Publisher’s Letter: Fall 2018

When a friend and former Edible Madison writer, Jessica Luhning, and I were first dreaming of starting up an Edible publication in Wisconsin, she was a huge fan of Edible Portland, which at the time had former USDA National Director of Farm to School Deborah Kane at the helm. They were doing a beautiful job representing the farmers and foods of their region’s foodshed as well as diving into the tough issues in a meaningful and engaging way.

Another inspiration at the time was Philip Solman and his team at Edible Vancouver. One issue in particular gave me pause—it was titled “The Butcher, the Baker and the Artisan Sake Maker,” and it had an old-fashioned cleaver, baguette and bottle of sake playfully laid out on the cover. At that moment back in early 2010, as I was still deciding whether to take the leap into publishing and feeling awfully serious about the decision, it really stood out to me. It reminded me that publishing was going to be a fun adventure (and it has been!) and inspired me to strive to present our region in unique ways through our covers and beyond.

Now, after eight years of publishing, we decided to pay homage to the Edible Communities we are fortunate to be a member of by playing off of Edible Vancouver’s theme with our own twist: “The Butcher, the Baker and the Artisan Juice Maker.”

The three awesome businesses featured in this issue also happen to be located in the same neighborhood on Willy Street. Underground Butcher, Madison Sourdough, and Saints Madison Juice Company are doing amazing work and are representative of Madison’s leadership in butchery, baking and new, innovative food businesses.

Existing Edibles served (and continue to serve) as inspiration for us, helping us envision how we wanted to develop Edible Madison and represent Wisconsin among 80-plus other local-foods-focused communities across North America. Being a part of the Edible Communities network of publications made it possible for us to dive into doing this in a more sustainable way, learning from others rather than reinventing the wheel, and feeling a part of something bigger versus feeling alone in a sea of media. Although each Edible magazine is independently owned and operated and produces their own original content, feeling this connection to other communities with a similar mission has been invaluable to us.

Thank you to all the Edibles out there publishing each and every season. We are proud to be a part of this community and to be on a mission together to connect eaters with the stories behind their food and why supporting local famers and food producers matters. In these times, it truly matters more than ever.

With Gratitude,

Jamie Lamonde
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief