Food + Culture

Don't miss my latest interview with a food justice leader : FoodCorps program director (and organic vegetable farmer) Debra Eschmeyer....

I've been writing about a handful of forward-looking organizations and green trends: the awesome nonprofit Wholesome Wave (which doubles...

For eco-minded eaters — not to mention radiation alarmists — fish is a quandary these days. Much of the seafood served in American restaurants is imported, caught using methods that endanger other animals or farmed unsustainably. But a few chefs around the country are trying to turn the tide with local, eco-conscious menus. Tataki in San Francisco Tataki in San Francisco offers local catches like Monterey Bay sardines, horse mackerel from California and wild salmon, when it’

Last summer, I had a great adventure in the coastal forests that hug the Oregon Coast. I went on an early-morning foraging quest with chef Matt Lightner (from Portland's much-heralded Castagna restaurant) and his foraging mentor Lars Norgren. Tall with a shock of white hair, Lars reminded me of my favorite college English professor—garrulous, opinionated, and brimming with an infectious curiosity for the world. Only instead of a world populated by characters from the novels

Every Saturday on a sleepy side street in the industrial neighborhood of West Oakland you’ll see an unlikely site: a farm stand bursting...

One of my New Year's resolutions (in addition to learning how to darn socks and taking a CPR class) was to write more regularly for my...

When I talk to Slow Foodists, locavores, and leaders of this country’s sustainable food movement about the need to ensure that fresh,...

Child Nutrition Re-Authorization. The Food Safety Modernization Act. The White House Garden gets a hoop houses! For a brief summary of...

A few weeks ago, I got to tag along on one of chef Matt Lightner's foraging expeditions to the Oregon Coast. With us were Merrick, the CEO of branding/ad/creative agency Tangible Worldwide , and his girlfriend (both adventurous epicureans), my dear friend Kimberley Sevcik, and Jason, a sous chef from Castagna. Wildcrafter Lars Norgren was our de facto tour guide—teaching us about a parasitic vine called dodder that wraps itself prettily around salicornia (aka pickleweed) and

Though I'm a native Oregonian, I'd never ventured to the wineries in the southern part of the state—until researching this 12-page story ...

There is reason to be hopeful about the changing landscape of farming—and food—in America. Those of us who've been participating in the...

One of the first things a curious eater will discover about Portland (Oregon) is the ubiquity of food-focused happy hours. Not only are house wines and daily cocktails just $5 (and local microbrews often $3)—you can usually get a full dinner for under $10 (depending on how hungry you are). I just wrote about a handful of my current favorites for the New York Times' T: Style . What are yours?

Watch the trailer for the new sustainable food movement documentary “Fresh” by Ana Sofia Joanes and you’d be forgiven for dismissing it...

Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing marine stewardship expert and ocean activist Casson Trenor for my column in the Faster Times . I'd come across Trenor's name while researching "sustainable sushi"—a relatively new concept at sushi restaurants here in the U.S., but one that's taking off as locavore diners turn their attention to where their fish is coming from. Then, by coincidence, Mark Bittman blogged about sustainable fish a few days later. Something is definit

Two weeks ago, I sat down with Sadie, Safiyah, and Catherine over slices of (locally made!) Balthazar cake to talk about "bad" vegetarians, why good food should not be a luxury, and the importance of not telling other people what to eat. Check out my blog about the movie, which I did for the Atlantic Monthly's food channel. An edited Q&A of my conversation with the gals will soon be available at The Faster Times.

Freelancing can be rough, especially in this economy. But reporting stories like this one , which ran in the Metro section of the Times this past weekend, is what makes me love my job. For a year or more, I'd walked past Automotive High School in Williamsburg and wondered about the raggedy but lush vegetable garden bordering its majestic front. I always had another assignment or story idea to pursue, though, so never took the time to investigate. It wasn't until this fall, w

I've been thinking a lot about public school lunches lately—not just because it's a subject that's perpetually in the news these days....

Steve Smith knows a thing or two about tea. Having co-created both Stash and Tazo (two of the best known U.S. tea brands, Stash was...

This story originally appeared on The Faster Times. This weekend, I finally got around to watching this Larry King segment (which aired...

This column originally appeared in the Faster Times on Oct. 16th. These days, it’s not easy keeping up on the latest in Food Politics....