HVADC People: Kirsten Harlow Foster

When Kirsten Harlow Foster speaks about Sullivan County, her love and connection to the area are unmistakable. It’s not just where she’s raising her children, but also where her father and her husband grew up, and where her hospitality ventures have played a significant role in revitalizing main streets across the Catskills.

“I love Sullivan County deeply,” Foster said. “It’s my home. It’s where my kids took their first steps, and where we’ll always call home, hopefully. There are amazing, good, positive things happening in this county that I’m proud to be a part of.”

Her love for Sullivan County is not only personal, it’s also professional. As the newest member of both the HVADC and Farm and Food Growth Fund boards, Foster brings a perspective shaped by years of entrepreneurship, community development, and a fierce commitment to addressing food insecurity in the Catskills.

A Mission-Driven Approach to Hospitality

That connection to place drives nearly everything Foster does. As co-founder of Foster Supply Hospitality, she and her husband, Sims, have spent the past decade opening a collection of boutique hotels and farm-to-table restaurants that celebrate the region’s character. Current stay and/or dine offerings include Kenoza Hall in Kenoza Lake, The Arnold House and The DeBruce in Livingston Manor, Hemlock Neversink in Neverskink, the Sullivan County Golf Course, and Ottos in Liberty. Their work has attracted visitors and new investment to the western Catskills, fueling what Forbes called “a reinvention of the Catskills, one hotel and one meal at a time.”

“We are here because we love our community and we want to work with everyone else to help push it up,” Foster explained. “This is what we know how to do.”

But even as Sullivan County’s tourism industry has blossomed, Foster has kept her eye on those left behind by economic progress.

Tackling Food Insecurity Through a Single Bite

In 2017, Foster and her husband founded A Single Bite, a Sullivan County-based nonprofit that combats food insecurity and teaches young people about healthy eating. The organization’s name comes from its classroom program, where local chefs prepare small, single bites of locally sourced dishes for seventh graders.

“We started in Livingston Manor, which was the school that my husband went to for his whole life, and that his parents taught in,” Foster said. “We’re teaching the children the difference between real food and processed food, and hoping to inspire them to make good choices.”

Each year, 700 seventh-grade students across all eight Sullivan County public school districts participate in A Single Bite’s free, four-part Real Food Education Program. Since 2019, more than 2,600 students have experienced farm visits, classroom lessons, and shared meals at Foster Supply restaurants — often their first time being served in a restaurant setting.

“I like to say we’re trying to make positive food memories,” Foster noted. “If you think about the top three moments in your life, probably one of them is surrounded by food – grandmother’s cookies or your mom’s favorite casserole.”

When the pandemic hit in 2020, A Single Bite significantly expanded its mission. With schools closed and restaurant kitchens idle, the nonprofit mobilized chefs, staff, and local farms to cook and deliver thousands of fresh meals each week to food-insecure families. What began as an emergency response has evolved into a permanent Free Family Meals Program, which now provides approximately 1,000 scratch-made servings each week — more than 225,000 meals since March 2020.

“Once you see, it’s hard to unsee,” Foster reflected on discovering the depth of food insecurity in her community.”

Today, the organization employs a dedicated chef and collaborates with local farmers to source and distribute over 100,000 pounds of regional produce — some of which is grown specifically for A Single Bite. Supported by 70 volunteers including 35 delivery drivers, the program reaches families across Sullivan County, with children accounting for approximately 60 percent of meal recipients.

Bringing Sullivan County’s Voice to HVADC and FFGF

Foster’s deep relationship with local farmers and her experience building both for-profit and nonprofit enterprises made her an ideal addition to the HVADC and FFGF Boards of Directors. Encouraged to join by fellow board member Walter Garigliano and HVADC Executive Director Todd Erling, Foster sees her role as an opportunity to ensure Sullivan County’s agricultural community gains more visibility and better support.

“I’m still learning the acronyms,” Foster joked. “We have lots of farmers here, and I’d love to help them access some of the wonderful programs both at HVADC and FFGF. Any way that I can help bridge the opportunities, I would see as a success.”

She’s particularly interested in exploring opportunities, such as dairy modernization grants, that could benefit local farms, many of which are smaller operations.

Looking Ahead

Beyond her nonprofit work, Foster is expanding Foster Supply Hospitality’s impact with a major project in Newburgh — a 74-room hotel and multiple restaurants in three historic buildings on Grand Street. Like Sullivan County, she sees Newburgh as a community with tremendous potential and hopes to add to the positive momentum that is already at work in the city.

“Hospitality can be a megaphone for positivity,” Foster explained. “When guests visit our properties, they’re not just eating a great meal — they’re discovering a place and a community. Many end up moving here, shopping locally, and supporting the farms that feed our restaurants and programs.”

For Foster, every project connects back to the same mission: supporting the agricultural community, creating positive food and hospitality experiences, and building a stronger, more connected region. With her blend of business acumen, deep agribusiness relationships, and on-the-ground experience with food insecurity, Foster brings invaluable perspective to HVADC and FFGFs missions of strengthening local food systems throughout the Hudson Valley and Northeast Foodshed.