This issue is full of folks with heart and soul. Folks who follow their passion for little or no money—artists, entrepreneurs and activists who start things, run things, make things—all with the hope to change things.
There are many trying to change hunger and poverty, one of which is The Nashville Food Project, which dispenses more than 3,000 made-from-scratch meals that dozens of volunteers make. Ron Camacho and wife, Ellen, have been feeding kids, the homeless, and the indigent for years with their delicious stuffed squash.
No doubt, it’s the season for giving, whether it’s cooking for family and carrying on traditions or giving gifts to each other. We have some of that too.
One of the best gifts I have been given this year is my intern Caroline. She appeared on my doorstep (and as the model on this cover) straight from Paris, for an internship in July. It’s her first time to the United States. She has a beautiful accent, but more than that, a beautiful soul. She was sent from heaven to me and by the time this is published she’ll have only a few short weeks left in Nashville. She wrote the story on Plaza Mariachi which shows that we’re all strangers and family at the same time.
Lastly, we present our annual holiday gift guide that honors our local artisans and entrepreneurs who are making things in and around Nashville.
So this year, skip Amazon, and support something that has been made with heart and soul . . . like this magazine.