Nominate a champion of local food today!
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What's a Taste of Mansfield Champion?
The Taste of Mansfield Champion Awards program was initiated to recognize Mansfield producers, sellers, and communicators/educators who are leaders in connecting the community through local food and have a demonstrated record of promoting the Taste of Mansfield mission. The public is invited to nominate people or organizations who:
The recipients of the Champion Awards are selected by Taste of Mansfield and our community partners the Mansfield Agriculture Committee and Economic Development Commission.
Nominations for 2025 Champions were accepted through Monday, April 28, 2025. Stay tuned for 2026!
- Sell or serve local food or an agricultural product with a focus on Mansfield farms and farm stands,
- Educate customers/clients about where local food comes from through various media, or
- Act as a leader and advocate for promoting local food
The recipients of the Champion Awards are selected by Taste of Mansfield and our community partners the Mansfield Agriculture Committee and Economic Development Commission.
Nominations for 2025 Champions were accepted through Monday, April 28, 2025. Stay tuned for 2026!
2025 Taste of Mansfield Champions
Meet your 2025 Taste of Mansfield Champion Award Winners:
1. Dominic Shooks, Shooks Apiaries
2. Robert Landolphi, Director of Culinary Development, UConn Dining Services
3. G.M. Thompson & Sons, A family-owned pet, feed, and farm store
Dominic Shooks is the proprietor of Shooks Apiaries located on Wormwood Hill Road in Mansfield. He produces and markets local honey and other related products, at farmers markets throughout the region.
Dom has served as a resource to the Taste of Mansfield and the Town of Mansfield on many occasions, acting as an educator at local events, answering questions and sharing his observation hive with children and guests at the Community Center and Senior Center. Dominic was the authoritative speaker at a beekeeping seminar hosted by the Mansfield Agriculture Committee, sharing his knowledge about the role of pollinators in our environment and agriculture. In addition to products including raw honey, raw creamed honey, beeswax, candles, and lip balm, Dominic produces delicious honey that sweetens plates across our town and broader community. His commitment to local foods as both a producer and an educator truly makes Dominic a Taste of Mansfield Champion
Rob Landolphi has been contributing to the “community feel” of Mansfield for a long time, starting by opening a favorite drop-in cafe in Mansfield called The Sugar Shack. Today, as Director of Culinary Development at UConn Dining Services, Rob influences the food culture of UConn by continually developing new menu items for UConn students and inspiring his staff. Rob spearheads the Culinary Olympics at UConn each year, a popular challenge that has brought UConn national recognition.
Rob also founded a summer cooking school, “UCann Cook", an experience for local youth providing basic culinary skills while also utilizing local ingredients sourced from a local garden. Additionally Rob has been a participant each year at Mansfield’s Celebrate Mansfield Festival. At the festival, Rob offers culinary demonstrations in front of a large audience, often utilizing local ingredients, and supplying recipes and tasty samples. Rob is also a nationally renowned author of three best-selling cookbooks containing gluten free recipes. As an advocate and an educator, Rob deserves to be called a champion.
Thriving agriculture requires a solid infrastructure—those business resources that support farms and farming. For nearly a century, G.M. Thompson & Sons has delivered feed, bedding and much more to production agriculture operations and homestead farms throughout this region. The Thompsons were involved in the store along the railroad tracks in the early 1900s, and again since the 1930s and incorporating in 1963. From straw bales to salt licks, seed packets to chicken coops, Thompsons General Store has been a reliable resource to the Mansfield local agriculture community. And there’s no extra charge for the wisdom and advice these family members share, as well, on their blog on the website or in the aisles. And don’t forget to check the bulletin board—an old-school marketplace for pet and animal lovers.
The store supports other local farm ventures, too, selling honey and syrup, and serving as a distribution spot for a local farm’s CSA when needed. As the landmark in historic Mansfield Depot, G.M. Thompson & Sons is truly a proven champion for local farms and farmers.
