Abby Kirn is the co-founder and chef of Village, a sustainable dining company that creates 100% plant-based culinary experiences in partnership with farmers and local producers. Abby grew up with a food-loving family, the norm being communal cookouts, dinner parties, and foraging ingredients in the local wilderness. Her eventual culinary journey took a non-traditional route; she began her career as a creative producer in New York and California. During COVID, she attended culinary school and got her first kitchen job at The French Laundry, a renowned three Michelin restaurant in Napa, CA. After moving to New York, she later joined the opening team of Al Coro, which received two Michelin stars in its first year. Abby and her partner ended up leaving the fine dining world to launch their own company, Village, bringing together artists, musicians, farmers, performers and beyond to build community and reimagine what fine dining could be. Their focus is sustainable dining through plant-based experiences in partnership with farmers and local producers. Abby is also currently the Culinary Director of The Knife Factory in Brooklyn and an advisor with the Food Education Fund, aiding in the career development and education of youth around hospitality and suitability. In her minimal spare time, she helps run her family’s ranch in Northern California where they produce olive oil and rescue miniature farm animals. There, she is launching programs to bring in children from “food apartheid” communities to learn, play and cook onsite.