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Exciting Staffing Changes at the Food Web!
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Welcome Cristian!
The Food Web would like to extend a warm welcome to Cristian Martinez, who has just joined our staff as our new Market Co-Manager, to work alongside Twila Pierson. Cristian was born and raised in Warrenton to parents from Mexico. He got his BS in public health at OSU and then returned and has been looking for a niche to contribute to his home community. He did an internship with the Tillamook Farmers Market, working with kids on food education. During the interview, it was fun to see him light up when he talked about food and the role it plays in his life, and to have a really terrific answer to needs the Hispanic community has around food access. His last professional position was as the Vitamin and Body Care Assistant Manager at Natural Grocers, and did a stint as a health resources specialist at CMH before Covid layoffs ended that position.
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We are also pleased to announce that two of our part-time staff have been promoted into full-time roles with deeper responsibility. Shelby Meyers is now our Director of Impacts, not only doing grant writing, but also supporting all of our programs with better planning, evaluation and metrics tracking. Shelby’s job is to make sure that we not only have the resources we need to serve our community, but that what we are doing is having the biggest impact possible. And Lila Barrett is now our Deputy Director, taking on significant staff management and oversight responsibility in addition to Operations and Communications. That transition will be complete in March once our new Communications and Administrative Assistant is hired.
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Local food producers + wholesale buyers...
you're invited to Local Food Link!
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Calling all local food producers and wholesale buyers on the North Coast!
Join us for this year's Local Food Link!
This event will gather local food producers (farmers, fishers, ranchers, food makers) and buyers (restaurants, food carts, daycares, schools, grocery, institutions) in one place to make connections, plans for the 2024 local food season, and discuss shared opportunities or challenges. The event will include time for networking, some structured conversations and resource sharing for wholesale buying and selling.
Refreshments, coffee and tea will be provided!
When: Tuesday February 20th, 10am-12pm
Where: Astoria Senior Center, 1111 Exchange St. Astoria
More Details & RSVP Here
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Demand is High for Free Food Boxes
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Our Online Farmers Market has kicked off 2024 in full swing. As we embark on another year, we are reminded of the power of community and the impact we can make when we come together to support one another. We are currently seeking funding and donations to sustain our Free Food Box Program to meet the needs of our community. In these challenging times, many folks are struggling to put food on their tables. Our Free Food Box Program aims to address this critical issue by providing a box of local food to those in need. It's a small gesture that can make a significant impact on someone's life.
How Can You Help?
By making a donation today, you can contribute directly to putting food in the hands of those who need it most. Here's how you can make a difference:
- Monetary Donations: Even a small contribution can make a big impact.
- Volunteer Your Time: If you're passionate about making a hands-on impact, consider volunteering with us.
- Spread the Word: Share our mission with your friends, family, and colleagues. The more people who know about our Free Food Box Program, the greater the impact we can achieve together.
Click here to contribute to our Free Food Box Program and help us make a positive impact on the lives of our neighbors. With your support, we can continue to build a more compassionate and food-secure community.
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What's Cooking in the Kitchen?
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2024 will be the first full year of our new kitchen education program. We have laid some solid groundwork in the last few months, and are excited to build on that this year! Some things to look for this year:
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• As of this week, the first installment of a workshop series on fresh pasta-making with our very own Andy Catalano (Kitchen & Storage Manager)
• More baking and pastry goodness from local legend Sarah Woods of Gathered Bakeshop
• The return of Pat Milliman (of Pat’s Pantry fame) as she teams up with current owner Savannah for classes focussed on how to use spices to optimal effect
• The arrival of Seattle-based Pakistani-born chef and educator Kausar Ahmed of Karachi Kitchen
• Loads of content from two local OSU Master Food Preservers on pressure canning, water bath canning, jams and jellies, and so much more
• Workshops from local Gully’s Butcher Shop and from our very own kitchen users (Ivan Sultan of The Columbia Bar and Amy Cords and her mother, of ManJa Creations)
& so much more! Stay tuned.
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Pictured: Beautiful mise-en-place for the first cooking workshop of the new year: Pasta-making with Andy, featuring gorgeous local eggs from Crown Spruce Farm!
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Food Business Incubation: Kitchen Renters, Storage, & More
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In addition to more robust business incubation services, the NCFW kitchen is also available simply for low-cost use if you have a one-time event you need to prepare for. December saw this form of kitchen use come to the fore, with three different kitchen users prepping for their catering gigs out of our kitchen. Local baker Rich Pedersen of Smorgas Nordic Kitchen; Dustin Nord of soon-to-be Nibbles to Nosh; and local chef Geoff Gunn all used the NCFW space for holiday catering events.
We also welcomed Brett Meyer to the NCFW kitchen roster as he prepared for a successful pop-up event at Obelisk. For those who don’t know, Brett is a wonderfully creative home cook and baker with a deep knowledge of various cuisines and techniques. In his own words: “I was born in Morocco and grew up in Spain, so I have a deep love of Mediterranean food. I started cooking as a teenager. Melissa and I plan to open a restaurant here in Astoria in 2024, but until then, I'm grateful to the Food Web for having such a great setup to help those of us just starting to participate in the local food system.” Look out for Brett in 2024!
With some infrastructure tweaks late last year, we have effectively quadrupled our on-site storage capacity for dry goods. With a large walk-in freezer available for use as well, we have made strides in serving the storage needs of local producers. Producers, look for communications about a revamped storage program here at NCFW in early 2024. We want to make it easy and cost effective for you to store your products here! As always, please reach out to Andy (andy@northcoastfoodweb.org) with any questions.
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Free Speaker Series: Anti-Racist & Decolonial Agriculture
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Attend this virtual lunchtime speaker series bringing together diverse voices in agriculture to support our local communities in learning and integrating the distinct and varied ways of farming, tending land, and understanding the challenges faced by BIPOC farmers and farmworkers.
Link here to learn more. Thursdays at noon January 18th through February 15th, 2024. Sponsored by SOU, OSU Extension, and Rogue Valley Food System Network.
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Free Event February 8th • Winter Waters at Buoy Beer
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Tuesday, February 6th, 5-8pm, Buoy Beer, Astoria
Free community event! Come enjoy an evening celebrating local seafare. They'll have a marine touch tank, folks from the seafood industry presenting information, a shellfish shucking demo, seaweed cooking workshop AND ocean trivia! All while enjoying special menu items from the Buoy kitchen featuring local seaweed and seafare. Bring the whole family and stay for dinner!
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Help our network by filling out the Friends of Family Farmers Survey!
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Get involved with our work.
Our work to cultivate a resilient and equitable food system on the North Coast wouldn't be possible without our community of volunteers, our wonderful Board of Directors, and the donors that fund our programs!
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1152 Marine Drive
Astoria, OR 97103
503-468-0921
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