LANE SELMAN, FOUNDER

Lane Selman is a Professor of Practice at Oregon State University and a nationally recognized food advocate whose work sits at the intersection of agriculture, flavor, and community. Raised on her family’s citrus farm on Florida’s Space Coast—established by her Sicilian great-grandparents in 1919—Lane studied Agronomy (BS) and Entomology (MS) at the University of Florida before moving to Oregon in 2000.

In 2012, she founded the Culinary Breeding Network (CBN), a community-driven initiative that connects plant breeders, farmers, chefs, and eaters to develop and promote organic, flavorful varieties of vegetables, fruits and grains. The CBN mission is to bridge the gap between the field and the kitchen, putting flavor and farmer engagement at the heart of variety development. Her work promoting biodiversity and connecting farmers, chefs, and plant breeders has redefined how we think about the food we grow—and how we celebrate it.

Lane’s work has been featured in the media including Food & Wine, The Wall Street Journal, Civil Eats, Food Tank, The New York Times and Eating Well magazine; she was #19 of the Saveur 100 in 2020. Lane has been the recipient of awards, including the Award of Excellence for Organic Advocate by the Oregon Organic Coalition in 2016. She currently serves on the Portland-Bologna Sister City Association board. Lane lives in Portland, Oregon.