ABOUT US
Meet the people behind Slow Food Lake Tahoe!
PATTI TAGGART
Board Member | President | Garden Co-Director
Board Member Since 2019. Volunteering since 2018.
Patti moved from Chicago to California in the early 80s. She is a life-long gardener, learning her love of the earth from her mother, who was a founding member of the Illinois Garden Club She is especially interested in promoting healthy eating habits among low income groups in order to affect social determinants of health. She spearheaded the creation of a raised bed garden on property owned by Children’s Hospital Oakland, where she worked for 25 years. Patti and her family became second home owners in Truckee in the early 90’s, and in 2018, after retiring from her full time career as a physical therapist and hospital administrator, became a full time resident of Truckee. She began volunteering in the garden in 2019 and felt an immediate kinship with the mission of Slow Food Lake Tahoe. Patti is the mom of two children and has three amazing grandkids. In addition to gardening, Patti is an avid skier and ski instructor for persons with disabilities. She enjoys sewing, reading, and creating wedding flowers for friends and family.
JENNIFER BOEHM
Board Member | Secretary | Garden Co-Director | Volunteer Coordinator
Board Member Since 2020. Volunteering since 2018.
Jennifer and her family moved to Truckee 20 years ago and began to learn about the trials and tribulations of gardening in the High Sierra. Her greenhouse home garden has become a labor of love and her tomato plants are cared for like children, getting tucked in cozy and warm on chilly nights. After retiring from Real Estate she has thoroughly enjoyed volunteering in the Food Bank garden and is excited about her growing role in the Slow Food Lake Tahoe program and serving this wonderful community. She rides her bike to the community garden from Glenshire in frost, smoke or shine to join the ever dedicated team of volunteers in getting their hands dirty! Jennifer also looks forward to sharing her passion for gardening with others, particularly with the youngest generation of her family, sharing the magic of gardening with her little granddaughter, Emersyn.
FRITZ BRUNNER
Board Member | Treasurer | IT Systems & Efficiencies Director
Board Member Since 2023
Fritz was raised in Ohio and found a home in California – first in Walnut Creek for over
40 years where he had a vibrant backyard garden, and now in Truckee for the past
several years. His work life has included a wildly varied set of adventures. Starting in Berea Ohio as a paperboy, moving into various office jobs (cost accounting, budgeting, project management), then psychology related work (program management and counseling of day treatment centers), followed by work doing assessments and coaching related work that allowed for overseas travel, and recently product and project management in the healthcare industry. Fritz likes to cook, eat what he cooks, along with collecting and drinking wine, and as he says, “live life as fully as I know how.” Of course, food along with wine and the way they are created and curated has been very important. This importance has only increased as his knowledge has grown.
KATIE TOWNSEND-MERINO
Board Member | Development & Grants Director | Grow-Your-Own Coordinator
Board Member Since 2017. Volunteering since 2016.
After retiring from a career as a Professor of Psychology and college administrator, Katie spent most of her years since 2010 in Truckee. Coming from a long line of family gardeners, and even farm workers, working in the soil has provided her with much lifelong mindful relaxation as well as healthy food. Katie joined Slow Food Lake Tahoe as its’ Garden Director in March 2016 and a year later joined the Board. Spending 5 years helping to grow the gardens with the help of her husband, kids and grand kids and the Truckee community filled her soul. After a hiatus Katie has rejoined the board in a new role and is excited to use her skills grant writing to help her favorite organization in Truckee thrive. Katie loves the fact that SFLT embodies true community care—we contribute to the physical, mental and social health of Truckee.
JOEY EBERHARDT aka "FARMER JOE"
Board Member & Gardens Manager | Volunteer Coordinator | Grow-Your-Own Coordinator
Board Member since 2024. Garden Manager since 2022.
Born and raised In Truckee, CA, Joey grew up fascinated by the natural ecosystems of the world. This lead him to pursue a degree in Agricultural and Environmental Plant Sciences. After graduating he traveled to Maui and worked on an organic farm for 5 months during the winter. He then spent the next 8 years working at the local Truckee Villager Nursery in the summer and traveling and farming during the winters. He joined the SFLT team in 2022 as the Garden Manager and claims it was “One of my favorite summers ever. Being able to be a part of a team that produced 670 lbs of organic food for our local community garden was special. I can’t wait to get my fingers in the dirt each day!”
AMY FAGEL
Salmon Club Manager
Volunteering Since 2016
Amy began her journey with the Slow Food Movement in college at San Francisco State University. There, she studied Holistic Health which included philosophies about health and healing with natural resources and food playing a major role. These studies led her to be more curious and conscious about food, its sources, and its power. She moved from San Francisco to Truckee in Fall of 2011. Once settled, she was inspired by the volunteer opportunities offered by SFLT to learn more about local food resources and the challenge of gardening in the Sierras. She has been volunteering with the organization since 2016 and on the Board of Directors from 2018-2024. Her goals with SFLT include bringing people together to teach and inspire them about food and gardening – creating a self-reliant and sustainable community for all who live here. Amy is also a Certified Massage Therapist who loves to travel and come home to Donner Lake.
MICHAELA KOSKI
Executive Director
Team Member since 2024.
Michaela graduated from UC Davis in 2023 with degrees in Communication and Digital Media. As a member of the Davis Alpine Ski Team, she frequently visited Lake Tahoe and fell in love with the community and its emphasis on sustainable practices. Her involvement with the Slow Food community dates back to high school when she served as a youth ambassador for the nonprofit in 2018 and 2019. From attending the Leader's Conference in Denver to writing for the organization's national blog, Slow Food's mission has always been close to Michaela's heart. She has led multiple composting initiatives in her hometown of Los Angeles, but she is excited to share her passion for edible gardening with the Tahoe community!
NICOLE SCHRAD
Board Member
Volunteering Since 2022, Board Member Since 2024
Nicole grew up amidst the cornfields of Indiana in a very agriculture-centered community. She moved to Truckee in 2022 after getting her doctorate in microbiology and environmental toxicology at UC Santa Cruz. Volunteering at Slow Food Lake Tahoe was one of the first things she did after moving as a way to meet people who care about locally grown food and community. Nicole loves learning from Joey’s wisdom while volunteering in the garden. She especially loves SFLT’s compost program (one of the only high elevation programs in the country!) because it uses microbiology and waste products to create a nutrient-rich soil. By joining SFLT’s board, she hopes to help expand the reach of this program and get more community members excited about growing their own food!
DEANNA HARRINGTON
Board Member
Board Member since 2024
DeAnna's love for gardening began in South Carolina at the age of 5 where she grew up working in her family garden. They always produced enough vegetables to share with family and friends, and she helped her mom with canning the goods to be enjoyed throughout the year. DeAnna moved every two to three years for 20 years as an Air Force spouse, and has lived in Texas, Kansas, Germany, Georgia and California twice. She first moved to California in 1998 and began visiting the Tahoe Basin, learned how to snowboard, and loved enjoying all that the area has to offer. In 2016 she hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and hitchhiked to Truckee to resupply and enjoy a couple of hot meals. She moved to Truckee that same year. She has a degree in Health Care Management and a background in strategic planning, program/project management and human resources with major healthcare organizations. She began volunteering with Slow Food Lake Tahoe in 2020 and joined the Board in 2024. She truly enjoys learning about high-elevation gardening, being an instrumental member of a working board to advance community-focused programs for Slow Food by building synergistic partnerships, and securing funding opportunities to propel the nonprofits goals in the local community. She loves sharing herbs and edible flowers she grows in her garden with friends.
SAM ELLER
Board Member
Board Member Since 2024
Sam is a new board member at Slow Food Lake Tahoe. He’s originally from Oklahoma and moved west to attend college in San Diego. His journey with urban agriculture, community gardens began in Oklahoma, running a composting initiative for the city with friends. He continued to grow this passion in college getting involved with the garden club and expanding its capacity. He swapped the ocean for the mountains and lived in Crested Butte, Colorado for several years. Sam is a Math Teacher at the Sugar Bowl Academy, and loves the mountains, snow science, and being involved with the Truckee community.