1. Dominic Shooks, Shooks Apiaries
2. Robert Landolphi, Director of Culinary Development, UConn Dining Services
3. G.M. Thompson & Sons, A family-owned pet, feed, and farm store
Dominic Shooks is the proprietor of Shooks Apiaries located on Wormwood Hill Road in Mansfield. He produces and markets local honey and other related products, at farmers markets throughout the region.
Dom has served as a resource to the Taste of Mansfield and the Town of Mansfield on many occasions, acting as an educator at local events, answering questions and sharing his observation hive with children and guests at the Community Center and Senior Center. Dominic was the authoritative speaker at a beekeeping seminar hosted by the Mansfield Agriculture Committee, sharing his knowledge about the role of pollinators in our environment and agriculture. In addition to products including raw honey, raw creamed honey, beeswax, candles, and lip balm, Dominic produces delicious honey that sweetens plates across our town and broader community. His commitment to local foods as both a producer and an educator truly makes Dominic a Taste of Mansfield Champion
Rob Landolphi has been contributing to the “community feel” of Mansfield for a long time, starting by opening a favorite drop-in cafe in Mansfield called The Sugar Shack. Today, as Director of Culinary Development at UConn Dining Services, Rob influences the food culture of UConn by continually developing new menu items for UConn students and inspiring his staff. Rob spearheads the Culinary Olympics at UConn each year, a popular challenge that has brought UConn national recognition.
Rob also founded a summer cooking school, “UCann Cook", an experience for local youth providing basic culinary skills while also utilizing local ingredients sourced from a local garden. Additionally Rob has been a participant each year at Mansfield’s Celebrate Mansfield Festival. At the festival, Rob offers culinary demonstrations in front of a large audience, often utilizing local ingredients, and supplying recipes and tasty samples. Rob is also a nationally renowned author of three best-selling cookbooks containing gluten free recipes. As an advocate and an educator, Rob deserves to be called a champion.
Thriving agriculture requires a solid infrastructure—those business resources that support farms and farming. For nearly a century, G.M. Thompson & Sons has delivered feed, bedding and much more to production agriculture operations and homestead farms throughout this region. The Thompsons were involved in the store along the railroad tracks in the early 1900s, and again since the 1930s and incorporating in 1963. From straw bales to salt licks, seed packets to chicken coops, Thompsons General Store has been a reliable resource to the Mansfield local agriculture community. And there’s no extra charge for the wisdom and advice these family members share, as well, on their blog on the website or in the aisles. And don’t forget to check the bulletin board—an old-school marketplace for pet and animal lovers.
The store supports other local farm ventures, too, selling honey and syrup, and serving as a distribution spot for a local farm’s CSA when needed. As the landmark in historic Mansfield Depot, G.M. Thompson & Sons is truly a proven champion for local farms and farmers.
Meet your 2024 Taste of Mansfield Champion Award Winners:
Stacey Stearns served as a member, including Chair, of the Mansfield Agriculture Committee for nine years, and was nominated for her leadership in promoting agriculture here. A tenth-generation dairy farmer from Mansfield, she worked on her family farm, Mountain Dairy, a vertically integrated dairy operation established in 1871. Stacey’s involvement on the farm started in her youth as a 4-H and FFA member, then she earned her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from the University of Connecticut (UConn) and Master of Science in Agricultural Education and Communication from the University of Florida. She is the president-elect of the Association for Communication Excellence and has been an active member with Tolland County Farm Bureau.
In her professional career as a Communications Specialist for UConn Extension, Stacy is a knowledgeable and vocal advocate for local farming and she is an asset to our Mansfield agricultural community.
