Do you suffer from OBS? See how James, our produce expert, handles his obsession with spring bulb flowers.
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Born in Mississippi and raised in the South (mainly Texas), James Parker’s first produce job was at 16 in a supermarket in Dallas where he trimmed corn, made orange juice, and put strawberries in plastic containers for 4 hours every day after school. James joined Whole Foods Market in 1986 where he initially focused on retail department design and merchandising- helping open more than 60 stores throughout the US. He has since expanded his interests to include the production and purchasing side of the business for fresh produce and floral. For James, produce is “still life- a physical manifestation of our seasonal cycles. Fresh fruits and vegetables connect us to our world in a way that is dynamic and ever changing. It is a way for us to celebrate the changing seasons and our changing world in a positive way every day.” James is also a painter, fresh food chef and advocate, sometimes successful gardener, avid sand castle builder and pumpkin carver. He lives in Aptos, California with his wife Erin, son Aidan, daughter Delilah, and cat Harry.
Blog Posts By Author
January 18, 2013 @
Whole Story
There are few things I like better than guacamole. The flavor and texture are amazing, and it seems you can’t avoid feeling festive when you serve it.
July 31, 2012 @
Whole Story
I can remember a time, as a kid in Mississippi, when tomatoes were not the common grocery store commodity they are today. They were also far from the uniformly sized, blemish-free, picture-perfect specimens most of us see in our local stores year-round. The tomatoes of my youth were scarred, irregular and transit-weary. They were also almost non-existent in the fall, winter and spring. Then they would flood the grocery stores, farmers markets and family gardens in the summer.
July 3, 2012 @
Whole Story
July is like Christmas for seasonal produce geeks (like me) here in the US. Though we live in a time when worldwide distribution is possible and seasonal produce from one hemisphere can cross into another, there is nothing more exciting than the start of the local season.
