Owner & Co-Founder
Co-Founder
We started Family Dinner in 2017 with the mission of creating community around local food and the people who grow it. Our aim was to use data and technology to shorten and strengthen the local food supply chain, reduce waste in the system, and give smaller businesses a chance to compete on a larger stage.
Operating out of our apartment, we started with a small group of willing friends and family. We scoured local farms and markets for interesting ingredients, packed them up and delivered them to eager friends, grateful for the hugs and high-fives given at their doorsteps.
In the Fall of 2017, we joined Foundation Kitchen, a shared culinary workspace in Somerville, MA, and began to broaden our reach. We have since bootstrapped from 10 weekly customers to almost 700 families in the Greater Boston area, and work with over 80 local farms, growers, and purveyors.
Put people above profit in order to ensure that our partners, our team, and our community is cared for.
Use data and analytics to help us reinvent the local food supply chain, eliminate waste, and help farmres sell everything they grow.
If it doesn’t taste good, what’s the point? Curate only the best local ingredients to share with our community.
Family Dinner scours the region for the best New England has to offer: organic vegetables the week they are harvested; quality dairy, eggs, and meats; just-baked breads and grains; fresh, locally caught fish and seafood; and special ingredients from organic corn tortillas to local wildflower honey to exotic mushrooms to artisanal cheeses.
Each week, we select our ingredients in partnership with people who have dedicated their lives to mastering their craft. They are farmers, butchers, bakers, cheese makers, pasta producers, and spice savants.
But they are also our neighbors. What’s in our shares is from our communities—food from where you live to enrich how you live.
Here are just a few of our partners who will be sharing their best with you:
Brookford Farm (Canterbury, NH)
Brookford Farm provides Family Dinner with incredibly delicious, certified organic vegetables, pasture-raised meats, eggs, and dairy. These guys can do it all. We originally found Brookford through Pam Denholm at South Shore Organics. They came highly recommended and have delivered on all of their promises.
Carlson Orchards (Harvard, MA)
Carlson Orchards was founded in 1936 by Walter and Eleanor Carlson. In the late sixties, the farm specialized in fruits with apples being the main crop. The Carlsons are dedicated to growing the best tree fruits, and producing the best apple cider. It is a beautiful place to visit, grab some fruit and have cold cider on the deck.
Clark Farm is dedicated to producing certified organic fruits, vegetables, and micro-greens as well as raising goats, sheep, pasture pork, and laying hens. The land the farm sits on has been in agriculture production since the 1700s and couldn’t be more beautiful.
Fat Moon Farm (Westford, MA)
Fat Moon began commercial production of mushrooms in 2016, and is woman-owned and operated! Elizabeth Almeida got the idea to produce mushrooms from a project she did with her son. She now gets to live out her values at Fat Moon, where she produces healthy foods, recycles/reuses farm waste, and provides jobs for her community. All of which is right up our alley here at Family Dinner!
Feather Brook Farms (Raynham, MA)
Feather Brook Farms was founded by Tad Largey and his family. Feather Brook supplies us with free-range, antibiotic-free chicken, eggs, pork, and beef. You'll also see his products popping up in menus around town. When we first tried Tad's chicken, we were blown away—it was the most delicious chicken we've ever tasted. Tad is wonderful, and he looks great in overalls, to boot.
Five College Farms (Hadley, MA)
It is a beautiful drive out to Hadley to visit these guys. They are 72 acre certified organic farm, including two acres of greenhouse space. They specialize in several varieties of heirloom tomatoes which you can enjoy right from their greenhouse, even in the dead of winter.
Heron Pond Farm (South Hampton, NH)
Heron Pond Farm is owned and operated by Greg Balog and Andre Cantelmo. Friends from college where they studied soil science, they have been a team for twenty years. Heron Pond is a four season farm that grows over 250 varieties of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers. We love visiting their farm store and picking up the best greens all year round.
Kitchen Garden Farm (Sunderland, MA)
KGF is owned and operated by Tim Wilcox and Caroline Pam, who founded it in 2006 on just 1 acre of land. One food-obsessed and one cooking enthusiast later, KGF now consists of 50 acres they are converting to Organic production. Caroline and Tim are committed to growing healthy soils by cultivating a wide range of biodiverse crops and improving crop rotation. Which is a mission we can stand behind!
Red’s Best was founded in 2006 by Jared Auerbach. They are a Boston-based seafood wholesaler which aggregates from small, community-based fishing boats. Their mission is to support the livelihoods of American fishermen while sustaining fisheries for harvest. They've had a lot of success doing it, too. We share this mission and are proud to buy our fish from the folks at Red's Best.
Bell & Goose Cheese Co. (South Hampton, NH)
Owned and operated by Anna Hayward Cantelmo, Bell & Goose (loosely named after her two kids) produces handmade, small-batch, farmhouse cheese using high-quality milk from nearby Bodwell Family Farm. The Hunca Munca (a pasteurized baby Swiss) melts beautifully, goes great on salads with apples, and is terrific for snacking anytime.
High Lawn Farm (Lee, MA)
High Lawn Farm was founded in 1923 and in 1934 Marjorie and Colonel Wilde took over. Marjorie was a brilliant woman, much like our own fearless leader. She became a world-renowned pioneer in the field of Jersey Cow breeding. That said, her cows, which can trace lineage back to when she was a young girl, can produce milk that is richer in protein and calcium than any other. Which, if you ask us, makes for great cheeses and butter!
