East End food nonprofit expands to Riverhead, as new director brings 'whole, clean food' to underserved communities
Marci Moreau, East End Food's new executive director, at Treiber Farms in Peconic on July 30. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
Marci Moreau, East End Food's new executive director, knows the power of locally grown produce and healthy meals.
She began focusing on nutrition after her daughter Rachel, now 31, was diagnosed with leukemia at 2 years old, and during her late husband Michael's 11-year battle with breast cancer.
"I realized, because her treatments were so intense, that I needed to help her heal physically after all the chemo and radiation," Moreau recalled recently.
Moreau, 55, plans to harness that power in her role to improve accessibility to healthy food and lead the organization into a new era as it moves from Southampton to a new 5,000-square-foot facility in Riverhead.
The $3 million East End Food Hub, at the corner of Main Road and Route 105, will feature an indoor farmers market, shared commercial kitchen and nutrition and culinary workshops. After construction delays, a key water main installation is expected in August, which Moreau said will set the market up for an October opening.
"With that, I think we’ll improve accessibility in the area for better, cleaner, local food," she said.
The nonprofit helps farmers turn their surplus into minimally processed products to boost revenue. In 2023, the organization distributed and processed 28,896 pounds of local produce and partnered with seven food pantries, five school districts and three senior centers, according to its website.
Peconic farmer Peter Treiber, who uses the facility to make pickled vegetables, pesto, jam and tomato sauce, said the products are "very profitable" for farmers and help divert food waste.
Treiber, 67, co-chairs the organization’s board and said partnering with schools and food pantries also helps reduce waste. "We grow it here — we’d like to get it to the people as quickly as possible and at a cost-effective basis," he said.
Moreau succeeds Kate Fullam, who led the organization for six years before taking a role at the state Department of Agriculture and Markets earlier this year.
"She knows the food world, which is important for us," Treiber said of Moreau.
Moreau previously ran a nonprofit that supports children with cancer and their families and founded a food brand focused on nutrient-dense recipes. She has a master’s in psychology from Southern Connecticut State University and is a certified nutritional therapist specializing in conditions like depression, PTSD, Alzheimer’s and cancer.
Moreau spoke with Newsday about her vision for the organization, building more resilient food systems and the power of healthy eating. Her answers have been edited for length and clarity.
In your new role, what’s your top priority?
Our main focus right now is on development of the hub. After we start the farmers market, we have an entire commercial kitchen to build so we’ll be able to accommodate more producers and fine-tune everything we do.
I love that we do food production. It’s important for the farms. When they have extra produce, if they can't create something out of it and generate revenue, that's money lost — hard work, sweat equity lost.
How does East End Food bridge the gap between locally grown food and underserved communities?
For people in underserved communities, sometimes that cannot be their priority. Often there’s a stigma attached to local food: that it’s not accessible, too expensive or out of reach.
Our farm-to-school program, and programs we do with food pantries, puts fresh, whole, clean local food into those institutions. We want to at the very least start to introduce local food, especially in the school systems, to get kids to understand what it is, what it feels like, what it tastes like.
Since you started in June, what have you learned about the East End food system?
Our farms are esteemed, our small food producers are valued. Out here, people speak the language of food. They appreciate it more than just a source of sustenance. It’s a core component of life.
Do people have misconceptions about healthy eating?
People underestimate the power that food has. At East End Food, we’re looking at food systems, we're looking at accessibility. We want to promote sustainability because it matters right down to our bodies and our minds.
The focus on clean, whole foods is important. People diminish the impact processed food or industrialized food can have on our body. When we turn it around and start putting better things into our body, we have a better life.
What would your last supper be?
A grilled peach salad with all fresh farm greens. I grill the peaches with balsamic with tomatoes and burrata. And I’m Italian, so hot peppers, chicken cutlets and fried zucchini flowers.
Marci Moreau, East End Food's new executive director, knows the power of locally grown produce and healthy meals.
She began focusing on nutrition after her daughter Rachel, now 31, was diagnosed with leukemia at 2 years old, and during her late husband Michael's 11-year battle with breast cancer.
"I realized, because her treatments were so intense, that I needed to help her heal physically after all the chemo and radiation," Moreau recalled recently.
Moreau, 55, plans to harness that power in her role to improve accessibility to healthy food and lead the organization into a new era as it moves from Southampton to a new 5,000-square-foot facility in Riverhead.
The $3 million East End Food Hub, at the corner of Main Road and Route 105, will feature an indoor farmers market, shared commercial kitchen and nutrition and culinary workshops. After construction delays, a key water main installation is expected in August, which Moreau said will set the market up for an October opening.
"With that, I think we’ll improve accessibility in the area for better, cleaner, local food," she said.
The nonprofit helps farmers turn their surplus into minimally processed products to boost revenue. In 2023, the organization distributed and processed 28,896 pounds of local produce and partnered with seven food pantries, five school districts and three senior centers, according to its website.
Peconic farmer Peter Treiber, who uses the facility to make pickled vegetables, pesto, jam and tomato sauce, said the products are "very profitable" for farmers and help divert food waste.
Treiber, 67, co-chairs the organization’s board and said partnering with schools and food pantries also helps reduce waste. "We grow it here — we’d like to get it to the people as quickly as possible and at a cost-effective basis," he said.
Moreau succeeds Kate Fullam, who led the organization for six years before taking a role at the state Department of Agriculture and Markets earlier this year.
"She knows the food world, which is important for us," Treiber said of Moreau.
Moreau previously ran a nonprofit that supports children with cancer and their families and founded a food brand focused on nutrient-dense recipes. She has a master’s in psychology from Southern Connecticut State University and is a certified nutritional therapist specializing in conditions like depression, PTSD, Alzheimer’s and cancer.
Moreau spoke with Newsday about her vision for the organization, building more resilient food systems and the power of healthy eating. Her answers have been edited for length and clarity.
In your new role, what’s your top priority?
Our main focus right now is on development of the hub. After we start the farmers market, we have an entire commercial kitchen to build so we’ll be able to accommodate more producers and fine-tune everything we do.
I love that we do food production. It’s important for the farms. When they have extra produce, if they can't create something out of it and generate revenue, that's money lost — hard work, sweat equity lost.
How does East End Food bridge the gap between locally grown food and underserved communities?
For people in underserved communities, sometimes that cannot be their priority. Often there’s a stigma attached to local food: that it’s not accessible, too expensive or out of reach.
Our farm-to-school program, and programs we do with food pantries, puts fresh, whole, clean local food into those institutions. We want to at the very least start to introduce local food, especially in the school systems, to get kids to understand what it is, what it feels like, what it tastes like.
Since you started in June, what have you learned about the East End food system?
Our farms are esteemed, our small food producers are valued. Out here, people speak the language of food. They appreciate it more than just a source of sustenance. It’s a core component of life.
Do people have misconceptions about healthy eating?
People underestimate the power that food has. At East End Food, we’re looking at food systems, we're looking at accessibility. We want to promote sustainability because it matters right down to our bodies and our minds.
The focus on clean, whole foods is important. People diminish the impact processed food or industrialized food can have on our body. When we turn it around and start putting better things into our body, we have a better life.
What would your last supper be?
A grilled peach salad with all fresh farm greens. I grill the peaches with balsamic with tomatoes and burrata. And I’m Italian, so hot peppers, chicken cutlets and fried zucchini flowers.
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