This June issue is devoted to food, andbrthe people in the food and beveragebrindustry who feed Omaha daily.brWhen we began planning this issue months ago, the average American ate out threebrtimes a week. When COVID-19 hit, thebrfood industry, like many others, was hitbrhard. We worked hard to bring you information as accurate as possible at presstime.
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I don’t have many vices, but one of thembris coffee—nobody wants to talk to or seebrme before I drink at least 8 oz. of coffee.brThat’s why I enjoyed the dining profilebrabout Jasmyn and Jacob Wichert, thebrcreative couple who run Amateur Coffee.br
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One of my favorite types of cuisine isbrIndian food. More than one companybrsells pouches of Indian food and ricebrthat can be heated in the microwave inbra minute. These were a lifesaver last yearbrwhen the flooding affected my waterbrsupply, and they also come in handy on days when cooking seems too muchbrof an effort. Several Indian restaurantsbrhave appeared in the last few years, onebrof many cooking styles and businessesbrthat have come about as immigrantsbrcome to Omaha. One feature article this month discusses immigration inbrOmaha, and how people moving to thisbrcity have created a variety of restaurantsbrsince its beginning—from the Germansbrand Chinese of the 1800s to the Africansbrof the 2010s.
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Appetizers are a fun indulgence whenbreating at a restaurant. In fact, at mybrfavorite pub in Omaha, my dinner isbroften an order of blue-cheese potatobrskins and a salad. At the editorialbrplanning meeting for this issue, a co-worker mentioned one restaurant inbrtown that serves PB&J Wings, whichbrgot us thinking what choices do dinersbrin Omaha have to stray from thebrubiquitous spinach dip? ObviouslybrOmaha offers six alternatives, includingbrthose PB&J Wings.
Traveling encourages people to try newbrthings, but Linda Sue Lichtenwalter and fiance Chris Larkin travel largely to taste new foods. The pair, who workbrin food service here in Omaha, evenbrbring back some of their finds—such asbrchocolate from Paris. Their story is quitebrthe adventure.br
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Last year’s main feature was titled “NewbrCuisine in 2019,” and it featured foodbrfrom a variety of restaurants, styled for photography by Sarah Hunt. She is an independent food stylist who hasbrbuilt a career for herself creating plates of food to be photographed. We lovedbrthe work she produced for us, and webrthought you would like to know a bitbrmore about her—so she is one of our A+Cbrfeatures this round.
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This year’s main feature shines a spotlightbron service industry workers, from ownersbrto servers to barbacks. Turn to page 30brto read more about this project frombrsenior editor Tara Spencer.br
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This issue also covers chefs, both sea-brsoned and starting out. Austin Johnsonbrstarted his career bussing tables at abrrestaurant in West Omaha. Today, he isbran executive chef in New York City, andbrin between, he has studied under chefsbrfrom Seattle to Paris. Lauryn Niemantsbris a student at Metropolitan Communitybr
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College who has found a passion for foodbrpreparation...a far cry from her favoritebrhigh school activity of theater arts.br
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One of my favorite places in Omaha tobrget a quick bite to eat is Pepperjax Grill.brOmaha can thank Gary Rohwer for thisbrrestaurant, and the entrepreneur hasbrsince sold the chain and moved to otherbrventures. This story appears in the Sixty-Plus section.br
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Other favorite places have closed in the past five years. Petrow’s was abrnostalgic place to eat comfort food andbrdrink a milkshake, and I miss Amato’sbrricotta pancakes on the weekends whenbrsearching for brunch. You will find thisbrstory in the Sixty-Plus section as well.br
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Active Living subject Phil McEvoy spends part of his fall hunting for deerbrwith friends...and anyone he meets isbrconsidered one of those friends. Thebrhealth feature, on the other hand, toutsbrthe medically-backed Mediterranean diet.br
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Takeout Tuesday, Fast-food Friday, andbrSunday Supper—this edition will, hope-brfully, inspire each person to support thebrfood industry in our city. We at OmahabrMagazine thank each reader for pickingbrup this edition. We put our hearts, andbrour stomachs, into bringing you the bestbrof the area.br
This letter appeared in the June 2020 issue of Omaha Magazine.
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