Jennifer Lewis - Owner, smallfoodbiz.com
David Crabill - Co-founder, forrager.com
David has been making chocolate chip cookies since he was eight years old. While trying to start his cookie business in 2011, he learned about the cottage food industry and created Forrager to help others get their home food businesses off the ground. When he's not developing websites, perfecting recipes, or answering cottage food questions, you can find him solving puzzles, traveling, or speaking at a Toastmasters meeting.
Lisa Kivirist - www.farmsteadchef.com, www.ecopreneuring.biz, www.ruralrenaissance.org, www.innserendipity.com
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Farmer, author, agriculture advocate, innkeeper, parent, passionate food preserver and zucchini enthusiast. Lisa Kivirist thrives on wearing multiple hats under the sustainable agriculture umbrella, deeply rooted and based on her family's farm in southwestern Wisconsin.
Lisa is co-author, with her husband, John Ivanko, of the new cookbook, Farmstead Chef, transforming traditional farmstead cooking skills for the modern kitchen gardener, urban homesteader and homestead cook in all of us. The duo also authored the award-winning book ECOpreneuring, a fresh approach to entrepreneurial thinking that blends protecting the planet with small business pragmatics and Rural Renaissance, capturing the American dream of farm living for contemporary times.
A leading national advocate for championing the inspiring story of women farmers, Lisa serves as a distinguished Kellogg Food and Society Policy Fellow with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP). She founded and directs and the Rural Women's Project, a venture of the Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) providing outreach and resources for women farmers and food-based business owners. Lisa also spearheads a new initiative called Plate to Politics, designed to help support more women to take on leadership roles in advocating for food system change. Lisa writes a column spotlighting national policy issues for the Women, Food & Agriculture Network (WFAN), is a lead writer for Renewing the Countryside, a non-profit organization showcasing rural entrepreneurial and agricultural success stories and writes for publications like Hobby Farms, Hobby Farm Home, Urban Farm and Edible Madison.
A pioneer in green travel, Lisa and her family run the award-winning Inn Serendipity Bed and Breakfast in southwest Wisconsin, considered among the "Top Ten Eco-Destinations in North America," and featured in USA Today, MSNBC, ABC news, Newsweek and numerous other media. Powered by 100 percent renewable energy, the Inn was the recipient of the Energy Star Small Business Network Award from the EPA and is an example of a "carbon negative" business, sequestering more carbon dioxide annually than emitted from its carbon-free operations. She and her family raise diversified produce for local sale with a specialty in leeks and garlic.
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David Kaminer - Master Baker/Baker, Raleigh Street Bakery, raleighstreetbakery.com
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At a very young age, I dedicated my life to creating and sharing good food with my family and my community. My most recent culinary adventures are with artisan bread baking . For the past 8 years I have had the honor of learning the trade from some of Colorado's leading artisan bakers and opened Raleigh Street Bakery to continue to give back to my family and my community the best way I know how - bake them good bread. Raleigh Street Bakery is fulfilling my life-long dream and I am thrilled to share it.
As an artisan baker, I am proud to do what bakers have been doing for thousands of years – creating life out of flour, water and salt. Stop by and try a fresh slice for yourself! Want a taste? See the, Where to Find Us page to see where we will be.
And just a little more about me… I grew up outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and graduated from Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts in 2002. I jumped at the opportunity for an externship at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs and moved to this beautiful state that same year. I’ve had amazing opportunities to grow and refine my culinary know-how at restaurants in Golden, Denver, and most recently, Boulder. I reside on Raleigh Street in north west Denver with my wife Missy and my two marvelous mutts, Olive and Caper.
MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management with a concentration in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, and Finance.
When not working in the kitchen, Jennifer tries to stay closely connected to her local food business community. She also loves running with her husband and dogs and dreams about the Wyoming ranch she hopes to one day buy. She loves nothing more then talking about food and entrepreneurship and encourages readers to join the conversation at www.smallfoodbiz.com.
