This issue features the people and the stories behind “Best Restaurants.” This issue is dedicated to them, the culture they’ve gritted into being. It’s our annual tradition of naming a list of “winners,” food critic’s Troy Johnson’s favorite places and. It’s a way to highlight hundreds of places that have risked it all to build a little magic across the city. Sure, some owners were born in the stars and used that dust to make more stars. But many or most restaurants started with a scrappy go-getter or two. And now those places are filled with dozens or hundreds of people who love the work, show up day in and day out, for years and featured in our story, “Behind the Line.”

Eat, drink, commune, say hello, get to know the stories of the people making your favorite food. Make your own list, and share it with us.