Spring and new beginnings—they go hand in hand.
It has been a long year battling the pandemic—loss, fear, exasperation—hope, gratitude, ingenuity. The latter inspires us to overcome the former. Spring brings forth new beginnings.
Almost everything awakes from a winter slumber and bursts forth anew. While some of us have been hibernating, others have been hard at work ensuring that their businesses stay afloat or providing a new service or a solution for their customers. In the 2021 Spring that is like no other we have known, we at eSS&SC bring you their stories.
The different areas of the South Shore and South Coast offer a variety of ethnic cultures and cuisines. From Kingston and Hanover to Brockton and Fairhaven, we talk with owners of four new restaurants that used true grit, kick-ass cooking, and shrewd business acumen to make a go of it in the hardest of times. We also explore Portuguese traditions in New Bedford through the eyes of local Azoreans whose childhood memories inspired them to cook and share the traditional dishes of their homeland.
New beginnings sometimes come in the form of a new routine. In this issue, a convert educates us on how to ease into eating plant-based food meals. To give us even more ways to “eat your vegetables,” we also learn how to create vegetable powders to sprinkle on our food. If foraging is your thing, we deliver a springtime morel-and-asparagus quiche that will please your palate. And we explore how a Duxbury resident created an alliance to distribute locally-caught fish and deliver it right to your doorstep. We’ll find out about some nifty area purveyors that can supply us (and our dogs) with flavorful treats and libations.
Looking for some homemade treats, along with local artisanal products for your home? We’ve got you covered. Southeastern MA offers many opportunities to explore its diverse ethnicities and cultures. Recipes abound in this issue, giving you a chance to travel, if only from the comfort of your home.
Let’s take this season of rebirth and embrace the flavors, cultures, and traditions that comprise the mosaic of southeastern Massachusetts and honor them with our patronage, curiosity, and enthusiasm.
Eat thoughtfully,
Terry Vandewater, Assistant Editor
Laurie Hepworth & Michael Hart
