Vision

East End Food is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support, promote and advocate for farmers and producers, while ensuring everyone in the community can enjoy and be nourished by local food. We envision the East End as a place where all farms and food businesses are thriving and supported by an engaged community whose members understand the benefits and uniqueness of local food.

OUR IMPACT
in 2023

  • 28,896 LBS OF LOCAL PRODUCE

    was purchased from local farms and distributed or made into products

  • 4,292 LBS OF COMPOSTED SCRAPS

    were diverted from landfills during processing in partnership with a local nonprofit

  • 140 FARMS & FOOD BUSINESSES

    became members of our local food community to build a more sustainable food system

  • 7 FOOD PANTRY PARTNERS

    provided local produce and products to people in need

  • 5 SCHOOL DISTRICT PARTNERS

    nourished over 9,000 students by enhancing breakfast & lunch menus with local food

  • 3 SENIOR CENTER PARTNERS

    supported local farms by including local food on their lunch menus

Team

Interim Executive Director

Bob Hatton

bob@eastendfood.org

Bob grew up in Western Suffolk County in Lake Grove, NY where he attended Centereach High School. Bob holds a B.A. Drama degree (with a minor in Religious Studies) from Ithaca College. After short stints living in Nantucket, New York City, South America, and the Catskills, Bob lived in Portland, Oregon for 10 years. While in Portland he earned a Masters degree through the Leadership in Ecology, Culture, and Learning program at Portland State University and worked with the Portland Fruit Tree Project for 7 years as the Program Manager. Bob joined the East End Food team in 2018 and brings over 15 years of expertise in project management, logistics and team leadership. Bob holds multiple food safety certifications, including Food Manager and PCQI, reflecting his commitment to quality control and excellence. He manages our current food processing facility in Southampton and has played a pivotal role in shaping the development of East End Food Hub in Riverhead.

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Development Director

Miranda Capriotti

miranda@eastendfood.org

Miranda Capriotti grew up in California, where she studied Clinical Nutrition from the University of California, Davis. Wanting to learn more about the intersection of health and food systems, Miranda spent years farming in Northern California and Italy, and later, diving into the work of community-based nutrition. She has worked in grant-funded program management for over 10 years, focusing on creating accessible nutrition initiatives for underserved communities. Since joining East End Food in 2021, Miranda has taken on the pivotal role of Development Director, spearheading strategic efforts to amplify the impact of East End Food's mission to build a more sustainable and equitable regional food system.

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Food Production Manager

Zachary Cantner

zak@eastendfood.org

Hailing from northern Virginia, Zachary has been working in restaurants for the past twelve years spanning from the multi Ramy Award winning Clarity in Vienna, VA, to Holy Ground in Tribeca, NY. In addition to being a trained chef, he’s a musician, artist and avid gardener. In 2022, Zachary moved to Riverhead to be with his long-time girlfriend, Devin and they welcomed a son, Luca, in 2023. Zachary prides himself on cooking and producing food products with care, all while building positive kitchen culture. He is a certified Suffolk County Food Manager and has completed training in reduced oxygen packaging as well as the production of shelf stable acidified foods.

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Event Manager

Kayla Barthelme

kayla@eastendfood.org

Kayla grew up on Long Island and is proud to call the North Fork her new home. In search of wilder places, she moved north towards the Adirondacks to receive a B.S in Conservation Biology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Her love for plants and nature led her to study permaculture, regenerative farming and herbalism in New York, Oregon, Italy and Hawaii. Eventually finding her way back home in 2016 and putting down roots in Cutchogue while working with Sang Lee Farms and giving back as a community Herbalist. Kayla is very excited to join East End Food and to support this unique local food system.

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Operations Coordinator

Kaysha Haile

kaysha@eastendfood.org

As Operations Coordinator, Kaysha spends her time in the production kitchen, maintaining inventory and developing our product ingredient labels. After being raised upstate near Albany, she graduated from Binghamton University and stayed in the area while working for Wegman's Food Markets and then for the certification agency, NOFA-NY Certified Organic. Kaysha is a member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation, an artist and self-taught baker. She also brings experience from her other hobbies related to growing, foraging and food.

