Cassandria Campbell, MCP ’11, is showing interest in food for her first summer project working with Food Project on farms in Lincoln, Massachusetts, and Roxbury, Boston area where she grew up. “I was thrilled to see things grow,” he recalls, “and I was grateful for the dramatic change that was taking place in Roxbury by bringing the people together and turning the needy into thriving urban farms.” It wasn’t until he returned to Roxbury after graduating from high school that he decided to join the food industry on a regular basis to start Fresh Food Generation — a company that strives for healthy food.
It was while earning a master’s degree in urban planning development at MIT that Campbell was introduced to healthy, fast food management. His brilliant moment came one night as he was leaving the Roxbury YMCA and realized that the only restaurant nearby was the “unhealthy” fast food restaurant, unlike the ones near MIT. “It simply struck me. Fast food should not be your only choice, ”he says. “People are living a shorter life expectancy because of the foods they choose.”
To address this problem, he had the idea of a company that provides healthy, fast, nutritious and Caribbean food made from local ingredients. Fresh Food Generation started out as a food truck in Roxbury and surrounding areas, and hired skilled chefs to make the menu. While the vehicle is still operational, the company has developed an interest in food, partnering with organizations that seek to provide healthy and socially nutritious food at their events.
Two weeks after the epidemic, the Fresh Food Generation received a call from the Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare Foundation asking them to work together to provide food for people suffering from an eating disorder. The company partnered with Mass General Brigham to send customized boxes to Medicaid recipients with special dietary needs. The company has also adapted to bring home processed foods and has resumed shipping worldwide.
Recently, Fresh Food Generation launched a series inspired by New Orleans chef and human rights activist Leah Chase. “It was great to have a social meal. It’s a myth — it’s a myth, “says Campbell.
And in 2021, the company opened a permanent restaurant in Dorchester. She says: “I really enjoy feeding people with love, and I know that what I am giving a person is good and good for his body.