“The food we eat should invoke the beauty and abundance of nature and people; inspiring us to enjoy the present moment. When we sit together to eat, we share, and this strengthens our communities. “
David Robert Johnson (a.k.a. Chef Dr. Jones) founded Port & Provisions as a creative and collaborative event company; combining food, wine, sustainable practices, travel, maritime culture, and the arts with community development and enrichment. Born in Iowa, David's grandfather, a farmer, first introduced him to growing food, canning, and preserving, and the intimacy of eating locally. He received a BS in Geography & Environmental Management from the University of Iowa, specifically studying the interrelationships between the health of society, economy, and environment with special respect to food production systems.
He spent ten years cooking on historic tall ships, seasonally and geographically sourcing food; and expanding his culinary repertoire via cooking with locals, exchanging recipes, and experimenting with whatever was in season. From French cooking in Montreal to fish fries in the Caribbean, Chef DR Jones's cooking is an intimate, eclectic, and joyous accumulation of tastes, cultures, and communities.
David spent three years in Africa, where he initiated a community development project employing and educating local Xhosa tribe metric graduates in food production, service, and management. He designed and built a tiki restaurant of local materials, opened a fish market, planted three large permaculture gardens with French drains for black water, compost, and solar heated water systems.
David is the owner of Davey Jones Deli in Sausalito, which was awarded Best Vegetarian in Marin by Marin Magazine, Top 10 in Marin over 10 years by KQED Check Please, Small Business of the Year by the Sausalito Chamber of Commerce, and a variety of other accolades.
"Food is a deeply sensuous experience; not only in tastes, aromas, and sensations, but also in the way it inhabits our stories, our landscapes. It has the ability to bridge gulfs between people, to bring us together through this simple act of eating. When treated artfully, that simple act ascends to something more profound and meaningful: coloring and illuminating our lives together. Creating and consuming food is joy, love, and community when approached thoughtfully.”