Meet the Chefs of Common Ground’s Feast from the Fields ’24!

At Common Ground, we deeply value everyone who makes up our local food ecosystem. These community partners hold the same beliefs that we do – that food can be a celebration, rooted in culture and prepared sustainably. We are grateful to the following chefs and business owners, who are generously donating their time and product to make Feast 2024 possible! Get your ticket today to enjoy their incredible food, made using produce grown right on our farm, all while supporting Common Ground!

We are thrilled and honored to announce that Mother/Son duo Sandra and Elmer will be returning with their catering business, La Cocina De Sandra, at Feast! There’s so much that makes this duo special – including the fact that Elmer is a CG alum! As an immigrant from Guatemala, Sandra seeks to give people smiles whenever they taste her cooking. With help from her son Elmer, they are able to do just that. From their table to yours, they offer Latin American cuisine to your home. It started with an idea – to bring pleasure and happiness to New Haven with Sandra’s cooking. People all around the county and state love her food, so she and her son seek to give people just that: love.

For the first time at Feast, we are ecstatic to introduce Maria and Humberto Espinal, the chef and owners of Sabor Sajoma Kitchen and Market – a new restaurant bringing the flavors of the Dominican Republic to the East Rock neighborhood of New Haven. Along with being a chef at Yale, Humberto also manages the kitchen, menu, and food prep at Sabor Sajoma. He works in collaboration with his wife, Maria, who oversees the inventory for the market section of their business.

With the storefront formerly being a Korean grocery store called ‘The Oriental Pantry’ owned by Yoon-Ock Kim, the Espinals continue to honor its origins by including Koren and Asian food products and spices in their current marketplace. In addition to these foods, you can find Dominican foods and other types of products like snacks, pain medicine, coffee, and more at Sabor Sajoma. Their menu includes natural juices, vegetarian options, breakfast and lunch, desserts, and so much more. They even offer a catering menu with vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free options for all of your event needs! Read more about their history in this article by the New Haven Arts paper and be sure to check out their wonderful new business.

Parvine grew up in Port Louis, Mauritius, a small island in the Southwest Indian Ocean. Parvine speaks three languages (Creole, French, and English) and taught cooking classes at Cornell for six years. She started cooking at the age of 14, not knowing anything about cooking, but eventually found her own way of mixing ingredients and grew to love it. Parvine’s cuisine is Creole and has influences from France and India. Parvine’s specialty is her curry with pumpkin and pineapple, her very own tasty invention. Parvine started as a Sanctuary Kitchen volunteer to share her cuisine and meet new people. She believes cooking connects her to other people and forms unbreakable bonds. She says that all of the chefs look out for each other, and she finds a second family at Sanctuary Kitchen. She says that this is her dream job, but she has always had the dream to make her own food and sell it to others.

Chef Megan Gill has been following her dream of being a chef since she was a child. Growing up, she used her family for testing and perfecting her skills. She pursued culinary education and as her passion increased, she began working in the hospitality industry and in 2018 she was IACC Copper Skillet Junior Chef runner up. She was on Hell’s Kitchen Season 20 “Young Guns” and placed runner up. Chef Megan is now the Executive Chef at Hotel Marcel in New Haven, CT. Hotel Marcel is a 100% electric hotel that operates fossil fuel free. In their words, “Hotel Marcel is a model for sustainability within the hospitality industry, committed to doing what we can to tackle the global climate crisis.”

Alisha Crutchfield is a prominent Fashion/Celebrity Stylist, Tech and Lifestyle Entrepreneur, plus mom, who splits her time between New York City and Connecticut. With over 18 years of experience, her keen fashion sense, work ethic, and risk-taking has led to a successful career in high fashion, editorial, runway, theater, tv and film. Alisha is constantly evolving and growing her professional portfolio. Through her StyleWise Life (SWL) program, tools, specialized techniques and positive philosophy, many have learned to create more of what they want in their lives– more wellness in their bodies, minds, and spirits. With her new venture BLOOM, she is combining these same principles with an emphasis on mental health and local talent by providing a community space for professional and personal growth. BLOOM is a community gathering center that curates from the heart of the community we set out to empower.

Mark Scialabba is the chef of Firehouse 12, a cocktail bar located in the basement of a jazz focused recording studio, in New Haven, CT. He specializes in vegan plant-based cuisine utilizing ingredients and techniques from around the globe. He has been cooking professionally for over ten years in many different kitchens throughout New Haven and often features Common Ground produce in his dishes. After Firehouse 12 experienced extensive water damage from heavy rains during Hurricane Ida, in September 2021, Owner Nick Lloyd renovated the recording studio/performance space for the first time in 20 years, collaborating with Gray Organschi – who specializes in low-impact ecologically-conscious construction and building techniques. With the renovation now complete Firehouse 12 is officially REOPENED to the public! Visit them today!

Longtime Common Ground supporter Co Campbell is famous for her baking! Co creates ART out of cake and makes the MOST delicious cookies. Co has served on the Feast committee for over a decade. This year, we are honored to have Co also join us as our dessert sponsor for the very first time – using produce right from our farm! Feast 2024 guests can enjoy lemon lavender shortbread cookies, vegan zucchini bread, and mini carrot cake cupcakes. If you attend the event, you will also have the chance to bid on a custom cake from Co, who can create anything you can dream up! She’s created cakes decorated with butterflies, cartoon characters, and even one that looked just like a family’s beloved dog.

Chef T was her mother’s kitchen helper as early as she can remember. When her mother suddenly fell ill, she assumed the role of cooking for her family at 10 years old. She started with the things she knew her family loved: Southern comfort food from their South Carolina roots like biscuits and fish fillet. From there her love of food evolved. She’s cooked professionally in just about every environment, from her own diner to a corporate kitchen and now (lucky for us all) for our students and community at Common Ground. Chef T will be serving up her incredible food for Feast for Families on Sunday September 15th.

We are extremely grateful to welcome Chef Jason Wiener of Atticus Market for the second time at Feast. Jason is a New Haven native that has been working in kitchens across Connecticut since his teenage years. A background in culinary nutrition and a love for great food have fueled his passions in the industry, in a wide range of experiences, from pizza and BBQ to vegan/vegetarian food. Jason is inspired by growing his own food, wild foraging and helping to teach others.

Atticus has been an independent New Haven in makes all their bread and pastry at their bakery in Fair Haven, which uses only regionally grown fresh milled grains. Atticus focuses on handmade, artisan techniques and a deep understanding of how to coax the most flavor and nutrition from grains. They believe their choices have an impact on their customers, employees, and community. Their mission istitution since 1975. For four decades, they have served their community by nourishing mind and body. Atticuss to enhance that community by training employees to be leaders with a passion for their work guided by a philosophy that centers on both sustainability and decisions that are better for everyone.