Meet your Slow Food Philadelphia’s Board of Directors
We are volunteers dedicated to good, clean and fair food for all throughout the Philadelphia region. The community consists of farmers, butchers, brewers, bakers, chefs, foragers, home cooks, students, gardeners, food artisans, vintners – all united in our support and activism for good, clean, fair food that is equitable, just, and inclusive.
Jennifer Dolan
Chair Slow Food Philadelphia
Jennifer Dolan is a retired dietitian / nutritionist living in South Philadelphia. She previously worked in critical care at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and taught nutrition in the nursing school at PENN. After a career working with very ill individuals, her heart guided her to work in a more preventive medicine environment.
Jennifer developed an interest in Slow Food after decades of purchasing produce and other goods from a Community Supported Agricultural business, Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative. She attended her first Slow Food International event in 2016 (Terra Madre in Bra, Italy) and was inspired to support the movement. She has travelled to Italy several times and is now learning to speak Italian.
For years, she had a podcast promoting farmers, food makers, and chefs. She now supports these individuals locally via her work with Slow Food Philadelphia.
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Audrey Caspar Clark
Chair Events
Audrey is a recently retired oncology dietitian with a culinary degree from Johnson and Wales. Many years ago, she was a member of the Charlestown Farm CSA in beautiful bucolic Chester County. Liz and Bill Andersen introduced her to the principles of Slow Food and the Andersen’s dedication to upholding these principles in their community. Audrey is forever grateful for those years spent at their beautiful farm, during which time she and her family looked forward to each season’s harvest.
Audrey’s background in nutrition and culinary arts has always stimulated her interest in finding and preparing the freshest ingredients, grown and raised in ways that protect the land, air, soil, and all living creatures. She was fortunate to live near a bountiful CSA and thriving farmers markets, but in her profession as an oncology dietitian, she quickly learned how limited these resources are to most folks.
It is her deep desire to help communities find their own good, clean and fair food. With her culinary and nutrition background, she would love to teach folks all the wonderful benefits of preparing and eating good, clean and fair food.
As a volunteer member of Slow Food Philly and chair of the Slow Food Philly Events Committee, she is excited to promote events and activities that will get folks involved in fun and educational ways. If you have a local event in the greater Philadelphia area (Philadelphia, Bucks County, Delaware County, Chester County, and Montgomery County) please email her at kitchenfarmacy@gmail.com.
Brett Rapkin-Citrenbaum
Chair Advocacy
Brett (she/her) serves as the Policy Coordinator for Slow Food USA, which means she works to develop and coordinate policy and advocacy efforts of the Slow Food USA national office, supports the Food and Farm Policy Community Action Team, and organizes advocacy campaigns.
Brett started farming in Coatesville in 2015 and hasn’t stopped thinking about food systems since! She has worked on a number of farms and as an educator about agriculture and nutrition at Title I schools. Brett also works with the North Carolina Food System Advocacy Coalition and Community Food Strategies to organize around food and farm policy.
When she’s not farming or thinking about food, Brett loves to watch the Sixers and the Phillies win, explore nature, and attempt a variety of fiber arts.
Elise Skawinski
Social Media Manager
Elise Skawinski is a freshman at The Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, PA, and a year-round soccer player with Sporting 2011 AC in the Girls Academy League. Passionate about the holistic side of being a teenage athlete, Elise focuses on performance nutrition, recovery, injury prevention, and preventing burnout. Inspired by her own experience managing fatigue from intense training demands, she founded Fuel Her Forward, a platform and Instagram that shares nutrition tips, recovery meal recipes, and wellness insights for young athletes- especially those who may lack access to healthy food or trusted resources. Elise also supports environmental sustainability through plastic recycling initiatives that create community outdoor furniture, and she enjoys traveling and celebrating her Polish heritage.
Thomas Hoy
Recipe Contributor
Thomas (he/him) started out as a cook at Bar Lucca in Conshohocken on his breaks during college. He was introduced to Slow Food on a trip to Italy where he was captivated by the regional food culture and uncompromising appreciation for local food-ways.
After acquiring an affection for farm-to-table dining he has since transitioned to a liaison role for Pieri Hospitality at their farm in Bucks County, Pieri Farm & Vineyard. He brings his kitchen acumen to growing & harvesting and sees the farm-to-table connection as an open collaboration between chef & farmer. He is also their assistant winemaker.
