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18 EDITORIAL GOURMET NEWS SEPTEMBER 2013 www.gourmetnews.com GOURMET NEWS ® FROM THE EDITOR WWW.GOURMETNEWS.COM PUBLISHER I don't know how or when precisely it happened, but the worlds of food and travel media appear to have unofficially merged. On television's iconic Food Network, accomplished chefs like Bobby Flay and Mario Batali now plate up recipes alongside foodie tourists like Guy Fieri, who regularly takes his viewers on culinary road trips to America's favorite "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." Meanwhile, nearly every program on sister network The Travel Channel contains some gastronomic element. Most top food magazines today contain a travel section, directing readers where to find the best barbecue in Memphis or the best beignets in New Orleans. And popular chef/authors like Anthony Bourdain and Peter Mayle have developed widespread followings for books that take their readers on edible vacations to exotic locales. I for one could not be happier about this merger of food and travel into a single media entity. Like many travel lovers today, food plays a very important role in my vacation plans. I tend to choose travel destinations at least in part based on places where I am interested in sam- pling the local cuisine. And when sketching out my itinerary, a list of probable destination restaurants always appears right alongside the museums and monuments I plan to visit. At the same time, I also love to travel through food, perhaps planning a spicy Indian palak paneer to liven up a dull workday or whisking away dinner guests to an impromptu night out in the South of France with a tuna salad Niçoise and a dry Provençal rosé. The specialty food industry is, of course, no stranger to the coalescence of food and travel in popular culture. Stepping into a gourmet store or wine shop today can be a truly transportive experience. The shopper may be at once presented with a selection of rice noodles from China, imported amaretti cookies from Italy and authentic Canadian maple syrup. Filling up your basket can be like choosing where you want to be carried away to as you prepare your purchases in upcoming meals. For me, there is certainly an element of figurative travel involved in putting together the pages of Gourmet News. In recent months, I have spoken to food professionals from France, Great Britain, Italy and Greece in developing stories for this publication. I love chatting about food trends around the world and bringing geographically diverse stories to the readers. And it is always a pleasure learning about and trying unique foods from across the globe as I consider which ones to include in these pages. In this issue, there are a number of stories and product features that will take you on a journey from Switzerland to the Dead Sea. In my cover story on the complex contemporary market for imported olive oils, I delve into the sometimes inexplicably strange path that extra virgin olive takes on its way from distant olive groves to a retail shelf in the United States. In our Supplier Profile, Hannah Hollins writes about Harney & Sons, whose new Ambessa tea line takes the drinker on a trip from Kenya to Harlem by way of Europe. In addition, we profile an eclectic array of international food products this month, including items from everywhere from Hawaii to West Virginia to New Zealand to Germany. Flip through these pages, and take a trip on us! GN Lee M. Oser ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Jeff Rosano 520.721.1300 jeff_r@oser.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lorrie Baumann 520.721.1300 lorrie_b@oser.com EDITOR Lucas Witman 520.721.1300 editor@oser.com ASSOCIATE EDITORS Jazmine Woodberry Kristina Harris Hannah Hollins GRAPHIC DESIGNER Yasmine Brown CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Product Wrap-up & Classified Sales Tara Neal 520.721.1300 tara_n@oser.com CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGERS Ruth Haltiwanger Margarite Marquez – Lucas Witman, Editor 520.721.1300 lucas_w@oser.com PUBLISHING OFFICE 1877 N. Kolb Road P.O. Box 1056 Tucson, AZ 85715 520.721.1300 Fax 520.721.6300 SUBSCRIBER SERVICES Gourmet News P.O. Box 30520 Tucson, AZ 85751 520.721.1300 MEMBER OF: PRESIDENT Lee M. Oser Periodicals postage paid at Tucson, AZ, and additional mailing office. Gourmet News (ISSN 1052-4630) is published monthly by Oser Communications Group, 1877 North Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715; 520.721.1300. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material or prices quoted in newspaper. Contributors are responsible for proper release of proprietary classified information. ©2013 by Oser Communications Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction, in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher, is expressly prohibited. Back issues, when available, cost $7 each within the past 12 months, $12 each prior to the past 12 months. Back orders must be paid in advance either by check or charged to American Express, Visa, or Master Card. Gourmet News is distributed without charge in North America to qualified professionals in the retail and distribution channels of the specialty foods and hardgoods trade; paid subscriptions cost $65 annually to the U.S. and Canada. All foreign subscriptions cost $150 annually to cover air delivery. All payments must be made in U.S. funds and drawn on a U.S. bank. For subscriber services, including subscription information, call 520.721.1300. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Gourmet News, 1877 North Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715.

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