Posts

Meet Our Board – Cheri Greenfield

/in /by

Meet Board Member Cheri Greenfield!

Board Member Name: Cheri Greenfield

Number of Years on Our Board: I just completed my first year as a board member.

Recent Board Discussions: I really enjoyed our recent discussion around the values that the Co-op embodies, and the desire to be a welcoming space in the community where folks can find nourishing foods and connections. 

What do you think makes our co-op special? 

Food is a powerful thing. While one of our basic human needs, it goes far beyond this. Food connects people—we share meals with others in celebration, in grief, in friendship and in love. Food nourishes us, feeds our bodies and souls. For me, it is important to know that my food is grown in a way that honors the process and the growers, reducing toxic chemical use and supporting sustainable agricultural practices that help maintain a healthy Earth and healthy humans. In this area, we have access to so much good food, and I love that the Friendly City Food Co-op helps to join consumers with local food producers. When I shop at the Co-op, I love chatting with staff members, and catching up with folks—it isn’t unusual for me to run into old friends at the Co-op. At our last board retreat, we discussed how the Co-op is in many ways a hub for connections. The Co-op holds a welcoming space within our community, and making sure everyone feels welcome and has access to nourishing food is one of the things I find most valuable and important.

What is a food memory from your childhood?

Food is a way that we share love, and early memories of food can hold a special space. That ice cream cone after a long day of work, or a special dish cooked by someone who loves us—these foods go far beyond the nutrient value to a nourishment much deeper. One of my favorite dishes from my childhood in Michigan are Cornish Pasties, small hand-pies filled with meat, potatoes, and vegetables—similar to an empanada. My dad occasionally brought them home from a local diner in Flint, and I remember them as a special and delicious treat. As an adult, I started making them for my family, and they are one of our favorite meals. They’re a bit of work, but well worth it! Recently, I made gluten and dairy free pasties, and while I include ground venison in my recipe, you could easily replace this with beans or any plant-based protein to make them vegetarian or vegan. Have fun with the fillings—you’re getting to eat pie for dinner!

 

Share your favorite recipe right now:

Ingredients

1-1/2# ground venison or beef

5-6 small red potatoes, diced

Red wine, optional

1 large or 2 small rutabaga or turnips

½-1 cup peas 

2 small onions

3-4 cloves garlic

Fresh herbs, chopped small or pureed: cilantro, dill, parsley, rosemary

Spices to taste: red pepper flakes, Herbs de Provence by Shenadoah Spice Company (I use this in everything), dried rosemary, coriander, salt, black pepper 

Olive Oil

 

Instructions

Sauté onions in olive oil until soft and translucent, then add herbs, spices, and fresh garlic. Increase heat and add wine. Simmer for a minute or two, until the alcohol has cooked off, then lower heat to medium, add venison or beef, and brown. Add root vegetables and peas, decrease heat to low and cover. Cook until vegetables are tender. Set aside and let cool.

Prepare your own favorite pastry recipe, equivalent to a top and bottom crust—or use a prepared crust. Divide pastry dough into small balls, and then use a rolling pin to roll them out into disks about 6-7” in diameter. Fill the bottom portion with the filling, leaving an inch around the outside, fold the top over, and seal the edges—you’ll end up with a half-moon shaped pie. Repeat this with the rest of the pastry dough. Use a fork or a chopstick to prick vent holes in the top of the pies—I like to get creative here and make fun swirls and shapes. Bake the pies on a nonstick baking sheet or parchment paper for 350 for about 45 minutes, give or take depending on your oven and pastry thickness. 

Top these with your favorite gravy or sauce—I used a vegan sour cream-based sauce with fresh herbs and garlic, but my dad prefers brown gravy on his. There will be extra filling—we ate our leftovers over rice topped with a fried egg and avocado slices. Yum!

Meet Our Board – Rebecca Golladay

/in /by

Let’s continue to introduce our Board Members!

NAME: Rebecca Golladay 

 

YEARS ON BOARD: 2 years

 

NEWEST BOARD DISCUSSIONS:

  • Welcoming the newly elected board members, Kristi Van Sickle & Savo Raouf Adams and our returning board member, John Paul Ashenfelter
  • Visioning and strategic planning for the future
  • Continuing the work of equity and justice

 

WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO FIRST SHOPPING AT THE CO-OP?

My kids introduced me to co-op soon after it opened and it quickly became our family’s favorite place to shop. We love the local, organic, and high quality products, the support of our local farmers and other businesses, the concern for our health, community, and environment, and the warm and welcoming vibe. 

 

WHY DO YOU SERVE ON THE BOARD?

I feel privileged to be an owner of such a special place and serving on the board is a way that I can support the mission and vision of the co-op. Also, I get to work with a group of wonderful people, which is a bonus.

