About the Cover

This season’s cover came out of an exuberant collaboration that began early last summer when three of us—Roberta Klugman, Cheryl Angelina Koehler, and photographer Judy Doherty—went off on an olive oil research trip to Winters and Capay Valley. During the tour, we decided to create a recipe feature to celebrate the winter olive harvest season, when olive growers mill their first oils, which are often identified by the Italian term, olio nuovo, to denote that oil that is right from the mill and meant to be used immediately. A chef as well as a photographer, Doherty immediately busied herself with learning how to present the oils and recipes to best effect. Her spectacular results are found on many pages in this issue including the cover.

The cake on the cover was created by Alice Medrich, author of many beloved baking cookbooks and a strong believer in the virtues of extra virgin olive oil in baking. Medrich lives and works in Berkeley, so the four of us gathered around her beautiful pink marble countertop to see how we could present the cake.

This cover was a finalist in the 2022 Best of Edible competition.