Chris Link is a native of the Richmond area and a structural engineer by trade. He moved to Roanoke in 2013 when he married his wife Elizabeth, and they are now happily raising their 4-year-old daughter in Raleigh Court. He’s an avid home cook and occasional home gardener – it’s not quite as big as the 5,000 sq. ft. garden of his childhood, but it will grow a good tomato.

 

One of his most consequential ancestors is his great-grandfather Cyrus Hugh "Pop” Cline. Pop was a general farmer in Fishersville, VA. The abundant life of Pop’s farm and the surrounding  community is at the center of most of the happy stories on Chris’s father’s side of the family. His understanding of our food systems has, like most things in life, matured over time. He has grown to realize that modern agriculture is out of step with the model of Pop’s farm, much like modern American business is not inherently interested in local community. Chris knows grocery stores are businesses that create community by linking consumers to an agricultural system. He has grown to deeply cherish the connection the co-op gives him to local farms and his local community. The co-op team members help him feel like he’s a part of a place, and he’d like to keep contributing to ensure the co-op is here for families like his for years to come.