by Madie Murray

Farm to Cafeteria

You may have noticed some recent Farm to Cafeteria articles being written by Ashley Randall, Farm to Cafeteria Coordinator.  You’ll be seeing many more. Yes, she’s finally on board after spending the summer interning at Black Dog Farm and is now beginning to take on the responsibilities of nurturing, promoting and growing the Orcas Island Farm to Cafeteria Program.

Randall was chosen out of a very impressive group applying for the position. She was picked not only for her communication skills, but also because of her ability to prepare and execute assignments and her professionalism and comfort in group and individual situations.

I got involved in Farm to Cafeteria about eight years ago when it was basically a salad bar. We did have a school garden nurtured by teachers in the elementary school, but it wasn’t considered much in the way of a classroom. Because of a growing acceptance from the school administration and cafeteria staff, urging by the community and participation and enthusiasm of parents and donors, it is now a comprehensive program, touching students from kindergarten through high school by way of experiences in the garden, the farms, the classrooms, the cafeteria and culinary arts.

But it’s time for me to step aside. There is much more this program can achieve in the future with someone with the fresh ideas and energy to take it there. That’s where Randall comes in.

She has been hired by the program (made possible by private donors and the Orcas Island Education Foundation) to grow it in various ways, such as creating a tighter bond with the island farms, pursuing more grants, creating new fundraising opportunities while continuing favorite special events and investigating new ways to utilize the new cafeteria and culinary arts spaces for the benefit of the school and F2C. And I’m sure she will have some innovative new concepts to inject as well.

“It’s exciting to be a part of a program that so many people believe in and want to see be successful,” Randall said. “The F2C program combines a good portion of what I’m passionate about: the education of our youth, local and sustainable food systems and encouraging the engagement of a supportive community. I’m ready to combine my ideas with those of our community and continue to see this program flourish for years to come.”

I’m very confident that Randall is very capable to do it all with much enthusiasm and expertise. She is a graduate of Humboldt State and Portland State with a BS and MS in communication and has numerous experiences with food and farms as well as assisting in the classroom. She’s bright, eager and ready to hit the ground running.