Samantha Leingang

Chef / Farm Team

Samantha is a Farmer, Chef, and Artist. After graduating with a Food and Nutrition degree from Mankato State University, Samantha studied Farm-To-Table dining in the Panamanian jungle, worked in a kitchen at a hospitality farm in Northern California, then found herself farming here on Whidbey Island. Though farming quickly took over her life, she has found her happy place working here at Hedgebrook, where she gets to work the land, make sure the cottages and gathering spaces are clean and welcoming, and prepare a meal that fills the bellies of the writers who stay. She feels truly blessed every day that she gets to step on the grounds or into the kitchen here at Hedgebrook. Samantha believes that food is the center of community, and being able to be a part of the entire process from seed to dinner plate is an honor.

When Samantha is not here at Hedgebrook she is running her own farm where she grows for local chefs and runs a small CSA. She also makes sure she has free time to paint, write poetry, walk the beaches collecting rocks, spend time with friends and take long hikes into the mountains.