Page 46 - Winter 2021

Pierce works on cutting tofu at the Fairfax, California, Whole Natural Foods factory.
Tofu master
In 1978, Pierce was working odd jobs and making art in Macon when a friend convinced him to hitch hike to San Francisco. After a year, Pierce returned to Georgia, where another friend from a farming cooperative showed him how to master the art of tofu. With a big pot, they could make 10 pounds of tofu in one afternoon.
Pierce moved back to California and made a living as a tofu chef for Sleeping Lady Cafe in a town full of hippies with an eclectic music scene. He would make 80 tofu ciabatta sandwiches per night that would then be distributed to health food stores around town.
Two weeks into his new job, Pierce discovered that the cook’s cousin was a friend of his from Macon. Together, they hatched a plan to build a tofu factory, and Wildwood Natural Foods was born. A visiting German couple was so impressed with Pierce that the husband, Peter Wegand, called him in 1981 to open a tofu shop in Bavaria, Germany. It would be Pierce’s first time out of the country.
“It was in one of the most beautiful spots on the Alps,” Pierce said. “There’s a lake there named Prien am Chiemsee, and King Ludwig [II] has a castle out there. People from all around the world are coming to this destination.”
One of Pierce’s early inspirations was his friend and fellow creative, Eddie Owens Martin, also known as St. Eom and shown here in this book.
PAGE 44 | OCONEE THE MAGAZINE | WINTER 2021
Julia Fechter
Courtesy Michael Pierce