Wendy Brugh—President
Dry Ridge Farm
Q: What are you up to when you’re not at our board meetings?
A: I am a mother and a farmer who tries to spend as much time as possible in nature. My husband, Graham, and I have two daughters, and we all enjoy hiking trails near our home and lease, exploring the woods and creeks on our farm, picking berries and baking pies. Graham and I own and operate Dry Ridge Farm together, where we raise laying hens, pigs, and cows on pasture and sell our meat and eggs at farmers markets and to local restaurants. When I’m not working or with my family, I enjoy paddleboarding, yoga, trail running, and going out for fancy dessert by myself.
Q: Why is ASAP important to you?
A: On a personal level, ASAP has played a huge role in helping us to grow our farm business, from giving us our first opportunity to join a market at Asheville City Market South to helping us connect with restaurants at Business of Farming Conference’s Grower-Buyer Meetings to Appalachian Grown branding—and simply increasing demand for well-grown local food in our area! Besides their direct impact on my business, I especially value the work ASAP does to improve access to local food for our entire community, through markets, Farm Fresh for Health initiatives, and Growing Minds farm to school programs. Over the years, it’s become increasingly clearer to me how very fragile large-scale agriculture can be with its susceptibility to illness and reliance on very few, very large companies, and growers whose failures affect entire industries. I firmly believe that our food systems will, by necessity, become increasingly dependent on small-scale, local producers meeting local food demand. ASAP is important to me because it’s helping my community feed itself. ASAP’s work is critical in building a resilient local food system and food secure communities in the Southern Appalachians.
Q: What’s your favorite local food dish?
A: Any summer vegetable and fruit salad with a little rice wine vinegar and olive oil. My favorite combos are peach, tomato, mint, and shallot or a cucumber, basil, and berry. My favorite local food is berries, and I love living in a place that has a new berry for every month of spring and summer! Strawberries, raspberries, juneberries, blackberries, black raspberries, and blueberries!
Nilofer Couture—Secretary
Cherokee Indian Hospital
Q: What are you up to when you’re not at our board meetings?
A: When I’m not at our board meetings, I work full time as a Clinical Nutrition Manager at Cherokee Hospital.
When I’m not at work, I’m involved with a group I helped found in Sylva called IndivisibleCommonGroundWNC. A group of us started this in 2017 to address concerns about the actions of local, state, and federal government. Our goal is to promote progressive solutions to the problems we face as a nation. We are involved with voter registration and voter outreach, especially during election time.
I’m also involved with a nonprofit in Sylva called Uncomplicated Kitchen that teaches people of any age and income to plan and prepare quick and easy nutritious meals for themselves and their family. As a dietitian I always promote home-cooked healthy meals and this organization helps me do that in my community. I help out whenever I can and enjoy the time spent helping with a cooking class or being a sounding board for the organization. It’s grown tremendously in the last two years and I hope to see it continue to grow.
I’m an elected member of the Forest Hills town council in Cullowhee and enjoy cooking, yoga, walking my dog, and travel. I’m originally from India and have family in France, so I enjoy traveling to visit friends and family.
Q: Why is ASAP important to you?
A: ASAP aligns so well with my work professionally. I have admired ASAP for many years because of the work with schools, in particular. I believe that nutrition education should start early and be incorporated into elementary curriculum due to the epidemic of obesity and diabetes in this country. I commend ASAP for working with the schools as I realize it’s not easy to bring about change.
Promoting local foods and sustainable agriculture is so important for local communities and I love how ASAP does this with their vast network of farmers, vendors, shoppers, and supporters. As a dietitian, I recognize the importance of fresh, local food and the role it plays to keep us healthy. I love how ASAP helps farmers access market opportunities and promote their farms. Close to home, Darnell Farms in Swain County is an example of how ASAP has helped farmers diversify their business using agritourism. I recently attended their strawberry festival, which was wonderful!
Q: What’s your favorite local food dish?
A: I enjoy dining at Plant which I find so unique in Asheville, but also enjoy food trucks like El Kimchi and the Indian food at Chai Pani.
Bill Durr—Treasurer
Ward and Smith, P.A.
Q: What are you up to when you’re not at our board meetings?
