Commitee Members: Neil Conklin

Influenced by the conservation ethic in his hometown of Redding, Connecticut, Neil was a founding member of the Ecology Club at Joel Barlow H.S., where he and his neighbor, Paul Winter of the Paul Winter Consort, produced a fundraising concert in 1975 to raise awareness and purchase a paper baler for recycling. Neil later pursued an education in Ecological Agriculture, was founder and Marketing Director of Salmon Bay Fish Co. of Seattle, producer of Salmon Bay Festival Foods, and Food Service Manager for the Olympic Park Institute.

Today, Neil is proprietor of Bella Italia Restaurant in Port Angeles, Washington, a fine-dining establishment well known for its wine, ambiance, and a menu featuring fresh, local foods. He is the founding Director of Olympic Peninsula Community Celebrations, a nonprofit organization that produces The Dungeness Crab Festival and The Sequim Lavender Festival. His most recent challenge is the creation of a new concept in food: Olympic Coast Cuisine, which is defined through the use of locally grown foods, supports a diversity of local tastes and cultures, and provides a broader consumer base for local growers.

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