Contact
If you are interested in joining the Slow Food Santa Cruz Board or in working with us on a project or event, please email us at
info@slowfoodsantacruz.com.
If you are are a local business or organization interested in partnering with Slow Food Santa Cruz on a project or event, fill out our Partnership Form, Slow Food SC Partnership Form or our Event Promotion Form, Slow Food SC Partners Event Promotion and email it to partnerships@slowfoodsantacruz.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
2012 Slow Food Santa Cruz Board
Stephanie Iwanciow Haas – Chair
chair AT slowfoodsantacruz.com
I have been a long time food lover but gained passion for “slow eating” when I began growing my own food in a little garden in Santa Cruz. In that year of growth (in many aspects) I discovered that I actually liked tomatoes! Since then I have grown a passion for gardening, particularly in cooking and eating the food that I grow. My interest in local and organic food brought me to find interest in Slow Food Santa Cruz. In addition to all things edible, I am also a teacher and educator. I received my bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Cruz in Community Studies emphasizing in sexuality education and HIV prevention for high risk youth. In more recent years I have found my second teaching passion in special education, recently completing my master’s degree in Special Education. I have been in the field for 9 years and currently teach young adults with autism skills to help them in their transition to independence, or wherever adulthood will lead them. I have always found a way to combine my passions to produce positive social change. I look forward to a year of education on a new topic, that of slow eating, so that I may further my own education as well as help to spark passion for slow eating in the lives of others.
Mia Farber – Vice Chair
vicechair AT slowfoodsantacruz.com
I am focused on the application of successful business strategies to support vibrant, regional foodsheds, social enterprises, triple-bottom line businesses, entrepreneurs, cooperatives and communities. I believe that Slow Food is an integral part of helping us to stop and appreciate the agricultural heritage and food culture of a region and am therefore excited to contribute as a member of the Board.
I became passionate about sustainable agriculture and various farming techniques as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Peru, following which I worked for the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture as an outreach coordinator growing consumer awareness of Pennsylvania-grown products. I recently completed my MBA at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School with a focus in sustainable enterprise and accepted a new position at Foodlink, where my work aims to leverage the company’s technology to increase consumer access to locally and regionally grown foods in grocery stores across the country. I recently moved to Santa Cruz, CA, and in my spare time enjoy visiting farmers’ markets, hiking, cooking and practicing yoga.
Taryn Washburn – Treasurer
treasurer AT slowfoodsantacruz.com
I am passionate about improving biodiversity and balance within agriculture. I grew up alongside the redwoods on Mt. Madonna, where I cultivated my deep connection and respect for nature. I was fortunate to be raised in a foodie household where I was taught to appreciate not only the food on my plate but the source of every ingredient. I received my B.S. in Wine Business at Sonoma State University and worked in the Napa and Sonoma wine industry before giving way to my curiosity to learn more sustainable agriculture.
I traveled to Whidbey Island to spend a year learning every aspect of small farm management and production at Farm Training Center. This experience gave me the practical skills, industry knowledge and drives to pursue transformative work within food production.
I quickly found an outlet for my agriculture acumen during my academic career at Bainbridge Graduate Institute where I received my MBA in Sustainable Business with a concentration in Food Systems. I am very excited to have settled back in my hometown and to begin my career working for California Certified Organic Farmers as a Certification Specialist. I am honored to join the Slow Food Santa Cruz board and am excited about the possibilities that lie ahead for Santa Cruz’s Food system.
Andrea Doonan – Gardens
garden AT slowfoodsantacruz.com
Having served as Partnerships Chair on the SFSC 2012 board, I look forward to returning in 2013 as Garden Chair. On top of strengthening local professional and non profit partnerships, during 2012 I was also a member of Edible Gardens Tour Committee and served a significant role in the 1st annual Garden Tour’s success- the well received tour sold over 200 tickets while exemplifying a wide breadth of the edible garden and its many applications. Food and Gardening is a large part of my life – growing up in Santa Clara valley from family fruit orchards, vegetable gardens and rambling hiking trails (foraging) to cooking, baking, canning & preserving in the kitchen. I currently own and run a small landscape design & consulting business out of Santa Cruz and try to integrate some form of edibles in each of my designs – whether a single lemon tree, herb spiral, a raised bed or a mini orchard. I’m excited to take on the newly formed Garden Chair position and share my passion for horticulture and food while actively supporting the community. I enjoy connecting people with the nature, the soil (and themselves) and bridging the gaps between growing, cooking and eating. Roles I hope to take on this upcoming year include serving on the 2nd annual Garden Tour committee, spearheading the SFSC adoption a community or school garden and continuing to help out with misc tasks and events that ’13 has in store. Cheers! Andrea
Kate Purcell – Gardens
garden AT slowfoodsantacruz.com
I am a Landscape Designer, focusing on food education. Through my business, Kate’s Kitchen Gardens, I promote the culture and cultivation of homegrown foods. I am a graduate of UCSC with degrees in Environmental Studies and Latin American Studies. I’ve studied plants, foods and peoples through my service with the United States Peace Corps and continuing education at Cabrillo College Horticulture Department. I believe that gardening is an essential part of eating well and is a perfect partner for SlowFood ideals.
