From our Editor: A Toast to What Comes Next

Goodbye, 2020.
Hello, New Beginnings.

I always get a little emotional at the end of the year. It’s usually a restful, quiet time and I tend to spend it processing the little moments, big events, and life-shifting markers that make up an entire year. This one will be especially intense due to, well, everything. It’s impossible not to feel the toll that a nearly year-long pandemic has taken on all of us as individuals, let alone the jobs, businesses, and industries that have been demolished since last March.

After a good look back, though, I always have hope for the future. From a world view, that’s coming from the arrival of vaccines and glimmers that the end of the pandemic is near. Soon, I hope, we’ll be taking slow steps back toward group gatherings, and with some luck (and strategic support), a return to the restaurants, cafés, hotels, and public spaces that serve up so much richness in our lives.

Personally, I look forward to leading the Local Palate in new directions. We have exciting things to share in 2021, including fresh, new stories, unsung voices, and new projects, like a special issue packed with spring and summer recipes. (In fact, watch this space for a fresh look and feel in the coming weeks.)

Now, cue the tissues. For both the past, and what’s to come, I want to express so much gratitude, especially for you. We are a small but mighty team at the Local Palate and we deeply appreciate all of your support this past year and every year—for hanging on through the tumult, for every issue or subscription you purchased, for every scroll through our website, and for every like, comment, and encouraging word you shared online. We are so fortunate to do what we do—explore and cover this dynamic region’s food culture and share stories from around the South. We most certainly could not do any of this without you. Sincerely, thank you.

So, Happy New Year to you and yours. Here’s to a more positive, secure, and hopeful year ahead—and only good things to eat along the way.

Cheers,

Erin Byers Murray

Editor in chief