Michael Alberts (HE/him)

Mike has been involved with Slow Food Portland for more than 20 years, innocently joining up when he found a group of people who shared his love of “just eating great food!” His family became involved in the CSA movement, now hosting an organic farm CSA drop off at their house for the past decade.

As a general surgeon, he was confronted daily with how eating good, local foods directly contributed to his patients’ health and helped them avoid and manage chronic illnesses. Although retired from surgery, he keeps current with science by always having a fermentation project alive on his kitchen counter which more often than not works. He is active in food distribution to Portland’s large houseless population, volunteering preparing and serving food in Old Town.  

He considers himself a native Oregonian, although spending his first year of life in St. Louis made him a serious Cardinals fan. When not out in the garden you can find him hiking in the Gorge, or researching his next trip to a far off land which always involves a food tour or farm visit. 

Mike brings his corporate Board experience to Slow Food Portland and will be involved in the re-emergence of our local events and convivia.

Mary Silfven (she/her)

Born and raised in Bend, Oregon, Mary has a deep love for the abundance of food that Oregon provides. Mary’s grandfather was a chef and restauranteur in Bend. Her father and grandfather taught her to cook at a young age, leading to a lifelong love and appreciation for the power of a good meal.

Following in her grandfather's footsteps Mary pursued a career in cooking, training at The Natural Gourmet and the Culinary Institute of America. After more than a decade working in the industry as a pastry chef, she decided to pursue her Master’s in Public Health at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health. She hopes to use her degree to help promote food sovereignty and create sustainable and equitable food systems, ensuring that everyone has access to nourishing foods.

Mary embodies the principles of Slow Food through her diverse experiences and commitment to creating fair and accessible food systems. Her strong dedication to environmental justice, particularly within food systems, underscores her mission to bridge climate awareness, equity, and regenerative agriculture for a more just future. Mary believes food is a human right, and aims to support the democratization of healthy, sustainable food systems that are resilient to climate change. By joining the Slow Food Portland Board, Mary hopes to help build resiliency and encourage appreciation of our local food system by connecting communities more deeply to their food.

LANI RAIDER

An accomplished food professional and thought leader, Lani has been working in the culinary field for over 25 years as an educator, chef, entrepreneur, author, consultant and culinary ethnographer. She was founder and CEO of an award-winning food company which redefined the category of bouillon and flavor bombs with a fresh, plant- based product line used by chefs and home cooks alike. Before that, she was a tenured professor at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, where she taught and mentored young chefs for 11 years. She has a BA from University of California, Santa Cruz and a MA from Harvard University.

Her career is punctuated by a deep and continued commitment to creating delicious and nutritious food while working on issues of sustainability and food ethics, equity and culture. She was co-leader for Slow Food Hudson Valley for many years and continues to have strong ties with professional affiliations committed to issues of sustainability, food access and preserving rural life and food cultures across the globe. She lives in Portland, OR.

Isabelle Lishewski

Isabelle’s passion for slow food started at a young age; growing up in the Midwest with a family garden and lots of home cooked meals. Her natural curiosity for the world then took her to the Southwest to attend Arizona State University; where she earned degrees in Sustainability and Urban Planning. After graduating college, she apprenticed on a small farm in central Florida; an experience that ignited her life’s calling in fresh produce.

The next five years she spent in the produce retail world, where she enjoyed sharing with eaters the best of what’s in season and creating beautiful displays of produce. Now in her current role, she is the Quality Supervisor for the country’s largest wholesale distributor, dedicated to organic produce. This role is the culmination of her years of passion for food, interest in supporting local farms and eating the best produce possible.

Isabelle has joined the Slow Food Portland Team excited to build upon her love of fresh fruits and veggies and the power of connecting with others over a good meal. She believes everyone should have access to good, clean, fair food and that eating is an act of empowerment. By being part of the Slow Food Community, Isabelle hopes to inspire others to eat more mindfully and seasonally, and thus deliciously!

CHRISTINA HEIMANN (she/her)

Originally from the Garden State, Christina’s deep-rooted love for food blossomed as a child, plucking tomatoes straight from her grandparents' backyard garden. Since then, she has been passionately committed to cultivating a more equitable and resilient food system. Previously, her work has focused on addressing structural barriers to food access. She has also worked on a variety of food systems projects that have included building community gardens, promoting local food in school cafeterias, and sharing her culinary knowledge through community cooking classes.

Having recently earned her master's degree in nutrition from the National University of Natural Medicine, Christina possesses a deep appreciation for and understanding of the profound impact that food has on our health and well-being.

As a nutritionist and food enthusiast, Christina is driven by her belief that everybody deserves access to food that is nourishing to their bodies, their communities, and the Earth. Joining Slow Food Portland's board, she aims to forge meaningful connections within communities, creating joyful experiences centered around food while strengthening ties to local food systems.

Scott Pedemonte (he/him)

Scott grew up in the small farming and logging community of Gaston, Oregon. The son of a Master Gardener, growing plants has always been a central part of his life. 

Since graduating high school Scott has become a lifelong learner and traveler. As a gardener at San Francisco General Hospital he helped start a program to teach community members how to grow and cook their own vegetables. From there he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, to work in community gardens as an Americorps member. Later he moved to Boston where he managed the research greenhouses at The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. This allowed him to get a Certificate of Mastery in Sustainable Food Systems. Always a gardener at heart, this education fueled his interest in soil science and sustainable agriculture. He returned home to Oregon in 2023 where he obtained a Permaculture Design Certificate from Oregon State University. 

Scott came to Slow Food Portland because of the three main ethics we stand for: Food should be delicious and nutritious. It should be grown sustainably. It should be grown and prepared by people who are treated fairly. Blending his knowledge of sustainable agriculture, soil science, and community engagement Scott hopes to change our food systems for greater social and environmental justice.

Lisa Horness (she/her)

Lisa is a pastry chef turned community advocate, understanding the importance of good, fair and clean food for all.  Raised in rural Oregon in a family of farmers and food enthusiasts, her love of food started at home.  After pursuing a degree in history and Spanish at the University of Portland, Lisa was drawn back to her roots in hospitality.

During her fifteen years as a pastry chef, Lisa saw firsthand the power of food to foster connection— not only between people, but also to place, heritage, and the stories that define our cultures. Her culinary journey centered a commitment to sustainable and equitable food practices, celebrating local farmers, producers, and breeders, a passion she’s not shy to share with others. Ask her about one of her last (and favorite) creations – the “Squaffle,” a Tetsukabuto squash and barley dessert from the 2020 Winter Vegetable Sagra – and she’ll wax poetic about squash and the delight of seed saving.

In 2021, Lisa shifted into the nonprofit sector, where she has focused on systems design and resource management supporting veterans and marginalized communities experiencing houselessness.  In this industry, too, Lisa has witnessed the ways in which good food can serve as a central tool for fostering connection and trust.  It is a value she continues to live out, facilitating spaces where food becomes a tool for social change, environmental stewardship, and community empowerment.

Beth Gates (she/her)

Noah Cable

MEL Gregg (She/her)

Katie Gourley (she/her/they)

Madi Taylor (she/her/they)

Alissa Leavitt

Stephanie Celin (she/her)

Lani Kingston