From the Editor: Chefs
Recently I enjoyed a lovely and seasonal cup of parsnip-chestnut soup at a downtown eatery and, enmeshed as I was in assembling this chef-focused issue of Edible Grande Traverse, found myself reminiscing about a long-ago soup experience that opened my eyes to the artistic potential of food and appreciation for those who create it.
It was the late 80s, I was not many years out of college and unaccustomed to high-end restaurants. But on a special night with a special date I was in Madison, Wisconsin at a place called L’Etoile, run by Chef Odessa Piper, a pioneer of four-season farm-to-table cuisine, and on the menu was a nine-dollar chestnut soup. I could hardly believe that price. But the soup came and with each earthy, silken, sherry-scented spoonful I became awakened to a new experience— that of food as an art form, taken in by all the senses, felt through the whole body, with the chef as the artist, creative spirit and craftsperson. That was probably the best nine dollars I have ever spent and the most pleasant lesson I ever learned.
It is now many meals and countless cups of soup later, not all of which have counted as culinary art. But you can tell when one does. At home or eating out, spendy or inexpensive, traditional or nouvelle, cooked by a trained chef or a friend or yourself, it doesn’t matter. What makes it art is when the cook has dreamt of the dish, tastes it and asks, “What else does it need?” and takes care in its presentation. And whether we call it art or simply a memorable meal probably doesn’t matter much either—we are really just lucky to have enjoyed some very good food.
This northwestern corner of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan has a thriving food scene and in this issue we have the pleasure of presenting just a few of the chef-artists who are making it happen: two chefs who became farmers in Mancelona, a veteran chef-educator-turned-author in Leelanau, a boomerang chef returning home to Bellaire and a transplant chef with a new studio in TC. Each has their own story to tell and their own artistic vision in food. And each has shared recipes for your family meals and holiday feasts.
From all of us at Edible Grande Traverse to all of our readers and supporters, we wish you the happiest of holidays ahead. May your tables be full and shared with others and may your food be richly seasoned with an artistic touch.
To your health!
