Abra Berens is a chef, former farmer, and writer. She believes that the meals we eat should change with the seasons and that their ingredients should come from nearby. She strives to make simple, delicious meals that champion the region.

She started cooking at the storied ZINGERMAN’S DELI in Ann Arbor, MI, then trained in the garden-focused kitchen at BALLYMALOE COOKERY SCHOOL in Cork, Ireland. She co-founded Bare Knuckle Farm in Northport, MI, where she farmed and cooked for 8 years before returning to the kitchen full time at Local Foods in Chicago, IL before landing at Granor Farm in Three Oaks, MI, where she creates one-of-a-kind dinners celebrating the best of South West Michigan’s diverse agriculture. Her dinners there made her a JAMES BEARD SEMIFINALIST for Outstanding Chef: Great Lakes.

RUFFAGE, her first cookbook, focused on vegetables. It was a Michigan Notable Book winner and James Beard Award nominee.

GRIST, her second book, builds upon the ideas of Ruffage to provide creative, easy, and endlessly riff-able meals from grains, beans, seeds, and legumes.