“L. John Harris’s amusing and instructive book distills Parisian flânerie—that unique blend of urban strolling and conversing that fuses literary, spatial and historical life—with playful images, witty narrative and memorable quotations by and about the notorious flâneurs of yore.”–W. Scott Haine, author of The World of the Paris Café
To reserve your seat, please purchase a copy of Café French in advance by speaking to a bookseller.
He has been called Mr. Garlic, the Balzac of Berkeley and now a Neoflâneur: author, artist, cookbook publisher, filmmaker and “pre-foodie” L. John Harris, a founding father of Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto, is all of the above and more. Join us as we celebrate the publication of his new book of witty texts and whimsical illustrations inspired by his wanderings through the streets and cafés of Paris.
A native of Los Angeles, L. John Harris studied art at UC Berkeley from 1965-1969. Through the 1970’s, while working in some of Berkeley’s iconic food businesses–the Cheese Board, Chez Panisse and The Swallow–he wrote The Book of Garlic, followed by The Official Garlic Lovers Handbook. His book Foodoodles came out in 2010. A modern Renaissance man, Harris is also a documentary film maker (Divine Food: 100 Years in the Kosher Delicatessen Trade and Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar) and classical guitar afficionado whose programs at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music feature world-class guitarists playing vintage classical and flamenco guitars from his personal collection. Harris spends his time between Berkeley and Paris.