MEET THE RAIFORDS
MATTHEW RAIFORD
A descendant of the Freshwater Gullah Geechie of Coastal Georgia, Matthew Raiford grew up on land that has sustained his family for seven generations; Gilliard Farms, purchased by his great-great-great-grandfather Jupiter Gilliard in 1874, is now in the hands of this sixth-generation farmer in Brunswick, GA. He, alongside his wife Tia (nee McDonald, AOS ’98) are also owners of Strong Roots 9, a lifestyle brand which is dedicated to creating products and experiences for Americans to reconnect with the nation’s natural heritage, from the perspective of the people whose ancestors helped build it. Matthew is the author of the celebrated cookbook Bress ‘n’ Nyam: Gullah Geechee Recipes from a Sixth Generation Farmer.
In addition to being a CIA alum, he holds a certificate in ecological horticulture from University of California Santa Cruz and The Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. Matthew has over 30 years of experience in the food and hospitality industry, including serving as the director of culinary at the College of Coastal Georgia and the executive chef of Little St. Simons Island and Haute Catering in Washington, DC at the U.S. House of Representatives. Matthew serves on the Chef’s Collaborative board of directors and is an active member of Slow Food USA, the Board Chair for Georgia Organics Raiford was named a 2018 semi-finalist in the James Beard Awards Best Chef in the Southeast category. and has been featured in The New York Times, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, and The Huffington Post, and has been a featured chef at food festivals across the country
Matthew enjoys traveling and experiencing other food cultures from the agrarian to the cooking and loves teaching whether it be cooking or gardening in the backyard or creating compost systems for larger farm life. His passion lies in creating food memories for others by preparing local, organic, and flavorful foods.
TIA RAIFORD
As a self-proclaimed ‘First Generation Northerner’, Tia’s exploration of food began at a young age, as she cooked alongside her mother and grandmother. Born in Albany, New York, raised in Connecticut, growing up a daughter of a musician, disconnected from the heart of the 120-acre watermelon farm of her grandparents and ancestors. However, that culture, food, and the sense of community are reminiscent of the traditions of Wetumpka, Eclectic and Tuskegee, Alabama, and the deep connection to food and farming from Alabama her family carried north during the Great Migration has manifested her passion and commitment to teaching the importance of health benefits and importance of the connection between food and the human experience throughout her career.
Tia, also an alumnus of the CIA, Tia has cooked in some of the country’s top kitchens, including New York City’s Oceana and Gramercy Tavern, leading to a highpoint role in her career as Senior Executive Chef at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. In 2006, she moved to Philadelphia to serve as the Campus Executive Chef at the University of Pennsylvania, where she lived and immersed herself in the Philadelphia community for over a decade.
This move ultimately led her to a career-changing role, building culinary and educational programs and experiences under the guidance of the USDA’s National School Lunch Program as Culinary Director for Vetri Community Partnership, led by James Beard Award recipient Chef Marc Vetri. During her time as Culinary Director for Elior North America’s K-12 division, Tia was able to impact over 100,000 students across the country by creating culinary programs, changing the face of school lunch from within, to bring culturally authentic meals to students to school lunch, mission focused that all children, regardless of their backgrounds have great meals.