Nan Cole is a foraging expert based in San Luis Obispo, California, and the resident forager for Ventana Big Sur. She leads foraging walks, both urban and rural, she educates people about the do’s and don’ts of wildcrafting, and she cooks and bakes with her finds. In fact, one of the things that attracted me to Nan’s work was a photo on her Instagram page, @foragerslo, featuring a beautiful macaron made from redwood needle sugar and lemon zest. We walked up to a cozy spot on the side of Cerro San Luis to chat, and she pointed out native plants along the way, sharing how coyote brush is an antidote for poison oak and how mustard plant tastes like broccoli. Then, a couple weeks after our talk, I opened Sunset Magazine to find a full-page spread about Nan and her foraging program at Ventana Big Sur. A rock star! If you don’t feel inspired to join one of her foraging walks after listening to our conversation, you might want to check your pulse, because this woman is inspiring.
Website: ventanabigsur.com
Instagram: @foragerslo
Two Broads Ciderworks, Maggie Przybylski + Morgan Murphy, San Luis Obispo
Dr. David Cleveland, Environmental Studies Program, University of California, Santa Barbara
Hatch Rotisserie + Della‘s owner Maggie Cameron, Paso Robles, California
Mushroom hunter Dennis Sheridan, Los Osos, California
Hearst Castle, Dr. Amy Hart + Tara Stephenson, San Simeon
Village builder Roberto Monge, San Luis Obispo
Wine + food critic Stephen McConnell, Avila Beach, California
SLO Food Systems Coalition, Ellen Burke + Claire Tuohey-Mote, San Luis Obispo
Castoro Cellars + Bethel Rd. Distillery + Whale Rock Music Festival, Paso Robles, California
Home cook Vincent Rodriguez, Hesperia, California
Six Test Kitchen, Ricky Odbert + Matt Corella, Paso Robles, California
Lincoln Market & Deli owners Becky + Mike Hicks, San Luis Obispo, CA
Rancher Elizabeth Poett, “Ranch to Table,” Lompoc, CA
Whiskey & June owner Daniel Green, Atascadero
Farmhouse Corner Market chef/owners Will + Kari Torres, San Luis Obispo
Beda’s Biergarten owner Beda Schmidthues, San Luis Obispo
Lonely Palm Ranch photographer + homesteader, Christa Pfleeger, Arroyo Grande, CA
Filmmakers/photographers Carter + Veronika Hiyama, Sundae Cereal + Datsu Films, Santa Barbara, CA
Certified herbalists Angela-Sarah North + Sadie Rogers, San Luis Obispo, CA
Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project, Arcenio Lopez, Santa Maria + Oxnard, CA
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