DEAR READERS

Letter from the Editor, Dear Readers

As many magazines do, we planned this issue well in advance of the turmoil that has since taken place in 2021. We were looking ahead to a brighter and happier New Year. However, an issue full of our favorite cuisines and comfort foods may be needed now more than ever. The Chews Letter was created to not only fill our bellies, but our souls. Food is a language in and of itself, and we use it to communicate more than we probably realize.

This time of year, many are seeking healthy alternatives like the Creamy Lentil Curry on page 24 and the Espresso and Oat Maple Smoothie from Tapped Maple Syrup on page 21. If you are like me when times get tough, you might be looking for items that fill your soul and provide contentment like the Keto-Friendly Vegan Mini Peanut Butter Cups on page 26 or Brownie Cookies on page 48.

Favorite dishes are about more than just flavor. They are about the memories they evoke, the preparation involved, and the people who sit at our table. Chef Kenny Gilbert worried that the crowds would not come to his new restaurant when it opened late in 2020. A risky venture to open during the COVID-19 pandemic, to be sure, but where there is good food, especially with a menu like you find at Silkie’s and a local favorite chef preparing the cuisine, the people will come, as we learn in his story on page 11.

Perhaps the best example of the memories inspired by food is the story of Cynthia McFarland’s potato soup found on page 28. She speaks about her mother, the recipe scrawled in her mother’s hand, and the coziness she finds when making and eating the soup. It was a simple recipe that she has tweaked to her palate over the years, but in collaboration with Chef Patrice Perron and Elodie Guinard Perron, has taken traditions from France to add more layers and memories to that humble soup.

Speaking of traditions surviving the test of time, Joy Conley tells us the story of how using old world recipes has helped her to grow a thriving Etsy business in this issue’s Snack Sheet on page 19. And what would an issue full of favorites be without a look at appetizers and cocktails from the 1920s? It may, at times, feel like this decade is overdone, but there is a reason that we keep looking back and theming parties with deviled eggs and art deco decoration. If you are as intrigued as I am with the simple finger foods and then outlawed cocktails that emerged a hundred years ago, then you will not want to miss the story on page 40.

I hope this issue provides you with some newfound favorite recipes and plenty of comfort as we dive headfirst into 2021.

Most Sincerely, Lisa

Photo by Bailey Aro Hutcheson