Author of the Week: Clare Gupta

Clare Gupta is a social scientist who studies food and agriculture policy. Her recent research on community-based efforts to localize the food system in Hawaiʻi was the inspiration for this book. She currently works as a Cooperative Extension specialist at University of California, Davis, where she helps California communities address agriculture and natural resource problems through applied research and outreach. Clare graduated from Dartmouth College and holds a PhD in Environmental Science, Policy and Management from UC Berkeley. She resides in San Francisco, California with her husband, three young children and their dog Bear.

Gillian Ewing is a photographer and visual artist living on the California Coast just south of San Francisco. Her lifelong passion for food and cooking has been the driving force behind many of her largest projects—from her undergraduate thesis which investigated the connections between architectural theory and cuisine, to her ongoing food blog that features vibrant recipes, local organic farms and immersive photo essays. Gillian’s contribution to “Nourish” is but her latest exploration converging the visual arts with food. Gillian holds a BA in Architecture from Princeton University and an MFA in Fine Arts from California College of the Arts.

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Foodways are the cultural, social and economic practices connected to the production and consumption of food. It is a concept that we use to draw attention to the intersection of food in culture, traditions, and history. In Hawaii, these intersections have evolved dramatically over time. The images in this book present a portrait of how food is produced, prepared and consumed in Hawaii today. The essays, written by food scholars and practitioners probe deeper into how Hawaii's unique history shapes its food traditions and what new pathways towards a vibrant local food system are emerging.

Nourish: The Revitalization of Foodways in Hawaiʻi” is based on several years of research studying farmers and food producers on the islands of Hawaiʻi and Molokai by the book’s author, Clare Gupta. Together with friend and fine art photographer Gillian Bostock Ewing, their book Nourish captures the heart of what motivates the men and women on these islands — that nourishment stems not only from calories and nutrients, but also from a deep-rooted connection to the land, sea and beings, past and present.

Books on sale at Kona Stories $40.00