Mansfield resident Melanie Desch is an advocate for equitable access to local foods. She has recently worked with the Windham Community Food Network's Mesa Comunitaria program which increases access to local food for those in need, and empowers farmers. Her dedication to food system equity extends beyond Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA), with her contributions to the "Rooting Deep and Scaling Up" initiative with Grow Windham. Melanie's passion for sustainability is evident in her volunteer work with CLiCK's education program teaching foraging classes, volunteering with the Windham Community Food Network composting program, Know Your Farmer Fair, Celebrate Mansfield Festival, and as a Mansfield Agriculture Committee member. As Market Master at the Willimantic Farmers Market, she fosters a vibrant space that connects local producers and consumers. Melanie and her partner also operate Foliota Farm in Mansfield growing floral products. Melanie's commitment to serving both the local farmers and community makes her a champion for the local food scene.
Meet your 2024 Taste of Mansfield Champion Award Winners:
- Stacey Stearns
- Melanie Desch
- Maraiah Popeleski-Tilley
- Dog Lane Cafe
Stacey Stearns served as a member, including Chair, of the Mansfield Agriculture Committee for nine years, and was nominated for her leadership in promoting agriculture here. A tenth-generation dairy farmer from Mansfield, she worked on her family farm, Mountain Dairy, a vertically integrated dairy operation established in 1871. Stacey’s involvement on the farm started in her youth as a 4-H and FFA member, then she earned her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from the University of Connecticut (UConn) and Master of Science in Agricultural Education and Communication from the University of Florida. She is the president-elect of the Association for Communication Excellence and has been an active member with Tolland County Farm Bureau.
In her professional career as a Communications Specialist for UConn Extension, Stacy is a knowledgeable and vocal advocate for local farming and she is an asset to our Mansfield agricultural community.
Mansfield resident Melanie Desch is an advocate for equitable access to local foods. She has recently worked with the Windham Community Food Network's Mesa Comunitaria program which increases access to local food for those in need, and empowers farmers. Her dedication to food system equity extends beyond Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA), with her contributions to the "Rooting Deep and Scaling Up" initiative with Grow Windham. Melanie's passion for sustainability is evident in her volunteer work with CLiCK's education program teaching foraging classes, volunteering with the Windham Community Food Network composting program, Know Your Farmer Fair, Celebrate Mansfield Festival, and as a Mansfield Agriculture Committee member. As Market Master at the Willimantic Farmers Market, she fosters a vibrant space that connects local producers and consumers. Melanie and her partner also operate Foliota Farm in Mansfield growing floral products. Melanie's commitment to serving both the local farmers and community makes her a champion for the local food scene.
Melanie Desch and Chef Maraiah Popeleski-Tilley (left) receive their Champion Award plaques from Mayor Toni Moran and Superintendent Peter Dart at the Taste of Mansfield Community Dinner
Chef Maraiah Popeleski-Tilley was selected as a Champion for her strides in reimagining school lunches at Mansfield Schools. As the Food Services Director, she is focused on improving the quality of school meals through scratch cooking and using locally sourced/grown products. She was recently awarded a Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship from the Chef Ann Foundation, one of only 24 fellows from across the country.
As an educator, Chef Maraiah has provided training and growth opportunities for her food service staff and teachers. She has invited local farmers to lunch waves so students can meet them and try new locally grown vegetables, Chef Popeleski-Tilley is also active with food systems issues on the state level, incorporating University of Connecticut’s Extension program resources like the Put Local on Your Tray initiative.
As an educator, Chef Maraiah has provided training and growth opportunities for her food service staff and teachers. She has invited local farmers to lunch waves so students can meet them and try new locally grown vegetables, Chef Popeleski-Tilley is also active with food systems issues on the state level, incorporating University of Connecticut’s Extension program resources like the Put Local on Your Tray initiative.
Dog Lane Cafe, a local restaurant on the corner of Betsy Paterson Square in Downtown Storrs claims “It’s all about the quality: seasonal, local, freshly prepared food.“ Known as a great spot for breakfast, lunch or dinner, coffee or beverages, Dog Lane Café proudly promotes its relationships with 15 year-round and seasonal local growers and producers. Homemade soups and quality local meats are also on the menu. Dog Lane Café, part of the Green Valley Hospitality Group, has served Mansfield since 2012, and is an example of a hospitality venue connecting the community through local food.