Thomas maximizes the full potential of fruits and vegetables in their life cycle from seed to stomach in several ways, from minimizing waste, growing for robust flavor, building soil, and connecting to local communities. He is inspired by his two older brothers, parents, professors, and many other loved ones in his life.
Christina Shepard
Newsletter Contributor
Christina will be joining the volunteer board and working on the Slow Food Newsletter. She is a nurse practitioner at Jefferson Health with a deep passion for fresh local food and holistic health.
Originally from Virginia, Christina moved to Philadelphia two years ago and became enthralled by the region’s rich food and farm culture. Passionate about increasing access to healthy, delicious food, she is motivated to break down barriers to better nutrition while educating and inspiring others to live healthier lives.
As part of Slow Food Philly, she will help share information on different Slow Food events and spread the movement’s message through the newsletter, advocating for commensality through sustainable and locally sourced food.
Theo Abrams
Events Committee Member
Growing up in New England, Theo moved to Philadelphia in 2021 where he studied sociology, music, and religion at Drexel University. He has always had a passion for food, especially fresh pasta making, and loves sharing his passion for homemade food by hosting dinners and leading a pasta-making class.
Lately he’s been exploring locally produced foods in the Philadelphia region and is eager to make this food scene more accessible and exciting for everyone! Apart from food, he has played the trumpet for the past 13 years and plans to perform more around the city.
Keith Hartwig
Snail of Approval Committee Member
Keith is an artist, designer, educator, and fermenter who owns Succession Fermentory. Prior to opening Succession, he led a FUTUREFOOD initiative, a project combining his passions for collaboration, community engagement, food and environmental research. Through this initiative and his many collaborations with brewers, chefs, farmers, and scientists, he has gained invaluable experience into the complex connections between agriculture, ecology, and the human experience — insights that helped shape the vision for Succession Fermentory.
Keith is an active member of Slow Food USA. He is involved with Slow Food at the international level and has been recognized by the organization for his commitments to creating good, clean & fair food for all. Keith holds a Master of Design Studies from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Architecture from Temple University.
Jennifer Herczeg
Membership Coordinator
A culinary school grad with an MBA, Jen has more than 20 years experience in food and beverage with brands like Chipotle, Whole Foods Market, Starbucks, Food & Wine, and Di Bruno Bros., plus consulting for Pie Bird Farm, PA Cheese Guild, Hill’s Quality Seafood, Sweet Amalia Market, and Isgro Pastries to name a few.
Born into a family of Croatian immigrants in New York City, she resides with her family in South Philadelphia and is a member of Slow Food Philly, Les Dames d’Escoffier and Sisterly Love Collective. She also serves as Publisher of Edible Philly, a quarterly print and digital magazine focusing on local food and agriculture.
Heather Thomason
Snail of Approval Committee Member
As the Founder of Primal Supply Meats in Philadelphia, Heather earned accolades for her pioneering business approach to sustainable butchery. She is a known authority on regional meat supply chains and whole animal butchery and is deeply committed to advocating for a more equitable and regenerative food system.
Heather currently provides advisory services for small business owners and serves on the board of Lundale Farm in Pottstown, PA. Through her writing, advisory engagements, and community outreach, she continues to champion the principles of sustainability, transparency, and ethical sourcing, inspiring others to join her in building a healthier future for food.
Ross Namroff
Events Committee Member
Victoria Varicella
Events Committee Member
Tegan Hagy
Miguel Vivanco
Snail of Approval Committee Member
Erica Nardalla
Social Media Committee Member
Board Members at Large
Eils Lotozo
Eils Lotozo writes about food, farms, gardens, and sustainability. She was a staff writer at The Philadelphia Inquirer, serving variously as a general assignment features reporter, as arts and culture writer, and finally as the paper’s home and design writer. Before moving to the Inquirer, she was senior writer at Philadelphia Weekly. As an adjunct professor of creative writing at Bryn Mawr College, she taught classes in feature journalism and long-form non-fiction writing. Currently, Eils is the editor of Haverford magazine, the alumni magazine of Haverford College.
Karen Stark
Karen, a self proclaimed locavore who grew up on a dairy farm in Minnesota, moved to Philadelphia in August 2010 from Illinois, where she co-founded and was the President of the Geneva Green Market for 5 years. The group supported small, local, sustainable farmers within 200 miles of Geneva Illinois. She hosted and organized an educational kid’s corner and coordinated the Chef demo events every market day.
