Editor's Note
Summer is often a time of renewal, a time of growth and change. The renewal comes from precious days of vacation, letting our bodies relax and our minds wander. The growth and change? Any child can tell you about that. They start the barefoot season having mastered one grade level, knowing that when summer ends they will need to figure out the next. Often there’s something bittersweet about change, yet it is the natural way of life.
In the summer of 2014, I gave birth both to Edible New Orleans and to my daughter, Clementine. I was pregnant during the months of planning and preparation and launched this magazine two months before she was born. I signed off on the second issue from my hospital bed, as that tiny person slept near me, just a day after she was born.
This summer, Clementine turned 2. On our family beach vacation, she insisted on a fair turn in the rotation of family members using a rented paddleboard. She sat on her knees as my husband paddled behind her. Then her uncle would use the board, then her aunt. “My turn!” She carefully monitored the order of paddlers. The next day, she applauded me as I paddleboarded for my first time. Proudly, she proclaimed, “I showed Mama how to use the paddleboard and then she did it and now she knows how.” She’s growing up.
So, too, is Edible New Orleans. A week before that family beach trip, our magazine team was presented with three major awards for our content, all from different outfits. Relaxing at the beach felt like a sweet reward. It also gave me time to think about the future of the magazine: It is ready to grow, but how best to allow for that growth?
Research tells us that our readers want to be able to reliably find the magazine each season, even if they have to pay for it. Our editorial team wishes to expand our content, produce a bigger magazine and continue to create content that our readers love and that we can be proud of. Advertising agencies tell us that they want to know that each person who reads the magazine is invested in it; a cover price would insure that investment.
The road seems clear. In July 2017, after a brief break from print as we reorganize, we will move to newsstands in addition to continuing to offer paid subscriptions. You’ll be able to find a copy when you want one. You won’t have to email us and find out who still has a free copy available. You won’t have to race across town to get that copy. In the interim, you can continue to find new content on our website and continue the conversation on social media.
Like the kids, we look forward to being a little older, a little bigger, a little more confident as we check things out at the next level.
And we also look forward to next summer.
