A Letter From the Editor
Does any subject inspire more passion than that of cheese?
Charles de Gaulle once proclaimed: “How can you govern a country in which there are 246 kinds of cheese?” Well, today, there are actually over 400 varieties of cheese in both France and Italy, while the British boast that over 700 kinds of cheese are produced in England alone.
When I ask friends the ultimate question—what is the one food they could live on for the rest of their lives?—the answer is frequently "cheese." That alone explains why cheese is worthy of such discussion and discourse.
The excitement level here at Poetry of Food was high, ebullient, when approaching this beloved subject matter. As expected, a duel broke out between two of our writers: Theo Hodges (Sweet Memoirs), whose column regales the noble Stilton, and Carol White (Cuisine Carolaise), whose story is about her passionate lifelong affair with Parmigiano Reggiano. Both proclaimed their respective chosen cheese the KING OF CHEESES.
As editor-in-chief, it is a conundrum to define who is right, and the problem arises: What side am I on? You can’t possibly have two King of Cheeses, can you? Well, if you love Stilton and Parmigiano Reggiano as much as Theo and Carol and I do, you try to find a diplomatic answer.
Finally, this conflict of Olympic magnitude has been resolved. Given that the writers come from two different countries and cultures, we have all agreed that each can be King in its own country.
Our writers are like children in a class: they challenge all authority and every subject is up for discussion. Brad Farmerie (Brad’s Game) has written about head cheese—from a pig's head—while Rita Silvan (Beauty of Food) has written about cheese and sex! Rushina Ghildiyal (Bombay Spice) has decided to stay out of the cheese wars and instead writes about her beloved chutneys and chaats that compliment any cheese course and elevate the social status of all cheeses involved.
Rony Zibara
Editor-In-Chief and the gourmand-gourmet behind Poetry of Food; a food memoir which has been in preparation since he was a child. His earliest memories are in the kitchen with his mother cooking French and Lebanese dishes, and with his South American grandmother making Spanish dishes as the cook prepared a repertoire of salsas and sauces. Having grown up in Beirut and lived between Paris, Toronto and now New York, Rony’s food and travel experiences have always been part of his personal cuisine. An avid storyteller, he believes it’s not about the size of the catch, but about the day. It’s the experience, the setting, the people, and most importantly, the ingredients that turn the meal and the flavors into a memory. While not a professionally trained chef, Rony is a cook by all counts; his life revolves around the culinary joys of food, searching out new ingredients, new recipes, and new cultures. And while he loves the restaurant scene, he is not an obsessed follower. Rony’s food passions lie in the poetry of the everyday meal and not in the pursuit of the absolute ‘best’ or perfect meal. His extensive career in innovating and branding new products and experiences has been a great support and backdrop for his passions in food culture and is evident in the overall design and presentation of this food memoir.