Our Team

Lisa Schwartz, founder and proprietor
Lisa Schwartz is the founder and proprietor of Rainbeau Ridge and is an accomplished cheesemaker and farmer.

Now in its fifth growing season at Rainbeau Ridge, Lisa manages a team that cares for a broad range of farm animals and grows fresh produce. She is the resident cheese maker and herdswoman, taking time to teach cooking courses and children’s farm education programs which emphasize the importance of local sustainable agriculture in our daily lives. Rainbeau Ridge increasingly plays host to many philanthropic and community events, furthering the farm’s goals of keeping land as open space, conserving resources and helping people understand the value of farming, food and sustainable, accessible agriculture.

Lisa, an engaging speaker about sustainable farming and small-scale, suburban food production, gives lectures, participates in forums, and leads discussion-groups on these topics. Most recent engagements were in NYC at the Baum Forum on “Schools, Food and Gardening: Cultivating a Healthy Future” and at Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture on “Women in Dairy”.

Before becoming involved in food and farming, Lisa started her career as a management consultant in New York City, eventually becoming a full-time mother and community volunteer in Japan and in Bedford, New York. She holds a BA in economics from Wellesley College.

Lisa resides in Bedford Hills with her husband Mark. Their daughter, Bari, is a recent graduate from Harvard; their son, Dan, is a student at the University of Michigan.

Mark Schwartz, proprietor
Mark Schwartz is Lisa's husband and proprietor of Rainbeau Ridge. He is active in many aspects of Rainbeau Ridge and is 100 percent behind the goals Lisa has set for the farm. He and Lisa always dreamed of owning a farm and the realization of that dream is both exhilarating and fun!

Mark is actively involved in financing alternative energy companies and forming partnerships to expand our energy sources. He is also on the board of several local, national and international corporations and not-for-profit institutions. He is a graduate of Harvard College and has advanced degrees from both Harvard Business School and the Kennedy School of Government.

Karen Sabath, strategy partner
Karen Sabath, also Lisa’s sister, works closely with Lisa at Rainbeau Ridge. Finishing each other’s sentences, Karen and Lisa work hand-in-hand on a daily basis on educational programs and to expand Rainbeau Ridge’s reach consistent with its goals. Karen is best known at the farm for snapping pictures all the time and can often be seen in the kitchen with Sprouts. Prior to becoming involved with Rainbeau Ridge, Karen spent many years in the financial business and ran the mutual fund division for BlackRock, Inc. until 2001. She holds a BA in economics from Princeton University. Karen lives in Katonah with her husband, Bruce, and their two sons, Jeremy and Michael. The three boys can often be seen at Rainbeau Ridge and at other local venues as the band "Lyon's Rock". (Karen Horwitz Sabath)

Farm Team

Kevin Ferris, Ron Brooks and Isaac Jahns comprise the team working with Lisa day-to-day. With Lisa's vision, it is the expertise and commitment of this team that enables Rainbeau Ridge to be what it is and to deliver the high quality products and programs that its customers and participants have come to know.

Kevin Ferris, property manager
Kevin joined Rainbeau Ridge when it was just a concept! Kevin is responsible for making sure everything works properly and seamlessly at Rainbeau Ridge. He can make anything happen, fix anything and even alert Lisa & Ron when one of the animals is about to give birth! Always upbeat, his cheerful personality keep everyone on an even keel during difficult times. Kevin’s wife, Diane, has painted the Rainbeau Ridge logo on every slate and ceramic piece we are lucky to have at the farm.

Ron Brooks, livestock manager
Ron has been part of the Rainbeau Ridge team since 2002. He mostly works with the animals, but since he has a background in painting, carpentry, and horticulture he is very handy in all aspects of the farm.

Ron gained his animal experience from volunteering, and later working part-time at Explorer Post at the Dutchess County Park. There he worked in the petting barn with horses, Pygmy goats, and a variety of other animals.

He also helped injured animals that came through the Park’s wildlife rehabilitation program. After working with the Park, Ron managed a kennel at a pet store. There he worked alongside veterinarians to keep the animals healthy.

Ron’s interests extend to backpacking, camping, cooking (especially camp cooking), edible wild plants, kayaking, canoeing, and boat building. Recently, his interests are expanding into weaving, solar oven construction, and digital photography.

Ron’s love of the outdoors developed early on. When Ron was a child, he and his grandfather went on nature walks. His grandfather taught him how to identify and harvest wild berries. Today, Ron takes his niece Abby on nature walks and passes on his love of the outdoors and of wild berries.

Isaac Jahns, garden manager
Isaac joined Rainbeau Ridge from Washington State where his family grows organic crops and runs 200 head of cattle on a 1000-acre farm. A double major in Organic Ag Systems and Sustainable Agriculture as Soil Science from Washington State, Isaac is excited to apply his academic and practical knowledge to Rainbeau Ridge. Isaac joined Rainbeau Ridge in February 2009 and grew an incredible harvest this past year. In addition to managing the gardens, Isaac shares his deep knowledge with others through workshops and seminars.

Kelly Hatton, assistant farm manager and cheesemaker
Kelly joined the Rainbeau Ridge Team in 2009. After receiving her BA in Writing from Susquehanna University, Kelly sought a break from academia and an opportunity to work outdoors and learn practical, hand-on skills like growing food. She worked on a vegetable and fruit farm on California's central coast and has been involved with agriculture ever since. She spent two years working with farming families in Paraguay with the Peace Corps. Along with local families, Kelly implemented community projects to improve nutrition and food production. Inspired by the hard work ethic, positive attitude, and the knowledge Paraguayan farmers had of their land and crops, Kelly returned to the US with a desire to deepen her own skills as a farmer and to live locally while thinking globally. Kelly works with our goat herd, makes cheese, and teaches the Sprouts program.

Sara Davis, Garden Intern
Sara recently joined the farm as the new garden intern. She graduated from The College of New Jersey in 2009 with a BS in Chemistry and a minor in French. After spending 4 years holed up in windowless labs conducting research, she decided to deviate from the expected route - grad school, PhD, career in the chemical industry - to explore something in which she was really interested.

As an avid home chef, she became interested in knowing more about her food, leading to an interest in farming and the many issues involved in the sustainable agriculture movement. After graduation, Sara started an internship at Ryder Farm in Brewster, NY, a small organic flower and vegetable farm. She loved working outside and getting her hands dirty, so she started looking for opportunities to learn more and gain experience in the garden and came across Rainbeau Ridge. Sara is very excited to have joined Rainbeau Ridge and is looking forward to a great and productive season.

Our Teachers

In addition to Lisa and Karen, Rainbeau Ridge is thrilled to have access to teachers who share the same philosophy about the farm and nature.

Susan Shaw, Roots & Buds teacher, has been teaching the Roots and Buds programs at Rainbeau Ridge since the very first session. As the mother of five children, Susan is very keen to what children this age need emotionally, academically and creatively. Susan also teaches two sessions per week at the Katonah Village Library for children under two and their parent/caretaker in 'Mother Goose' and 'Lap Time'. Susan is a creative person herself, loving to bake, paint, craft and sculpt. Susan has a BS in Psychology with an Art History Minor from The State University of Stonybrook.

Jenifer Hughs, Buds teacher, began her career about 20 years ago as a Montessori teacher in independent schools including Caedmon, Whitby, and Spence. Currently, she is Director of Community Outreach at ThistleWaithe Learning Center in South Salem. Jenifer has a BS, MA, and MSEd in education and educational leadership. She brings a passion for science and nature along with her experience in early childhood, elementary, and educational administration. A hobby gardener and locavore, Jenifer will share her knowledge and love of the natural world with the children. Her son, Jack, started coming to Rainbeau Ridge last year when he was a Root. They both enjoy experiencing the joy of discovery surrounded by the busy lives of plants and animals on the farm.

Nancy Joffe, Buds teacher, was first introduced to Rainbeau Ridge last year when her 5 year old daughter was a Bud. Overwhelmingly impressed by the experience, Nancy became enthralled with the idea of teaching at Rainbeau Ridge. A teacher by training, with a BA and MA in Elementary Education, Nancy taught children in the early educational years at The Dalton School, a private school in NYC, for 20 years. Nancy wanted to incorporate her experience as a teacher with the wonders of agriculture and animals. She is thrilled to be able to utilize the skills she has honed to help children to learn about the farm through hands on experiences. She is most excited to be joining the accomplished staff at Rainbeau Ridge and looks forward to teaching children in the community about sustainable living.

Lynn Schofield, Buds & Sprouts teacher, has her own goats and loves to share her knowledge of nature, farming and cheesemaking with all of her students. Lynn’s career path, following graduation from the University of Virginia with a degree in Environmental Science, has taken her full circle. She started off working with farm animals at Wildcliff, researched and wrote about endangered wildlife for the World Wildlife Fund, worked as a mammal keeper at The Bronx Zoo and eventually became a pre-school teacher at Briarcliff Nursery School, which her children attended. She has worked at Rainbeau Ridge for over four years.

Nicki Sizemore, cooking classes chef and coordinator, has been enthusiastic about food and cooking since a young age, which led to her current career as a food writer and cooking instructor. She is passionate about sustainable and local cuisine, and is thrilled to be part of the Rainbeau Ridge team. Nicki is the Food Editor of the Organic Wine Journal, where she develops, tests and styles all of the recipes for print, and where she writes and edits the food-related content. She has also written for Saveur and Teen Magazine.

As a cooking instructor, Nicki has taught both private and public classes in a variety of cuisines, with a focus on healthful, seasonal cooking. She has taught with Whole Foods, Cooking by the Book and Dinner Party Chef and has volunteered with the non-profit organization Food Change as their EATWISE (Educated and Aware Teens Who Inspire Smart Eating) cooking instructor, where she instructed inner-city teens in cooking techniques and nutrition.

Nicki has a Grand Diploma in Culinary Arts from the French Culinary Institute and a BA in Anthropology from Colorado College. In 2006, she was awarded the esteemed Women Chefs & Restaurateurs Organic Scholarship due to her passion for sustainable cuisine. She has also been selected to host the teen cooking show, Now You’re Cookin’!, which is currently in development for the Public Television Network.