James Barber has passed on

This is so sad!! James Barber, the "Urban Peasant", has died at the age of 84.

I watched his cooking show on the CBC for years and years when I was younger: he definitely was a big inspiration for me. He was such a casual cook, cooking with what he had on hand: I learned to be experimental and not afraid to play around with food, adjusting things to taste on the fly to make a unique, delicious dish.

He was so fun to watch, he'd always be drooling by the end of the show, heh heh.

He will really be missed. Fortunately, he left behind a number of cookbooks! And a number of inspired cooks, I'm sure.

Read his obituary, and check out his website too.