All About!

Growing Chefs was founded in 2005 as a way to connect people to food, from the soil to the kitchen.  To connect to food, from field to fork, is to raise a generation of healthier eaters, more confident chefs, and better ecologically minded citizens.

Our Work.

From farm-based education to cooking workshops, Growing Chefs offers a wide range of programming.  Following our events calendar, or contacting us directly, will keep you posted on what we're cooking up next!

Our Team.

Many of us learned our skills through mentorship--whether as farmer's apprentices or through cooking with our family.  Because what we teach are necessary and ancient skills, we continue to open our own doors to volunteers.  The community of Growing Chefs is ever-growing!

Farmer & Founder.

Program Director Annie Novak is the Children's Gardening Coordinator at The New York Botanical Garden and active with the New York City Greenmarket. She is the co-founder of Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.  Annie has installed edible gardens in four of New York City's boroughs, and eaten local produce in all five.

A lifelong vegetarian, Annie spends several months of the year traveling and investigating different ways people grow and eat their food around the world. She's followed blueberries and cows through New Zealand, sheep and hops through Argentina, quinoa and llamas through Peru, cassava and fish through Fiji and the Cook Islands, and chocolate through Ghana.