Good Food Connections 2025
Features of this one-day event included panel discussions and presentations, networking, catered breakfast & lunch featuring local producers, and a resource trade show and food & beverage vendor tasting.
Event Details
When: Monday, February 24, 2025
Where: Hideaway Cellars | 4130 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA, 98134
Questions? Please reach out at gro.doogelttaes@doofdoog.
Schedule
8-9 | Registration, Breakfast & Networking
9-9:15 | Welcome Remarks
9:15-10:15 | Panel 1
10:30-11:30 | Panel 2
11:30-12:30 | Lunch
12:45-1:45 | Rapid Share Presentations
2-2:30 | Technical Tracks
2:30-3 | Networking
3-4 | Panel 3
4-5:30 | Trade Show & Tasting
Check back here for more details and information about speakers and vendors to come.
Agenda
Panel 1: Economic Outlook and Consumer Trends in 2025 and Beyond
The new year will bring many changes, from a new federal administration to a new state executive; budget challenges at the city, county, and state; continued impacts from the steady rise in the cost of living; and with incoming minimum wage policy changes in the city of Seattle, there is much to explore in terms of what people can expect and how to plan ahead. At the same time, while consumers continue to focus in part on food costs, values around how their purchasing impacts their communities are also at the forefront of their minds. We’ll invite researchers to discuss consumer trends and the economic outlook across the food industry.
Dr. Zoë Plakias, Western Washington University
Dr. Zoë Plakias, Assistant Professor of Economics, Western Washington University
Dr. Zoë Plakias is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. She is an expert in agricultural and food system economics and conducts research on a variety of topics relevant to Good Food Connections, including local food systems, farm to school programs, consumer preferences for local food, food security, and farm organizations. She received her PhD in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of California, Davis. Prior to working at Western Washington University, she was on the faculty at Ohio State University for six years.
Alissa Chevallier, Hartman Group
Alissa Chevallier, Consumer Insights Director, Hartman Group
Alissa leads a robust consumer insights practice at the Hartman Group, focused on understanding consumer attitudes and behavior tied to food and beverage consumption. Prior to Hartman Group, Alissa’s background is rooted in both business and academia, ranging from international marketing to history of the agricultural sciences, and practical experience in viticulture and winemaking. Her passion for food, beverage, and cultural analysis has been the common thread throughout. She holds Masters degrees in the History of Science from the University of Cambridge and in Viticulture, Enology, and Wine Marketing from the Higher School of Agriculture in Angers, France.
Dr. Jennifer Otten, PhD, RD, University of Washington School of Public Health
Speaker information coming soon.
Anthony Anton, Washington Hospitality Association
Anthony Anton, President & CEO, Washington Hospitality Association
Anthony Anton is President and CEO of the Washington Hospitality Association. As CEO, Anthony has helped the Washington Hospitality Association expand, launched initiatives to help our workforce succeed, and focused on protecting and enhancing the hospitality business climate. His team has grown Washington Hospitality to be one of the largest business associations in Washington state as well as one of the three largest hospitality associations in the country.
During the Covid pandemic, the team at the association educated, facilitated, and/or secured hundreds of millions in relief dollars for Washington Hospitality businesses and dozens of regulatory relief measures, reducing the number of closures in the second six months of the pandemic by nearly 400% compared to the first six months. Recognized as a trusted source by local and national news organizations, Anthony is regularly featured each month for expert commentary on hospitality, community and business issues.
Panel 2A: Shared Infrastructure for Resource Efficiency and Collaboration
Commercial leases, equipment, storage and other infrastructure can be expensive and scarce, often requiring a lot of up front capital, which can be out of reach for a variety of food businesses in Seattle and the region. Increasingly, businesses are looking to share this vital infrastructure to alleviate these cost burdens and support each other. We’ll explore needs and opportunities across sectors, and look at some examples of businesses sharing infrastructure to see where new opportunities may exist for others and potentially lead to new transformative collaborations.
Moderator: Supo Techagumthorn
Supo Techagumthorn, Director of Community Partnerships & Special Initiatives, Hometaste Kitchen (Chili Basil Thai Grill & Chilly Basil Ice Cream)
Supo is the Director of Community Partnerships and Special Initiatives at Hometaste Kitchen, where he has supported his family’s businesses, including Chili Basil Thai Grill and Chilly Basil Ice Cream, for over 15 years. He specializes in fostering local partnerships to strengthen the food economy. Growing up in the restaurant industry, Supo gained deep insights that now inform his work helping clients and launching new projects. He is also the founder of Sidekick, a former business tech coach at Ventures Nonprofit, and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers program. His expertise lies at the intersection of food, tech, and real estate, with a current focus on community building and advocating for shared resources in the food industry to promote worker rights and economic empowerment.
Stacy Crnich, GoodRootsNW
Speaker information coming soon.
Jeremy Vrablik, Cascadia Produce
Speaker information coming soon.
Mahogany Williams, The Pickled Chef
Chef Mahogany Williams, Founder and CEO, The Pickled Chef
The Pickled Chef is a CPG food startup with a focus on all things pickled. TPC is currently in PCC and other local grocers around PNW and we have hopes to expand to Oregon next. TPC was featured on Chopped Season 52 episode 2 “Pickled Tricks”
Abby Antonelis, Vashon Island Growers Association/ Friends of Mukai
Abby Antonelis, Treasurer, Vashon Island Growers Association / Friends of Mukai
Abby has been involved with VIGA since 2017 and has served on the board for 5 years. With her immediate family, she owns a 5-acre farm on Vashon Island and is particularly interested in equitable food access.
Abby has a varied background and has worked all over rural Alaska and parts of Canada as a geologist, physical oceanographer, deck hand on scientific research vessels in the Arctic and more.
She currently works on her family farm and at a “real” desk job doing data and business analyst work.
Panel 2B: Values-Based Procurement: A Framework for Impact through Policy, Incentives, and Choice
What is values-based procurement? How can developing frameworks be used to direct intentional investment from the public sector? What are the tools to help buyers find value-aligned producers? How do buyers with limited margins make purchasing decisions that meet their budget needs while sourcing with their values? We’ll discuss development and implementation across multiple channels.
Moderator: Elliot Smith, Kitchen Sync Strategies
Elliot Smith, CEO, Kitchen Sync Strategies
Elliott Smith co-founded Kitchen Sync Strategies in 2019 to foster connections and build stronger, fairer regional food economies. He’s focused on connecting small farms and food businesses to institutions like K-12 schools, hospitals, and universities as a key strategy in building resilient value chains, and the team at KSS supports buyers seeking to make impacts with their procurement, suppliers like regional food hubs and food hub networks seeking to enter the institutional food market channel, and supporters of regional food economies. Elliott leads his team with projects like implementing the Good Food Purchasing Program in Central Texas, Boston, and Denver, weaving a network of food hubs across the PNW and Midwest, and providing local, sustainable, equitably-sourced food to regional hospitals, universities, and schools. Elliott is driven by the belief that people should be in relationship with their food, and since his early life in Texas he has grown and cooked food to share with his community.
Chris Iberle, City of Seattle
Chris Iberle, Strategic Advisor, Food Policy & Programs, City of Seattle
Chris coordinates programs aimed at increasing access to nutritious, culturally relevant, equitable and sustainably produced food through the Healthy Food in Schools partnership with Seattle Public Schools, which includes a Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program and support for fresh, sustainable, equitably sourced school meals. Chris also works on the City of Seattle’s Food Action Plan, released in 2024, and a values-based food purchasing initiative across City of Seattle food programs. Chris’s past roles include Farm to School Lead at WSDA Regional Markets, coordinating a CSA and other market programs at Tilth Alliance, and managing the volunteer program at Food Lifeline. Chris holds a BA in Political Science from Seattle University, a Certificate in Sustainable Food & Agriculture Business from Pinchot University, and a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Washington Evans School for Public Policy & Governance.
Maressa Valliant, Eat Local First
Speaker information coming soon.
Elaine Krogfoss, Bainbridge Island School District
Elaine Krogfoss spent 25 years in the grocery industry and is aware of how value added foods are important to the consumer.
She is now a Director of Food and Nutrition for Bainbridge Island School District. This position has been life changing for her. She is passionate about feeding kiddos fresh and minimally processed foods. She looks forward to sharing what she looks for when choosing from whom and what to purchase.
Anthony Clark, The Good Eating Company
Speaker information coming soon.
Panel 2C: Food Waste Prevention & the Circular Economy
Explore solutions to first reduce and then reuse food waste in commercial food businesses. Highlight proven methods for prevention in the kitchen, as well as successful collaborations that take waste and repurpose it to achieve continued highest use. Panelists will also share their learnings from a 6-month-long listening session and explore creative partnership ideas to reduce food waste and get real-time feedback from participants.
Moderator: Logan Niles, Blue Nile Consulting
Logan Niles, Owner, Blue Nile Consulting
Logan Niles stands at the intersection of culinary mastery and business innovation, bringing over three decades of distinguished expertise to the food industry. As a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, she has forged a remarkable career that spans high-end cuisine, entrepreneurship, and strategic business consulting.
With classical training as her foundation, Chef Logan carved her initial path through New York’s competitive culinary landscape, where she distinguished herself as a sought-after Pastry Chef and Private Chef. Her exceptional talent and entrepreneurial spirit led her to establish Blue Nile Catering, serving discerning clients and wealthy families with bespoke culinary experiences that showcased her innovative approach to gastronomy.
For the past 15 years, Seattle has been both home and headquarters for Logan’s expanding influence in the food industry. As the founder of Blue Nile Consulting, she has evolved beyond the kitchen to become a trusted advisor in the food and beverage sector.
Emily Penna, FareStart
Emily Penna, Sr Manager of Food Security Initiatives, FareStart
Emily began working with food waste and local farmers in 2011 while in college and living in a rural community of Upstate New York, taking leftover meals from her college’s dining hall, combining it with produce gleaned from local farms and grocery rescue, and turning it into community meals. She has continued this work, and has been working at the cross section of local food systems, food security, and workforce development training in Seattle for the past 10 years. Currently, she supports FareStart’s food security work by overseeing food donation and locally grown food procurement, and the Mobile Community Market program. When she’s not working she enjoys foraging with her dog, playing in the snow, and experimenting in her home kitchen.
Ángela Ortez-Zarate, mama group
Ángela Ortez-Zarate, Director of Quick Service Development, Mama group
Ángela Ortez-Zarate is a seasoned culinary and operations leader dedicated to building efficient, values-driven food systems. As the Director of Quick Service Development at Mama Group, she oversees Mamnoon Street and her personal concept, Mamnooncita. She has led initiatives to reduce waste, optimize workflows, and integrate sustainable practices into restaurant operations. With over a decade of experience in culinary arts, nonprofit administration, and project management, Ángela specializes in strategic development, workforce training, and cost-saving solutions. A strong advocate for equitable workforce development and sustainable food practices, she serves on advisory boards for Seattle Culinary Academy and Tilth Alliance. Her expertise lies in aligning operational efficiency with sustainability and community impact, ensuring that restaurants thrive while upholding their core values. At Good Food Connections, she looks forward to sharing insights on balancing sustainability, profitability, and industry best practices.
Sheryl Anayas, Seattle Public Utilities
Sheryl Anayas is a Senior Program Manager at Seattle Public Utilities where she manages SPU’s Love Food Stop Waste Program, supports the Reuse Seattle Initiative, and other sustainability planning. Sheryl has 20+ years’ experience working in government, private, and non-profit sectors engaged in various topics such as solid waste management, food waste prevention and diversion, recycling education and outreach, and energy efficiency and conservation. She is a skilled program and project management professional with an MPA focused on Environmental Policy from University of Washington.
Cullen Naumoff, Washington State Department of Ecology
Cullen Naumoff, Organics Lead, Washington State Department of Ecology
Cullen spent nearly a decade exploring the nuances of regional food supply chains from Appalachia to the Pacific Northwest. Her shared curiosity and commitment to the triple bottom line have provided the opportunity to explore many entrepreneurial pursuits in service of a more sustainable food system. In collaboration with partners, Cullen founded and operated a beginning farmer program, a community food hub and a technology company that enabled regional food systems to better collaborate on large volume transactions. She currently uses these experiences in supporting the end -of-life management of food and organic material at the Organics Lead at the Washington State Department of Ecology. Cullen received her BS in Industrial and Systems Engineering from The Ohio State University and her MPA in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University. She resides in Seattle with her husband and two young children, Greer and Hollis. If she’s not on a playground or hosting a community potluck, you find her out for a long run, that ideally includes views of the magical Mt. Rainier.
Rapid Share Presentations
Romajean Thomas, Feed Seven Generations
Romajean Thomas, MA, Executive Director, FEED Seven Generations
My name is Romajean Thomas, and I am a member of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. My academic background consists of a BA Degree in Human Services from Antioch First Peoples’ Program, and a M.A. degree in Strategic. My most recent academic pursuit has been Business Operations Management, and Project Management Graduate Certs from University of Washington (Bothell), School of Business.
The last 18 years of my career have been dedicated to working for my tribal people and teaching to promote the restoration of cultural health practices i.e., gathering, hunting, fishing, and sustainability practices. My current professional role is Executive Director of FEED Seven Generations which is an Indigenous led food sovereignty focused non-profit. It is such an honor to hold this title because I can blend my passion and my purpose to do food + medicine work with my Tribal People. Aho’
Ariel Bangs, Plant Based Food Share, Healthy Creations
Speaker information coming soon.
Ryan and Haylee Mensonides, Mount Rainier Creamery
Ryan and Haylee Mensonides, Owners, Mount Rainier Creamery
Ryan and Haylee Mensonides are dairy farmers who have a passion for supporting farmers and small business. Together after 13 years of farming, they endeavored to build their own creamery and open a retail location to sell their dairy products as well as other small farm goods. After many hurdles, Mount Rainier Creamery and Mount Rainier Creamery & Market were officially opened in October of 2024. Ryan focuses on the farm and creamery while Haylee manages the retail location. Ryan and Haylee both feel strongly that the lessons they learned through this process have a purpose to help others. While they have had tremendous support from the community, grants, and friends, they also know the trials that come with opening small business. Their products have been extremely well received and are gaining popularity at their retail location each day.
Darron Marzolf, Marzolf Meats
Speaker information coming soon.
Nicole Trimble, Braided Rivers, Sound Jobs Initiative
Nicole Trimble, Founder, Braided Rivers Advisors
Nicole is a social impact leader, recognized expert in workplace wellbeing, a trusted somatic coach and exceptional facilitator. She is uniquely skilled at identifying and addressing hidden pain points, challenges and unspoken opportunities within individuals and organizations.
She runs Braided Rivers Advisors where she consults on workforce strategy, economic mobility and workplace wellbeing. Nicole facilitates strategic and implementation planning for a wide range of private sector, government, nonprofit and philanthropy clients. She recently completed a term as the Interim CEO of FareStart, an Employment Social Enterprise, that is one of Seattle’s largest and most beloved social change organizations.
Technical Tracks
Building a Resilient Business through Lean Strategies and Transparency
Join Laurel Martin for an engaging session about achieving profitability through process improvements with your team. Learn how to identify hidden waste, track key metrics, and make smarter decisions rather than spending money on fixes that don’t solve the underlying problem. Through real-world examples across the food industry, you’ll gain a practical perspective on how to streamline operations, engage your people, and improve margins without sacrificing your values.
Laurel Martin, Growing Wild Consulting, LLC
Laurel Martin, Founder & Principal Consultant, Growing Wild Consulting, LLC
Laurel is a trusted advisor, skilled facilitator, and compassionate coach. She specializes in helping food producers and food service operators achieve significant improvements in quality, speed, service, cost, and team engagement. Her deep expertise in strategy and operational excellence comes from 20+ years driving positive change in finance, logistics, distribution, production, and leadership development roles. But she’d rather be helping YOUR purpose-driven, small business achieve long-term financial success, so she founded Growing Wild Consulting in 2023. Laurel partners with organizations to build high-performing teams, deeply examine their processes, and mobilize human capability. By engaging people in learning and supporting their pursuit of audacious goals, she consistently delivers transformative results while honoring her clients’ values.
Food Business Permitting
Rob Wagner and Quyen Keeton work with new and existing food entrepreneurs, helping them understand and meet health regulations while supporting businesses in bringing their innovative food concepts to life. In this presentation, they will cover the basics of food business permitting, ensuring businesses meet food safety requirements, with a view towards long-term success. They will also address the ongoing work to explore new permitting options in keeping with evolving food trends and needs.
Gregory "Rob" Wagner, Public Health Seattle-King County
Gregory “Rob” Wagner, Health and Environmental Investigator III – Plans Examiner, Public Health Seattle-King County
At Public Health Seattle-King County, Rob works with new, remodeling, and prospective food businesses across King County to ensure they meet food safety requirements, with a view towards long-term success. I emphasize an open approach that encourages collaboration and understanding of food business needs while always highlighting the fundamental importance of food safety. His previous experience includes working for other food safety programs in Washington State, Florida, and in the Army Reserve along with direct restaurant experience in high school and college. He is currently a member of the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) Food Safety Committee. He is deeply committed to food safety and look ahead to tackling future and emerging trends while continuing to advance the environmental health profession in concert with our industry partners.
Quyen Keeton, Public Health Seattle-King County
Quyen Keeton, Health and Environmental Investigator, Public Health Seattle-King County
Panel 3A: Incorporating Your Values: Alternative Business Models That Prioritize People and Planet
How do businesses and organizations operate according to socially and environmentally responsible values that run counter to the prevailing prioritization of profit in our capitalist market? What other organizational models exist that are structured to include these values as primary directives? What are the nuts and bolts about how these models work, and what are their strengths for specific purposes? We’ll explore a range of models, including cooperatives, B Corp certification, and nonprofit social enterprises.
Moderator: Zach Pacleb, Pidgin Cooperative
Zachary Pacleb is a Seattle born chef and artist that is a founding member and on the board of Pidgin Cooperative Inc. formerly known as Brothers and Co. He has worked in Seattle area restaurants for the since graduating from the California Culinary Academy in 2007 including Crush, Canlis and the London Plane. He is published photographer, visual artist and amateur writer for local food publications like Edible Seattle, Northwest Palette and Oden Annual.
Devra Gartenstein, Patty Pan Cooperative
Devra Gartenstein, Co-Owner, Patty Pan Cooperative
Devra Gartenstein founded Patty Pan Cooperative, Seattle, oldest farmers’ market concession. After running the business as a sole proprietorship for many years, she worked with long-term employees to convert it into a worker-owned cooperative. She now works as a Farm and Food Business Coach with Business Impact Northwest, and has continued to be involved with Patty Pan’s strategic planning.
Efrem Fesaha, Boon Boona Coffee
Efrem Fesaha, CEO, Boon Boona Coffee
Efrem Fesaha is the founder and CEO of Boon Boona Coffee, a specialty coffee company. Prior to that, Efrem spent 14 years as a financial analyst at major Fortune 500 companies, including Holland American Cruise Line, Nordstrom, and Amazon.
Today, Boon Boona has four brick-and-mortar cafes in the Seattle area, as well as 10 branded cafes inside corporate offices, including Amazon, Microsoft, and Fred Hutch. Their coffee can be found in over 100 grocery stores and through their website.
Justin Smith, Catalyst Kitchens
Justin Smith works for Catalyst Kitchens because the restaurant industry afforded him every opportunity to grow and develop as a professional. Good food is for everyone, and preparing it is a noble pursuit that deserves stable careers and wages. Justin has worked in direct service, program management and program growth in food and education nonprofits for over 15 years, and has been with Catalyst Kitchens since 2017. He has worked in and consulted on all facets of the Catalyst Kitchens model – workforce development, culinary education, hunger relief, and social enterprise. His passion is in helping small programs grow and flourish. Prior to joining Catalyst Kitchens, he worked for two of its members as a Chef Trainer, first at Inspiration Corporation in Chicago, IL, then in Seattle at Farestart. Justin holds a Master of Nonprofit Administration from North Park University, and a B.A. in Sociocultural Anthropology and Gender Studies from the University of Notre Dame.