A: Much of my time is taken up with my “day job” as a practicing attorney at Ward and Smith, P.A., in downtown Asheville. When not working, I enjoy spending time with my wonderful wife, baking (mostly breads and pastries), biking (primarily road and gravel), and working in my wood shop.
Q: Why is ASAP important to you?
A: ASAP’s support of local farmers is so important and necessary. I grew up on a small farm and later in life had the privilege of owning a farm where we raised black angus cattle. With this background, I am well aware of the multitude of challenges the farming community encounters on a daily basis. The support and guidance ASAP provides is an incredible resource for new and experienced farmers alike. Also, ASAP’s work positively impacts this wonderful community in so many ways—CSA programs, local farmers markets, farm tours, and farm to school programs, just to name a few.
Q: What’s your favorite local food dish?
A: Wow, this is such a difficult question. I have a passion for BBQ—Eastern NC sauce with collards and cornbread on the side…but also love anything made with fresh local fruits—especially blueberries, strawberries, and apples.
Karen Blaedow
Horticultural Agent, NC Cooperative Extension
Q: What are you up to when you’re not at our board meetings?
A: When I am not at ASAP board meetings, I’m working full-time assisting vegetable and small fruit farms in Henderson County. I also currently serve on a few additional boards which include the NC Tomato Growers Association, North American Raspberry and Blackberry Association, NC Caneberry Association and as the chair of the WNC AgOptions Steering Committee. When I’m not working, I’m gardening, immersing myself in nature and spending lots of time with my husband and son.
Q: Why is ASAP important to you?
A: ASAP has played a critical role in the work that I do with local foods and in particular farmers markets. I can’t think of a more impactful partner organization working in this space. ASAP provides community support for helping producers market their local products, they empower markets to provide a place for local farms to sell their products and more importantly their programs help increase local food access to more customers regardless of their economic situation. ASAP builds farms, markets & community!
Q: What’s your favorite local food dish?
A: I’m a mushroom maniac so basically any dish that has oysters, maitake, or lion’s mane with it.
Alison Francis
Haywood County Schools Nutrition
Q: What are you up to when you’re not at our board meetings?
A: Spending time with family and friends.
Q: Why is ASAP important to you?
A: ASAP has helped Haywood County School Nutrition connect with local farms and helps us promote those relationships and the farm-to-school items we serve.
Q: What’s your favorite local food dish?
A: Sweet Potatoes any way you want to serve them!
Mary Walsh
Co-Owner, Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery
Q: What are you up to when you’re not at our board meetings?
A: Running, running the business, cooking, and hanging with my kids.
Q: Why is ASAP important to you?
A: Along with my business partner, Jac, we started this business because we wanted to offer local food from local farmers and food makers year-round. ASAP’s resources helped us a lot in our early years of the business, and now, after 13 years of working with hundreds of vendors, we see so much value that ASAP provides to our farmers. The work they do is so important and we’re happy to be a part of it!
Q: What’s your favorite local food dish?
A: I love Napa cabbage, and I love making homemade dumplings stuffed with Napa cabbage, local pasture-raised ground chicken, local shiitakes, local ginger, and garlic. It’s the best showcase of things locally available to us. I also love making okonomiyaki with our Napa cabbage. It’s a very under-appreciated vegetable in our area, in my opinion, but we are working to change that!
Amy Yaroch
Center for Nutrition & Health Impact, Chief Executive Officer
Q: What are you up to when you’re not at our board meetings?
A: Hiking and getting outdoors to enjoy all that Western North Carolina has to offer, including visiting our amazing farmers markets. I am so happy that the East Asheville Tailgate Market started back up. I try to swing by every Friday afternoon (when I am not traveling) to pick up local goodies.
Q: Why is ASAP important to you?
A: Much of my research and evaluation over the last several years has focused on increasing fruit and vegetable intake, especially among populations who don’t have that access. ASAP is all about fulfilling that mission in Western North Carolina. I am so excited to be on the Board of Directors for ASAP since it aligns so well with my work and personal interests including supporting farmers, consumers, and others in my community.
Q: What’s your favorite local food dish?
A: During summer’s peak, I am always so excited to visit the farmers market to get local peaches and heirloom tomatoes. If I don’t eat them on their own first, then I mix them together along with a little balsamic vinegar (and some fresh herbs like basil) to make a delicious and healthy summer salad.