Valerie Erwin is a longtime Philadelphia chef  and social justice activist who, for 12 years, owned the critically acclaimed Geechee Girl Rice Cafe. Geechee Girl specialized in the cuisine and culture of the Low Country of Savannah and Charleston where Valerie’s grandparents were born.

For two years Valerie was the General Manager of EAT Café, a Philadelphia not for profit restaurant with an innovative pay-what-you-can model. Since 2020, Valerie has managed Farm to Families, a produce access program of St Christopher’s Foundation for Children.

Valerie has served on the board of the Southern Foodways Alliance—the country’s premier institution for the study of food and culture. She now serves on the board of C-CAP, a culinary scholarship program for high school students, and on the board of the Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network, an anti-homelessness organization.