Letter from the Editor, Summer 2013
There are two questions that people always ask when they find out what I do.
The first is “What is your favorite restaurant?” I immediately respond, “That’s not fair, it’s like asking which is your favorite child!”
The second question, which I sometimes get in person, but usually via email or phone, is: “Will you write about me and my burgeoning food business?” This is another very difficult question to respond to, but since the answer can have so many variables I feel it warrants an explanation and should be shared with you, our readers.
First and foremost in my decision is: where is the business located? Edible Boston (editorially) only covers the five counties around greater Boston: Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Middlesex, and Worcester. Despite there being many great food producers, restaurants, and farms outside our area, we do not include them if they are outside of our “territory.” Fortunately, within these five counties there are enough existing and emerging businesses that we never seem to run out of things to write about. I also make a point of reminding people about our sister publications when appropriate: Edible South Shore, Edible Cape Cod, Edible Berkshires, and Edible Vineyard.
The next and most difficult variable for me is determining when is the best time to write about a business. Our mission at Edible Boston is to help insure that our local food producers are sustainable. Meaning: they are able to make a living producing their products, they are paid fairly for the products they make, and they have a loyal consumer base. A large mission statement!
So how does our magazine go about meeting our mission’s goals?
- We stay connected with the food community to know what is happening within it. Whether a farm begins raising their own livestock or a food producer starts wholesaling their products, we want to know about it and be able to share this information with you.
- We vet businesses to determine if they are ready for the exposure they will get. Is the business ready to handle the sales inquiries that will come their way once the article comes out? We all know there is nothing worse that ordering something only to find out it is not in stock or not yet available!
- We work diligently to cover as many businesses as possible. We also try to cover all aspects of local food, from farms to aquaculture, baking to pickling, beer to wine. A lot to pack into only four issues a year! Unfortunately this means we rarely are able to cover a business more than once, even if that business has changed focus or is doing something new.
Edible Boston, like other media outlets, delivers a lot, editorially-speaking. We want to make sure that it has the most impact at the right time, otherwise we are failing at our mission.
The greater Boston area, our home, is so lucky to have an amazing, hardworking, and exciting food community, and we feel honored to be part of it. We are their voice, and we hope you will continue to support each and every one of these companies, whether they are the subject of an article or they are an advertiser.
Ilene Bezahler Publisher/Editor
