Jeff Roberts

President, Cow Creek Creative Ventures

A resident of Montpelier, Vermont, Jeff Roberts is president of Cow Creek Creative Ventures, dedicated to creating solutions in agriculture, food policy, conservation and the environment. He was co-founder and principal consultant at the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese at the University of Vermont. His book, The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese (Chelsea Green, 2007), was the first comprehensive survey of small-scale producers. He is a member of Guilde Internationale des Fromagers. He teaches the history and culture of food at the New England Culinary Institute; is a visiting professor at the Slow Food University of Gastronomic Science; provides consulting services to a wide array of small-scale food producers; and is a frequent speaker in Europe and the United States on artisan food, sustainable agriculture, and the working landscape. His new book, Salted & Cured: Savoring the Culture, Heritage and Flavor of America’s Preserved Meats (Chelsea Green, 2017), examines the history and culture of dry-cured meat from 1630 to the present.

During his career, Jeff has been a meteorologist, museum curator and historian, and director of development at the Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia. From 1987–1994, he was associate dean at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine. From 1995–1998, he was vice president for external affairs for the Vermont Land Trust.

For more than a decade, Jeff was active in Slow Food International and USA, including service as a director and treasurer of the national board. Locally, he served as a director of the Central Vermont Community Land Trust, Vermont Arts Council and Vermont Fresh Network.