Today we’d like to introduce you to Gretchen Schmidt.
Gretchen, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My family moved to Miami Springs from suburban Chicago when I was 12, so that makes me practically a native. Was co-editor of the high school newspaper, The Zeitgeist, went to NYC for college, studied abroad in Madrid, came back to Miami to work in radio (so much crime, so many characters), got sidetracked in high-end retail for 18 years (good stories there, too), then worked in custom publishing in travel/travel trade and healthcare. I also freelanced and wrote travel guidebooks in South Florida.
When the opportunity came along to work on Edible South Florida, it was love at first sight – who wouldn’t want to tell the stories about our growing food and dining scene, our subtropical fruits and vegetables, our fabulous seafood, our multicultural diversity, our artisan and farming communities?
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
In the ten years since Edible South Florida launched, we’ve seen some good changes along the way – so many gifted chefs and excellent restaurants popping up, more farmers markets and customers who support them, terrific food and drink events and festivals, food and drink artisans and unexpectedly good dining in some of the new urban areas. Food trends – more plant-based menu items, food halls that are work for both entrepreneurs and consumers, inspired use of local ingredients – are reflected here, flavored with our unique cross-cultural seasonings from the Caribbean, South and Central America, the tropics and old Florida.
On the other hand, many small good restaurants don’t succeed because of skyrocketing rents; many of our farmer’s markets actually have no farmers; too many foods and drink festivals are disappointing and overpriced, and those clusters of well-curated dining districts are few and far between. Land-use issues and development are threatening our agricultural district. So are the effects of climate change and sea-level rise. And we are weary of seeing a lack of women chefs represented in South Florida, both in the kitchens and at chef events. Really weary.
Many of these challenges are not unique to South Florida. But they’re all worthy of our focus.
Please tell us about Edible South Florida.
Edible South Florida is part of Edible Communities, a James Beard Award-winning group of publications in the US and Canada that show and tell the stories of local food and drink, farms and artisans, and celebrates our communities. When we launched in 2010, Edible South Florida was the first Edible in the state – now we’re joined by Edible Sarasota, Edible Orlando and Edible Northeast Florida.
Each Edible title reflects a strong sense of place, and that’s the beauty of these publications. Our readers crave authenticity and see through the predictable pay-to-play stories in many glossy magazines. When you pick up any Edible, you know you’re going to get a thoughtful, honest look at the people behind the community, along with seasonal recipes, events and a local focus, plus outstanding artwork. Readers tell us they save every copy. We also love interacting with our followers on social media.
For us, educating our readers about South Florida’s unique growing seasons and tropical produce is one area we’re proud of, covering caimito, hoja santa, katuk, rollinia and highlighting the best mangos. We will keep working at showing folks how they can become locavores and live more sustainably. Our readers want to support local farms and markets, small business and artisans. Much of our job is to show them how.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
We’ve been really fortunate finding talented writers, artists and photographers as contributors over the years. Their depth of expertise, unrelenting curiosity and love of South Florida make our magazine sparkle! But we’ve had a harder time attracting salespeople – we are a free, ad-supported publication, so that’s how we pay our bills. Our readers really *love* Edible South Florida, they’re serious about supporting local businesses, and they are engaged in the community. Those are powerful selling points and great tools for a salesperson. If you’re that person, give us a call right away!
Contact Info:
- Website: ediblesouthflorida.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @EdibleSoFla
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdibleSouthFlorida
- Twitter: @EdibleSoFla
Image Credit:
All images: Edible South Florida
Personal photo: Gretchen Schmidt (center) with publisher Katie Sullivan (left) and Nathalie Gillardo Photo by Pat Mackin
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