Lindsay Goldberg – Events
events AT slowfoodsantacruz.com
I came to Santa Cruz, by way of the San Fernando Valley, for college. I received a BA in Environmental Studies with an emphasis on Agroecology in 2007. I became passionate about vegetable gardening and farming while attending UCSC, enrolling in every class on the subject. Upon graduating, I spent the next four years working at a native plant nursery, learning the landscape trade and about our local native edible and medicinal plants. In the past few years out in the real world, my enthusiasm has grown to include cooking, food preservation, and other kitchen experiments. I also love the idea of building community around food. Everybody eats! I am excited about this opportunity to serve on the board because I’d love to show others how delicious homegrown and home prepared food can be. We are fortunate to live in Santa Cruz with its many farmers, artisans, and consumers who care about their food shed. As the events chair, I see many opportunities for learning and for simply enjoying the best that our wonderful city has to offer. Stay tuned for an exciting year.
Kate Pearl – Partnerships
partnerships AT slowfoodsantacruz.com
I grew up in Davis surrounded by agriculture, eating fresh tomatoes from the garden, and riding my bike to school. A passion for the environment led me to study economics and environmental studies at UCSC, but it was still unclear to me what exactly my calling was going to be. What I realized is that if we are going to make an impact on our environment, we need to make better choices, every day. More importantly, we need to make those choices available to everyone. Food is something we all need to stay alive, and it should be a choice that we are all empowered to make; it should be inclusive and not divisive. I moved back to Santa Cruz with the intention to learn about food: where it comes from, how we can increase access and education, and make better choices.
I am thrilled to be on this year’s board. As partnerships chair, I would like to broaden our outreach and cooperation with local organizations and businesses. I would also like to engage our chapter with the local city government, to create policies that encourage the availability of organic and locally grown foods and incentivize the startup of local food businesses.
Peter Ruddock– Communications
comms AT slowfoodsantacruz.com
I have long been a traveler, hiker, environmentalist and explorer of culture. And of food, which acts as the connection between all of my other interests. So, a few years ago when I discovered Slow Food, I thought that it would be a great fit, with its dual philosophy of protecting and celebrating food. Little did I know that it would end up re-defining my life. Not only have I been active with Slow Food, in both the South Bay and Santa Cruz chapters for the last few years, but I have also created a food working group at Transition Palo Alto, initiated a South Bay working group for Slow Money Northern California and regularly participate as a member of the San Mateo County Food System Alliance and the California Food Policy Council.
Katie Lang – Volunteers
volunteer AT slowfoodsantacruz.com
I grew up in a wonderful, food-loving household in the Seabright neighborhood of Santa Cruz. I didn’t know it at the time, but I now consider myself very lucky to live in a community with so much healthy and delicious food so easily accessible in a variety of ways – backyard gardens, farmer’s markets, and CSAs are only a few examples of why we are lucky to live in the Monterey Bay area. Food is a part of my life in both personal and professional ways. Cooking, baking, and enjoying food in general are favorite hobbies of mine. I studied nutrition at Cal Poly and now work as a Registered Dietitian in a clinical outpatient setting where I get to talk about food with patients all day by way of dietary counseling for health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. My first job out of college was working for a community nutrition program, and it was there that I developed a passion for food politics and policy, specifically increasing access to real, healthy food in underserved populations that usually are inundated with tasteless, processed food. I’m very excited to be involved with Slow Food Santa Cruz and looking forward to helping spread the messages of Slow Food in our community.
Mailing Address
Slow Food Santa Cruz
P.O. Box 7225
Santa Cruz, CA 95061
