I wear a lot of different hats.

Volunteer 🔨

I dedicate a lot of my time to the community. I served 7 years on the board of directors of Roots to Harvest and the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce where I spent a year as the Chair of the board. I spent 2 years each on the board for the Thunder Bay Country Market as well as the city Tourism Investment Committee  and Food Strategy Executive.   

I spent many years with my friends at Evergreen: A United Neighbourhood. working on community gardens and have taught cooking classes in at Our Kids Count and Social Media Marketing Workshops at Paro as well. I have served on dozens of committees and task forces with subjects ranging from school lunches to city council remuneration. I am currently on the board of the Kelly Mental Health Foundation and expanding my mentorship schedule.

Entrepreneur 📋

Business in general is something I love. Most people know me from my pizza shop Eat Local Pizza which is really the soul of how I feel about business. I do have interests in a few other businesses around the city and always have a couple other projects on the go. I think that Thunder Bay is a perfect place to do business, it is large enough that we can all make a living while being small enough that we can all make a difference.

I have served on numerous boards and taken part in innumerable projects centered around Food Security, Economic Development and Data Analytics. these three areas are a big focus of mine. I also serve as a mentor for people starting new businesses, often through the CEDC or really any way they manage to find me.

 

Farmer / Chef 🥩

Growing up on a farm exposed me to the whole spectrum of how food works. I really enjoy the entire process and am constantly visiting my parents farm ( Windy Lane Farm ) for advice and inspiration. My first job in the service industry was in a hotel kitchen at 13 and it got me hooked. 11 years later at 24 I opened my first shop and have always kept local food and community engagement the twin focus of Eat Local Pizza.

I spend a lot of time in my own back yard garden, the community gardens I build and my family farm. I like the act of growing food and helping people gain access, it is a simple but really validating act. Lately I have been doing a lot of work on food logistics to support some post-covid plans I have been working on. I love that food is able to be a focal point for my love of technology, business and snacks.