In this episode of Know Your Food, we sit down with three people at the heart of New York’s regional grain renaissance: Heidi Dolnick of Unified Mills, Makayla Bunce of Farmer Ground Flour, and Thor Oechsner of Oechsner Farms. Together, they unpack why real flour begins long before the millstones start spinning.

We explore what makes local grains different: how regenerative farming strengthens soil from the roots up, why stone milling preserves flavor and nutrition that industrial flour strips away, and how rebuilding a local grain economy puts value back into farms and communities. This is the story of flour as food, not filler.

This conversation was recorded live as part of our Know Your Food event series at our warehouse in Bushwick. Keep up with our mission to support regenerative agriculture and slowly change how New York eats.

Follow us for exclusive updates, future events, and more on Instagram at @farmtopeople, and visit farmtopeople.com to learn more about how you can get the farmers market delivered to your door.

In this episode of Know Your Food, Tivoli Mushrooms farm director Cory Nellisen joins us to share his path from experimenting with fungi in a garage to managing daily operations at one of New York’s leading mushroom farms. We explore the realities of mushroom cultivation—balancing the science of mycology with production demands, the patience it takes to keep mushrooms thriving year-round, and how trust and teamwork shape life on the farm. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to grow mushrooms for a city like New York, this conversation pulls back the curtain.

This conversation was recorded live as part of our Know Your Food event series at our warehouse in Bushwick. Keep up with our mission to support regenerative agriculture and slowly change how New York eats.

Follow us for exclusive updates, future events, and more on Instagram at @farmtopeople—and visit farmtopeople.com to learn more about how you can get the farmers market delivered to your door.

In this episode of Know Your Food, we sit down with Simon Ziegler, co-founder of Sun Sprout Farms, to explore how a lifelong passion for growing food—and a commitment to ecological stewardship—has shaped one of the Hudson Valley’s most trusted organic produce distributors. Sun Sprout connects small farms to the restaurants, markets, and communities that rely on them, making local food accessible while keeping sustainability at the heart of their work.

We dive into the nuts and bolts of running a local food hub, the delicate balance between scale and integrity, and the ways Simon and his team support regenerative farming practices across the region. From managing seasonal abundance to building strong farmer relationships, Simon shares what it really takes to nourish a resilient food system.

If you care about local farms, sustainable supply chains, or the future of fresh food in New York, you won’t want to miss this conversation.

This episode was recorded live as part of our Know Your Food event series at our warehouse in Bushwick. Keep up with our mission to support regenerative agriculture and slowly change how New York eats. Follow us for exclusive updates, future events, and more on Instagram at @farmtopeople — and visit farmtopeople.com to learn how you can get the farmers market delivered to your door.

 In this episode of Know Your Food, Sarela Herrada, co-founder of Simpli, joins us live in Brooklyn to talk about how her roots in Peru—and her career in mission-driven food—led her to build a pantry brand that’s anything but ordinary. Simpli sources beautiful beans and grains directly from smallholder farmers in Latin America, prioritizing transparency, traceability, and equity every step of the way.

We get into how Simpli is reshaping the conversation around everyday staples, the challenges and rewards of building a values-based supply chain, and how food can be both deeply personal and radically transformative.

If you care about food systems, women-led businesses, or pantry staples with a purpose, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

This conversation was recorded live as part of our Know Your Food event series at our warehouse in Bushwick. Keep up with our mission to support regenerative agriculture and slowly change how New York eats. Follow us for exclusive updates, future events, and more on Instagram at @farmtopeople — and visit farmtopeople.com to learn more about how you can get the farmers market delivered to your door.

In this episode of Know Your Food, Hannah Cheng, co-founder of Mimi Cheng’s, joins us live in Brooklyn to share how she left a career in finance to follow a dream: opening a dumpling shop with her sister. What started as a family recipe has since become a New York City favorite—and now a growing retail brand bringing bold, unexpected flavors to the frozen aisle.

We get into how Mimi Cheng’s blends heritage with innovation, what it takes to scale from restaurant to CPG, and why staying true to flavor and storytelling is at the heart of it all.

If you care about modern Asian-American cooking, women-led food brands, or turning a passion into a business, this is a conversation you’ll want to hear.

This conversation was recorded live as part of our Know Your Food event series at our warehouse in Bushwick. Keep up with our mission to support regenerative agriculture and slowly change how New York eats. Follow us for exclusive updates, future events, and more on Instagram at @farmtopeople—and visit farmtopeople.com to learn more about how you can get the farmers market delivered to your door.

