John Krokski is the owner of Mapleline Farm, and grew up on his father’s farm, which had Holstein cows, the classic black and white cows. He bought a Jersey cow at a young age and fell in love with the unique breed. “He loved farming, being outside, and loved jerseys and kept buying more and more,” said his daughter Jennifer. Today, he is living his childhood dream of milking jerseys, processing their milk themselves, and selling it all locally to places like UMass.

Jennifer returned to the family farm she grew up on five years ago. She works in the processing plant and is learning the ropes of the business to eventually be the successor with her brother-in-law. “We are working hard to learn as much as we can everyday to be able to run the business as well as my father,” Jennifer said. Chad Dizek, Jennifer’s brother-in-law, is the Farm Manager and is in charge of all the crops they grow on several hundred acres of land. 
​Not only do they pasteurize and bottle all of their milk on the farm, Mapleline Farm grows all of the hay, corn, silage, and alfalfa that they feed their cows and only purchase grain from outside sources.

Chef Bob is one of our best culinary leaders at UMass Dining. His passion, innovation, and local foods expertise set him apart in and out of the kitchen. Chef Bob has been working with UMass Dining for 3.5 years now and is the Chef de Cuisine at Hampshire and Berkshire Dining Commons.

Chef Bob explained that he “grew up in the restaurant industry and fell in love with cooking at a young age.” Before working for UMass Dining, Chef Bob worked at the forefront of sustainability through Farm Fresh Rhode Island. “It has always been a passion of mine to bring sustainability into cuisine. I’ve always been really focused on building relationships with local farmers and using as much local, seasonal food as I can.” At UMass Dining, Chef Bob has been an integral part of incorporating local and seasonal foods into our menus. For example, the culinary team stores root vegetables and butternut squash as well as utilizing local greens grown year-round, so every season maximizes the freshest produce possible. ​​