These days, we are living on the extremes, with each of us in an urban or a rural community (Dorothy in Brooklyn, Taylor in the North East Kingdom of Vermont), and we don't often spend time thinking about the suburban wilderness in between. If you've ever thought to yourself, 'I could never live in a suburb.' then Jessica's story might be the one to make to you think twice. Her thoughts on food and community are as engaging as any tale of 24-hour bodegas on every corner, or miles of clear, bright stars in the country sky.
When did you know that you wanted to work in food?
I was raised on pizza and TV dinners, processed food targeting families with two working parents in the 70's and 80's. After years of living in Manhattan, I moved to San Francisco and had a bit of culture shock. Great restaurant food was affordable if not down right cheap. My husband and I did most of our shopping at a farmer's market near the highway where the availability and diversity of produce blew my mind. When we moved back to Manhattan, I was determined to cook in our tiny kitchen, and to break through the urban wall to the source of where our food was coming from. Having kids made this even more important to me. When I had a chance to return to teaching after my second child was born, I chose a part-time job as a cheese monger at Murray's instead. I've been working in the food world ever since, although much closer to the source now.
How did you get your current good food job?
A couple of years after moving to the suburbs in Rockland County, NY, I saw a postcard on the public library's community bulletin board of a rag-tag group of people sitting in front of plots of vegetables and flowers. They called themselves the Rockland Farm Alliance. I emailed them but didn't hear back for a while. One day, I get a phone call. The woman on the phone says, "How would you like to start a community farm?" I knew then I had found my place in Rockland. After volunteering for close to two years on efforts to get a community farm up and running, my involvement turned into my current role. I basically do whatever I'm able to, to move the work forward. We completed our first season of the Cropsey Community Farm CSA in New City last Fall and are gearing up for our second. Our vision is to see community farms across Rockland County, so that every person living here has access to locally grown, organic food. The fact that these farms can also serve as educational centers makes everything more meaningful. We're partners with several schools and organizations, providing opportunities for hundreds of kids and families over the course of the growing season. And we're just getting started!
My background is in public education and non-profit program management. I love being on the front line of change. And a lot of the work is about education, whether its in the classroom or at the cheese counter. As much as I love getting my hands dirty in the field, I'm not surprised I always end up on the organization side of things!