DIGITAL EDITION

Holiday 2022

Many people assume that getting to sample local food and drink is the best part of my job. Don’t get me wrong—that part is great, but it’s not always my favorite.

Publishing this magazine means I get to go around Spokane and the region meeting people who care with immense passion about something, glimpsing behind the curtain, and learning about what gets them excited. For some, it’s food, others beer, but wine, farming, art, spirits, cider, sustainability, travel, family and shopping are always on the menu. There’s a fair amount of sports talk, too, but who in town doesn’t have something to say about GU basketball this time of year?!

It's fun being in the know about a new restaurant in the works and sampling products that aren’t on shelves just yet, but it’s the sharing that gives me joy. I enjoy learning and hearing from the contributors about the new things they have tried and want others to know about. I like challenging the editorial staff to find us stories and people who haven’t been featured elsewhere. I love meeting people from around the country (and the world) and using this magazine as a venue to spread the word about the things happening here.

Last month, I traveled to Denver for the Edible Communities Publishers’ Conference. While Edible Inland Northwest is independently owned and locally published, we are part of a network of nearly 90 magazines across the United States and Canada committed to sharing stories about local food. The last time I was together with these people was in January of 2020 when we all met in Santa Fe and I only had one issue under my belt. Like many others, Covid changed the way we as Edible publishers interact with each other, so since March 2020, we have had weekly Zoom meetings.

During these weekly roundtables, we discuss how to improve our local publications and better serve our communities. I have built relationships, shared ideas, and celebrated victories with these people as talking heads in little 2-inch boxes, so it was great being able to connect with many of them in person again after almost 3 years.

In exploring Denver, we all shared great food and drink, but all of us kept connecting it to things back home. For me, it was sampling a local Hazy IPA made with hops from Yakima, sharing Spiceology blends, and starting a conversation with our server after being presented with an oyster topped with huckleberries, sourced from North Idaho.

Yes, this is a local magazine. Yes, eating and drinking are a part of my job. Yes, at times it’s a dream. But I have a responsibility to share the hard work of so many of the passionate people whom I get to meet out there and I take great pride in spreading the word about them in our pages, across our digital platforms, and with anyone who will listen—on Zoom or in person!

I wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season.

We’re just getting started.

Cheers,

Jeffrey Fijolek
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

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