In 2006 I left a job at Allandale Farm in Brookline. I was interested in local food and in “small” ag and decided to launch a magazine to tell the stories of food producers in the counties surrounding Boston. Although I called this new publication Edible Boston, I knew I had to include Worcester County in our territory, with its bounty of apple orchards, farms, dairies, breweries and locally-sourced restaurants. From the beginning, we've included at least one story from Worcester County in every issue of Edible Boston, often more.

Thirteen years into this venture, Edible Boston is thriving. I have a great team with Sarah Blackburn, Tara Taft and Michael Piazza by my side, along with local freelance journalists and photographers who help us create each quarterly issue. With so many exciting things happening in the city of Worcester it seemed like this was the right time to launch a standalone, Worcester-centric magazine: Edible Worcester. With feet-on-the-ground story telling and stunning photography, our team will create a publication with the same aesthetic we have created for Edible Boston.

This inaugural issue is a test, containing some brand new original content and some past stories updated especially for this edition. In order for Edible Worcester to succeed, we need the support of the entire Worcester community—not just readers but also the business owners who will join us as advertising partners. We are very excited about this new venture and hope you will reach out to us and share your story ideas, thoughts and support.

Ilene Bezahler

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief