Meet Leah Delete Di Bernardo of E.A.T Marketplace a Cultivating Good Company in Temecula

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah delete Di Bernardo.

Leah, before we jump into specific questions about the company, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Food has always been a big part of my life. I started cooking when I was not yet tall enough to reach the stovetop. We lived on a small farm in Terrebonne, Oregon, until I was seven years old. My Grandmothers Connie, who hailed from Jackson Heights- in Queens New York, visited once- she thought I was much too quiet as a child and would sing Jingle Bells at the top of her lungs to shake things up, all while rolling out Gnocchi. That’s all it took… I got to be a part of flying flour, a very loud and warm woman, teaching me to make little pillows of deliciousness.

I spent most of my life running from a career in a kitchen, even with many friends and family encouraging me to take that path. I was more interested in the politics of food and the many injustices that plagued this industry.

So, I went to film school to make documentaries- to tell the many stories of just how corrupt the food system is. But that didn’t quite pan out the way my very young mind had planned. What I can tell you is, when I found out I was pregnant with my now 18-year-old -amazing daughter, G. Rose- I heard my first calling, food, and I went back to my roots. I moved to Temecula just months after G was born- I loved the Agriculture, the many small farms, the small-town feel, and the young wine industry that was beginning to bud… all coupled with having family nearby. I was involved with Slow Food San Diego, and it seemed all too clear to me, this is what / where I was meant to be.

The idea of having an eatery, shaped like a Dean and Deluca’s, brimming with all local, farm-fresh foods, artisanal made grocery items, local wines and ethically procured provisions didn’t seem far from reach in this little Southern California town. Not having the startup capital, I found a kitchen and started an Organic Catering Company- with a meal prep division. Things were bustling along. I was very involved with Slow Food San Diego, had my hands right in the mix of all things farm-food- politics and felt that my past career of telling stories in the film was perfectly paired with cooking! We were on track in 2008 to finally open our dream of a flagship store and launch our meal prep for mass delivery when the economy collapsed. Long story short, we lost our ass. So instead of throwing in the towel, I found a hole in the wall of a kitchen in what reminded me of the meatpacking district of New York. We had $5k. We threw it at this place, stuck, and opened EAT Marketplace. I say we could not have done it without my big sister Jo (who kept the dollars and cents- straight!

I got started in food by women who loved me. I grew my company with women I admired and knew more than me. I now have the opportunity to support and guide young women in the culinary arts to be all they can be, all thru the love of good food!

Has it been a smooth road?
Ha. I wish I would have seen these questions before I answered the last. No. it has not been a smooth road.. yet, it was the right turn to take. Life is like a soufflé… even when it has fallen, it still tastes good. You don’t have your egg whites peaked perfectly. Your souffle won’t rise. Your timings off, overbake it and it all collapses.

Please tell us more about your company, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Cultivating Good is the name of our corporation, and to this day, it is all I want of this company… to be a force for good. We specialize in creating foods/baked goods for all eaters.. traditional, plant-based, gluten-free/keto/paleo. We realize many can’t eat- the common restaurant offerings- so we took a stance that everyone in your group/family can dine at EAT, and yes, the food is damn delicious!

EAT is currently open seven days a week, 8 am-3 pm- Breakfast and Lunch with one heck of a Brunch on the weekends. We have provisions, wine, cheese and deli cases to shop in, a Premium Coffee Bar and Bakery. A one-stop-shop, and hey, let’s grab a bit too!

I have always led our culinary division- and have been a very loud voice in our region for health and wellness thru Good-Clean food, which led to a partnership with Rancho Family Medical Group- and Cooking-video segments for their 150K patients. It’s funny that my past life of film came full circle to mingle with food and not only tell the many stories that are woven into the fabric of my industry but now I have this beautiful opportunity to educate those around me- on the politics of food, how it affects us, our planet and future.

I would say I am more grateful than proud- grateful to the next generation of cooks that I have been blessed to lead. Grateful to Alice Waters for her guidance and for kick-starting a revolution in our country to embraces not only good food but to be respectful of our small farmers. Damn Grateful to be surrounded by strong, intelligent, kind women from my Big Sister Deb, who tirelessly raised one of the best Sustainable Coffee Roasting Companies in the PNW (pacific northwest) to my partner/sister JoJo who has taken more kicks to the gut than anyone I’ve ever known… yet she are still standing! To all the women I get to work with every day, that is still standing by me and this vision I have to the BEST SMALL FOOD COMPANY to work for in the United States. I am grateful they still believe in me, that they see the light at the end of the tunnel, and they are willing to give their energies to help me raise the standard of food in our country.

What sets us apart- we care wholeheartedly about what we put on your plate… we care about where it’s from, who grows/picks/delivers, and that what we serve supports your health and wellness. Food can be many things, but it can never be Good, Fast and Cheap.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I LOVE the Temecula Valley for its lush agriculture, scenic drives in the very back of wine country and small-town feel. What I like least- how builders have been allowed to mass develop- I won’t go off on this tangent.

Contact Info:

• Address: 28410 old town front street
  Temecula, Ca 92590
• Website: www.EATmarketplace.com
• Phone: (951) 694-food (3663)
• Email: info@eatmarketplace.com
• Instagram: EAT Marketplace
• Facebook: E.A.T Marketplace
• Twitter: EAT Marketplace
• Yelp: EAT Marketplace

Image Credit:
Credit: EAT marketplace / Stephan Byrne

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