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Cassandria Campbell of MCP ’11 traced her interest in food back to her first summer job in a food project on a farm in Lincoln, Massachusetts and the Boston community where she grew up in Roxbury. “I really liked the experience of seeing things grow,” she recalled, “I admired the tremendous changes it created in Roxbury by bringing people together and turning open spaces into productive urban farms. “It was not until she moved back to Roxbury after graduate school that she decided to devote herself full-time in the food industry by founding Fresh Food Generation, a company dedicated to making healthy food choices more accessible.
It was at the same time that MIT received a master’s degree in urban planning and development that Campbell was exposed to the growing movement of healthy, fast-food and snack food choices. One night, when she left the Roxbury YMCA, her sober moment appeared and realized that the only dinner place nearby was an “unhealthy” fast food restaurant, which was different from the restaurants near MIT. “It just hit me. Fast food shouldn’t be your only choice,” she said. “Due to food choices, people’s quality of life is lower.”
To solve this problem, she came up with the idea of starting a company that provides healthy, casual, Caribbean-style meals made from local ingredients. Fresh Food Generation started as a food truck in Roxbury and nearby areas, hiring experienced chefs to develop the menu. Although the trucks are still in operation, the company has expanded its focus to catering, working with organizations that want to provide healthier and more culturally relevant meals in their events.
Two weeks after the pandemic, the Fresh Food Generation received a call from the Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare Foundation, asking for a joint effort to provide meals for people struggling with food insecurity. The company partnered with Mass General Brigham to send customized grocery boxes to Medicaid recipients with specific dietary needs. The company also transitioned to home delivery of prepared meals, and even began shipping nationwide.
Recently, Fresh Food Generation launched a menu inspired by New Orleans chef and civil rights activist Leah Chase. “Food that interacts with people is really fun. It becomes an experience — it becomes storytelling,” Campbell said.
In 2021, the company opened a permanent restaurant in Dorchester. “I really like being able to provide people with food with love and know that what I give to someone tastes good and is good for their health,” she said.
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