12 APRIL 2019
EDITOR’S LETTER
LAST MONTH my 5-year-old daughter Smith decided to ditch the training wheels
on her pink bike, determined to ride free like her big sister. A couple of days of
blacktop spills and frustrated tears led to a blur of whirring pedals and big smiles.
My girl craves speed and independence, and now she has the freedom to move
beyond the safety of our driveway out into a bigger world.
Kids deserve to be kids. That’s why this May I’m participating in Chefs Cycle, a
three-day, 300-mile endurance ride in Sonoma County, to raise money for children
who don’t have the same opportunities as my own. According to No Kid Hungry,
the organization behind Chefs Cycle, one in six children will face hunger this year.
The $2.4 million fundraising goal for our spring ride will help pay for up to 24
million meals, including school breakfasts, lunches, and community programs
that teach culinary skills to students and parents.
The ride also has benefits for the 275 chefs and
food people like me who will be cycling for the cause
this year. “For our industry, which has been relatively
physically unhealthy, I’ve seen my colleagues change
their health through riding,” says chef Seamus
Mullen, a Chefs Cycle ambassador. “It’s amazing to
see that positive progress and to address the solvable
problem of hunger in the U.S.”
A former competitive cyclist, Mullen won’t have
to worry about me overtaking him while climbing a
steep grade. Chances are I’ll be somewhere in the
peloton with members of Team Food & Wine, a squad
of editors and Best New Chef alumni. We’ll ride
through the foggy hills of west Sonoma County toward the shimmering Pacific
Ocean; we’ll ride through redwood forests; we’ll ride past valley vineyards and
farms and up punishing mountain climbs. We’ll ride with purpose.
The topography may vary, but the same kind of generous people that make
Sonoma County tick can be found in every wine region in the world. In this
Spring Wine Issue, we raise a glass to that spirit of community, celebrating future
industry leaders in our 2019 Sommeliers of the Year (p. 65), traveling Italy’s trail
of tannins with chef Zakary Pelaccio (p. 80), and spotlighting Hillary Sterling, a
Chefs Cycle veteran, in “A Seder to Savor” (p. 70).
I’m grateful for the chance to ride a bike in support of a cause as powerful as
No Kid Hungry. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some more training to do.
HUNTER LEWIS
@NOTESFROMACOOK
From the
Home Office
3
SUPER SHEARS
I recently stopped by
the Nashville outpost of
Coutelier, an excellent
knife store whose flagship
location is in New Orleans,
and purchased my first
Silky kitchen scissors on
the recommendation of
shop owner Brandt Cox.
The durable Japanese
stainless steel scissors
stay supersharp and
are sturdy enough to
spatchcock a chicken.
(couteliernola.com/
silky-kitchen-scissors)
Wheels for Meals
2
VINOUS MAPS
On a recent stay at
Meadowood Napa Valley
I became obsessed with
the detailed vineyard
maps made by Vinous.
They look good framed on
a wall and make an even
better reference while
exploring the topography,
history, and viniculture
of the region, from the
sunny and cool elevation
of Howell Mountain to the
warmer weather of St.
Helena in the upper valley.
(vinous.com/products/
vinousmaps)
1
This spring we’re
launching F&W Pro, a
new food-and-beverage
industry platform for
chefs, restaurateurs,
hoteliers, bartenders, and
others in the hospital-
ity trades. Our aim: to
provide business news,
event programming, and
networking opportunities
to help small business
owners and others stay
connected, and to give
them tools to grow per-
sonally and profession-
ally. Want in? Sign up for
my weekly newsletter at
foodandwine.com/fwpro.
HELP US END CHILDHOOD HUNGER
Team Food & Wine is raising money
to end childhood hunger in America
as we ride 300 miles from May 14
to 16 with Chefs Cycle for No Kid
Hungry. Please join our effort by
donating at join.nokidhungry.org/
goto/teamfw.
A spectator at the
1971 Tour de France
hands cyclist Roger
De Vlaeminck a
bottle of wine.
PHOTOGRAPHY: HORTONCOLLECTION.COM. ILLUSTRATIONS: EMILY JOHNSON
