EDITOR’S NOTE

We have always loved food, but the pandemic has made us really love food and deepened our relationship with it. Going by the number of private dining and home-based food businesses that have popped up in the past two years, for example, many must have spent more time in the kitchen than before. (I, for one, used the oven in the home that I’ve been living in for nearly two decades for the first time. And, no, I don’t think you would want to or should try my culinary exploits.)

Outside, meals have grown in social and emotional significance, whether for a party of two, five, eight or 10. And for those who love to dress up, they’ve been our best – and often only – occasions to do so.

At that same time, unfortunately, we’ve lost many good names in F&B here (Laut was too short-lived), and the industry continues to be challenged. For what it’s worth, though, there remains a wholehearted and robust community that wants to feed and treat us.

Tania Chan – an old friend who happens to be the chief marketing officer of The Lo & Behold Group, owner of pioneering concepts spanning Overeasy to Odette – had this to say when I asked about the standard of our restaurant scene today: “What the pandemic has shown is how critical our industry is as a lifeline when the world feels inside out. Great venues bring people together and create magical experiences in the process.”

For all these reasons and more, we decided to dedicate this edition of our annual Lifestyle issue to these true blue tastemakers (geddit?). We hope that everything from the food to the fashion will make your mouth water. Tuck in!