16 MAY 2020
DEAR READER,
I hope this note finds you healthy and safe.
As of this writing on March 17, the world
beyond my kitchen table feels tiny and
humbled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Everything is different today than it was
yesterday. Many of our favorite restaurants
and bars have closed, some for good, and
family trips have been canceled, impacting
millions of workers in the hospitality and
travel industries. At home, we’re speaking
an entirely new vernacular, practicing
social distancing in an effort to flatten the
curve. For me, that means hunkering down
and cooking. A lot.
This may seem like a strange time to pub-
lish a travel issue. None of us can predict
what tomorrow will bring, much less a
month from now, but I believe that we will
eventually recover from this global event stronger and more united than we have been in
decades. I believe our best instincts will prevail. They have to. Though right now we’re forc-
ing ourselves to isolate from one another, our curiosity will eventually prevail; we will break
down borders again and reconnect.
I believe in silver linings—in small ones, like the walk my family and I took with the dog
this afternoon in between work conference calls, or the chicken-miso soup we made together
tonight. And in much bigger ones, like what happened a few days ago, when homebound
residents across Italy sang the country’s national anthem from balconies and windows in
unison while the country remained on lockdown. Videos of families singing and playing
instruments were a gesture of connectedness in the face of tremendous hardship. It reminded
me to remain hopeful, to remember that together, we are resilient.
And so we bring you our Spring Travel Issue, with an ode to Friuli, in northern Italy of all
places, with Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson. Stuckey, a Master Sommelier,
and Mackinnon-Patterson, a 2005 F&W Best New Chef, have been returning to this corner
of Italy for 17 years. The region inspired their acclaimed restaurant Frasca Food and Wine
in Boulder, Colorado; their new book, Friuli Food and Wine; the stunning lasagna on this
issue’s cover; and other gorgeous recipes and top-notch wines (see “Friuli, Forever” p. 108).
While you might not step on a plane this month, let William Hereford’s photography and
the rustic, comforting recipes take you there. And when Frasca and Stuckey’s and Mackinnon-
Patterson’s other restaurants reopen in Colorado, go there, too, for world-class hospitality.
All of the contributors to this issue share an obsession with travel that matches our own.
Take Nashville chef Maneet Chauhan’s kaleidoscopic tour de force of chaats, India’s mouth-
watering snacks (p. 84). Or contributing editor Betsy Andrews’ take on Japan’s craft sake
scene (p. 102). Or chef Kwame Onwuachi’s new column on discovering his roots in Trinidad,
with great recipes to match (p. 38). Each story is a reminder that travel connects us, inspires
us, and feeds us, bringing it all home with cookable recipes to eat and things to drink.
When this pandemic subsides, the world will need us at the table—at hotels, bars, and
neighborhood restaurants—sharing our cultures, more than ever. Until then, look after one
another, and cook something good tonight.Support
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HUNTER LEWIS
@NOTESFROMACOOK
[email protected]
photography by RAMONA ROSALESFW_0520_EdLetter.indd 16 FINAL CONTENT 3/18/20 2:46 PM