FARMER

Julia is a badass, period. She is one of the first young farmers of her generation to purchase her own farm, starting Rag & Frass in 2013 and buying it a few years later. In an effort to serve her community in rural Georgia, Julia co-founded the Middle Georgia Growers Coop (MGGC), which has been operating continuously since 2016. Through MGGC she helps aggregate and facilitate sales for 10 other farmers who do not have the ability to attend a weekly market in the bigger metro areas. In 2023 she (along with other farmers in central Georgia) collectively started Poplar St. Farmers Market in Macon, currently the only producer-only farmers market in Middle GA. With 15 years worth of experience in the field, Julia has shown leadership and dedication to her craft. She goes above and beyond in her advocacy for agriculture, visiting Washington D.C. to lobby legislators for the Farm Bill, and testifying for the House Agriculture Committee. Julia is currently serving her second term on the Administrative Council for Southern SARE. She is a leader, a champion, an innovator, and a new mother.

CHEF

Ryanne (Chef Ry) is a Private Chef, Ayurvedic Wellness Coach, and owner of Ry’s Table, a local pop-up preparing delicious meals featuring global flavors from locally grown seasonal ingredients. After a 15-year career in the Public Health sector, working in maternal and neonatal health, providing outreach education, and building food security programs, she settled in Atlanta with her family and began cooking as a postpartum Ayurveda doula. Her business, Ry's Table, offers events, cooking classes, consultations, and seasonal products. She began a Farmstead at her home in 2020 where many of the ingredients she works with are grown, and is now building an outdoor kitchen in her garden to open for private events in 2024. Chef Ry’s unique background in Ayurveda and Public Health drives the business's core values that food is medicine and nourishing, seasonal, locally grown food should be accessible to all. Guided by seasonal availability, Ry's Table empowers customers to make informed food choices for a stronger local food system by connecting them with growers and the food they eat. Ry is a multi-year Farmer Champion with Georgia Organics and a supporter of many local food justice organizations with a goal of impacting food equity in her own community.

BEVERAGE

Sarah Pierre is the Owner of 3 Parks Wine Shop in Atlanta, established in 2013. Sarah grew up being passionate about food and the culinary world surrounding it. Prior to opening 3 Parks Wine, Sarah spent most of her career working and managing notable restaurants in Atlanta and New York City, including Twist Restaurant & Lounge, Houston’s Restaurant, Maialino, & Bacchanalia. Her passion for hospitality and her love for food and wine led to the success of 3 Parks Wine Shop. Sarah focuses on small, organic, biodynamic, and natural wine producers. She opened the store with hopes of creating a comfortable, welcoming, and quaint space to purchase wine. Her background in restaurant management and hospitality resulted in a wine shop where people spent time, hang out, listen to music, kick back and enjoy wine.

3 Parks Wine has received national accolades and has been featured in print and broadcast media, including CNN, Thrillist, Eater Atlanta, Garden & Gun, US Weekly, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Vinepair, Kitchn, USA Today, and many much more. She is also the wine columnist for Atlanta Intown Paper.

ADVOCATE

Alice Rolls has devoted her entire professional career to the environment, working for 36 years in the nonprofit arena and lending her expertise to the development of three organizations. Alice is currently closing out a twenty-year tenure as President & CEO of Georgia Organics, a nonprofit investing in organic farmers for the health of the land and our communities. Prior to this position, Alice was Executive Director of Earth Share of Georgia and worked for six years at The Nature Conservancy’s Georgia Chapter. Over the past five years, Alice has been recognized as an influential leader in Georgia Trend and Atlanta Magazines’ Top 500 for propelling positive change.

Alice has been deeply shaped by her experiences at Georgia Organics, cementing an enduring respect for local and organic farmers who steward public and environmental health. No matter where she goes, she will continue to champion them. She is an active volunteer with the Morningside Farmers Market and is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier. When not working, Alice can be found tending her edible garden, transporting herself by bike around town, birding in Piedmont Park, or foraging for mushrooms in undisclosed locations.

EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK

Lovey Gilliam is the founder of Hunger Has No Color (formerly Glliam’s Garden) in Southwest Atlanta and Leafy Greens Market in East Point. Since 2014, she’s been on a mission to nourish her community with fresh, healthy, locally-grown food that is accessible and affordable for all.

Her three-acre urban garden serves as a learning space for youth, seniors, and volunteers interested in acquiring farming experience. The food grown is available at Leafy Green Market and delivered directly to families in the area through a mobile farmers market that seeks to reach those who cannot otherwise access fresh and heathy food.

The inspiration for Leafy Greens came during the pandemic to create another option for her customers to get fresh food. Leafy Greens quickly became a one-stop shop for fresh produce, made-to-order meals, and local snacks. All the items sold at the store are thoughtfully sourced from within the community, creating a point of convergence for local cooks, bakers, and producers. The store is also home to Georgia’s first-ever hydroponic lettuce grown in store and cut fresh to order!