Ballots are open to all active co-op members.
Georgiana Johnson
Private Chef
Biography
I am British! Have lived in the USA for 20 years and am now a citizen. My life has taken me across the world and one truth has stayed constant: nourishment is what unites us. We all deserve to be cared for and reap the benefits of being well loved, just like how a seed is watered and nurtured by a farmer and blossoms because of a caretaker’s efforts. I hope we can remember that we have the power within ourselves to feed and nourish the people we love with delicious, local, seasonal food, made by people we know.
Relevant skills and experience
I’ve been cooking for private families for close to 15 years as a private chef. I have shopped daily at supermarkets all over the world for that period of time professionally. I’ve studied nutrition to help me serve nourishing, seasonal food to my clients. Encompassing an array of colors, different flavors and variety to keep everyone healthy and happy. I was a chef instructor at a nutritional culinary school for a year, the curriculum focused on local, farm to table ingredients wherever possible and we spent time developing products with good ingredients, calculating profit margins, designing labels and marketing. I have offered my time to non profits throughout my life and have found it very rewarding. Including voluteering as a harvester at Gallatin Valley Botanicals in Bozeman.
Issues of particular interest
Helping the Coop meet the needs of the Bozeman community as it rapidly advances. Streamlining customer service on the Coop floor. Integrating local farms into inventory at the Coop to a finest level, showcasing what Bozeman farmers have to offer. Developing prepared products by the Coop so that consumers get what they need at the Coop and don’t need to visit another supermarket in order to do so.
Important issues facing the Co-op
As development within Bozeman rapidly increases, I believe the Coop needs to focus on how they can keep buyers coming to the Coop rather than going somewhere else to buy their groceries. This is what is going to keep the Coop relevant as other competitors challenge what the Coop has to offer. Currently, people feel they need to visit 2+ grocery stores to get what they need. There are many different ways to approach this and I have lots of ideas. The Coop offers charm and connection, this is something worth preserving in Bozeman that no other markets offer.
Strengths brought to the board
I’ve been shopping in markets for close to two decades. I grew up on a farm. One of the reasons I moved to Bozeman was because of the edible flowers at the Coop! This kind of hand made touch is something I care about and I know my clients do too.
Interest in serving on the Board
Bringing a fresh perspective from someone who really knows what consumers want. I have had a lot of behind the scenes exposure to the kinds of services this community is demanding as it grows because I am inside people’s home’s. They tell me what they want, what they feel is missing. They are all asking the same thing: they want the real deal and they want it all in one place.
