EDITOR’S LETTER: FALL 2010

A corny dog on the cover of
Edible Dallas and Fort Worth?

“Ummm, well— I’m not so sure,” says Nanci Taylor, the magazine’s publisher (who also happens to be my younger sister). She wants to be supportive but feels compelled to steer us both away from editorial suicide. I argue, but down deep, I’m a skeptic. Does a cornmeal-encrusted, fried wiener really belong on the cover of a magazine known for celebrating Mother Nature’s seasonal bounty?

We had just spent a pleasant morning at Cowtown Farmers Market, where photographer Mitchell Franz snapped shots of artisan baker Gwin Grimes and the Thompsons from Katy Farm. Our bags were filled to the brim with farm-fresh produce, goat cheese, aromatic coffee, tamales and Gwin’s handmade breads. The desire to tear into those bags was intense as our car sped east towards Dallas.

Temperatures soared as we talked our way past Fair Park security guards. Once in, we quickly found a spot under the Texas Star and unwrapped our cover boy. With surgical precision, we cut into the mini-mustard packets and squirted features onto his face. Copy editor Vivian Jones held the light reflector, while I, mimicking Ms. Liberty, raised high the symbol of all things fried. With his quizzical smile and glistening yellow eyeballs, Mr. Fletcher Corny Dog looked delicious.

So how does a health-minded locavore assuage her guilt during a seasonal fling with Mr. Corny? In her inimitable style, writer Joslyn Taylor (no relation) has outlined a dozen fun and productive ways to enjoy a greener trip to the Fried Food Capital of Texas. Penny Ruekberg got the scoop on the “Chefs Move To Schools” program from White House Chef Sam Kass and Dallas ISD’s Dora Rivas and Chef Brad Trudeau. In Richard Adams’ photo, Chef Brad looks oh-so-rock starish holding his giant whisk and my husband Greg’s ’74 Telecaster.

Kim Pierce e-mailed me shortly after she and photographer Alfonso Cevola savored the authentic Mexican cuisine of Paraiso Restaurante: “Some incredibly good food!” High praise from a discriminating food writer. It was Mozzarella Company owner Paula Lambert who first brought to our attention the Cockrell Hill restaurant of her longtime employee and friend Octavia Flores.

In a story that would make her Gilmer grandparents proud, Nancy Reed Krabill takes us on an East Texas road trip to the Yamboree, an autumn festival with carnival rides, girls in sparkly dresses and down-home country cooking. And while we’re facing east, let’s not forget Restaurant Ava on Rockwall’s historic town square. For the first time in Edible Dallas & Fort Worth history, a duo of chefs, Parigi’s Janice Provost and Chad Houser, team up as writer and photographer to tell the story of fellow chefs Randall Copeland and Nathan Tate, two dudes you’ll want to get to know.

So why put the quintessential food symbol of a seasonal North Texas event on the fall cover of Edible Dallas and Fort Worth? Ummm— I love you, Mother Nature—but I couldn’t resist.

—Terri Taylor

Terri Taylor

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As a kid, TERRI TAYLOR refused to eat her vegetables. Her veggie-phobia was cured in 1977 when she spent eight months working on farms in Norway and France. She studied journalism at UT-Austin and received a master’s degree in liberal arts from SMU. Her short story “Virginia” can be found in Solamente en San Miguel, an anthology celebrating the magical Mexican town of San Miguel de Allende. She has written for Edible DFW since its inaugural issue in 2009. She became the magazine’s editor in 2010 and is the editor of Edible Dallas & Fort Worth: The Cookbook.

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