying heat and haze to crisp clarity and our appetite. It heralds the slower-cooked meals and the baked and braised dishes we've put aside during the salad days.

The new FLAVOR revels in this period of change, welcoming new tastes, faces, ideas, and energy to our collective table.

In good taste,

April Neale