LILLOOET SHEEP & CHEESERY (BOXFORD, MA)
Founded in 2015 by Gillian Marino and Nathaniel Higley, Lillooet's goal is to bring their community together around sustainably raised, hand-crafted, small-batch cheeses. With a small team of hard-working and passionate humans, they are doing just that. Quality will always win over quantity, and it's why we love them here at Family Dinner.
Mozzarella House (Peabody, MA)
Cheesemakers in business since 1989, Mozzarella House uses authentic cheese-making techniques for each of its all-natural small batches of cheese, all made from scratch with raw milk from local dairy farms. We’re big fans of the original mozzarella: super fresh with no additives in sight.
A&J King (Salem, MA)
Opened in 2006 by Jackie and Andy King, A&J has been baking some of the best bread and pastry products on the market ever since. When they deliver products for shares, we are always hard-pressed not to try all the goodies. We promise it's worth the wait.
Forge Baking Company (Somerville, MA)
Owned by Jennifer Park and Tucker Lewis, Forge is managed by a Family Dinner friend and wonderful human being, Court Verhaalen. Under their watchful eye, this magical bakery/kitchen produces high-quality pastries, breads, granola, and even some of our vegetarian proteins! (The focaccia and brown butter chocolate chip cookies are team favorites!) One of the best things about Forge is that everything is made with locally sourced and organic ingredients whenever possible.
When you walk into Iggy's bakery in Cambridge, you are hit with a wave of aromas that lift your spirit. There is simply nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread, and this bread is just incredible. Iggy's makes natural, European-style loaves for customers in the Boston area. They share our values and our love for delicious baked goods.
Brewers Crackers (Somerville, MA)
Kyle, owner and head baker at Brewer’s crackers uses the spent grains from local breweries to produce delicious, sustainable crackers and flatbreads. We love the focus on eliminating waste and creating tasty snacks!
Curio Spice Co. (Cambridge, MA)
Claire at Curio specializes in sustainably and ethically sourced spices from around the world. She makes thoughtful spice mixes that are inspired by her travels and is always willing to offer recipe and cooking advice. The beautiful shop on Mass Ave. in Cambridge is worth a visit to restock your spice shelf and get inspired.
Dave's Fresh Pasta (Somerville, MA)
Dave started what we now know as DFP in 1999, and it was a party! Over the years, he’s expanded the shop to include housemade sandwiches, spreads, pesto, lasagnas, prepared foods, and so much more. Right alongside us, he believes in supporting local businesses! There is nothing like an excellent sammie to make any day a good one!
Vanessa and Casey White are two sisters making traditional Polish pierogi using their grandpa’s, or dziadziu's (Jaju's), recipes. Everything is handmade from scratch, from mashing potatoes to making and cutting the dough, with straightforward filling ingredients sourced locally.
Lark Fine Foods (Essex, MA)
Lark was established in 2008 and is 100% women-owned and operated! They specialize in what they call "cookies for grown-ups" as well as savory biscuits. They use aromatics herbs, savory spices, and hand-crafted confections in their products, and all ingredients are locally sourced when possible.
Littleburg (Somerville, MA)
Founded as a pop-up concept in 2017 by Chef/Owner Graham Boswell, Littleburg now has a brick-and-mortar in Union Square. They are 100% vegan and delicious. The offerings are inspired by flavors from cuisines found in Greece, Turkey, Morocco, Israel, and others. If you get a chance, you should try anything with the almond tzatziki. (It's one of our favorites!)
Magic Bites (Arlington, MA)
Atilla and Elif Ozkefeli moved from their native Turkey to Arlington, MA and had the idea to start a bakery with the freshest, healthiest ingredients possible. The result is a wide variety of meze, or appetizers. Creamy hummus, warm cheese filled pide and a dozen other delights make their way into the Family Dinner shares, always to rave reviews.
McCrea’s Candies (Hyde Park, MA)
Jason McCrea, Chief Caramel Scientist (awesome title, right?), produces handcrafted, luxe caramel candies that start with slow-cooked butter and sugar; milk from the local dairy is slowly added as are real-food flavorings. The caramel is rolled by hand and sent through a restored early twentieth-century cutting and wrapping machine.
Mi Tierra Tortillas (Hadley, MA)
From their site: “Mi Tierra started as a dream of Jorge and Dora's to bring authentic Mexican food to Western Massachusetts. We are continuing that dream by making tortillas in the ancient 'nixtamalazation' process, no chemicals, no additives, just 100% corn in the way our forefathers intended. Mi Tierra Tortillas are made from 100% non-GMO, locally grown corn from the Connecticut Valley Region. Corn, water, and lime. Those are the only ingredients we use and the only ingredients they need!"
Q’s is a small family owned and operated nut company out of Somerville, MA. Their line of sweet and savory nuts are a great addition to any meal or nice to have as a snack on the run. When they are cooking you can smell the deliciousness for blocks.
Seven Hills Pasta (Melrose, MA)
At Seven Hills Pasta, owners Carol and Giulio combine their Italian tradition and American heritage to bring their passion for rustic Italian pasta here to New England. They also share our belief that great food can bring people together and create strong communities!
Valicenti Pasta (Hollis, NH)
David Valicenti, who is known for being the "Red Gravy" Guy here in New England, works with a small group of people who work hard to make beautiful fresh pasta, ravioli, and small-batch sauces. Their mission is to grow, source, produce, and provide good, wholesome, locally made food to their neighbors and the surrounding New England communities.
