Kate Radosevic Joins Local First Arizona’s Local Foods Team
Local First Arizona Foundation is pleased to welcome Kate Radosevic to our growing Local Foods team. As Local Foods Development Coordinator, Kate will be responsible for managing and growing Good Food Finder AZ, Local First Arizona Foundation’s local food directory. She will also help support our local food-related events like the Arizona Farmer+Chef Connection and Food and Farm Finance Forum, and support other food initiatives around the state. Get to know Kate through our introductory survey:
Q: What drew you to Local First Arizona?
A: I grew up in the Verde Valley on goat milk and goat milking. With the fresh raw milk, I loved making cheese, cheesecake, butter, soap, ice cream… you name it, and I probably tried making it.
I began wholesaling these products, and as a young entrepreneur I quickly became aware of how much I was benefiting from my community’s support: local wineries were my biggest customers, community elected officials visited my farm to meet my goats, and a local grocery store helped me learn to source my main ingredients more efficiently. This community support enabled me to grow a prosperous business, and become intimately aware of the partnership that exists between me and my food, as well as between me and my community.
Local First Arizona’s commitment to building an Arizona that is environmentally and economically sustainable is a mission that hits close to come for me. I love our Sonoran Desert –– it is such a unique biome with endless production potential for the local farmer, the backyard gardener, and the native plant forager alike. I am genuinely stoked to join Local First Arizona as the Local Foods Development Coordinator — to spend my days surrounded by others who love this place as much as I do, working to make our community even better.
Q: What is your favorite local business and why?
A: I am floored by all the work that is being done by Recycled City LLC and their efforts to turn our community’s food “trash” into compost treasure. And as rad as it is that they pick up the food scraps from my house weekly, by bicycle, they’re doing more than just working in the dirt. They’re also in the trenches with other businesses and nonprofits working to reform Maricopa County’s food system and re-think business as usual.
Q: Tell us about one of your life’s passions: