Ria Taylor is a rural farmer, homesteader, and kitchen magician. She leads Soul Fire Farm’s Farm-to-Table program and kitchen, where she infuses her passion for ancestral cooking with farm-fresh ingredients from the northeastern U.S. Born in South Sulawesi Indonesia, Ria comes from a family of farmers, fishermen, and chefs, and her cooking traditions are intimately bound with her homeland.

Ria has a passion for sharing her ancestral foodways and making nutritious (and delicious) food accessible while connecting people to the land. She seeks to reduce food waste by sharing food preservation methods with her community and by promoting the use of local and seasonal ingredients. Ria provides education to people who want to learn about cultivating, preparing, and preserving seasonal ingredients and hosts pop up dinners to connect her community with local farmers and chefs.

Prior to moving to the U.S., Ria co-founded KOMBES Makassar, a community-oriented anti-littering and trash management organization focused on urban agriculture and building localized solutions to Indonesia’s trash and recycling challenges. Ria has a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations from Fajar University and a culinary degree from the Quality Tourism School in Makassar. She is a published food journalist and previously worked as a social worker supporting the United Nations Human Rights for Refugees (UNHCR).