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.

Danie Roberson

Meeting planning Committee membeR

They/Them

Christine Liz Johnson

Planning meeting comMittee member

Favorite way to enjoy bread: toasty sourdough with cultured butter and flaky salt, although bread as scarpetta to scoop up leftover sauce is a close second! 

Christine (she/her) is a farmer in Northern Illinois and co-owns and operates a diversified veggie and flower farm, Wild Trillium Farm. She is committed to ensuring that all small farms have an opportunity to thrive and connecting folks to the vibrant agricultural communities and delicious food grown in our region. Her off farm job as program manager of a beginning farmer training program called Midwest GRIT, serves small to mid-size farmers across the Upper Midwest who want to grow specialty and heritage grains to bring to the Midwest grainshed, and is a collaborative effort of Michael Fields Ag Institute, Artisan Grain Collaborative and UW-Madison OGRAIN. She also advocates for a sustainable & equitable food system as co-chair of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance's Local Food & Farmer Caucus, organizing with Northern Illinois Young Farmers Chapter, and participating as a Steering Committee member of Upper Midwest CRAFT at Farmers Rising. Having worked in Chicago restaurants for nearly a decade, you can be sure Christine is always thinking about the next great meal.