Let’s #disrupt winter, shall we? At this point we’ve fully pulled out of the cold-weather doldrums; we need to be thinking of the green things that push up out of that frost-weary soil and transform our landscape into something lush and new and sometimes edible (ahem, Edible).
For this, our Innovation issue, we thought a lot about evolution and change, particularly in terms of the food we consume. In 2016, we tend to think of innovating as applying a tech disruption to, say, meal delivery or food waste elimination. But inside these pages the term “innovate” takes a broader view.
In East New York, one of our city’s lowest-income, highest-crime neighborhoods, we have an urban farm providing healthy produce where food stores are not, all while serving as a vibrant community hub. And another farm, right over on Staten Island, is showing high-end restaurant chefs they can secure premium ingredients just over the Verrazano Bridge.
And how about our profiles of three women running farmers markets in Harlem, outside the well-established Greenmarket system? That’s certainly not an easy row to hoe. Or Dig Inn, the cultishly popular fast-casual chain that’s trying all kinds of approaches to secure—and retain—quality kitchen staff?
Just in time for the hot months, we also have a roundup of some of the city’s best nondairy ice cream, a story which very well could change your mind about something you once dismissed. And we look at a Brooklyn restaurant that is using local ingredients to change what you thought you knew about Japanese cuisine.
All told, there’s lots of great content here, perfect to inspire some #innovation of your own. Have a great summer!
Jesse Hirsch, Editor
