Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1543312
12 maconmagazine.com | February/March 2026 I "ve just put away my Mama Cox's recipe for chicken 'n dumplings. Some people call this "chicken and pastry," but "pastry" just doesn't have the same comforting ring to it. I had high hopes of making this childhood favorite dish, but making the dumplings fell from the priority list as I write this. Simply having her recipe on the counter was cathartic during a week of heaviness, especially in ongoing national political drama. Read more about family recipes as a symbol of survival on page 84. This year, The Food Issue sits heavier in our stomachs than just a light snack. Our tablescapes are measured in heaping portions of inequity, innovation, and imagination. To decode it all, we talked to farmers and engineers, historians and home cooks, chefs and service workers, advocates and visionaries, and now we serve it all up to you. Since it's our 40th anniversary year, we looked in our archives at the November/ December 1995 issue to find a story about what local leaders envisioned for Macon's future. We checked in with some of them, and asked more current voices to weigh in on what the next decade should look like. If you love Macon, you'll want to read on. You're definitely going to want to read up on our Seasoned in Service selections, honoring our food service veterans. Give credit to these who deliver care on a plate straight to your favorite bar seat with a corner view. "It's been really special to grow through the restaurant industry," Oliver's Corner Bistro Katie Knapp shared with me during an obviously emotional reflection at one of my preferred seats. Which brings us to a pressing question. Where are we eating next? Whether it's your standard go-to or finding a new booth, we've got some notes to whet your appetite. We call this a robust issue from seed to salad, writing the story of both how we're cultivating our meals abundantly and the still critical needs for feeding our people. Speaking of salad, BrightFarms's plant in South Macon produces 16,000 pounds of lettuce daily, adding delectable crunch to the plates of people all over the country. The popular Butter lettuce makes for our vibrant cover girls! It's one of those important stories of how Macon's work extends well beyond our dot on the map — or the story in your soul. We seek to make connections. Editor's letter | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2026 Editor, Susannah Cox Maddux @susannahcmaddux W h e re a re w e e a t i ng n e x t ? S o m e n ote s to w h e t y o u r a p p e t i te , f i n d fo o d c o n n e c t i o n s W e ' r e a l w a y s l i s t e n i n g . E m a i l u s a b o u t a m i l e s t o n e m o m e n t y o u o r y o u r o r g a n i z a t i o n a r e c e l e b r a t i n g a t h e l l o @ m a c o n m a g a z i n e . c o m . COUNTERCLOCKWISE: Supporters and staff assist an MM happy hour photoshoot at Longleaf Distillery, DSTO Moore photographs Chef Reggie at Cashman's Pub, and Matt Odom and Susannah suit up in protective gear at BrightFarms.