Patti Marrs is a self-taught “foodie” and environmentalist. Recognizing that food is at the center of everything, she has chosen it as her tool for activism.Patti is known to describe herself in this way, “I am not a schooled chef, I do not know how to perfume a peach with lemon grass and vanilla, what I can do is seek out the local farmer that grows a most flavorful peach and then serve that peach at its peak, untouched, perfect”.

Patti’s is driven by her primary goals to heal soil, the environment and educate a new generation. Using food as the carrot (so to speak) she pursues these objectives by serving others food that is fresh, clean, whole, and fair, Patti is known to stop at any number of farms on her commute to the kitchen to serve the freshest, most nutritious food possible, this also puts the dollars in the hands of the growers. She strives to keep her kitchen “zero-waste” and has implemented large scale composting operations; which, in turn, provides fuel for the campus gardens.

Patti currently pursues her passion as the Director of Food Service at the Orme School, an international boarding school in Mayer, Arizona, where she leads her team in preparing meals from scratch for 100 people 3 times a day in a true “Farm to Table” fashion. Specializing in School Garden state certification, Patti has written the Garden Food Safety Plans to successfully certify the first and second Approved Source School Gardens in Yavapai County and currently serves on Yavapai County’s Food Safety Industrial Council.

In her personal life, Patti lives in a wood-heated, straw-bale house on 2.5 acres on Cornville. She raises goats for milk, cheese, soap, and fiber for spinning and weaving, she keeps layer hens for eggs, and cares for bees to pollinate and for honey. Patti’s menagerie at home inspires her to take one step back in order to move in to the future.