Georgeanne Brennan is an award-winning cookbook author and regular contributor to food publications both locally and nationally. Her most famous book, A Pig in Provence, tells the story of her move to the French countryside and what she learned there about the importance of seasonality and community food traditions. She has collaborated for many years with her friend and business partner Ann M. Evans, who is the former mayor of Davis, California, and one of the founders of the Davis Farmers Market. 

Several years ago, the two women launched a consulting company, Evans and Brennan, to help schools improve their lunch programs. Their first publication together, titled Cooking with California Food in K-12 School, provides recipes and professional development strategies for school food service workers, with a goal to increase healthy, seasonal cooking. 

The two recently collaborated on a new book, The Davis Farmers Market Cookbook, in honor of one of their favorite farmers markets. Since Ann was a cofounder of the market and mayor when its permanent pavilion was built, and Georgeanne was a former vendor and an experienced cookbook author, they both contributed equally to the project. The recipes in the book are intended for beginning and seasoned farmers market shoppers alike. “For the most part, they are easy to make, use few ingredients, and emphasize the flavor and taste of the ingredients rather than complicated techniques,” Ann said. The book includes more than 85 seasonally inspired recipes, eight basic recipes with suggested seasonal adaptations, and pickling and preserving tips throughout.

On Saturday, July 7, Ann and Georgeanne will be in the CUESA Classroom at 11:45 a.m. to talk about the history of the Davis Farmers Market and their favorite summer ingredients. They will also demonstrate the watermelon salad and corn fritter recipes from the Davis Farmers Market Cookbook. This event is free and open to the public.