Meet Our Team: Astrid Bonilla
October 31, 2025
Meet one of the newest members of our team, Astrid Bonilla, who joined us in August 2025 as our Youth Education Manager, overseeing our Foodwise Kids and Foodwise Teens programs.
Tell us a bit about you, your background, and what brought you to Foodwise?
My background is in food security, operations, and program management. Before joining Foodwise as the Youth Education Manager, I worked with several nonprofits in the Excelsior District to bring healthy foods to underserved community members and managed operations for a workforce development center. Throughout my career, I’ve been deeply involved in community advocacy and food education, which naturally led me to Foodwise.
What does your work at Foodwise look like in action?
I lead both the Foodwise Kids and Foodwise Teens programs. During market days, we host Foodwise Kids field trips for elementary school students, guiding them through the farmers market to explore new fruits and vegetables and build healthy eating habits. Through Foodwise Teens, our paid afterschool program at two San Francisco public high schools, we teach students culinary, gardening, and job-readiness skills. Our curriculum is designed to help young people develop a meaningful connection to the earth, the farmers who grow their food, and one another.
What inspires or motivates you about your work?
As a teen growing up in the Mission District, I didn’t have access to programs like Foodwise Teens and often struggled to find meaningful and safe activities after school. What motivates me in my work at Foodwise is being the adult who provides a welcoming and supportive space for students to learn and grow. I am inspired by finding creative ways to teach them life skills through food, cooking, and teamwork that they can carry with them long after high school.
What’s something that you wish people understood better about Foodwise’s work?
I wish more people understood the depth of Foodwise’s commitment to community education and food access. We are a small but dedicated team, and every person contributes in meaningful ways to connect people to fresh, local food and to the farmers who grow it. Working at Foodwise has shown me that it’s possible to make a real impact while staying true to my values and helping young people build a deeper relationship with food and community.
What do you do to recharge outside of work?
Outside of work, I recharge by spending time in nature. I enjoy hiking, visiting plant nurseries, volunteering at a local farm, and tending to my small garden bed at my community garden.
Do you have any favorite farmers market tips you can share?
Build community: Get to know your farmers, ask questions, and be kind. You can learn so much about food, seasonality, and what’s the freshest and most exciting produce, all while building meaningful connections with the people who grow your food.
What does “food wisdom” mean to you?
Food wisdom, for me, is ancestral. It lives in the smell of foods that bring me back to the small town where I’m from, in the knowledge of farmers as they sow their seeds, and in the honorable ways native communities have taught us to harvest and to care for the earth. It’s also in the way we teach students to cook intuitively, adding love through seasoning, and in the recipes we’ll leave behind for our loved ones to share with future generations.
Anything else you want to share?
I’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude to our market community and shoppers. Your support makes it possible for kids and teens to experience fresh, locally grown foods and helps further our mission of growing thriving communities through the power of joy and local food.
Topics: Meet Our Team