I first met Nancy Hachisu in Mexico at our very first Food Blogger Camp that a few of us hosted back in 2010. What surprised me was not that she attended, but that she flew all the way from Japan to come and hang out with us. It gave me kick in the pants, “You best deliver a killer event, Jaden!” And we did, because she came back the following year.

Ever since then, I’ve been lucky to see Nancy at least once a year, sometimes twice, at food conferences. Those conferences are like reunions for us bloggers – giddy hugs, wine glasses clinking and catching up in person on all the exciting things happening.

Nancy has been working on her very first cookbook for the past couple of years. I remember in Seattle seeing her very first cookbook photos shot by a famous Japanese photographer over lunch. I’m proud to say that her book, Japanese Farm Food, has just come out.
Nancy, a native of California, traveled to Japan and fell in love with an organic farmer. They married and now run an English immersion school at their rural farmhouse. That’s the 2 sentence version of their love story, and I hate to tell you more because you really should read the wonderful story that Nancy has written in the book.

I own and have-owned over 1,000 cookbooks (I have given the majority of them away) — I’ll be absolutely honest and tell you that Nancy’s book is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. From the fabric binding, lovely photos and Nancy’s stories, it’s a treasure. Oh, and the recipes! Simple Japanese farm food featuring produce from their garden, eggs from their chickens and trips to the local market.