MAGAZINE WHETS APPETITE FOR LOCALLY
PRODUCED FOOD
April 3, 2006
Robert and Amanda Manning are getting the word out that the
Lowcountry is a cornucopia of savory, homegrown food.
The husband-and-wife team are dispensing that message through
Edible Lowcountry, a magazine produced quarterly focusing
on Lowcountry food harvesters and producers, Lowcountry chefs
cooking with local food, the food itself and just about everything
else food lovers care to know about the region’s distinctive
culinary flavor.
With Robert as publisher and Amanda as editor, Edible Lowcountry
debuts April 15 in grocers, farmers’ markets, restaurants,
tourist centers, select retailers, galleries, hotels and at
food events. The magazine’s subscription rate is $28
per year.
Edible Lowcountry’s purpose is to support the local
food industry, according to the Mannings, owners of Carolina
FoodPros, which promotes South Carolina’s culinary heritage
through restaurant and market tours, special events and by
selling gift boxes filled with Palmetto State food products.
From Muscadine grapes to collard greens, from peaches to
shrimp and golden rice, Edible Lowcountry steers regional
residents and tourists alike to the farmers’ markets,
vineyards, select stores and restaurants where distinctive
Lowcountry foods can be purchased and enjoyed.
“We want to connect consumers with producers,”
said Amanda Manning.
The magazine will number about 34 pages and include feature
stories, essays and local book reviews. Departments range
from “Out to Sea,” focusing on the local fishing
industry and seafood, to “From the Land,” featuring
farmers and their harvest, to “Melting Pot,” highlighting
ethnic groups that have contributed to Lowcountry cuisine.
The magazine’s coverage stretches from Myrtle Beach
to Savannah and extends 70 miles inland. The first issue will
put the food spotlight on the Charleston area and will feature,
among other topics, the Lowcountry Food Bank’s Growing
Food Locally program, in which local farmers grow up to 1.5
million pounds of vegetables each year for the food bank to
distribute to coastal South Carolina’s hungry.
Edible communities
Edible Lowcountry is an affiliate of Edible Communities Inc.,
a publications company based in Ojai, Calif. There are 20
Edible Communities magazines spanning the nation, from Edible
Ojai, which debuted in 2002 as the first Edible Communities
publication, to Edible East End in Long Island, N.Y.
Edible Communities’ mission is to “transform the
way communities shop for, cook, eat and relate to the food
that is grown and produced in their area.”
The company believes people should buy food produced in their
communities because locally produced food tends to be fresher,
tastier and healthier.
“Most food travels about 1,500 miles from the farm to
the plate,” said Amanda Manning, adding that flavor and
nutrition often fade during the time it takes the food to
make the journey.
The Mannings define “local” as within a day’s
drive.
Buying locally grown and produced food keeps local farmers
in business, the Mannings pointed out. According to Edible
Communities, one reason full-time farmers comprise less than
1% of the U.S. workforce is that farmers get less than 10
cents on the retail food dollar while farming costs have increased,
driving some farmers out of business.
Buying local food products cuts out many middlemen costs
and provides a greater financial return to family farms.
“Every dollar spent locally is circulated between four
and 11 times,” said Robert Manning, explaining that food
growers and producers spend the money they make from their
products on goods and services within the community.
Buying in
Amanda Manning first heard about Edible Communities a few
years ago during a food and nutrition conference in Washington,
D.C. Edible Ojai had been named among Saveur food-and-wine
magazine’s Top 100 food-related entities from around
the world, thus sparking interest in U.S. food lovers to start
Edible Communities publications.
The Mannings paid a membership license agreement fee to Edible
Communities to launch Edible Lowcountry and began planning
the magazine a year ago.
Dennis Quick is senior staff writer for the Business Journal.
E-mail him at dquick@charlestonbusiness.com.
© 2006 Copyright Setcom Media, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
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