Conscious Kitchen recently ventured to Southern California for our first-ever Fresh, Local, Organic Culinary Workshop in the region. Before the big day, we spent time on the ground, learning from the local organic farmers who make this work possible.
Farm Visits and Local Insights
We began our journey in Ventura County with a visit to Churchill Orchards in Ojai, where Jim Churchill and his right-hand man, Mike Sullivan, gave us a warm welcome and an unforgettable tour. As we walked the orchards, we tasted citrus bursting with the region’s signature balance of sweetness and acidity and learned how the region’s unique climate contributes to some of the best citrus in the state.
The next day, we met with Jason Lesh of Farm Cart Organics and visited Jose Alcantar, owner of Alcantar Organic Farm. Jose shared a sobering reality facing the local organic community: a local nursery that many growers relied on for transplants had recently lost its organic certification due to a lapse in paperwork, resulting in several farms losing theirs, too. While grant money exists to support farmers through crises like this, there’s a lack of hands-on technical assistance available to help navigate the system. Despite these challenges, Jose never wavered in his commitment to organic practices. Instead, he began growing his own transplants from seed, a labor-intensive solution that gives him control and integrity over every part of his operation.
From there, we visited Apricot Lane Farms, home of The Biggest Little Farm. On a tour of their lush, biodiverse property, we saw regenerative and biodynamic agriculture in action — compost tea, cover crops, rotational grazing, and more — all working together to heal the land and build resilience. Apricot Lane stands as a regenerative oasis in a region dominated by conventional farming and is now partnering with the Rodale Institute and American Farmland Trust to create curriculum for regenerative organic growing.
These visits set the tone for our Southern California Fresh, Local, Organic Culinary Workshop, held the following day at the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village in partnership with The Alice Waters Institute. School nutrition directors, chefs, and farmers came together to cook, collaborate, and co-create nourishing, scratch-cooked meals rooted in the seasonal bounty of the region.
A Day of Cooking and Collaboration
With expert guidance from chefs Andrew Yeh (Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village), Luis Sierra (LULU, Los Angeles), and Meave McAuliffe (Rory’s Place, Ojai), participants spent the day preparing nourishing, locally sourced meals that reflected the season and the region. Working side by side, school food service professionals and culinary leaders explored how these techniques can translate into large-scale school settings.
Participants gathered for an open conversation to exchange best practices, reflect on barriers, and most importantly, uplift and celebrate one another. This moment revealed just how close-knit the Ventura community truly is. Nearly everyone in the room knew each other, yet they had never all come together in one space like this before. That’s exactly why Conscious Kitchen hosts these gatherings: to create space for connection, collaboration, and shared purpose. When we bring people together in community, we spark the kind of relationships and inspiration that fuel lasting change.
Lasting Impact
The day ended with another visit to Apricot Lane Farms, allowing participants to witness firsthand the kind of agriculture we are working to support through procurement: healthy soil, thriving biodiversity, and closed-loop systems that nourish communities. Everyone departed with bounty boxes filled with beautiful, organic produce donated by local growers, a literal and symbolic taste of what’s possible when we invest in regional food systems.
Our workshop resulted in an invitation for Conscious Kitchen Founder Judi Shils to speak at a Ventura County Health & Human Services gathering, where she shared the urgency and opportunity to expand access to fresh, local, organic food in schools across the region.
This was more than a workshop. It was a movement in motion rooted in values, grown through relationships, and built to last. To every farmer, chef, school food leader, and community partner who joined us: thank you. Together, we’re changing what’s possible.