Lil’ Starts Farm
“Anything that goes into our soil winds up in our food and our treasured waterways and this is our basis for all of the farming decisions we make”
Luke and Lily Klimaszewski grow mixed vegetable crops on 5 acres in East Portland, halfway between the Columbia River and the Columbia Slough. “Anything that goes into our soil winds up in our food and our treasured waterways and this is our basis for all of the farming decisions we make,” says Lily. They use sustainable farming practices to grow clean, healthy produce. Lil’ Starts supplies kale year-round to our Portland kitchen (kale salad!) as well as cherry tomatoes, herbs, leeks, winter squash, potatoes, fennel, and zucchini.
“Our working relationship with Grand Central has been incredibly supportive and beneficial,” says Lily.
“Our working relationship with Grand Central has been incredibly supportive and beneficial”
And we’ve loved knowing that we can help give young farmers like Luke and Lily a start.
The couple starting growing vegetables only a few years ago at Headwaters Incubation Farm outside Gresham, Ore. Through the connection to their operation, Portland cuisine manager Robb Hengerer is building ties to other start-up growers and developing new sources for local purchases.
Investing in young farmers like Luke and Lily helps secure their future. That makes these local purchases of fresh produce even more important to our mission. The more delicious food we bring in to our kitchen, the more we can make an impact in our community.
