Board & Volunteers

Amber K. Stott, founder of California Food Literacy Center, grows her own groceries in Sacramento, California. She blogs about living la vida locavore at Awake at the Whisk, a lifestyle guide about food that’s good for you and good for the planet. She also writes for Edible Sacramento magazine. She’s a steering committee member of the Sacramento Region Food System Collaborative, a coalition of public, private, and nonprofit stakeholders working to inform and influence policy initiatives relevant to the regional food system in the 6-county Capital Region, a project facilitated by Valley Vision and funded by The California Endowment.

With 11 years of nonprofit fund development, management, and marketing experience, Amber has raised $5.5 million for local charities including WEAVE, Freedom from Hunger, and Women’s Empowerment. She holds several first place honors from the Sacramento Public Relations Association for her nonprofit work, and recently served as President-Elect of the Association of Fundraising Professionals California Capital Chapter Board.

“Where I grew up, in rural Illinois, eating locally wasn’t a movement. It was just how people lived. I want everyone to experience the joyful flavors from eating good food grown by our local small farmers.”

Heather Teoh, intern and founding volunteer of California Food Literacy Center, is born and raised in Singapore. Her food heritage is rich with a fusion of Indian, Chinese, and Malay cuisine.  A recent Master’s of Arts in Communication Studies graduate from Sacramento State, she loves to research and write about how food can affect our bodies, the environment, and the economy.  Heather has worked in the marketing industry as an account manager and as a freelance writer for nonprofit and educational institutions.  An amateur cook and lover of ethnic food and world travel, she aspires to take local and sustainable ingredients and transform them into Southeast Asian cuisine and other global treats.

“Local and seasonal fruits and vegetables are not only good for the environment and our health, they also taste much better. Cooking with seasonal ingredients will definitely elevate your dishes to another level of flavor!”

Sarah Langford, volunteer teacher for California Food Literacy Center, believes the desire and passion for healthy living begins at a young age. Wanting to spread the message of food and nutrition to today’s youth, Sarah earned her Master’s from Florida State University in Nutrition Education and Health Promotion. She spent a year working on a grant-funded breakfast project through the Florida Department of Education to research factors associated with low breakfast participation rates in select Florida school districts. Her desire to promote healthy body awareness extends beyond food; as a certified yoga teacher Sarah believes the more we learn to listen to our bodies on the yoga mat, the more we will be able to listen to our bodies’ basic needs and desire for balance in all aspects of life. You can read more about Sarah’s quest for healthy living at her blog This Thing Called Balance.

Board of Directors

Jay Cohen, board president of California Food Literacy Center, has been a sales, marketing and business development professional for 20 years, and has been working in non-profit fund development for the past seven years. He is currently an independent consultant helping the B Street Theatre accomplish their Capital Campaign. Jay was the creator/owner of The Black Cat Cafe, has served as board chair for Wonder Inc., and is presently on the boards of WEAVE and WIND Youth Services. He has a six year old daughter named Jaida.

Carmen Raggio, program manager at a local nonprofit and board member of California Food Literacy Center, dreams of having a farm one day to grow her own food for her family, friends and the community.  At a young age, Carmen’s Sicilian grandmother cultivated her love for healthy food by teaching her how to cook wholesome traditional fare.

Carmen earned her BA in Communication from Saint Mary’s College of California and her MA in Liberal Arts from Sacramento State, and graduated from the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce’s Catalyst Leadership Program.  She is an advocate for local food and wine, and believes that education is the path to a healthier world.

“I am excited to combine my two passions – education and food – to support the California Food Literacy Center in developing conversation about the way we eat and therefore, live.  Eating well isn’t hard, but you have to learn about it order to make it work for your family.”

Jillena Hernández, board member of California Food Literacy started learning to love incorporating unique and exciting whole grains and vegetables into her daily meals from her mother who refused to eat white flour and sugar. She blogs about creating delicious plant based meals on her blog Eat Well, Live Free. She is a founding member of the California Maternal Mental Health Task Force and currently works for the California State Assembly.

Jillena spent six years in Santa Barbara catering and is an avid vegetarian home cook. She is learning to grow her own food in her backyard garden, and loves to share the bounty with her neighbors and friends who frequent her Sacramento house. She is excited to bring her policy background and her love of sharing healthy foods to the Center.

“The work of the California Food Literacy Center is critical to the education and health of our community, especially our children. In a society where there are dedicated aisles to ‘health foods’ in select super markets, it is imperative that people know what they are eating and where it comes from.”