Feast Down East honored Agrarian Stewardship Award winners at its seventh annual Local Food Conference on Friday at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Each year the conference awards three Agrarian Stewardship Awards to recognize community leaders who embrace Feast Down East’s mission: one to a farmer, one to a chef and one to a community champion.

The recipients of this year’s awards were Morgan Milne, farmer and owner of Red Beard Farms in Burgaw; Craig Love, chef and owner of Surf House Oyster Bar & Surf Camp in Carolina Beach; and Randolph Keaton, executive director of Men and Women United for Youth and Families.

In other news, Leslie Hossfeld, president and co-founder of Feast Down East, announced Friday that executive director Jane Steigerwald is retiring. Steigerwald has worked with Feast Down East since 2009 in various capacities and has initiated program development and growth of the nonprofit organization.

Feast Down East is affiliated with UNCW through the Southeastern North Carolina Food Systems Program, and its mission is to create a healthy, accessible local food system that supports economic growth in the region. 

Feast Down East's next event, the fourth annual Raise the Barn dinner and auction, will be held May 20 at the New Hanover County Arboretum. 

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