When did you know that you wanted to work in food?
Growing up I wasn't much of an eater and could happily sustain myself on Power bars and Lean Cuisine. I moved to Italy in 2009 and it really changed my relationship with food (think of that scene from Ratatoui where he bites into a piece of cheese and tastes fireworks!) Since then, I've always been involved in food and marketing in some capacity, whether it meant hosting a weekly supper club with my chef husband or collaborating with chefs and artists on pop-up food events around NYC.
How did you get your current good food job?
Funny you ask! I've been a long-time fan of Gotham Greens and used to purchase it regularly for my supper club, Under The Table. I found my current job via Good Food Jobs (seriously, you rock!!) and immediately read every article about Gotham Greens, watched every video, and studied the CEO's TED Talk before even applying. When Gotham Greens opened it's second greenhouse location on top of Whole Foods Market in Brooklyn 2013, they posted a position for a Marketing and Partnerships Manager and it was literally my dream job.
How did your previous work or life experience prepare you for a good food job?
I've always been entrepreneurial and am happiest when bringing folks together around great food and conversation. My path towards working in sustainable urban agriculture was not linear and I think it made me more hungry for a career path that fulfilled a higher meaning of "success." It also prepared me for working in a start up where everyone needs to cobble together their talents to get the job done and not feel married to a job title. I manage the marketing and partnerships for Gotham Greens which includes creating marketing content and social media, seeking out strategic partnerships and new sales accounts.
What was the greatest obstacle you had to overcome in pursuing your Good Food Job dream?
The hardest part of my career transition was figuring out what I wanted to do next!? When you're in the thick of it, it's hard to REALLY see yourself. It's such a brutal process that many people avoid it all together and stay at jobs where they're miserable. My mantra throughout the whole process was, "Being uncomfortable is a small price to pay for living a dream."
Name one positive thing that a former employer taught you that you continue to appreciate?
When I was in high school, I thought I wanted to open a bead shop and took an entrepreneurship class so I could learn how to write a business plan. At the end of the semester, I took my business plan to the local bead shop, told them about my dream and they hired me on the spot. So many people are afraid of competition but this husband and wife team totally empowered me and taught me all about jewelry making, running a store and managing inventory. Needless to say, I never opened a bead shop and stopped making jewelry altogether a few years later, but I strung together so much valuable professional experience while working for them that really reinforced the value of mentorship and chasing your dreams.
What can you identify as the greatest opportunities in food right now?
Creative solutions for repurposing food waste. A staggering 40% of food grown in this country is thrown out before it even reaches our plates! Part of this has to do with the long haul transportation that is associated with shipping produce across the country and that's where Gotham Greens comes in. Our company grows fresh leafy greens and herbs locally so we can harvest them up daily, eliminating the need for long-haul transportation while delivering a fresher product to consumers all year round. That being said, anyone who's ever spent time working in a restaurant can tell you that the amount of food waste is tremendous. Imagine if the energy generated from composting food scraps was being collected and reused as a source of renewable energy! There are a lot of studies being done on this but I haven't seen a financially viable model yet that can be applied on a large scale.
If you could be compensated for your work with something other than money, what would it be?
Cheese plates, wine and salad.