i’m no crazy creep, i’ve got it coming to me
because i’m not satisfied
the hunger keeps on growing
i eat too much
i drink too much
i want too much
too much*

the concept of the celebrity chef predates any modern notion hinging on long-running tv shows and hyperactive social networks. celebrity chefs date back to the earliest nobility, often the focal point of elaborate, multi-course, multi-day feasts. they were as much a mark of distinction as the palaces, artworks and jewelry amassed to prove the richness of the host’s lifestyle. does anything display “good taste” like curating a special meal complemented by great wine in an exquisitely designed setting?

every november, pulse shamelessly embraces all of this as we publish our annual food, wine and spirits issue. over the past twelve years, some of the greatest chefs have graced our pages—bobby flay, lidia bastianich, mario batali—and closer to home, well, if you consider our monthly culinary coverage, it starts to feel like everyone. we’ve even tried to sate your appetites (or stoke them) with those who complement the scene. like last year, with stephanie danler, who’s sweetbitter is a truth and consequences type tale of what happens behind those swinging doors at the back of a restaurant (yes, that really happens in the freezer).

this issue we invite you back to the table to gobble up our favorite 17 things to eat right now. you might consider the annual installment a bucket list of the menu items to tick off while the getting’s good. our consumption of new york’s staples brought us to pursue the flour, water, magic that make for carb comas at our favorite restaurants. photographer adam weiss captured the mystique of chef james ahearn at verde wine bar and ristorante who lovingly handmakes his pasta, jason brunetti at his eponymous neapolitan-style pizzerias and gregory scolieri, born into a&s bagels and continuing the legacy in his father’s name.

we invite some of our favorite foodmakers to fill our pages, too. chefs stephan bogardus of north fork table & inn, james tchinnis of swallow, peter van der mije of osteria leana and alexis trolf of lost & found have a lot in common. they are innovators whose backgrounds include equal parts traditional training and rebellion. they spill their secrets on great meals, the best food cities and where to get a great egg sandwich at our chefs’ roundtable. lauren lombardi, whose grandma (“mamma”) started the lombardi food empire, has been holding her own at love lane market in mattituck. she’s fusing her family’s traditional italian concepts with new american appetites (which, in these parts, have everything to do with traditional italian eating). chef gregory kearns and his wife bari share their backstory on the making of copperhill, where modern cuisine and farmhouse style are alive and well (and personally making me fat) in williston park. and tony scotto, gillis poll and michael bohlsen, representing their respective families’ restaurant groups, affirm the status of the steakhouse is alive and well as the classic cut and its temperature is perfectly medium-rare (at least it is when i eat with them).

as for those infectious celebrity chefs, michael symon graces our cover this month as he releases playing with fire. symon’s book is neither his first nor the first to feed our appetites for chefs’ books. known for his big, bald, bareknuckle boisterousness on the chew, symon is also responsible for putting cleveland on the culinary map. he’s not letting the flames in his kitchen turn blue any time soon and tells us what else he’s driving toward.

this issue holds a feast for all the senses, just in time for the colder weather ahead when we’re banished indoors and the holidays when we’re seeking diversions with those we hold most dear. come and get it!

i’m going to eat up your cities

your homes, you know*

—nadA

* “too much,” dave matthews band