I have just returned from the Edible Institute in Santa Barbara. Think not of a candy shop or edible underthings; the second annual Edible Institute was a gathering of the dozens of publishers of Edible magazines (full disclosure: I regularly write for Edible San Francisco) along with farmers, artisan food producers, writers, policy wonks, cookbook authors, and other people who care deeply about food. We talked, we listened, we laughed, and, of course, we ate.
I come home humbled by the amazing things some people are doing to make the food we eat safer, more accessible, and just plain better. My efforts to know where my food comes from were put in sharp perspective: I am in the teeny tiny minority of people who go to such trouble, and yet there is an even teenier and tinier group who go to much more trouble than I can possibly conceive. In the weeks to come I'll be talking to some of these folks about local foods, what "local" means to them, and their work to make our food system what it should be: safe, accessible, transparent, healthful, nutritious, and delicious. Then, of course, I'll let you know what they have to say.
(For a round-up of the panels and speakers at the conference, check out Kurt Friese's live blogging from the event over at the Huffington Post on day one and day two.)
Comments