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Richard Villadóniga is a middle school teacher in St. Johns County, Florida.  He is a past Teacher of the Year award winner and has taught in public schools for over twelve years.  He was awarded the Geoffrey Roberts Award (www.geoffreyrobertsaward.com) for 2007 to fund the Endangered Foods Tour project. 

In the past, he has also received two Fulbright fellowships to study in Japan and South Africa.  He received a BA in Geography from The George Washington University and a Master’s Degree in City Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology. 

He is the founder of Slow Food First Coast (www.slowfoodfirstcoast.com) and serves on the Executive Committee of the Jacksonville Food Policy Council. He is currently working toward establishing school and community gardens in North Florida, increasing the availability of fresh and healthy foods in local communities,  and making cities in the region more friendly toward local urban agriculture initiatives.  He is the recipient of a grant (“Building a Better North Florida Through School and Community Gardens”) funded through the Embrace a Healthy Florida Initiative, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Foundation.

His interests include traveling, cooking, and spending time in the great outdoors.  He is a contributing food and travel writer for the St. Augustine Record (www.staugustine.com).  His articles have also been featured in Saveur (www.saveur.com), Water's Edge Magazine, Palm Coast Lifestyles, Farmers' Markets Today, the Bon Appetit Editors Blog (www.bonappetit.com), and Fiery-Foods.com.