Cara Santino

Prior to joining FINE as the New Haven Community Coordinator for our Rooted in Community project, Cara worked at CitySeed as the Food Entrepreneurship Director. They completed their M.S. in Food Studies at Syracuse University, where they conducted research and program development connecting food and power with race, prisons, and poverty. Cara also has 14 years of experience working in the food industry with a strong background in cooking, kitchen management, and teaching. They used their graduate research, practical food systems work, lived experience with food insecurity, and experience working with returning citizens to develop and implement the Restorative Food Justice Project to address carceral-related food insecurity in New Haven, CT. Cara has presented some of their work at the 2020 ASFS/AFHVS Conference, the 2021 Tufts Data Symposium, the 2021 2021 ASFS, AFHVS, CAFS, and SAFN Just Food Conference, and the 2023 Northeast Farm to Institution Summit. Cara focuses on accessible, intersectional, and participatory community-based approaches in their work. In their spare time, they enjoy cooking, reading non-fiction books, and listening to records.