Panel 3B: Community Care and Solidarity with Food System Workers
We will address the coming changes with the new federal administration, this time with a focus on how to support communities who will be most severely impacted by incoming policies. Undocumented immigrants are significantly represented among farm and restaurant workers, populations vital to our food economy and social fabric. The trans community, already at disproportionate risk of housing and food insecurity, is being increasingly targeted. We will talk with community organizers to understand how we can support and demonstrate solidarity with those who are most vulnerable in our food community.
Moderator: Roxana Pardo Garcia, Alimentando al Pueblo
Roxana Pardo Garcia, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Alimentando al Pueblo
Roxana Pardo Garcia aka La Roxay is a self-identifying Hood Intellectual Xingona and cultural worker who was born and raised on occupied Coast Salish Territory (Burien). Roxana is the Certified Xingona, Founder, and Cultural Worker of a small business, La Roxay Productions. She is also the Co-Founder, Architect, Visionary and Executive Director of Alimentando al Pueblo, a nonprofit that received the 2022 MOHAI Everyday Hero Award and a 2024 Champions of Change beneficiary. She is a graduate of Highline High School, the University of Washington, and forever a student of these streets, life, and her Ancestors. She was named 2016 Entre Hermanos Activist of the Year, 2020 Seattle Times Local Heroes, 2021 Burien Citizen of the Year, Seattle Kraken Hero of the Deep in 2023, received the 2024 King County District 8 MLK Medal of distinguished service and the 2024 Excellence in Leadership from Entre Hermanos. Her work and passion have been featured on Komo 4, Kiro 7, South Side Emerald, Univision Seattle, The Seattle Times, amongst other publications and media outlets. She will be self-publishing a book, “Grief is a Ritual” in 2025.
Taffy Maene-Johnson, UTOPIA WA
Taffy Maene-Johnson, Executive Director, United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance – WA
Taffy Maene-Johnson is an unapologetic champion for social justice, proudly identifying as a Fa’afafine and a Trans woman from Sāmoa. Her unwavering commitment to the queer and trans communities serves as an embodiment of strength and resilience. In her role as the visionary founder and Executive Director of the United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance – Washington (UTOPIA WA), Taffy has dedicated over a decade to the relentless pursuit of LGBTQIA+ rights, dismantling systemic barriers, and fostering an inclusive society. Her tireless efforts have not only established a vital sanctuary for countless Fa’afafine, Māhū, Leitī, Vakasalewalewa, and other Pacific Islander and allies, but also exemplify a steadfast commitment to a more equitable future in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
Rosalinda Guillen, Community 2 Community
Speaker information coming soon.
Tasting Event
Taste products from over 40 local producers, ready to delight your customers from food service and retail! We’re delighted to have the following vendors participate:
Scholarships
With support from our sponsors and funders, Seattle Good Business Network has a made available a number of scholarships should the price of attendance be a barrier to you to participate. If you could benefit from a scholarship, please let us know using this form.
Vendor & Trade Show Opportunities
If you are interested in featuring your business by contributing an ingredient to our meals, participating as a vendor in our tasting event, or in submitting an application to feature your business or services as a trade show vendor, please complete your application here. Vendor spaces are currently filled, but you are welcome to apply to express your interest in case a spot opens up or for future invitations.
Sponsor the Event
Feature your products and services to over 300 food producers, buyers, and community stakeholders from across the Puget Sound region. Support our community by helping keep registration fees low, offering scholarships, and ensuring all are able to participate.
Contact Camille Faulkner at gro.doogelttaes@ellimac for more details.
Made possible with support from
Good Food Connections is an initiative of the Good Food Economy program, connecting the Puget Sound food community to strengthen the local food chain and build a resilient, sustainable, and just local food economy.
