I was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. I grew up escaping busy city life by getting out to the countryside to ride horses. When I was 21, I went to school to become a chef. Although I loved to cook, I felt that my life’s calling had not yet been discovered.

In 2010, I was traveling in Florida when the tragic British Petroleum oil rig started spewing crude into the ocean. I felt helpless and I knew then I wanted to train so that I would have some power of knowledge when future environmental disasters hit. I had always felt a call towards working with nature, and this significant event led me down the path of ecological restoration, “the science of hope”.

I successfully completed a Bachelor of Science in Ecological Restoration at Trent University. Followed by a Master of Science in Ecological Restoration specializing in bioremediation using fungi at Simon Fraser University. Throughout my studies, I became increasingly fascinated by mushrooms. They are specialized organisms that are the earths’ decomposers. They can clean up soils by secreting extracellular enzymes that can break apart toxic organic compounds such as crude oil. Further, they are highly nutritious and medicinal.

My education was transformational and highly valuable. However, I found that the field of ecological restoration failed to recognize that improving farming practices and diversifying farming systems is an integral part of restoring landscapes. The Farm allows me to integrate my passions and training in all sectors. I get to grow amazing clean and medicinal foods to cook with and to share. I get to work with nature on a practical level, and I get to study complex ecological systems daily.