Having spent most of my cooking life in traditional kitchen settings, coming to work on the farm is a breath of fresh air. As a child I would ask my father for a snack and funny enough I would ask for salad. Now that I have three young children the importance of educating them about the connection of farms to the community is apparent. My children love to eat produce and berries right from the plant like I once did and now I am fortunate to be part of a uniquely beautiful farm to have them learn and grow on.

But my wife’s family has deep roots on Bainbridge, and over the many years that we have been visiting, I developed a deep appreciation for the community and the beauty of Bainbridge. I grew up in a household that preached the benefits of home cooking using quality ingredients, which resulted in a passion for food and for sharing that with others. As I raise my own family, I continue to instill these values into my children, educating them on all that food can be and the benefits of raising and eating quality food. During college and shortly after I spent time working in restaurants and learning more about the industry, but I chose a different career path. I always knew that my heart was in the hospitality industry however, and when we moved to the island I finally decided to follow my passion. Becoming part of the community on Bainbridge and doing what I love is so rewarding, and I am so thrilled to have become part of Heyday Farm.

As a young girl my best friend and I would get dropped off at the strawberry fields, pick and eat ripe berries all day, then go home and turn them into delicious strawberry shortcakes to sell right outside our front door. When I became a mother, my daughters would pick buckets of berries from our driveway to bake into our famous “driveway” pie, a favorite that is still requested when hosting friends and family. I’m so happy to be a part of a farm that has been restored to its former glory. I thoroughly enjoy the role of host and getting to share this special place and delicious food with our guests. See you on the farm…

That resulted in my moving 3,000 miles to Bainbridge Island to work at Heyday Farm and pursue my dream of cooking in a farm-centric kitchen. Dreams do come true! I enjoy being the “Dessert Fairy” of Tuesday Night Community Dinners, as well as smoking pork shoulders for private events. If you can think it, I can cook it! I believe all aspects of food are important, and that food should feed your mind, body, and soul. Being a Sous Chef is hard work, but I love to keep learning about the industry. I live on the island with my fiancé Matt and our cat Ella. When not cooking, I spend my free time gardening and hiking outdoors.

Through college and travel, food and our systems around it have been central to my line of thinking. Landing back on Bainbridge Island brought the opportunity to tie it all together. I see my involvement at Heyday Farm as an ever-evolving effort to bring people closer to the food they eat, to the people that grew it, and the soil that it came from. Sometimes that means serving at our events and Tuesday Night Community Dinners, other times it’s managing our farm store, but most excitingly, it’s curating our cut flower and raised bed gardens, returning to that deep sense of place through food and land.

When I was 14 a family friend offered me a summer job at their cheese company, which began my work in the food industry. Through island hopping and traveling around the world I’ve developed a love for good food and wine. I keep coming back to food and service amid all of the other passions I’ve pursued. I’ve been a personal cook and housekeeper, personal assistant for a production company, bartender, food server, preschool teacher, and nanny, to now being a mom of three and the Beverage Buyer at Heyday Farm. You can find me Tuesday nights greeting patrons who come to dine. I love what I do here on the farm, in this picturesque setting. Heyday’s sense of farm to table hits home for me. I love simple, clean, local food, and love to share it with my children. It’s amazing to get out in the garden and see the whole circle, seed to plant to compost back to soil.

Born and raised surrounded by corn and soybean fields, I am no stranger to agriculture. After studying Horticulture at Michigan State University, I embarked on a journey of farm internships and seasonal vegetable production that ultimately led me to the mountains of Northern California. At the suggestion of a co-worker I moved to Bellingham and spent the winter working at a large-scale commercial poultry hatchery. I first connected with Heyday Farm three years ago when I was hired as a Garden Assistant and more recently worked at the Tuesday Dinners at the Farm House. I feel blessed to be assuming the responsibilities and challenges of the daily care of the livestock operation here at Heyday. I strive each day to ensure the happiness and health of both the animals and the land on which they live, and am in awe of the magic that is the compost operation at the farm, where I get to watch animal and food waste be transformed into a living medium that replenishes the land.