Christopher Renfro

Ramaytush, Ohlone, Muwekma land – San Francisco, CA

My name is Christopher Renfro and I’ve been living in the Bay Area for the last 15 years. I moved to San Francisco in pursuit of a design career but quickly found that my passions for food, nature, entrepreneurship, and justice would take me where I wanted to be.

While living in some of the nicest neighborhoods in the city as a Black man, it was very hard to ignore the issues of inequality around my passions and how these issues affected people of color living in the community.

During my time working in the organic grocery market, hospitality industry, and gardening industry, I rarely saw peers that looked like myself. It was even rarer to see BIPOC folks in leadership and management positions, much less as business owners. This was something that had a significant impact on how I saw the city I lived in and how I fit in.

I had the opportunity to work as a co-owner of Rainbow Grocery for a few years and really enjoyed being able to offer the community great healthy food that was chosen with integrity. It was here that I worked closely with key elder coop members and learned a lot about organizing and community building.

When I decided to work in restaurants I knew that I wanted to work for a business that I looked up to and thought I could grow with. I found myself at the doors of Liho Liho yacht club - a fast-paced, high-volume, upscale restaurant in the heart of the city. I quickly learned to love the level of detail it takes to run a restaurant of this caliber, and immediately tried to learn as much about the business as possible. While moving up I found that my will to go above and beyond helped me get into the roles I desired. I focused mostly on wine and tried to learn as much as possible. This eventually led to my interest in viticulture and wanting to have a vineyard of my own.

In December 2019 I was able to become the steward of San Francisco’s only vineyard at Alemany Farm, in Bernal Heights. The farm is right next to the 280 freeway, Alemany Apartments, and St. Mary’s Park. I felt that maybe by having access to the youth in the neighborhood and using my previous connections in wine, I could start something beneficial. I am now using these vines to teach BIPOC about viticulture and have created a paid internship alongside Alemany Farm, UC Davis, and award-winning winemaker Steve Matthiasson.

Another very important part of the farm is that it has an outdoor kitchen with running water. This made me think it was a perfect place to do actual farm-to-table dinners cooked by chefs for the community. My business partner Haley and I have been feeding the neighborhood with the help of volunteers for free for the last 10 months. Everything we cook is purchased with money donated by people who support our cause. Besides feeding the community we also have organized regular trash cleanups around the bay. We also hand out hygiene kits once a month.

It is my goal to change these inequities in an organic, grassroots way. With the vision, mentorship, and resources to provide a good living I believe we can put the power back into marginalized communities’ hands to accomplish our goals.