Armand Sahakian Making Turkish Delight

How do you, how does anyone, define the term artisan today? The answer, less than five years ago, was an independent food crafter of various genres, ages, types and vastly different production yields.

Consider this a much needed ode to artisans. Of all genres, ages, types and beliefs. Some you’ll find at farmer’s markets or the trendy (and fun!) hip craft fairs today, some never leave the tiny workshops where they’ve been making piloncillo for decades. Some you’ll find in glossy magazines, others you likely never will (at least as long as certain magazines ask to see a photograph of that artisan before taking a story, like it’s a hipster commercial audition; sadly, a true story on this end). Those here are just a few in Los Angeles, but we all know so many more. This holiday season, let’s toast to celebrating them all.