Meet the Team

Sarah Weiner

Sarah Weiner

Executive Director

Prior to co-founding the Good Food Foundation, Sarah worked side by side with the sustainable food movement’s visionaries across the globe. Fresh out of college, as the Director of Communication for the Slow Food International Office in Italy, she was immersed in the roots of the food movement before heading to California to become Alice Waters’ “Girl Friday” (in Alice’s words). Next she spearheaded the development of the first large scale U.S. sustainable food event, Slow Food Nation with 85,000 guests, then went on to produce the 20,000 person Organic Food Festival in Bristol, England for the Soil Association, which enjoyed the patronage of H.R.H. The Prince of Wales. Subsequently she helped launch the first Sips & Suppers annual fundraiser with Alice Waters, Joan Nathan and Jose Andres, as an answer to President Obama’s call for a day of service before his first inauguration. To date, it has raised over $4.5 million for organizations addressing food insecurity through a sustainability lens in our nation’s capital.

Samantha Putman Allen

Samantha Putman Allen

Good Food Mercantile Director

Samantha is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she studied both Archaeology and Anthropology. Upon moving to San Francisco in 2014, she began looking for opportunities with organizations that shared her love of food and desire to promote sustainability. Samantha joined the Good Food Foundation team soon after and has enjoyed immersing herself in the food community in the Bay Area.

Laura (Kirks) Kirkland

Laura (Kirks) Kirkland

Good Food Awards Director

Kirks is grateful to have worked alongside and learned from the dedicated and passionate folks at Dandelion Chocolate, Tomales Farmstead Creamery, and The Coffee Club, Princeton’s first student-run coffee shop. She is honored to be supporting the incredible farmers, makers, and merchants working to make positive change in our food systems.

Natalie Lovelace

Natalie Lovelace

Operations Manager

Born and raised in the SF Bay Area, Natalie majored in Environment Studies and minored in Food Systems at the University of Vermont. While in Vermont, Natalie became immersed in Burlington’s vibrant local food community. She interned at the Intervale Food Hub’s Gleaning & Food Rescue program and the Real Food Challenge to audit the university’s food purchases. Now based in Portland, Oregon, Natalie is thrilled to be working to support sustainable food crafters nationwide.

Meghan Shellenberg

Meghan Shellenberg

Committee Chair Manager

A native of Alameda, CA, Meghan’s appreciation for food runs deep: her Italian ancestors emigrated here as farmers. After completing her Anthropologie Degree from CU Boulder she went on to obtain her Master’s Degree in Food Culture and Communications from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Colorno, Italy. There, through the teachings of Slow Food, her appreciation and advocacy for artisanship, locality and sustainability were realized. She spent the beginning of her career in retail produce procurement on both the East and West coasts. She then spent 6 years running a Global Corporate Food Program which included program development, strategic initiatives, purchasing, space design, and sustainability goals. Above all, she believes food should be delicious, nutritious and sustainable.

Jessica Robin

Jessica Robin

Community Coordinator

A California native, Jessica enjoys all things food related-cooking, teaching, learning, and of course tasting! Her previous food experience includes six years at Dandelion Chocolate on their Chocolate Experiences Team as Event Manager where she led tasting programs with diverse local food manufacturers and learned alot about chocolate. She has also spent time teaching cooking and nutrition classes in Bay Area after school and summer programs. An advocate of tasty, sustainable, and fun food she can be found browsing the cookbook section of her local book store, or perusing the best in season produce at her neighborhood farmers market.

Adriana Stetson

Adriana Stetson

Design & Digital Manager

Adriana is a graduate of the IE University in Madrid, Spain but is originally from the DC area. During her time in Spain, she fell in love with simple yet delicious, local & responsibly sourced food. After graduating in 2019, she began her career in the food industry working alongside Danielle Vogel of Glen’s Garden Market, where she learned about the vital role that communities play in the advancement of the good food movement. When she’s not playing with her cats or strolling through the farmer’s market, you’ll most likely find her eating a big salad made from the produce in her garden or drinking a cup of coffee from a local roaster.

Margo Miller

Margo Miller

Special Projects Coordinator

Margo grew up in Hillsboro, Oregon, surrounded by a vibrant farming community. This early introduction to food-related careers inspired her to work at a Native Plant Nursery, a U-Pick Berry Farm, and a Minneapolis start-up that is revolutionizing sustainable takeout containers. She attended Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. To round out her International Studies major and French minor, she studied abroad in Rabat, Morocco. During her time in Rabat, she discovered that her hometown’s connection to food—which seemed so unique in America—was the status quo in countries like France and Morocco. This experience solidified her resolve to strengthen communities through food. With that goal in mind, she completed an apprenticeship with the Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund after graduating from Macalester College in 2022. She is overjoyed to be part of the Good Food Team and excited to continue making fresh, sustainable food more accessible for all.

Giulia Oltranti

Giulia Oltranti

Outreach & Communications Intern

Giulia Oltranti is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley where she studied the environment and food systems. Growing up in an Italian household she was constantly surrounded by delicious fresh food made from scratch. This upbringing served as an inspiration for her to pursue baking as a hobby. During college, she shared her expertise and love of baking by teaching a popular baking DeCal at Berkeley. Giulia channels her creativity by documenting her food adventures through photography and blogging. Throughout her undergraduate years, she worked with organizations such as the Berkeley Student Food Collective, UC Berkeley Food Pantry, and Bay Area nonprofits where she discovered her deep passion for food systems work. Driven by a desire to make a positive impact, she hopes to raise awareness about the benefits of embracing plant-based diets for environmental sustainability and human health through sharing simple and accessible recipes. In her free time, Giulia can be seen experimenting with new recipes and baking up a storm in her kitchen.

Claudia Bistrain

Claudia Bistrain

Outreach & Communications Intern

Born and raised in the greater Bay Area, Claudia grew up exploring nature and immersing herself in the vibrant art and food scenes. After studying media and food systems at UC Berkeley, she went on to pursue work as a professional cook, landing in the kitchen at Standard Fare, a community-oriented, sustainability-driven lunch counter in West Berkeley. With invaluable training from talented cooks of varied backgrounds, Claudia has started a series of home-grown food pop-ups in support of local charitable causes. With a passion for building community and sharing food, she loves bringing people together and using the profits to bring food and other supplies to neighbors in need. Claudia is excited to broaden her knowledge of the food industry and sustainable production with the hope of playing a role in a more just and joyful food future.