This month’s failed query comes to you a week early because I am excited to announce next Tuesday will mark my first-ever post from a guest blogger. Please check back then for a post on writing flash fiction by J, creator of Don’t Delete Me and fellow Blogging 201 alum.
Meanwhile, here’s a failed query about an area business that has since switched chefs and shuttered the two short-lived expansions mentioned in my pitch.
Dear Editor:
Since opening its doors in 2007, Local Harvest Grocery has paid area farmers, ranchers, food producers and other artisans about $1 million for supplying sustainable, organically grown products to its store, which started as a 660-square-foot space in Saint Louis. That figure is likely to grow exponentially as Local Harvest‘s owners expand across the area. The first of those expansions came in 2009, when owners Maddie Earnest and Patrick Horine opened a cafe and catering service a block away from the grocery. At Local Harvest Cafe and Catering, customers can enjoy a cup of coffee or a Saint Louis craft brew with an organic, locally sourced meal prepared by chef Clara Moore. This summer, Local Harvest‘s purveyors plan to open another cafe downtown as well as a second grocery store with cafe seating for 40 in nearby Kirkwood, Missouri.
Horine launched a farmer’s market in the city’s Tower Grove Park before branching out to the first brick-and-mortar store, now 2,200 square feet, and he and Earnest have stayed true to their local retail roots. They aim to source at least half their products from farms and food producers within a 150-mile radius of Saint Louis. Today, more than 85 cents of every dollar spent at Local Harvest stays in the community, reducing the amount of fossil fuels necessary to get the food to customers and eliminating the need for pesticides to keep foods fresh. Indeed, Local Harvest‘s practices lend themselves not only to clean eating, but a cleaner planet, making its owners and chef — who recently appeared on the Bravo network’s newest cooking competition — ideal subjects for a Local Hero profile in XX.
As for my professional credentials, I have nearly a decade of experience teaching writing in secondary and post-secondary schools as well as years of reporting experience as a freelancer and staff writer at publications around the country, including The Dallas Morning News, where I also wrote the occasional restaurant review. I am now looking forward to combining my interests and experiences in the classroom, newsroom and kitchen to write stories about a variety of topics. I have attached my resume and would be happy to send writing samples — including a piece scheduled to run in a national magazine — if you are interested. You can also see some of my work at my website. Meanwhile, please let me know if you need additional information to consider this query or are interested in seeing more ideas for the pages of XX.
Thank you,
Charlene Oldham
Free Photo from MorgueFile
