Meet Dustin Bailey / Cora Cook | Local Food Movers and Growers

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dustin Bailey / Cora Cook and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dustin/Cora, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
We were working in the restaurant industry when the pandemic closed restaurants and the farmers markets. We realized local farmers and small scale producers had no way to sell their products because of the closures so we bought a short school bus and turned it into a mobile farmers market. We reached out to local organic farms, bakers, ranchers, mushroom growers, beekeepers, pasta makers, and any other producers that needed another income stream and we drove through Boulder neighborhoods like an ice cream truck slinging vegetables. We really started this business for the local producers to help keep them afloat during the uneasy times of the pandemic.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Dustin: Growing up in rural Colorado, I developed a love of the outdoors which led me to pursue a degree in Ecology/Biology from CU. I worked in restaurants through out high school and college up until the pandemic. In between studying and cooking, I volunteered on local farms to learn how regenerative agriculture is practiced and after graduating, I knew I wanted to push the local food movement anyway I could. I worked at The Kitchen on Pearl Street which is an upscale farm to table restaurant, helped researchers with plant genetics projects aimed at regenerative agriculture, and I worked at local farms. Pursuing all of these interests while pursuing a degree was difficult but it all worked out!

Cora: I was lucky enough to grow up in a family of excellent home cooks – I guess you could say that’s where my love for food truly began. But, it wasn’t until high school and college until I started to question where all of the food I was consuming was sourced. I entered the restaurant industry when I was 14 years old and was hooked. I loved the energy, the community and most of all being around the hottest food trends. The farm-to-table trend was by far the most intriguing to me. This inspired me to earn my bachelors degree in geography from CU-Boulder. It was there that I learned about the critical intersection between environmental ethics and the food we humans consume. Starting Farm to Bus has allowed me to perfectly combine my passion for food, environment and community.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would visit some local farm stands to see what’s in season and stock up for the trip, definitely have a dinner at Black Belly or Santo, and find a great hiking trail near Nederland or Jamestown. Black belly and Santo source produce and meats locally so it’s always fun for us to brainstorm recipe ideas when we go on date nights there.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The local producers are really who deserve all the credit. Our local farmers grow better produce than you can find in any grocery store, the rancher raises animals ethically, the bakers will have you addicted to their bread. We’re lucky in Boulder with all of these incredible artisan producers and our job is really just to give you access to them in one place.

Website: farmtobus.com

Instagram: @farmtobus

Facebook: @farmtobus

Image Credits
Dustin Bailey. I took all the pictures and you can use any pictures from Instagram or our website.