One of the things I love most about my job as Editor of Edible Vancouver is that I get to meet truly inspiring people on a regular basis: passionate farmers finding a way back to a sustainable food system; the chefs who support and promote them; artisans making cheese and wine the small-batch, old-fashioned way; people who are teaching children about food and where it comes from...

Obviously, I could go on. But the truth is that I do that quite a lot. So I say enough of me droning on about this farmer, that activist, and the other chef.

It's time we heard from you.

Every year at this time, Edible Communites (the mom in our family of publications), asks readers to vote for those they consider hereos of their local food system. You can nominate heroes in the following categories for our region (Edible Vancouver covers metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the Okangan Valley):

• Food artisan
• Beverage artisan
• Non-profit organization
• Farm or farmer
• Chef or restaurant

Hereos will be presented with an official certificate from Edible Communities, and they'll also be written about in our Spring 2010 print issue.

Last year our readers voted for Sebastian & Co Fine Organic Meats, Ethical Bean, FarmFolk/CityFolk, UBC Farm and Rocky Mountain Flatbread.

Just in case you need a little inspiration, a couple of other generally heroic types we've written about are:

• Ian Lai for his work with the Terra Nova Schoolyard Project
• Mary Forstbauer, biodynamic farmer and mother of 12
• and pictured above is Ward Teulon, City Farmboy, who farms his neighbours' backyards, and a roof garden in Yaletown

However, I'm pretty sure you can think of heroes that we haven't featured (yet). We can't wait to hear from you. Bring it on! You can nominate heroes here.