Illona Trogub

illona Trogub

Team Culturing Information

last updated: 24. April, 2011

WHO are you?

• Name/Nationality/Ethnicity - illona Trogub, Russian American

• Location - Portland, OR USA

• Contact Information - illona1039 (at) gmail (dot) com, Skype: illona1039

• Introductory Video -

• Resume/CV -

Objectives: Live and teach others to live a better way.

Education: Associates Degree in Applied Science, Culinary Arts June, 2006
Kendall College, Chicago, IL
GPA 3.7/4, Dean’s List, Member of Slow Foods Convivium
Culinary training occurred at the most prestigious culinary school in the Midwest. Twelve hour day classes taught excellence through technique, timing, flavor, procurement, self-discipline, and management.

Languages: Fluent in English, Russian. Strong knowledge of Spanish, currently learning French.

Certifications: 2010 Culinary and Medicinal Mushroom Cultivation Certificate, Fungi Perfecti
2005 Le Roche Certified Professional Dining Service
2004 ServSafe Certificate
2004 Sanitation License, Illinois Department of Health

Awards: 2010 Interior Provincial Exhibition “Iron Chef” Champion Armstrong, B.C.
2009 Kamloops Regional Farmers Market “Salsa Challenge” Champion Kamloops, B.C.

Organizations: Fundraising Committee, BC Food Systems Network (BCFSN), 2011
Organizer, Shuswap Regional Food Network (SRFN), 2009-2011
Secretary, Thompson-Shuswap Chef Farmer Collaborative (TSCFC), 2010-2011

Experience:2011 Independent Contractor, Website development and graphic design. Developed:
http://jedidiah.ca
http://tscfc.org (currently under construction)
http://www.goldenearsfarm.org

2010-2011 Thompson-Shuswap Chef Farmer Collaborative (TSCFC) Secretary Kamloops, BC
Helping start the TSCFC, a non-profit organization dedicated to linking chefs with farmers, I took on the role of secretary but volunteered my time do much more including creating all documents, banners, advertisements, and the website. My unwillingness to compromise on sustainability has kept the organization on track to maintain its integrity in the eyes of the organic-grower community.

2010 Nov-Dec Caravan Farm Theatre Head Chef Armstrong, BC
Caravan Farm Theatre is an on-farm theatre company. Planned and prepared three meals a day with an assistant for the winter season. Meals were seasonal, locally sourced, and healthy.

Sept. 2010 Feasting For Change Fundraiser Lead Organizer, Chef Tappen, BC
I had a personal goal of raising money to fund community members' attendance to the BC Food Systems Network Gathering. The fundraiser was a five-course locally sourced dinner with farmers donating in exchange for dinner tickets, artists donating to the silent auction in exchange for dinner tickets, and the public purchasing tickets. The event was a complete success and we were able to send 11 representatives to the gathering that year. After the success of this event, I was asked to join the board of the BC Food Systems Network Fundraising Committee.

2010-2011 Left Fields/Crannog Ales Farmer Sorrento, BC
Invited to live at Left Fields to begin a malt vinegar business. Currently doing landscaping, gardening, animal care. Experience was gained working with pigs (12), broiler chickens (200), layer chickens (12) hops (1 acre), and basic tractoring.

2010-2011 Conscientious Catering Sous Chef Kamloops, BC
Sous chef to Chef Donovan Cavers. Specializing in 100-mile friendly, local, organic, and fair-trade cuisine.

2010 Sept. Fungi Perfecti Mushroom Growing Intensive, Olympia, WA
Learned mushroom propagation, cultivation in an intensive course.

2008-2010 Golden Ears Farm Farmer, Kitchen and Fruit Stand Manager Chase, BC
After experiencing the atrocities of our globalized food system while traveling through Latin America, I sought the healthiest way to live for not only myself but for the planet as well. This quest brought me to Golden Ears Community Farm in Chase. There, I learned to grow, tend, harvest, and preserve my own food. Then I began teaching others how to preserve as well. I oversaw the feeding of up to twenty-five people per day during the spring, summer and fall. During May-September, I managed the fruit stand which involved tasks including procurement and bakery supervision.
On-farm experience consists of 5 acres of strawberry cultivation, 1 acre of raspberry cultivation, 10 acres of sweet corn, 2 acres of shelling peas, 1 acre of dry beans, creating a large culinary and herb medicine garden, fruit tree pruning and planting, ½ acre of asparagus, raised bed cultivation of root crops. 2007-2008 Personal Chef Latin America Spent two months sailing on various yachts and sail boats as a travelling personal chef. Then spent six months off the beaten path exploring the various cuisines of Latin America. Significant time was spent in Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador. This experience ignited a passion within me to fix our destructive globalized food system.