The 2023 Taste of Mansfield Champion Award Winners were:
Chelsea Cherrier is described as a local food system warrior by her peers at CLiCK in Windham, where she has served as Education Coordinator for the past three years. Chelsea grew up in Mansfield, attending Mansfield schools, and recently returned from the West Coast after earning a Master’s Degree in Nutrition. With a focus on wellness, she develops educational programs and classes related to healthy living focused on food for the community, often interpreting in Spanish for participants. She created the Cooking Across Cultures program at CLiCK, which addresses racism in the food industry and community. Within the past year, Chelsea has also organized a successful effort to increase local food processing for farmers at CLiCK. She is an active partner with Mansfield with the Farms to Families distribution and establishing growing relationships with local farmers and producers. Chelsea is also passionate about food waste management, and has created programs for food businesses on how to build composting into their management culture. Chelsea is instrumental in expanding CLiCK’s influence as a food hub for our region.
Dennis Pierce has had a long and winding career associated with local food in Mansfield. He worked as the Market Master for the Storrs Farmers Market, and is still a frequent customer there. However, Dennis’ influence as a local food advocate has expanded way beyond Mansfield. He has more than 40 years of food service experience, including his influential position as Executive Director of Dining Services at the University of Connecticut, from which he recently retired. In that capacity, Dennis established UConn Dining as the largest user of Connecticut-grown produce in the State of Connecticut. His drive to serve fresh and local produce also inspired establishment of the student-run farm on the UConn campus. He has also served as a volunteer advocating for Connecticut Farmland Preservation. Dennis extends his passion for promoting local food to the wider community, contributing a monthly article to the Neighbors paper. He relishes visiting and interviewing local farmers, sharing their stories with the wider community, and advocating for community through local food.
George Bailey has been a long-standing fixture here in Mansfield food circles. He was one of the co-founders of the Storrs Farmers Market in 1994. As a maple syrup and honey producer, George marketed his products at the Storrs Farmers Market and in local stores for more than 40 years. He managed a sugar bush of more than 375 taps, producing 300-400 pounds of honey and 60-70 gallons of maple syrup in a typical year. George’s career as a civil engineer took him around the country before he returned to Connecticut to work for the Federal Highway Administration. Described by Taste of Mansfield Champion Award winner Diane Dorfer as “always generous with his time and experience,” George willingly spoke to groups of children at his sugarhouse or in their classrooms, and donated his precious syrup to church suppers and other community causes. George entered his Mansfield syrup regularly in Maplerama, the premier New England competition for maple syrups. It is described that much to the chagrin of better-known maple-producing regions, George regularly won the top award and brought it back to Mansfield and Connecticut. Although George has relocated to live closer to his son in Massachusetts, he turned his valuable sugar bush over to another generation of producers here in Town. Those who nominated George said it best: “The sight of smoke rising from his sugar house, George in his suspendered overalls and hip boots working on the sap buckets and sap line, his serious discussions of beekeeping and syrup-making at the Farmers Market, and the wintery taste of his Grade A Bailey’s Maple Syrup are sorely missed.”
