About Island Grown Initiative

Executive Director of IGI, may say "I'm just a housewife," but she is a woman who is deeply and passionately committed to food. A longtime food essayist for NPR -- her "A Cooks Notebook" can still be found at www.cooksnotebook.com, her concern about the breakdown of how people share sustenance, the reality of food production on a mass level and the need to reinforce local farmers led her to help form the Island Grown Initiative on Martha's Vineyard, this organization dedicated to raising consumer awareness of local farms, the variances in how things are grown by people rather than profit margins and the difference between good healthy nutrition and what is sold as such.

Farming was not the profession Heidi Feldman's parents had in mind for her but this 40 something came to Martha's Vineyard with a mind to cherish her environment. To that end, she brings all of her not-for-profit fund-raising, e-commerce project management, business savvy, and general zest for making things work to life, work and the farm she shares with her husband, Curtis Friedman. Together, they started Down Island Farm in 2003, with a goal to use sustainable and natural farming methods to grow and sell edible flowers, culinary herbs, and shiitake mushrooms direct to Island food professionals.

Melinda DeFeo is the Enrichment Coordinator for Island Grown Schools, and the school coordinator for IGS at Edgartown School and at Martha's Vineyard Regional High School.

Melinda is a founding member of the Island Grown Initiative and the Martha’s Vineyard Convivium of Slow Food USA. As a LIFE member of the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society, she works each year to bring community together over food during their annual Harvest Festival. She offers inspiration to formal and informal educators through her involvement with the Martha’s Vineyard Environmental Educators Alliance and believes strongly in the concept of sense of place to protect the region’s cultural heritage, promote cultural awareness and create environmental stewardship for future generations.

She gets great pleasure and satisfaction from using collaboration as a tool to see her dreams come true.

Noli is the Island Grown Schools coordinator. She has been involved in agriculture issues for many years now, both as an advocate for local food systems and as a gardener. In addition to her work with IGI, she also grows vegetables, herbs and cut flowers for her family’s inn and restaurant in Aquinnah, the Outermost Inn, and is the mother of baby Emmett.

Randi Baird is a professional photographer and a founding member of Island Grown.
She brings her high energy and creativity to the visual side of the organizaition.
She is an active board member and core organizer within the IGI family.

Rebecca Miller grows beautiful produce and flowers with her family at North Tabor Farm in Chilmark. She also helps run Rising Tide, an equestrian therapy program on the Vineyard. She is a founding member of IGI.

Steve Bernier is the owner of Cronig’s Markets. He is deeply committed to supporting the island farming community, and is a founding member of IGI.