Today we’d like to introduce you to Kerry Kokkinogenis.
Kerry, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Life and parenting is a journey. When I was pregnant with my first, more than 15 years ago, I ate a very typical take-out diet. But, as the kids were young and growing, we started being more concerned about what went into their bodies. First cooking more at home, then looking for foods without hormones, pesticides, etc. More recently, we found that not only did food that was local and in season has more flavor, it also had more nutrition. The more we knew the more we cared.
I also have a master’s degree in health communication and have seen research that says that locally-based economies are healthier and more robust, make for healthier more connected communities, and that makes for healthier people. The question became, how can we support local food systems? How can we connect people who want to eat local and healthy with local food? From these questions came Wildflower Pantry.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We are only a year into being open. We did open significantly later in the season than we had wanted, which has caused us some problems. Sometimes, fears or doubts get in the way of actualizing events to their full potential. And freezers are much less reliable than I knew! But so far we have been reasonably lucky. We have been welcomed and supported by many neighbors and friends, for which we are profoundly grateful.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Wildflower Pantry – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are an all-local food store. We are locally-owned (we live only a few blocks from the store), and offer locally-grown, locally-made food. We love being part of our community, both the neighborhood, and the larger food community.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We are looking forward to expanding into some in-house made foods — sandwiches and salads, soups and such.
Contact Info:
- Address: 575 Washington St
Brighton MA 02135 - Website: wildflowerpantry.com
- Phone: 617-276-6299
- Email: wildflowerpantryboston@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/wildflower_pantry
- Facebook: facebook.com/wildflowerpantry
- Twitter: twitter.com/WFPBoston
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