Our Leadership Team
Jill Vande Woude
Chief Executive Officer, Partner
Jill joined YFYT in May 2022 as our Events Coordinator, quickly stepped in to fill the General Manager role, and now serves as our CEO. She was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana where Hoosier Hospitality (and the love for dairy, corn, and basketball) runs deep. From her first job in high school at a local coffee shop that proudly hated Starbucks, she found her love for connecting local community through good food, drinks and music. She prided herself in remembering customers’ orders and the names of their children. That job lit a spark!
After leaving Indiana to pursue college in Prescott, Arizona, Jill worked at a famous local diner and a historic hotel’s café while studying dance therapy. She fell in love with the landscape and eclectic people of the area, but she wasn’t sure her studies were taking her in the right direction.
She packed up her VW Westfalia and headed to Missoula, Montana where she spent a very cold winter in a tepee biking to and from a local coffee, tea, and herb shop, serving up coffee (always helping keeping their cups half full) and homemade granola to regulars who filled her in on all the local news and gossip.
She still didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life, but knew it had to be spent working with people and making their lives better in some small way. She did a total 180 and moved to the NYC area and finished her Bachelors Degree in Psychology at The New School during the recession of 2008. She stayed in the area after school, working in bars and restaurants to stay afloat. One summer, she took on a marketing and events job for a wine bar, and the rest is history.
Jill realized she could do what she loved…connect with people and help them smile while utilizing her creativity and organizational skills. She threw those wild thoughts of a “regular 9-5 job” out the window and found herself in the hustle and bustle of event life. She assisted a couple event planners in NYC, namely Marcie Ruddell with the Viennese Opera Ball - what a feat - before deciding to branch out on her own.
Jill began planning weddings in the NYC area, including an Indian-America wedding at the historical Loews Theater and a Jewish wedding at the beach. Cultural events fed her soul. She loved being an integral part of peoples’ important day.
After the birth of her first daughter, Jill and her family decided to uproot and name Charlotte home. She quickly got involved with the local neighborhood and helped create a community garden with the help of a city grant. After staying home with her three kids and letting the mayhem settle, she got back into the events industry by planning and coordinating local weddings at the Mint Museum Randolph, local breweries, The Levine Museum, 300 East, and Rumbling Bald Resort. She assisted the Events Manager at the Levine Museum and worked as an event manager and account administrator for another local caterer.
A passion for the local community, forging authentic relationships, and supporting others is always at the forefront of Jill’s work, which is why she immediately gelled with the YFYT team. She and Chef Sam worked tirelessly to open Restaurant Constance in January, 2023 and you can currently find Jill’s hand behind the scenes (and sometimes at the forefront) in each of our divisions - Events, Community Supported Meals, Personal Chef Services, Retail, and Restaurant Constance.
Susan Grotts
Director of Events - Your Farms Your Table
Susan was born in Tampa, Florida but was not there very long. She learned at an early age that life is filled with opportunities to meet new people and call new areas home. Her father is a veteran of the United States Air Force serving over seventeen years. This resulted in her living and growing up in eight different states before graduating high school. Susan is one of four born at the same time making her a quadruplet, which includes a sister and two brothers. Her home life constantly consisted of sporting events to hosting small gatherings with friends and family.
Her favorite location while growing up was Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania and this is where the flame in event planning was lit. The first event she planned was for a local soup kitchen through her local church, with the goal to host the event every Saturday morning. The event was focused around giving back and supporting local organizations that needed assistance. This event became so popular that more resources and supplies were gathered to support the event.
After high school, she moved to Charlotte, North Carolina to attend Johnson and Wales University and studied Sports Entertainment and Event Management. When she was not in class, she worked as a catering attendant for a local catering company. This experience gave her a broader view of the hospitality industry and she knew she wanted to work within the event sector of the industry.
Susan moved to Carbondale, Illinois after college to be closer to her family and spent over six years in Illinois. She worked as a Senate Aide and served constituents in over 26 Illinois counties. This job opened her eyes to serving others though public service. When she was not working, she was organizing fundraising events to support five local food pantries.
Susan and her husband had the opportunity to move back to Charlotte in 2018 and have since reconnected with this exciting and growing area. In 2021 their family grew, and they welcomed their son David, and decided to keep roots in the Queen City.
