Women In Food – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of Women in Food, I sit down with the passionate and inspiring Kristina Villa—farmer, advocate, and Co-Executive Director of Farmers Land Trust. Kristina’s journey is deeply personal, from experiencing food insecurity as a child to dedicating her life towards ensuring farmers have long-term, affordable access to land.

Kristina vulnerably shares how her own experiences with food scarcity shaped her commitment to land access and why she believes decommodifying farmland is crucial for the future of sustainable agriculture. We dive deeper into the innovative models Farmers Land Trust is developing to make farmland more accessible to new young farmers, also discuss the broader impact of land stewardship on food systems, communities, and the environment.

Of course, no episode would be complete without a little kitchen magic! Kristina shares her go-to “Choose Your Own Adventure” Seasonal Creamy Pasta recipe—an endlessly adaptable dish that celebrates the beauty of cooking with whatever fresh, seasonal ingredients you have on hand.

Tune in for a conversation filled with heart, purpose, and a deep love for food, land, and the people who nourish us all.

The Recipe starts at 58:24

Resources mentioned in this episode:

The Farmers Land Trust: Website, Facebook, Instagram
Kristina’s Farm, Villa Acres: Website, Instagram

Business Coaching Website: SpiritBizPeople
Farm Website: Crown Hill Farm

Missy’s Social Media: Instagram, Facebook

Are you looking to elevate your Business in a mindful and aligned way? Get a 1:1 Business Coaching Session with Missy at: WomenInFood.net/workwithmissy

In this episode I sit down with restaurateur, Founder and CEO of Chicago’s Spirit Elephant, CD Young to dive into the delicious world of vegan and plant-based cooking. Hear CD's personal story growing up with horses and discovering how remarkably similar to humans they are leading her on a vegan food path. Follow along her inspiring journey as a female restaurateur, overcoming gender biases, and fostering a woman-forward culture in her restaurant, Spirit Elephant. Plus, we talk about the growing trend of zero-proof spirits and the advances in vegan food options leading to more vegan fine dining options (including the mouth-watering Valentine's week menu at her restaurant).

Along the way, CD shares some amazing tips on creating moist, flavorful treats using alternatives like vegan sour cream and plant-based yogurt while we chat about the wonders of aquafaba and its many uses, from making meringues to vegan cheese. You may also catch my personal stories experimenting with alternative ways to whip up a nostalgic snack from my childhood.

Throughout the episode, CD and I reflect on our personal food preferences, favorite vegan products, and the evolving landscape of plant-based dining. CD then walks us through her scrumptious plant-based Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe, perfect for busy days and delightfully zero-waste.

The Recipe starts at 59:31

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Spirit Elephant Restaurant: Website, Instagram
Elephant & Vine Restaurant: Website, Instagram

Business Coaching Website: SpiritBizPeople
Farm Website: Crown Hill Farm

Missy’s Social Media: Instagram, Facebook

Are you looking to elevate your Business in a mindful and aligned way? Get a 1:1 Business Coaching Session with Missy at: WomenInFood.net/workwithmissy

In this week’s episode, I talk with Courtney Buckley of Your Mom’s Donuts. Courtney shares with us her story of learning how she leads best as a mom, wife, entrepreneur and farmer. Our conversation wanders deep into dairy sheep farming, kids food television, how she started her donut business, and learning to lead life from simplicity. Courtney and I dive deep into the feminine intuition and how it can be a gift as well as a challenge when trying to lead a business. We also get real about the challenges of our times — finding clarity in the chaos, the difficulties managing other people, decision-making from the feminine and soooo much more! Along the way, we have a few fun food conversations from different kinds of animal milks to ice cream making, maraschino cherries and how she creates the unique, fun flavors for her donut shop. Learn Courtney’s recipe for making Spiced Beet Ice Cream —yes, you read that right— beets + ice cream!

Your Mom’s Donuts Website

Your Mom’s Donuts Social Media Links: Facebook and Instagram

Kids’ Food Programming: Tiny Chef Show, Waffles & Mochi, Jr. British Bake Off

Maraschino Cherry Recipe
NY Times Ice Cream Recipe
Smita’s Cookery Dessert Spices

Get Business Coaching from Missy at: WomenInFood.net/WorkwithMissy

Become a member of the Women In Food Community at: WomenInFood.Net/Community

Missy’s Farm Website: CrownHillFarm.com
Missy’s Business Coaching Website: SpiritBizPeople.com

In this week’s episode, I talk with Sena Wheeler of Sena Sea Wild Alaskan Fish. Sena shares with us her story of embracing her heritage as a fisherman’s wife and how that lineage is passed on through the women in her family. Learn about how fishing boats work in Alaska, why Alaskan fish is so delicious, exactly what are the Omega-3’s people talk about and how closely Alaskan fisherman work in alignment with nature’s cycles. Sena tells us her story of building a business that supports their entire small scale fishing community beyond just catching the fish and their commitment to getting the absolute best quality fish to their customer’s doorsteps. We also talk about the ways that Alaska supports indigenous and sustenance fishing alongside commercial fishing to caretake the waterways and set up for the long-term future of fishing. Along the way, we talk about what makes fish ‘fishy’, how to best pick fish at the grocery store, great cooking techniques (especially if you’re intimidated by cooking fish) and Sena shares her top 4 Reasons to Eat Wild Caught Seafood. I found this conversation fascinating and informative, especially since I’m still a ‘hesitant’ fish eater and cooker at times! Learn Sena’s quick and easy No-Fail Black Cod Recipe which is perfect for those last minute dinner guests or family meal.

