From Shreveport to SW Florida – Where culture, cooking, courage and school gardens meet.

Join us as we learn about the healing gardens of Louisiana to the vibrant school plots of Southwest Florida, where two inspiring leaders share how culture, community, and courage shape their farm to school journeys. Meet Di Plant Lady, whose roots in farm work and Caribbean heritage fuel her mission to heal soil and souls, and Kathleen, a Florida Extension powerhouse helping school gardens feed both cafeterias and curiosity. Together, their stories remind us why this movement matters: when we plant seeds with intention, we grow far more than food.

Transcript

Transcript:

From Shreveport to SW Florida – Where culture, cooking, courage and school gardens meet.

Join us as we learn about the healing gardens of Louisiana to the vibrant school plots of Southwest Florida, where two inspiring leaders share how culture, community, and courage shape their farm to school journeys. Meet Di Plant Lady, whose roots in farm work and Caribbean heritage fuel her mission to heal soil and souls, and Kathleen, a Florida Extension powerhouse helping school gardens feed both cafeterias and curiosity. Together, their stories remind us why this movement matters: when we plant seeds with intention, we grow far more than food.

00:00:05 Michelle

Welcome to the Farm to School Podcast, where you will hear stories of how youth thrive and farmers prosper when we learn how to grow, cook, and eat delicious, nutritious local foods in schools across the country.

00:00:16 Rick

And the world…  Hi, everybody, we're your hosts.  I'm Rick.

00:00:19 Michelle

And this is Michelle. And in this episode, we have another amazing guest co-host, Christy Sheridan, who will join us. This is another episode that we had recorded on location at the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  And I'm excited about this one, Rick.

00:00:39 Rick

Well, we were just talking offline about.

00:00:44 Michelle

I can't believe we talk offline.

00:00:46 Rick

We do. Well, we don't record everything we talk about.

00:00:49 Michelle

Goodness, we don't record everything.

00:00:51 Rick

We talk about this conference, how the farm to cafeteria conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and how the last episode we just showed had, we talk about people we've met and known for 20, 30 years. And then this episode…

00:01:09 Michelle

Oh, yeah, the main point of a network and just bringing people together and convening.  And that's one of the amazing, most powerful things that the National Pharma to School Network does. And so yes, this whole series of episodes are folks we've known a very long time, 20 years about, and then new friends. And I thought it'd be great if we went to the other corner of the country and introduced you to two friends, from Florida and Louisiana.

00:01:39 Rick

Yeah. Our first guest we're going to talk to is Tangia Taylor, and she calls herself “Di Plant Lady,” and that's D-I, Plant Lady, and she says it's an homage to her Caribbean roots.

00:01:51 Michelle

And you'll learn more about that.

00:01:53 Rick

And she talks a lot about food and in Louisiana.

00:01:58 Michelle

You talk a lot about food in Louisiana.

00:02:00 Rick

Oh my gosh. I swear in a prior life I was a Cajun because I love Cajun food so much.

00:02:09 Michelle

You go there quite a bit.

00:02:10 Rick

I do. We have my best friends live down there and it's the best fishing I've ever experienced in my life for one thing. And then the food, they have something called, the best Cajun food is like at gas stations. I don't know why, but they have, it's not what you think, but they have a world-class operation in the back of these places, and they'll have etoffe and gumbo and jambalaya. And I've liked it so much that I've went down rabbit holes and created some, found some recipes, some authentic Cajun recipes.  And there's people down there that said, they're very, very passionate about what is authentic and not. And so it's really, it's really fun to go create those recipes. I love it.

00:02:57 Michelle

So that's Louisiana. And then our other new friend is Kathleen from Florida.

00:03:02 Rick

And you said it was our first super fan.

00:03:07 Michelle

We just really appreciate Kathleen and all our listeners. Sometimes you're recording and wondering, oh, am I just meeting people because we're getting great ideas for Oregon? And it turns out that this podcast is really enjoyed by people all over the country and a few other countries. But Kathleen, shout out to you. And also she is in extension down in Florida, which is where I'm located at Oregon State, an extension system.

00:03:34 Rick

And I've shared this before, but at these conferences, you sometimes grab people that just walking by randomly and like, tell me your hopes and dreams and your story, and it works out. You could actually record every single person that go there because they all have a special connection to farm to school.

00:03:53 Michelle

They all have a story that's important.

00:03:56 Rick

Okay, well let's get into these episodes.

00:03:59 Rick

We'll listen to it and we'll see you on the other side.

00:04:04 Michelle

So we're back in the hallway at the 2025 National Farm to Cafeteria Conference. And we just pulled in the plant lady. Hello.

00:04:14 Tangia Taylor

How y'all doing today?