Connecting people through food is the essence for enjoying what you love in life. This is how Susan found Chef Sam, so inspired by his philosophy to giving back to the community from where the food originates through local sustainable farms. Such devotion and helping others though a community focused company is why Susan wanted to join the YFYT team.
Thomas Bordsen
Chef de Cuisine - Your Farms Your Table
Chef Tommy is a rarity, having been born and raised in Charlotte. He went through the East Meck culinary program and then graduated from Johnson & Wales culinary arts program.
He knew he wanted to be a chef at around 11 years old when he found himself re-creating Chinese takeout meals when his parents wouldn’t buy it. Growing up, whoever cooked dinner at his house didn’t have to clean up, so he was involved in dinner prep EVERY night!
Previously, Tommy worked as sous chef at Lumiere French Kitchen in Myers Park where he learned a lot about modern French fare. He believes it taught him to really cook with finesse and to make food that is aesthetically pleasing as well as flavorful. There, he was able to refine classic techniques which translate in other cuisines and styles of cooking.
He loves working with YFYT, as it is a perfect intersection of the best local ingredients, changing menus, great workplace environment and an amazing, dedicated team.
Outside of the kitchen, Tommy spends all of his time with his two children Violet and Johnny. He loves being a dad with the occasional yard work sprinkled in.
Head Pastry Chef - Your Farms Your Table and Restaurant Constance
Initially transplanted to Charlotte from Virginia to attend Johnson and Wales in 2013, Ann Marie obtained multiple degrees surrounding the hospitality and restaurant industries.
While in school, she was part of the opening team at Heirloom Restaurant and developed the pastry program over the course of almost five years. During her time there, she was the 2017 NCRLA Pastry Chef of the Year, competed on two different Food Network competitions, was featured in an episode of local Charlotte web series Order/Fire, and was a cast member on BravoTV's Welcome to Waverly.
After leaving fine dining pastry in 2019, she moved to savory at Southminster to learn as much as possible from some of the best chefs in Charlotte. She spent the pandemic climbing the ladders there, ending as General Manager of all dining on campus.
Finding her way into YFYT has been a journey to connect back with food and help change kitchen culture. Ann Marie believes that the kitchen is where she belongs, and getting back into pastry was all meant to happen.
Ann Marie Stefaney
Chef de Cuisine - Your Farms Your Table Events Catering by Beau Monde
Jason grew up always wanting to cook, thanks to his mother and grandmothers. Starting humbly in the industry as a dishwasher, his drive to learn and make the best food of his ability guided him through the ranks into running his first kitchen only five years later.
Leaving there to work under many great chefs has helped him to hone his skills and passion into the ability to not only feed people, but to deliver an experience as well.
When feeding clients, Chef Jason hopes they will have a moment of bliss and be taken to a special time or place in their lives that means something to them.
Jason Trivette
Front of House Manager - Restaurant Constance
Riley has been with Your Farms Your Table for two years, beginning as a delivery driver and working her way up to delivery manager. When we pivoted to opening the restaurant, Riley took the initiative to train our host and server assistant team, and made Restaurant Constance her new home.
Riley always strives to provide excellent hospitality by anticipating guest needs, and leads our front of house team with a sprinkle of sarcasm and purple hair!
Riley Ross
Executive Sous Chef - Restaurant Constance
Chef Cam was born in Medellin, Colombia and grew up in East Haven, Connecticut. He started in the restaurant industry when he was 9 years old as a busboy at his father’s small Luncheonette and worked his way through every position. He also waited tables at Texas Roadhouse and tended bar in a Spanish Restaurant and Mexican Restaurant.
Cam took a break and enlisted in the US Army where he served for 4 and a half years with the 82nd Airborne Division. This is where he came to know and love North Carolina! After his service he moved to Fort Worth, Texas where he cooked with Wolfgang Puck Catering and fell in love with the food industry once again.
Last summer Cam made the decision to make his way back to NC and landed here in Charlotte with Chef Sam Diminich and Restaurant Constance, where he has come to love not just the food industry but working alongside many local farmers and the amazing team here at YFYT.
He believes every day is an honor to cook for the people of Charlotte!
