Faces of Local

ASAP likes to share the stories of people who help us fulfill our mission. Each month we interview someone working in agriculture, the food system, farm to school education, or community health. These stories are also shared in our monthly newsletter.

Shaniqua Simuel

Shaniqua Simuel

ASAP likes to share the stories of people who help us fulfill our mission. This month we’re talking to Shaniqua Simuel, founder of Change Your Palate, a grassroots whole-food meal prep program focusing on BIPOC people who suffer from type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Shaniqua also works with the WNC Food Justice Planning Initiative and … Read more

Aaron Grier, John Fleer, and Brian Canipelli

John Fleer and Aaron Grier. Photo by We Give a Share.

ASAP likes to share the stories of people who help us fulfill our mission. This month we’re talking to farmer Aaron Grier of Gaining Ground Farm along with chefs John Fleer of Rhubarb and Brian Canipelli of Cucina 24 about what has made those chef-farmer relationships so strong over the past decade. (Photo of John … Read more

Charlie Jackson

Charlie Jackson

ASAP founder Charlie Jackson is retiring this month. For our Faces of Local interview, we asked him about what led him to farming in Western North Carolina and the organization’s early days. (Read more about ASAP’s history and agriculture in WNC here.) Where were you before ASAP?  I was in grad school in Maine and … Read more

James Smith & Kathy Phillips

chickens at Woven Roots Farmstead

ASAP likes to share the stories of people who help us fulfill our mission. This month we talked with Kathy Phillips, who is helping to resettle an Afghan refugee family in Black Mountain, and farmer James Smith of Woven Roots Farmstead (pictured). They connected in order to provide the family with live chickens. Tell me about how … Read more

Justin Jones & Mark Diaz

Justin Jones and Mark and Donna Diaz

ASAP likes to share the stories of people who help us fulfill our mission. This month we talk with farmers Justin Jones of Alta Vista Farm and Mark Diaz of CrossCreek Farm. Justin moved to Asheville in late 2020 and started farming through the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy incubator program. Mark and his wife, Donna, raise Belted Galloway cattle and hay at CrossCreek … Read more

Faces of Local: Noel Poindexter

Noel Poindexter of Lunar Whale Herbs

ASAP likes to share the stories of people who help us fulfill our mission. This month we talk with farmer Noel Poindexter of Lunar Whale Herbs, a one-acre medicinal and culinary herb farm in Alexander. Noel sells at area farmers markets and offers a fresh herb CSA and apothecary boxes to connect customers to plant medicine. Meet her and find out more at the Asheville CSA Fair on March 11!

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Faces of Local: Emily Jackson

Emily Jackson, photo by Camilla Calnan

Emily Jackson, founder and director of ASAP’s Growing Minds program will retire at the end of the year. For our Faces of Local interview this month, we asked her to reflect on her time at ASAP and the growth the farm to school movement over the past two decades.  Can you talk about how Growing … Read more

Faces of Local: Tony Norcia

Tony Norcia with a student from WCCA at Bearwallow Valley Farms

ASAP likes to share the stories of people in the community who help us fulfill our mission. This month we talked to Tony Norcia, a dietetic intern at Lenoir-Rhyne University. Lenoir-Rhyne is a partner in ASAP’s Growing Minds @ University program, which equips pre-service students with knowledge and experiences to be able to incorporate local food and farm to school/farm to preschool activities into their careers as dietitians. Tony is currently completing a 12-week Community Nutrition and Administration rotation at Bearwallow Valley Farms with farmer/owner and registered dietitian Nicole Coston.

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Faces of Local: Sydney Hendry

Sydney Hendry

ASAP likes to share the stories of people who help us fulfill our mission. This month we talked with Dr. Sydney Hendry of The Family Health Centers in Asheville. Dr. Hendry is one of the physicians participating in ASAP’s Farm Fresh Prescription Program pilot, in which healthcare practitioners can prescribe a farmers market visit to their patients.

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