In other parts of the country, supporting the local foodshed is considered a movement. In New Orleans, eating local has always been our way.
When refrigeration and modern-day transportation began to make foods from far off places available regardless of season, most cities moved away from eating local foods and supporting their local food economies.
Here in New Orleans, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t sing the praises of the Creole tomato and count the days until that succulent fruit is in season. We live in a city with an official cocktail, for goodness sake—and a good number of people can expound upon the history of the Sazerac when prompted. Gumbo, more than a mere dish, is a religion that splits people into different camps, and then brings them all together when a bowl arrives at the dinner table. When the Great Fire of 2012 hit Hubig’s, we rallied around a humble pie.
Not only are the vegetables we grow in our gardens seasonal, so are dishes: There is a season for King Cake and a season for snoballs, just as there is a season for Creole tomatoes, wild duck, crawfish, buster crabs, and okra.
Still, as the local food movement continues to gain traction, we find ourselves rethinking our relationships with the foods of New Orleans—considering sustainability, history, authenticity, and the inevitable and continued evolution of our city’s revered food, drink, and culture.
Given its central place as one of America’s most important food cultures, New Orleans requires a magazine that is devoted to the investigation and celebration of its cuisine. We at Edible New Orleans are dedicated to exploring these stories. Through this exploration, we will deepen our understanding of and relationship to the foods that define us. While we seek to understand the origins of our cuisine, we also look towards the future, sometimes accepting new foods and products into our canon.
I hope you enjoy our first issue, which would not have been possible without everyone who has been involved with it: my family, Creative Director Matthew Noel, writers, contributors, and especially the advertisers who support Edible New Orleans and our local food economy.
So let us begin a lively and long conversation—in the pages of this magazine, online, face-to-face—preferably with good drinks and ample food.
Warmly,
Stephanie Jane Carter
Publisher and Editor
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