Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/56679
from our staff what I've learned this month... by Meagan Parrish Now Serving Th is month we're all about food. Call it a tribute to one of our favorite things in life, and we're serving it up by celebrating the people leading us toward healthy, happy and local eating both at home and on the town. Start with Leah Caplan on p. 38. A re- nowned chef who has guided the menus of food corporations as well as restaurants, she now spends her days bringing her global perspective and eat-local mission to our grocery-shopping experience. For Caplan, good food is a way of life. Th at's precisely the notion writer Cheryl Breuer explores on p. 58. She takes us on her journey to building a better relationship between the food she eats and the image she sees in the mirror—a rocky relationship many of us can relate to. Th en dive in to National Heart Month in a big way. We've got health news you can use (p. 12) along with heart-healthy dishes (p. 55) and more! We're also proud to once again be partnering with the American Heart Association-Wisconsin in the Go Red For Women Girlfriends Challenge. Th e challenge starts this month, and we'll be bringing you all the updates over the en- tire 12 weeks. Find out how to get involved on p. 14 and then follow along with us on Facebook. If you're hungry for more, don't miss a spread of styles inspired by worldly trav- els (p. 46), ideas for getting out and about (starting on p. 63) and our very own Michelle Page-Alswager ( p. 36). WKOW27 chose Michelle as their local January re- cipient of the Jefferson Award, an award honoring volunteers nationwide. Michelle is being celebrated for her activism since her son, Jesse, died two years ago from complications from type 1 diabetes. She inspires us daily, and reminds us just how much there is in life to savor. So eat up, but be sure to leave room for An idea for Valentine's Day that isn't sappy: A candlelit ski and hike on Feb. 11 in the Kettle Moraine State Forest. I hope my husband is ready to tromp through the snow! "Play Around Town," p. 63 A mantra dessert. Isn't a little indulgence what life is for? " " we could all stand to live by: I'm not striving to be an idealized notion of perfect. I just strive to be perfectly me. "A Better Refl ection," p. 58 1,200 The number of acres of wheat now farmed near the Washington Hotel, Sarah DeRoo Editor in Chief 8 Michelle Reddington Publisher BRAVA Magazine February 2012 Restaurant and Culinary School thanks to Leah Caplan. While I probably won't get up to Washington Island to taste it in the restaurant's fresh foods, I can get a taste of it in Capital Brewery's Island Wheat Ale. Yum! "Kitchen Made," p. 38 I consider myself a worldly woman, but when it comes to fashion, I didn't realize exotic patterns could be so accessible and chic. Now if I could only jet off to somewhere exotic as well! "The Worldly Wardrobe," p. 46 Th e blood pressure reading I need to aim for to lower my 120 80 risk of heart disease. I'm going to make sure I remember this every time I visit the doctor! "Live in Good Health," p. 12 /