14 FEBRUARY 2020
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HUNTER LEWIS
@NOTESFROMACOOK
IT’S EASY TO THINK THAT PEOPLE
at the apex of their careers have
it made, but the journey to the
top—and every step after—requires
constant innovation and grit. I was
reminded of this last summer at
the 37th annual Food & Wine
Classic in Aspen, the most fun
and important weekend of every
year for F&W.
While I love watching Jacques
Pépin cook and Martha Stewart
dispense entertaining wisdom to
our guests, for me, some of the
best moments happen off-stage,
in impromptu conversations with all of the pros strolling around the tiny
mountain town, which, for that weekend, feels like summer camp for some
of the biggest names in food and drink. Last summer, we surveyed some of
those chefs and food personalities, asking them to share a personal story
about a failure or hardship and what they learned from it. Their answers, on
p. 94, helped to remind us that the setbacks in life, and how we respond to
them, ultimately lead to growth.
What else does culinary innovation look like in 2020? Sometimes it hap-
pens through the cultivation of new relationships, like those between Ethan
Frisch and his growers (see p. 20), who are bringing incredible new spices to
the United States. Sometimes it’s a brilliant ingredient combination, like in
the nori-flavored stir-fry on p. 44. We know it when we taste it.
For centuries, Black cooks have been responsible for some of the coun-
try’s most innovative cooking, and a rising generation of chefs —like Ashleigh
Shanti at Benne on Eagle in Asheville, North Carolina, and JJ Johnson of the
restaurant FieldTrip in New York City—are drawing on the 400-plus years
of culinary creativity of those who preceded them. In the process, they are
creating new and original dining experiences and are telling important
stories that haven’t been heard nearly enough. In “The Original Innovators”
(p. 64), we celebrate some of the Black influences and contributions that have
shaped cuisine in America.
Innovation also comes from a lifelong dedication to the creative process. In
“Launchpads” (p. 80), Nashville writer and pastry chef Lisa Donovan traces
the arc of her career, sharing her signature brilliant-yet-simple recipes. Each
one is an aha! moment grounded in years of discipline and practice—like the
Dried Apple Hand Pies that grace the cover this month.
Think of this issue as a celebration of curiosity and the delicious things that
result when we all pursue a spirit of innovation. Enjoy.
HOT SAUCE REPORT
My fridge already holds
the United Nations of
hot sauces, so why add
one more? Red Clay
Original Hot Sauce
demands it: Aged in
bourbon barrels, it’s
Tabasco for the 21st
century. Blasphemy?
Maybe. I use it in stews,
braises, and soups
to add lip-smacking,
umami zing, and I like
it so much that I gave
bottles to the F&W staff
as Christmas gifts. ($9,
redclayhotsauce.com)
REQUIRED READING
Lisa Donovan, whose
recipe is on the cover,
earned a James Beard
Award in 2018 for
her F&W essay “Dear
Women: Own Your
Stories,” and her voice
is one of the most
vital in food today.
You’re going to want to
devour her upcoming
memoir, Our Lady of
Perpetual Hunger,
out this August. ($28 ,
preorder at penguin
ra n d o mh o u se.co m)
CANDY CRUSH
I’m a Red Boat fish
sauce guy and use it
several times a week,
including, occasion-
ally, to make fish sauce
caramel, a traditional
savory Vietnamese
sauce. Now, my
6-year-old and I are
devoted to a sweet
riff on the latter: Red
Boat caramels. ($9,
re d b oatfish sa u c e.co m)
SAVE THE DATE
Join us at the Food &
Wine Classic in Aspen,
June 19–21, 2020.
Tickets are on sale
now at foodandwine
.com/classic.
From the
Home Office
Keep At It
photography by RAMONA ROSALES
