One hundred issues. Really? How is that even possible?
From our first three years under the protective umbrella of City Palate Calgary, through our rebranding as The Tomato in 2010, it feels like 20 issues, not 100.
A big fat juicy thank you to art director Jan Thalheimer, whose design sense is unparalleled, and web manager/copy editor Amanda LeNeve. We could not have a magazine without them. Amanda expertly shepherded our foray onto the web, thetomato.ca, and to Facebook, and we’re glad she did. Our printing team at Transcontinental do everything they can to make sure the Tomato is pristine. Don Retson, the last pair of eyes to catch all those annoying typos and flow issues, thank you. Thank you as well to our sale execs, Maria Iacobelli, and, in Calgary, Ellen Kelly and Janet Henderson.
We give thanks to our food and drink community: the culinary — from the grizzled, raspy-voiced, bad-backed veterans, to the fresh-faced newbies right out of culinary school, to the delightful front-of-house men and women who make going to restaurants worth leaving the comfort of home for, (and let’s not forget those who toil in the dish-pit, probably the most crucial position of all); the farmers and producers; purveyors; wine merchants; farmers’ markets; our wonderful writers; business owners; our contributors; our advertisers; and, especially, our readers. Without them, what would be the point?
Without all, we would not be a community.
Let’s continue to treasure our farmers, revel in our independents, make smart choices about our food and drink, and continue to seek out the best we have whether that be a talented baker or a wheel of cheese.
Me? Wrangling 100 issues has not diminished my love of a good meal, or a good laugh, or my passion for all things food and drink and the words to describe them. I’ll continue to search out the freshest talent, the tastiest dishes, the most truthful wines, the best way to cook a pizza on the barbecue, or to feed 25 people in my living room. Wine and wine people, food and food people: my oxygen.
We are thrilled that we have been able to gather most of our favourite food people all in one March/April Travel issue.
Our beer guy Peter Bailey (yes we are related, no, he is not my husband) explores the San Diego craft beer scene and takes in Disneyland with the family.
Seeing the world through Judy Schultz’s eyes is a trip, and we’ve been lucky to be able to do it for several years. Read her feature
on the Auckland fish market.
Karen Virag is an editor’s dream — acerbically funny, cleanest copy, words that make you think. Karen tackles food and class.
Jennifer Crosby describes a delicious music festival — with offerings far beyond burgers and fries.
We have wanted to share a story by Harold Wollin for several years, but he’s a busy guy, what with running a resto, creating Story Slam, booking musicians and all that. Happy we can do it in this issue.
Kristine Kowalchuk is a thoughtful, lyrical writer. Read her story on East coast chowder.
Jack Danylchuk possesses a writer’s eye and an excellent palate, Jack is an inveterate traveller with in-depth knowledge, particularly of Central and South America. He describes the Todos Santos culinary scene.
We celebrate the best in Canadian cooking with an upadate on the 2013 Canadian Culinary Championships where the top ten chefs in Canada competed for a podium finish. Gold Medal Plates is becoming one of the most interesting and respected culinary competitions in the country.
Daniel Costa, the chef/owner of Corso 32, shares a story about the country of his heart: Italy. Daniel’s food sensibility is second to none — if he says go somewhere, run, don’t walk.
Like many in our food community Teresa Spinelli runs a family business, and when she can find products from other families, it’s the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Read about the Pellegrino family, including some delicious Puglian recipes.
Cibo co-owner and exec chef Rosario Caputo shares a recipe and some hints on how to make a Tuscan feast.
We’ll save the big retrospective for our 20th anniversary (2016), but we couldn’t resist including a few of our favourite dishes in the Top 100 list.
Thank you for reading.
Mary Bailey is the editor of The Tomato.