California Cuisine and Just Food

"Finally! A book on the alternative food movement that tells the complex story of innovation by grounding it in a particular place and describing its historical evolution. California Cuisine and Just Food traces how a broader food quality agenda emerged over time -- from land protection, to sustainable growing practices, to food quality and taste, to public health concerns, to equity and justice. This accessible book emphasizes concrete achievements without concealing the challenges that lie ahead in the struggle for food democracy." -- Neva Hassanein, Professor of Environmental Studies, University of Montana "The politics of food in the San Francisco Bay Area range from high-end restaurants to the efforts of the Black Panthers and the Berkeley Coop to bring fresh food to poorer residents. In this important book, Sally Fairfax and her coauthors ask, among other questions, how San Francisco's posh Ferry Plaza Farmers Market links to efforts to improve conditions for farm workers and school lunches. They conclude that the evolving understanding of food quality, which has shifted from sustainable farming practices to include flavor and aesthetics as well as personal and public health, can effectuate needed reforms in the current food system." -- Philip Martin, Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics, University of California, Davis "A wide-ranging exploration and careful celebration of Bay Area Alternative Food Networks, what they have accomplished, and what is left to be done." -- E. Melanie DuPuis, coauthor, Alternative Food Networks: Practice, Knowledge and Politics

Sally K. Fairfax is Henry J. Vaux Distinguished Professor Emerita in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California, Berkeley. Louise Nelson Dyble is Assistant Professor of History in the Department of Social Sciences at Michigan Technological University. Greig Tor Guthey is Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Planning at California State University, San Marcos. Lauren Gwin is Research Associate in the Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics at Oregon State University and cofounder and coordinator of the Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network. Monica Moore cofounded the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) International and its U.S.-based regional center PAN North America. Jennifer Sokolove is Program Director at the Compton Foundation in San Franscisco.