The Spring 2020 issue of Food & Dining Magazine has landed, so pick up a copy and read our words.

The new quarterly issue of Food & Dining Magazine is out, and for those just tuning in, a reminder that it has been a pleasure to assume the duties of Digital Editor at the publication.

Since last July, I've penned most of the daily web site posts. It's an ongoing learning experience for me and I appreciate the opportunity.

Now for the Spring 2020 (March/April/May) edition. Hard copies (they're advertising-driven and completely free to you, the reader) should be in their usual locations -- there's a big stack at Pints&union) -- and my colleague Jon Larmee has links to the on-line articles at issuu: online/">Our Spring 2020 issue of Food & Dining Magazine is now available on newsstands and online!

In the coming weeks these articles and columns will appear at the Food & Dining Magazine web site on Saturdays.

I'm actually glad to have been given only one assignment this time around, because it was a bear ... and perhaps the most rewarding process I've experienced since taking on longer-form features and profiles. SOU! is the real deal, and you owe it to yourself to give them a try.

PROFILE | SOU! Southern Kitchen & Bar

Over the course of his 25-year career, Chef James Moran has become known among insiders as a Chef’s Chef. Now, with business partner Ashley Sayler, his restaurant SOU! is wowing Louisville diners.

One other suggestion, as it would be remiss of me not to make note of Sara Havens' "comeback" column.

BAR BELLE | The Return of the Bar Belle

For over a decade, Sara Havens has been offering wise and witty commentary on the Louisville bar scene. Now she joins F&D — with a pub crawl primer.

Since Insider Louisville folded, Sara has been working in public relations for Mint Julep Experiences. It's great having her back again as the Bar Belle.

Days of rage at LEO Weekly, as non-readers remain precisely that.

I skip out of town for a few days, and all hell breaks loose at LEO. On a personal level, I'm a big fan of Sara Havens, and as usual, Kevin Gibson gets it right.

Opinion: LEO Weekly made a big mistake in jettisoning ‘The Bar Belle’, by Kevin Gibson (Insider Louisville)

Last Friday, on her 15th anniversary of working for the news magazine she loved, Sara was unceremoniously “let go.” As you’ve no doubt already heard, LEO was purchased by Aaron Yarmuth, son of founder John Yarmuth, for whom I worked all those years ago. The sale went through Friday, and the younger Yarmuth’s first order of business was to lay off four employees.

I’m not going to bash the new ownership; times are tough, Yarmuth had his reasons, and I suspect he found out he had fired Sara on her 15th anniversary after the fact. (I’m a benefit of the doubt kind of guy.) But I am going to say this about his decision: Good luck with that.

Apparently there was a fractious staff meeting -- at this juncture, "staff" being a somewhat nebulous concept.

LEO Weekly left with zero editorial employees after two remaining staffers walk out (Insider Louisville)

A source inside LEO Weekly says the publication’s two remaining full-time editorial staffers walked out following a meeting this morning with new owner Aaron Yarmuth.

We were in Duluth when the story began breaking, and our conclusion? Neither of us could remember the last time that LEO was a "must read," or something we grabbed as soon as it appeared at the coffee shop or pub. It's no reflection on Sara as editor, just recognition that for some years now, the publication has been average at best.

Since the demise of my beer column, at the very least.

I think that's a joke. In the interest of equal time, Aaron Yarmuth "broke" the silence last evening at the publication's Facebook page. Here it is, in its entirety.

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Breaking the silence.

Hello LEO readers and Louisvillians. While this is not my official introduction letter — which will be running in Wednesday’s issue — it is with a heavy heart, and great sincerity that I write on behalf of the staff and new management to explain what happened late last week.

First and foremost, I am terribly sorry to those LEO staffers who were not brought on to the new company. Contrary to what has been widely reported/misconstrued, is that the first act of new management was to fire staff. The truth is that it was the last act of SouthComm to let go of all of its employees.

My biggest personal regret is that I was not personally able to be with the people at LEO during the tumultuous afternoon.

