Joanne Neft
Owner, Persimmon Cafe
For 20 years Joanne Neft has served Placer County's agriculture community. Neft opened the Foothill Farmers' Market 20 seasons ago, and 15 years ago founded the Mountain Mandarin Festival. The 1994 Mandarin Festival had 1,500 atten-dees; over 40,000 visitors are expected at the 2008 festival.
In 1999, the Placer County Board of Supervisors appointed Neft as chairperson of the Placer Legacy Citizen's Advisory Committee. Placer Legacy is the county's effort to preserve farmland and working open space. Out of Placer Legacy came a request from the agriculture community for funding the Placer County Agriculture Marketing Program, and Neft served as Director of that effort for five years. The Placer Agriculture Marketing model serves as a framework for agriculture marketing outreach in other counties in California and the rest of the country. In 2006, Neft was honored by the Placer Land Trust as Conservator of the Year.
Earlier this year, Neft assumed ownership of Lincoln's Persimmon Cafe, a small restaurant featuring PlacerGROWN in-season meals. The Cafe's menu includes fruits, vegetables and meats purchased from local farms and ranches, most within a range of 20 miles.
