EDITOR’S LETTER
They told me that we could never put an eggplant on the cover because it has (sadly) been immortalised in emoji form as our default sex symbol. But we are more mature than that, right? Of course, it’s not our job to question your opinion on texting fruit as a sexual metaphor, but what we would like to say is that the real-life eggplant deserves to be enjoyed and eaten – roasted, grilled or steamed, drizzled with olive oil or tossed through a multitude of umami-spanked marinades or sauce options – the time has come for the eggplant to receive a makeover.
So here is our eggplant, loud, proud and purple (the official colour for International Women’s Day on 8 March) as we celebrate and showcase some of our most inspirational and influential women in food and drink. It’s a dialogue that we hope will include all of us – yes, we want to hear from men, too – as we step up to support the very first Women In Food & Drink Aotearoa New Zealand event, an event that will be the start of many more conversations to come.
And so in this glorious issue it was important that we provide not only a platform from which to explore the diverse roles of women within our food-and-drink industry, but also to demonstrate our desire to nurture a collective intelligence in our approach. Don’t worry, there is still plenty of delish on the menu, but between the layers of Fiona Smith’s outrageously good eggplant ideas, David Neville’s clever ways with corn, Ginny Grant’s ode to late-summer veges, Martin Bosley and Teresa Pert’s sensational serving of East Coast trevally, Christall Lowe’s inspiring family-table recipes, Emelia Jackson’s luscious bakes and a look inside Kaelah James’ uniquely wild kai kitchen, you’ll also find plenty to read, think about and digest.
For example, on page 126 Stephen Wong highlights that some of our most recognisable New Zealand wines are made by women, while Tash Mcgill brings you an outstanding look at how our spirits industry has been shaped by resourceful, forward-looking women (page 10). On page 146 Hillary Eaton asks you to consider what might be the last straw for women who choose a career in hospitality, and a look back at some of our most-prized cookbooks, written by women of Aotearoa, gives a fascinating insight into our food-writing culture on page 72.
As we head toward International Women’s Day with this celebration of so many magnificent wāhine, I must applaud some who are not on our list of inspirational women in food and drink, despite being experts within their fields and core members of team Cuisine: Fiona Lascelles, art director; Tracy Whitmey, copy editor and writer; Ginny Grant and Fiona Smith, senior food writers; Mary-therese Blair, wine writer; and Vanessa Stranan, co-owner and commercial director – thank you for your unquenchable appetites, your curiosity, integrity, passion, flexibility, courage and creativity, and for never letting us stand still.