We’re Eating, Making, Growing.

Spring has sprung and, in its inimitably springy way, has brought some additions to the Eat Real family.

After two years of unabashed support from the Bay Area, and, honestly, also because of its warm, all-embracing love, Eat Real is expanding to the wild frontier of LA – or to the Helms Bakery District in Culver City this July 16-17th, to be precise. (Don’t worry Oakland, we’re back at Jack London Square this September 23-25th for that allegedly charmed third time.)

At the risk of sounding like a pledge drive, we couldn’t have and can’t do this without you guys. Seriously. It’s syrupy, but, hey, earnestness is the new soul-deadening irony. We want to emphasize that Eat Real has always been about people: eaters, growers, crafters, and all and sundry. Besides breathing, and a few other biological functions we’ll do you the favor of not mentioning, eating and the attendant joy of food includes absolutely everyone – by the mere fact of being alive. Eat Real strives to be a space for all of us.

And speaking of space, we’ve also grown virtually. In addition to our city-specific event websites, we also have a new main page that highlights Eat Real’s greatest hits and also explores what it means to eat real in the world. It’s easy to get caught up in the glamour of food. Top Chef. Michelin stars. But it runs the risk of turning good food into a rarefied, inaccessible cultural commodity that’s about keeping people out, not in. We want to know about real people and their stories. Those are the tales we hope to tell. Stories that inspire and show food as, like, a binder of the entire human race, man.

In the coming months we’ll also ask you to tell us your stories or the stories you know need to be told. Like how your neighborhood community garden started. Or about your grandparent’s traditional gnocchi/ peirogi/ chutney/ bánh bao / mac and cheese/ etc., and how it’s shaped your family and how you see the world.

It’s spring of the second decade of the new millennium. Let’s make it an epic one for good food, y’all.