Emily Zack (2021-2023)

I am Food Shed owner number 116. I have lived in McHenry County my whole life. Grew up in Crystal Lake and now reside in Woodstock with my husband and daughter, my son living on his own. I started falling in love with the local food push about 12 years ago and concentrated on shopping at farmers markets, growing and preserving food, reading labels at supermarkets for food grown close and paying more attention to our food supply chain. When I realized I could make a living out of this I went back to school at MCC and took horticulture classes to learn more about plant production. Soon I started growing for restaurants around McHenry County. Because I didn’t own enough land to do this I ran small gardens all over town. Later I ran the student farm at the Loyola Ecology Campus in Woodstock and then worked at Smart Farm of Barrington where all the produce goes to food pantries. Now I am the Farm Practicum Director at MCC where I can give back where I started this journey! McHenry County deserves a food co-op and I’m excited to be a part of it.