2006-2007 Cafe Lurcat Line Cook Minneapolis, MN, USA
Moved very quickly up the line and experienced all aspects of line cooking at this high-volume, high end establishment.

2006-2007 Intelligent Technique Catering Owner, Operator Minneapolis, MN, USA
Owned and operated a small high-end catering company. Closed due to travel plans.

Other relevant experience:
2006, Chindian Restaurant, Minneapolis, MN, USA – Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian Ciusine
2005 Line Cook, Hopleaf Restaurant, Chicago, IL, USA – Belgian gastropub fare.
2004-2006, Cook, Finesse Cuisine, Chicago, IL, USA – High-end catering company.
2005, Cook,6 Month Internship, American Club, Kohler, WI, USA – Five diamond rated resort.
2002-2003, Buffet Supervisor, Quig's Apple Orchard, Mundelien, IL, USA
2003, Assistant Manager, Jimmy John's Sub Shop, Buffalo Grove, IL USA
2000-2003, Head Cookie Decorator, Line Cook, Deerfield's Bakery, Buffalo Grove, IL USA

References:
Sean NewtonGeneral Manager, Caravan Farm Theatre 250.546.8533
Sharlene WiebeOwner, Operator, Log Bog Friendship Farm Bed and Breakfast 250.832.5581
Rebecca KneenCo-owner, Crannog Ales and Left Fields Farm 250.675.4122
Donovan CaversChef and Owner, Conscientious Catering 250.852.2264
Tristan CaversOwner and operator, Golden Ears Farm 250.679.8421

• Hobbies and Pastimes - Cultivating and wild-harvesting culinary and medicinal mushrooms, growing food, preserving food, painting, drawing, sewing, knitting, bicycling, learning new skills.

WHY are you motivated to support/develop this work?

• Do you endorse open source culture?

Absolutely. Ownership forces us into slavery.

• Why are you interested in this work?

I absolutely believe that we are on the same track in terms of understanding what will be needed in the future. We are collecting the tools to live in a harmonious way with the rest of nature.

• Are you interested in teaching about the GVCS?

I really enjoy sharing knowledge and would love the opportunity to teach.

• Are you interested in economic relocalization possibilities arising from the GVCS?'

Definitely. I am not rooted to any one place at the moment.

• Do you want to use the GVCS technologies yourself? Do you want to build them yourself?

I wish to live on a farm community and so GVCS technologies would be a primary goal. I can help build them.

• Are you interested in starting up enterprise using the GVCS technologies?

If help is needed in starting a business, I will help, but only if the enterprise is agreed upon by the community.

• Are you interested in having the GVCS technologies fabricated by your local custom fabricator?

My hope is that local custom fabricators will begin appreciating the value of CVCS technologies.

• Are you interested in applying the GVCS to third world development? To redevelopment of crisis areas? To development of derelict areas in the developed world?

Absolutely. I am very comfortable traveling and skill-sharing.

• Are you interested in starting up Industry 2.0 flexible fabrication enterprises for your local community, by drawing from a global repository of freely down-loadable designs and fabricating using open source fabrication equipment?

I would love to team up with other community members and begin flexible fabrication enterprises.

• Are you interested in the potential of the GVCS for developing local food systems?

Absolutely. I have been involved with food security for six years and believe that GVCS will play a very integral role in local food systems.

• Are you interested in doing academic studies/papers, publishing books, or doing other analysis of our efforts?

I am an amateur writer and don't foresee myself writing any analysis on our efforts.

• Are you interested in financial investment opportunities arising from our work?

I have no money to invest.

• Are you interested in the distributive economic aspects of our work, and if so, how do you see this playing out?

If your question is referring to "getting paid", the only financial security I need is being able to see a doctor and dentist and having enough to eat, clothe, and perhaps travel to see my family in Chicago.

• Are you interested in building renewable energy production facilities based on open hardware (solar concentrator electric, wind, biomass power).

