Do you know where your meat comes from? Transported from 1,000 miles away or is it raised locally? Were the animals treated humanely? What did they eat? Were they given hormones?
Sadly, many people don’t know the answers to these questions.
Hunters, however, are an exception. They have a direct connection to the meat they put on their tables. They work hard to fill their freezers full of fresh, local wildlife. They don’t hunt what they can’t consume. And they enjoy knowing that the wild game meat they culled is healthy, lean, natural, and free of chemical additives.
In this issue, with hunting season upon us, learn about the avocation through stories about locals who enjoy upland and waterfowl hunting, bowhunting, raising young hunters, and cooking wild game. Speaking of fall foods and activities, we introduce you to local mushroom farmers, area pumpkin patches, and fruit-tree pruning tips in this edition as well.
Wherever we go these days, restaurant and bar owners tell us they are stressed out and overworked because they can’t find employees. During the height of the pandemic, many food-and-drink proprietors laid off employees to make ends meet. Now they’re struggling to hire enough staff to meet demand. We present a story on the conundrum in this issue. It’s a difficult and developing situation. We hope that both employees and business owners can reach a satisfying resolution.
A restaurant is one of the most difficult businesses to run successfully. In addition to trying to find and maintain employees, owners toil to stay afloat amid slim financial margins. In this issue, we pay homage to Reno-Tahoe area restaurants that have stood the test of time, enduring changing tastes, economics, and a pandemic. We explore the keys to their success.
Times still are tough out there, folks. We remind you to please be kind to and patient with local restaurant and bar owners and their staffs. Let’s help them make it through this challenging period so these businesses, too, can become landmark establishments.
Happy fall!
Amanda
On the cover Sparks resident Xenia Pyne, an avid hunter, poses in Washoe Valley, with her puppy hunting dog, Chili Cheeseburger, aka Chili. Photo by Candice Vivien
