Davis Enterprise - Name Droppers: Lambert joins Yolo Food Hub Network

Ave Lambert Appointed Executive Director of Yolo Food Hub Network

CAPAY VALLEY, CA — New Season Community Development Corporation, the operating organization behind the Yolo Food Hub Network, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ave Lambert as its new executive director. This leadership transition marks an exciting chapter for the network as it continues to strengthen local food systems.

Ave Lambert is an eighth, generation farmer and rancher with deep ties to Yolo and Ventura Counties, as well as the Bay Area. They bring a lifelong passion for food and agriculture to this important role. Lambert's multidisciplinary background encompasses culinary arts, regenerative farming practices, workforce development, and food policy advocacy, making them a dynamic and visionary leader for the region’s local food movement.

"We are incredibly excited to welcome Ave back to the valley," said Jim Durst, Board President of New Season Community Development Corporation. "Their commitment to community, driven food systems, paired with a proven track record of innovative leadership, makes them the ideal person to lead this next chapter." New Season Community Development Corporation has spent two decades revitalizing rural northwest Yolo County.

After two decades dedicated to creating models for local food systems, community growth, and economic development in areas facing food insecurity, Ave returns to Yolo County to lead the Yolo Food Hub Network. This includes its anchor project at the Historic Oakdale Ranch.

The recently acquired 5 acre site between Esparto and Madison features a 22,000 square foot barn. This barn has been a community space since its warming in 2022. It will soon be transformed into the central site of a larger regional food hub network, encompassing Spork Food Hub and Capay Valley Farm Shop. These facilities will offer aggregation, processing, storage, and distribution services to support small farms and ranches. This project has been a community, driven collaboration, with participation from hundreds of local residents, organizations, and representatives from all levels of government.

The food hub represents a long, anticipated solution to challenges within centralized and globalized food systems. By re, regionalizing centers of food production and distribution in a rural agricultural area, the Yolo Food Hub Network aims to build lasting economic resilience for individuals, rather than focusing solely on corporations.

"We’re building infrastructure that not only supports our local agricultural economy but strengthens community health and relationships at every step of the supply chain," Lambert stated. "I’m honored to be standing on the shoulders of each community member who has invested their lives in this work, the incredible all, volunteer New Season Board, and to be part of this transformative work."

For more information about the Yolo Food Hub Network or to contact Ave Lambert, please call 530, 206, 3299, email ave@yolofoodhubnetwork.org, or visit our websites at

https://www.yolofoodhubnetwork.org/ or https://www.newseasoncdc.com.