GM Letter
POrtrait Sampsel-preston photography
’Tis the Season for Food, Parties and Reflections To begin our end-of-year issue, I’d like to introduce Desert Companion’s new distribution partner, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. (If that’s where you found us, a special greeting!) Nevada Public Radio’s award-winning magazine is now more available than ever across Southern Nevada. No matter where you got your copy, we hope you’ll enjoy what you read on these pages. Our focus this issue is that most traditional of themes: food and dining. With our two favorite food critics leading the way, we hope it will be anything but “predict-table.” John Curtas and Max Jacobson square off over how the past decade has catapulted Las Vegas from buffet heaven to foodie paradise and how the reality of “now” will shape the next 10 years. Plus, Curtas rolls out the annual Restaurant Awards. Congratulations to all the winners! Elvis is everywhere (again) these days. Cirque du Soleil has set itself the astounding goal of capturing the essence of his appeal in a new show at CityCenter. Geoff Schumacher is working on a book about Elvis’ Las Vegas years, and he offers some reminiscences about the King’s big comeback here 40 years ago. Don’t miss the part about Tom Jones’ influence on Elvis; it’s a reminder that our entertainment history’s continuum stretches right into 2009. One of the reasons we love Las Vegas, for all its challenges, is that popular culture cannot bypass this city in any decade, and with each passing era there are more ingredients in the mix. For a satirical take on what history might record about “the aught years,” turn to our back-page essay by Andrew Kiraly. Although the economy remains stuck in neutral, we look forward to the fruition of ambitious (some might say audacious) projects that remind us of how far we’ve come in the last 10 years. Check out our stories on the potential multiplier effect of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and the deep commitments to the region’s well-being made by the Lincy Foundation, under the elegant and understated guidance of Lindy Schumacher (no relation to Geoff ). Along with an emphasis on food and family, this time of year brings the welcome sight of actual paper envelopes and beautifully crafted invitations in the mail to entice your RSVP to holiday fundraisers. To help you select the best events, writer Amy Schmidt takes a look at the happenings sure to hit the right note for the times. Whether you’ll be pulling out the ball gown and tux or D e s e r t C o m p a n i o n N O V E M B E R - D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 9
dressing down with friends for the holidays, feed your soul by giving back to our community—generously support the causes that touch your heart. Let’s tap into the anticipation and excitement that came with the end of the last decade and party like it’s 1999! Happy holidays from all of us at Desert Companion.
Florence M.E. Rogers President & General Manager, Nevada Public Radio
p.s. You can now catch gastro-raconteurs John and Max on News 88.9 KNPR during State of Nevada (last Friday of the month), on podcasts available on knpr.org and via the shameless ongoing Twittering of their culinary exploits.