Letter From the Publisher: Issue 28

18 Oct, 2017 by Erik Totten

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Welcome to the latest issue of Food & Spirits Magazine, which marks our 10-year anniversary. When reflecting over that last 10 years, it seems that so much has changed during that time, both for me personally and, of course, for our fine city of Omaha.

Omaha has developed in ways many of us hoped for, but maybe didn’t expect. Sections of town have arisen as their own certifiable neighborhoods and now call themselves Benson, Blackstone, Little Italy, Midtown Crossing, Aksarben, Capitol District, etc., while the venerable neighborhoods like the Old Market and Dundee have continued to develop and adapt to the times. These sections of town can now boast of having their own food, dining and entertainment options that pull people from all over the area.

The food, bar and dining scene has also continued to develop at a rapid pace and Omaha can now be proud of the many made-from-scratch restaurants using local ingredients that populate the city. Our local community (like much of the country) has also seen a huge upswing in the amount of craft breweries that are available and the craft cocktail scene also has more than a few fine establishments that are top-notch. It’s the presence of these types of places that really helped districts of town define themselves and pull customers from the rest of the city.

Of course, the impressive restaurants, bars and lounges that we have wouldn’t be anything without the chefs, bartenders, owners and people that otherwise work at those establishments upping their game. They’re a truly impressive group of people and the dining and drinking scene in Omaha couldn’t have gotten where it is today without them. They’ve helped elevate our city in ways we only imagined ten years ago.

It’s tempting to wax poetic about all the restaurants and bars and the people that work in them, but perhaps that’s an article for another day. For me, when I think about the last ten years of my life in Omaha, the history of Food & Spirits Magazine over that time, and the commendable dining and drinking scene that we have, there really is only one thing I find my mind returning to over and over – our supporters, advertisers and creative contributors that have meant so much to me, the magazine and in turn, our city. There is no doubt that their contributions to many of the things I described above has been present and vast.

Without them, the magazine wouldn’t be here, and while the food and drink scene may have continued to evolve at an unchecked pace, you certainly wouldn’t have heard as much about it: over FSM’s history these people I speak of have created nearly two million words worth of articles and thousands of photos. All about eating and drinking in Omaha. Countless readers have read the magazine or been on our website taking all this in.

My heartfelt gratitude and admiration goes out to them and I hope yours does too. There are two ads in the magazine thanking all of them and, if you would, do me a favor. Look through each one of those ads and see how many names and businesses you recognize (I suspect there will be more than a few). After that, go and tell them thank you. They deserve it for subsidizing and creating this magazine for everyone else in the city. They’re a rare bunch that offered up their time and money to create something they believed in for the rest of us. And that’s how growth and development happen. You have to have a core group of people that have a vision and want the rest of us to see it. So, while we all should be proud of the many great things our city has to offer in the food and spirits scene, we should also be thankful to those that wanted to make sure you knew about it and experienced it for yourself.

So, enjoy. For those of us that are a part of Food & Spirits Magazine, it’s important to us that you do so. As always, we love to hear from our readers so let us know what you like, and what you don’t. We’re always listening, and we hope to be doing the same in another 10 years.

Erik Totten – Publisher

Food & Spirits Magazine

Erik Totten

Erik Totten is the founder and publisher of Food & Spirits Magazine in Omaha, Nebraska. He's worked in publications for the last 21 years at all levels. As well as serving as a writer, designer, photographer and editor, he's also founded two publications which have allowed him to grow into being a publisher, which he would describe as his 'true calling'.