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Joan Obra is the food writer and columnist for The Fresno Bee. Joan, who is originally from New Jersey, grew up in a family of talented Filipino cooks who made their own longanisa sausage, baked yeasty rolls called ensaymada and held pig roasts in their backyard.

Those childhood memories set Joan on a path of culinary indulgence. You can find her munching on concord grapes at the farmers market, sucking slices of blood oranges at a citrus grove or picking Calimyrna figs on a central San Joaquin Valley farm. And, of course, she visits the Valley's diverse restaurants, where she scribbles notes about culture and cuisine.