EDITOR ’ S LETTER
Glorious ,
FOOD , FOOD !
Does this happen to you ? Oftentimes , when I text the word “ good ,” my iPhone ’ s autocorrect changes it to “ food .” Maybe the mix-up is just a happy accident , but it makes perfect sense to me , since those two words go so well together . Like peanut butter and jelly . Rice and beans . Macaroni and cheese . Cake and ice cream . ( OK , I ’ m carbing out now just thinking about it .) To my point , however : I really love good food . And although our definition of what food qualifies as “ good ” may vary , I ’ ll bet you feel the same way .
You know what else I really love ? A good story . And I ’ d be remiss if I didn ’ t share my secret : Some of this issue ’ s story ideas came from the BCS Meals and Deals group on Facebook . I turn to this page with fair regularity for all things food-related in the Brazos Valley . From this group , for example , I learned about a number of chefs who work under Texas ’ cottage food law . Insite BV ’ s summer intern , Lydia Hill , explains what this is and shares some inspiring stories of local residents who have followed their culinary passions and built businesses without having to open a brickand-mortar location to do so . It ’ s a really good story about really good food and really good people .
Some of our featured cottage food purveyors are vendors at the Brazos Valley Farmers ’ Market , a fun outing on Saturday mornings north of downtown Bryan . I highly recommend going , if you ’ ve never been . While you ’ re there , you may also meet another vendor whose story made it into the July issue : Carolyn Adair , whose Italian olive tree grove produces Amici extra-virgin olive oil . But that ’ s just one part of the story — what I love the most is that her passion for Italy and growing olives came on the heels of a fulfilling , three-decades-long career as the student activities director at Texas A & M University . Beyond Italy and olives is the story of a life well lived .
Just north of the farmers ’ market is the Ice House on Main . Special contributor Tim Gregg introduces us to that charming place that ’ s a significant part of Bryan ’ s history and is now a popular event venue . Tim also keeps us abreast on Bryan College Station ’ s beloved Chef Tai Lee and what he ’ s dishing up these days , including a recipe for his mouthwatering grilled salmon and pea risotto . You can find it on page 24 .
Another B / CS market I love is Farm Patch Produce Market , another slice of Bryan history that ’ s been in business for the last 47 years . We made it easy for you to put together a picnic made with food stuffs , all from Farm Patch . There ’ s only one thing we left off the grocery list — bug spray . Since it ’ s not edible , you ’ re on your own .
Whole magazines are devoted to the topic of food because there are so many ways to slice it and dice it . Every story in this issue is dedicated to some piece of that pie . We ’ re hoping this will whet your appetite — and make you hungry for more . ( Apologies from the peanut gallery for the punny clichés . Yeah , I know . They ’ re kind of corny .)
Ellen Ritscher Sackett , Editor in Chief insitebrazosvalley . com 7