Everybody Eats - A Movement

A Journey from Community Cafe to Community Art
Renee sits down with Jennifer Seaver, Farm Cafe's very first manager who help bring order to Farm Cafe's early chaos by building the systems and daily reports that still run the cafe today. But more importantly, she absorbed its core belief that dignity and access matter more than money. When she moved to Raleigh, she founded Art for All, a nonprofit offering art classes and community murals on a pay-what-you-can basis. Just as Farm Cafe feeds bodies without barriers, Art for All feeds creativity and connection.
The conversation explores Jennifer's community-centered approach to public murals, where neighbors help design the art that will live in their spaces. Renee and Jennifer discuss the parallels between food and art as essential human needs, the challenges of sustaining alternative economic models, and how both Farm Cafe and Art for All create spaces where everyone is valued exactly as they are.
 
 
Jennifer Seaver is a landscape designer, community arts leader, and lifelong artist whose work bridges creative practice, public service, and environmental design. She previously served as the first café manager at F.A.R.M. Café, where she also painted the portrait featured in the café’s mural. With a background in nonprofit management, government administration, and veterinary practice management, she brings an interdisciplinary perspective to her practice.
Jennifer holds a BA in Leadership in the Public Sector from North Carolina State University and is currently a Master of Landscape Architecture candidate. She is the founder of Art for All - NC, a pay-what-you-can arts nonprofit inspired by the One World Everybody Eats movement, expanding access to the arts while fostering more sustainable communities. Her landscape design work focuses on climate-resilient landscapes and green infrastructure that support both social and ecological well-being, informed by equity and Indigenous land stewardship. 
F.A.R.M. Cafe Mural
 

In the Season Two finale, Renee Boughman flips the mic toward the next generation, talking with two App State students whose lives have been shaped by Farm Cafe from the inside: Giovanna Dubuc, a Farm Cafe intern studying political science and languages, and Amoreena Kroup, a dedicated volunteer studying sustainable community services.
What starts as a simple question — how did you find Farm Cafe? — opens into a rich, wide-ranging conversation about what it actually feels like to walk into a space where people are genuinely happy to be there. From navigating difficult interactions with grace beyond their years, to setting boundaries with regulars, to guiding first-time volunteers through knife safety and the art of a proper introduction, Giovanna and Amoreena offer a ground-level view of community cafe life that is both refreshingly honest and deeply moving.

In this episode, Renee talks with Jeff and Julie Williams, co-founders of Taste Project in Fort Worth, Texas — one of the largest and most distinctive community cafes in the country. With a full-service, sit-down restaurant model and an ACF-accredited culinary apprenticeship program, Taste Project is doing things a little differently in the pay-what-you-can world.
Jeff shares how a persistent calling led him to open Taste Project in 2017, and how a dream — literally — set the wheels in motion for a second location in Arlington, made possible through an unlikely partnership with the city. Julie, who also serves as president of One World Everybody Eats, offers an honest look at what the network means for cafes nationwide and why the "self-sustaining model" myth is one of the first things new cafe founders need to let go of.
 
Jeff WilliamsJeff Williams is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Taste Project. He has always had a passion for cooking, food, and feeding people. Being half Italian, Jeff’s heritage feeds his passion and discovery in the area of Italian cuisine.
His vision for Taste Project is different than a growing, profit generating, Italian restaurant. His vision is not a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen, but a place where everyday folks eat; and those who could not afford to eat there could still enjoy a meal in the restaurant. In June 2012, Jeff launched Taste Project, and in December 2017, the organization launched Taste Community Restaurant.
Jeff works full-time for Taste Project and attends Gateway Church.
 
Julie WilliamsJulie Williams is the Co-Founder of Taste Project and has helped lead its mission and growth since launching the organization in 2012. With a background in healthcare marketing, Julie brings creativity, strategic vision, and heart to the development of Taste Community Restaurant and future initiatives.
Taste Project is a nonprofit organization that fights food insecurity through a pay-what-you-can restaurant model, providing dignified access to healthy meals while creating a welcoming space for people from all walks of life to share a table.
Julie currently serves as President of the One World Everybody Eats Board of Directors and is passionate about building strong communities through hospitality, inclusion, and nourishment.
She lives in Fort Worth with her husband and co-founder, Jeff, and their son, Brian. Outside of her work, she enjoys running, family time, and being actively involved in her church community.
 

Renee talks with Jenny Knowlton, the Executive Director and Founder of the Quiltmaker Cafe in Pittsboro, North Carolina. Named after the beloved children’s book The Quiltmaker’s Gift, the cafe is a testament to the power of patience and community persistence.
Jenny shares the candid reality of a five-year journey to find a brick-and-mortar home. Despite many obstacles, Jenny didn't just wait; she spent years building a "tapestry" of support through pop-up meals, food truck events, and deep involvement in the local community.
The conversation explores the unique challenges of merging a nonprofit mission with a professional restaurant, the importance of mentorship from other community cafe directors, and why Jenny believes the long wait actually resulted in the perfect downtown location.
 
 
Jennie Knowlton, Founder and Executive Director of The Quiltmaker Café, began her first nonprofit journey early last year, along with her husband, David, and daughter, Elizabeth.  Having experienced food insecurity herself during different periods in her life, childhood, young adulthood and once again when starting her own family, she can personally relate to the dignity that is lost as choices become fewer and fewer.  Having always been environmentally conscious, Jennie is excited to combine her passion for reducing waste with her desire to address growing food insecurity in her state by providing a space where all are welcome to a meal and a community.  She is grateful for the support and encouragement from the local community in helping make Pittsboro’s first Pay-What-You-Can restaurant possible.

In this episode, Renee is joined by her colleague and close friend, Elena Dalton, the Executive Director of Farm Cafe. Elena shares her journey from a vision-board-planning applicant to leading the organization through some transformative years.
The heart of this conversation explores the "expert generalist" nature of nonprofit leadership and the unique, successful succession plan that kept Renee involved in the cafe mission while Elena took the helm. They discuss the importance of having a "head on a swivel" in a community cafe, the value of food recovery programs, and why a background in restaurant work is more critical to nonprofit success than most people realize.
Elena also reflects on how the cafe serves as a mirror for self-discovery, revealing the deep human need for community and fellowship. Whether you are starting a nonprofit or planning your exit, this episode offers a masterclass in leadership, vulnerability, and building an organization that can thrive for generations.
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Elena Dalton became interested in food systems work while studying Sustainable Development at Appalachian State University. During that time, she embraced a love of cooking and gardening that later translated into work with farms, edible schoolyards, and educational community gardens in the High Country.  She later continued her education at UNC Greensboro’s Graduate School where she earned a degree in Nonprofit Management. 
 
Elena joined F.A.R.M. Cafe as a program coordinator in January 2018 and has been the Executive Director for three years. She takes pride in her growth within the organization and her deepening understanding of the ways shared food and fellowship strengthen community. Outside of work, she is happiest spending time with her family and loved ones.  She and her daughter enjoy making treats for the whole family, including their very good dog, Louie, and exploring the mountains they call home.