Julia Cartabiano, who passed in late 2022, was the first farm manager at the University of Connecticut’s student farm called Spring Valley Student Farm (SVSF), and served there for 10 years until 2021. She was dedicated to just and equitable food systems. Julia began her work at Spring Valley Student Farm as a part-time graduate student when she was working toward her Master’s Degree in Plant Science and Landscape Architecture. She is credited with building up the farm and its organic practices, starting with lean resources and just four students in the first year. The farm expanded to grow small fruits and vegetables, native plants, an edible forest garden, and inspired more than 150 student farmers each year on practicing beekeeping, aquaponics, and planting pollinator gardens. She always encouraged students to follow their own interests and supported them in taking on leadership on the farm. In addition to teaching farming practices, Julia also proudly farmed with her son Spencer and his partner Jackie, operating Willow Valley Farm in Willington. Willow Valley Farm is one of our core Mansfield Farms to Families Program produce suppliers today, and a regular farm exhibitor at the Storrs Farmers Market. Jessica Larkin-Wells, who was one of Julia’s students and is the present Farm Manager at SVSF, says, “Julia worked across disciplines, institutions, and borders to unite people around the common goal of sustainable food and right relationship with the earth.”
The 2022 Taste of Mansfield Champion Award Winners were:
- Chelsea Cherrier, Educator
- Dennis Pierce, Advocate
- George Bailey, Producer
- Julia Cartabiano, Special Posthumous Award
Chelsea Cherrier is described as a local food system warrior by her peers at CLiCK in Windham, where she has served as Education Coordinator for the past three years. Chelsea grew up in Mansfield, attending Mansfield schools, and recently returned from the West Coast after earning a Master’s Degree in Nutrition. With a focus on wellness, she develops educational programs and classes related to healthy living focused on food for the community, often interpreting in Spanish for participants. She created the Cooking Across Cultures program at CLiCK, which addresses racism in the food industry and community. Within the past year, Chelsea has also organized a successful effort to increase local food processing for farmers at CLiCK. She is an active partner with Mansfield with the Farms to Families distribution and establishing growing relationships with local farmers and producers. Chelsea is also passionate about food waste management, and has created programs for food businesses on how to build composting into their management culture. Chelsea is instrumental in expanding CLiCK’s influence as a food hub for our region.
Dennis Pierce has had a long and winding career associated with local food in Mansfield. He worked as the Market Master for the Storrs Farmers Market, and is still a frequent customer there. However, Dennis’ influence as a local food advocate has expanded way beyond Mansfield. He has more than 40 years of food service experience, including his influential position as Executive Director of Dining Services at the University of Connecticut, from which he recently retired. In that capacity, Dennis established UConn Dining as the largest user of Connecticut-grown produce in the State of Connecticut. His drive to serve fresh and local produce also inspired establishment of the student-run farm on the UConn campus. He has also served as a volunteer advocating for Connecticut Farmland Preservation. Dennis extends his passion for promoting local food to the wider community, contributing a monthly article to the Neighbors paper. He relishes visiting and interviewing local farmers, sharing their stories with the wider community, and advocating for community through local food.
George Bailey has been a long-standing fixture here in Mansfield food circles. He was one of the co-founders of the Storrs Farmers Market in 1994. As a maple syrup and honey producer, George marketed his products at the Storrs Farmers Market and in local stores for more than 40 years. He managed a sugar bush of more than 375 taps, producing 300-400 pounds of honey and 60-70 gallons of maple syrup in a typical year. George’s career as a civil engineer took him around the country before he returned to Connecticut to work for the Federal Highway Administration. Described by Taste of Mansfield Champion Award winner Diane Dorfer as “always generous with his time and experience,” George willingly spoke to groups of children at his sugarhouse or in their classrooms, and donated his precious syrup to church suppers and other community causes. George entered his Mansfield syrup regularly in Maplerama, the premier New England competition for maple syrups. It is described that much to the chagrin of better-known maple-producing regions, George regularly won the top award and brought it back to Mansfield and Connecticut. Although George has relocated to live closer to his son in Massachusetts, he turned his valuable sugar bush over to another generation of producers here in Town. Those who nominated George said it best: “The sight of smoke rising from his sugar house, George in his suspendered overalls and hip boots working on the sap buckets and sap line, his serious discussions of beekeeping and syrup-making at the Farmers Market, and the wintery taste of his Grade A Bailey’s Maple Syrup are sorely missed.”
