Summer 2016 Issue

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

AT THE TABLE: THE TOURISTS ARE COMING

Whenever Philadelphia expects a large influx of visitors, I feel a peculiar mix of excitement and dread. It’s the same fluttery mix of nerves and pride I get when I invite people to my house for dinner. I want to show off—and measure up.

This summer, the Democratic National Convention will surely draw more than the usual number of summer visitors to town. I realize there’s history being made here (again!) but the big question on my mind is not really about the upcoming election. I’m mostly wondering where all those conventioneers will end up eating and drinking, and how their meals will inform their impressions of my hometown.

To that end, we commissioned Center City resident and regular Edible Philly contributor Wendy Ramunno to write a “Road Trip” column aimed specifically at tourists who will be staying in the heart of Center City. This sub-neighborhood includes parts of Chinatown and Midtown Village, so the options are a diverse mixture of new businesses and old, with prices ranging from cheap to splurge. I think it’ll be useful travel for visitors to Philly, as well as reminding those of us who live here to get out of our own neighborhoods and into Center City.

Much of the rest of the magazine centers on a more profound theme. This summer we are proud to present our first farm issue. On page 14, you’ll find a story from Michele W. Berger that demystifies the financial side of community-supported agriculture programs and raises the question of whether these arrangements can truly help farmers make ends meet. Alex Jones tells the story of two farmers who are trying to mitigate global warming through the power of biodiversity, seed saving, and sorghum on page 28. And you’ll definitely want to save this issue at least through the fall, thanks to our guide to the area’s finest producer-only farmers’ markets on page 33.

That farmers’-market guide is just one contribution from our food writing fellow, Katherine Rapin, who wraps up her time with us with this issue. I hope you have enjoyed getting to know her through the exceptional writing and reporting you’ve seen from her in recent issues of the magazine, in our monthly newsletter (which she will continue writing), and at EdiblePhilly.com. I am so thankful to the Culinary Trust, a nonprofit organization that focuses on leadership and education in the food world, for funding six of these fellowships in 2016 and for selecting Edible Philly to receive one.

Joy Manning, Editor