Week of July 10, 2025

From the editor’s desk

A month or two ago, I reported on some locals who were feeling the effects of the federal food-assistance cuts, which totaled more than $1 billion as of April. 

The Radish Hotel, a local producer of pantry products, had secured a contract to sell its low-sugar granola through the Nevada Department of Agriculture’s Home Feeds Nevada program, for distribution at food banks. In 2024, this was the contract that made their small business viable. In 2025, it was abruptly canceled.

For the Food Bank of Northern Nevada, it wasn’t just the granola shipment that was axed. That group had been expecting shipments of 350,000 pounds of protein sources, but that order was abruptly canceled, along with around 2 million pounds of food from another federally funded source.

This all had Locelyn Lantrip, the food bank’s director of marketing and communications, worried about further cuts, both to food bank rations and to SNAP benefits, which help more than a half a million Nevadans afford groceries.

Her worries came to pass. According to research from the nonpartisan Urban Institute, President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act—signed into law on July 4—calls for cuts and eligibility changes to SNAP that will reduce or eliminate benefits for 22.3 million U.S. families. (Yes, this is the same bill that contains tax cuts for the wealthy.)

Jocelyn reached out this week to spread the word that the Food Bank of Northern Nevada is taking part in today’s #ChipInChipAway national giving event. She wrote:

The need for food assistance is at a 10-year high, and as prices continue to rise, more neighbors need us. … While the need continues to grow, nonprofits like Food Bank of Northern Nevada have experienced a sudden drop in funding as loyal donors may now be facing financial challenges of their own. Policy changes are creating hardships for many people, and cuts to government funding have left us with fewer resources to support everyone who needs food assistance.

I just pitched in $50. If you’d like to join me in putting a dent in the worsening problem of many Northern Nevadans not having enough nutritious food, go to fbnn.org to donate. If you’re from outside Northern Nevada, your local food bank is probably part of today’s giving effort, too.

In semi-related food news: Last weekend, I picked up some takeout pasta (which was really good!) from Madein, the newish restaurant in Mayberry Landing. They sell a small selection of gourmet grocery items—teas and the like. I picked up a jar of The Radish Hotel’s Garlic Chili Crisp Oil. I like all chili crisps, but holy moly, this one is amazing. Proprietors Crystal and Carlos León clearly understand flavor on a higher level. It contains sesame seeds, fiery Sichuan pepper and a little sugar, but I couldn’t discern the ingredients without looking at the label—it tastes more like a magic amalgam.

If you’re looking for a new favorite snack, mine is two fried eggs on an English muffin with a smear of cream cheese and this particular brand of chili crisp.

Take care,

—Kris Vagner, managing editor