⬩ Team Members ⬩
Kristen Essig, Culinary Director
Kristen joined Stonewood Farm in 2023 as Culinary Director, bringing the skills and experiences of an accomplished executive chef to support our charitable and educational mission. In this role, Kristen oversees food sourcing and preparation for Stonewood’s fundraising gatherings and serves as the liaison between our Market Garden and our wholesale customers, ensuring that Farm Managers Sam and Jeremy’s fresh produce reaches your plate without a hitch. She also works with the Stonewood team in all aspects of our community outreach as we fulfill our goal to promote food justice throughout the region.
Born and raised in Florida, Kristen attended Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina, where she received an Associate Degree in Culinary Science. Relocating to New Orleans, she spent years learning from culinary legends like Chef Emeril Lagasse at Emeril’s and Chef Anne Kearney at Peristyle. She has worked with and managed farmers markets; created programs for private culinary instruction, boutique catering, and front of house management; traveled as a private chef; and worked for small independent operations and for large hospitality groups.
More specifically, she served as Corporate Executive Chef for LeBlanc + Smith; then as Owner and Co-Executive Chef for sibling restaurants Coquette and Thalia in New Orleans; followed by a continuing role at Dauphine’s, a New Orleans-inspired restaurant in Washington, D.C. Through these varied experiences, Kristen has developed a culinary style known for farmers market-driven dishes and innovative takes on culinary classics, with an emphasis on environmental sustainability, ethical sourcing practices, regenerative farming, and local engagement.
Kristen received the Michelin “Bib Gourmand” Award (2022), and was named a James Beard Award Nominee for “Best Chef, Finalist: South” (2018 and 2019), a Food & Wine Magazine nominee for “People’s Best New Chef” (2015), and a Times-Picayune “Chef to Watch” (2014).
In her spare time, she enjoys reading, spending time with her dog Shirley, traveling, and “attempted” gardening. At Stonewood, Kristen is excited to share with our guests the stories of the many cultures, chefs, and traditions she brings to food and farming in the Hudson Valley.
Jasper van Santen, Advancement Director
Jasper joined Stonewood Farm as Advancement Director in October 2023 and is responsible for Stonewood’s community outreach, strategy, and fundraising.
Jasper was born in Amsterdam but has lived and worked all over the world. He studied international relations as an undergraduate at Georgetown University and then earned a Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. His studies at Columbia focused on energy and the environment and enabled him to develop his interest in sustainability and food insecurity; he has first-hand experience with these issues having lived in Africa, teaching primary school in Eswatini.
Before moving from Brooklyn to Amenia last year, Jasper helped organize Smart Cities NYC, a series of annual conferences that convened innovators and decision-makers working to make cities more livable, equitable, and sustainable. Outside of work, he enjoys being outdoors, traveling, cooking, skiing, and spending time with his wife Marina, two children, and their dog Oscar.
Samantha Kronyak, Farm Manager
Samantha (“Sam”) joined Stonewood Farm in 2023. Previously, she and Jeremy LeClair served as Farm Managers for Eliot Coleman’s Four Season Farm in Harborside, Maine, where they oversaw daily business activities, planned and maintained crops, and managed personnel for this internationally known, year-round organic farm.
Earlier in her career, Sam was a member of the farm crew for the Casey Farm in Saunderstown, Rhode Island, and served as a Pesticide Researcher for the Audubon Society of Rhode Island and as a Park Ranger for the National Park Service in Medora, North Dakota. She earned her degree in Wildlife Conservation Biology from the University of Rhode Island.
In her spare time, Sam enjoys “slow hobbies” like reading, puzzles, crafting, and crochet, as well as hiking and other outdoor activities. She looks forward to being part of our community and to making Stonewood Farm a place that’s “overflowing with gorgeous produce.”
Jeremy LeClair, Farm Manager
Along with Samantha Kronyak, Jeremy joined Stonewood in 2023 as Farm Manager, after working with Sam to manage Eliot Coleman’s Four Season Farm in Harborside, Maine.
Jeremy previously worked for Talaria, a hydroponic grower in Providence, Rhode Island, and Farming Turtles, an organic microgreens farm in Exeter, Rhode Island. He was also Lead Mushroom Grower for the Rhode Island Mushroom Company in West Kingston. He earned his degree in Plant Sciences/Sustainable Crop Production from the University of Rhode Island.
In addition to organic farming, Jeremy is passionate about music. He’s played guitar since middle school and was a DJ for his college radio station. He is excited to work with Stonewood’s customers and charity partners to bring more healthy, local food to the Hudson Valley.
Ann Black, Farming Apprentice
Please meet our Regional Food and Farming apprentice for the 2023 season, Ann Black. Ann is an itinerant chef and poet who loves food and reveres farms. Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Austin, Texas, Ann first experienced the wonder of New York State when she arrived as a student at Skidmore College, where she studied English and history. She has since lived and worked in Maine, Vermont, Berkeley, Austin, and New York City, but the Hudson Valley always beckons her and she is very glad to return to it.
Ann is eager to support Stonewood’s urgent mission of advancing food justice in our community while building connections between her love of food and her admiration for the institutions that produce it. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, biking, hiking, reading, and playing with her dog Charlie.