A Letter from the
EDITOR
FOOD
Marji and her Nana
vividly remembering sleepover dinners at my Nana’s house, eating it with powdered sugar on a TV tray while watching Wheel of Fortune and checking to see if Nana had won big as the lottery numbers scrolled across the screen. The tastes and smells of food are like a time machine that can take me right back to those magical moments long forgotten. This month, we sat down with Michigan’s Director of Football Nutrition Performance, Abigail O’Connor (page 10). She shared that she also recognizes that so much of food is wrapped up with feelings of home, family, and tradition. Abigail successfully uses food to connect with the athletes through an inclusive, culturally cognizant menu.
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large part of our lives is dedicated to food— planning, growing, shopping, prepping, ordering, tasting, eating, and thinking about food. It only makes sense that we’d have an issue that is all about food. Food plays a vital role in our lives and in our families. Food brings us together. Food nourishes our bodies and our souls. Food can elicit memories from our past and remind us of the days we treasured. I have a less-than-stellar memory. It’s hard for me to remember dates or details from my past, but food bridges that gap for me. Today, I can’t eat french toast without
6 | The Brick Magazine
Kim Kelly, the Executive Director of the Ronald McDonald House Charities Ann Arbor, explores what bringing back their Meals Matter Program means to parents and families that are staying at the Ronald McDonald House (page 20). Dinner is so much more than the food served. Sitting down to a warm, freshly prepared meal provides a few minutes of relief from the constant beeping of machines in their child’s hospital room. It provides a sense of normalcy and relief after an emotionally difficult day and it helps to lessen a family’s stress by saving them time and money. Lauren Hunter from the Community Farm of Ann Arbor (page 16) has reignited her passion for community agriculture. Lauren shares her energy and vision for the future of farming that focuses not only on the food grown, but also on the growers, consumers, land, and planet. We hope you curl up with your favorite food and enjoy reading all the stories shared in this month’s issue. Bon appétit!
Marji Wisniewski, Managing Editor
