Real food, off the obvious path

Real food rarely sits where the crowds are. It hides with the people who still do things the slow way — the farmer who saves his own seed, the cheesemaker who knows each animal, the cook who refuses shortcuts.

Finding them is half the journey. People say I have a sixth sense for it; I call it research, curiosity and a refusal to settle for the obvious.

Food, to me, is never just pleasure. It is culture, health, responsibility and identity — it speaks of landscapes, people, politics and choices. Eating well, then, becomes a small act of understanding.