The Artist, the Cook, and the Gardener ─ Recipes Inspired by Painting from the Garden

A lavishly illustrated, sumptuous collection of recipes celebrating the enduring connection between art, cooking, and gardening, inspired by the seasonal bounty of homegrown fruits and vegetables or just-picked produce from local farms.

Great artists and great cooks have long been inspired by gardens and the many sensory gifts they provide. Artist Claude Monet took inspiration from his gardens and the lily ponds at Giverny. Van Gogh, Manet, Matisse, and Cezanne created still life masterpieces of fruit and flowers. Similarly, cooks from Julia Child and Alice Waters, to Patricia Wells and Jamie Oliver have taken culinary inspiration from homegrown or fresh local produce. Artist Maryjo Koch explores this centuries-old connection in a new cookbook inspired by her studio garden. The garden not only provides the artistic subjects she and her many students paint, but it also serves as the culinary toolbox for the delectable and visual feasts she prepares for her family, guests, and painting classes throughout the year.


Divided into four chapters and inspired by the seasons, artists, cooks, and gardeners alike will find tips, recipes, and painting projects centered on seasonal food pairings. For example, the winter garden focuses on soups with offerings like Minestrone with Crumbled Bacon and Butternut Squash-Apple Soup. Springtime brings culinary attention to leafy greens such as Flower Petal Salad and Spring Asparagus Fritttata with Peas and Peppers. As the seasons’ bounty progresses, the painting subjects and menus change as well, invented with whatever is freshest and most beautiful in the garden.



Whether you find yourself more at home with an artist’s paint brush, a cook’s wooden spoon, or a gardener’s spade, you’ll find a trio of artistic, culinary, and gardening inspirations inside Maryjo Koch’s lavish cookbook.

Maryjo Koch is an accomplished naturalist painter who has authored and illustrated nearly two dozen books, including the best-selling Bird Egg Feather Nest. She conducts painting workshops in northern California and abroad, and has exhibited her work at natural history museums nationwide. Her paintings and prints are sold in galleries and specialty shops throughout the United States and Japan. Her artwork has been featured on fine houseware products and a wide range of gift and stationery products. She lives and works near Santa Cruz, California.