James Barber (author) explained

James Barber
Birth Date:	23 March 1923
Birth Place:	Dover, Kent, England, UK
Death Date:	29 November 2007 (aged 84)
Death Place:	Cowichan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Occupation:	TV presenter, chef, writer
Credits:	The Urban Peasant

James Barber (23 March 1923 – 29 November 2007) was an English-born Canadian cookbook author and host of The Urban Peasant, a CBC cooking show.

Barber worked as an engineer before becoming a food critic for The Province. He immigrated to Canada in 1952. His lifelong interest in food and writing and his increased knowledge in these areas naturally led him to become a cookbook author. Following his retirement, he spent his remaining years on his farm in British Columbia's Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. He amassed a collection of over 1300 cookbooks in his lifetime.^[1]

Barber was married twice and fathered five children; 3 sons and 2 daughters. Barber died on 29 November 2007, at his farm of natural causes while sitting at the dining room table reading a cookbook with a pot of chicken soup simmering on the stove.^[2] He was 84 years old and was survived by his wife and five children.

TV appearances

• The Fry Pan Man, host
• The Dini Petty Show, frequent appearances
• The Urban Peasant, host

Newspapers and magazines

• National Post, occasionally
• Pacific Yachting
• Vancouver Magazine
• The Vancouver Sun

Books

• Ginger Tea Makes Friends (Illustrated) (1971 McClelland and Stewart)
• Fear of Frying (1978 Douglas & McIntyre)
• Ginger Tea Makes Friends (1982 Madrona Publishing)
• Flash in the Pan (1982 Douglas & McIntyre Ltd)
• James Barber Mushrooms Are Marvellous (1984 Douglas & McIntyre Ltd.; First edition)
• James Barber's Personal Guide to the Best Eating in Vancouver (1985 North Country Book Express)
• James Barber's Immodest but Honest Good Eating Cookbook (1986 Solstice Press)
• Urban Peasant (1991 Raincoast Book Dist Ltd)
• Urban Peasant Quick & Simple Cookbook (1993 Urban Peasant Productions)
• The Urban Peasant: Recipes from the Popular Television Cooking Series (1994 Hasting House Publishing)
• Peasant's Choice (1994 Urban Peasant Productions)
• Peasant's Choice: More of the Best from the Urban Peasant Recipes from the Popular Television Cooking Series (1995 Hasting House Publishing)
• Peasant's Alphabet: More of the best from the Urban Peasant (1997 Urban Peasant Productions)
• Cooking for Two: The Urban Peasant (1999 Macmillan Press)
• Ginger Tea Makes Friends (2000 Raincoast Book Dist Ltd)^[3]
• Flash in the Pan (2000 Raincoast Book Dist Ltd)^[3]
• Fear of Frying (2000 Raincoast Book Dist Ltd)^[3]
• Chef's Salad: Greens, Vegetables, Pasta, Bean, Seafood, Potato (2003) James Barber (foreword)
• One-Pot Wonders: James Barber Recipes for Land and Sea (2006 Harbor)

External links

• Official Twitter Page
• Official Facebook Page

Notes and References

1. Web site: The legacy of Barber lives on . Lancaster . Deanna . North Shore News . 2012-08-29 . 2024-08-13.
2. Web site: TV chef James Barber of The Urban Peasant fame dies . CBCNews.ca . 2 December 2007.
3. Web site: Ginger Tea Makes Friends, Flash in the Pan, and Fear of Frying. VancouverWomen.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20010715172714/http://www.vancouverwomen.com/archives/cookbook_reviews/index.cfm?r_id=93. dead. 15 July 2001. 31 October 2006.