Meet the Team
We at Good Food Oxfordshire have a fantastic team of talented individuals, some regular staff members, volunteers, consultants, and more.
LEARN MORE
We at Good Food Oxfordshire have a fantastic team of talented individuals, some regular staff members, volunteers, consultants, and more.
LEARN MORE
Fiona joined GFO in 2020, after working in a variety of roles across non-profit organisations including supporting social enterprises and social entrepreneurs in building impactful, purpose-driven businesses. Prior to this, Fiona was a management consultant, so the team often finds themselves navigating the occasional 2x2 matrix (don’t worry, she knows how to put that hat aside!). But what truly sparks Fiona’s interest is the human side of food—the stories, connections, and joy it brings to people’s lives. At GFO, she’s excited to be part of a team that helps nourish communities and create meaningful connections through good food. After much deliberation (and several taste tests!), Fiona has crowned squash as her current favourite vegetable… but who knows what will win her heart next!
Rachel began her career as a Medical Secretary and has since held various administrative roles. During the COVID pandemic, she volunteered on an administrative basis for Good Food Oxfordshire (GFO) while caring for her father, supporting community food services in Oxfordshire. Impressed with her commitment, GFO offered her a job continuing to do the latter, and she now also oversees operations for OxFarmToFork (a dynamic role she finds both thrilling and challenging!). The aims of GFO closely align with Rachel’s desire to see everyone able to enjoy nature-friendly, fresh produce that’s sustainable for our planet. Rachel’s favourite vegetable is beetroot (with Blackland Organics aubergine a close second), which she enjoys in sandwiches, salads, or even on pizza with spinach and feta!
After many years working in a food business in London, centered around sustainability and using the highest quality organic produce, Jess decided to embark on a change of scenery and move to east Oxford. With a varied background in project management in community development, and then comms and management of a small business, Jess combined these skills and experiences and joined Good Food Oxfordshire. Jess leads on a few different projects, as well as coordinating the thriving GFO network and overseeing GFO’s comms. Her favourite veg is the humble (home-grown) courgette, sauteed with garlic, olive oil and a little salt.
Kelsi joined GFO in February 2023, bringing a diverse skill set that spans journalism, publishing, comms and project management for non-profits. With her background in human rights, Kelsi is passionate about equality, particularly in ensuring fair access to food. Originally from the Bahamas, she has lived in various corners of the UK (from Wales to Cornwall) since 2008 but the vibrant East Oxford community is her favourite home-from-home. A vegetarian since she was a teenager, avid cook and a passionate gardener, Kelsi found it hard to pick her favourite vegetable but pumpkin (which doubles as her family nickname) shines through in her favourite dishes, whether it’s in a curry, pasta or chili.
Aside from her attempts at growing her own vegetables (with limited success!), Janie has been helping others cultivate food for nearly 20 years. She has set up school vegetable patches, established a community garden, run Incredible Edible Lambeth, where she promoted and supported numerous community gardens throughout the Borough. After moving to Oxford four years ago, Janie joined GFO in 2022. She now leads the OxFarmToFork initiative, assisting farmers in selling directly to local institutions. Janie’s favorite vegetables are beans (broad, pea, French, and runner) which she enjoys raw or lightly steamed for just two minutes.
Having started as volunteer at GFO in 2024, Rose is excited to be joining the team in her new role. Rose started life as a production manager in opera working across Ireland and England as well as touring globally. Later, she retrained, transitioning to the tech world to work as an account manager in a rapidly expanding sector. However, life changed again with a move abroad and she started 15 years working in the volunteer sector with many and varied roles from teaching to being a charity trustee. Having been born on a working farm, Rose is excited to now be returning to her roots and be involved in work she loves: assisting farmers growing healthy food to sell more locally. Her favourite vegetable might have to be the potato in all its varied forms and a humble companion that can offer something different at every meal.
Will had been in customer service for many years, when he discovered cycling as a stress-buster and rapidly transformed into a fully-fledged MAMIL (middle-aged man in lycra). He and Jake combined their shared passions and formed Velocity in 2022. Will loves nothing more than delivering the OxFarmToFork goods to the colleges and getting first-hand feedback on the produce from the chefs themselves. Will's favourite vegetable is cauliflower, especially when accompanied by a quality cheese sauce!
After 15 years in the organic vegetable industry, Jake decided to find a more sustainable way of delivering the goods so co-founded Velocity. Bringing together a love of agro-ecological food production and zero-emission transport has been a great mix and the perfect fit for the OxFarmToFork project. Jake's favourite vegetable is fennel, which he likes to slow roast with olive oil, garlic and a handful of parmesan.
Bart Ashton (Chair)
Stuart Newstead (Company Secretary)
Susan Thomas
Madeleine Bastawrous
Good Food Oxfordshire welcome regular interns and volunteers. Please get in touch with mail@gfo.org.uk if you're interested in volunteering with us.