Team
Madeline Pears
Program Director
Madeline Pears was raised in Alexandria, Louisiana, and has built her career at the intersection of food, business, and community, splitting her time between Lafayette and New Orleans before pursuing graduate studies in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In New Orleans, she deepened her commitment to food systems through volunteer and internship experiences with Edible Schoolyard and Grow Dat Youth Farm, while also serving as a manager at Willa Jean, a James Beard Award winning restaurant within the John Besh Restaurant Group.
She earned a dual MBA and MA in Food Studies from Chatham University, where she supported the Center for Regional Agriculture and Food Transformation as a workshop coordinator and food innovation lab coordinator. There she facilitated a 12 week market readiness program for small farm and food businesses, and she has since continued to work as a food business consultant both independently and with CRAFT for the past five years.
Supporting small businesses and restaurants has been a value of hers since childhood, and her love for food and the way it brings people together through growing, cooking, and sharing has fueled her passion to return home to Louisiana to do meaningful, community centered work. Most recently, she served as Program Coordinator for the Delta Regional Food Business Center, where she helped expand opportunities for small and mid sized producers and post harvest businesses across the Delta.
JJ Bantum
Program Manager
Jj Bantum is the Program Manager for Greaux the Good at Market Umbrella. Originally from California and now based in New Orleans, Louisiana, Jj’s work is rooted in a deep belief that food is more than nourishment; it is history, culture, memory, and a powerful tool for community care.
Jj earned degrees in Black Studies and Hospitality & Tourism Management from San Francisco State University. Her career has spanned hospitality, event coordination, higher education, and community programming, experiences that have strengthened her passion for building welcoming spaces and supporting meaningful community initiatives.
Her connection to food systems is both personal and generational. Raised in a family that worked as sharecroppers in Pennsylvania, Jj’s grandfather, Joe Bantum, carried agricultural traditions with him that would shape her family’s relationship with food for generations. After moving to San Diego, he cultivated a thriving backyard garden and raised chickens, instilling a lasting appreciation for foodways that continues to influence her today.
During the pandemic, Jj explored permaculture and sustainable agriculture while working on farms across the country, from Collinston, Louisiana to North San Juan, California. These experiences deepened her commitment to equitable food systems and affirmed her belief that food carries stories worth protecting. Through her work with Greaux the Good, she is excited to support Louisiana's producers and cultivate opportunities that strengthen communities from the ground up.