Founder & Visionary

Raven “RAYE” | PRONOUNS: She / They / Ella

Support Raye, her art, writing, and food sovereignty work here: www.patreon.com/rayeamandla

I am an Artist, Culture Creator, Community Cultivator, sommelier & hospitality professional who has worked in various parts of the food and wine industries, with my knowledge culminating from my work in various restaurants, wineries, food & beverage media, and retail between the NYC area & CT.

I come from a long lineage of African American & Jamaican farmers and I'm inspired by the activism and love of my great-grandparents, grandmothers, and parents. My food justice lens has also been shaped by experiencing food apartheid for most of my life while working in the hospitality/food & beverage media industries, where I noticed a harmful trend; the projection of false perfection and erasure of global majority culinarians, narratives of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), and recognition of BIPOC’s contributions to the culinary world. My commitment to food sovereignty is rooted in my core belief that our stories, real food, our healing, as well as safe, healthy environments and climate resiliency, are absolutely essential for all living beings and the earth. These values led me to create Love Fed New Haven in February 2018.

I am an alumna of Soul Fire Farm’s Farmer Immersion Program and a former member of the Northeast Farmers of Color Network (NEFOC).