As a food photographer who shares in the belief of the importance of local food and supporting our farmers that grow it, there are few things more totally awesome than being welcome to shoot a few food and local farming people enjoy a fabulous lunch in a farmers garden of all places.

This is what I had the opportunity to photograph, prior to Michael Pollan’s talk and book signing on his latest book, In Defense of Food. Having written about his books in previous blog posts, and since then seeing his name pop up in documentaries and casual conversations with friends, it’s clear that people identify with what he’s saying. To quote Michael and the premise behind In Defense of Food:

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

The day was beautiful, the food was delicious and nutritious, and the company was inspiring. Thank you Barbara Jo and Carol for welcoming me and for organizing the event; and to Mark & Samara for hosting everyone at UBC Farm, and to Vikram & Meeru Vij for filling our stomachs with such tasty Indian cuisine (and for that chick pea & mung bean recipe that I have yet to perfect, but will continue to try!). And thank you of course to Michael Pollan for being part of this movement towards more local, more nutritious, food.

A while back I did some research into food related books and posted what I found over several posts. Clearly this is something that people are interested in because the posts got some much appreciated responses and some great traffic. I took up reading one of the books, The Omnivore’s Dilemma by the award winning author Michael Pollan and I must say that book is making me think; I love it. I mean, it’s always nice to to have spare time entertainment, whether it be books or movies, that are somewhat spoon-fed and allow you to turn off your brain for a little while, but I love a book that makes me really question things; and especially question things about what I eat. Pollan has written another book called In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto (love the cover photo), and if you are familiar with Pollan or his books you may want to check out this upcoming Vancouver event:

In partnership with Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks, the UBC Farm is pleased to announce a Saturday afternoon presentation and book signing with award-winning author, Michael Pollan. Vancouver will be Michael’s only Canadian city on his book tour for the paperback version of In Defense of Food.

This unique opportunity to meet Michael takes place at UBC Farm on Saturday, June 6 at 1:00 p.m. At this fundraiser for UBC Farm, Michael will share his manifesto of: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.” He will also be available to sign copies of In Defense of Food.

This exciting afternoon includes a signed copy of In Defense of Food , guided tours of UBC Farm and live music and entertainment. All are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch and a blanket to sit on.

Tickets to this rain or shine event are $45 (includes GST) and are sold exclusively through Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks. The ticket price includes a paperback version of In Defense of Food, and all proceeds from the event will go to support the UBC Farm.

For more information about this and other events, visit Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks website and please call 604-688-6755 to purchase tickets to hear Michael Pollan speak.