Yes.

• Are you interested in building resilient communities based on access to the GVCS?

Yes.

• Are you interested in creating a bug-out hut using GVCS technologies?

I'm more into integrated pest management.

• How do you think that the GVCS can help alleviate the instabilities of global monetary systems?

Our current economic system is based on short-term gain. The long-term effects of actions are not taken into account. GVCS is about long term effects and therefore much more stable than any current economy.

• How do you think that the GVCS can address issues related to resource conflicts?

Loss of community forces people act selfishly. If people recognize that they are part of a community, they are much more willing to share in resources.

• How do you think that the GVCS can address issues of overpopulation?

Generally, overpopulation occurs due to the need of a larger labor force. When sustainably built machines replace a certain portion of labor force, families will naturally grow smaller.

• How do you think that the GVCS can address issues of resource depletion and environmental degradation?

If GVCS are built using renawable energy and sustainable farming practices are in place, then we will need less land to grow more food, and less non-renawable energy with which to do it.

• Other comments

WHAT

• What have you already contributed to the OSE project? (technical contributions, blogging about us, financial support, organizing events, translations, interviews, video editing, publications, publicity work, behind-the-scenes work, CAD work, wiki contributions, computer support, etc)

I've blogged about you and have been doing word-of-mouth advertising for the project.

Communications

• I can do graphic design and website design. I'm great at marketing even though I have no formal training in it. At Golden Ears Farm and the Thompson-Shuswap Chef Farmer Collaborative, I created all marketing resources.

Organizational

• I'm experienced with non-profit organizations and community organizing. I have done a few public speeches. I'm an excellent networker and have an uncanny ability to link people up to maximize their effectiveness. The Shuswap Regional Food Network was created when I saw a void in the BC Food Systems Network. People were doing similar projects in our area without a way of communicating their work. I took out the redundancy by creating a listserv where ideas, projects, and results were able to be exchanged.

Computer Support

• I'm a website designer and am familiar with linux and a few different opensource website-building platforms.

Finances

• No. However I did keep the books for Golden Ears Farm.

Sociology

• Yes. I helped create a social constitution at Golden Ears Farm.

Home Economics

• This is my area of expertise. I'm a classically trained chef with a focus on local and health-sustaining ingredients. I have been growing food organically for the past three years. I've done much food processing and use my chef's training to invent new and delicious ways of preserving food. It's my belief that if a community is eating well, it will be more productive and happier.

Design

• No.

Building

• No.

Electronics and Magnetics

• No.

Automation

• No.

Metallurgy

• No.

Engineering

• No.

HOW can you help?

• How are you interested in contributing to the work of GVCS development?

I am willing to learn any skill however I see my current skill-set being very useful in keeping up the community's moral as well as organizing. I am willing to pick up any task that needs doing.

• Can you volunteer to work with us, and if so, how many hours per week?

No, I need a stable living situation first.

• Are you interested in working with us for pay? If so, what services can you offer, and what is your hourly or per-project rate?

As long as my food and lodging is covered, I am willing to work for enough to cover medical/dental and a bit of money for extras. I do not require much. I've spent the past three years living off of 5,000 a year in Canada.

• Are you interested in purchasing equipment from us to help bootstrap development?

No.

• Are you interested in a Dedicated Project Visit?

Yes.

• Are you interested in bidding for consulting/design/prototyping work?

No.

• Are you a True Fan? If not, why not?

I can see that your project is exactly what we need.

• Would you like to see yourself working with us on a full-time basis?

Yes.

• Are you interested in using the technologies that we are developing directly?

I'm interested in technologies that would affect food growing, processing, and preserving.

• Are you interested in being part of the world's first, open source, resilient community? The GVCS is the preparatory step for the OSE Village Experiment - a 2 year, immersion experiment (2013-2014) for testing whether a real, thriving, modern-day prototype community of 200 people can be built on 200 acres using local resources and open access to information? We are looking for approximately 200 people to fill a diverse array of roles, according to the Social Contract that is being developed. This may be the boldest social experiment on earth - a pioneering community whose goal is to extend the index of possibilities regarding harmonious existence of humans, ecology, and technology - as a beacon of light to benefit of all people on Earth.

Yes. I am very interested. I believe my skill-set and willingness to learn more will be a great addition to the community.