Qiana Mickie, a policy strategist, food justice advocate, and longtime New Yorker, joins us to talk about what it really means to build an equitable food system—from the ground up. As the inaugural Executive Director of NYC’s Office of Urban Agriculture, Qiana is reshaping how city government engages with land, food, and the people most impacted by systemic inequities.

Drawing from years of grassroots organizing and policy work, Qiana shares how her upbringing, community ties, and political clarity have shaped her approach to food justice. She breaks down the connections between land access, equity, and climate resilience—and why true food sovereignty starts with shifting power.

We also get into the role of storytelling in movement work, how urban ag can thrive in unlikely places, and the importance of listening to frontline communities when designing food policy.

If you’ve ever wondered how change really happens—or what a just food future could look like—this episode is for you.

Recorded live at our warehouse in Bushwick as part of the Know Your Food event series.

Follow us on Instagram @farmtopeople for updates on upcoming events—or head to farmtopeople.com to get the farmers market delivered to your door. 🥬🏙️✊

In this episode, we sit down with Nialls Fallon and Leah Campbell—two-thirds of the team behind Minnow, a tinned seafood brand born from New York’s dynamic restaurant scene. As the minds behind beloved spots like Hart’s, Cervo’s, The Fly, and an upcoming oyster bar, they share how their passion for seafood and hospitality inspired them to launch Minnow’s thoughtfully sourced line of tinned fish and seafood products.
Recorded live at Farm to People’s Bushwick warehouse as part of the Know Your Food event series, this conversation explores the connection between restaurant kitchens and food product innovation, the rich history and appeal of tinned seafood, and what it takes to build a brand that honors quality, community, and tradition.

If you’re interested in seafood, NYC’s food culture, or the journey from chef to CPG entrepreneur, this episode is a must-listen.

Follow us on Instagram at @farmtopeople for event updates, and visit farmtopeople.com to get fresh farmers market deliveries to your door.

In this episode of Know Your Food, mushroom farmer and psilocybin advocate Avery Stempel—founder of Collar City Mushrooms in Troy, NY—joins us live in Brooklyn for a conversation on the power of fungi to transform food, health, and community. We get into how mushrooms are redefining urban agriculture, why Avery is pushing for psilocybin legalization in New York State, and how mycelium offers a model for collective care and resilience. If you’re curious about the future of food, mental health, or mycology as activism, this is a must-listen.

This conversation was recorded live as part of our Know Your Food event series at our warehouse in Bushwick. Keep up with our mission to support regenerative agriculture and slowly change how New York eats.

Follow us for exclusive updates, future events, and more on Instagram at @farmtopeople—and visit farmtopeople.com to learn more about how you can get the farmers market delivered to your door.

Writer and cultural critic Alicia Kennedy joins us live in Brooklyn for a wide-ranging conversation on food, media, and the systems that shape what—and how—we eat. We talk about the tension between personal choice and structural barriers to cooking, the role of food journalism in the climate crisis, and the rise of plant-based products backed by Big Food. Alicia also shares her perspective on what it really means to eat locally and sustainably—and why that way of eating shouldn't be reduced to a fleeting trend.

With her signature clarity and insight, Alicia makes the case for a more grounded, thoughtful food culture—one that’s rooted in place, policy, and public good.

Recorded live in Bushwick as part of the Know Your Food event series.

Follow us on Instagram at ⁠@farmtopeople⁠ for updates on upcoming events—or visit ⁠farmtopeople.com⁠ to get the farmers market delivered to your door. 🥕📚

John Ng, founder of Hudson Valley Fisheries, joins us live to unpack the art and science of sustainable aquaculture in the heart of the Hudson Valley. He walks us through how his farm produces flavorful, responsibly raised fish that stand toe-to-toe with their wild-caught cousins—without the environmental catch. Beyond the fish tank, John shares his innovative twist: turning water runoff and farm waste into fuel for a passion project that takes sustainability to the next level, creating a true circular ecosystem.

If you’ve ever wondered what really goes into your seafood—and how thoughtful farming can nurture both the environment and community—this episode is a deep dive you won’t want to miss.

Recorded live as part of the Know Your Food event series.

Follow us on Instagram at ⁠@farmtopeople⁠ for updates on upcoming events—or visit ⁠farmtopeople.com⁠ to get the farmers market delivered right to your door. 🐟🌿