Just when I conclude that things can’t get more surreal, along comes 2026. It has been draining, but we squeezed in an excursion to Vienna and Budapest, and while I typically do little to encourage the notion, I’m an optimist at heart.
Really. The fact that all four Thai basil plants we planted unceremoniously drowned in the recent monsoon.
I’m airing the following here first, but it also will appear online at Food & Dining Magazine. 2026 is the 10th anniversary of my split from NABC (although the terms weren’t finalized until 2018). Two personally rewarding positions have come and gone since then (Common Haus was too brief to count), and now it’s back to looking for some way to contribute and make a few bucks.
But I need to put F&D to rest in order to move forward. Hate to do it; have to do it. I believe innings remain in the tank.
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My Present Coordinates
Readers who know me “’offline” will attest that when it comes to work, I perform far more effectively with (a) consistent structure, and (b) some sort of “cause” to advance by the force of my creative efforts. I’m a polemicist who cherishes the daily grind; it makes vacations all the sweeter.
Back in 2019, when the late John Carlos White first appointed me to the position of Food & Dining Magazine’s digital editor, I immediately made it my job to ramp up the program. I began posting Louisville area food and dining news at our website and social media feeds on a daily basis, as opposed to previously sporadic efforts.
Along the way regular weekly columns were added (Hip Hops, Edibles & Potables), and all in all, I believe the result was a positive improvement to my area of internet responsibility from what it had been upon my arrival ― which mostly was solid, but prone to inconsistency.
What we as a magazine needed was the same discipline that benefits me personally: a steady, regular presence.
Roughly 2,420 posts later, I’m very proud of what has been accomplished. Allow me to thank our readers, contributors and advertisers, both print and digital. Your patronage of the publication is appreciated, and always will be. More than anything else, we writers quite enjoy being read.
With F&D’s quarterly print edition, John created something of genuine local quality and interest. The magazine has remained unique and meaningful since its...Read more
