Our Team

Britten, Manny, and Max have combined their expertise in food, gardening, and sustainable land care to create a space for you to come relax and feel connected to the earth. Together, we share a deep-rooted commitment to sustainable food and land stewardship.

Britten: The garden chef, social media curator, and budding photographer at Fig Leaf Gardens. Originally from the East Coast, Britten lived in Michigan, New York, and Hawaii, before landing in Oakland. As a professionally trained chef she has experience from farm-to-table restaurants to serving as a private chef and everything in between. Britten lives to share her passion for bringing food and people together in a beautiful space. She won’t let one fig go to waste and can turn any fruit or vegetable into something incredible!

Manny: A food-loving gardener with years of experience making urban farming both fun and accessible for everyone. He’s the driving force behind our vegetable garden, ensuring everything gets planted just in time for our events so we always have fresh, homegrown produce. Manny also works his magic on our soil and compost, creating a regenerative nutrient cycle that nourishes the garden beds and orchards. And that's not all—he’s also our chicken whisperer and beekeeper, looking after our adorable flock of chickens and keeping our buzzing bee colony happy and healthy!

Max: The resident plant expert, garden designer, and systems manager. Max moved to Oakland from Wisconsin in 2007 and has been studying and working with plants extensively since. He has a background in product design, board game publishing, and fine arts. When not toiling in the fields, Max runs HausLogic, a family company that designs innovative kitchen products such as the AllSpice Spice rack. At FLG Max manages the perennial plants, propagation, water management, plant selection, pruning, some of the cooking, and much more.