Darren began his career in food at age 6, when he led quality control of beer nuts and pineapple juice for his folks’ restaurant in Southern Oregon. Many years and many roles later, he is bringing his passion for shared meals, incredible ingredients, and seasonal sourcing home to Oregon.

In the years in between, he worked in fine dining, co-founded the agroecology non-profit Semilla Nueva, built online merchandising and last-mile delivery logistics for local producers at Good Eggs, and led supply chain and farm partnerships for Homegrown Sustainably Sourced.

During his tenure working in the food and agriculture industry, he has always had profound respect for producers using biodiverse and humane practices, operating with integrity, and positively impacting their land and communities. With the creation of The Minnow, Darren is working to partner directly with these types of businesses while expanding local eaters' access to seasonal abundance, heirloom varieties, new flavors, and the glory of sharing a freshly homemade meal.