Where I Go: My Teacher, the Tomato

How This Beautiful Plant and Its Magic Fruit Guides a Professional Chef in the Kitchen, and in Life

Food can connect us to the earth, our community, and ourselves. But first, we need to open a space to listen to and be in exchange with the ingredients.

As a professional chef, I have spent years learning to do this with the plants I grow and cook with. This practice has profoundly changed the way I think about my work and the world around me.

Looking back, one of my most important teachers on this journey, in the kitchen and in life, was the tomato.

Growing up, I struggled with my relationship …

The Chinese-Born Doctor Who Brought Tofu to America

Yamei Kin Was a Scientific Prodigy Who Promoted the Chinese Art of Living to U.S. Audiences

On a hot summer day in 1918, syndicated reporter Sarah McDougal paid a visit to an unusual laboratory of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Bureau of Chemistry, a predecessor to …

What Our Gargantuan Appetite for Meat Says About America

It Symbolizes Affluence and Social Status, Showcases Regional Differences, and Reveals Shifting Attitudes Toward Health

Americans have always been distinguished by their love of meat. Where does that love come from?

One short answer: our ethnic heritage. Among whites, the English and Germans were two of …

The Long, Hard Road to Fast, Fun Vegetarian Fare

For the Co-Founder of Veggie Grill, Going Plant-Based Required a Major Lifestyle Conversion

Truth is one, paths are many. That was the motto of Swami Satchidananda, a popular spiritual guru from India. His philosophy, which I grew up hearing, was that God can …

Remember When Trans Fats Were Supposed to Be Good For You?

Eliminating Them, However, Won’t Do Much to Improve Our Health

Not so long ago, it was near impossible to avoid trans fats—more widely known in food ingredient lists as partially hydrogenated oil. Trans fats, which were processed to mimic saturated …

Is Juicing an Eating Disorder?

Californians Love a Good Cleanse. Or Anything Else To Prolong Our Youth.

Los Angeles is the only place I’ve ever been invited to someone’s house for a meal and been served a glass of juice, period. That morning, I sat on my …