In his latest book, Grain of Truth, investigative journalist and award-winning screenwriter Stephen Yafa gives us back our daily bread. At a time when gluten is being denounced as the new asbestos, he sets out to separate truth from fiction. He discovers scientific evidence that mass-production processing methods and monoculture are the culprit, not the inherent genetic make-up of wheat itself. But there’s much more to the story. Artisan whole wheat impresarios like Craig Ponsford form an expanding national movement made up of young, enthusiastic stone-ground millers, growers and renegade bakers who are re-introducing strains of wheat with distinct flavorful personalities and proven health benefits. Their baked goods are probiotic; they break down bulky gluten molecules, provide vital nutrition and fiber, and above all, they’re delicious. But don’t take our word for it. Craig will provide ample samples of the masterworks that he bakes at Ponsford’s Place in San Rafael and talk about why he converted from white to 100 percent whole wheat flour. In addition, Yafa lets us in on a discovery that may change your life — there is in fact a perfect solution for non-celiac gluten-sensitive bread lovers, after all.

Yafa will be discussing his book together with baker Craig Ponsford. Copies of the book will be available; a book signing and sample tasting will follow.

Oliveto Restaurant & Café
Saturday, June 6, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Oakland, CA

Mary Dee Berry, the Executive Director of The Berry Center, puts to work the writings of her father, Wendell Berry, the author of The Unsettling of America — a book that was, and still is, a rousing cry to protect our land for small farmers and a more sustainable food system. For the whole of her adult life, Mary has been farming organically and sustainably, raising cattle, heirloom pigs, non-GMO hay, and harvesting lumber on 300 hundred acres of mostly wooded land in Kentucky. She brings first-hand experience, expert knowledge of the fundamental thinking behind today’s sustainable food movement, and the wit, charm and good sense that remind us of her father.

What is a good farmer? How do we preserve farm land from agribusiness?? How do we protect the marketplace so that small farmers might thrive? All of these questions will be food for thought.

We are oh so excited to have her here.

Sunday May 3rd, 1 pm – 3 pm