That being said, last Friday, August 1st, was the third attempt at closing the deal. There was no nefarious attempt to avoid bad news on a Friday afternoon. In fact, my partner and I spent over 4 hours in my attorney’s office on Thursday the 31st, trying to close the deal so that we could have those conversations then. It unfortunately spilled over into Friday, and even still, I had every intention of meeting with the staff.

Finally, as the final transactions took multiple hours to execute, we had run into the early evening. I was away from the office doing everything I could, personally, to see the deal closed, and simultaneously, SouthComm had to begin notifying employees. Again, I am forever sorry that things transpired the way they did, but I was in a place where I had to make sure the deal was closed.

The worst came when I received a text notifying me that it was — to the day — the 15th anniversary for Sara Havens at LEO. I would like to think that had we known that, we could have avoided it. But as it turned out, it was unavoidable.

In sum, we had a press release ready, plans to do a story on our website, and I intended to be readily available to respond to questions, concerns, comments, et cetera — staff, media, and the public. By the time the process had begun, it was too late. Joe Sonka was on assignment at Fancy Farm, people had left for the weekend, and we did not even have access to certain LEO outlets until the deal was closed.

From there, we were not in a position to communicate until this morning. Unfortunately, due to some more pressing issues that arose this morning, I am sorry that this is the first moment I have had to relay this communication to the public — via our own channel.

The good news is, LEO will be going to print tomorrow evening, and come Wednesday morning it will be in the racks waiting for you — with a surprise, special guest commentator.

There will be a lot more to come on the staff changes, and our plans for the future of LEO. But as every President has reported, “The state of our publication is strong!”

Aaron Yarmuth

But will the Bar Belle continue?

We took a backwards glance at LEO tidings on August 17.

Coming around again: Matters of principle at LEO.

I think it is highly instructive that LEO's Sarah Kelley has chosen to "take a bullet" rather than acquiesce to a directive she cannot abide. Good for her. I recall a similar story back in 2010.

Sara Havens has been a pal for a long while, and I wish her the best as she swaps hats, s explained below.

Editor's Note: Wheel in the sky, by Sara Havens

One of my first jobs at LEO was copy editing John Yarmuth’s Editor’s Note, and now I sit here writing one of my own. That was 14 years ago, and, truth be told, I never really had to do much to his copy other than add a comma here or delete a comma there.

Throughout these past 14 years, I’ve swabbed the decks for Louisville’s first and only alternative newsweekly, learning from the best — Yarmuth, Cary Stemle, Stephen George and Sarah Kelley — and slowly progressing through the ranks. I have at least six boxes of business cards with assorted titles, from Associate Editor to Arts & Entertainment Editor to Managing Editor. And although it’s not under the best of circumstances, I’m taking on the role as Editor this week, at least for the interim.

Matt Nash and the Bar Belle on 25 Years of Beer and Loathing.

Matt commences with an ominous sentence, considering the record of the early years ... but it's a nice segue into his personal account of pizzas, beers and so much else. I'm happy to say I was there on the night when Matt and Amy met, because if memory serves, it also was the night that Barack Obama was elected president.

NASH: A quarter century of beer and pizza, by Matt Nash (News and Tribune)

JEFFERSONVILLE — My personal relationship with the New Albanian Brewing Company goes back to a few years before I was even able to drink beer, legally.

Sara "Bar Belle" Havens of the Louisville Eccentric Observer interviewed me two weeks ago and incorporated the results into her column.

Bar Belle: A salute to NABC, by Sara Havens (LEO)

When I was 25, I drank like shit — cheap, American swill chased by shots of Jager or Rumple Minze. Unfortunately, some things haven’t changed. But throughout my years of socializing after dark, I’ve learned to appreciate good bourbon and craft beer.

Rich O’s/Sportstime Pizza/New Albanian Brewing Company in New Albany is celebrating its 25th birthday this month, and you better believe there won’t be a Miller Lite or shot of Jager anywhere near the place. In fact, co-owner Roger A. Baylor is renting out New Albany’s Riverfront Amphitheater to throw a big party. Mark your calendars for July 22. It’s free, starts at 10 a.m., and features live music, NABC beer, wine and a bloody mary bar (link here). I caught up with Baylor to reminisce about the last 25 years.