In the Winter 2023-24 Issue

Publisher's Post: When I was a child I wanted to be a novelist. I took creative writing courses all the way through college and have scores of short stories scattered in notebooks somewhere in storage. Then I wanted to be an actor, performing in plays in both high school and college with half a hope of attending the performing arts program at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria. While I did attend the school for a year—and watched several performances—my focus shifted after I took a sign language class there. Eventually, I earned degrees in deaf studies and special education, taught school, had children, became a stay-at-home mom, then earned a degree in nutrition and finally became a publisher. I like to say I have several past lives all within this one living experience.

Planning each issue of this magazine is a little like planning my career and future. I have it all laid out way ahead of time with themes and ideas, and then we start the process. Sometimes it goes exactly according to plan. Other times, new ideas are introduced, or the state of the world prompts changes (global pandemic, anyone?), or personal life events happen, or stories have to be pulled for various reasons and it shifts the focus of the season. Then, I find that I am just along for the ride.

This Winter issue was meant to be “The Drinks Issue.” While we do have some fun drink recipes and interesting pieces about hot chocolate and tea ceremonies around the world (see pages 40 and 46, respectively), I found that the theme has shifted quite a bit since its inception. We have included stories of amazing Filipino food artisans who are honoring their culture in Ventura County (page 28); farmers, ranchers and companies who are actively producing sustainable fibers for clothing (page 32); kids who are standing up and fighting food insecurity (page 38); a woman who has overcome disordered eating (page 44); and local food makers who are nodding to the past while moving forward toward new futures (starting on page 8).

In this issue we use the phrase “catching waves” in a couple articles as a metaphor for following trends that we would like to see become the new normal. The people in our pages, I think, are innovators, sometimes even originators of local trends toward sustainability or uplifting various cultures. It is through their perseverance that these ideas become trends with potential for global impact.

So perhaps our theme for this issue is “Innovation and Perseverance.” Or maybe “Warming Trends.” Or even “Global Connections.” Whichever resonates with you is the right one, dear reader, but the lesson I have learned—again—is that sometimes the best laid plans are just there to make a path for something new and unexpected, and maybe even better than the original idea. So, if you desire, make one of our yummy drinks, settle into a cozy chair and take your time savoring these pages. I hope you leave them as inspired as I am.

Until next season,

Tami