Soraya was born and raised in New York and spent the majority of her childhood in-or-around the ocean and exploring the outdoors. Having roots in Portugal, Soraya spent most of her summers visiting her family overseas and traveling to international destinations. This experience allowed her to discover an expanded understanding of the world, and also sparked a curiosity for diverse cuisines, what's on our plate, and the journey and stories it took to get to the table.

While attending Wheaton College just outside of Boston, Soraya pursued a degree in Visual Sociology and dedicated her efforts to supporting local farmers by sponsoring the town's farmers market alongside starting the community eco cleanup initiatives.

Shortly after graduating, she packed up her car with all of her belongings and made the trek to San Francisco having never visited and not knowing a single individual — simply trusting a feeling that this would be what she was searching for. Now nearly a decade on the West Coast, Soraya has lived all over the Bay Area, but truly felt that Northern California was home after having resided on a 160-acre farm by Tomales Bay, and completely fell in love with the rolling golden hills and working with the land.

Soraya's former career in photojournalism allowed her to travel to some of the most remote corners of the world. She was able to use her creative skillset to illuminate stories, explore ideas and cultures, and document the full spectrum of the human experience. While working with various social impact projects and becoming ingrained in the Bay Area food world, she was able to collaborate with many chefs, restaurants, and agricultural entities. Through this work, and alongside being a beekeeper and organic gardener, Soraya stumbled upon her passion for food (growing, cooking, eating) and advocating for an expanded sustainable food system. This further ignited her passion in working to resolve how our society depends on the success of farmers, and to explore how to improve a system that is not set up to allow them to be successful — and most importantly, how can we shape a future that supports them with the means to thrive. Now as a communication and marketing strategist, Soraya enjoys crafting stories that amplify voices and give focus to impactful mission-driven work.

Outside of work, Soraya also enjoys yoga, surfing, and hiking with her Australian Shepherd, Marlo.