My name is Daniel. I’m a doctor and I love food. I’ve always been the kind of person who couldn’t see suffering of any kind without offering to try to help in some way. Or at least make things not worse – do no harm, right?

Food plays a central role in our health as people. It also plays a huge role in the health of the planet, as more than a quarter of global emissions come from how we grow, transport, and waste food. Food is also about relationships. It’s memory. It’s connection. Food can take you to beautiful new places, and it can bring you home again. Food has always been a hobby of mine – I started gardening, hunting and fishing early in life.

I went to medical school, then specialized in pediatrics (doctors who take care of kids). Practicing in inner city community clinics or in remote mountains of Central America, I saw kids for whom food wasn’t a luxury – it was survival. Too often, it was insufficient. And unhealthy. I learned about food deserts, food swamps, and food insecurity. I resolved to reconcile the world of the foodie with the world of the foodless.

I believe that our health and well-being – and the planet’s – come from participating in a thriving ecosystem. I’m a Certified Permaculture Designer who aims to maximize the health benefits of every ecosystem I help design. Which is to say I try to use a little human cleverness and then get out of the way to let the wisdom of the natural world take the reins.

I hope you’ll join me in exploring some of the ways to find health, pleasure, and wonder through our food. And maybe we can work together to create a world where healthy food is abundant and accessible, and nobody has to suffer from food insecurity.