Community Spotlight: Bayla Gottesman

Bayla Gottesman poses for a portrait on Fresh Food Box distribution day. (Photo credit: Chloe Aiello/Maple Street Community Garden)

WELCOME TO OUR COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT! In celebration of all the incredible people who help make the garden a success, we’d like to share their stories with you. 

Meet Bayla Gottesman (she/her), one of the cofounders of the Fresh Food Box program!

Gottesman joined the garden in 2019 after moving to the neighborhood and seeing gardeners hard at work on Maple Street. She first became involved with the Gardening Committee, clearing out gardening space, building beds, planting, and harvesting. In 2020, she helped launch the Fresh Food Box program, which is where she spends the majority of her time in the garden today.

Gottesman does all the buying for the Fresh Food Program, so she has the great privilege of choosing the produce the garden receives each week.

“I love bringing in new fruits and vegetables and helping people expand their cooking repertoires. Last year, romanesco was a big hit, and this year we tried quince! It's always exciting to bring something a bit unusual into the garden for us all to experience,” she wrote.

This season, the Fresh Food Box program was able to expand its selection of dry goods available for purchase during distribution, Gottesman wrote. By the end of the season, the program’s volunteers were selling locally made nut butters, a variety of breads and pastries, jams, salsas, beans, honey, kimchi, and more from makers in the community.

Gottesman also has input into the farms from which the program buys.

“We owe a lot to farmers and agriculture workers on the local farms we source from, and it makes me happy to be able to support their businesses,” she said.

In addition to the joys of finding and providing fresh and local food to the community, Gottesman values the relationships she’s made with fellow volunteers.

“I have loved developing friendships with all of our volunteers and customers in the Fresh Food Box,” Gottesman wrote. “I have been working alongside some of our garden volunteers from different committees for several years now. The continuity has been grounding and provides a great sense of value and family.”