Fadey learned how to garden at home in Russia, with his parents. “We had a community garden and grew dill, onion, cucumbers, carrots and beets. I remember there were a lot of wild animals that came in and ate the produce. Maybe that’s why I grow tomatoes – no one eats them!”

He moved to the United States with his family 13 years ago, obtained a massage therapist license and has also worked as a nursing assistant. After years of growing in community gardens, Fadey joined the Farley Center Incubator in order to try growing at a larger scale for market. “New immigrants to the U.S. often have gardens because we know the taste of real food,” he notes. Fadey says that he thinks more Americans are realizing the connections between food and health and that it would be good if the government provided more support for community gardening. “People need to switch from pills to tomatoes,” he says.