 

FAVORITE STAFF INTERACTION

Not too long ago, Henry helped me choose a cider when I was having terrible trouble deciding. He was very kind and patient and put a bright spot in my day.

 

DESCRIBE THE CO-OP IN THREE WORDS

Friendly

Local

Supportive

 

CO-OP ITEM YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT

The wonderful food from the hot bar that helps keep my family well fed and very happy.

Meet Our Board – Paul Griffin

/in /by

As we move towards the New Year we wanted to continue to introduce our Board of Directors, the folks who help guide the future of our co-op! Read on to learn about board member Paul Griffin!

Name:  Paul Griffin

Years of Board Service:  Two years

Newest Board Discussion:  Recently, we’ve been discussing how our Co-op compares to similarly sized Co-op’s across the nation.  Our store is performing very well thanks to the collective efforts of all the team members!

 

This is one of my favorite recipes lately:

https://www.thisgalcooks.com/black-sea-bass-with-zucchini-noodles/

 

I, like the rest of you all, tend to reflect on past holiday seasons as the cool weather rolls in.  One memory has a Friendly City Food Co-op connection.  Monday morning of Thanksgiving week, three years ago, our son was hospitalized and given a surprise Type-I Diabetes diagnosis.  As the primary home chef for our family of five for the past 20 years, I was committed to providing him with home-cooked food for every meal during his four-day hospitalization.  Once or twice daily I would scour the Co-op aisles for low-carb, diabetic friendly ingredients.  Upon hearing my son’s plight and of my intention to cook for him, the Co-op staff began to help look at product labels to count carbs and offer suggestions.  One Co-op staff member even offered the time-saving service of personally selecting items and waiting for me at the front check out.  I’m thankful for each team members’ passion for serving the community. 

Speaking of Thanksgiving… It’s my favorite holiday because it isn’t tied to any religious or political event, which can lose meaning or context over time.  Rather, Thanksgiving is a celebration of gratitude.  Identifying and numbering blessings helps me to be mindful of the good things in my life.  Here’s hoping that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Meet Our Board – Amanda Presgraves

/in /by

Co-op Board Elections are fast approaching, and we wanted to give you the chance to digitally meet some of current board members. If you’re a co-op owner and you’re interested in becoming a board member you can find out more information here. Board candidate elections are due by September 25th and elections will be held from October 2-30.

NAME : Amanda Presgraves

YEARS ON BOARD: This is my first year!

RECENT BOARD DISCUSSIONS: 

    • Creating a more just and equitable grocery store for the community 
    • New board member elections (these are coming up, ask me about this!)
    • General Manager status report and monitoring 

Current Favorite Recipe?

Chilled Late-Summer Pasta Salad

        • Boil: a pack of noodles at the Co-op (I often lean on the Field Day brand, which was on sale for 99c last week – usually $1.99!)  
        • Saute: cubed tofu, marinated in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and italian seasonings
        • Chop seasonal produce: we use cherry tomatoes, basil and peppers from our garden, and get our cucumbers and corn from either the Co-op or a neighbor’s garden
        • Quick dressing: mix together a good pour of olive oil, a few splashes of vinegar (we use apple cider vinegar) and lemon juice, italian, seasonings, and dashes of salt and pepper, and a wee bit of honey.
        • Mix it all together and refrigerate for a delightful, summer-produce-abundant, cooling pasta salad

What is your dream weekend in the Shenandoah Valley?

    • A weekend camping in the National Forest – including, but not limited to – catching an overlook sunrise, returning to Chestnut Ridge coffee and an egg-toast-veggie breakfast in the cool morning air, a day-long run or mountain bike ride with my pup Mistie and husband, Andrew…followed by a refreshing river dip. Then, we gotta top it off with a camp-cooked dinner or Boboko when returning home on Sunday, for the complete experience. 

 

How/Why did you start shopping at the co-op?

    • When I was a student at JMU and first began living off campus, my Sunday’s were the one and only day I had off from collegiate swimming. That rest day (me-day!) was my rare opportunity to venture out into the community. I’d sleep in, do my stretching, then bike to the Co-Op and peruse the aisles for deals on a *very hungry athlete* college budget – usually, stocking up on bulk goods before cruising home to study and prep lunches and dinners for the week. I look back at that time fondly, and now understand it was the beginning of a routine part of my life to come. 

 

What do you think makes the co-op special or different from other grocery stores?

    • The people. Very rarely does a shopping experience feel so easy, calming and friendly. Everything from the walk or bike to the store, browsing the 99c produce bin, and without-fail bumping into a friend in the produce aisle, before chit-chatting with the most thoughtful cashiers (who always remember the little details about my life!). It’s the experience. Feeling a part of our small but intimate Harrisonburg community.