When I interview chefs for stories, I often ask what their aha moment with food was. My own aha food moment came one weekend during the summer after my junior year of college, when I went to visit my friend Vickie at her parents’ home in Newport News, Virgina.
On Saturday morning, we accompanied Vickie’s mom to the town’s farmer’s market. It was my first foray to such a market, and I marveled at all the tables piled with local vegetables and fruit. I can’t remember what we purchased, but I do remember her mother taking that beautiful local produce home and preparing it for our dinner that night. I didn’t understand why at the time, but feasting on such fresh ingredients with friends around the table just made me feel better, body and soul. It was the beginning of a lifelong love affair with food.
Years later, in my role as editor/writer for The MICHELIN Guide, I honed my food knowledge as I traveled around the country with the Michelin inspectors, who taught me the fine points of good service and expertly prepared dishes. Fingers crossed that we might soon find some of our own Greenville restaurants garnering national recognition, as research commences on The MICHELIN Guide American South.
In the meantime, there’s plenty to nosh on in TOWN’s Food Issue—my favorite, of course. This month, we ask local foodies to weigh in on their go-to Greenville restaurant dishes. We also chat with Chef Steve Zurkey of The Anchorage, visit the Epicurean Hotel in Atlanta, and even showcase an inspiring local kitchen design.
Kitchen Sync offers our readers the restaurant’s recipe for that summer favorite, tomato pie, and we highlight some of the best restaurants in Charlotte, North Carolina—not to mention bins of sweet fun at the Pendleton Candy Co.
Here’s hoping there’s something delicious on your plate!
Linda