00:04:18 Michelle

We're having a blast. Yeah, we're having a really good time. It's Michelle and our very special co-host, Christy.

00:04:25 Tangia Taylor

Happy to be here. All right.

00:04:27 Michelle

Hey, tell us what's up. Will you please introduce yourself to our listeners and tell us what you're passionate, what you're working on right now?

00:04:34 Tangia Taylor

I sure will.

My name is Tangia Taylor, but most folks know me as Di plant lady. That's going to be DI is patois. So I put Di plant lady. Yes, So put some of that Caribbean island twist on it. My roots run deep in the fields. I grew up as a farm worker. And today I get to turn that live, that lived experience into purpose through work I do with youth, families, and local food systems. I believe that food is more than something we eat. It's a teacher. When children plant a seed, they're not just learning agriculture. They’re learning, patience, responsibility, and where real nourishment begins. My work focuses on bridging farms and classrooms, helping schools bring fresh food, hands-on learning, and community connection back into their daily rhythm. And I'm here because I truly believe Farm to School is one of the strongest ways we can grow healthier kids, stronger families, and a more resilient future.

00:06:04 Christy Sherding

That's beautiful.

00:06:04 Michelle

I have chills. Wow.

00:06:05 Christy Sherding

I know. Where are you located?

00:06:08 Tangia Taylor

We're located in Shreveport, Louisiana. I'm originally from Florida. I don't know if anybody ever heard of Moorhaven, but I graduated from Moorhaven. That's over by Okeechobee.

00:06:21 Christy Sherding

Okay, cool.

00:06:22 Tangia Taylor

So I live in, I reside in Shreveport, Louisiana now, and that's where my calling is. So I'm just doing the work of the Most High.

00:06:34 Michelle

What are some of the foods of your area?

00:06:38 Tangia Taylor

Okay, well, in Louisiana, you know, they have the gumbo. 

So everything that goes in the gumbo, we have okra, tomatoes, what else, peppers. What else?

00:06:53 Christy Sherding

Do the, is Shreveport, Louisiana, is it on the water or no?

00:06:58 Tangia Taylor

It's in the northern part. It's north, northwest. It's up in the Panhandle Part. So yeah, we're not in the boot. 

00:07:06 Christy Sherding

Well, I wasn't sure if like the fishing or the shrimp or any of that plays into, you're saying gumbo and I'm hungry now because it's almost lunchtime.

00:07:14 Tangia Taylor

Yes, gumbo is good. So that is like a native dish that brings every Louisiana together. So if you're in Louisiana, you got to get you some gumbo.

00:07:26 Michelle

And what brings you to the conference today?

00:07:29 Tangia Taylor

Wow. Just determination. Being able to be among like-minded people. Soon as it came on the table that they were having a national conference, I was like, I got to be there. Because we can.. to be able to bring the information and the resources that we gain here back to Shreveport so they can be able to be a part of such a great movement. And so our children there can be a part of this.

00:08:11 Michelle

Tell me about your work with youth.

00:08:13 Tangia Taylor

Well, my work with youth started way back when I was in high school, so I've always been working with youth. Yes, I was an explorer. So I was a junior cadet. And in the meantime, in between time, my summers were spent working in the fields. My dad was a fruit and vegetable harvester. So I come from a line of farmers. And so just working with kids and teaching them the importance of growing your own food and eating healthy and being able to be a voice for the voiceless.

00:08:53 Michelle

I'm just like, I'm so glad we pulled you in. I know, you're fantastic. You were walking by and I was like, wait, you just sit down.

00:09:00 Christy Sherding

This is so great. Do you, how long have you been doing this for? Did you say that already?

00:09:05 Tangia Taylor

I've been doing this work all my life.

00:09:08 Christy Sherding

But since high school, but when did Di plant lady start?

00:09:12 Tangia Taylor

It started two years ago.

00:09:13 Christy Sherding

Oh, congratulations. That's fantastic.

00:09:15 Michelle

So 2023 at the time of this recording.

00:09:18 Tangia Taylor

Yes. So it was pretty much a healing process for me. So we started our own healing garden. So I started planting.I got some seeds in 2023, I think it was… And I was like, okay… And something traumatic happened in my life. And I just started planning. So when I started planning, I started reconnecting back with my mother and mother nature. And that was my way of healing.

00:09:53 Christy Sherding

There's something therapeutic about gardening and food and all of that.

00:09:57 Tangia Taylor

It's beautiful. And being able to see the different sightings that were on a spiritual level and being able to know that there is healing in the garden.

00:10:09 Christy Sherding

I love that.

00:10:09 Michelle

It's my experience too. I love that quote. I'll put it in the show notes because I can't remember who said it. But farming is more about the cultivation of human beings.

