Mission

To share the harvest.

Tunitas Creek Kitchen takes an artisan approach to celebrating the farm season with small-batch jams & jellies, farm-to-table dinners, and workshops that offer tips & techniques for farming and cooking.

The Farm

Tunitas Creek Kitchen originated with farmers Suzie and Jay Trexler, born out of their hands-on work managing the fields at Potrero Nuevo Farm. This 300 acre farm and wilderness property is committed to sustainable agriculture, fair accessibility to food and ecological land management. Tunitas Creek Kitchen is thrilled to be able to host all events with this beautiful farm as its background.

The Team

Suzie Trexler, Farm Manager

Suzie found her way to farming after a seven-year run as a Boston restaurant critic. Writing about food led her to seek out the source, the farms and food producers, and ultimately land in the soil herself. After a few years working on organic vegetable farms, CSA’s and farming for food justice, she took an internship at Spannocchia in Tuscany, Italy, raising heritage farm animals and working with the in-house butcher. Back to the states, it was an apprenticeship at UCSC’s Farm & Garden where Suzie solidified her love of farming AND found her sweetie and farming partner. With husband Jay, the two manage the fields at Potrero Nuevo Farm, where Suzie has farmed since 2008. At the end of the day, she loves to cook, share and eat with others right out of the fields and is a proponent of nutrient dense foods that nourish and sustain the body. She is especially excited to bring pickles, kraut and other fermented foods to the TCK table.

Jay Trexler, Farm Manager

Before farming, Jay worked for a decade at outdoor jobs as a wilderness therapist clinician, a naturalist and in the national park system. But it all changed for him in 2008: the year he turned his attention to agriculture and attended the UCSC Farm & Garden Apprenticeship. There he met his wife Suzie. They married in the hills of Potrero Nuevo Farm in 2010, and together, they currently manage those very fields, cultivating two acres of mixed produce. When jay is not farming he enjoys woodworking, claw hammer banjo, and furthering his connection to his food source through fishing and hunting.

Bear, Mascot

Bear joins the TCK team as our positivity coach and mascot. He earns his keep by announcing all farm arrivals with his signature Great Pyrenees barking. He never ceases to astonish with his always-white, fluffy coat. Bear loves everyone he meets and especially adores kids. He can’t wait to greet you on the farm.