Link to Sena’s Blog Post of her recipe: Ginger Black Cod with Roasted Vegetables

Resources mentioned in this episode:
Sena Sea Website

Sena Sea’s Social Media Links: Facebook and Instagram

Sena’s Recipe Blog
Cook’s Illustrated Magazine
Sena’s Four Reasons to Eat Wild Seafood

Get Business Coaching from Missy at: WomenInFood.net/WorkwithMissy

Become a member of the Women In Food Community at: WomenInFood.Net/Community

Missy’s Farm Website: CrownHillFarm.com
Missy’s Business Coaching Website: SpiritBizPeople.com

In this week’s episode, I talk with Anne McIntosh & Nicole Casell - owners of Alchemy Wine & Beer. Hear how a bachelorette party in New Orleans led these two women to leave their high-level corporate jobs to start a wine & beer bar in Western NY and how sticking to a vision and finding the right supporters helped them turn an idea into a hub of community and togetherness. Along the way we talk about their latest project— the Bubble Bar— what it takes to become a Certified Sommelier, spiritual mediumship in Western NY, finding the feminine in wine culture, how to choose good wines and make fantastic wine pairings. Anne & Nicole geek out with me about Sangria and share their favorite Autumn Sangria recipe as well as how to adjust for any season!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Alchemy Wine & Beer – the Wine Bar Website

Alchemy’s Social Media Links: Facebook and Instagram

Bacchanal Wine Bar in New Orleans
Lilydale Center for Spiritualism
Master Sommeliers of Americas

Get Business Coaching from Missy at: WomenInFood.net/WorkwithMissy

Become a member of the Women In Food Community at: WomenInFood.Net/Community

Missy’s Farm Website: CrownHillFarm.com
Missy’s Business Coaching Website: SpiritBizPeople.com

Today I talk with Chef Apparel Designer, Sandra Harvey — who I met through Jenny Powell-Castor from Episode 4 .  Learn the incredible story of how this California fashion designer came to design a whole new Chef Coat especially for women bringing fashion and function together in a never-seen-before way. We’ll go on her journey from the fashion world to Culinary School and and how she stuck to her vision despite continuous pushback (mostly from male chefs and teachers). We talk about growing up around women in food business, receiving ‘divine downloads’, how she’s built a successful business as an introvert and her favorite childhood foods.  Along the way, we weave discussions on the power of beauty, edible flowers, finding kindness and a love for food before Sandra shares the story and recipe behind her Spanish Walnut Cake!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Sandra Harvey Chef Apparel – Sandra’s Website

Sandra’s Social Media Links: Facebook and Instagram

Become a member of the Women In Food Community at: WomenInFood.Net/Community

Missy’s Farm Website: CrownHillFarm.com
Missy’s Business Coaching Website: SpiritBizPeople.com

In this week’s episode, I talk to English teacher turned bakery manager, animal rights advocate and business owner, Natasha Tatton. We start with her early memories of less-than-stellar meals and her search for delicious vegan options. Hear about how she first started in food business by serving meals in a hospital in the United Kingdom to running Eds Bred with her husband in Whistler, Canada. Learn about Natasha’s commitment to community in Whistler, and how they organize their 100% plant-based sourdough bakery as a B-Corp. Along the way, we touch on so many topics including how to tame spicy foods, naming our sourdough starters, different ways business can support communities, UK cuisine, sourcing local ingredients, and how being a community-focused business leader is a feminine perspective. Natasha shares her favorite Vegan Banana Bread recipe as a fantastic way to use up older, less-than-perfect bananas and reduce food waste.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Natasha’s Bakery Website: Bred made by Ed

EdsBred Social Media Links: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

Connect with Natasha:  LinkedIn

About B-Corps: B Lab

Missy’s Farm Website: CrownHillFarm.com
Missy’s Business Coaching Website: SpiritBizPeople.com

