Chef Daniel Orr likes to dig in the dirt. From his childhood days in Indiana, he became accustomed to growing food on a family homestead and reaping the fruits of his labor. He described his parents as hippies, without the drugs, who encouraged him in his culinary endeavors.

The world-renowned chef has cooked for such dignitaries as former President Bill Clinton and been praised by everyone from Chef Mario Batali to acclaimed essayist Scott Russell Sanders. His new book, FARMfood, released in July, focuses on green living and the importance of eating simply and locally.

Orr will give audiences a taste of his new book with a reading at 7 p.m. Friday at Prairie Lights Books, 15 S. Dubuque St. He is traversing the country promoting the publication and a healthier way of eating.

His stay in Iowa City will extend through the weekend. He will participate in a Harvest Dinner at the University Athletics Club, 1360 Melrose Ave., and sign copies of his new book at the Farmers’ Market as part of the Johnson County Local Food Alliance’s Field to Family celebration. The festival will run through Oct. 10.

FARMfood represents an accumulation of knowledge that the chef has attained over the course of his 25-year career. After living in Europe, New York, and the Caribbean, he decided to plant his roots closer to home, opening the restaurant FARMbloomington in Indiana and writing a cookbook.

Orr’s main goal is to spread the message of sustainable food production and simple cooking. He contends that making great food that looks and tastes delicious does not have to be intimidating. To be a great chef is 90 percent being a great shopper and 10 percent not screwing up what one has purchased, he believes.

“I think that [the key] is to really enjoy what is around you, to find what’s local and what’s seasonal,” he said. “Eat it simply. You don’t need to make things too fancy. There’s a certain elegance in simplicity. I’m at the point in my life where I just want to keep it good and simple.”

Orr has traveled to more than 15 different countries and cooked for some of the biggest names in entertainment — the Rolling Stones, Destiny’s Child, Madonna, and John Mellencamp. His favorite celebrity to cook for was queen of soul Aretha Franklin, who R-E-S-P-E-C-T-ed the simple elegance of his dishes.

The Johnson County Local Food Alliance is cosponsoring the reading. Alliance President James Nisly believes Orr’s ideas of simplicity are a perfect match for the alliance’s goals.

“The book really focuses on local, basic, simple cooking. It really ties in well with our mission at the alliance, with trying to promote more local and simple ways to eat,” Nisly said. “He has a focus on simple food combined with culinary herbs to make basic, simple food taste really delicious.”