Tony Grasso

Tony Grasso is the World PEAS Food Hub Manager for New Entry and is responsible for providing oversight and management of the Food Hub and serving as the team leader for local food access and distribution programming. His role further involves building strategic partnerships and collaboration opportunities, helping to shape strategic vision and implementation, as well as developing team budgets and identifying the resources necessary to realize strategic objectives.

A New England native, Tony gained experience in stone masonry, arboriculture, and agriculture, across Massachusetts and Maine. While attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst he became more involved in the local farm community by volunteering as a farmhand and farmers’ market coordinator. Upon graduation, Tony left for the San Francisco Bay area where he served as a workshare for a number of CSA programs and helped develop infrastructure for small farms around Santa Cruz. After deciding to attend graduate school, he moved to Austin, TX and earned a dual master's degree in public policy and media production at the University of Texas.

Prior to joining the New Entry team, Tony was an Austin-based farming infrastructure specialist and farm-to-table event coordinator who committed his extensive experience in food and farm communities around the country to help co-found the Moontower Community Agricultural Co-op. He served as Board President and Director of Programming and worked directly with numerous farms and agricultural community groups in Central Texas including; Green Gate Farms, Tecolote Farm, Phoenix Farm, McGeary Ranch, Winters Family Beef, and Lund Produce Company, as well as the Sustainable Food Center and Farmshare Austin. While working with these groups he developed programs in value-added production, bulk purchasing, and local food distribution. Tony is also a chef and brewer dedicated to sourcing locally and utilizes those skills to further support local agriculture and community food systems.

He has now returned to his New England roots to continue his work strengthening local food systems. He perceives comprehensive and collaborative agricultural programming that includes local food distribution, farmer training, and market development as the best approach to cultivating the local farm and food communities and realize his two main priorities; keeping farmers farming and keeping food local.  You can reach Tony by email at:  tony.grasso@tufts.edu.