Chef Fresh Roberson

director & planning committee member
Chef, healer, farmer, community based food activist and diy lover

They/them/she/her
 

Born and raised in eastern North Carolina, Fresh started remixing southern culinary traditions as soon as she could walk and hold a whisk. Transplant to the midwest, they now call Chicago home. An engineering and physics nerd turned chef, she has professionally studied cooking in Thailand and the US and has worked in elite kitchens including Google and Facebook.

But their community-based edible activism among communities of color, elders, queer folx and youth is where her heart most deeply resides. They strive to make nutritious food accessible to all. She provides weekly meals for various non-profits and programs dedicated to increasing food access for the homeless, street youth and seniors. Chef Fresh is founder of Fresher Together LLC. Fresher Together is a collaborative food project for healing, economic development, training and retreat.

Their favorite bread is a fluffy yeast roll fresh out the oven spread with butter.

Shulamis Rouzaud

Founder & planning committee member

she/her
 

Shulamis is the Chicago Bread Club’s founder and co-director. She is passionate about staple crops and staple foods (grains and legumes). She has her Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Dietetics. She has completed a dietetic internship and currently studying to take the Registered dietitian exam. She eats bread pretty much every day, and thinks that it tastes great and is really satisfying! Her goal for the bread club is to keep it democratic in structure, try to be as transparent as possible and promote and expand the racial equity of the regional grain economy. Please don’t be shy, we’re all in this together!

Tana Rae Hersch

Social Media and Administrative Coordinator

Meeting planning Committee membeR

She/Her

Tana graduated from Kendall College in Chicago with a culinary degree then continued her education in South Dakota earning a marketing degree from Black Hills State University. She now lives in St. Louis with her family but still considers Chicago home.

Her love of eating bread has brought her back to the craft.

Christine Liz Johnson

Planning meeting comMittee member

Melanie Carter is the owner of her own business called Organically Gourmet. Melanie attended the Washburne School of Culinary Arts and the Triton College Culinary program for her formal culinary training. Melanie is proud to be an Army veteran. She strives to be the best in all that she does. She is a recent graduate of the Windy City Harvest Horticulture and Sustainable Urban Agriculture Apprenticeship program. She hopes to teach gardening and cooking to others, incorporating a garden to table concept and develop recipes.

Melanie strongly believes in not only giving back to her community, but reaching out and showing them the benefits of growing their own food and incorporating them into their everyday diets. She has hopes of turning “food deserts into food oases”.