FROM THE EDITOR

UNTIL RECENTLY, I lived and worked in New York City. Often, the first question new acquaintances asked me was, “What do you do?” I’d tell them that I worked as an editor for a publishing company that reviews restaurants around the world. And, inevitably, the conversation would turn to food. We’d swap stories about where to score the best dumplings in Chinatown, who baked the best bagels and which restaurants had the craziest chefs.
     I never grew tired of these conversations because I always learned something new, not just about a cafe I had to check out, but also about the person telling the story. I learned what was important to them: a big-name chef, the atmosphere of the place, the price, the quality of the food, the people they met while drinking and dining. Now that I have taken the reins at Roast, I am looking forward to having discussions like these once again—this time, with coffee as the focus.
     Why does eating and drinking inspire so much enthusiasm (and consternation) in all of us? Why can I remember the best meals I’ve ever had—and the first time I had a really good cup of coffee?
     The worlds of food and coffee share many of the same ideals. For some time now, restaurants have been sourcing ingredients from farmers who place their hearts into everything they do. These farmers may grow their crops with sustainability in mind, and they might grow organically. They may be locally based. They tend to use artisan methods rather than produce foods quickly and in mass quantities. They want to pay their workers fairly. And they love to host farm tours for visitors who may have never seen the origins of their meals. The farmers—and the specialty shops and chefs who purchase their wares—know that customers will pay a premium for the reverence that is shown to the ingredients from farm to table and the distinctive flavors that come through in the finished product.
     I’ve seen the same dedication to quality in the specialty coffee industry. There’s a zeal for working with farmers at origin, for crafting an experience in the cup.
     Food and coffee are commodities, no question. But when we enjoy a cup of coffee together, or gather around the table for a meal, we are doing more than just filling our gullets or jolting our bodies out of sleepiness (though we’ve all consumed food and coffee in those basic ways before, especially while at trade shows). Instead, we come together to eat, drink and enjoy a simple pleasure of life: engaging all of our senses while forging new connections with each other.
     The legendary food writer M.F.K. Fisher once wrote, “People ask me: ‘Why do you write about food, and eating, and drinking? Why don’t you write about the struggle for power and security, and about love, the way the others do?’… The easiest answer is to say that, like most other humans, I am hungry.”
     And, I might add, thirsty. Thirsty to hear your thoughts about where the industry’s headed. Thirsty to tell your stories in Roast. And, of course, thirsty for my next cup of really good coffee.

      Cheers,

      Kelly