Barb Boates Sweet – Vice-chair

Barb grew up in the Annapolis Valley on a small hobby farm that grew strawberries, beans and
apples. As a child, she always had an interest in food and cooking and learned to cook with her
nanny, often with vegetables and fruit grown in their own garden. Summer eating was always
focused around what was in season, with a particular favourite of hodge podge. After high
school, Barb moved to Halifax to attend Saint Mary’s University studying anthropology. After
university, Barb worked with her partner to help build a property management business,
focusing on student housing in Halifax.
After attending culinary school and working in the restaurant industry for a few years, Barb
started working in the foodservice sales industry; which proved an eye-opener for her about the
complexity and length of the industrial food supply chain. It was at one of the foodservice
shows that Barb first met Linda Best and started to learn about the local food supply chain and
how important it is that we support and strengthen our local food system. Since then Barb has
been actively learning more about the local food supply chain and its role in the Nova Scotian
economy, public health and food security.
After completing an MBA in Food and Agri-Business Management at University of Guelph in
2015, Barb worked with FarmWorks in an administrative capacity for a year. Since then, she
has been involved in her family property management business. In 2019, she established a
very small garlic farm in the Annapolis Valley where she intends to increase production, over
time, to include a small greenhouse, hugelkultur and permaculture elements in vegetable and
fruit production. Barb lives in Halifax with her son, Avery, her dog, and a backyard full of vegetables.