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Food Production Assistant

Eric Adelmann

Eric Adelmann graduated Eastern Suffolk Boces in 2012 with training in food preparation and attended Skills Unlimited, which is a free education program that enables youth to perform academically, socially, and professionally at the highest levels within the parameters of their capabilities. He has worked in food service with Hyatt East End in Riverhead, Lobster Roll, Pulaski Street Grille, Joe's Crab Shack, and For Goodness Cakes. In the summer of 2011, Eric also served as a field hand at Fowler Farms, Inc. He joined the East End Food Institute team in 2020 as a Food Production Assistant, where he supports the kitchen team in processing local farm produce and ensuring a clean facility.

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Food Production Assistant

Robert Miller

As a dedicated member of our team, Robert has deep roots in East End agriculture. Raised on Holzman's Farm in Hampton Bays and having worked at Tate's Farm in Southampton during his youth, Robert embodies a passion for supporting the local food system and giving back to the community.

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Food Production Assistant

Carlos Oregon

Originally from Mexico, Carlos moved to Long Island in 2016 and quickly established roots in the community. He worked for six years at Tate’s Bakeshop and developed a comprehensive knowledge of food production. When not in our kitchen processing local produce, Carlos enjoys spending time at the beach and fishing.

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Food Production Associate

Rachel Schnibbe

rachel@eastendfood.org

Rachel grew up in Nassau County and made her way to the east end working with horses. She has a Chemistry degree from Mary Washington College and a background working in laboratories in the environmental and pharmaceutical fields. After taking time to raise her two children, she joined East End Food Institute. Her responsibilities at EEFI are both in the kitchen and on the road which allows her to participate in the whole process as fresh, local produce arrives in the kitchen to be processed into a meal or shelf stable product and is then delivered to the local community. Rachel enjoys community theater, live music, and walking on the beach.

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Board

Board Co-Chair

Peter Treiber, Sr.

Peter Treiber, Sr. was a longtime summer resident of Orient, New York, moving there permanently with his wife, Irene, in 2023. As Chief Operating Officer of his family’s third generation Property & Casualty Insurance Group, Peter oversaw the success of the company until its sale in 2009. Today, Peter owns Treiber Farms in Peconic, New York, with his wife and son, Peter Treiber, Jr. The 60-acre farm boasts a variety of organically farmed fruits, vegetables, and livestock, supplying to restaurants and individuals across the East End. As a Co-Chair of East End Food’s Board of Directors, Peter brings a depth of professional experience enhanced by years in the field at his family’s farm.

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Board Co-Chair

Debra Halpert

Debra Halpert is the president and CEO of Monroe East Consulting, a marketing and branding activation company that creates, plans, and facilitates programs and initiatives with companies people, products and services. Prior to launching her company 5 years ago, she was the group publisher of Niche Media leading Hamptons Magazine for over 13 years. During her tenure at Hamptons Magazine, she spearheaded the magazine’s growth in all aspects of its business functions including print and digital sales as well as its marketing platforms. Halpert lives in East Quogue, New York with her husband David Greenberg. She is the mother of three grown children Brittany, Chelsea and Julian Dankner and son in law Lee Jones and step mother of Jason and Melissa Greenberg and grandmother to Ellah and Eli Greenberg.

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Board Vice Chair

Cindi Crain

Cindi Crain is a freelance journalist with extensive media and travel experience. She served on the board of directors of her family’s business-media empire, Crain Communications, for many years; founded the glossy Golf & Travel magazine; and earned a master’s degree from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. She lived in Kenya for 6 years where in 2001 she founded VirginBush Safaris, a conservation-minded safari company in East Africa which she continues to manage from the East End. Cindi also proudly serves on the Transgender and Gender Non-Binary Patient and Family Advisory Council at NYU Langone Health in New York City and serves as a board member of Goat on a Boat puppet theatre in Sag Harbor.

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Board Secretary

Evan Mason

Evan Mason is founder of Deco Works/Evan Mason Designs, a sustainable interior design firm that performs a range of design and energy services. Her background in historic preservation, energy efficiency, green building and landscaping informs her unique interior design perspective. In addition to running her design firm, Evan consults for a woman-owned engineering firm, conducting energy audits, green physical needs assessments and inspections of NYC buildings. These projects include ice rinks, nursing homes, affordable housing residential projects, brownstone renovations and apartments.

