Farm General Manager

Nina has been a nature nerd since childhood, fascinated by everything from tiny microbes to towering mountains. This curiosity led her to study marine science and geology in college. After several years in environmental consulting—mostly drilling holes in parking lots—she realized she wanted to reconnect with the natural world. A sabbatical and a volunteer day at a small vegetable farm in Sebastopol turned into a decade-long journey into farming.

Now General Manager of Little Saint Farm, Nina oversees all farm operations with a focus on sustainability and community. While her expertise covers the entire farm, she has a special passion for flowers and collaborates closely with the cut-flower team, who cultivate over 200 varieties of annual and perennial blooms year-round—bringing stunning fresh and dried arrangements to the restaurant and beyond.

Farm Programs Manager

Born in a rural village nestled within the breathtaking Cape Point Nature Reserve at Africa’s southern tip, Lj’s roots are deeply connected to nature. After graduating top of their class in Culinary Artistry, Lj left South Africa as a chef in search of a new home—and found it in California. They vividly remember the first time cooking with vegetables grown just 20 feet from the kitchen; the intense aroma and flavor were unlike anything they’d experienced before.

Lj is continually inspired by the profound lessons farming offers—the rhythms of the earth, the science of growth, and the deep connection between people and the land. This awe and curiosity fuel their work as Farm Programs Manager, where they bring passion and insight to every project.

Lead Floral Designer

Ellie Howard is an artist and floral designer dedicated to creating sustainable, farm-grown floral art that brings joy and beauty to every space. Raised in the East Bay, she first fell in love with flowers in her mother’s garden and on the hiking trails of Central Oregon. With a Bachelor of Science in Fine Art and minors in Western Art History and Business Administration from the University of Oregon, Ellie blends artistic vision with a deep respect for nature. Her experience includes managing retail and event operations at Flowers for Dreams in Chicago, where she led workshops, coordinated pop-ups, and built a loyal team, as well as hands-on farm and harvest work in New Zealand, England, and Washington State.

At Little Saint Farm, Ellie draws on this diverse background to lead floral design, transforming locally grown blooms into stunning fresh and dried arrangements. Her passion for sustainable practices and creative collaboration shapes every bouquet and installation, enriching the connection between farm, flower, and community.

Vegetable Production Manager

After leaving home in Oregon, Ava found her way to California’s Central Valley, where she was quickly immersed in a landscape defined by agriculture and a tight-knit farming community. Farming and studying at UC Davis, Ava earned her B.S. in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems with a focus in agricultural policy. Ava brings hands-on-experience from system-driven, large-scale CSA farms throughout the west coast.Her personal connection to farming is both physical and philosophical. She feels rewarded by the challenge of working with the land as it requires both physical labor and constant observation. She understands farming as a tool to not only address basic needs, but to steward the environment and foster community. As the Vegetable Production Manager of Little Saint Farm, Ava hopes to cultivate an opportunity for farmers to experiment, problem-solve, and collaborate. She hopes to share and relish in the fruits of our labor with the Little Saint community and larger Sonoma County region.

Floral Production Manager

For Tessa, a career in agriculture was inevitable—she spent her childhood digging up earthworms to keep as pets and gallivanting through her mother’s flower garden in Cleveland, Ohio. Since then, her love for plants and agriculture has taken her around the world. She graduated from Minerva University after living in cities and cultures as diverse as Buenos Aires, Berlin, and Taipei. She spent her post collegiate years in Fairbanks, Alaska working on community agriculture initiatives for the Soil and Water Conservation District. Inspired by the ingenuity of farmers in the boreal forest and the sacred connection to place she experienced in Alaska, Tessa approaches farming as both a creative practice and a responsibility to the land.

With experience spanning from floral design, farm to table restaurants, natural resource education, and sustainable farming, Tessa views agricultural production as a powerful tool for ecosystem restoration and community building. She has learned from a legacy of farmers, business owners, winemakers, and chefs who tend the land in personal and meaningful ways. At Little Saint Farm, she carries this legacy and looks forward to cultivating flowers that reflect the seasonal beauty of Sonoma County while fostering deeper connections between people, place, and the broader food system.