Occupation: I am the chef, owner, and creator at Carrot Top Kitchens. We are a specialty food company that started in 2010. We sell at farmer’s markets as well as wholesale accounts and customer direct. We source locally and support all natural, non-GMO products and promote sustainability. Our products include pickles, seasonal soups, quiches, hummus, salads, pesto, and, often, prepared meals. I enjoy combining a variety of flavor profiles incorporating my California roots with accents from the East Coast and specifically New England, always promoting all-natural ingredients.

Family: I am blessed with four children: three girls and a son, ages 24 to 19.

Pets: Our basset hound, Bogart, is 12. We have a Maine Coon, Tiggy, who is 13. Maverick, a trolling Bengal mix, who comes in at 3. Pablo, our 10-year old rabbit, finishes the mix, having recently lost his sister, Skittles.

What do you like to do in your free time? Free time has been at a premium as of late, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Spending time with family and friends, travel (hopefully again soon), gardening, and volunteering.

What is your favorite book? Being an avid reader, it is definitely constantly changing, but Gap Creek is a strong contender.

What is your favorite travel destination? Costa Rica for people, the weather, the scenery. Pura Vida.

What is the best part about Newtown? The people of Newtown and truly amazing, supportive, personable, and interested.

What organizations are you part of in Newtown? We sell at the Newtown Farmer’s Market at Fairfield Hills and have been doing so for years. Many of our customers are now our friends!

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? My parents, for sure, instilled in me a sense of duty, work ethic, and a commitment to family. Failures are part of the journey.

If you could spend the day with one person, who would you choose and why? My mom. I lost her ten years ago and I would love to share everything about her grandchildren, how she was always right, and of course our business, Carrot Top Kitchens.

Who is your favorite musical artist? Certainly Bruce Springsteen, since about 1980; I wish I could have seen him on Broadway. He’s a storyteller, a true-to-himself musician.

What is the greatest piece of advice you have ever been given? Never give up, the only limits you have are those self imposed, and it is often easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.

What is something you cannot live without? My children and my partner are truly the most important things in my life. I am reminded daily of things that really matter and I am blessed with five of them.

What is your proudest accomplishment? My ex-husband left when my children, all four, were under 5 [years old]. There were many difficult years, to say the least, but I managed to push forward and eventually, after a series of not-too-comedic events, my partner, Bill Anastas, and myself started our specialty food company. My two NY girls are in grad school, and my son and other daughter are in college. Challenges are merely small stepping stones.