Executive Director

Melissa brings her exceptional organizational skills and passion for community building to the County Food Hub. As a founding board member of CFH and a local business owner and entrepreneur, she has been deeply involved in guiding the Hub’s growth and supporting its mission.

As a mother of children attending Sophiasburgh Central School, Melissa has witnessed firsthand the positive impact CFH has in fostering local connections and opportunities. Her dedication to strengthening the community and supporting local entrepreneurs is at the heart of her work at the Hub, helping ensure that CFH continues to be a vibrant resource for Prince Edward County.

Interim Chair & Treasurer

Alexander “Sandy” Murray
A result oriented financial professional with over five decades of diversified experience in Public Accounting and as Chief Financial Officer in both private and publicly listed companies. The later part of his career was spent in Public Accounting in Prince Edward County. Sandy has extensive experience both sitting on Boards and being a financial and risk advisor to boards of directors, both in the non-profit/charitable sector and the for-profit private and public enterprises. Sandy graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from Dalhousie University and has held his Chartered Professional Accountants degree in Canada for 50 years and the USA for 25 years.

Vice-President of the Board & Head of Program Committee

Kerri has worked in the food and health fields as a holistic nutritionist, educator and cook for over 2 decades. She (her) is part owner/operator along with her husband Sean of 'Roots Kitchen' prepared meal delivery, operating in PEC since 2018. Roots Kitchen has been a tenant of the CFH since 2022. Kerri joined the board in 2023 to bring her passion for food security and education to help grow the community programming at the food hub. In her spare time you can find Kerri talking to plants in her garden with her cat Katniss by her side.

Secretary of the Board & Program Committee

Lindsay Forsey is a communications professional with two decades of combined experience working and volunteering in the nonprofit sector, in Canada and abroad. As a social-purpose entrepreneur, she once spent countless hours baking granola in a cooperative kitchen. Lindsay lives in Demorestville with her family and loves a good kitchen party.

Director of the Board & Program Committee

Karen Palmer is a former journalist and author of Spellbound: Inside West Africa’s Witch Camps. Her journalism has appeared in the Toronto Star, Washington Times, Sydney Morning Herald and South China Morning Post. Her fiction has appeared in Don’t Honk Twice: A Prince Edward County Anthology and the Dalhousie Review. An avid kayaker and yoga practitioner, she spends summer months taking a pick-axe to Hillier's notoriously rocky soil in search of gardening success. She works with the municipal government, connecting community builders and supporting local businesses in growing and diversifying.

Director of the Board & Head of Fundraising Committee

A County girl at heart, Vanessa was born in Picton and loved and appreciated the joy and privilege of spending time at her family cottage on Salmon Point for 60+ years. She and her husband, Richard, were able to fulfill their dream of retiring to the County 8 years ago. It is important to her to “do unto others” through volunteering. She has vast volunteer experience including: The Regent Theatre, Hospice Prince Edward, with the Demorestville W.I., as well as food security group Food to Share and most recently with the hospital auxiliary. She became more engaged with the County Food Hub volunteering through Food to Share and her desire to keep Sophiasburgh Central School open. Her happy place is in the kitchen and the making and sharing of food with others is an expression of love.

Director of the Board & Program Committee

Bree Seeley is a seasoned chef and former entrepreneur with fourteen years of experience in kitchen operations and service. She is currently focused on transforming her commercial practice into food solutions for the social sector. With a wealth of ideas and a belief in the abundance of delicious whole foods, Bree is particularly passionate about driving change in the school food landscape, recognizing that various models will be necessary. She understands the effort required to overcome the challenges of food helplessness. She is currently working on a post grad certificate in Food Security at Toronto Metropolitan university. Additionally, Bree is also a master preservist, emphatic that there should be a pickled something, on every plate.

Operations Coordinator

A proud graduate of Cape Breton University, Mitchell brings a strong foundation in business and project management to the County Food Hub team. In addition to his work as Project Manager for Peg’s Patties, he applies his skills in organization, strategy, and community building to help CFH grow and thrive.

At the Hub, Mitchell leads the development, execution, and monitoring of our social media strategy, ensuring that our story and the successes of our members reach a wide audience. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for supporting local entrepreneurs, he helps strengthen our online presence and connect us with the broader community.

Whether it’s highlighting the achievements of our kitchen members, sharing resources, or showcasing upcoming programs, Mitchell ensures our digital communications reflect the energy and impact of everything we do.

Past President and Advisory Committee

A Canadian Screen Award winning television executive and producer, Anne Marie Varner has held a multitude of positions in the Broadcast and Production sectors over the last 3 decades. Most recently, under her own banner of Varner Productions Limited, she produced two ground-breaking television series for the Accessible Media network (AMI) that explored food and current affairs through the lens of those with vision limitations and disabilities. A Canadian Screen Award winner, she has held positions as Executive Producer of Discovery Channel’s news series “Daily Planet”; Head of Canadian Production at Global Television and; is the former Chief Executive Officer of the Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation.

Special Advisory Committee

Albert Ponzo is the Executive Chef of The Royal Hotel in Picton. Albert brings over two decades of food knowledge and experience in sustainable farming as well as nose-to-tail eating. With a passion for working closely with nature and sourcing ethically produced ingredients in a sustainable manner; Albert strives to prepare farm-driven food with the best seasonal local ingredients at their ripest time. Prior to joining The Royal, Albert served as Executive Chef at Toronto's iconic Le Sélect Bistro where he was the creative force behind the restaurant’s contemporary rendition of classic French cuisine. He is a strong supporter of SlowFood Toronto and has received numerous awards, including: 2015 Winner of Toronto’s Cochon 555 Heritage BBQ, 2014 Awarded Fellow of the Ontario Hostelry Institute and 2012 Winner of Ocean Wise Toronto Chowder Chowdown. He has also worked at celebrated Toronto restaurants Canoe and Crush Wine Bar. In his spare time, Albert volunteers with organizations focused on food education and sustainability and supports the work of the County Food Hub, Second Harvest Food Bank, The Stop (Community Food Centres), The Child Development Institute, and many others.