Julia Cartabiano, who passed in late 2022, was the first farm manager at the University of Connecticut’s student farm called Spring Valley Student Farm (SVSF), and served there for 10 years until 2021. She was dedicated to just and equitable food systems. Julia began her work at Spring Valley Student Farm as a part-time graduate student when she was working toward her Master’s Degree in Plant Science and Landscape Architecture. She is credited with building up the farm and its organic practices, starting with lean resources and just four students in the first year. The farm expanded to grow small fruits and vegetables, native plants, an edible forest garden, and inspired more than 150 student farmers each year on practicing beekeeping, aquaponics, and planting pollinator gardens. She always encouraged students to follow their own interests and supported them in taking on leadership on the farm. In addition to teaching farming practices, Julia also proudly farmed with her son Spencer and his partner Jackie, operating Willow Valley Farm in Willington. Willow Valley Farm is one of our core Mansfield Farms to Families Program produce suppliers today, and a regular farm exhibitor at the Storrs Farmers Market. Jessica Larkin-Wells, who was one of Julia’s students and is the present Farm Manager at SVSF, says, “Julia worked across disciplines, institutions, and borders to unite people around the common goal of sustainable food and right relationship with the earth.”
The 2022 Taste of Mansfield Champion Award Winners were:
- Diane Dorfer, Cobblestone Farm, Mansfield Center
- Stephanie Deason, Food Service Director, Mansfield Public Schools and Edwin O. Smith High School
- Tri-County Greenhouse, Mansfield Depot
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Diane Dorfer has farmed in Mansfield since 2015, and operates a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) featuring a diverse selection of sustainably grown produce. Diane served as the Market Master of the Storrs Farmers Market for several seasons, and sells her produce there each week. Supporters for Diane’s nomination said, “Her passion to support and educate the larger community is revealed in her participation in the Farm to Table initiative and her past role as the market master for the Storrs Farmers Market.” Additionally, her services in educating the community was acknowledged including offering “community tours of local chicken coops as a way of encouraging animal husbandry and the production of local eggs. Her CSA also has an annual kids potato harvest.” Cobblestone Farm is a strong supporter of the Mansfield Farms to Families program offering a variety of fresh produce.
Stephanie Deason, MS, RD, has served as the Food Service Director for the Mansfield Public Schools and Edwin O. Smith High School for six years. Valuing her strong relationships with local farmers, Stephanie’s school meals program regularly features locally grown fruits such as apples and vegetables. She purchases fresh, local vegetables in season each summer and processes them to be included in meals through the winter months, making special notation of them on the menu. She and her staff are responsible for serving 2,750 meals per week in five schools. Stephanie’s recipe for local kale-zucchini bread was featured in School Nutrition, a national magazine, last spring. She is an outspoken advocate for improving delivery of local foods to schools, speaking on panels across the state and testifying before the state legislature to elicit support for farm to school programs. In her nomination, supporters included that, “Before the pandemic she organized free Taste of Mansfield community dinners where residents not only get to eat local food but learn about the farmers in their neighborhoods.” Stephanie relishes the opportunity to teach students and school staff about good nutrition and the value of local foods, whether in the cafeteria line or in the classroom. |
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Tri-County Greenhouse, originally known as Hockanum Greenhouse when it was founded in 1982, is a non-profit greenhouse in Mansfield Depot that provides training and employment to adults with intellectual disabilities. Director Chris Campbell and his staff cultivate unique annuals, perennials, vegetables and herbs. Its nomination noted, “Tri-county Greenhouse is a Taste of Mansfield Champion because they are (and have consistently been!) great supporters of backyard/home gardening. They have wonderful, healthy starter vegetables (that they will NOT sell until the weather is conducive!), and offer a wealth of knowledge.” Celebrating its 40th year in the community, Tri-County Greenhouse is indeed a source for the novice or expert gardener seeking to grow local at home.
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