Meet Stacey Antine | Registered Dietitian

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stacey Antine and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stacey, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
During a master’s class in 2002 at New York University a professor mentioned the quote that, “this would be the first generation of children to not outlive their parents based on lifestyle.” I was in disbelief based on medical advancement and heart broken for children. Then, during my dietetic internship at Beth Israel Medical Center, I observed children getting weighed in and sitting in front of food models to talk about serving sizes with their parents. This was the method of educating based on approved obesity protocols. I felt that the intervention was more clinical-based than education-based and needed to change. As a result, I started HealthBarn USA in 2005 with a new hands-on educational model for nutrition education that included growing, harvesting and cooking with hand grown organic food and learning why this food is best for the body and mind.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

I worked in the corporate public relations industry for multinational food companies promoting big brand cereals, yogurts and beverages and more. During that time, I was pursuing a master’s in nutrition, food and dietetics at New York University to advance my career. It was during this time that I realized families needed education about healthy choices as they get bombarded with branded, packaged highly processed food of little nutritional value. I started brainstorming about HealthBarn USA. HealthBarn began on a family farm with one class in April 2005 for children ages 8-12. Our mission is to educate children and families about nutrition by growing, harvesting and cooking with their own hand-grown organic food for strong bodies and healthy minds.  In 2016, we outgrew the farm and moved to our own location in Ridgewood, NJ where we offer over 20 programs on-site and in schools including school assemblies.  Simultaneously, we started HealthBarn Foundation a 501c3 and began Healing Meals, a free nutritious meal program, for families with ill children and in need.  We provide 60,000 nutritious meals, soup and snacks a year for families with children receiving outpatient cancer treatment and for families and senior experiencing food insecurity at local food pantries.  We received the President of the United States Gold Award for Volunteerism and in 2022 we received the NJ Govenor’s Gold Medallion for Volunteer Group.  As a result of the pandemic, we funded $4.5M in a government funded program called Ridgewood Feed the Frontlines.  We purchase 8,000 nutritious meals a week from local restaurants that are transported by over 400 volunteer drivers to 20 food pantries in Northern NJ.  As you can see, HealthBarn is committed to nutrition education and access for all!

In 2023, we will be launching the HealthBarn Nutrition Academy to make our proprietary curricula available to be taught in schools, libraries and other educational facilities across the country.

The biggest challenges was setting the tuition price for the programs and gauging customer receptivity since we were the first to market to offer this type of programming that was not grant funded or paid through medical insurance. Also, securing locations for the programming that was safe and appropriate for our mission has also been a challenge that we have been able to overcome.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite places in Los Angeles are at the beach, farmers’ markets and the garden-to-table local dining scene.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Skip Vichness, business mentor Embrace the World organization
St. Francis of Assisi

Website: www.healthbarnusa.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthbarnusa/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacey-antine-ms-rdn

Twitter: HealthBarnUSA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healthbarnusa

Image Credits
Credit: HealthBarn USA