The warming calm of Summer is finally here. It has been sunny and beautiful with fresh flowers and lush green everywhere, which is very different than summers in New Mexico where I grew up! The only downside at time of writing is that we’re already seeing haze from the Canadian wildfires which is predicted to get worse in the next couple of weeks. But this too will pass.

In this issue, we touch on the James Beard Awards including a conversation with 2017 Best Chef Northeast Finalist Jeff Lizotte of Present Company and another with Grecia and Macarena Ludena from the 2022 Outstanding Restaurant Finalist Northeast, Coracora restaurant.

By the way we’re excited to be co-hosting our first big event, an outside dinner with Present Company and Vanessa Demetrio of Nutmeg & Oak on July 24th. “Feast on the Farmington” is a farm to table wine dinner with Chef Jeff and team. Tickets available now at www.presentcompany.com – don’t delay as seats are limited.

You’ll also enjoy our stories about a preternatural annual event at Wicked Tulips Flower Farm, an insider tour of the new I Know You Know Speakeasy, and last, the family behind Southeastern Connecticut’s first kombucha brewery, 860Kombucha.

All of these stories continue our commitment to providing sophisticated insights into the visions and the motivations of our selections while supporting the articles with the most beautiful photography we can muster. We’re celebrating our 12th print issue which would normally indicate three years of publishing but we’ve actually been around over 4 ½ years including that unfortunate bit of downtime during the, well, you know.

You’ll also see a renewal of our feature section, Fresh Looks. Given that we’re a quarterly magazine and plan our articles well in advance, this section allows us to present new, noteworthy, and somewhat more timely additions to our state culinary scene.

We’re also grateful for all of our new advertisers this issue (and of course all of our loyal advertisers as well!) including Cove Ledge Liquors, Lindsey Coral Harper Interior Design, Maine Office of Tourism, No Other Book Like This, Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce (Stonington Art Walk 2023), and the new Wild Side Market, as well as our returning supporters Jonathan Edwards Winery and Stonington Historical Society.

Have a sunny and beautiful summer y’all!

R. Shane Kennedy 
Publisher/Editor