LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Diversity…
I
t’s what keeps life interesting as well as inclusive, and it’s always been at the heart of Culinaire - our bedrock. I see an increasing number of seminars on how to be more inclusive in the workplace, as well as in publishing and storytelling, and I’m saddened that we should have to take courses to learn how to do this, that it isn’t instinctive and a natural part of our makeup. From the day we started, twelve and a half years ago, we’ve talked about and celebrated the hardworking producers, ranchers, growers and farmers, talented chefs, brewers and distillers, and artisans of Alberta without any additional consideration of ethnicity, religion, colour, or leaning – is what they do or produce worth telling you and talking about? It doesn’t seem that much of the world is thinking along these lines though,
and we seem to be seeing an increasing amount of intolerance and hatred. I feel privileged to live in Alberta where it feels like the majority of people I meet are immigrants from other provinces or, like myself, other countries. And I feel proud of this province that we’re made to feel welcome, that our experiences from our earlier lives add to the culture and don’t dilute it, and that people from outside the province can contribute and enrich society in every sense – and particularly in our world - the culinary world of flavours and taste. This issue is a celebration of the diversity in our province, in our
restaurants and multifarious choices of cuisines right on our doorstep. We’ve focused largely on spices, whether in recipes or books, and the people who make them. This doesn’t detract from our belief in supporting local, however. Our local is multicultural and diverse, just as the people we feature in Culinaire, and I hope that we can broaden your horizons even a little with the articles in this issue. Do you like our front cover this issue? It is a bit of a departure from photographs of food or beverages; it’s crystals in wine, and we find the colours and patterns so beautiful and fascinating - it really is an example of wine as art! Cheers
Linda, Editor-in-Chief
For gifts that will never be re-gifted. Grocery. Bakery. Deli. Café. EDMONTON | CALGARY | SHERWOOD PARK
