I often get asked about how I research the Neil Flambe bo...

I often get asked about how I research the Neil Flambe books. Book #2 - Neil Flambe and the Aztec Abduction - takes place in Mexico City and I visited there in 2007 with the Southam Fellows (while at the idyllic Massey College). The restaurant that sits next to garbage dump in the book is based on a real place we visited. It's a restaurant that helps young poor families cook healthy meals for their kids, and it's also joined to a school that teaches life skills, computer skills and English. It was a thriving source of community amid a not-so-great part of the city... and was partially paid for through CIDA (yay Canada!)

My friend Rob Warner took this pic during our trip. It's one of the moms at the restaurant and her daughter.