[Photo: Robyn Lee]
In Slice's nearly ten-year history, it has been edited by only three super-talented people: its founding editor, Adam Kuban; Maggie Hoffman, now killing it as our Drinks editor; and the current editor, Boston's own Meredith Smith. With these three esteemed editors in mind, we started searching for Meredith's successor (don't worry, Slice'rs, both Adam and Meredith are going to stay involved). And we found her in our own proverbial back yard. Niki Achitoff-Gray interned for us before joining Saveur as an Editorial Assistant. She did an extraordinary job writing posts and taking photos, both as an intern and a freelancer. She also happens to love pizza as much as she does Serious Eats, so it only made sense to offer her the job, and the nom-de-pizza Lady Slice (sounds kind of royal, doesn't it?).
So Slice'rs, please give a warm welcome to Niki. We're thrilled to have her here at Serious Eats World HQ, and we think the Slice community will feel the same way as soon as they get to know her.
Of course, it's a bittersweet moment for us here at Serious Eats as we say goodbye to Meredith Smith. She's been a brilliant editor these last three years and we asked her to give some parting words. Here's what she has to say:
Dear Slice,
Today marks the end of my reign as the Slice editor. But, as Ed mentioned, I will definitely still be around doing pizza coverage from Boston and lots more of other Boston-focused posts for Serious Eats. However, I wanted to take this opportunity to say how fortunate I feel to have held the post as editor and to thank the Slice community for being the most instructive collective of welcoming, enthusiastic, and inspiring pizza lovers out there. Under your tutelage I have learned more than I knew possible about the many facets of pizza, from regional styles to pizza-making methods, history, trends, and so much more.
It's hard to imagine a day that's not filled with Slice. It's been a great ride, and I look forward to doing more things pizza-related that I've pushed to the side in the interest of editorial responsibilities. One of those things is to start to put all the pizza-making tips and techniques I've learned form My Pie Monday to good use!
I also want to take this opportunity to thank Adam for making Slice possible and for making himself available to guide me along the way. His were big shoes to fill and I can only hope that I didn't disappoint. Thanks also to Ed and the Serious Eats editors for their constant enthusiasm, inspiration, and support. I look forward to checking out the updates that Niki adds to the site as the new editor and wish her all the best. Slice it up, Niki!
Party on, Slice!
Yours,
Meredith