Introducing the Slow Food Board
Please join us in welcoming some new board members, a new board chair, and some familiar faces that continue to serve on the Slow Food Cincinnati board. Voting for these board members will take place at the Annual Meeting on August 10th and online through August 11th. You must be a member to vote. Please click here to cast your vote.
Katie Ausdenmoore (New Board Member)
My name is Katie Ausdenmoore and I am currently the Director of Marketing for the Entrepreneurs' Center in Dayton, OH. We support all entrepreneurs in the Dayton Region and beyond. I have over a decade of experience in the branding/marketing agency world as well as significant experience in the startup environment. I have a passion for small business, entrepreneurship, marketing, as well as food! I am a self proclaimed foodie since childhood (my mother worked for the Joy of Cooking in the 80s and 90s) and have much appreciation for locally sourced, sustainable, and good food!
Annie Blair (Current Board Member)
I'm a former farmer in Upstate NY, a former journalist at five daily news media (most recently The Cincinnati Enquirer), and I currently work as a senior lecturer in journalism and environmental science at Miami University in Oxford. I live in Clifton with my family. My love of Slow Food stems from its Italian roots, as I’ve spent four summers teaching food writing in Florence while researching Carlo Petrini and the SF movement there. I want to serve on Cincinnati’s Slow Food Board because I strongly believe in all the manifestations of good, clean and fairly produced food, especially how these practices improve community and health. Young people, especially, are open to these ideas, and can contribute so much to it. I spent a year teaching in Luxembourg and took students to bio farms across Europe, as well as to food science hubs like Perugia. Students grew energized and engaged. At Miami, my courses often involve service learning with small growers and producers, and on the Miami Institute for Food Farm. We produce multimedia stories about sustainability for clients such as Edible Ohio Valley, MetroParks of Butler County, Citybeat, The Enquirer, and the Fernald Nature Preserve (DOE).
LaToya Bridgeman (Incoming Board Chair)
I graduated with my BS in business from Johnson and Wales University in 2018. Prior to that I completed my formal culinary training at the Midwest Culinary Institute 2010. I am classically French trained and have worked at multiple restaurants in the Cincinnati area. I joined the Saint Francis Seraph Ministries Cooking for the Family program as a Chef Instructor in 2017 and became the Program Director in 2021. Joining Slow Food Cincinnati would be an excellent opportunity to build a bridge between communities struggling with access to fresh local food and local growers and makers. Outside of work I spend my free time traveling to different food cities, doing volunteer work, and supporting Cincinnati’s theatrical and restaurant communities.
Tony Ferrari (Current Board Member)
Tony is a successful chef, restauranteur, and lifestyle personality. He was inspired to become a chef during his first kitchen job at age 13, washing dishes and making fresh pasta after school. He later graduated from culinary school at Johnson and Wales University, and worked at a variety of notable Miami restaurants before travelling to Europe to learn about old world technique and culinary traditions. Ferrari then received a James Beard and Jean Louis Palladin Foundation grant to travel to Thailand and the west coast to study holistic farming, cooking, and agriculture. He was very involved with Slow Food Russian River and San Francisco and wants to continue his work with the Cincinnati chapter to educate and spread the work about local food.
Michelle Kovach (New Board Member)
I was introduced to Slow Food Cincinnati shortly after starting my business in 2015. In 2018 I received the Snail of Approval award. I'm passionate about local food, small businesses, and how we can keep our community engaged with both.
(Owner, Crackling Crust Microbakery, Snail of Approval Winner)
Ellen Moje (Current Board Member)
I have a background in environmental studies and organic agriculture and have worked on farms in Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. I am passionate about local food and supporting farmers and food producers in our community. When not exploring parks and playgrounds around town or gardening with my two young children, you can find me selling organic meat and produce for Elmwood Stock Farm on Sundays at the Hyde Park Farmers Market. I have been involved with the Slow Food Cincinnati Board since early 2019 and hope to continue to be a part of this group of local food advocates.
Paul Picton (New Board Member)
Slow Food represents the values that are important to me as a small business owner. Our food is so critical to our health and well-being. We believe and support the idea of clean food – no artificial ingredients, GMOs, etc. in our food. We believe that food is medicine. A healthy diet can do wonders for your mind and body.We strive to work with local businesses, collaborating on new and interesting flavors. We work with three different local coffee companies to produce three different chocolate bars. Each one is unique and special. It is always a lot of fun to work together to create new ideas. We work with small farms and want to continue to support them. Small farms are the backbone of our food system. We love hearing stories from our farmers on how we, and our customers, have helped them. We will continue to support Slow Food USA and our local branch, Cincinnati. Let’s eat!
(President, Maverick Chocolate, Snail of Approval Winner)
Eduardo Rodriguez (Current Board Member, Treasurer)
My name is Eduardo Rodriguez, I am a Foodie and an Ag Engineer with passion for biodiversity, sustainability, and natural food. Throughout my career from farming, corporate America, and food business owner I have implemented farming practices to ensure the farm diverse operations such as crop production and dairy cattle were supporting each other to minimize input of external inputs and chemicals, learned from other cultures to appreciate their food and biodiversity of plants and animals’ breeds, and introduced health nourishing naturally made cheeses and yogurts following traditional methods while supporting local dairy farmers and local economy.
I became aware of Slow Food Cincinnati in 2014, which is backed by the global Slow Food movement with the main purpose to spread the motto for good, clean, and fair food. I felt that the movement and the purpose of my business were a match, so I wanted to help drive awareness of SFC with my business activities. Since then, I have supported the SF movement and so recently in 2019 became a member of the board. I would like to continue being a member of the Slow Food Cincinnati Board and help drive awareness to the public of the food choices they can make to nourish their health and at the same time support biodiversity and the climate.
Wendy Silvius (outgoing Board Chair and current Board Member)
Wendy Silvuis is a teacher, program designer and the developer of community partnerships at Indian Hill High School. Her passion for Slow Food evolved while traveling and meeting farmers in Latin America and Africa. She grew up in the south where food traditions are valued as integral to community and essential to a vibrant life. She has just completed a term as Board Chair for SFC, and now wants to focus her efforts on communications and storytelling to help Cincinnatians envision what good, clean, and fair good is all about.
