Rebecca Fresco, Melissa Kelli, & Faith Cohen

Pie Ranch: Food Education

Pie Ranch
Pescadero, California

Pie Ranch has been partnering with public schools since 2005, when it began working with the youth at Mission High School in San Francisco. In its first year, the Youth Program served 50 students; now, it reaches more than 500-1000 young people each year.
Pie Ranch's Food Education Program seeks to help students make cross-curricular connections that attempt to advance a comprehensive understanding of how the food we eat has economic, social, environmental, and political implications—on the micro and macro level. All their youth programs occur at the main Pie Ranch location at 2080 Cabrillo Hwy, Pescadero. Under this program, the youth get to experience a working farm, glean a basic understanding of where their food comes from, and, most importantly, build a connection to nature. All one-time visitors receive an introduction to the concept of food justice. Repeat and overnight visits are encouraged so that youth can witness the changing of the seasons on the farm, participate in farm chores or a pie bake to gain a deeper appreciation for what it takes to produce food from the soil and in the kitchen, and to build trust and respect for our food, the land and the relationships that nourish us all.

This program is well established, and under that premise, we see it as sufficiently completed and a prime candidate for a case study rather than something we are trying to influence. It was designed with the core intention of building connection with nature among youth to elicit a greener future. The Pie Ranch team does a lot of different activities, but this specific program is approached from a holistic lens in that is catalyzes potential among future generations rather than solving a problem. All that to say, we believe this program adequately meets the project criteria.

https://www.pieranch.org/