00:10:22 Tangia Taylor

Yes, it is. And it's more of healing the souls. So we have to heal the soil before we heal the souls. So it's all about being able to heal everyone that we come in contact with, but also starting with Mother Nature first, because she's our first teacher. And, without Mother Nature, it won't be no us.

00:10:54 Christy Sherding

That's right.

00:10:57 Michelle

I'm really curious too about Di Plant Lady. What's the Caribbean influence?

00:11:03 Tangia Taylor

Well, I love my Caribbean people. I love Curry. I have long life friends and I have family that are part of the Caribbean culture. Shout out to my Jamaicans in Jamaica. You know, prayers go out to them for the tragic that happened there. And also, we.. just being a part of that culture in Florida, it's a melting pot. So I have best friends that's of the Jamaican culture, the Guyanese culture, Bahamian culture. So De Plant Lady is, you know, it's just a cultural experience. And also in Louisiana, you know, they have the Cajun swing. So De Plant Lady fits right in. And so I just put the little twist on it.

00:12:05 Michelle

And is there anything else you'd like our listeners to know?

00:12:10 Tangia Taylor

Oh, wow. I just, being honored to be a part of some amazing people that are here and making history and being able to take the information that I gained and the knowledge that I gained from this conference back to Shreveport, Louisiana and abroad as well.  And just being an advocate, a true advocate, just being, just know that what's for you is for you and being able to walk in my purpose and being able to be authentic and be me and accept the fact that, hey, we all can do this together. I was ashamed to say that I was a migrant a few years ago because of the stigma. But I'm proud to be a migrant and I'm proud to be a farm worker and that I'm here to make my ancestors proud.

00:13:20 Christy Sherding

I have one last question. Can I ask? Blending all of your passions together, your culture and the work you do and your, the way you grew up in farming, what would, because we are at the farm to cafeteria conference, what would your ideal school lunch be if you could have anything?

00:13:39 Tangia Taylor

That the cafeteria, that the cafeteria workers cook with love and that they bring the old school meals back. like the salad bar, being able to enjoy and the kids being able to be happy to go to the cafeteria and not so much food waste because it's not cooked with love. It's commercialized and that we just bring our old school school cafeteria back, our dietitians that really cook with love and cook with meaning, and that, we need to pay more attention to our small farmers. We need to collab with them. We need to know who they are, and they need to be a part of the school system, any of the systems that because small farmers are being slighted. And in order for us to eat good, healthy food, we need to connect with our small farmers. Don't leave them behind. Because it's a lot of things out there in the food. And you have a lot of farmers who are out there that want to be a part of this movement but don't know how. And we need to stop overlooking our small farmers and come together as a collective to be able to build a strong foundation for our small, small farmers.

00:15:34 Michelle

Thank you for making time at the conference to come.

00:15:37 Christy Sherding

Louisiana's lucky to have you.

00:15:39 Tangia Taylor

Oh, thank you. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thank you.

00:15:44 Michelle

Kathleen! do you want to start this?

00:15:48 Christy Sherding

Oh, yeah. Hi.

00:15:49 Christy Sherding

How are you, Kathleen? So we're here at the National Farm to Cafeteria 2025 Conference. There you go. And we're here with Kathleen. Kathleen, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you coming from?

00:16:01 Kathleen Morales Perez

Well, thank you so much. I'm coming from Florida. It's likely from Southwest Florida. So yeah, that's the little corner of the country that I'm coming from today.

00:16:12 Christy Sherding

Much warmer than here in Albuquerque.

00:16:15 Kathleen Morales Perez

Very much warm. Yes.

00:16:17 Michelle

And are you affiliated with Extension in Florida?

00:16:20 Kathleen Morales Perez

Yeah, I work with UF IFAS Extension.

00:16:23 Michelle

What's that?

00:16:23 Kathleen Morales Perez

UF IFAS Extension is the the extension of the University of Florida in the community. That's how I like to say it. So we have extension offices throughout the state in the 67 counties. And we basically bring all the research resources that the university developed and we bring it back to the community so who can help them with different areas. Yep.

00:16:49 Michelle

And so how does extension spread farm to school and school gardens?

00:16:55 Kathleen Morales Perez

That's a great question. So in my role specifically, I recently transitioned to a food systems specialist, and I've been working with school gardens and around farm to school for the past five years. So I work with one of our big districts in the state, is the Lee County School District. We partner with them a lot through the Healthy Living Collaboration, which is a group of interdepartmental folks that came together a few years ago to support school gardens in their own district. So we happen to partner with them and help them elevate their efforts through garden to cafeteria. That's their farm to school model. So they are using, we have around 20 schools that are piloting and engaged in using produce from the garden to serve in school meals. So we're trying to make that happen in a better way.