Karen also promoted the benefits of local food to various organizations within the Fox River Valley in Kane County. She served as a member of the Fit for Kane Coalition, a group that was formed to study and apply for a grant to fight childhood obesity.
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Sally Eisenberg
Sally K. Eisenberg is a Health Coach certified by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Columbia University. In 2007, she founded Nourish Ur Life, a nutrition and healthy lifestyle practice located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
As a mixed media artist, Sally has always been passionate about food, healthy living and integrating both in to her artistic vision. She has been offering healthy cooking classes – empowering others to cook healthfully in their own kitchens. Sally also exhibits her art in and around Philadelphia.
Joe Brandolo
For over two decades, I have been an active member of the Slow Food Movement. When I originally assumed the role of chapter leader several years ago, it gave me an opportunity to promote local farmers, work with food justice and hunger organizations, and support sustainable causes. After a couple of years hiatus, I have resumed that role.
My professional career started in the restaurant business, mostly working in the front of the house, and eventually progressed to sales & marketing in wine and spirits. My culinary travels have taken me around the world, particularly participating in Slow Food events in Italy, Australia, and in California. In our leisure time, my wife and I manage a three-season culinary garden, keep bees, bike and hike at our primitive mountain retreat, and raise our four rescue dogs. I also serve on the Board at Impact Services, Inc. in the Kensington neighborhood, a community support organization.
Melissa Schultz
Melissa joined our organization in 2016. She was first introduced to the Slow Food movement while traveling in Piedmont, Italy in 2008. After learning the story behind it and dining in restaurants that supported it, she was on board.
She is an avid gardener and cook. She grows over 50 different varieties of vegetables, herbs and fruits, all propagated from seed. The seeds are selectively sourced to be open pollinating and preserve bio diversity. All produce is maintained organically.
Professionally, Melissa has spent her time divided between the microbrewery industry, restaurants and a long career in the wine industry.
Michèle Haines
Chef Michèle Haines, founder of Spring Mill Café, devotes her life to promoting peace through food. She has been a member of Slow Food Philadelphia for over 20 years. After giving her restaurant to her son Ezra, Michèle has travelled all over the world, cooking and sharing meals with all kinds of people.
Being a chef is just one of many things that Michele identifies as – she is a raconteur, freelance journalist, photographer, interpreter, and teacher. All of which allow her to create programs that spread peace and initiate discussions about various topics such as religious freedom, literature, and music as they relate to a number of cultures.
Emily Bell
As a seventeen year veteran of the wine industry, Emily has worked at the wholesale and producer levels, in both control states and free markets. Her passion for wine and gastronomy was learned in her Italian American grandparents’ kitchen and garden, and was the genesis of her education at the School of Hotel/Restaurant Management at Penn State and the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, where she did additional coursework at CIA’s Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies. Following her time at CIA she lived and worked in Napa Valley for five years. While working in sales and marketing for a small Napa winery, she was able to deepen her understanding of viticulture, winemaking, and terroir through close observation of viticultural and winemaking practices, and by working a section of a biodynamic St. Helena estate vineyard throughout an entire growing season. During this time she was the tasting panel columnist for the St. Helena Star. A Certified Specialist of Wine as designated by the Society of Wine Educators, Emily has also studied with the Court of Master Sommeliers.
Lindsay Troyer
Lindsay (she/her) currently serves as a member and the Policy Coordinator for the Food and Farm Policy Community Action Team at Slow Food USA. Lindsay has worked in the intersections of food production, food service, food education, and food policy throughout her professional career. She spent her undergraduate years running CSA programs and community gardens while completing a B.S. in Food Policy and Sustainable Agriculture. Before, during, and after owning/operating a sustainable-focused, locally sourced cafe, she consulted for food makers, food growers, and food markets up until beginning a graduate degree in Food and Agriculture Policy in Bucks County, PA in 2019. For the last 5 years, she has worked in free-food production and nonprofit Hunger Relief in the Philadelphia region, running a Community Food Program that supported multiple food pantries and a community garden education program, and starting this season, managing the gleaning operations and community outreach for a multi-county fresh food distributor for charitable food assistance programs. She ultimately hopes to influence regional and federal policy to decrease the immense inequity in food and farmland access and to protect federal programs that feed our nation’s hungry.