In this week’s episode, I talk to regenerative farmer, wife, foodie and mom to five kids, Paige Jackson, who I first ‘met’ online when she posted about her Romertopf clay baker (you can hear the whole story in the interview!). We talk about how her quest to have more transparency in food after experiencing some health complications led her and her husband on the path to starting their own farm and eventually raising their kids participating in farm life. Learn some of Paige’s secrets to including kids as a part of the farm business equation and how she supports her kids’ individual interests. Paige teaches us about regenerative pasture-raised livestock and why that choice allows their farm business to uphold their values. Along the way, we touch on so many topics including growing up as one of 14 siblings, her mom’s big dinner table, different kinds of milks and digestibility, capitalism and food and how their business Grass Grazed started with a few chickens in their yard to become the thriving enterprise it is today. My favorite quote is: “Farmers are Foodies, too” which sums up Paige’s passion for food — raising it, cooking it and sharing with community all of which is expressed in her Roasted Chicken Recipe.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Paige’s Farm Website: Grass Grazed Farm

Paige’s Social Media Links: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

If you’re curious, here’s more about the Romertopf Clay Bakers (the site is in German, but most browsers can translate)

Missy’s Farm Website: CrownHillFarm.com
Missy’s Business Coaching Website: SpiritBizPeople.com

In this week’s episode, we are talking to writer, author, editor, food expert and Cheese Maven, Hannah Howard who recently published her second book, “Plenty: A Memoir of Food and Family” celebrating the many, often unseen, pockets of women in the food world. We talk about her journey into food, starting with her mother (who is one of the women featured in her book) all the way through her years in New York eating, drinking, serving, bartending, cooking on hot lines, and flipping giant wheels of cheese in Manhattan institutions such as Picholine and Fairway Market to her current work elevating women’s voices in food through her writing.

Along the way, she vulnerably shares about her journey through the “dark side of having a food passion” — her experience with eating disorders and how she turned her deepest shadow into an enlightened gift while dancing the fine line between passion and obsession. This is the topic of her first book, “Feast”. We learn how she went from fine french dining, to corporate food, and eventually to becoming a food writer, all while following a growing love for cheese.

Hannah tells us how she was blessed with great mentorship in many different moments, but was always seeking the women mentors in the industry. This desire led her on a quest to find where these women are are in the food world and a journey through the lives of many incredible women in food (and cheese!). Women + Food is a simple equation that can result in an enormous diversity of careers — each woman finding her own path to success reflective of her unique self. Similarly, cheese is the combination of simple ingredients that can result in an enormous diversity of flavors — each one reflecting its own source and environment.

Just in time for holiday celebrations, Hannah gives us some cheese basics and guides us on how to put together a wonderful Cheese Plate for any occasion. Join us as we play cheese pairing games and geek out on all kinds of cheese knowledge!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Hannah Howard’s Website: HannahHoward.nyc

Hannah’s Social Media Links: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

Books: “Feast: True Love In and Out of the Kitchen” & “Plenty: A Memoir of Food & Family”

Missy’s Farm Website: CrownHillFarm.com
Missy’s Business Coaching Website: SpiritBizPeople.com

There’s not really a recipe for this episode, however, here is a link to an article, “How to Put Together a Make-Everyone-Love-You Cheese Plate” written by Hannah for Self.com that covers everything she shared with us today!

Hey there, it’s been quite a while since there’s been a new episode. As a farmer, I’ve been busy the past few months! This week, I’m back at it talking to Artist, Curator and Animator, Sarah Klein. Now you may be wondering why I’m talking to an Artist on a podcast about food, well, I’ll tell you! As a co-creator of the Local Foods Wheel (a wonderful tool to determine what is in season where you live), Sarah regularly contributes her creativity to projects about local and seasonal foods, from animated music videos to bread baking performance art and of course, the foods wheel. If you look at her art, you’ll just sense the influence of seasons, cycles, and gardens throughout.

Through Sarah’s stories, we learn how easily intertwined the philosophies of food and art can be in how both explore the realms of permanence and impermanence of creating. Discover how she blurrs the line between the food and art by bringing food into a public art forum and her unique art to various food education projects. You can almost smell the fresh bread in the oven as she talks about the Bread Project and her first exposure to bread baking during her stay at an arts center. It seems that food and art have always walked hand in hand in Sarah’s life.

Sarah tells us about how her parents fostered an early love of exploring food and the power of three women collaborating in business in what she sees as a feminine way. She brings us a recipe for a refreshing, light Olive Oil Cake with Rosewater and Lemon that can be adapted to whatever fruit is in season at the time. Along the way, we chat about how to make lemon powder, our favorite sushi memories and more.

The Recipe starts at: 53:48

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Sarah Klein’s Website: SarahKlein.com

Sarah’s Social Media Links: Instagram

Limited Artist Edition Products featuring Sarah’s custom art: CrownHillFarm.com

The Local Foods Wheel

Orange Sherbet Food Music Videos

Ruth Asawa Fountain Scultpure

The Headlands Center for the Arts

Missy’s Farm Website: CrownHillFarm.com
Missy’s Business Coaching Website: SpiritBizPeople.com