For the 43rd dinner interview, I traveled to Baltimore in April 2012 to have lunch with Ben Claassen III. He’s the charming creator of the comic strip DIRTFARM. He’s also the guy responsible for the illustrations that ran alongside Baggage Check — the advice column in DC’s now-defunct Express newspaper that was written by psychologist Dr. Andrea Bonior (who was the 37th dining stranger in September 2011).
At the Golden West Cafe, Ben told me how he developed his artistic talent and career. And among the pictures included in the interview, you can check out his sketch of our lunch he drew while we were talking.