00:17:49 Christy Sherding

That's fantastic. What kind of produce are they growing in the gardens? What type of vegetables, things like that.

00:17:55 Kathleen Morales Perez

Oh yeah, so that's, we have a lot of things, but we're trying to focus mainly on lettuce, tomatoes. and peppers, but there are schools that want to grow other type of vegetables, other type of herbs, or even fruits. We have sometimes we have carrots going through the cafeteria. Sometimes we have cabbage, sometimes we have kale. So we have a diversity of produce growing to the cafeterias every week. Yes.

00:18:23 Christy Sherding

That's so impressive and so cool. So are the students then learning about the growing and it's really, it's like a holistic process from classroom to cafeteria to the whole thing, right?

00:18:35 Kathleen Morales Perez

Yeah, it is the whole thing. So we have, so the Lee County School District has career and technical education and they have an agriculture program. So there are middle and high schoolers that have gardens and are engaged in that program and they run the gardens with the teachers. But you also have after-school programs that also have their own garden clubs. You have elementary schools and different teachers also running these gardens and doing the procurement to the cafeteria. So you have a diversity of subjects that are being taught. Yeah.

00:19:08 Christy Sherding

How long has this program been going on? Did you say already?

00:19:10 Kathleen Morales Perez

Yeah, for around five years. It started in the pandemic. So it was a pivotal moment for the school district and the Healthy Living Collaboration. They had the Healthy Living Lab that was functioning before the pandemic and then they lost the funding and they kind of those resources were kind of there available. So the food and nutrition services, the health education department, the environmental education department and the career technical education department, these four ladies, they came together and they started like getting to know each other and realized that they had things in common and that common thing was the school gardens. So they started this healthy living collaboration within the school district. And we've been partnering with them since the beginning.

00:19:55 Christy Sherding

So 4 powerhouse ladies, I just heard. I was like, that is a lot. Just made lemonade out of some lemons during the pandemic. Talk about a silver lining.

00:20:05 Michelle

It's all about coming together, isn't it? And when you, I'm thinking about coming together and being here at the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference, 10th one we've ever had. Why did you want to come to a conference and be part of a network?

00:20:23 Kathleen Morales Perez

Well, because it's inspiring. So I just need that, like, get out of Florida and see what's happening out there in the country to bring ideas, to get to know people, to feel that we're not isolated in Florida doing our own farm to school movement, but there are other people. So it's very grounding, especially during these times that there is so much chaos. It's like, okay, it's important. Grounds me on my why, listening to the different stories and the different projects. It keeps me going, so I just need to recharge to go back.

00:21:00 Christy Sherding

That was an awesome answer.

00:21:01 Michelle

Well said, me too. Well said, and meeting you has recharged me for sure.

00:21:06 Kathleen Morales Perez

Thank you. I'm a big fan. You keep me company when I'm driving. 15 minutes from my home to our county because I live in a different county where I work. So you have kept me company a lot of times.

00:21:20 Christy Sherding

I think we forgot to say that Kathleen is a super fan of both Michelle and Rick. We got really lucky to meet you.

00:21:26 Michelle

It really is nice. Thank you.

00:21:27 Christy Sherding

So sweet. Yeah.

00:21:29 Kathleen Morales Perez

So thank you so much.

00:21:30 Michelle

Thank you.

00:21:30 Christy Sherding

Thank you. Absolutely.

00:21:33 Michelle

We'd like to thank our guests so much for sharing their stories with us. It's truly a gift.

00:21:38 Rick

And thank you, Christy Sherding from the Henry Ford for being our special guest co-host. Thanks, Christy.

00:21:44 Michelle

Thanks, Christy. And Farm to School was written, directed, and produced by Rick Sherman and Michelle Markeston, with production support from the amazing Leanne Locher and incredible Lauren Tobey of Oregon State University. This podcast was made possible in part by a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture.

00:22:01 Rick

I didn't know amazing and incredible were part of their job titles. That's really cool.

00:22:06 Michelle

Well, it's true. You agree, right?

00:22:07 Rick

Yeah, I do. The content and ideas for Farm to School Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Oregon State University or the United States Department of Agriculture. The United States Department of Agriculture and Oregon State University are equal opportunity providers and employers.

00:22:23 Michelle

Do you want to hear more about Farm to School?

00:22:25 Rick

Yes, please.

00:22:26 Michelle

Check out our other episodes, show notes, contact information, and so much more.

Just search up Farm to School Podcast. And it's going to come up.

00:22:35 Rick

And it will come up. We would love to hear from you. Stop by the website we just talked about and say hello. Give us an idea for future podcasts. And we will see you next time. And the coffee will be on again.

00:22:48 Michelle

Thanks again, Christy.

00:22:49 Rick

Bye.