About the Project

The Stanford Farm Cookbook is a project inspired by regional agroecology, seasonal produce, and a love of good food. Honoring the origins of our food and the people who sustain our communities, we weave together farmers’ stories and agricultural wisdom alongside ecological, culinary, and sociocultural perspectives. 

Meet the Team

Sophia Forstmann, Co-author

Sophia, a PhD student at Stanford University, bridges ecology and agriculture through her research and lifelong connection to farming. Growing up working at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, she gained hands-on farming experience while being exposed to advanced culinary techniques and farm-to-table cooking. Drawing on her background in sustainable food systems research, she uses food to connect scientific understanding with practical farming knowledge and culinary storytelling.

Vera Prokopieva, Co-Author

Vera is a researcher at Stanford Health Policy and a self-taught chef. Her research interests include the human microbiome, diet for the prevention of chronic disease and food politics. Vera comes from a background in social anthropology, focusing on food cultures. Her cooking style is informed by principles of sustainability and cultural exchange. She has worked at Hart Bakery and staged at Grø Spiseri and Baest in Copenhagen. In this context, she began to love fermentation, foraging and finding ways to be zero-waste in the kitchen.

Izzy Preble, Communications Director

Izzy is a senior at Stanford University studying Human Biology and Earth Systems with a concentration in sustainability and food systems. Her research interests intersect the complex pathways that connect ecological resilience, nutrition, and human and planetary health. Motivated by personal experience cooking to manage autoimmune conditions in her family, it has evolved into a practice of understanding how our choices ripple through the living world. 

Leslie Jin, Logistics

Leslie Jin, a graduate of Stanford University (MS Earth Systems ’25, BS Design ’24), integrates her passions for design, science, and food to create meaningful connections between people and their environments. With farming and teaching experience in the Bay Area and San Diego, she uses food as a medium for storytelling, education, and science communication.

AK Preidl, Pastry Chef

AK is a materials scientist (MS Chemical Engineering ’25) and trained pastry chef with culinary experience from various restaurants, including Noma, Copenhagen. Her research looks at the development of novel food products from the Neurospora intermedia mold.

Philippe Roberge, Photography

Philippe Roberge is a Ph.D. student and aspiring environmental change-maker in Stanford, California. Through a combination of technical science, communication and creativity, he hopes to change the way we fight to protect the natural world. Growing up in the Middle East, he was exposed to diverse cuisines at an early age. A lifelong foodie, Phil channels his passion for photography into making the visual side of the cookbook come to life. 

Alice Heiman, UX/UI Designer

Alice is a computer science student at Stanford University and focus on using technology for human and planetary health. She grew up in Stockholm, Sweden, where she developed a deep connection with sustainability and the natural world. Her research spans optimizing forest restoration in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, early cancer-detection using machine learning, and minimizing water usage in food systems. Alice is powered by plants and passionate about sharing the deliciousness and benefits of plant-based meals.