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Board Member

Amy Dorn Kopelan

Amy Dorn Kopelan is Executive Producer, President and Founder of Bedlam Productions Inc., a leading media training, presentation coaching, and conference strategy company that has been training CEOs and senior leaders for over 25 years. Having launched her company in 1999, Amy’s clients range from leaders of Fortune 500 companies, universities, and entrepreneurial ventures to leaders in medicine, technology, and government. Over the last several months, Amy has worked with EEFI as a volunteer in the kitchen and has begun to provide branding and marketing advice, as well as executive coaching.

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Board Member

Andrew Mintzer

Andrew Mintzer recently retired after spending over 30 years working in various senior executive roles in the financial technology sector. During his career in high growth public companies, he had the opportunity to work across all functions, build high performing teams, establish partnership programs and manage complex vendor and client relationships. Andrew became passionate about East End Food’s mission while volunteering in the kitchen and at East End Food Market. He currently resides in Amagansett with his wife Susan where they enjoy frequent visits from their 3 children.

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Board Member

Anthony Cappa

Anthony Cappa has been providing executive-level management consulting services for more than 20 years. He has wide-ranging experience working with Fortune 500 corporations, nonprofits, and start-up companies. After a corporate career at IBM and Credit Suisse, he worked with several entrepreneurial ventures and served in numerous leadership positions, including CEO and CIO. He has helped organizations with strategic planning, business development, marketing, and raising investment capital. Anthony lives in Sag Harbor and is an advocate for EEFI’s important programs here on the East End. As a member of the Outreach Committee, he has used his skills to help improve marketability for EEFI products.

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Board Member

Claudia Pilato

Claudia Pilato is the founder and president of Pilato PR + Marketing Consultants, a firm that brings strategic thinking and smart marketing skills to a diverse group of businesses and nonprofit organizations. Her background includes founding the firm Goebel Kirk & Pilato PR in Philadelphia, and after moving to the East End, serving as VP, Director Marketing for BNB Bank, developing brand strategy for its significant growth , which included three acquisitions. A community activist, Claudia has been involved in many non-profit organizations on the East End. She serves as Co-Chair of the Board of The Retreat, a domestic violence prevention agency and shelter, and is a founding member of All For The East End. AFTEE is currently focused on understanding and quantifying food insecurity across the five east end towns.

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Board Member

Sheri Sandler

Sheri Sandler has a deep passion for food that originates from her family’s history in the business of sourcing and selling fish. She has served on numerous nonprofit boards to promote the arts, as well as ensuring safety and empowerment for women and girls of all backgrounds. As a member of East End Food Institute's Board of Directors, Sheri lends her wide array of talents and interests to provide healthy local food to those in need, support local farms and food producers, and grow a network of supporters to help create a better local food system.

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Board Member

Mark-Antonio Smith

Mark-Antonio Smith is a former educator who has taught in the elementary education setting for the past 20 years in Los Angeles, CA, and Brooklyn, NY. During this period, he was given the opportunity to integrate his experiences in agriculture to the school’s existing curriculum. Having taught in both traditional and progressive settings, his experiences have shaped his conviction that children learn more deeply through their own experiences. In 2014, he created The Nurtury For Kids, a nonprofit that strives to create an atmosphere that affords children the opportunity to choose how they interact with regenerative and sustainable agriculture while demonstrating that growing food is possible in many spaces.

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Board Member

Mark Smith

A native of the New York metropolitan area, Mark Smith is the managing partner of Honest Man Company based in East Hampton. The restaurant management company operates five unique concepts in the Hamptons including one of the most eponymous restaurants in the Hamptons, Nick & Toni’s, who pioneered the farm to table movement utilizing local bounty. Additional restaurants include: Rowdy Hall, a pub/bistro venture in East Hampton, La Fondita, a Mexican taqueria in Amagansett, Townline BBQ, an authentic BBQ joint in Sagaponack and Coche Comedor, a regional Mexican cuisine restaurant in Amagansett. Honest Man also operates Honest Catering producing memorable events in the Hamptons.

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Board Member

Deborah Van Zijl

Deborah Van Zijl currently works as a wealth management advisor. She had a lengthy career in banking in New York City and was a partner of a private consulting firm. Deborah earned an MBA from Wake Forest University School of Business and a BA in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Originally from North Carolina, her relatives still own an over 100-year-old farm where she experienced farm to table food production firsthand with her grandparents. She currently lives in Southampton, NY with her husband Rick and has two children.

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