Carmen Kubas, Founder/CEO

A native of Santa Cruz, CA Carmen has dreamed of opening a vocational training restaurant in her home-town since she can remember.  Starting with her first restaurant job at the age 14, Carmen has worked all over the country carving out her own path in Educational Entrepreneurialism.  As the LFI Founder she brings over 20 years of experience in the education of at-risk teens, sustainable restaurant management, and strategic administrative and consulting roles. Supporting her work is a BA in Political Science with an emphasis in Economics, and a MA in Education with a CLAD teaching credential. Carmen also presents strong vocational Spanish, a commitment to personal wellness, and a tenacious entrepreneurial spirit to BE the change she wants to see in the world. More importantly than all of this, Carmen loves food, people and the planet.

Loren Ozaki, Head Chef

Bio coming soon... Loren is a busy guy.  Suffice it to say for right now, Lightfoot is lucky to have such a talented, grounded and well rounded guy leading the kitchen and teaching our staff; stay tuned to read the particulars of his awesomeness.  

Austin Kaye, Baker/Sous Chef/Instructor

Bio coming soon...

Mike Mihalik, Instructor

Bio coming soon...

Allison Hoffman, Sustainable Agriculture Instructor

Bio coming soon...

Kim Ellis, Administratvie Assistant

 Bio coming soon...