Food & Wine USA - (03)March 2019

10 MARCH 2019

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SLICE INTO GRAISON GILL’S COUNTRY BOULE from the cover of this issue and you’ll

smell a nutty, almost molasses-like earthiness. Take a bite, and the dark brown,

caramelized crust gives way to a tender, chewy, tangy crumb. How does Gill

deliver such complex flavor with just flour, water, and salt? Good technique and

a hot oven help, of course. So does a kicky sourdough starter. But the real

difference-maker is more fundamental: Gill bakes with freshly milled flour.

As writer Rowan Jacobsen details in “The Miller” (p. 44), Gill fermented a whole-

grain revolution in New Orleans when he brought a 3,000-pound stone mill to

Bellegarde Bakery. His bakery created a new micro-economy in town, selling

freshly milled heirloom grains to local chefs. It also linked him to a network of

like-minded bakers, millers, and farmers across the country who are overhauling

flour: the most commercial of ingredients which, until recently, hadn’t undergone

the artisanal transformation that’s elevated foods like coffee, chocolate, and

salt.“It’s all about flavor,” Gill said during a recent visit to Food & Wine’s

Birmingham, Alabama, test kitchen. “Freshly milled flour simply tastes better.”

In this special issue, we celebrate Gill and 30 more game-changing craftspeople

who are reshaping cuisine in America and abroad by redefining ingredients,

drinks, tools, restaurant design, and experiences—and sometimes, like Gill, the

supply chains that deliver them. As in-the-know consumers, you and I play a

vital role in the equation, too. Support these makers and those in your community.

Invest in an even more delicious future.

HUNTER LEWIS

@NOTESFROMACOOK

[email protected]

From the

Home Office

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READ THIS

Speaking of makers,

Stephen Satterfield’s

Whetstone, a smart

and gorgeous quarterly

publication about food

origins and culture,

should be required reading

for all food lovers.

whetstonemagazine.com

Makers Gonna Make

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FIND MORE RECIPES

We’re thrilled to bring

you more weekly recipes

with the launch of F&W

Cooks, a new digital recipe

community featuring Gail

Simmons, Ruth Reichl,

yours truly, and many

others. foodandwine.com/

fwcooks

1

COOK THE COVER

F&W recipe tester Paige

Grandjean dove deep into

the world of fresh-milled

flours with Bellegarde

Bakery’s Graison Gill. For

Gill’s tips on baking with

fresh flour and a recipe

for the Country Boule

pictured on the cover,

visit foodandwine.com/

bellegarde-country

-boule. You’ll find a simpler

recipe for his versatile

ciabatta on p. 92.

Graison Gill,

baker and miller, p. 44

DeVonn Francis,

artist, p. 70

Sana Javeri Kadri,

spice importer, p. 72

Spike Gjerde,

chef, p. 82

Jeremy Umansky,

deli guru, p. 54

Heather Haas,

bladesmith, p. 56

COOK

THE

COVER

4

SHOP HERE

When I lived in New York

City, I frequented LeNell’s

in Red Hook, Brooklyn, to

buy bourbon and rye and

soak up the liquid wisdom

of owner LeNell Camacho

Santa Ana (née Smothers).

Lucky for me, she recently

reopened her shop in

Birmingham, where I live

now. Join her mailing list for

boutique bottles and joie

de vivre. lenells.com ILL

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