Each month, as I review the issue’s articles, I am filled with
gratitude for the great team of freelance writers we have working for
the magazine. They are willing to accept any challenge and go the extra
mile to get a story, but most of all, they are a whole lot of fun to
know.
Susan Slack is one writer who continues to impress me with
all that she tackles. If you are a “foodie,” you know her name. She has
written a variety of successful books on cooking, including Japanese
Cooking for the American Table, Fondues and Hot Pots and Southwest
Celebrations. She constantly is improving her culinary knowledge,
attending conferences and meetings and hosting cooking classes in her
own kitchen. Best of all, she writes beautifully. When she submits an
article, it is flawless. She checks and rechecks every fact and, as an
added bonus, she usually already has envisioned the corresponding
photos.
Because of Susan’s love for food, she often is the first
person I think of when assigning food articles. If she hasn’t already
pitched the idea herself (because she always is coming up with great
article topics), I will assign Susan the story, and she always accepts
graciously.
Since our readers constantly ask us for more
recipes, for this issue I gave Susan the task of finding several
Columbia folks willing to share their family heirloom recipes. As
usual, Susan came through with a beautiful article that exceeded my
expectations. Five Columbia residents shared with her their family
recipes from ancestors in the Smoky Mountains, Kentucky, Texas,
Slovakia and Belgium. From authentic Slovak pierogies to the best
pumpkin pie I’ve ever tasted, these dishes are outstanding, and each of
them has a great story.
After gathering the recipes from these
Columbia cooks, Susan made sure that everything could be reproduced by
our readers and then diligently prepared each one for our photo shoot.
Not only is Susan an amazing writer and cook, but she also is a
renowned food stylist. You may not be familiar with the
responsibilities of a food stylist, but one photo shoot with Susan is
all it takes to understand the attention to minute detail and skillful
knowledge the job requires.
Photographing food is not an easy
task; even the tastiest dishes can seem discolored and unappetizing if
someone like Susan is not around. At our photo shoots, Susan does
everything from arranging tiny bits of spices to literally painting a
piece of meat with vegetable oil so it looks fresh out of the oven. She
also has an enormous supply of dishes, napkins and everything else
needed to make a beautiful presentation, and it shows in the photos.
For Susan, food is more than sustenance; it is a work of art.
I
owe Susan a great deal of gratitude for all of the hard work she does
for each issue. I know you will join me in thanking her once you’ve
made and tried these recipes, seen on pages 65 through 70.
I hope you enjoy reading (and tasting) this issue.
Sincerely,
Emily Tinch
Editor
About the Cover:
Billy Frye's home in Quinine Hill
Photography by Robert Clark
This Issue