Food Connects extends a warm welcome to Scott Berzofsky, our new Food Hub Operations Coordinator. Residing in Putney, VT, Scott has worked to promote food justice and support local food systems for over a decade, most recently as the co-owner of Avenue Grocery in Brattleboro.
From 2007 to 2010, Scott helped found a community garden on a vacant lot in East Baltimore; By leveraging grant funding and grass-roots organizing, they engaged community members in the initiative so that it grew to be self-sustaining. Scott also worked on Calvert’s Gift Farm, a small organic farm in Baltimore County as part of a program through the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension focused on apprenticing younger generations.
At his core, Scott is an artist, organizer, and educator. He taught courses in the Sustainability & Social Practice Concentration at the Maryland Institute College of Art and holds a Master of Science in Art, Culture, and Technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Scott recognizes the intersection of the arts and food. “Both are about aesthetics—our senses. And how we experience the world,” says Scott. “Food is the way most people connect to the natural world and local food systems are critical for creating healthy and sustainable communities. I’m excited to work at Food Connects to help build a strong local food system and increase food justice and access to healthy food.”
“We are so psyched to have Scott on board,” says McKenna, Food Hub Operations Manager. “Scott brings with him many meaningful relationships with local farmers, producers, and customers in our region. Coupled with his passion for social justice and local food systems, I know he is a valuable asset to our team.”
So what are Scott’s fun facts? He and his partner have a newborn, he loves Vietnamese food and all the amazing Mexican restaurants in the Brattleboro area, and fondly remembers spending Christmases with his Norwegian grandmother dancing and singing around a Christmas tree in the center of the living room. Welcome Scott!