The Farmer, the Gastronome, and the Chef - by Daniel J Philippon

About the Book

A personalized and engaging look at three of the most important architects of the sustainable food movement, and how they have shaped the way we grow, cook, and perceive food--ultimately, how we eat.

Book Synopsis

The role of food writing in the sustainable food movement

At turns heartfelt and witty, accessible and engaging, The Farmer, the Gastronome, and the Chef explores how Wendell Berry, Carlo Petrini, and Alice Waters have changed America's relationship with food over the past fifty years. Daniel Philippon weighs the legacy of each of these writers and activists while planting and harvesting vegetables in central Wisconsin, speaking with growers and food producers in northern Italy, and visiting with chefs and restaurateurs in southeastern France. Following Berry, Petrini, and Waters in pursuit of his own "ideal meal," Philippon considers what a sustainable food system might look like and what role writing can play in making it a reality. Warning of the dangers of "agristalgia," Philippon instead advocates for a diverse set of practices he calls "elemental cooking," which would define sustainable food from farm to table, while also acknowledging the importance of seeking social justice throughout the food system. A rigorous yet generous appraisal of three central figures in the sustainable food movement, The Farmer, the Gastronome, and the Chef demonstrates how the written word has the power to change our world for the better, one ideal meal at a time.

Review Quotes

Philippon concludes that "the ideal meal" is not so much about the end product but the practices that yielded its creation: "practice makes the world," he says. To that point, my heavily underlined copy of The Farmer, the Gastronome, and the Chef is likely to become dog-eared as well. --Lynn Fantom, Civil Eats 2024 Food and Farming Holiday Gift Guide

The book contains all the right ingredients. . . . Philippon marries humor, careful description, and colorful dialogue with serious scholarship. . . . Readers coming to the end of this engaging work will leave with a new understanding of food traditions from farm to table and the complexities inherent in all aspects of this practice.--ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment

About the Author

Daniel J. Philippon is Associate Professor of English at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and the author of Conserving Words: How American Nature Writers Shaped the Environmental Movement.