Grace Mandarano is a first-generation Canadian. Both her parents come from farming families in Southern Italy. Throughout her childhood she heard stories of how, as a family and a community, her relatives would work their farms, grow their good, and rear their animals. The connection to their food was undeniable and cherished. 100om Foods Inc. has become for her a re-establishment of that vital connection to food: where it comes from, how it is grown, and how the greater community benefits and thrives from access to good, clean food.

Last year, 100km Foods purchased over $3M worth of Ontario's bounty from more than 80 producers across the province to serve 400+ restaurant and foodservice customers. She considers financial sustainability and authenticity to be key ingredients to running a successful social enterprise and hopes that 100km Foods can be a conduit to real change in Ontario's food systems.