Here's Why Duskie Estes Was Shouted Out As A Sonoma County Local Hero

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — When times are tough, heroes emerge. We all know someone who's making a difference right now as we live through unprecedented and changing times.

Here at Patch, we've launched an initiative to help recognize these heroes making a difference in their communities. We’re working to let all your neighbors know about these outstanding people and their stories.

This submission comes from Kelly Conrad who nominated Duskie Estes of Farm to Pantry in Healdsburg.

Local hero's full name

Duskie Estes

Local hero’s home state

California

Local hero’s Patch

Healdsburg

How do you know the local hero?

I work with her.

What does the local hero do?

She is the executive director of Farm to Pantry & a celebrity chef

Why do you believe the local hero should be recognized or honored?

Duskie Estes, as her husband John Stewart says, has two speeds: fast and faster. Duskie and John lost their Michelin-Guide Restaurant Zazu, rated one of the Top 50 Restaurants in San Francisco, to flooding in the Sebastopol Barlow in 2019. Thankfully, her resolve to feed people did not drown in the deleterious flood waters.

Exhibiting the depth of her resiliency, this Food Network star and celebrity chef strapped on her work boots and headed to the farms and fields of Sonoma County, gleaning produce to fight hunger and food waste as the executive director of Farm to Pantry. She is now the driving force expanding this nonprofit's work, which is so critical with the massive surge of people facing food insecurity due to the pandemic fallout. Duskie's energy is limitless as she finds new farm sources and new community partners to ensure no food is left on the vine to rot or tilled under when there are hungry bellies to nourish in her backyard and beyond.

Her commitment to her community and innate drive to feed people with healthy, immunity-boosting foods is unmatched. If she is not gleaning in the fields, she is delivering produce to pantries and low-income housing units and partnering with chefs and restaurants that need ingredients to prepare meals for those in need or housebound.

Duskie is charismatic and driven — showing us all that we can still make a difference in people's lives, even if we can't be near them and even when life feels as if it is at a standstill with scarce hope. She has grown Farm to Pantry in unimaginable ways: quadrupling the amount of food gleaned, doubled the staff and volunteer pool, tripled the amount of partners they work with and started new programs to preserve perishable food in order to further the mission to end food waste. She is bold and too sweet to say "no" to...so she has a massive network and gets things done with a smile because she loves what she does and is nourished herself by being of service.

What's one thing you want everyone to know about the local hero?

She is the most sensitive and positive soul I have ever met. As busy as she is, she ALWAYS takes the time to be kind and share a smile or hug...even when her stress level is at an all-time high, which is so rare these days with people being so quick to anger and judgment.

Thank you for all you do, Duskie Estes!

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Know someone making a difference in town?

Nominate them here.