About Northwest Food Alliance

Northwest Food Alliance (NWFA) , is a Washington-based collaborative working at the intersection of food systems, sustainability, education, and community resilience. Through partnerships with schools, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and industry leaders, NWFA helps turn ideas into practical, community-centered solutions rooted in real-world experience.

At NWFA Food is Never Just Food. It connects people to health, culture, climate, infrastructure, economy, and community — and offers a powerful way to engage people in larger conversations about resilience, learning, and systems change.
NWFA’s work includes food recovery and redistribution, school meal innovation, sustainability initiatives, student-centered learning, operational strategy, and community resilience planning.

A major focus of the organization’s current work is the Edible Equation™ Learning Lab — a hands-on educational platform that transforms everyday food experiences into opportunities for systems learning, climate engagement, storytelling, and measurable community impact.

At its core, NWFA brings together people, partnerships, and practical action to help communities build stronger, more connected systems for the future.

Guiding Principles

Practical Innovation
Community Partnership
Systems Thinking
Sustainability & Resilience
Education Through Real Experience

Chef Tom French is a veteran culinary professional, food systems strategist, and Principal Consultant with Northwest Food Alliance, bringing more than five decades of experience spanning restaurants, institutional foodservice, nonprofit leadership, and regional food systems innovation.

Throughout his career, Tom has focused on developing practical, scalable solutions to challenges involving food insecurity, edible food waste, transportation, distribution, and community access. His work bridges operations, sustainability, policy, and cross-sector collaboration to create community-centered outcomes grounded in real-world experience.

Tom has partnered with public agencies, school districts, nonprofit organizations, and private-sector leaders on initiatives ranging from food recovery and climate-aligned operations to nutrition education, logistics strategy, and infrastructure development.

In addition to his consulting work, Tom is the creator and host of The Fire and the Fork — a storytelling platform exploring the intersection of food, culture, history, and community through writing, podcasting, and public engagement.

At the center of Tom’s work is a lifelong belief that food is never just food — it is connection, identity, dignity, and community.