As the world began to spiral into COVID-19 chaos, I heard from the New York Times. As a generalist photographer in Japan, I never know what kind of assignment will come my way and am always eager to see what the editors at the NYT photo desks have in store for me. For this commission, I headed north of Tokyo to Sakado, Japan where I was tasked to work with Naoyuki Arai, a talented chef participating in the newly launched Kitchen Farming Project.

What would it look like if out-of-work chefs dug in and built gardens? With the pandemic shuttering restaurants, chefs across the world decided to answer this question and planted “kitchen gardens.” From Williamsburg, VA (USA) to Ghana, roughly 3,600 participants like chef Arai answered the call and joined the Kitchen Farming Project, an initiative that serves as a loose “recipe: for a garden” conceived by Chef Dan Barber and further developed by farm director Jack Algiere (who created a step-by-step recipe, from sod-busting to seed selection).

The Kitchen Farming Project posed additional questions. What if a generation of cooks, chefs, and eaters emerged from pandemic-induced isolation never again looking at an ingredient list—or a farmer—in the same way? Is it possible to redefine roles in the food system, “not as end-users, but as engaged participants?”

Before the pandemic, chef Arai worked closely with an organic farm to stock his restaurant. With their help, he is now growing a large garden at his family’s home in Sakado. “Growing vegetables from seed has allowed him to observe everything about the process and can now even prepare dishes based on the various stages of ripeness. ‘ From sweet potatoes to green tea, Arai is exploring what is possible with the experience. “ I used to buy vegetables based on my schedule.” Now Aria is realizing that his schedule isn’t what is important but it is the “vegetables and the soil whose schedule should be respected.”

Now, as the gardener-chefs approach the end-of-summer harvest, they have a more robust understanding of the sweat toll required to grow each vegetable from seed and a more intense appreciation for the products they receive from growers. More, participating chefs are contemplating the roles they play in the larger food system. If Arai’s reflections are any indication, some of the questions posed by the Kitchen Farming Project are being answered affirmatively.

To learn more about the Kitchen Farming Project, check out the full piece in the New York Times (September 14, 2020).

More From Andrew Faulk