I love new beginnings, and 2018 will be full of them. New writing projects, new recipes and ingredients to tinker with, new books to read, new ducklings and calves on the farm and, in this case, a new blog. It’s at first glance an extension of Blithe Spirits, my long-running cocktails and spirits column in the Kansas City Star, but I plan to tackle much more than booze here.
Not that booze is bad. I obviously love a well-made cocktail. But eating and drinking are about much more than consumption. They’re very basic human acts that bring us to the table, spark conversations about tradition and culture and bring us to a greater understanding of who we are as people and what we share in common. To me, telling this part of the story is the best part of being a food journalist.
People fascinate me, and I’m lucky enough to have had so many share their stories with me in my almost 30 years as a journalist. I love writing about farmers, chefs, distillers, bartenders, baristas, innovators, coffee roasters, entrepreneurs, cookbook and cocktail writers, wine and spirits educators, enthusiasts, bakers and everyone else who creates what we eat and drink. Their energy, enthusiasm and optimism never fails to inspire me, and I’m grateful to them for sharing their knowledge and skills with me. This blog will be like sitting down at the table with all of us and learning how to more fully live your own culinary life in a real world way, one that is entirely possible and sometimes a little messy. Thanks in advance for joining in.