A free online guide to finding local, sustainable, organic food in the U.S. and Canada. alt1


Destin Joy Layne—Program Director
As Director of the Eat Well Guide at GRACE, a New York-based foundation promoting innovative solutions for an economically and environmentally sound future, Destin Joy Layne is a leader in bringing cutting edge new media to support the local food movement. She personifies "where passion meets tech,” with a special focus on access for those who have none. As a long-time food and community activist with roots in Wisconsin, Destin brings over ten years of experience working for social justice to the fight for safe, delicious and ethically-produced food for all people.

Kate Croft—Program Coordinator
A Georgia farmgirl turned New York City food activist, Kate puts community relationships at the heart of sustainable solutions. Despite her background in journalism and social advocacy, Kate admits that her work at Eat Well is mostly shaped by her experience as a neighbor, farmer, performer, and unwitting student of old-fashioned Southern hospitality.

Kate holds a BFA from New York University with a concentration in Theater for Social Change; she has collaborated on projects with changemakers such as No Impact Man, and serves as Food & Purchasing Advisor to the NYU Sustainability Task Force. Her passions include environmental literacy, playing the banjo, all culinary applications of lemons, and high-stakes Scrabble.

Erin McCarthy—Program Associate
Growing up on the fresh fruit and veggies from eastern Long Island was the beginning of Erin’s love for all things natural. Her family always made a conscious effort to support friends that owned local farms. During her first year at Colgate University, Erin was part of a small group of students who completed a project on the benefits of Fair Trade coffee and she is proud to say that it is now prevalent in the dining halls at Colgate. She was known to be a strong supporter of the local businesses and could be seen frequently at the farmer’s markets in the fall and in turn developed a soft spot for rural New York State. As an Outdoor Education leader, Erin led trips with fellow students to the Adirondacks and is now excited to have the opportunity to fuel her passion for the outdoors in the nearby Hudson Valley. After receiving her BA in Environmental Geography, Erin spent a year as a teacher discussing environmental issues with her students. Erin is excited to be a part of the Eat Well Guide team and to help it play a significant role in promoting sustainable agriculture.

Karen K. CorrêaWeb/New Media Developer
Armed with years of experience and a strong commitment to enacting change and improving the global environment, Karen Corrêa joined GRACE in July of 2004. She previously held the post of Assistant Webmaster at The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and was a regular contributing writer for various magazines. The granddaughter of a cutting horse trainer, Karen was raised in Colorado with a strong foundation in social justice. Time spent living with family, traveling, and assisting with educational visits to Brazil has bolstered her knowledge and understanding of a globally telescoping environment and the need for sustainable farming practices. She is very proud of her work with the Sustainable Table campaign and with the award-winning Meatrix website. She has a B.A. in Music from Wesleyan University in Connecticut and is also a published composer and performs nationally and internationally. In the Summer of 1990 she once played The Farming Game for over 11 (uninterrupted) hours and still isn't sure who won.

Katie SweetmanGraphic Designer
A longtime foodie and adventurous cook, Katie Sweetman joined GRACE in September 2006 and immediately connected with the idea of promoting healthy, sustainable eating. Katie is originally from Washington, DC, where she worked for the Institute for International Economics. She has a BA in both Communications and Studio Art from Hollins University in Virginia and is a self taught designer. She is also a grapheme synesthete and sees numbers and letters in color and thus has an uncanny ability to remember people's birthdays. In addition, she can quote nearly the entirety of the movie Ghostbusters, which has absolutely nothing to do with synesthesia and more with the fact that she's a nerd.

Libby BattenWeb Developer
Libby Batten is no stranger to good food. Hailing from North Carolina, she enjoyed a farm and garden-centric childhood heavily influenced by first rate Southern cooks. Raised by a mother with a green thumb and a zest for azaleas and daylilies, she spent her summers wandering through relatives' gardens, eating scuppernong grapes straight from the vine, and harvesting homegrown vegetables.

Libby earned her BS in chemistry from UNC-Chapel Hill and her career has been as winding as a backyard garden path: she has worked in such industries as microbiology and immunology research, sound engineering in Austin and as a freelance writer/photographer for music and lifestyle magazines. She currently works as a back and front end web developer for Eat Well and in her spare time, strives to recreate her mother's garden in the window and on the stoop of her Brooklyn apartment (oh the futility!).