California-based photographer, filmmaker and writer Patrick Trefz recently released his newest book Ode to Travel. Published by Powerhouse Books, it showcases a collection of photos and recipes from 38 locations around the world, offering readers insight into Trefz’s perspective on life and exploration.
Trefz structures each chapter around a single location. He gives a a brief narration of his time spent there as a traveler and weaves together personal memories with discussions about history and mythology, politics, and economics, as well as descriptions of the physical environment. He tries to illustrate how regional food systems are informed and offers insight into how cuisine reflects local culture.
Trefz says that he has always possessed a deep appreciation for food and agriculture that began in childhood. “I developed a taste for it at an early age, and kind of got me into the curiosity of wanting to know more about the world,” he tells Food Tank, “I love to cook. I’ve been cooking my whole life. And I also worked in restaurants when I was young as a sous chef.” Trefz explains that food has always been a fixture within his photography, but that he had fewer opportunities to exhibit them during his long career as a professional surf photographer.
Through his previous directorial project Man in the Field, Trefz was able to explore the impact of local food systems in a documentary about American artist Jim Denevan. The film captures Denevan’s outdoor dining experiences that place guests in the physical environment where their food is sourced.
The inspiration for the new book came out of Trefz’s experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, he was living in Santa Cruz County where he spent most of his time gardening. “It was a COVID project. I was kind of down and out, I didn’t really know what to do with myself. I started a garden. I didn’t really want to go to stores,” he says, “but I wasn’t doing much else creatively.”
In 2021, Trefz found himself revisiting decades worth of photographs that captured different international communities and their cultural lifestyles. After an unexpected series of fires in the area, Trefz realized his desire to rescue and publish these images in a book.
“The first January of 2021, I started accumulating a bunch of the slides and negatives and organized them by country,” Trez tells Food Tank. “I hunkered down and created recipes for these distinctive countries, or I already had some that I knew from cooking beforehand and just created the whole thing.”
Some recipes, like gallo pinto for his chapter on Costa Rica are included because it is a national dish. Others, like jalapeño pasta for Australia, symbolize meaningful travel memories.
Trefz sees that food is a tool for connection. “Food was a strong link I always had to my travels. I come back from a certain country, and I want to share what I learned.”
The theme of community is a through-line in Trefz’s art. In addition to recipes, his photographs and anecdotes spotlight the different ways communities engage with each other and with their environments. He offers candid images of people, landscapes, and surfing.
Trefz wants the cover design, an abstract depiction of a blue globe and eye, to remind audiences the importance of being curious about the world and receptive to the lessons that it has to offer. “It’s an inspiration on global cultures and the differences that we have, and embracing this beautiful world that we live in.”
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Photo courtesy of Patrick Trefz
