Melissa Kogu
t
Melissa Kogut became Executive Director of Chefs Collaborative, one of the founding chef voices steering the conversation in the local, sustainable food movement, in August, 2007. In the past 2-1/2 years, Melissa has focused the organization’s resources on expanding the depth, reach and effectiveness of its educational and community building programs for chefs and the greater food community. Melissa has a background in nonprofit management and community organizing. Prior to her position with Chefs Collaborative, she served for 11 years as executive director of NARAL Massachusetts, a statewide organization that advocates for women’s health. In 2006, Melissa received the Abigail Adams Award from the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus, which recognizes and honors outstanding women leaders. Melissa also has several years experience working in the restaurant industry and a longstanding interest in food, the environment, and sustainability issues.
Leigh Belanger 
Leigh is the Program Director for Chefs Collaborative, where she develops and directs educational initiatives aimed at making sustainability second nature for every chef in the U.S. She also researches, writes, and edits the Collaborative’s publications.
A Massachusetts native and a graduate of The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, Leigh has been food-focused since high school. She is working on her Masters degree in Food Studies at Boston University and contributes food -related stories to the Boston Globe and Edible Boston. She has a weakness for charcuterie, thrift stores, and music and food from New Orleans.
Alida Cantor
Alida is the Project Coordinator for the 2010 RAFT heirloom vegetable Grow-Out. She spends her time coordinating a partnership between farmers, chefs, media members and the public; facilitating the delicious magic that happens when locally grown, historically significant heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables are grown by awesome farmers and then put in the hands of talented area chefs.
Before joining the Chefs Collaborative, Alida got her Masters Degree in community development and sustainable food systems from the University of California at Davis and worked as a researcher with the California Institute for Rural Studies. Alida fell in love with both Massachusetts and farming during college, and recently returned from California in order to start her own organic farm with her family. She now spends her weekends on the farm—planting seeds, pulling weeds, harvesting, attending farmers markets, and of course, cooking and eating as much fresh produce as possible.
