Annie Toro Lopez

Annie Toro Lopez was raised in the agricultural community of Ogallala, Nebraska in the Heartland of the USA. 

 

Food was fresh and plentiful; cooking and entertaining were a way of life. Spring was planting season, summer meant boating and picnics at the lake, and during harvest season, huge feasts were prepared three times a day to feed hungry harvesters at the farm and ranch where she spent a large part of her teenage years. 

 

Her love of language and literature led her to pursue a degree in English at Metropolitan State University and she taught middle school Literacy and Social Studies for a decade in Aurora, Colorado. A yearly trip to Washington DC with her students inadvertently introduced her to the practice of seed preservation when she brought home a packet of sunflower seeds from Mt. Vernon, and grew them in her own garden. Captivated by the thought of growing seeds with historical significance, Annie began collecting seeds from other meaningful sources. Dianthus from a Shakespeare collection; the Rostov Sunflower painted by Van Gogh; a Purple Hopi Bean. 

 

She understood the impact of food insecurity from teaching, and after learning more about seed stock vulnerability, Annie became involved with seed preservation on her small farm, Seeds to Savor Farm, through a program with the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to education around the importance of preserving our seed heritage. 

 

As a food writer and lifetime food enthusiast, she continues to share her love and passion for food and the community it brings together.

 

Annie lives on the Colorado High Prairie with her husband, two rescue Rottweilers, and two independent and loving cats. 

 

Simply Gluten-Free is her second cookbook.