John Ash

John Ash brings a chef's curiosity about ingredients and landscape to Cooking Wild, written with cookbook author James O. Fraioli. Running Press published the illustrated 328-page book in 2016 under the expanded title Cooking Wild: More than 150 Recipes for Eating Close to Nature. Its definition of wild food is intentionally broad, moving from foraged plants and mushrooms to heritage meats, game birds, seafood, honey, and maple syrup. More than 150 recipes sit beside agricultural and historical context, helping cooks understand where ingredients come from as well as how to prepare them. Ash's background as a restaurateur, teacher, and James Beard Award-winning author shapes the book's practical voice; Fraioli contributes extensive experience developing culinary books. Sections on cattails, purslane, sea beans, wild grapes, venison, trout, and other foods make the organization ingredient-led rather than menu-led. The result connects kitchen technique with seasonality, ecological attention, and a respectful interest in foods that grow or live beyond conventional farming systems.