Caroline Radice
Farmer, Chef, and Believer in Community
by Lisa Ludwigsen
Caroline Radice
Mendocino County’s history of farming and ranching dates to the mid-19th century, when settlers took land from native people to plant orchards and field crops and establish ranching operations. The northern California climate and landscape are ideal, and a few of those heritage farms and ranches still exist. Today, a dedicated group of farmers, activists, and food professionals continue working to expand opportunities for the agricultural community.
Caroline Radice co-owns Black Dog Catering with Jason Pluck, in addition to her other roles as chef and farmer. With a full and demanding work schedule, no one would fault her for kicking back during her down time. But Radice is one of those folks who can’t let a good idea pass by. Though she doesn’t necessarily consider herself a leader, whenever something interesting or innovative happens in the local agricultural scene, Radice is often part of the team making it happen.
In 2017, searching for a means to provide direct support to local farms, Radice and a small group of farmers, policy activists, and community leaders founded the Good Farm Fund. Radice was inspired by her own experiences as a small farmer in Mendocino County and the substantial learning curve that comes with starting and operating a farm. “We realized that local farms see substantial benefit from a relatively small influx of cash and, at the same time, the greater community was looking for a mechanism to provide support.” Many farms operate on very slim profit margins, which means that investment in the production capacity and long-term sustainability typically needs to come from outside sources.
Funds for a new section of fencing, tractor part, or walk-in cooler can have an exponential impact on a farm, allowing farmers to save money on infrastructure, resulting in increased production and sales.
Radice elaborated, “Sarah Bodnar and Scott Cratty were other co-founders of the Good Farm Fund, and launched the Good Farm Fund with the idea of raising money through farm-to-table dinners, which would benefit the farms directly and showcase the incredible food and wine grown in our region.” The fundraisers are enormously successful, and funding for the grants is now supplemented with support from area foundations.
To date, the Good Farm Fund has donated over $400,000 to local farms and the county Market Match program, which widens access to fresh, local food to CalFresh recipients. “We’re incredibly proud of that figure,” said Radice. “It’s nice to see such a widespread impact with something that you’ve spent a lot of time on.”
Radice said that one of the wonderful things about Mendocino County is there is generally room to get involved and make a difference in our community. When she first moved to Northern California, she was struck by the generous, welcoming culture of the area and how neighbors and friends are generally very supportive of each others. It has inspired her to continue that in her life here. She explained, “I spend some time every week on community service or nonprofit work, but I have also been on the receiving end of incredible community support. I cook at the Little Lake Grange Community Kitchen, a commercial kitchen that helps make it possible for many small food businesses like mine to operate. The kitchen is home to all kinds of businesses and projects, like Mendo Ferments, Mindful Meals, Grange Pancake Breakfast, and more. The commercial kitchen was built with support from the Grange and North Coast Opportunities and is a shining example of a successful community project.”
Radice noted, “My co-workers and I also operate a small vegetable farm at Ridgewood Ranch, which is home to a lot of agricultural projects like the Golden Rule Garden and the School of Adaptive Agriculture. Landowners who are committed to supporting food access and small farmers are another foundational piece of the food system. The cost of land in Mendocino County means that a farm business needs to either make a substantial investment or find a partnership with a supportive landowner. A lot of food goes out into the world from Ridgewood Ranch, and I’m proud to be part of this community.”
Since Caroline Radice arrived in 2003, much has changed in Mendocino and Lake County farming. Land prices have soared amid formidable climate conditions. Simply staying in business presents significant challenges for most farms and ranches. Yet farming endures thanks to people like Radice who are doing the work, finding creative ways to continue to produce high quality food.
Black Dog Catering
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Lisa Ludwigsen is a writer and marketer working with food, farms, and family small businesses. She has worked in organic agriculture, natural foods, and environmental education for over 20 years.