Who We Are

Berry Good Food supports a local and regenerative food system in San Diego and Baja California. We empower our community by building bridges between farmers, chefs, scientists, and citizens to challenge the industrial food system while advocating for access to healthy food for all.

History

In 2010, after an inspiring stint living on a Sonoma County goat farm, food activist Michelle Lerach found herself wondering why San Diego, with its abundant agricultural resources, didn’t have the same food community integration she’d witnessed in Northern California. “We have access to more family farms in San Diego than any other place in the state,” Michelle realized. “Yet there wasn’t the cohesiveness between producers, and there wasn’t large-scale interchange between the local farms or ranches and the chefs, artisans and others in the culinary field.”

A doer by nature and a tireless networker, she conceived and hosted the first Berry Good Night dinner on the grounds of her La Jolla Farms estate. Part think tank, part gourmet feast, its aim was and is to promote dialogue and cross-pollination between some of the best minds in sustainable food, drawn from a wide variety of disciplines including science and medicine, agriculture, government and public policy, hospitality, education and media. The evening’s format promotes discussion, connection and collaboration, creating long-lasting relationships and partnerships among participants.

In its first five years, the invite-only dinner came to be known as “the most sought-after foodie invitation in San Diego,” with an A-list roster of top chefs, farms and farmers, artisans, winemakers and mixologists contributing.

In 2015, it was time to do more.

The Berry Good Food Foundation, established in 2015 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, supports the long-term goals upon which the original Berry Good Night activist-oriented dinner series was founded. Our mission is to advance a healthy, integrated food system by educating, connecting and supporting food producers and consumers. We envision a region where all people can choose local, sustainably produced food.

Our People

If you’re passionate about local, sustainable food, you’re one of our people! Please or kindly make a donation to support our work.


Our all-volunteer Board of Directors is drawn from the sustainable food community.


Our Berry Good Food Coordinators Run Programs and Provide Leadership for Our Signature Events

Eden Hughes, Foundation Coordinator

Christina Ng, Foundation Cultivator

Flor Franco, Culinary Director
Indulge Contemporary Catering

Jeff Josenhans, San Diego Beverage Coordinator
InterContinental San Diego

Fernando Gaxiola, Baja Beverage Coordinator
Baja Wine + Food

Justin Fitzgerald, Event Producer


Berry Good Food Advisory Board

Jack Abbott
TedX SD Founder, BlueBoxGlobal

Hans Backhoff
Monte Xanic

Philip Bradshaw
Merrill Lynch

Darcy Cook
Mission Resource Conservation District

Isabel Cruz
Good Food Good Life

Jennifer Curran
Sadie Rose Baking Co.

Kevin Davis
Technology Investor & Advisor

Lucila De Alejandro
Suzie’s Farm

Ryland Engelhart
Café Gratitude, KissTheGround.com

Michael Esposito
Snake Oil Cocktail Co.

Pablo Fernandez
Secret Table

Catt Fields White
San Diego Markets

Sandra Grivas Broussard
Be Wise Ranch

Roger Harrington
Specialty Produce

Troy Johnson
San Diego Magazine, Food Network

Brook Larios
Plain Clarity PR

Clare Mengebier
Operations & Tech Consultant

Tru Miller
Adobe Guadalupe

Jason Mraz
Avocado Grower, Singer, Activist

Scott Murray
Murray Farms, Inc.

Javier Plascencia
Mision 19, Finca Altozano, Erizo

Peyton Robertson
Bay Bird Inc.

Andrew Spurgin
Andrew Spurgin, LTD

Liz Tesolin
The Green Pinkie

Bill Toone
EcoLife Foundation

Frans van der Lee
Chef’s Roll

Ismene Venegas
El Pinar de Tres Mujeres

Mary Walshok
UC San Diego

Yolanda Selene Walther-­Meade
PR Consultant

Trish Watlington
Farm to Fork San Diego

Giselle Wellman
San Diego Jewish Academy

Ann Wycoff
Wildcoast

Helen Zeldes
Schonbrun Seplow Harris Hoffman & Zeldes, LLP

Counsel
Howard D. Finkelstein