Editor’s Mixing Bowl
20th Anniversary Issue
“The most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what’s in between, and they took great pleasure in doing just that.”
—Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth
Our inaugural issue, Fall 2005, featured a ripe olive by Edible Communities founder Carole Topalian on its cover. The image on our Fall 2025 issue, by photographer Raymond Franssen, depicts a recipe for a roasted eggplant and grape curry by Francine Spiering.
How about a road trip? You won’t have to pack much for this one. Just find a comfortable seat and fill up a cup with whatever you fancy.
Your traveling companions?
Well, you’re on this journey with thousands of other readers, many of whom began reading Edible East Bay when our first issue came out in September 2005. You’re also riding along with a large community of local businesses, organizations, and individuals whose stories we have covered in these pages throughout the 20 years we have been publishing. Other fellow travelers include some dedicated staff members and the many dozens of freelance writers, poets, artists, and photographers who have contributed their talents to Edible East Bay over the years.
Most esteemed among your companions are our loyal advertising partners. Four of them—Rockridge Market Hall, Monterey Market, Berkeley Horticultural Nursery, and Piedmont Grocery—joined us for our premier issue and are still with us today! We hope you will spend time getting to know them by reading their ads and visiting their establishments. Please make sure to tell these hard-working business owners how much you appreciate their support for Edible East Bay.
Also on board for this journey is the team at Publication Printers, the experts who so beautifully print, bind, trim, and pack up each issue. Then our wonderful local delivery company, Piikup, takes over to get the copies to our various distribution points. This socially responsible Oakland-based delivery hub also runs a job skills training program.
Every journey needs a map, so we’ve created one in the form of this Timeline of Highlights from 20 Years in Publishing. We hope you will have as much fun as we did while rediscovering what our community has been up to!
One more word of gratitude: This magazine would never happen without the input and inspiration we receive from our readers. We hope you’ll sign up for our (almost) weekly e-newsletter, East Bay Appetizer. It’s another chance to be in conversation about food and our beautiful community.
Happy travels to us all!
Cheryl Angelina Koehler
editor(at)edibleeastbay(dot)com
P.S. Find the recipe depicted on our cover and read more about the cook and photographer here.
