MICHELLE ARONSON, Founder of farmbelly

Hey, howdy, hello! I have a soft spot for “ugly” vegetables, food is my love language, and I firmly believe in the power of home-cooked meals to inspire, heal, and create community.

I’m originally from the midwest, and grew up eating a lot of Kraft Mac & Cheese, frozen pizza, and scrambled eggs cooked in the microwave. It wasn’t until I moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia for college that I discovered my love for food and agriculture. Being surrounded by an abundance of just-picked produce was my favorite part of farming, but I had ZERO confidence when it came to cooking with my hard-earned veggies.

Determined to learn my way around a kitchen, in the spring of 2013 I attended culinary school at the Ballymaloe Cooking School. Inspired by the incredible teachers, fresh ingredients, and straightforward culinary ethos at Ballymaloe – I returned home with a dream of sharing my love for growing, cooking, and eating good food with my community. 

These days, our family lives on a beautiful 10-acre farm near the village of Saxapahaw, North Carolina, where we cultivate a diverse market garden and where I teach hands-on gardening + cooking classes. I also create educational content via my weekly substack newsletter and on my YouTube channel, and over on instagram to help folks learn how to grow, cook, and eat like farmers.

To see past press coverage and kind words about Farmbelly, visit my testimonials page.

I look forward to sharing my love of all things food + farming with you. Let's get cooking! To get in touch, contact Michelle.