The Publisher | Jimmy Dean

¡Buen provecho! Bon appétit! Guten appetit!

Dear Readers:

Welcome to our Food and Wine Annual! You’ll find much about wining and dining inside this issue; however, the underlying theme is this: eating and drinking help connect us to one another. When we break bread with strangers, friends or lovers, we share a bond — a special bond.

As I write this letter, I am with my family on the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic for our summer holiday. Food has figured predominately into our vacation as we decided to experience this island nation’s seafood at almost every meal. The fact that there isn’t a pizza to be found anywhere helped encourage this decision, but once we started eating like natives, we realized how fun it could be. Admittedly, it may take a while for me to develop a fondness for octopus, squid and eel, but when combined with spicy shrimp, rice and island herbs in a flavorful paella, the result is divine. One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.
- Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story The fruits, heavenly! I’ve purloined a few special recipes to try on neighbors in Florida. We’ve connected with the wonderful people of the Dominican Republic through our dining and sometimes humorous attempt at their native Spanish tongue.

Closer to home, our new friend from Thailand, Ratri Techarutchatnon, or “Bang,” connects us with her homeland through her lovingly prepared dishes at Chaang Thai. Her story, served up by Mary Alspaugh, is one of love, life and longing for the American Dream. Also in this issue, we learn about Charlotte County’s food crisis. More than 8,000 men, women and children living in this county rely on food stamps to get by. When those stamps run out, they turn to our food pantries. Sadly, many of our pantries don’t have the supply to meet the demand. In his story, Lew Morrissey takes us beyond the obvious, into the hidden, pain-filled world of those who have been hit hardest by the current economic situation. In so doing, he connects us with one another and our humanity.

There’s much more in this issue, but a huge plateful of banana hotcakes and a steaming cup of café con leche is calling my name.

Please enjoy!

Sincerely,

Jimmy Dean, Publisher