Purveyors

Take away the plate. Take away the table. Take away the chef, the hostess, and the elegant lighting. What remains is food in its most pure form. The foundation for fine dining. The core of a local cuisine. What remains are your ingredients, or as the photographer sees it, “Where the story of your meal starts.”


Farmers who grow with care while rejecting the methods of mass production. Ranchers, foragers, fisherman who ply their craft in gentle harmony with our lands.


John Valls sees these purveyors as artists. Architects of the earth. Food’s story begins here. It’s from the people dedicated to growing, and the land they steward. It’s a story about how this food arrived on your plate. A story of sheath and knife, shovel and spoon. Of farm to fork.

A person in outdoor gear stands on rocks overlooking a misty river valley with autumn trees.
Workers sorting cranberries in circular collection pool during harvest season.
A worker in waders uses a long rake while standing in a flooded cranberry bog during harvest.
A fly fisherman wearing waders and a hat stands in a misty river while fishing.
A person wearing waders and a red jacket stands in shallow water during a rainy harvest at a cranberry bog.
Close-up of hands picking fresh blueberries from bushes with green leaves.
A hiker crouches among wildflowers with evergreen trees and mountains in the background.
Fresh red apples harvested in plastic crate between apple trees in an orchard during autumn harvest season.
Fresh ripe apples hanging on tree branches with green leaves in orchard.
Person in overalls examining apples in sunny orchard during harvest season.
A rustic wooden farm stand or shop exterior surrounded by green trees and foliage.
Fresh apples in wooden harvest basket at farmers market.
A rancher works with cattle in a sunny pasture during golden hour.
Old grain mill building with metal siding and wooden fence under overcast sky.
A close-up portrait showing a weathered face with a distinctive mustache.
Two wedges of artisanal cheese with holes displayed on rustic wooden board against dark background.
A group of white goats grazing in a rural pasture with evergreen trees in the background.
Weathered wooden barn with rustic tools and equipment stored against its walls.
White goats resting in a barn stall with hay feeders.
Cheese aging room with wooden shelves stocked with rounds of aging cheese wheels.
A person in a green puffy vest and beanie stands in a rustic barn with farming equipment.
Fresh green asparagus spears arranged on a plate with shallow depth of field.
Fresh green onions growing in a garden with leafy vegetables.
Snow-capped mountain peak towers over a red barn and pastoral farmland in golden evening light.
Fresh harvested garlic bulbs with roots and stems attached shown in detail.
Tall corn stalks with tassels reaching toward blue sky in summer field.
Fresh vine-ripened brown cherry tomatoes clustered in cardboard box.
Freshly harvested dirty yams or sweet potatoes lying on soil.
Vintage spoon, dried branch and notebook labeled 'compost prep' on weathered wooden surface.
Two people carrying wooden crates walk through a golden field with vineyard rows in the background.
Weathered hands shown in close-up detail against a dark background.
Person preparing meat on wooden table in outdoor rustic setting.
Fresh caught silver salmon lined up in a white container.
A person in casual attire crouches in a lush green field at sunset.
Fluffy sheep with curled horns stands on a dirt path in a green pasture looking directly at camera.